Chapter 165

Late at night, Jeffrey arrived pale, his face completely drained, where Fernan and Aria were waiting for him.

“…He said that, because of the injuries, he was confused and saw and heard things that weren’t real.”

Against all odds, Adolf hadn’t reacted at all to Jeffrey’s confrontation.

“So he just decided to ignore it?”

“If you think about it, it makes sense. The only witness is Sir Jeffrey. If he ignores it, everyone will believe my brother’s words.”

A simple response, but also the safest one.

“He’s more cunning than I expected. I thought he’d get nervous and show a crack.”

That way, all they’d done was put him on guard.

‘Either way, I’d better have Wooden keep an eye on him, just in case.’

But the next day—

“Young master, a visitor has arrived.”

“A visitor?”

“Yes, Count Daniel Kool has come to see you.”

There it was—the reaction.

***

“It’s been a while, young Fernan.”

Count Kool, Daniel.

He was the magnate who had developed the distillery industry and sold liquor throughout the Empire, and also a client of the Golden Turtle Company.

His presence here was completely unexpected.

“How is the Count here?”

“Naturally, I came to see you.”

“And how did you know I was here?”

“I don’t know if I did, but I recently expanded my business into Fridian.”

Fernan was already aware of that, as well as the fact that his business wasn’t going very well.

“As you know, elven liquor has a great reputation. So, while supplying beverages, I also visited elven distilleries to study more about the industry.”

He showed him a newspaper. In it, there was an article about the joint project between Fridian and the Pellenberg family to develop mineral veins.

“During all that, I heard rumors that you were personally overseeing that development here in Fridian. And I thought I’d come see you after all this time.”

He brought a cart full of provisions—lots of food, liquor, and other luxury goods.

“I see.”

“Haha, I knew I couldn’t fool you so easily.”

Noticing Fernan’s rather cool reception, the Count lowered his voice.

“In truth, I came because I was curious about something.”

“What would that be?”

“How did you manage to get the proud elves to approve a development project?”

He said it in a whisper, looking around as if to make sure no elf was listening.

“As you know, thanks to the World Tree, elven land has purer and more abundant mana. That makes the liquor fermented there a luxury product.”

That’s why so many merchants wanted to open distilleries in Fridian.

But they had never granted permission to anyone who wasn’t an elf, which made their liquor even more valuable.

“And yet this time, they approved resource extraction. Even though elves hate mining and building distilleries.”

“You want me to reveal how I did it?”

“That would be ideal, but I know it’s impossible. I only came to see with my own eyes if the rumors were true. If they were, then maybe it wouldn’t be impossible to open a distillery either.”

Still, he asked just in case.

“Can you at least tell me a little bit about the method?”

“No.”

“Haha, I figured as much. Then may I at least stay the night before returning?”

It was already dark, and in the mountains, the sun set even faster.

And even if it hadn’t, it would’ve been difficult to reject someone who arrived bearing gifts.

“Of course.”

“Thank you. Ah, one more thing—what kind of mineral vein is there in this mountain? If it’s worth extracting from pure rock, it must be a very valuable ore.”

“I can’t tell you that either.”

“Of course, of course. I’m just curious, that’s all.”

Count Daniel left the tent. Fernan’s gaze locked onto his back.

“Wooden.”

— Kyuu?

“Follow him closely until he leaves. Watch him without rest.”

As soon as Jeffrey mentioned he had regained his memory, this visitor appeared out of nowhere.

Coincidence?

‘No way.’

Maybe it was—but Fernan’s instincts told him otherwise.

— Kyu?

“Jeffrey will stay with Aria.”

— Kyuung.

Wooden vanished.

***

That same night, a banquet was held in Count Daniel’s honor with what he had brought.

“Senior, have a drink.”

“I already am.”

“Don’t lie, that’s water.”

“We didn’t come here to have fun, Aria.”

“But a little cheer doesn’t hurt. People bond over drinks.”

A very consistent elf in her habits.

Fernan gave a slight smile and accepted the cup she offered. It wasn’t a strong liquor, so a few glasses were fine.

As he drank, Adolf also slowly emptied his glass, observing every move closely.

‘Fernan Pellenberg. He’s on guard.’

He recalled the words spoken along the way.

“If we already sold it, our responsibility ends.” And then saying he truly believed Fridian was a real prince-elector?

It wasn’t false—a merchant wasn’t obligated to take responsibility for what he sold.

But if he was going to say the first, he shouldn’t have added the second. What other reason than to provoke him?

‘Aria…’

She was his beloved sister. Though relatives, with no other siblings, he saw her as his own flesh and blood.

And she had been the one to call Fernan.

He knew why.

‘She doesn’t like my radicalism.’

He understood. His methods were extreme and aggressive.

But Aria didn’t know the whole story.

‘Do you think I was always like this from the start?’

It was constant discrimination that made him what he was.

Even though the treatment of elves had improved over the years, the essence hadn’t changed.

This was still a human Empire, and there was no real place for elves.

‘In the end, there are only three paths for elves.’

Live as the Empire’s lower class.

Overthrow it.

Or abandon it.

To smile and integrate into the Empire as if nothing?

It had been fifteen years since Fridian bought the Golden Edict rights from Bercheff and became a prince-elector.

And ten times that since the former kingdom of Fridian had been absorbed into the Empire as a marquisate.

And still, the humans’ attitude hadn’t changed.

Why should they always be the ones to bow their heads?

“…I won’t allow that.”

Never.

‘Tsk. They can’t even make decent liquor.’

