A few days later, a secret conversation was taking place in the huge mountain range at the edge of Baron Humphrey’s territory.
“They’ll be passing through soon, so stay alert.”
The subordinate who received Gilbert’s order spoke, while the accompanying mage quietly concentrated his magical power.
Gilbert had arrived at Baron Humphrey’s residence a few days ago and was having dinner with him when he hurriedly sought out his subordinate and handed him a small note.
⋙“On this day and at this time, it is said that the Little Duke of Lexion will be returning to the capital by passing the route marked on the map, so pretend it was an accident like you did the other day.”⋘
⋙“Understood, Mr. Gilbert.”⋘
⋙“Make sure to roll the carriage down the mountain path to kill them instantly, and if there’s a newborn, take him. To bring down Lexion, we need to study the magic flowing in their blood.”⋘
Those hiding in the mountains, following Gilbert out of loyalty towards Humphrey Territory, were well aware.
If this plan were to fail, their master, already labeled incompetent by the Imperial Consort Patricia, would lose his position entirely.
“There comes the carriage.”
One of Gilbert’s subordinates, staring at the starting point of the path between the cliffs, spoke, and the group dispersed in perfect order.
『 It’s about time our master shows some results this time…』
However, as the carriage approached, the group smiled in relief.
“Judging by its decorated coat of arms and its size, it’s unmistakably Lexion’s carriage.”
“Looking at the wagon following behind, it must be an official procession to the Capital.”
“There is no need to attack the wagon. It’s important to disguise it as a natural accident, so only attack the largest carriage where the Little Duke and his fiancée are.”
“Understood.”
“The slope is steep anyway, so if the procession collapses, there will be chaos, so don’t fret.”
The mage hired by Gerturk nodded briefly, converted the accumulated magical energy into vibration magic, and carefully released it.
The magicites buried beneath the ground siphoned off a bit of his power as he was about to move a huge rock.
Boom—
“Ugh…!”
“M-my magic power is being sucked out!”
As soon as the rock moved, the mages who had been drained of their magic began to cry out in pain, clutching their chests.
Some of them lost consciousness in an instant as their magical energy was drained, and they tumbled down the slope where the carriage was.
“What the…”
Gilbert’s subordinate tried to get a grip on the situation, but a heavy kick to his back happened faster.
“Since I can’t kill you with a sword, I guess you’ll have to fall and die too.”
“Ugh!”
With a dull thud, the subordinate’s body rolled down the steep hill. Even as he gradually lost consciousness, the subordinate predicted the success of the mission.
『 As long as we attack the carriage well… Heh?』
The huge rock that the magicite had moved had definitely fulfilled his wish and smashed into the carriage with a loud noise, just as he had intended.
But before that, the coachman snapped the reins and spurred the horses away, and no screams came from the carriage.
『 The carriage was empty, wasn’t it?』
The carriage, which rebounded solidly every time it hit a rocky bump, was filled with nothing but sandbags.
Although his mind was clouded by the impact of the fall, the subordinate naturally realized what this whole situation meant.
『 Could it be that Mr. Gilbert was completely deceived by Baron Humphrey?』
And he soon realized why Baron Humphrey, who was planning to make a solid profit from the magicites, had deceived him.
“I’ve risen to success by meeting a good master, so I don’t know what consolation I should give to someone who is dying because of meeting a bad master.”
A man with bluish hair appeared in his sight, expressing pity.
“You are… Little Duke’s…”
He knew this because Gilbert had shown him a portrait before, cautioning him to be careful. This man was the subordinate of the Little Duke of Lexion.
The subordinate closed his eyes as he felt the pain spreading inside his mouth.
Cassius closed his eyes for him, sighing deeply.
“If you’re handling things that are carried out in secret, you should verify the situation on-site as well. If you just rely on reports, it can lead to situations like this.”
The fact that Walter hadn’t been injured in the last incident was a closely guarded secret, as Walter had everyone, including Baron Humphrey’s people, monitored.
Gilbert, who had only learned about the results of the assassination attempt through newspapers and the Baron’s reports without directly confirming it, believed, as people were gossiping, that Walter had suffered severe injuries.
Had he known the truth, he would not have been so foolish as to attempt one more botched operation, but he had already given orders to his subordinates.
『 Well, usually people aren’t as thorough as our Little Duke. Furthermore…』
As the situation was roughly sorted out, Cassius looked towards a carriage approaching from a distance.
Although it didn’t look particularly luxurious, the interior of the carriage was comfortable and designed for safety. This carriage was specifically requested by Edith.
“Greetings, M’lady. As you instructed, we’ve preserved the scene as best we can.”
She surveyed the scene of the accident with indifferent eyes, cradling the baby wrapped in a soft, clean cloth.
There were no fewer than five mages who had been knocked unconscious.
『 They really planned to kill us.』
It was Walter’s plan to use Baron Humphrey’s revenge on Gerturk to strike Gilbert in the back.
