Viola recited the information from the novel.
From a reader’s perspective, Viola knew everything, but for Carlo, everything was new.
“I don’t sense any spirit’s power.”
Viola mentioned that she couldn’t feel any spirit’s power in the blue uniform and explained that the protection of spirits would gradually weaken as the spirit mages distanced themselves from the spirits, as it was a basic law of nature.
“That’s a fundamental principle of nature. It’s a law that even magical engineering can’t overcome, something impossible for humans. And that’s my conclusion.”
As she was confident that it was a scam, Viola’s words were direct, and her attitude was assertive.
The knowledge that had been hidden in the mind of Han Arin, a reader who loved ‘The Shadow of Bellato,’ began to emerge one by one.
“Even outstanding and intelligent people often fall for scams. Especially when they’re desperate or impatient.”
Carlo looked at Viola’s teasing smile. Viola’s pupils seemed to see through everything.
“Isn’t there a hidden war going on even within Parr Viscounty?”
In a way, this place was a gathering of the luxury industry. Who will lead this year’s trend? Who will produce better designers and artifacts? Who will be the top family on the continent?
They vied for power and among them, they formed their own forces, and there were factions.
“I heard that the Louis Bartengan family is in fierce competition with the Golbad family. Whether the Golbad family stole Louis Bartengan’s designs, brought in designers that didn’t fit their ideals, or had less tradition and reputation than Louis Bartengan, I’ll disregard these secondary issues. The important thing is that Louis Bartengan is in a significant competition with someone.”
Carlo couldn’t speak. All this information was coming from a 12-year-old girl. And not just any 12-year-old girl but one from Bellato, which was located at the northern edge of the continent, with no connection to Parr Viscounty.
‘Why did my master… choose Lady Viola?’
Viola continued, “Competing like that can make you anxious and you might see things you wouldn’t normally see. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Turning your eyes elsewhere may reveal new paths, and that’s the first step in creating a new domain.”
“…”
“However, who was the one who took that first step, in Senior Designer Carlo’s opinion?”
Carlo replied for the first time.
“It was Lady Sersa.”
“In Senior Designer Carlo’s opinion, what kind of person is Lady Sersa?”
“She has a passion for art that surpasses anyone else. She’ll become a great artisan.”
“In other words, she’s an enthusiastic person who walks a straight path.”
“Yes.”
“In different words, she’s someone who sells her art in a naive way.”
That was blasphemy against Lady Sersa. Hot words almost choked him, but he held them in. Viola wasn’t a child who would speak thoughtlessly.
‘Actually, if I look at it closely, she also referred to Lord Serphon as a ‘fool,’ so she isn’t actually saying much.’
“So what! She may not be very skilled in human relationships but I actually admire that. An artisan should just follow their own path. There’s no need to excel in other areas, in my opinion.”
Carlo’s heart trembled for no reason at Viola’s words of ‘admiration.’ The same words, when said by different people, can elicit different emotions from the listener. Right now, Viola’s words shook Carlo’s heart. Talking to Viola made his emotions run wild. It felt like he was having a conversation with a 120-year-old sage, not a 12-year-old child.
“Look closely at Lady Sersa’s surroundings. There’s bound to be someone like a sly fox trying to deceive her passion.”
“…Sly fox?”
‘There’s a guy named Herton who will scam you in the future!’ But she didn’t say that. However, Hera spoke.
“Herton, the guy who introduced himself as Lady Sersa’s childhood friend, keep an eye on him.”
Hera smiled slyly.
“Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“…”
‘What’s going on, my sister? You’re scary!’
Hera already knew everything. Cold sweat ran down Viola’s back.
***
She felt it several times.
‘I’m so lucky that Hera is on my side. Seriously!’
Unlike the ascension to Parr Viscounty, Hera was very spirited during the descent. She summoned four magicians from the Mage Tower and descended via warp. Many people watched the spectacle.
It wasn’t Hera’s fault, but the warp was too nauseating. But there was no other way.
