Chapter 063
It was not only the atmosphere that had changed. The man himself had changed in an instant. Weiss transford from a butler overflowing with dignity into a cold-blooded man consud by lust for power.
So there was another genius actor here after all.
No, rather than a genius actor, perhaps it would be more accurate to call him a psychopath.
“......Did you not hear tell you to withdraw? If you were deaf, you would never have beco an apprentice in the first place. Surely you did not prepare all this in hopes of so reward.”
How dare creatures as base as you presu to covet a sacred place?
As though he were saying exactly that, Weiss set one hand on his waist and glared at us. He did not bother to hide the contempt in his eyes.
It felt as though I had taken a blow.
A famous line from so drama ca to mind: a subordinate’s achievent belongs to the superior, while the superior’s failure belongs to the subordinate. In short, he had sucked all the sweetness from us, and now he was telling us to get lost.
I had t many people like him before.
In graduate school.
People like this were skilled at stealing the ideas, research achievents, and even research funding of those beneath them.
This feels foul.
Was it Weiss?
Very well. I will rember that na clearly.
“I am sorry to have shown you such inadequacy. We humble ones will withdraw now.”
He gave no reply. Together with Jas, I stepped outside Rosetta. The mont the door shut behind us, Jas let out a sigh.
“Haah, this feels kind of empty. I thought we would get a little more praise than that.”
“He said he would speak well of us to Training Officer Vesper. Besides, we are fortunate we were not scolded.”
“Scolded? Even though the preparations were perfect?”
Jas truly was an ordinary apprentice. Thanks to Weiss, my mood had turned filthy with mories of the past, but I smiled and explained kindly anyway.
“Even if you are assigned to work at Rosetta, think about it. This was a banquet attended personally by the master of the House. It would be strange for us to be the ones preparing it. Even if we did prepare it, the senior butlers ought to have supervised us. We are fortunate we finished it well. If we had not, we would have been scolded badly.”
“Ah! I see. It was so chaotic that we just moved on our own.”
“Exactly. So the fact that he let it pass at this level is basically the sa as being praised.”
“As expected, Dilen, you are smart!”
Jas smiled brightly and nodded energetically. You fool. How can you still smile in a situation like this?
Then again, I was the one angry because I was . An ordinary apprentice would probably have already wet himself at the part where he said he would speak well of us to the Training Officer.
“Weiss, was it......”
Weiss was a famous figure often quoted in Rohanpedia. Alongside Yanrof, I had heard he was one of the most outstanding active butlers in the House.
Jas showed interest in my muttering.
“Do you know anything about him? He looked incredibly important.”
“This was my first ti seeing him in person too, but he is His Excellency the Marquis’s dedicated butler. The top man in the Secretariat. In the Butler Corps, he is next only to Head Butler Yanrof.”
“The head of the Secretariat? Then he is a trendous person. Is he not one of those who attend the master directly at his side?”
“Correct.”
The head of the Secretariat was an extrely high post, one rank below the Head Butler, and it possessed a power base of its own.
At tis, it was even said to wield more power than the Head Butler.
The reason was simple.
He attended the Marquis from a position closer than the Head Butler did.
That ant he sotis received information sooner than the Head Butler, and could even take asures to prevent that information from flowing in the Head Butler’s direction at all. Such things were possible because he stood among the Marquis’s closest confidants.
That Weiss probably held so splendid noble title himself as well. Since Head Butler Yanrof held a barony, at the very least Weiss must possess the rank of baron or baronet.
In any case, he was an extrely political figure, not the sort of man who suited the word butler at all. I wonder whose line he stands in.
“I wonder if I will ever beco such a splendid butler myself?”
Jas stretched lazily and said sothing utterly carefree. I let out a small laugh and folded my arms.
“Anyway, what do we do now? Dilen, shall we go eat if you are hungry?”
“That does not sound like a very good idea. Just in case, we ought to stay here on standby. They may end up short-handed inside.”
“That is true. Then I guess we should wait.”
So Jas and I remained at the entrance to Rosetta, prepared to receive guests.
In truth, the chances of them looking for us inside approached zero. Even if they needed soone, they would most likely call for Full Butlers.
No matter how well we worked, so long as the barrier of our identity as Butler Apprentices remained, Weiss would not be calling for us.
There was another reason I had told Jas to stay on standby.
Since we had already co this far, I ought at least to see the Marquis’s face once before leaving.
I had already caught his eye twice. I thought it would not be bad to leave one more impression, under the guise of chance.
A little later, footsteps sounded from the far end of the corridor. Quite a number of people were moving together, and from the sound of armor, it seed there was an escort force as well.
As expected, the one who appeared was Marquis Chronos, the head of House Adeline.
The Marquis was speaking about sothing with the retainer at his side, but the distance was too great for to hear. I sent mana flowing into my ears.
A mont later, the Marquis’s voice beca clear.
I had once been granted an audience with him in the reception room before, so at least I rembered the sound of his voice.
“......There is still no word from Astria?”
Excellent timing.
The young retainer who received the Marquis’s question answered while carefully gauging his mood.
“There has been no contact at all since the last gathering.”
“That is strange. By now, the marriage talks ought to have begun in earnest. Leaving the Count aside, the fact that not even Young Master Otto has sent word is going too far.”
