As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 6

The news of Couran’s mobilization arrived all too soon after my father’s death. Couran had issued a manifesto on the same day he called his troops to arms, a copy of which had made its way to even a small noble house like ours.

The manifesto was, in short, a screed written solely to attack Couran’s younger brother, Vasmarque. He pinned the assassination of their father on Vasmarque, to start, offering nothing in the way of concrete evidence to back up the claim, then took the opportunity to list each and every one of Vasmarque’s faults in what struck me as excessive detail. He claimed vehemently that his brother was unworthy of the title of duke, and that only he could serve as his father’s successor.

He also reproached Vasmarque for stubbornly maintaining control of Arcantez, the current capital of Missian. It seemed Couran had demanded that his brother turn the capital over to him time after time, but his requests had always fallen upon deaf ears. Now he’d had enough, so he intended to storm the capital by force if that was what it took.

That last detail was particularly interesting to me because I’d had no idea that Arcantez was under Vasmarque’s control. The city was the capital of Missian in both name and practice, boasting the largest population of any city in the duchy. That, of course, meant that it had a correspondingly sizable local garrison.

There were only three cities in all of Missian that came close to rivaling Arcantez in scale. The closest to Lamberg was a city in the west called Maasa, and there were also similarly-sized cities in the south and the east called Semplar and Velshdt, respectively. Arcantez, by the way, was situated in central Missian.

Couran currently held control of Semplar, a coastal city. Access to sea routes made it a thriving trade hub and one of the most prosperous cities in all of Missian. That, in turn, meant the local government had the funds to hire mercenaries, so despite its lesser population, it gave Couran access to at least as many soldiers as Arcantez did to his brother.

That just left the question of who the counts ruling over Maasa and Velshdt would side with. I knew nothing about said counts, so I couldn’t even begin to guess where their loyalties rested. I needed to figure out what direction Couran was likely to march in, and to do that, I needed information.

One day, Rietz came to me with a report and said, “Lord Ars? A letter from Lord Lumeire has arrived. I suspect it is a summons requesting your presence at Castle Canarre.”

I read the letter and found that Rietz had predicted its contents perfectly before replying, “You were right. I wonder what he wants to discuss…”

“I presume strategy for the oncoming conflict,” Rietz speculated. “It’s also possible he’s received orders from Lord Couran that he wishes to relay to us.”

“Hmm. Do you think Canarre’s forces are going to be dragged into the mud this time around?”

“A good question,” said Rietz. “I imagine that depends on how the situation unfolds. There’s no telling who the counts of western Missian will choose to support, after all. If the Count of Maasa ends up fighting for Lord Vasmarque, the situation may prove perilous.”

A very small portion of Canarre’s northeastern border was shared with the County of Maasa. Maasa boasted an army several times the size of Canarre’s, so if open conflict between the two counties broke out, we would have very little chance of winning a straight-up fight. Word had it that Perreina, the county immediately east of Canarre, would be backing Vasmarque, so if Maasa chose his side as well, Canarre would have essentially no choice but to jump aboard their bandwagon and abandon Couran’s cause.

“I guess we’ll learn a little more about what’s going on once we make it to Castle Canarre,” I sighed. “Oh, and this will be my first formal duty as the Lord of Lamberg, too.”

“It will, yes. Though, seeing as you’ve been to the castle as the lord’s proxy already, it doesn’t quite feel like your first time, does it?” noted Rietz with a smile.

“Yes, true enough,” I agreed. Although, that said, the last time I went to Canarre was for a far simpler meeting than I knew we’d be having this time around. Considering how complicated the talks were likely to get, this still felt like my first real job.

“Oh, that’s right!” I exclaimed as a thought struck me. “While we’re already out and about, would we be able to make contact with those mercenaries you mentioned, Rietz? ‘The Shadows,’ was it?”

Now that my father was no longer with us, the question of whether or not to hire mercenaries fell entirely upon my shoulders. We were still training some of our own soldiers in the art of information-gathering, but that process had proven as time-consuming as expected, and I wanted to get our network up and running as soon as possible. Information would be absolutely vital to our decision-making process going forward─no matter how high of an Intelligence someone had, they could never make the right call without a full grasp of the situation.

“It should be possible to make contact with them in Canarre, yes,” said Rietz. “However, they aren’t motivated exclusively by money, so I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to actually retain their services.”

“Mercenaries who aren’t motivated by money? How is that a thing?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.

“It’s rare, but every once in a while, you’ll find a band that works for some higher purpose. The leader of the Shadows is something of an eccentric, so I can’t say for sure what standards they follow.”

“I see. Well, if we can hire them, I’d certainly like to, so please arrange a meeting with their leader for after we’re finished in the castle.”

“Understood.”

I set about choosing who would accompany us on the trip. I decided to bring along Rietz, Charlotte, and the other retainers who’d accompanied me last time, as well as Rosell. It seemed possible I was in for a genuine war council, and while I wasn’t expecting Rosell to contribute to the discussion at his age, I did think it would make for a good experience, and help him learn to be a better tactician.

Once my party had gathered, we immediately set out for Castle Canarre. The trip went smoothly this time, and we arrived without incident. Unlike our first visit, the gatekeeper recognized me immediately and led us straight into the castle.

“Thank you for coming, Ars. It is truly a shame what happened to Raven… He will be dearly missed,” Lumeire sighed as soon as he saw me, his expression grave. “Much as it pains me to admit, though, I do not have the time to grieve his death. We shall begin our war council as soon as Lord Krall and Lord Hammond arrive.”

“Understood,” I replied.

