ushernet Chapter 90.1
Chapter 90.1
Entir, Gard, Carpe, Havana, Doom, and Yulkanes.
The conversation among the six began with a familiar structure and posture, much like the discussions held in any other banquet hall.
Each held a glass of wine and gathered in a corner to claim a spot.
The only difference was the soundproof barrier that Yulkanes had quietly set up around them.
“You’ve been acting quite strange lately.”
“Really? In what way? I don’t think so.”
Havana and Entir spoke with an odd mix of closeness and distance between them.
“Don’t you see it? Lately...! You’ve been unreasonably close to the Aristocratic Council! Not to mention, you seem intent on bridging the gap between the Church and the Council! Have you lost your mind? Do you not realize your wife is a staunch conservative?”
At her words, Entir chuckled inwardly.
“She doesn’t even mention how drastically her letter-writing has decreased. Nor does she acknowledge that the Northern knights dealt with the spies who used to monitor me.”
He gazed at the woman he had once loved more than anyone else.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
“And, above all, she doesn’t show the slightest concern about how I went alone into the perilous North.”
The nausea and bitterness rose within him, but he buried his true feelings behind the mask of a consummate merchant.
“That couldn’t be helped, could it? I’ve become a trader specializing in Northern goods.”
“But even so, aren’t you distancing yourself too much from the Imperial Family?”
“Elisha, my love. You know as well as I do that the North and the Imperial Family don’t get along. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to secure an exclusive supply contract with the Northern Grand Duchy?”
“......”
At Entir’s calm rebuttal, Elisha von Havana furrowed her brows.
It felt wrong, but she found herself unable to refute him.
“With our exclusive contract with the North, Bishop Company is experiencing an unprecedented golden age. This benefits the Havana Marquessate greatly as well.”
“......”
By this point, Havana had no further arguments to make.
In truth, her finances had never been healthier, and the supplies for the soldiers and knights stationed on the Western Front had improved noticeably in quality.
“All this is simply to make a living. Please explain this to His Majesty. I’ve been able to act this way because I trust in you, His Majesty’s loyal servant.”
“......Fine. I’ll do my best to persuade His Majesty.”
“Thank you. I trust only you, my beloved Elisha.”
Entir’s unchanged displays of affection brought a faint smile to Havana’s lips.
If it had been the old Entir, her smile might have delighted him, but now it only brought cold disdain.
“Tell me everything you know about him.”
“Everything?”
“Yes, everything.”
“Of course. Count Arad Jin is from Haven in the North...”
Gard began recounting everything he knew about Arad Jin at Yulkanes’ request.
“What’s going on?”
The problem lay with Gard’s demeanor as he spoke.
He divulged unnecessary details, volunteering information he didn’t have to share with ease.
“...That’s all.”
Fortunately, the depth of Gard’s connection to Arad wasn’t too profound, and the information he revealed was not far removed from what was already publicly known.
“Hmm... So, that’s all you know.”
After hearing everything, Yulkanes tilted his head slightly.
For a brief moment, the middle-aged mage’s golden eyes shifted oddly before returning to normal.
But no one in the room noticed the change.
“Who could it be? Who?”
Without so much as a word of thanks to Gard, Yulkanes mumbled to himself and vanished from the banquet hall.
“...?”
Gard stared blankly in the direction Yulkanes had disappeared, as if emerging from a trance.
***
“Carpe.”
“Call me Phil. What if Elisha, that lunatic, overhears?”
Meanwhile, Doom and Carpe, disguised as the mercenary Phil, finally began to converse.
They had waited until Havana was out of earshot to speak.
“Yulkanes’ soundproof barrier will last another 30 minutes. And Havana doesn’t seem to suspect anything for now.”
“She’s always been an idiot. Her aides handle all her strategies and tactics for her.”
It was no secret that Marchioness Havana lacked intelligence.
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