Arc 31: Rumors (2)

“Rockbel is not only safe, but apparently doing very well at the orphanage.”

“Very well?”

“The orphanage has had an excellent reputation for quite some time, and Rockbel had already made many friends there.”

“Did you meet him yourself?”

“Yes. He wanted to see his older brother, Grobel. Aside from that, I found no particular problems.”

I nodded at Selena’s report, then asked what had been weighing on my mind.

“What about Gregory? Did you look into him?”

“Gregory has not contacted Rockbel.”

“Can you be certain?”

“Rockbel told me himself, and I checked the orphanage’s visitor logs. He hadn’t met Gregory—or anyone else from outside.”

Rockbel was a mercenary’s younger brother. Other than Gregory, no one would have any reason to visit him.

I felt somewhat relieved. It looked as though Grobel’s fears would prove unfounded. Of course, I would still have to check periodically, since there was no telling when Gregory might try to contact Rockbel.

“Then the question is where Gregory is now.”

If Gregory had contacted Rockbel, we could have traced his movements from there. Without that lead, finding him would be difficult.

Selena placed a hand over her chest.

“Lord Frondier. Forgive my presumption, but may I offer my thoughts?”

“You don’t need to worry about being presumptuous. And stop talking like that.”

“During my investigation, I learned that numerous rumors of unknown origin are circulating at Constel. Most were groundless, but some of the stories were quite credible.”

“Oh, like Aster being able to use Aura freely, or Elodie successfully combining three elements?”

Those were so widespread that even I had heard them. There were plenty of rumors about me, too.

“Yes. Including those, there are far too many of them.”

“... Oh. Then Pascal, too?”

I realized what Selena was getting at. She nodded.

“Pascal’s ‘misunderstanding’ that you can use Aura may also have come from one of those rumors.”

I folded my arms and thought.

Gregory was the only person who could mistakenly believe I used Aura. Assuming that was true, Gregory had indeed contacted Pascal. And now there was this flood of random rumors within Constel.

“Gregory is deliberately spreading rumors at Constel?”

As I murmured that to myself, a message appeared.

[A Side Quest Has Been Created]

[Side Quest: Rumors Breed Rumors]

? Description: Rumors are spreading simultaneously throughout the Imperial Palace and Constel. Find the mastermind among the whispers of truth and falsehood.

? Objective: Find and subdue the culprit spreading random rumors.

? Reward: Number of simultaneous creations +2

? Failure may result in the loss of a Named Character.

My smartwatch chimed, and when I checked it, I found the quest.

Constel was one thing, but the Imperial Palace? Apparently, they were dealing with a similar headache there.

The quest was telling me that the incidents at Constel and the Imperial Palace were connected.

When I’d played the game, quest rewards had been tailored to Aster. Finally, I was receiving rewards suited to me.

Being able to perform more simultaneous creations was always welcome.

Still, these damn quests kept threatening me with Named Characters’ lives.

“Lord Frondier, I also confirmed that—”

“Something similar is happening at the Imperial Palace. It seems to be connected to the rumors spreading at Constel.”

“... That’s right. Impressive. You have sources of information besides me.”

Selena sounded impressed. Well, I had no way to explain it, so I’d let her think that.

Still, something similar was happening at the Imperial Palace. And Pascal was a palace knight.

... I really ought to tell her, shouldn’t I?

But did I have any way of arranging a meeting with her myself?

* * *

“Pascal became a teacher?”

Empress Philly was a little surprised by the news that had arrived today. Her image of Pascal and the word “teacher” simply did not go together.

Her lady-in-waiting bowed her head.

“Yes, Your Majesty. He is reportedly teaching Basic Combat Skills at Constel.”

“Basic Combat Skills... What could Pascal possibly teach?”

At Philly’s sigh, the knight beside her spoke cautiously.

“Your Majesty, isn’t Pascal an outstanding knight?”

“He is. An extraordinarily gifted knight. That is precisely why he cannot teach others. He cannot understand the struggles of ordinary people.”

Pascal was the imperial household’s most promising knight. He had made his desire to become Empress Philly’s bodyguard abundantly clear, but Philly had personally rejected him.

“You seem rather ungenerous in your assessment of Pascal, Your Majesty. He may be a little restless, but there is nothing seriously wrong with his character, and his abilities are excellent.”

“I’m not ungenerous! But it takes much more than that to become my bodyguard.”

Philly waved a hand dismissively, but she knew it herself.

She judged Pascal very harshly.

“Speaking of bodyguards, what do you intend to do about Sir Robert?”

Philly’s expression grew somber at the knight’s question.

Philly had sent Robert, her bodyguard, to Teibeon quite some time ago. Yet she still hadn’t ordered his return.

Robert’s earlier intuition about the reason had been correct.

‘Foresight can be exhausting sometimes.’

Philly had sensed that Robert would be in danger if he remained at the Imperial Palace. Her Foresight had activated.

Yet she hadn’t felt that she herself would be in danger.

In other words, someone was targeting Robert, not her.

‘For some reason, I feel as though Pascal is at the root of it.’

