Count Bearton left the banquet hall.
He headed straight for the place where Head Butler Henrik was.
At first, he had meant to scold the head butler for suddenly disappearing in the middle of the banquet preparations.
But the sight of Henrik that greeted the count was nothing short of wretched.
“What in the world happened to you?”
“Y-Your Excellency…!”
Henrik called out to the count in a hoarse voice.
The clothes he wore were torn to rags, and the blood flowing from his head covered his entire face.
There was not a single sound spot on his body.
So shocked by the sight, the count approached Henrik.
“Your Excellency, this is no time for that!”
As soon as the count came near, Henrik confessed everything he had experienced.
Starting from how he had been abducted while preparing for the banquet, he reported every single thing that had happened up to now.
“They used monsters to abduct me!”
“The Order was behind it!”
But the longer Henrik spoke, the more Count Bearton’s expression twisted.
“Head Butler. Can you take responsibility for those words? You are saying the Order plotted such a thing?”
Disbelief lay beneath the count’s solemn voice.
Henrik, too, had expected that the count would not believe him.
How could anyone immediately believe a story that the Order was raising monsters, abducting people, and torturing them?
Henrik himself probably would not have believed it had he not experienced it in person.
But this matter was an undeniable fact.
Henrik had gone through all of it.
Even if the count did not believe him at once, as the head butler who served him, he had a duty to speak.
“It is true! Your Excellency… stop the banquet at once! You must not trust the Order!”
At his desperate cry, the count turned his head for a moment toward the banquet hall.
Inside the banquet hall were the Order’s delegation and nobles close to the count.
Knights had been stationed in case of an emergency, but some of the Order’s paladins were also stationed there fully armed.
Normally, it was an act that went against etiquette, but since the Order could not be treated like ordinary visitors, there had been no choice.
Because of this, Henrik told Count Bearton that he had to stop the banquet immediately.
But Henrik’s desperation did not reach him.
“Haha, listen, Henrik.”
The count’s voice turned cold.
“Don’t tell me you have gone over to the royal family’s side.”
“Wh-what do you mean…!”
“Think about it. You disappeared the day before the banquet, then suddenly show up and tell me to make an enemy of the Order.”
Henrik trembled at the count’s words.
It was a bad sign.
Even in Henrik’s own opinion, the circumstances fit together far too well.
If he suddenly appeared and said such things, the other party would have no choice but to dismiss them as absurd nonsense.
Perhaps the count’s current reaction was only natural.
‘Could they have predicted even this?’
If so, then the Order was truly a terrifying place.
Above all, everything Henrik had seen and experienced was true.
That was why he pleaded his innocence all the more.
“I-it is the truth! Please believe me!”
“Haa….”
The count, on the other hand, pressed a hand to his forehead.
‘They abducted and even tortured the head butler inside the mansion….’
And all of that was supposedly a scheme plotted by the White Order?
The count was so dumbfounded that he almost laughed.
It was far more realistic to say that the head butler had betrayed him and attached himself to the royal family’s side.
And that he was trying to drive a wedge between him and the Order.
Even if his words were true, why would the Order have let the head butler live?
It made no sense.
“It seems you need to cool your head for a while. You there, throw the head butler into the underground prison!”
At the count’s command, the nearby soldiers seized Henrik.
But Henrik cried out and appealed to the count.
“No… the underground prison? My words are true! Your Excellency!”
Henrik tried to shake off the soldiers’ hands, but with his aged body, he could not withstand the strength of young soldiers.
“Please, believe me—!”
Even as he was dragged away by the soldiers, Henrik screamed.
“Tch.”
Watching the head butler being dragged away, Count Bearton clicked his tongue.
“It seems I will have to replace the head butler soon.”
The Order abducted and tortured people?
There was not a single person who would believe such a thing, and the claim that the Order was raising monsters was nothing more than an overactive imagination.
‘Tch, monsters are what the Order hates the most. What utter nonsense.’
In truth, the Order hated monsters.
And if he made an enemy of the Order based solely on the head butler’s words, all the plans he had built so far would come to nothing.
The count looked around for a moment.
Fortunately, there was no one belonging to the Order nearby.
Since even an inquisitor was present at the banquet now, he had to be all the more careful with his words.
If he offended them, he might be branded a heretic.
If one was branded a heretic, even a noble would be in danger.
“This will not do. Lock Henrik up and silence him! Make sure he cannot say a word.”
The first priority was to keep the mouths of those close to him shut.
“And forget everything that just happened.”
In just a little while, the Seil Kingdom would fall into the count’s hands.
His plans could not be ruined because of one careless word.
The count shook his head and turned his steps back toward the banquet hall.
Then, suddenly, he stopped in place.
“…Something bothers me.”
Even so, Henrik had served him as head butler for a long time.
Something about it bothered him too much to dismiss it as mere nonsense.
The count secretly called over one soldier.
“Gather all the knights in the mansion around the banquet hall.”
Even if there was no possibility of anything happening, there was no harm in being cautious.