The other two lords of Canarre showed up soon after, and we gathered around the same round table as last time. Lumeire kicked off the meeting by addressing the three of us.

“I have something important to say before we begin our council. Recently, Raven Louvent, the Lord of Lamberg, lost his life to a terrible illness. He was a dauntless man whose accomplishments on the battlefield put his peers to shame…”

The other two lords didn’t seem very surprised by the news. They must have learned of my father’s death through other sources, so they simply sat there, listening in somber silence.

“Tragic though his passing may be, now is not the time to mourn Raven’s death. We shall honor his name by fighting for the future of Canarre to our last breaths, as he did to his!” Lumeire declared, then motioned for me to stand. “As I’m sure you are aware, Ars here has inherited his father’s title and succeeded him as the head of House Louvent. Though he may be a child in body, I assure you that he is equal to us adults in spirit, and is worthy of his new station.”

I should probably say something now, right? I thought for a moment before speaking up.

“I am Ars, the new Lord of Lamberg. Young though I might be, I shall dedicate my body and soul to seeing my duties fulfilled.”

It was a perfectly generic greeting─perhaps a touch too generic─but I figured that was better than going overboard and making a terrible impression. Everyone present politely applauded my mini-speech, and I sat back down once they were finished.

“Now then,” said Lumeire. “Let us begin our council of war. I would like to open the floor to anyone here who has a comment on the current state of our county. I will not chide you for stating or asking the obvious, so hold nothing back.”

So our retainers are allowed to speak? Not just us?

I glanced back at Rietz and the others. Rietz met my gaze and gave me a quick nod, hoping to communicate that if he had anything to say, he would do so. Rosell, incidentally, was hiding behind Rietz at the time, so I wrote him off as a non-participant.

“To start,” Lumeire continued, “a summary of the current state of affairs seems in order. Menas, if you’d be so kind.”

“Very well, M’lord,” said Menas, the retainer I’d met during my last visit. “To begin with, you should all know that Lord Couran and House Pyres have been communicating extensively behind closed doors. Some of you may worry that Lord Couran’s decision to raise an army was foolhardy, but I assure you, he has every intention of winning the war he has chosen to wage. He has negotiated the aid of four of the western counties, Maasa included, as well as all five of the southern counties, for a total of nine counties’ worth of forces to add to his. In addition, he has contracted the services of the most famed band of mercenaries in all of Rofeille, the Maitraw Company. With a force that large, Lord Couran’s victory is all but assured.”

So Lord Couran’s been hard at work behind the scenes…though I guess that’s not really a surprise. Apparently, he’s not so inept after all.

I felt like it was an exaggeration to say that his victory was assured, though. In my view, nothing was a sure bet in war, and his younger brother most certainly hadn’t wasted the past several months.

“Only one western county, Perreina, rebuked Lord Couran’s overtures,” Menas continued. “The county is entirely surrounded by Lord Couran’s allies, yet they have still refused to disavow their allegiance to Lord Vasmarque. I have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to either bring Perreina to our side through more underhanded tactics, or otherwise crush them in battle.”

The County of Perreina was situated just east of Canarre, and it had been some time since any internal strife had been reported from the area. Due to that, bringing them to our side via backroom dealings seemed far less likely than simply defeating them in battle.

“Though winning their allegiance through peaceful means may prove difficult, the losses we would sustain waging war on the county would be costly. That’s why we have decided to prioritize methods of bringing them over to us that do not involve an outright invasion. If any of you can propose such a means, now would be the time to do so.”

Oh, so the invasion’s plan B after all? That’s not what I expected.

Unfortunately, though, I was absolutely clueless as far as ways to bring them to our side went. After all, I knew next to nothing about the county’s current state. I glanced back at Rietz just in time to see him raise his hand.

“You have an idea? Speak, then,” said Lumeire. A few others in the room scowled at the sight of Rietz, a Malkan, daring to take the floor, but Lumeire himself showed no signs of that sort of contempt. Apparently, he wasn’t one for prejudice.

“I believe that it will be exceedingly difficult to bring Perreina to our side without sufficient information on their dealings,” said Rietz. “To that end, I would propose that our first priority be determining why the Count of Perreina has chosen not to side with Lord Couran despite his county’s adverse circumstances.”

“A sound argument,” said Lumeire with a nod. “But how, specifically, do you propose we obtain this information?”

Is he going to bring up the Shadows?

We hadn’t even made contact with them yet, so promising their help felt like a risk to me. Then again, if we did get them under contract, then Lumeire would probably be quite impressed with us.

Rietz surprised me, though, by instead mumbling to himself, “A good question… We’ll have to come up with a means, yes,” then shooting me a wink.

Oh─is he telling me to bring the mercenaries up myself? Maybe he thinks that if I make the proposal, it’ll make me look good in front of this council.

Frankly, I was a little embarrassed that he’d set the stage for me that blatantly, but there wasn’t any sense in wasting the opportunity he’d created.

“Why don’t we hire mercenaries to gather that information for us?” I suggested. “As it so happens, I’m aware of a band that would suit the particulars of this mission perfectly.”

“Mercenaries,” Lumeire repeated thoughtfully. “While I do have individuals trained in spycraft under my employ, I’m afraid to say that none of them are by any means experts. Are these mercenaries of yours skilled?”

I glanced at Rietz, and he nodded back to me. If he thought they had what it took, then I felt confident assuming that they weren’t a band of clowns, at the very least.

“They are,” I replied confidently.

“Very well, then,” said Lumeire. “In that case, I shall leave the acquisition of information on Perreina’s internal affairs to you. That said, should you fail to retain the services of these mercenaries, or should you determine that they are unworthy of trust, I would ask that you report back to me immediately. Failure is no sin, but silent failure could be the death of us all.”

