Chapter 102. Invitation
Winter was passing in the County.
Even so, the County remained cold throughout all four seasons.
The bitterly cold air seeped directly into the reception room of the Count’s Castle.
The window frames were covered in cold frost, as though decorated with ice. Wind slipped through the gaps, carrying the scent of bitter cold and a trace of moisture.
Fortunately, the fireplace on one side of the room was blazing fiercely and radiating warmth.
“U-Ugh...!”
A man was groaning in pain in front of the fireplace.
The man was naked.
He was completely unclothed except for his most private area.
Upon closer examination, red, sharp wounds could be seen across his shoulders and waist. Bloodstains marked the places on his back where his skin had been torn away.
They looked like traces of a fierce battle.
However, a suit of metal armor lay neatly beside him.
The man’s torn flesh was not the result of battle. It demonstrated what happened when someone wore metal armor in this cold.
I made my presence known as I approached him.
“Argh.... Huh!”
Sensing my presence, the man jumped in surprise.
Then he turned his face toward me.
‘It isn’t him.’
It was not Ian.
Bernard had already told me that it was not Ian. Even so, confirming it with my own eyes inevitably left me disappointed.
That face on the verge of freezing to death—
“I-I’m terribly sorry...!!”
No matter how I looked at it, he was not Ian.
“I-I was told that it was c-cold...! B-But I truly….n-never imagined it would be this cold...!”
The man’s entire body trembled violently.
“Ah, I-I’m late introducing myself...! I-I am E-Ecuye Herald of the First Knight Order of the Royal Knights, the Royal Guard...!”
The Royal Knights were an elite order responsible for guarding the palace where the king resided, as well as the royal family’s other major facilities.
It was an order where the kingdom’s most renowned geniuses gathered.
However, Herald was not a full-fledged knight but an Ecuye.
In other words, he was an apprentice knight.
“What brings the Royal Knights all the way here?”
As a result, his position was lower than mine, the eldest legitimate son of a count’s house.
In truth, the same would apply even if he were a full-fledged knight of the Royal Knights.
His personal social standing was not particularly high.
He could temporarily borrow the king’s authority when representing the royal family, but his actual rank was equivalent to that of a low-ranking official.
A Count, on the other hand, held a title personally bestowed by the monarch.
The standing of a count’s direct descendants was by no means low either.
Therefore, Herald showed no displeasure at the informal manner in which I addressed him.
“His Majesty the King…. Ugh...! S-Sent me regarding the will left behind by Count White Wolf...!”
Instead, Herald behaved as though my manner of speech was only natural.
“His Majesty sent you?”
“Th-That is correct...!”
Herald grunted and exerted himself.
It seemed he was squeezing out his Aura to temporarily drive away the cold.
While he warmed himself, I briefly sank into thought.
‘I had forgotten about the will for a while.’
It had already been three months since the royal family began investigating whether the will had been forged.
That meant three months had passed since Father’s death, as well as three months since I returned to the past.
‘Has it only been three months?’
It felt as though at least a year had passed.
But now that I thought about it....
‘I spent a full 241 days inside the Infinite Labyrinth.’
From my perspective, a year truly had passed.
“Please excuse my disgraceful appearance.”
Before I knew it, Herald had warmed his body with Aura.
I thought this every time I saw it, but Aura truly was a convenient power.
Then again, it was a power capable of manifesting things that would otherwise exist only within an individual’s imagination.
“His Majesty said that he could not accept the contents of the will.”
Herald continued speaking.
I tilted my head slightly.
Surely the king already knew that Father’s will had not been forged?
“To be precise, he is confused because of the written pledge sent by Lady White Wolf.”
“A written pledge from Seraphia?”
“It stated that Lady White Wolf renounced her positions as both the lord of the County and the head of the House.”
“....Ah.”
It was the written pledge Seraphia had given me when she suddenly invited me to dine with her.
It stated that Seraphia would renounce everything she had inherited.
That must have been what he meant.
“Therefore, His Majesty intends to meet both of you personally before making his decision.”
“His Majesty himself?”
“That is correct. I came here to invite both of you to the kingdom’s capital.”
The moment Herald finished speaking—
◆A Territory Quest has arrived.
A new Territory Quest appeared, and its contents unfolded before my eyes.
====
◆You have fulfilled the responsibilities and duties of a lord!
◆You have become a true lord who genuinely cares for his people!
◆My heart is moved! My heart is pounding!
◆Every resident of the Territory is now your captive!
◆Now, kneel beneath my feet, all of you!
◆For I am Count Adrian, lord of the White Wolf County!
◆Just as you were getting carried away while proclaiming that...!
◆Huh? Whaaat?
◆What is this...?!
◆I’m….not a count....?
◆What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this?!
◆I am the eldest legitimate son of House White Wolf!
◆I am Adrian White Wolf!!
◆I am the rightful successor acknowledged by the people of the Territory...!
◆Whaaat?!
◆There is some bastard who refuses to acknowledge me?!
