Chapter 109

However, Diello’s face remained unchanged.

“I’ll investigate further.”

His words didn’t sound false, so I shook my head.

“They’re the names I heard while I was in Alors.”

To be precise, I saw them in the original story. Since the original Krua also knew of their existence, it wasn’t a lie.

“I see.”

Diello murmured the names on the paper.

“Caren, Cape, Paslot.”

He smiled beautifully as if to remember them.

“I’ll ask the Intelligence Department to look into them separately.”

“I can do it myself.”

The man, who had been looking tired for the past few days, got up. However, instead of answering, Diello slightly turned his body to show me his work desk. Unlike me, who was swamped with work after the Duke of Alors died, his desk was bare.

“I’ll be back.”

There was nothing I could do. After all, I had to work hard for a while to dismantle the corruption-ridden forest boundary system of Alors.

In the end, I sat down quietly.

“Please do.”

“Yes.”

Diello nodded and went out of the room.

* * *

—Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

Diello, who had entered a nearby room, called for Rick.

Rick soon appeared.

“Did you call?”

Diello spoke in a completely different, cold voice than before.

“Caren, Cape, Paslot of Alors. Find out about these men.”

He narrowed his eyes, thinking of the documents he had seen earlier, before he parted his lips again, “They are in charge of Alors’ military, the ones who will protect Argenta and Alors.”

His cold gaze turned to Rick.

Rick, who met his eyes, froze with a smile on his face.

“…Y-yes, sir. I’ll find out quickly.”

“I heard that Alors’s forest hasn’t been properly managed by Alors for a long time, so the nearby territory people have created their own self-defense forces.”

Diello glanced in the direction where Krua would be and continued.

“They might be sensitive to accepting new forces, especially since they have to accept Argenta. See if they are capable enough to meditate.”

At his words, Rick finally relaxed his expression.

‘I thought he was being so murderous for no reason.’

He sighed inwardly. It seemed he had been mistaken in thinking that the lord’s voice, which called them, was full of power.

“Understood.”

Just as he was about to step back, Diello continued.

“And find out if they’ve ever fallen into the water with Krua.”

Rick almost stumbled out of the room. Thanks to that, he replied a beat late.

“…Understood.”

And as he barely lifted his head, Diello’s cold face was in front of him.

“One last thing…”

Rick made a blank expression at his continued words, but Diello asked with an unchanged expression.

“Is there a problem?”

“No.”

Rick said quickly, and he shot out of the room like a bullet.

As he did, he thought.

‘The master’s awakening… It hasn’t even been a month since the lily disappeared, but he’s already this powerful? Isn’t that amazing?’

It was a conversation he had with Vielle a while ago. In private, they were friends who spoke freely, and they were having a casual conversation.

“I’m so glad the Madam became a Ferro. And she’s even a powerful Ferro.”

Vielle’s expression hardened after being relieved.

“The problem is that she’s too talented. She has even awakened as the head of Alors. If another Ferro appears before her…”

It was an assumption that Rick had also thought of, so he immediately responded.

“Obviously no. The master’s eyes changed.”

“Rick… That kind of expression.”

Even though Vielle frowned as if the expression was harsh, Rick thought as he completely left the room.

If Vielle had seen the master’s eyes just now, wouldn’t he have said he had changed?

He shuddered at the thought.

If he wanted to keep his life, he shouldn’t go near the head or water.

* * *

Krua began to get really busy. Now that all of Alors’s direct and collateral blood relatives were gone, even though she hadn’t been officially announced as the Duke of Alors yet, she was clearly no different from the Duke of Alors.

Naturally, the people of Alors would be waiting for her.

She didn’t know if they would welcome her, as the Duke of Alors hadn’t taken proper care of them, but what they needed was the power of Alors.

“We have to ensure the safety of the forest.”

Preventing monsters from coming out of the ‘endless forest’ that Alors protects—that alone would give the people of the territory a sense of security. Besides, she heard that Nira had recently received his power and wielded the power of water freely in the Alors’ territory.

The citizens of Alors must be brimming with anticipation for the new head’s power by now.

To reassure them, she was selecting trustworthy individuals from Alors, especially those who would not be averse to the Argenta’s soldiers heading to the forest with them and those who were familiar enough to alleviate the Alos’ anxieties about Argenta.

“Then, I’ll be off for a bit!”

Krua greeted Diello with a bright smile.

Since Alors was in shambles, she would meet the Alors envoys at the secure Argenta’s villa. Naturally, Nira was present to escort her.