“Understood,” I replied with a nod.

Looks like Lumeire’s pretty good at handling underlings, I thought to myself at the same time. I’d had my fair share of subordinates at work in my previous life, and the worst-case scenario was always one of them screwing up and failing to admit it to me.

The war conference came to a temporary halt soon after, so I left the castle to make contact with the Shadows.

“U-Ugggh,” moaned Rosell, clutching at his head as he walked beside me. “I couldn’t say anything, I couldn’t ask anything…”

“You must have been really nervous, huh?” I said.

“O-Of course I was!” snapped Rosell. “That room was full of the sort of people I usually only see in my nightmares!”

Some of the retainers in the room had very obviously been quite battle-hardened. I mean, it was a war council, after all. I had to admit, their grizzly beards and stern expressions had been pretty intimidating, but House Louvent had its fair share of people like that as well, so I didn’t know what he meant.

Maybe he just can’t handle that many of them in a room at once.

“Anyway, I couldn’t focus on the meeting at all thanks to them,” Rosell spat. “What’d they decide on in the end?”

I quickly explained that we were going to meet with the Shadows, and a profound look appeared on Rosell’s face.

“Hmm… So everything went more or less how I expected it to, then… Ugh, but I bet the mercenaries are going to be terrifying, too… M-Maybe they’ll even kidnap me and try to sell me…”

“That’s not going to happen. Relax, Rosell. Even if the negotiations go south, we’ll have Rietz and Charlotte there to protect us.”

Rosell’s pathological negativity had slightly improved since he was little, but he was still a hardcore pessimist at heart.

I turned to Rietz and asked, “So, where should we go to meet with the Shadows?”

“They’re based outside of the walls, in a bar called the Tremps. I’ll lead the way.”

“Please do.”

Rietz led us through the streets until suddenly, a familiar-sounding voice rang out behind us.

“Lord Ars! Please, wait just a moment!”

I turned around and saw a golden-haired girl of around my age running toward us. I realized why I recognized that voice─because it belonged to none other than my fiancée, Licia.

“Lady Licia!” I exclaimed, taken aback. “This is a shock! Did Lord Hammond bring you along with him?”

“He did,” said Licia. “Though not without putting up a fight. I just had to come along and see you, so I put my foot down! He put his foot down in regards to the council, though, so I had to wait back in our chambers until the meeting concluded.”

“No wonder I didn’t see you there,” I replied. “Speaking of which, it’s good to see you again.”

We’d written more times than I could count, but this was our first time seeing each other in person in a year or so. We’d managed to get together once since the day we first met, but ever since then, we’d had no direct contact. Licia had clearly grown a lot over that past year, too─she was taller, and her figure was beginning to fill out. She was thirteen, and very clearly going through a growth spurt, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that she looked so different.

“Yes, it’s been far too long!” said Licia. “You’ve grown quite dashing since we last met, Lord Ars.”

“It feels as though I’ve hardly grown at all compared to you, Lady Licia. You’ve become astonishingly beautiful.”

“My!” Licia exclaimed with a blush, then got right down to business. “By the way, Lord Ars, I’m told you intend to meet with a band of mercenaries called the Shadows?”

“That’s right,” I replied. “But wait, who told you that?”

“I may have been listening in on your conference, truth be told,” Licia admitted. “But more importantly, if you plan to meet with the mercenaries now, perhaps you’d be willing to take me along? I believe I might be helpful.”

I paused to consider her offer. Licia was an accomplished negotiator, and she could indeed be quite helpful when it came to bargaining with the mercenaries. On the other hand, though, a mercenary band’s base had to be dangerous, right? I had absolute faith in my guards, of course, but I still had some apprehensions about bringing her to such a seedy place.

“Lady Licia,” I said, “I’m afraid that the Shadows’ base is likely quite a dangerous place.”

“That’s perfectly all right!” she replied immediately. “I’ve already received permission from my father to accompany you. Does that make a difference?”

Hammond actually gave her the okay?

I mulled it over once more. If her father was down for it, I didn’t see any reason not to take her along, and I’d have felt a little bad turning her down after she went out of her way to ask him. Just in case, though, I asked Rietz for his opinion.

“I doubt it would be an issue,” he replied. “Our destination isn’t that dangerous, really. If it were, I wouldn’t be taking you with me either, Lord Ars.”

“Fair enough. All right, then, Lady Licia─shall we? Just be sure not to stray too far from the rest of us.”

“Thank you, Lord Ars!” Licia exclaimed with a grin.

We resumed our walk, now with an extra party member in tow, and eventually reached a surprisingly large building with a sign reading “Tremps” hung out front.

“Come to think of it, Rietz,” I asked as I surveyed the building, “how did you find out about the Shadows in the first place?”

“Well,” said Rietz. “You know I used to work as a mercenary myself, of course. The band I belonged to traveled across Missian, and at one point I ended up here in Canarre. I got to know the Shadows after the leader of my mercenary band hired them for a job.”

“A band of mercenaries hired another band of mercenaries?”

“They did, yes. The Shadows are in a different line of work than we were, after all. They deal in information, espionage, assassination, and the like. We, on the other hand, specialized in traditional warfare. For a band like ours, fighting for the losing side of a war meant sustaining heavy casualties and often not getting paid on top of it. In the worst case, we could have been wiped out. That was why we hired the Shadows to gather information on the state of conflicts and sabotage our enemies. They were quite helpful, frankly.”

“Interesting! I didn’t know there was that much variation among mercenary bands.”