This wasn’t Foresight, but the result of Philly’s keen instincts, honed through years in the political arena.

Robert wasn’t the only knight directly under her command, but it was true that she trusted him the most.

Most of her knights knew that, and they all accepted it. Robert had the skill and loyalty to deserve her trust.

‘Pascal is jealous of Robert...?’

It was a strained line of reasoning, but not an impossible one. Serving as the empress’s bodyguard was a prestigious position. Pascal might well covet it.

Even so, it didn’t make sense.

As the knight had said, Pascal was not a bad man. If anything, he was an upright young man.

His appearance and behavior were somewhat childish, but he wasn’t actually a child. He knew right from wrong.

The idea of Pascal attacking Robert, a man considered a model knight, was difficult to comprehend.

“Sir Robert is still carrying out his assignment in Teibeon. I will summon him myself when the time is right.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I overstepped.”

The knight bowed his head. His manner was refreshingly straightforward. Philly gave a small chuckle.

Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

“Your Majesty. Sir Atzier de Roach has returned after completing his assignment.”

“Ah, I’ve been waiting. Show him in at once. Now, everyone, you may leave. We have important matters to discuss in private.”

The ladies-in-waiting and knights bowed deeply and left the room.

As they went out, a tall man walked slowly through the open doorway, as though taking their place. He knelt respectfully before Philly.

“Atzier de Roach, reporting to Your Majesty. I have just completed my assignment and returned to deliver my report.”

Philly quietly studied Atzier as he bowed his head respectfully.

‘He really...’

Was nothing like Frondier.

“Well done. Did you learn anything?”

“Nearly all the charges against Vincenz von Kollmann proved true. We discovered video recordings of him stealing information on the knights and accepting bribes. But that was all.”

“What do you mean, that was all?”

“Every trail leading to whoever bribed him or commissioned him to steal the information had been cleanly severed. It was as though they expected Vincenz to be discovered and had used him as a disposable pawn from the outset.”

Hmm.

A troubling series of incidents had recently plagued the Imperial Palace.

Knights from the orders directly serving the imperial family were suddenly becoming involved in violence, bribery, and other disreputable activities.

Most of those implicated were new recruits or low-ranking knights. But if this continued, it could tarnish the reputation of the orders as a whole, so Philly had acted quickly to find the cause.

That was why she had summoned Atzier. She couldn’t entrust the matter to the imperial knights.

‘Someone is encouraging the imperial knights. But the charges are all different. Accepting bribes, assaulting or threatening civilians, theft, illegal prostitution...’

The imperial knights were elites who had received excellent education and training. Paltry temptations would not sway them.

Was it really possible to draw in so many of them—not just one or two—and make them all commit different crimes?

‘Could this really be connected to Sir Robert?’

She couldn’t be certain yet. Still, it would be best not to recall Robert until this matter was resolved, at least.

“Then what do you think, Sir Atzier?”

Philly was curious about him. Of course, he was already widely renowned for his outstanding skill and character, but she was more interested in the fact that he was Frondier’s older brother.

“... If I may be so bold.”

Atzier lowered his gaze, apparently considering something, then spoke.

“I hold no title. Addressing me as ‘Sir’ is more than I deserve.”

“Hm? But you are a member of the Roach family, Sir Atzier. You are undeniably a noble.”

“That is merely a veneer. I personally hold no title, nor am I even a knight. I have yet to fulfill my duties as a noble. Invoking the Roach name would therefore be nothing more than boasting beyond my station.”

Philly blinked at his words.

Then, a moment later—

“... Pfft. Ahahahaha!”

She laughed aloud. Atzier looked at her in puzzlement.

Her bodyguards would have been astonished to see her laugh with such delight.

‘How can two brothers be so different?’

She remembered Frondier audaciously calling her “Miss Philly.” Yet his older brother was being so humble as to insist he didn’t deserve to be called “Sir.”

“Then would you like to become my bodyguard? That would make it perfectly acceptable to call you ‘Sir,’ wouldn’t it?”

“... If that day should come, it would be the greatest of honors.”

How like him to preface his answer with “if that day should come.”

“Very well. Let us return to the matter at hand. Atzier, what are your thoughts? How do you view this case?”

“I do not know who is behind it, but I don’t believe we need to search for meaning in each individual act of misconduct. They are too scattered and random.”

“Meaning?”

“The culprit’s aim appears to be creating confusion. I believe they intend to divert attention with these minor disturbances caused by the knights, then act to obtain what they want in the meantime.”

Philly agreed with Atzier’s calm explanation.

Someone was making the knights commit different crimes. She didn’t know how, but there was little point in digging deeply into each one.

As the number of knights involved grew, however, confusion would spread both within and beyond the Imperial Palace.

“They will make their move when the confusion reaches its peak.”

Philly nodded emphatically at his words.

Then—

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Philly’s Sagephone blared. Its volume and rhythm closely resembled a siren.

Atzier furrowed his brow at the alarm-like sound. Could a message have arrived concerning a threat to the empress’s safety—

Philly answered the phone.

“Oh, hello, sweetheart.”

“...”