All eyes of those who had visited Parr Viscounty were fixed on Bellato’s darlings. The important thing was that Hera had the ability to mobilize all four magicians from the Mage Tower. And it was solely for the purpose of ‘showing off.’
‘It’s a scary world after all. In Korea, I would have been just a middle schooler.’
Viola marveled at Hera’s abilities once again and continued with her questions.
“But what about Herton?”
“It’s strange, isn’t it? Everyone knows that Lady Sersa doesn’t have any friends. And if that’s something you and I both know, then the whole world knows, right?”
“…”
‘…Right? It feels like only my sister knows.’
“But he kept spreading the rumor that he’s Lady Sersa’s childhood friend, so I did some investigation.”
…Usually, people don’t investigate when there are rumors like that. Or rather, how did such a rumor even reach Bellato?
‘I’ve never heard of it before.’
“He said he had contact with Louis Bartengan, and shortly after that, Louis Bartengan’s uniform started to change. People who are well-informed know that they started taking an interest in spirit studies rather than magical engineering. Well, you probably knew that.”
“…”
“Listening to your words gave credibility to my investigation. Herton was the most suspicious, and I only mentioned him. People from Louis Bartengan are smart, so if I provide them with these clues, they’ll figure it out on their own.”
Viola also nodded in agreement. She had experienced the same thing. With the keyword ‘spirit studies,’ she recalled quite a lot. Louis Bartengan would likely do the same. Once you grasp one thing, the rest follows naturally.
A few days later, Viola and her group returned to Winter Castle.
“Oh… that was tough. What’s the deal with the social scene here? No, that’s not it. I’ve already relaxed.”
‘I can thrive even in a difficult situation! I’ll live happily, rich and for many years!’
She regained her composure. But then, Xenon brought a letter.
“Lady, this is a letter from Chief Designer Carlo.”
After opening the letter, Viola found that most of the content expressed gratitude. However, there was a rather shocking part:
“We received Herton’s head as a gift and as a symbol of cooperation. We sincerely thank you, Lady Viola.”
Viola, hiding her trembling legs under her skirt, said with a calm voice, “Xenon, what about the strawberry ade?”
“Would you like it now?”
“Yes.”
Only then did Viola, who had sent Xenon out, sit down in the chair.
If she had been a little later, her trembling legs would have given out for all to see. With trembling hands, Viola examined the letter several times.
‘What is this?’
Viola had never done such a thing as sending Herton’s head. She had simply been inside the carriage.
‘It seems like something Hera did.’
She didn’t know the details.
It appeared that after Hera had killed Herton and sent his head to Chief Designer Carlo, she had pretended that Viola had done it.
‘Is this really happening…?!’
Knock, knock.
There was a knocking sound and Xenon brought in a tray with strawberry ade.
Viola relaxed, crossing her legs, making every effort to hide her inner turmoil.
“Xenon, did you drive the carriage?”
“Yes, I did.”
“And Ersa?”
“Ersa spent most of the time with me.”
“Most of the time? What do you mean by that?”
“She left for a bit, saying she had something to do.”
“When she returned, did she smell of blood?”
Xenon thought for a moment, then nodded.
“I think there was a faint smell of blood.”
“Why did she smell like blood?”
“I didn’t ask about that, but should I go and ask?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m going to Hera now.”
Viola bit her lip.
Hera had secretly committed murder and presented Herton’s head to Louis Bartengan. Viola had no say in the matter. This was an act of deceiving and disrespecting Viola.
“Shall I make an excuse?”
“No.”
“I will escort you.”
While walking slowly, Xenon asked quietly, “Lady?”
“Yes?”
“Please don’t forget that this is Winter Castle. Murder is not allowed.”
“If there ever comes a day when we have to break the laws of Winter Castle, please help me cover it up using your skills, my servant.”
Xenon was Viola’s servant.
A short while later, Xenon and Viola arrived at Hera’s residence.
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Translator Note:
Next 15 chapters will be translated by RJR. See you soon.
This chapter was translated by Bree.
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