“Of course, my band was wiped out in the end,” Rietz added with a shrug. “Our leader got too greedy for his own good, and that was that…”

Rietz seemed to sink into his own memories. Considering how many of his friends and allies must have died, I couldn’t imagine they were particularly pleasant experiences. I decided not to pry any deeper as our group walked into the Tremps.

I could immediately tell that it was a popular bar. The place was bustling, and despite its vast size, there were hardly any empty seats. It was only midday, so I could only imagine how packed it would be come nightfall.

“This place is as busy as ever,” Rietz commented.

Guess it’s always been this way.

“The Shadows introduced me to the bar’s owner back in the day, so I’ll try talking to him first.”

Rietz picked out the owner and walked over to him, and the rest of us followed along. As we slipped through the crowd, I noticed that we were drawing quite a lot of attention. It wasn’t every day you saw a Malkan as well-dressed as Rietz, Charlotte’s choice of clothing made the fact that she was a mage rather obvious, and Licia and I were very clearly nobility from our attire alone. In retrospect, we weren’t exactly dressed with subtlety in mind.

“These stares are getting on my nerves,” muttered Charlotte. “Can I burn them?”

Can she what?!

Charlotte’s striking features were attracting the attention of the local men, which she clearly did not appreciate.

“Of course you can’t!” I whispered back. “A few stares won’t kill us, so just bear with it. Unless things get violent, I mean─then you can burn them.”

“Fiiine,” groaned Charlotte. “Ugggh, what a drag…”

I was kind of taken aback. She was always so mild-mannered back at my estate, so I’d never seen this belligerent side of hers before.

Maybe I just caught her in a bad mood?

In any case, although we got plenty of attention, nobody seemed interested in giving us a hard time, so we reached the owner unmolested.

“It’s been a while, Alex,” said Rietz to the owner. He looked to be middle-aged, with a muscular build and a rather impressive beard.

Alex gave Rietz a skeptical look and replied, “A Malkan…oh, you. Rietz, was it? You were with the Kraiment Mercenaries, weren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right,” said Rietz with a nod.

“Thought you were dead. Heard that most of you got done in, actually, and that the few who made it out with their hides intact went their separate ways.”

“The Kraiment Mercenaries did disband, yes, but as you can see, I’m very much alive,” said Rietz. “At the moment, I serve as a retainer to House Louvent.”

“A retainer? House Louvent? That’s the lord down in Lamberg, eh? How the hell’d you… Wait,” Alex paused. “I’ve heard whispers of a Malkan boy down in Lamberg who fights like a demon on his lord’s behalf. That’s you?”

“Most likely, yes,” Rietz admitted.

“Well, that sure clears things up. If I remember you right, then those rumors might not’ve been all folktale after all. You were one of the tougher Kraiments, weren’t you?” Alex asked as he glanced over Rietz’s shoulder. “That kid behind you the new Louvent lordling? I heard word the old one bit it and his kid took up the mantle.”

“My name is Ars Louvent,” I said, jumping in to assert myself a little. “I am indeed the head of House Louvent, as well as Rietz’s employer.”

“Well, good to make your acquaintance. Name’s Alex Tremps, and I’m the owner of this boozehole,” Alex said with a perfunctory bow. “So, tell me, what brings you lot here?”

“We have a job for the Shadows,” said Rietz.

“Ohhh, them,” said Alex. He looked a little flustered.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nah, not exactly. Thing is, the leader of the Shadows who took on jobs for the Kraiments? Bloke retired about two years ago.”

“What?!” Rietz shouted in shock. “But the man lived for his work! Did an injury do him in?”

“The opposite─a wife. Said he couldn’t afford to stay in such a risky line of business anymore, and that was that.”

“I see,” Rietz said with a frown. “That puts us in a difficult position…”

“Oh, well, the boss moved on, but the Shadows are still around,” Alex clarified. “’Course, a fair chunk of the old guard split after he left. It’s a whole new operation these days.”

“And what do you make of these new Shadows?” Rietz asked. “Are they capable?”

“They put the old Shadows to shame,” Alex replied with a sly grin.

“They put them to shame…?” repeated Rietz. It sounded like he could hardly believe his ears. “But…the old Shadows were legendary! And yet, this new crew is somehow even more skilled?”

“Believe it or not,” said Alex. “The new boss has a real gift for the work, and a talent for spreading the wealth, skill-wise. The rest of them’ve improved by leaps and bounds. I haven’t gotten word of them failing a single job since the old boss handed over the reins.”

“That’s astonishing,” said Rietz.

“Thing is, though, this new boss is even more off than the old one. Nobody knows how the hell the Shadows decide what jobs they take these days. There’s no guarantee they’ll take you on as clients unless you meet them and ask.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” said Rietz. “Can you introduce us to this new boss of theirs?”

“I’ll introduce you to whoever you want me to, so long as you’ve got the coin to pay for the privilege. It’ll have to be later, though. After dark, understand?”

“Does the new boss only show up here at night?”

“Nah, the boss is already here. It’s just that the Shadows only take on new work at night. Don’t ask me to explain it, but one way or another, I won’t be taking you to the boss until night falls. Feel free to search on your own, though, if you’re up for wasting your time,” Alex said with a shrug.

Considering how crowded this place is, yeah, that probably would be a hopeless endeavor…if I didn’t have my Appraisal skill to save the day, that is!

Alex said that the Shadows’ boss had a gift, and I was certain that meant that they’d have to have high enough stats to catch my attention. They had to have a much higher Valor than the average person, if nothing else! The fact that they wouldn’t take any jobs until night meant that searching for the boss wasn’t really a productive use of time, but I didn’t have anything better to do, so I decided I might as well look around in the meantime.

