《Side Serios》
At long last, I received word from the Dark Guild. Together with Kanon, I made my way to the tavern that served as their hideout.
“You certainly took your time.”
“Yeah. This time, well, given who we were dealing with, it was quite a task.”
“What about that brother of yours, Kyl, was it?”
“Ah, I have him looking into something else.”
“I see.”
I stared at Emma suspiciously and prompted her to continue.
“To give you the results, it seems the reason Lady Claris is in seclusion is because the King ordered her disinherited from nobility, and Duke Everett is looking for a new marriage partner for Lady Claris, whose engagement was broken.”
“So the disinheritance is true, and her engagement was broken on top of that, huh.”
It seemed the rumors were true. But why, ultimately, was Claris ordered to be disinherited, and how did the Duke intend to find someone for her to marry?
“This next bit will cost ya extra, but… interested in hearing it?”
“Do you have some information?”
“This is the Dark Guild. When we investigate, we go all out, you know.”
“How much?”
“100 Gold Coins.”
“I’ll pay.”
“Huh!?”
She probably meant to overcharge me, but I answered immediately.
I doubted haggling in a place like this would improve her impression of me. On the contrary, by showing I’m generous, I could negotiate more advantageously and gain the upper hand.
“Really?”
“Kanon, the payment.”
Kanon placed a leather pouch of gold coins on the table. Then, in addition to the reward we originally owed, I placed another one on the table.
“I’ve actually been wanting to get my hands on the Dark Guild operating here in the Aegrid Territory. So, Emma, let’s negotiate.”
“Wh-what’s this?”
“Become my tool!”
“Wha-!? What are you sayin’?”
“You’ve suddenly slipped into your dialect. Is that your true self?”
“That’s right, so what of it? What d’ya mean, make me your ‘tool’?”
To be honest, I don’t want Liese and Kyl to meet, so I want to manage the Dark Guild myself. Besides, the Dark Guild is based in Aegrid because, as a frontier territory, surveillance from the Royal Capital is lax, making it easy for them to operate.
In that case, I’ll use that to my advantage.
“I will permit you to operate as the Dark Guild. However, I want you to prioritize my jobs. As the Lord of Aegrid, this means I will formally acknowledge your existence.”
“Wha-!? A noble acknowledging a Dark Guild? Isn’t that treason against the Kingdom?”
“It’s not a problem if you don’t get caught, right? Of course, if you make a blunder and get caught by the Kingdom, I’ll cut you loose immediately.”
“…Haaah. Man, you’re really out there. But, this is interesting. I’ll gratefully accept these 100 Gold Coins.”
As a sign of accepting the deal, Emma took the bag of gold coins.
“Alright then, I’ll tell ya everything I know, no holding back. It seems Prince Edward von Leclair’s defeat in the duel this time is what triggered all of this.”
How does his losing to me lead to Claris’s disinheritance?
“As for the King’s decision, all responsibility for this incident was placed on Gard, the Marshal’s son. This was because he interfered and interrupted the sacred duel. However, before the duel, Lady Claris apparently made statements favorable to the duel opponent and disparaged the Prince. That was seen as an act of treason against the Kingdom, deeming her unfit to be his fiancée.”
That’s an outrageous argument, to say the least.
To claim Prince Edward was blameless, they made Gard the scapegoat and pinned the sin on Claris.
Is such a thing even possible?
I searched through Serios’s memories, trying to recall the King’s face, but I’ve never seen it in them.
“And another thing. It seems Duke Everett plans to marry Lady Claris off to foreign royalty while she still holds her title, using her as a bargaining chip. Age is apparently no object; he’s sending letters to make her one of the consorts to foreign royalty, even those more than twenty years her senior.”
Hearing this information, it’s clear things have become quite serious.
Duke Everett had provided Claris with all sorts of education to prepare her to become a Queen. The moment he realized that dream was impossible, he decided to use her to forge connections with other countries instead.
“Getting information even on the Royal Family… that’s a significant haul.”
“Well, that’s our job, y’see. Worth 100 Gold Coins, wouldn’t ya say?”
“Yes, I understand a lot now. And I think I know what I need to do.”
“So, what’re ya plannin’ to do?”
“First, I’ll meet with Duke Everett.”
Perhaps if I had gone to see him myself from the start, I might have learned many of these things. However, knowing things in advance versus not knowing makes a difference in how one can respond and in one’s peace of mind.
“Emma, I want to request another job.”
“You sure work people hard, don’t ya?”
“It’s a job, isn’t it? Or would you prefer a vacation?”
“Nah, it’s fine. I’m already on board this ship, so I’ll take it.”
“Thank you.”
I requested the next job from Emma and then left the Dark Guild’s hideout.
When I stepped outside, Kanon had her eyebrows raised, a frown on her face.
“Lord Serios, are you sure about this? Making allies of the Dark Guild… You never know when people like that will betray you.”
I can understand Kanon’s concern.
However, for someone like me with so few allies in the Kingdom, I want to secure personnel, even if they’re allies hired with gold.
“I’m taking the possibility of betrayal into account. But right now, I want to do whatever I can for Claris.”
“I see. You have your own circumstances, don’t you, Lord Serios.”
“We’ve obtained the information. I’m going to meet Duke Everett. Can I count on you for protection?”
“Leave it to me.”
Finally, I can make my next move.