He had instructed the mages of Lexion, who were second to none in the empire when it came to magic, to cast a spell on the magicites buried in this area in advance.
It was said to be a top-level magic spell used by Lexion when punishing mages—a spell on the magicites buried in this area that would absorb all the magic power of anyone trying to cast a spell on them.
Thanks to Gilbert’s thoughtless attempt to attack Lexion, Walter was given the opportunity to study the magic used by Gerturk’s mages.
As Edith watched Walter check on the unconscious mages, she could see that things were going according to his plan.
“Well done, Cassius. Now, I guess we can report the accident to the nearby village chief and ask for help.”
Cassius thought to himself as he watched Edith give precise orders while stroking her son affectionately.
『 She gives the impression of being very compassionate, but in reality, there are times when she’s even more cold-hearted than Walter.』
It was Walter’s idea to stage a fake procession to the Capital and use Baron Humphrey and the buried magicites to siphon off their magic power.
In addition, Edith suggested fabricating a scenario where it looked like she, the baby, and the Little Duke of Lexion were attacked by Gilbert’s forces.
⋙“No, that’s too dangerous.”⋘
⋙“What if I go separately to the scene after the situation is under control? If we inform the surrounding village chiefs and journalists that Gerturk attacked Lexion, we will be able to influence local public opinion.”⋘
⋙“I see…”⋘
Edith had come to the reasonable conclusion that if she could use Gilbert’s attack to her advantage, she might be able to silence some of the gossip about her having a child before Walter had even proposed.
The situation meant that she had to give birth hidden in the territory with the relentless Gerturk following her with the intention of killing them.
So people would think that if it had been known that she was pregnant before she was proposed to, she would have suffered a disaster a long time ago, but at least she was able to hide her pregnancy and give birth safely.
⋙“Besides, if we go to the capital, we’ll have to reveal the baby’s existence anyway. The fact that they attacked a woman who had recently given birth and her newborn will be a more effective means of exposing their vileness.”⋘
⋙“Well, I’m sure public opinion will turn against Gerturk.”⋘
Since both houses, Gerturk and Lexion, were based in the capital, public opinion battles in the capital would be quick to rise and quick to fall.
However, if public opinion from the provincial areas began to form that ‘the Imperial Consort’s younger brother tried and failed to kill the political enemy Lexion and the newborn heir,’ it would be practically impossible to control.
Even those uninterested in politics would have sympathized and been inclined to support the claim, especially focusing on the fact that they attacked a recently born baby and its mother.
『 Especially since House Gerturk, which has risen to prominence thanks to Imperial Consort Patricia, has little control over the provinces.』
Soon, a group of men on horses approached.
“Oh, my God! Little Duke!”
“Are you alright?”
It was the chiefs of the neighboring villages and their aides, who had been summoned under the pretext of seeking help after the sudden attack.
As the local officials, they quickly discerned the situation, recognizing that Gerturk had made a significant mistake.
“This is an attack using magic. This is ridiculous.”
“Considering and riding in the wagon in this situation… It seems like the heavens have helped Lexion.”
“We must inform the journalists about this absurd incident as soon as possible.”
Cassius bid a silent farewell to Gilbert, whom he was sick of.
『 Goodbye, and thank you for being stupid all this time.』
──────────✿◦•
A few days later, Patricia’s angry voice echoed through the Imperial Palace.
“Count! You won’t tell me this is true? Tell me there’s been a mistake.”
Count Gerturk froze as he looked at the headlines in the newspaper she had thrown onto the table.
[Gilbert Gerturk’s attempt to murder Lexion]
[Gerturk attacked the newborn heir of the Little Duke of Lexion]
“What nonsense is this, Count? How incompetent do you have to be to let Gilbert do something like this?”
“T-that’s…”
Count Gerturk, who had been summoned to the Imperial Palace when he was having breakfast, lowered his head as if shamed.
He, too, felt as if struck by lightning. When he heard the report that Gilbert was detained and being transported, featured in a local newspaper late yesterday, he was initially dumbfounded.
He wondered who would dare to print a fake article about Gerturk’s second son, but a quick investigation revealed that the contents were all true.
『 Gilbert… that scoundrel hasn’t been seen for a few days. I didn’t think he would do such a crazy thing…』
It seems he was trying to restore his reputation in his own way but got caught by the Little Duke and caused a major accident.
However, Patricia was not someone to let her brother ruin everything she had achieved.
“Count. Chalk this matter up to Gilbert’s drunken misjudgment and acting on his own initiative.”
“T-that means…”
“Did you think I would take care of that idiot forever, Count?”
“I would never think that.”
Count Gerturk immediately lowered his head. He knew his sister’s temperament well. If he raised objections now, he was certain he would be cut off along with Gilbert.
Patricia could not calm her anger even as she saw Count Gerturk bowing down to her, despite him saying that he understood her commands well.
『 I’m sure Lexion will press Gerturk harder now that Gilbert has given them a reason.』
As she chewed on her nails, she soon came up with a plan to tighten the leash around Lexion.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