Marquis Chronos’s expression hardened. He was clearly displeased.
At once, I realized that so problem had arisen in the Political Marriage between the two houses.
And I beca even more certain that Count Astria’s house might have been involved in Young Lady Sapiela’s kidnapping incident. Otherwise, there was no reason for marriage negotiations that had been proceeding smoothly to co to a halt.
So now all that remains is evidence?
The Marquis spoke again.
“That does not an we can move first. The mont word cos from their side, report it imdiately.”
“As you command.”
“And to think Chef Irene was seriously injured. Tch, that is regrettable, but what shocks even more is that there was a fire in Prira. How can there be a fire in Prira? It is the restaurant that represents our House.”
At that aningful remark, the young retainer attending him flinched in alarm.
“I-I have no excuse, Your Excellency. It seems a problem arose during the process of installing additional cooking implents. We will rebuke those responsible and do our utmost to prevent any recurrence.”
“When greed grows too large, it invites disaster. Was Miss Irene badly injured?”
“She suffered burns, but I have heard they are not wounds that will leave lasting scars. They say she will be able to return to the front line before long.”
“That is fortunate. I ought to pay her a get-well visit myself...... Lily, go in my place and offer her so comfort.”
“I understand.”
The woman in the pink dress behind him bowed her head as she replied.
Marquis Chronos had appeared accompanied by several beautiful won, and on either side of him walked two won who looked noticeably younger than he was, as though supporting him. One of them was Lily, but I did not know the other’s na. She was probably either one of his wives or a concubine.
Like every noble house, Marquis Chronos kept several wives and concubines.
That was why the struggle around the seat of authority could not help but be fierce.
Of course, as a re Butler Apprentice, there were not many incidents I could feel directly in my own skin.
As the Marquis drew near, instead of offering greetings, we each caught one side of the door and flung it wide open.
“His Excellency the Marquis is entering!”
I raised my voice.
Unfortunately, the plan failed. The Marquis passed inside without giving us so much as a glance. Sohow it felt like a waste of ti.
How empty.
The door closed, and I dusted off my hands as I spoke to Jas.
“I am leaving now. I leave the rest to you.”
“Huh? Where are you going? It is only starting now. Do not go! I will be nervous on my own!”
“You are the apprentice responsible here. You will do fine, so do not be too frightened. Besides, there are excellent seniors inside.”
After returning to my quarters, I belted my Mana Pistol and sword at my waist and pulled my robe over myself.
If there was no fun to be had as Butler Apprentice Dilen, then now it was ti to have so fun as Iron Man.
***
I went to see Eluna in order to update my information. Instead, I received unexpected news from her.
“Simon finished the Face Mask.”
It felt like an unexpected gift. Still wearing the iron mask, I asked her,
“Already? There should still be about a week left before the deadline.”
“He said he was able to get the materials quickly. He is waiting at the new hideout.”
“Any other information?”
“Nothing in particular, aside from Sir Kalmond working hard to gather more gang mbers. The Black Pig bastards have been quiet too.”
I nodded. There was still so ti left before our contact with them. Just then, Young Master Hal had ordered to investigate the Delfino rchant Company, so in the anti I ant to fold the Black Pig Gang into the matter and send them off for good.
After taking a sip from the wine in my cup, I asked her,
“When do you finish work?”
“Wait outside for a mont. I will tidy things up and co out.”
“Good.”
I paid for the drinks and stepped outside the tavern. A little later, Eluna appeared wearing a robe black as pitch. She led toward the new hideout.
Even as I spoke with her about this and that, I stored the surrounding geography in my mind without missing anything. Next ti, I would have to co here alone.
Then suddenly, I beca curious about her Status Window.
“Eluna. Shall I read your palm?”
“What is palm reading?”
“The lines on your palm. If you look at their shape, you can tell a person’s fate. It is a form of divination from the place where I used to live. It is very accurate.”
She stared at for a mont, then held out her hand. Naturally, I could not actually read palms. It was only sothing I said in order to look at her Status Window naturally.
○ Eluna
Rank: ★★★★★
Level: 18 ( 6)
Traits: Archery S, Instrunt Performance A, Agility A, Wisdom A, Affinity with Nature A, Magical Power B, Bow Mastery B, Blessing of the World Tree C, Magic Resistance C, ???
Status: Favorability
[Not Unlocked]
[Not Unlocked]
......
Her level had risen by six, and Bow Mastery had risen one stage to Rank B. It showed clearly that she had not neglected her training in the anti.
The last ti I looked, her level had risen by eight. This ti it had risen by six.
She had probably trained even harder. Naturally, the higher your level beca, the harder it was to raise it further.
Still, her Status did not change easily. Does she still lack certainty about ? Or perhaps......
“What does my palm say?”
“You are fated to live a long life. It is excellent. It also looks as though you will make a great deal of money.”
“Really?”
Since she carried elven blood, living long was only natural, and if our organization continued to grow, she really would make a great deal of money, so it was not a lie.
“Do not take it too much to heart. It is only fortune-telling.”
Was it because she was elf-blooded that she was more sensitive to the act of divination? I released her hand and covered things over roughly as I continued walking.
A little later, we stepped into the new hideout Kalmond had prepared.
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