The Intelligence Department had already confirmed that the individuals Krua had chosen from the documents had not colluded with other forces. Now, she would meet them in person and grant them power if she deemed them suitable.

Then, perhaps she could worry about Alors a little less.

“….”

Diello was left alone in the office.

It was a problem because his wife was too capable.

He wished she would just stay by his side.

He wished no one would seek her out.

He even went as far as to childishly bid on Daisy Forest in the auction just to prevent her from leaving abruptly… Who would have known that the land of Alors would fall right before her?

“….”

Diello let out a short sigh.

As always, he thought, it was a problem because she shone too brightly. So, to be by her side, he must shine even brighter.

And then…

[ Nira ]

He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the document about Nira.

Some time ago.

‘Finally…’

That was what he had ordered Rick to do—to find out about Nira. Rick, with his keen eye, had investigated Nira in much greater detail than the others.

[ 27 years old. Originally from the Shadow Blade family, his father is… ]

After skimming through various personal information, he discovered a sentence written in particularly bold letters at the very end.

[ On the surface, there is no possibility that he fell into the water with the Madam. ]

“…..”

Diello’s face flushed instantly.

It was definitely him who had told the other three people to investigate Nira as well.

And.

‘Find out if she’s ever fallen into the water.’

It was also him who had given that order. However, seeing Rick’s report, which understood his master’s intentions all too well, made him feel hot under the collar. When did he ever become the kind of person who knew shame?

He covered his face with one hand.

[ The problem is that it’s difficult to find his whereabouts when he was active as an assassin. If you command me, I’ll ask him myself. ]

Diello picked up a quill pen as he read the report.

[ The problem is that it is difficult to find her whereabouts when she was active as an assassin. If you command me, I will ask her myself. ]

He drew a line through the entire sentence, unable to bring himself to write his thoughts down with a pen. He didn’t want Krua to see him doing such childish things.

…He knew it was childish himself.

Just as he let out a short sigh,

“My lord, if you have finished your contemplation, may I take you to the Knights’ Hall for a moment―”

“….!”

―Thump!

The startled Diello snapped the quill pen he was holding. In the meanwhile, Redias, as if he had expected this, simply placed a box in front of him.

“This is the box that Vielle has prepared. She told me to take them out one by one secretly, but I thought it might cause problems with your work efficiency, my lord.”

“…This is.”

Diello unconsciously took the box and opened it, letting out a short sigh. It was none other than a box of quill pens.

Lately, he had been… breaking a lot of them.

Just as he was about to look at the quill pen debris next to the table…

“Are you troubled?”

“…A little.”

As Diello finally opened his mouth, Redias, watching over his nephew who was also his lord, parted his lips.

“Are you thinking about your wife?”

“…No, it’s not that.”

It could be said that he was thinking about Krua, but to be exact.

Krua was….

“―Are you thinking about the men she will meet?”

―Crack!

There was an ominous sound from the box Diello was holding.

The gazes of the two men turned to the bottom of the box. They saw a quill pen that had poked its head out fall to the floor with a clatter.

“….”

“….”

A brief silence filled the office.

Redias discreetly averted his gaze. It was to hold back laughter.

―Thump.

In the end, Diello put the box down, and slowly closed and opened his eyes.

“…Yes, I am thinking about it. As my uncle said, to be exact, not about Krua…”

He spoke as if it were embarrassing to say it out loud, his mouth twitching.

“About those who serve Krua. Their abilities, how well they can handle Alors.”

It was only in front of his uncle that he had decided not to lie. That was how he intended to skirt around it.

He didn’t want his childish insides to be exposed.

“…If they can handle it, how many times a year Krua will have to go to Alors, whether she will have to leave each time, or whether she will meet those who fell into the water with her in the past and recall those memories―”

However, he soon realized that his thoughts were spilling out of his head and shut his mouth.

Redias was staring desperately out the window by then.

Diello Argenta, who had always been the perfect and sharp lord, was changing little by little. It was a welcome change, though it seemed not for himself. Or perhaps he thought he would dislike that appearance.

Redias swallowed his laughter with effort.

If it was a concern as a lord, he should listen as a loyal subject, but if it was a concern as a young man… If it was a love affair, a love problem, then the expert was none other than this Redias Argenta?

“It seems you are troubled by your relationship with your wife. Shall I listen?”

Diello looked up and met Redias’s gaze.

“….”

His eyes were so earnest that Redias almost took a step back.

—