Leaving those words behind, the count entered the banquet hall once more.
He headed toward the place where Priest Titan and Commander Gerard had been earlier.
“Mm?”
But something was strange.
A different atmosphere hung in the air from before the count had left his seat.
The first thing he noticed was that their expressions were not good.
‘Well, leaving my seat during the banquet was rude.’
It was probably because he had left his seat during the banquet.
He had invited them here and then left first; there could hardly have been a greater breach of courtesy.
Count Bearton approached them with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood.
“Oh dear, my apologies. Haha, when I went to see, it turned out a servant had misunderstood his duties. I gave him a thorough scolding, so it should be fine now.”
“…….”
But Priest Titan remained seated with the same impassive expression.
Commander Gerard’s expression beside him was also dark.
‘What is this? It does not seem to be because I left my seat… Don’t tell me they heard what Henrik said earlier?’
A brief silence passed, and Priest Titan opened his mouth.
“The nobles of the kingdom—no. Count Bearton, what do you think of our Order’s activities?”
At the priest’s sudden question, the count felt dizzy.
‘What does he mean? Did he really hear the conversation?’
If he made even the slightest mistake in answering this question, all the efforts he had made to curry favor with the Order would turn to nothing.
“Haha… the Order’s activities? Naturally, I understand that the Order is working in many ways for the safety of the continent.”
It was an ordinary answer, neither excessive nor lacking.
He knew that the Order was committing acts of tyranny within the kingdom, but no fool would say that outright.
Count Bearton answered with as broad a smile as he could manage.
“Hmm, I see.”
Priest Titan’s expression changed subtly.
Still thinking it was not the worst answer, the count let out a sigh of relief.
“I am grateful that you say so, Count. However, I have recently heard strange rumors in the kingdom. Something about the Order oppressing the people?”
At the continued sharp question, cold sweat broke out on the count’s back.
In truth, since the Order was openly oppressing people, it would be stranger if such rumors were not heard.
But this time as well, he could not speak the truth plainly.
Whatever the case, the count had staked everything on the Order, so he needed to defend them.
“Who dares say such outrageous things!”
Count Bearton slammed his fist down on the table.
He continued speaking while putting on the angriest expression he could.
“That is absolutely not true! If there is someone saying such things, they must be nothing more than a heretic. I know very well that the Order is always striving for the safety of not only the kingdom, but the continent as a whole. Such slander only harms the kingdom. You need not be concerned.”
This time, Priest Titan’s expression darkened a little more.
“A heretic…”
Priest Titan’s voice sank even lower, and the atmosphere grew chilling.
“Then, as you say, Count, our actions are indeed for the safety of the kingdom?”
“Ah, yes, yes. That is exactly right!”
At the priest’s question, the count could not shake off an uneasy feeling.
‘What is this?’
The atmosphere seemed to be growing heavier and heavier.
The brilliant music was striking his ears, but the count had no attention to spare for it.
Suddenly, the words Henrik had spoken a little while ago came to mind.
‘No way….’
Why was he remembering the head butler’s words?
‘What if what he said was true?’
No, that could not be.
Yet for some reason, an anxious thought would not leave his mind.
The count subtly lowered his left hand. Then, in secret, he made a sign to summon a knight.
Regardless of the count’s actions, Priest Titan continued speaking.
“I have heard your words that you act for the safety of the kingdom, Count. Then, if an existence that threatens that safety appears, what should be done?”
“A threat, you say…? If such an existence exists, it must be eliminated without fail.”
“Hohoho.”
This time, at the count’s answer, Priest Titan merely laughed.
But that laughter was certainly not a sign of approval.
“Since you have gone so far as to say that, Count, I shall speak plainly.”
Count Bearton’s head began to ache.
Why was Priest Titan saying such things?
What was this heavy atmosphere?
All of this had happened after he returned from meeting Head Butler Henrik.
“Then why are you acting against the Order?”
“Pardon? What do you mean by—”
Before the count could finish speaking, Priest Titan’s body swiftly vanished backward.
At the same time, he subdued one of the count’s knights stationed at the edge of the banquet hall.
Thud—
He must have used tremendous force, for the knight’s armor crumpled as he was slammed into the wall.
“What do you think you are doing!”
At the sudden turn of events, Count Bearton shouted.
Even if they were the Order, suddenly attacking a knight crossed the line.
“No matter that you are the Order, this matter—”
But the count could not finish his words.
Because when Priest Titan removed the helmet of the knight he had subdued, an unimaginable identity was revealed.
Beyond the knight’s armor, a skeleton could be seen.
“Huh?”
A skeleton monster had been pretending to be a knight while armed in armor.
The count’s mind suddenly went blank.
Why was a monster wearing a knight’s armor?
No, more importantly, why was there a monster inside the mansion?
And once again, Henrik’s words came to mind.
—The Order was raising monsters!
—The Order was behind everything!
Count Bearton was not a fool.
Everything that had happened until now came together as one.