◆Who could it possibly be...?
◆Your father?
◆That’s right!
◆It was none other than your father!
◆Your father was the only one who refused to acknowledge you!
◆He left everything belonging to the House to your younger sister, with whom you do not share a single drop of blood.
◆Unfortunately, even if you want your father’s acknowledgment now, you can no longer receive it!
◆Is this why people tell us to be filial to our parents while they are still alive?
◆....As if!
◆You are the infamous fire-attribute filial son!
◆The greatest delinquent beneath the heavens!
◆Aaaaargh, my anger is rising!
◆I. Am. En. Raged!
◆Why are you doing this? What are you doing, my son?!
◆I’m inheriting the title of count, Father!
◆Unfortunately, this legendary scene can no longer be brought to life, but so what?!
◆You will still be usurping the title of count against your father’s wishes!
◆Even so, rather than being an unprecedentedly unfilial wretch, you are a recognized authority who has proven your abilities, fulfilled your responsibilities, and rightfully earned the people’s acknowledgement!
◆With that in mind, do not forget!
◆Everyone in the County now wants you to become their Count!
==[I’m Inheriting the Title of Count, Father!]==
[Objective]—Obtain the royal family’s acknowledgement.
[Reward]—Unlock certain functions of 「Management Mode」
[Upon Refusal]—Functions of 「Management Mode」 will be restricted.
‘....Did this thing learn Countable Infinity too?’
Berserk Overreaction [?] apparently knew no limits.
Berserk Overreaction [?] seemed to have learned Countable Infinity.
It left me dumbfounded for a moment, but....
‘This never happened in my previous life.’
I calmly organized my thoughts.
This summons from the king had occurred because Father’s will conflicted with Seraphia’s written pledge.
But what about my previous life?
I had run away from the family.
Therefore, Seraphia would have had no reason to send the written pledge to the royal family.
In my previous life, Seraphia had probably inherited the title of count according to Father’s will.
In this life, however, the circumstances had changed because I remained with the family.
In other words,
‘The future changed because of me.’
It was said that, just as the tiny fluttering of a butterfly’s wings could create a storm in a distant region, a small variable could produce an enormous change.
Both Avarus and Iratum had fallen by my hand.
Furthermore, Craulgarr, the Abyssal Legion Commander, had been annihilated.
As a result, the Lawless City known as Violess had disappeared.
The tiny flutter of the butterfly known as me had severely disrupted the emperor’s enormous plan to devour the continent.
In other words, there was now a possibility that the empire would behave differently than it had in my previous life.
Bearing that fact in mind—
◆Territory Quest, [I’m Inheriting the Title of Count, Father!], has begun.
I accepted the quest without much hesitation.
Since I had decided to use the White Wolf County as my base, I needed the title of Count.
More importantly, I could not afford to miss the opportunity to unlock the 「Management Mode」 functions offered as the reward.
‘I need to take Seraphia with me.’
Our means of transportation would be a carriage.
It would take approximately two weeks to travel from the County to the kingdom’s capital.
That meant the round trip would take a month.
“Understood. We will prepare and depart.”
There was quite a lot to prepare.
“Then may I inform them that you have accepted the invitation as well?”
“....Invitation?”
Was it not a summons?
“Ah! I neglected to mention that. The cold had me so disoriented....”
Herald awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“Her Majesty the Queen said that she wished to meet her at least once.”
What was that supposed to mean?
“Her Majesty wishes to meet me?”
“No, that is not what I meant....”
“Surely you mean Seraphia?”
Herald nodded lightly.
“Lady White Wolf’s birthday is approaching, is it not?”
Was it?
“Therefore, Her Majesty suggested that Lady White Wolf make her social debut this year.”
“Her social debut?”
“That is correct.”
The royal social season was different from ordinary noble social gatherings.
The Kingdom of Vatenberg practiced monogamy.
In other words, marriages between members of the nobility were strictly observed and regulated.
Therefore, daughters of noble families who reached marriageable age were given an opportunity to introduce themselves to noble society.
That was the purpose of the royal social season.
They would make their first formal appearance while receiving an audience with the queen.
This was called a “Debut”.
“Her Majesty said that she intends to hold a special ball during this year’s social season.”
That meant she intended to arrange a Debutante Ball.
Put simply, the queen intended to make this year’s social gathering particularly extravagant.
“But is the social season already beginning?”
The royal social season usually began in May.
However, it was currently mid-January, when the season of bitter cold was only beginning to pass.
It was still far too early.
“This year, it is scheduled to begin slightly earlier, in February.”
Such cases were not unheard of.
When there was a matter of national importance, the social season was occasionally held earlier than usual.
“Her Majesty asked me to extend an invitation because she hopes Lady White Wolf will also attend this year’s social season.”
However, after hearing Herald’s explanation,
‘There is something behind this.’
....Something was definitely going on.
After all, people of low social standing could not participate in the royal social season.