“All right,” I said to Alex. “We’ll wait here until night falls, then.”

“Suit yourself. Order some drinks and a bite to eat while you’re at it, if you feel like doing me a favor. You look a bit short for the hard stuff, but I’ve got some less boozy drinks in the back, if that’d suit your fancy.”

“It would, thank you,” I replied, then paid for both the introduction and some drinks and fruits I took the opportunity to order from him. After that, we found a table, took a seat, and waited for night to fall.

As we waited, I started appraising the bar’s clientele one by one, keeping a close eye out for the leader of the Shadows. The place was packed, and I appraised absolutely everyone I could find, but nobody had a status screen that screamed “leader of a band of clandestine mercenaries” to me.

Maybe I’m wrong about spies having high Valor.

Unfortunately, Appraisal didn’t have an Aptitude for information-gathering listed. I was starting to tire myself out with all that staring, too, so for the moment, I decided to give up on my hunt. Instead, I called out to a nearby waitress and asked for a glass of water─I was feeling a little thirsty, after all.

“Water? Coming right up!” said the waitress. Water was readily available in the Canarre region, so the price was negligible.

Come to think of it, I never appraised that waitress, did I?

She was still young─probably only a year or two older than me─and her black hair was tied up in a ponytail. Her looks weren’t outstanding or anything, but I certainly would’ve called her attractive, at least.

I mean, let’s be real─she couldn’t possibly be the Shadows’ leader.

I almost didn’t bother appraising her, but figured, hey, what did I have to lose? And so, I gave it a shot.

My jaw dropped.

She’s─I mean, he’s a boy?! And twenty-two years old, at that?! He’s a full-grown adult! And man, just look at those stats! So his name is Mazak? Or at least, that’s his name unless my skill’s bugging out for whatever reason.

I appraised Rietz, just to check, and his stats were the same as ever, so I was fairly confident my skill wasn’t on the fritz. Then, I appraised the waitress…I mean, the waiter one more time…and his stats were exactly the same as they’d been the first time. Apparently, they were legit.

Could it be…? Could this Mazak person be the leader of the Shadows?

He was the only person with the stats for it in the building, and considering said stats, I was positive that at the absolute least, he wasn’t just an ordinary waiter. It’d have been one thing if he had high stat caps, but the fact that his current stats were almost maxed out made his abnormality plain as day. He’d been through some sort of training, no doubt about it.

Assuming his stats were real, then Mazak had become the leader of the Shadows when he was only eighteen or nineteen. When I really thought about it, the Shadows were all about spywork, and what could be better for making your target let their guard down than looking like a teenage girl?

He was no teenage girl, though─he was a man of twenty-two, shockingly enough. Did he come from a line of people who were naturally short and girly, or was it some sort of medical condition? I had a feeling that his stats probably wouldn’t have been that high if he had a developmental disorder, so I was inclined to suspect the former.

“Umm…did you want to order something else?” Mazak asked, looking a little uncomfortable. It seemed I’d been staring a little too openly.

I figured that I probably shouldn’t ask him if he was the leader of the Shadows straight-up. They didn’t take jobs during the daytime, for whatever reason, and it seemed he was fully immersed in his role as a waitress, so I had a funny feeling that if I jumped the gun, he wouldn’t take on the job at all. I might even turn him against me entirely if I revealed his identity and damaged his pride!

Leaving a bad first impression was the last thing I wanted to do, so I settled on not saying anything about his true identity.

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” I replied.

“Oh? I’ll be right back with your water, then,” he said. He came back with a glass moments later, then went on his way. It was incredible─he really came across as a young girl, from his voice to the tiniest mannerisms. Even if he himself revealed his true identity, without evidence, it’d just come across as a bad joke.

“I see you’ve taken quite a keen interest in that girl, Lord Ars,” said Licia with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She seemed a little miffed, actually. I guess the way I’d been staring at Mazak had gotten on her nerves.

I decided to tell the truth about why I’d been watching him. No point letting Licia stew over it, after all.

“I’m fairly certain that ‘she’ is the leader of the Shadows,” I whispered, quietly enough that nobody outside our table would hear me. Everybody at my table, meanwhile, gaped at me in disbelief.

“You realize that she’s a girl who can’t be much older than me, don’t you?” asked Licia.

“Actually, he’s a twenty-two-year-old man.”

“What?!” all of my companions shouted in unison.

“Shhhhhh!” I quickly hushed them.

We’re probably fine─nothing too weird about people shouting in surprise! I’m sure nobody heard the first part!

“Y-You’re joking, right?” said Rosell. “How could she possibly be anything other than a girl?”

“I’m positive,” I replied. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Licia looked a little thoughtful and said, “I’m sure a person like that could be the leader of the Shadows…but a twenty-two-year-old man? That strains credulity…”

I couldn’t blame her. I’d seen the appraisal results with my own two eyes, yet even I’d second-guessed them.

“I believe it,” said Rietz. “I’ve never known Lord Ars to be wrong about such matters. Though that said, I didn’t know he had the power to reveal an individual’s sex.”

No surprise that Rietz would trust me. He’s known me the longest, and he’s seen time and time again how accurate my Appraisal skill is.

“If that’s the boss, then why don’t we go ask him about the job right now? I’m getting sick of waiting,” said Charlotte. I quickly explained that if we jumped the gun he might not take the job at all, so she agreed to wait a little longer, though she made it clear she wasn’t very happy about it.

A little while later, nature called, and I got up to use the restroom. Rietz reflexively stood up to escort me, but since the bar wasn’t particularly rowdy and it would’ve been embarrassing to have someone following me to the toilet, I told him he didn’t have to bother.