After downing five cups, Adolf signaled to Count Daniel, who was already half drunk.

The sun had completely disappeared, and a thick darkness blanketed the camp.

The atmosphere was intoxicated, and all the humans were drunk.

Fernan’s eyes were closed, and his head tilted slightly to one side.

With a discreet signal to Count Daniel, Adolf disappeared into the darkness.

***

“I’m going to see Sophie for a bit.”

A while later, Count Daniel offered a drink to the knights trying to follow him, and with that excuse, left the camp.

As soon as he spotted Adolf in the distance, he clenched his teeth in fury.

“Are you insane?”

Daniel kicked a tree in frustration. A fallen branch snapped instantly.

“How could you cause such a scene just because the suggestion spell broke?! Fernan is already someone who should be watched closely! And now I show up! What do you think he’ll believe?”

Showing up at this very moment was practically a confession of involvement.

But the Count had come because Adolf Fridian pressured him.

“It’ll just be a suspicion. And that’s your own fault.”

“My fault?”

“Of course it is!”

Crash! Adolf shoved Daniel against a tree. The Count’s back slammed hard against the trunk.

“Didn’t you say it would never break? That no one would ever find out?”

Adolf growled.

“Do you have any idea how many elves of your bloodline are under your hypnosis? And what’ll happen if all those spells break?”

Suspicions?

“So what if they look at us with suspicion? If this collapses, we lose everything!”

“That won’t happen! The hypnosis was perfect!”

“Then explain Jeffrey.”

He gripped the collar of Daniel’s robe even tighter.

“Tell me why it broke with Jeffrey!”

“…I still need to figure that out. Most likely, Fernan is involved.”

“Are you an idiot? Of course… corrupts who sell their souls to demons can’t be very smart.”

Those words, dripping with contempt, made the Count’s face freeze.

“Fernan, who has nothing to do with our house, suddenly shows up here. Don’t you get what that means? Do you really think he came for those useless rocky mountains? No! It was Aria who called him. And Jeffrey used to be her guardian knight.”

Jeffrey had told Aria what happened. She sensed something was wrong and called Fernan for help.

That was the only possible explanation.

“They’re watching us intentionally. And if there were no way to break the hypnosis, it wouldn’t matter—but it was broken! It broke, understand?!”

And yet, he had accepted the marquis’s orders to oversee the escort.

As long as the hypnosis spells held, like Daniel had claimed, there wouldn’t have been any issues.

But not anymore.

The spells had been broken.

And Fernan probably already knew there were ties between them and the corrupts.

Just let it go? How?

If they didn’t act, they’d be plunging into the abyss.

“Then tell me—what am I supposed to do? Kill them all?”

“Don’t be stupid.”

They weren’t just anyone—they were Aria and Fernan.

The legitimate daughter of Fridian and the heir to the Pellenberg family.

If they were killed, there’d be no turning back.

Besides, for Adolf—who had grown up alongside Aria—she was like a blood sister.

“Then what?”

“We act like nothing happened.”

“Like nothing…? You mean…?”

“Yes, exactly that.”

Adolf nodded.

“I’ll give you one last chance. Cast the hypnosis again.”

Make it look like nothing had ever happened.

“And you think that’s possible?”

“It’s not about whether it’s possible or not.”

Both you and I—

“If we want to live, we have to do it.”

It was the only way out.

***

“…Is he asleep? Senior, I didn’t think alcohol affected you th—ah! You weren’t passed out drunk?!”

Fernan, who had been slouched with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. Aria, who had been murmuring to herself thinking he was out cold, flinched in surprise.

“I got them.”

“Got what?”

“Evidence.”

Wooden had many functions.

One of them was recording.

Fernan could see what Wooden observed and keep a record of it.

That made the recording irrefutable proof.

‘Count Daniel is a corrupt?’

Did that make sense?

Fernan remembered the moment of the Continental Academic Conference.

Aint had cast a beam of light in the shape of the Saintbird to reveal all the corrupts. And Daniel hadn’t reacted.

‘Is he not a corrupt… or did he resist Aint’s light?’

Fernan leaned toward the latter.

“The phrase, corrupts aren’t smart, otherwise they wouldn’t sell their souls to demons—that proves he is one. And at the same time, it means Adolf isn’t.”

Fernan realized Adolf wasn’t a corrupt, but an ally of them.

Judging by their interaction, he wasn’t a subordinate—they were on equal footing.

‘Makes sense, of course.’

A proud elf like Adolf would never sell his soul. To him, the corrupt were merely a means to an end.

A tool to end discrimination and overthrow the Empire.

‘And now they plan to hit Aria and me with another hypnosis spell?’

What should he do?

Warn them in advance and tell the marquis everything?

Or—

‘Let myself get caught and use it to my advantage?’

Maybe that way, he could dig even deeper into the corrupts.

Even with the prophecies altered by an uncertain future, he could fill in the blanks in the prediction book.

He wasn’t afraid to die.

Even the corrupts wouldn’t ignore his value as a resource.

As enemies, they were dangerous—but as manipulated allies, they’d be an unbeatable asset.

“Pour me another drink.”

“What kind of evidence?”

“It’s late. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

He still wasn’t sure what path to take, and he didn’t want to worry Aria unnecessarily.

‘The problem is—how to break the hypnosis.’

How could he get someone to pour holy water on his head without raising suspicion?

‘They’ll probably try to cast it soon. Maybe as soon as we return. I need a plan.’

That night, Fernan kept turning the question over in his mind.