Seraphia’s standing was not low, of course.
However, even high-ranking nobles could be denied attendance if they were plagued by scandals or unsavory rumors.
The royal social season was a place that had once expelled the daughter of a duke simply because her clothing looked shabby.
There was a reason it was called the “pinnacle of high society”.
Yet the queen had personally invited Seraphia, who was merely the adopted daughter of a remote count’s house?
I could only conclude that the queen had some reason for summoning Seraphia to the royal court.
If I stretched that theory slightly....
It almost seemed as though this year’s social season was being held specifically to bring Seraphia to the capital.
That would explain why it was being held so early.
It was another future that had changed because of the variable known as me.
Then there was the “reason” the queen wanted to bring Seraphia into the royal court.
This was merely speculation.
But what if it was connected to the Predestined One?
‘That would mean the emperor is involved in this year’s social season.’
If that conclusion was correct—
‘Is the queen a puppet of the empire?’
It seemed I needed to examine the list I had obtained from Iratum.
* * *
The County’s scenery was visible beyond the window.
Sitting alone in my room, I scanned the names on the list. It was the list I had deceived Iratum into giving me in Violess.
It contained the names of prominent individuals from various kingdoms who had been recruited by the Dark Merchant Company.
As I examined the entries one by one, I found a particular name.
[Marceline Charlotte de Vatenberg]
It was the name of the Queen of the Kingdom of Vatenberg.
“There is virtually no possibility that the information on this list is false.”
At the time, Iratum had believed that I was Avarus.
That meant—
“It is certain that Queen Marceline was bought off by the empire.”
This was information that even I had failed to discover in my previous life.
“....So that was the reason.”
The pieces of the puzzle from my previous life began falling into place one by one.
It explained why the Kingdom of Vatenberg would soon be divided and reduced to a nation whose very name was gradually forgotten.
“Was it because of the queen?”
More precisely, it was because of the Devotees of the Fallen Souls who controlled the queen.
To be even more precise, it was because of the emperor lurking behind everything.
“If that is the case....”
The puzzle was mostly complete.
However, there was one problem.
....Something was strange.
“Why didn’t I know this?”
Why had I never learned the crucial fact that Queen Marceline had been bought off?
Of course, at this point in my previous life, I had been living like a vagrant.
Therefore, I had known little about the major events occurring at the time.
Later, however, I became the Predator of the Coalition Forces and served as the Special Warfare Unit’s Covert Operations Commander.
Whenever information related to the empire was involved, I investigated it thoroughly until not even a speck of dust remained.
Even if this had happened in the distant past, it made no sense that I had never learned that the queen had been bought off by the empire....
“Did I simply never investigate it separately?”
That seemed like the only possible explanation, but....
“There is no way.”
....There was no possibility of that.
First of all, this was the kingdom to which the Monarch of Frost belonged.
There was no way I would have neglected to investigate it.
More importantly,
“Leon didn’t know about this either.”
Leon Vatenberg.
The First Prince of the Kingdom of Vatenberg.
The man who would later become known as the Lion of the Coalition Forces.
Leon had also been completely unaware that the queen had been bought off.
It was understandable that he might not know at this point in time. However, after everything had already happened, it made no sense that he remained ignorant even during his days as the Lion of the Coalition Forces.
Now that I thought about it....
“Among all the information I possess, the information concerning the Kingdom of Vatenberg is unusually incomplete.”
Strangely, I lacked information specifically related to the Kingdom of Vatenberg. More precisely, there were gaps scattered throughout that information.
The king’s summons had never occurred in my previous life, so that could be explained.
However, the royal social season was different.
It was an annual event.
Furthermore, since it coincided with Seraphia’s birthday, she must have received an invitation in my previous life as well.
Yet I possessed no information concerning it.
These major events and crucial pieces of information—
I could not remember any of them. It was as though they had been erased from my memory—
“....Wait.”
A sudden thought flashed through my mind.
This sensation that my memories had been erased.
These strange circumstances that suggested gaps had formed within my information.
“Could this possibly be...?”
....I had experienced it before.
I had investigated a tremendous amount of information concerning the empire.
I had not uncovered all the information I investigated. However, I could confidently say that I had approached the truth.
Among the Devotees of the Fallen Souls was Vicarius, a position corresponding to the rank of Pope.
Although I had never discovered Vicarius’s identity, I had determined that he was an Avatar of the Monarch of the Abyss.
However, there was exactly one person—
No, perhaps I should call it one entity.
There was only one existence that had cast me into perfect “darkness”.
It caused all information and records concerning itself to be forgotten, making it impossible for anyone to perceive its existence.
It possessed the authority of “Memory Erasure”, which instantly erased even the cognition required to think about it.
One of the Six Monarchs who served the emperor.
The Monarch of Darkness.
Therefore, if the gaps in the information I currently possessed were a phenomenon caused by the Monarch of Darkness—
“The Monarch of Darkness is involved in this matter?”
That was the conclusion I reached.
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