I bet he’s going to keep his eyes glued to the restroom’s entrance anyway, but eh, that beats the alternative.

I stepped into the restroom. This world did have decent enough water infrastructure, all things considered, so the toilets weren’t as unhygienic as one might assume. I finished my business, turned to leave…and nearly dropped dead of a heart attack.

“All right, kid, let’s chat. How’d you figure out I’m the Shadows’ boss?” asked Mazak, who was standing literally right in front of me.

When did he get there? I didn’t notice him at all!

When he was acting like a waitress, he’d seemed like a bright, cheerful girl, but now he was staring fixedly at me, completely expressionless. He looked so calm and analytical that I was astonished. How could a single person give off two impressions so wildly different just by changing the look on his face?

“’S the first time I’ve been busted, you know?” said Mazak.

As it so happened, though, I had an extremely similar question on my mind: How did he know that I knew who he was?

I decided to play dumb and asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Nuh-uh, that’s not gonna fly. I’m sure you thought you were whispering quietly enough, but I heard every single word you people said. You’re Ars Louvent, freshly-minted Lord of Lamberg, and you came here to hire me for a job. Then, somehow, you figured out that I was the boss, a man, and twenty-two. Feel like denying any of that?”

Mazak had been quite a ways away from our table while we had that discussion. If he’d managed to eavesdrop anyway, then his hearing was remarkably sensitive. Of course, he probably wouldn’t have been able to get by as a spy if it weren’t. All that said, he’d let one interesting fact slip: if he didn’t know how I knew his identity, then he hadn’t overheard our entire conversation.

“It wasn’t easy to get in here without anyone noticing, y’know?” said Mazak. “Some weird asshole was watching the restroom like a hawk, so I had to take a back route that only the staff know about. I didn’t go to all that trouble for nothing, so you’re going to tell me how you figured me out, one way or another.”

I guess Rietz really was watching out for me after all! Mazak got the better of him, but I can’t blame him for not accounting for a secret passage.

“Why are you so curious about how I figured you out?” I asked.

“Hiding your identity’s kind of a big deal in my line of work, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in my skills. If somebody takes me down a peg, then I’ve gotta figure out how they pulled it off. Or what, you think I’d just let you piss all over my work and walk away? Spill your guts, kid. Where’d I screw up?”

“You didn’t,” I replied after a moment’s hesitation. “Your act was perfect.”

“Then how’d you know?”

I’d hit my limit─I had to fess up. I could tell that if I kept giving him the runaround, he was probably going to get violent with me, so I told him about my Appraisal skill.

“The power to see other people’s abilities…?” Mazak repeated disbelievingly.

“That’s right. You possess abilities far exceeding the average person’s, so I knew you were likely the Shadows’ leader. Incidentally, my power also lets me see your name, sex, and age. Mazak Finde, I presume?”

Mazak gasped. His eyes widened for just a moment, but then he shut them and sneered, “Sorry, but that’s a swing and a miss. I gave up that name ages ago. I go by Pham these days.”

He changed his name? Interesting─then it looks like my skill doesn’t update that information. It must only tell me their birth name.

“Gotta say, though,” he continued. “That skill makes you the natural enemy of folks in my line of work.”

“It does?”

“Better believe it. Like I said, you can’t get by in this field unless you can conceal your identity. That makes the way I look real convenient─nobody ever suspects the little girl in the room to be rooting around for their deepest secrets, y’know? That’s why I never let anyone other than my most trusted allies in on my identity. I don’t even let my clients see my real face. Alex and the rest of the Shadows are the only ones who know who I am.”

Part of me really wanted to ask, “Then what do you do with people like me who figure your identity out?” However, I kept my lips firmly shut. It had just hit me how risky of a position I was in, and I’d already pushed my luck pretty far.

“I’ve only got two options for someone with a dangerous power like yours: bring ’em over to my side, or make sure they never get the chance to work against me, if you catch my drift. You got a preference?”

My heart skipped a beat out of sheer terror, then started gradually pounding faster and faster. If I chose the wrong answer, things could get very nasty, very quickly.

“I think it goes without saying that I’d rather be on your side,” I replied. “By the way, you know I’m the head of House Louvent, don’t you? I’ve already told my retainers your identity, and if anything happens to me here, you won’t just be making enemies of my people─even the count might hunt you down. I’m sure you’d rather not get chased out of this city, right?”

“Any town works for me,” Pham snorted dismissively.

“It can’t be that easy to pick up and move your whole operation, can it?”

“It’s a pain at first, I’ll give you that, but nothing we can’t handle.”

“And what if my retainers followed you? What if they were willing to chase you to the far ends of the continent to kill you for what you did to me?”

“I’d do them in before they got the chance.”

“I don’t know about that. My retainers are pretty strong.”

Pham paused for just a moment…then cracked up.

“Hah hah hah! Oh, don’t piss yourself, kid. I can hear your heart beating up a storm, y’know? Guess you are just a brat, though. Dunno what I was expecting.”

Rats! I thought I was keeping a straight face, too. How are you supposed to fool somebody into thinking you’re calm when they can literally hear your heartbeat?!

“I was kidding,” Pham continued. “I’m not planning on making you disappear, don’t worry. I happen to like unique sorts, and though I wasn’t lying about your power being dangerous, it makes you as unique as it gets. I’d never turn down a job from someone like you. Plus, working for nobles tends to mean repeat commissions if we pull off the job, and that means spreading my identity around would bite you in the ass just as hard as it would me.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

Oh, thank goodness, he was just kidding. I seriously thought that I was about to get murdered.