Could everything up to this point truly have been the Order’s scheme?
‘They meant to lure me into a trap!’
If so, why? The reason was important.
Why was the Order trying to trap him?
Count Bearton easily arrived at the answer.
‘They intended to swallow the kingdom from the very beginning. Not only the royal family, but the nobles as well—they meant to eliminate them all.’
Of all things, the skeletons were armed as knights of the count’s family.
Even by what had just happened, the Order could brand Count Bearton a heretic and purify him.
If that was the Order’s will, this was absolutely not a problem that could be solved by staying still.
There was no need for further hesitation.
Now, it was important to act swiftly before the other side did.
Had he not survived all this time in the world of nobles, where they devoured and were devoured by one another, precisely because of that?
“Knights! Draw your swords!”
The count raised his right hand and shouted at the same time.
And the knights who heard their lord’s command drew their swords.
When the knights drew their swords, the Order’s paladins also drew theirs.
A situation was created where both sides stood facing each other, blades pointed.
“Kyaaaak!”
“Wh-what is going on?!”
The nobles, who had been enjoying the banquet without knowing anything, wore bewildered expressions.
He had known the atmosphere had been tense just moments ago, but when the knights suddenly drew their swords, surprise flashed across his face.
Inside the banquet hall, which had been filled with merriment, only tension now lingered.
The moment one side moved first, sword tips would be aimed at the other.
Swords glinted on both sides, and the desperate standoff continued with neither willing to retreat.
It was High Priest Titan who broke this heavy silence first.
“Haha, Count.”
High Priest Titan moved swiftly this time as well.
He subdued one of the knights who had aimed his sword at the Order.
“What is the meaning of this outrage!”
The Count protested, but once again, High Priest Titan paid him no heed.
Instead, he removed the helmet of the knight he had subdued.
“……!”
Inside the helmet was a skeleton, just as expected.
“What is this!”
“Could it be that the Count truly raised monsters…?”
“I am uninvolved! I was merely invited here by the Count!”
As the situation unfolded, voices of confusion erupted from the nobles closest to the Count.
The Count was equally bewildered.
“Ha, haha….”
And he let out a hollow laugh.
The steward had been right.
The Order raised monsters and made use of them.
This incident, too, must have been a trap to bring him down.
“They planned… to trap me from the very beginning.”
When had they deployed the skeletons?
To infiltrate them here, they must have prepared for quite some time.
If the royal family had orchestrated this, he could have understood, but how had the Order been capable of such a thing?
The Count reproached himself inwardly for failing to keep strict control over his household.
But the Count had no intention of retreating quietly.
“All knights, reveal your identities!”
At the Count’s command, several armed knights revealed their faces. Those who removed their helmets were all familiar.
If there was any fortune, it was that not all of the knights seemed to be monsters.
But there were also knights who defied the Count’s order and did not remove their helmets.
‘They must be skeletons.’
That settled it.
The skeletons pretending to be knights were not merely one or two.
‘So the mad Order was truly determined!’
The Count was furious.
How dare they toy with him like this!
If he wanted to survive, he had to break through this situation immediately.
If things continued this way, he would be branded a heretic and dragged off to the Order.
At best, he would emerge a cripple.
‘I cannot let that happen.’
He would subdue them at once. And expose the Order’s thuggery!
Even if it meant turning the entire Order into an enemy, it did not matter.
The Order’s image would plummet from this alone.
“All knights, subdue the heretics wearing the Order’s mask!”
At the Count’s shout, knights waiting outside the banquet hall burst in.
“Kill any who resist!”
The sound of clashing swords erupted everywhere.
Tables shattered, and bloodstains splattered across the walls.
The food and dishes that had been enjoyed just moments before were scattered haphazardly across the floor.
The joyful music transformed in an instant to screams filled with despair.
Brilliant crimson blood filled the banquet hall.
* * *
“Father.”
Princess Irena had an audience with her father, the king.
Currently, the King of Karendia was in a meeting.
But few nobles were in attendance.
Not all nobles belonged to the noble faction. Though few, there were those who followed the king as part of the royal faction.
But the problem was that their numbers were dwindling by the day.
Beside the nobles were those who aided the royal family, such as the captain of the kingdom’s knights, but their numbers were severely insufficient.
It was scarcely a meeting befitting a king’s attendance.
“Yes, what is it.”
The King of Karendia answered indifferently.
Even for a father and daughter, addressing him as “Father” in an official setting was inappropriate.
But Princess Irena was colder than ever.
The King of Karendia sensed his daughter’s demeanor.
“Father, I have something to tell you.”
Princess Irena drew in a breath.
Hesitation?
There was no need to concern herself with such things now.
When thinking of what lay ahead, time to look back was a luxury.
There was only moving straight ahead.
Silence fell, and finally Princess Irena spoke.
“Count Bierton and the Order’s delegation have clashed.”
Now, it was Princess Irena’s turn.
At the same time, armed knights stepped in behind the princess.