“You can tell me about the job once night falls,” said Pham. “Just sit tight until then.”

“Understood,” I replied.

Pham struck me as a little dangerous─maybe more than a little, actually─so part of me was seriously considering backing out of this whole plan. However, after everything we’d just been through, giving up on hiring him and making a break for it felt like a surefire way to make a lifelong enemy out of him. I wasn’t particularly interested in having to watch my back for assassins at all hours, so it seemed I’d have to see this through.

Pham turned to leave the restroom…just in time for Rietz to burst through the door.

“Lord Ars!” he shouted a moment before his gaze fell upon Pham.

Rietz didn’t hesitate for a second─he’d drawn and swung his sword before I even knew what was happening. Pham, however, was just as fast, pulling a knife from his breast pocket and intercepting the swing.

“Wait, Rietz! Stop!” I shouted. “He’s on our side!”

“Huh? Is that so? My apologies,” Rietz said, lowering his sword.

“Okay, kid, I’ve gotta hand it to you,” said Pham. “You were right─I would rather have you and your people on my side. I’m not gonna say I couldn’t kill this guy, but I can tell he wouldn’t make it easy.”

With that final remark, Pham left the bathroom.

Rietz, meanwhile, turned to me and asked, “Are you sure you’re all right, Lord Ars?”

“Yes, I’m fine, really!” I reassured him.

“I’m relieved to hear it. I was keeping watch, yet I didn’t notice anything was wrong at all! There must be another entrance,” Rietz commented, glancing around the bathroom. “In any case, you were right, not that I ever doubted you. He must be the current leader of the Shadows, considering how easily he blocked my strike.”

It seemed that Pham’s skills had impressed Rietz already.

The two of us left the bathroom and returned to our table. A short while later, Pham emerged back onto the floor, once again in full waitress mode. I was flabbergasted─how could a person change how they came off that dramatically at the drop of a hat? Once again, I was half-convinced that he really was a totally different person.

Time passed by, and finally, night fell. It wasn’t long before Alex walked on over to our table.

“Thanks for waiting. I’ll take you to see Pham, the boss of the Shadows, now.”

We got up and followed Alex up a staircase, passing by the second floor and emerging on the third. He then unlocked a door and ushered us inside.

“Pham, your guests are… Huh? You going around showing your face off to clients these days?”

“No point in hiding it,” replied Pham from inside. “They already figured me out.”

“What…?” Alex blinked in confusion, unable to process what he’d just heard. “They figured you… What? You mean they saw you at work and picked you out as the Shadows’ leader?”

“That’s exactly what they did,” said Pham. “The boy, specifically. He’s got a weird power up his sleeve, it seems. Picked me out of the crowd at a glance.”

“I’ll be damned,” muttered Alex, seeming downright shocked.

I guess somebody seeing through Pham’s disguise was way beyond his expectations. Can’t blame him, though, considering how good of a disguise it is. I sure wouldn’t have been able to tell without a helping hand, myself!

“S-So Ars was right?” marveled Rosell. “She really was the leader of the Shadows?”

“And ‘she’ really is also actually a he, I assume,” added Licia, who’d apparently still been skeptical on that front. Even after his true identity had been revealed, it was hard to see Pham as anything other than a girl. His natural voice was a little lower than the one he’d used while posing as a waitress, but it didn’t exactly scream “man” to me.

“Yeah, I’m a man. No question about it,” said Pham. Even after hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth, Licia didn’t seem totally convinced, but selling her on that point was pretty low on my list of priorities. I honestly couldn’t have cared less whether he was a man or a woman.

“I don’t dress like this for kicks, either,” Pham added. “Young girls are the most universally underestimated people in this whole damn world. Being able to drop into the role at a moment’s notice makes my job a hell of a lot easier, so I work here to practice.”

I wondered why he’d bother with the whole waitress act…

He had it down pat, in my book, but I had a funny feeling that Pham himself still felt there was room for improvement. Either that, or he refused to stop practicing even though the act was perfect to make sure he never lost his touch.

“So, let’s talk business, yeah? What’ll the Shadows be getting done for you?”

“Huh? Does that mean you’ve already decided to take the job?” I asked, bewildered.

“That’s right. Like I said─you’ve got a pretty unique power, and I like that. Working for you sounds like a good time.”

I was still a bit stunned, but I quickly explained the details of the job to Pham. He crossed his arms when I finished and replied, “Hmm… The reason why Perreina isn’t giving in and joining your little alliance, eh…?”

“Can you figure it out?”

“Stupid question. Of course we can. Turning up info like that’s our bread and butter. I’d bet we’ll have an answer for you in no time.”

“You will? Really?”

“Give us a week and you’ll see for yourself.”

That’s even faster than I was expecting. I thought it’d take at least a month!

“I’ll cut you a deal, since this is our first job for you,” said Pham. “One gold for the job with a three silver advance.”

Three silver? That’s cheaper than I was expecting, too!

I had more than enough money on hand to hire him on the spot. I’d been prepared to do some haggling if his price had been outrageous, but it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary after all. I handed over the three silver without hesitation.

“Thanks for the business,” Pham said as the coins clinked into his palm. “Shouldn’t take more than a week, like I said. But for safety’s sake, let’s say the deadline’s two weeks from now. Come back then, at night, and you’ll have your answer.”

With that, our negotiations with Pham and the Shadows came to a close. In the end, it had turned out to be way less of an ordeal than I’d initially expected─I was anticipating a real interrogation. All that was left for us to do was wait and believe in Pham’s skills. And given the results of my appraisal and the quality of his disguise, that second part was going to be very easy.

Licia spoke up as the four of us walked out into the streets: “Well, that certainly proceeded swimmingly! I came along in the hopes that I could be of some use, but it seems I missed my chance.”

She honestly sounded a little disappointed. We’d managed to hire the mercenaries we wanted, though, so I didn’t see any need for her to feel sorry.

I’d better say something to cheer her up, huh?

“Still, I’m glad you came along. Having you with us made the trip far more enjoyable,” I said.

“Huh? I-It did…?” Licia stammered, her cheeks flushing. She glanced away, but only a few seconds later, she looked back again, a brilliant smile on her face. “Well, it just so happens that I feel the same way! I enjoyed this excursion with you, Lord Ars.”

Out of all the smiles I’d seen Licia wear, this was definitely the brightest. It was a pure, authentic smile that looked like it came from the bottom of her heart. I believed it, too─my intuition told me that this one truly wasn’t faked.

Our mission concluded, we returned to stay the night at the castle. The next morning, we set off for Lamberg once more.

○

Two weeks later, as promised, we arrived at the Tremps. This time, though, we made sure to get there after dark.

“Nice of you to show up,” said Pham as we stepped into his office. I’d brought Rietz, Charlotte, and a few other guards with me this time. Rosell ended up staying in Lamberg, though.

“Did you manage to get the information we wanted?” I asked.

“’Course we did,” said Pham. “But you’ll have to pay your tab before you get to hear it.”

I handed over the remaining seven silver coins, which Pham accepted with a smile.

“Thanks for the business.”

“By the way, I’ve been wondering something. You’re not the only member of the Shadows, right?” I asked.

“’Course I’m not. I’m the only one who talks to the clients, though. That’s the boss’s duty.”

In other words, they exist, but we don’t get to meet them. I guess it wouldn’t really make sense to have the whole crew meet all their clients.

“All right,” said Pham. “Let’s get down to business, then. You wanted to know why Perreina won’t jump ship to Couran’s side of the war, yeah? Well, first up, a quick bit of basic searching led us to discover that the Count of Perreina, Rulrook Dolan, owes Vasmarque a great debt.”

“A debt?” I repeated.

“That’s right. See, Vasmarque’s endorsement is what enabled House Dolan to rise all the way to the seat of count, so Rulrook owes the man his success.”

“And that’s why he chose to side with him?”

“That’s part of why, but it’s not that simple. The debt’s heavy, but not heavy enough to make him choose a path that’s all but sure to lead to his house’s downfall.”

“Then he must have some other reason, right?”

“Right. So we dug a little deeper and turned up something real interesting,” said Pham, passing me a rolled-up letter.

“What is…?”

“Just read it.”

I unfurled the letter and began to read, only for my jaw to drop in shock. The letter was a solicitation from Vasmarque addressed to the Count of Perreina, requesting that he enter into an alliance. The letter included a list of the counts who had already pledged their loyalty to Vasmarque, along with their signatures and seals─in other words, all the houses on it were firmly on his side. Among their number were the counts who ruled over the eastern and northern counties, as well as a provisional entry for Perreina itself. None of that was particularly surprising, but there was one extra name on that list that was downright stunning: the County of Maasa, home to the largest city in western Missian.

“Does this really mean…?” I muttered in wonder, glancing over at Rietz, whose eyes were just as wide as mine.

“The County of Maasa has sided with Lord Vasmarque?” Rietz whispered in disbelief.

“That’s right,” said Pham. “And that means that as things stand, Vasmarque holds a hefty advantage. The man probably sent this letter off to the Count of Perreina because he knew that, between that advantage and the debt the count owed him, he would side with him for sure. I mean, with Maasa on Vasmarque’s side, Couran’s campaign’s all but dead in the water. Who’d board a ship that’s already sinking?”

“And this letter is genuine? How did you get it? It can’t have been easy to obtain something this important,” I said. I didn’t have the knowledge or skills to tell whether or not the house seals on the letter were authentic, so I couldn’t say with total certainty that the whole thing was a forgery.

“Trade secret,” said Pham. “We can’t go blabbing about how we get our hands on stuff like that, no matter how much we trust the client. That’s need-to-know information, and if you’re not one of us, you don’t need to know. What I can tell you is that it was without a doubt obtained from Castle Perreina, the residence of the count.”

Ugh, trade secrets? Really? Though I guess even if I did know how he got the letter, that still wouldn’t necessarily prove it’s real. Any number of people could be trying to deceive me in this situation.

On the other hand, if I wasn’t willing to trust Pham’s word, then there hadn’t been any point in hiring him in the first place. Lumeire had surely had his fair share of dealings with the other counts, so I decided to see if he knew more about their seals. He seemed the best bet to determine if the letter’s contents could be trusted.

“My apologies for doubting you,” I said. “I hope you’ll understand that this is just…rather unbelievable news.”

“No skin off my back,” said Pham. “That’s all the info I have for you right now. You know where to find us if you have another job.”

“Right. The information is greatly appreciated. You don’t mind if we take this letter with us, do you?”

“All yours.”

I collected the letter and we made our way out of the bar. It was time to head back to the inn we were staying in and plan our next move.

“This is going to get way out of hand, isn’t it?” I speculated. “Assuming that letter is real, then Lord Couran will be rushing into this war at a major disadvantage. What are we supposed to do now…? Do you think we should deliver the letter to Lord Lumeire right away?”

“Let me think,” said Rietz, who was busy re-reading the document we’d received from Pham.

“Something about this letter feels wrong,” he eventually concluded.

“You don’t trust Pham?”

“No, that isn’t quite what I mean. I fully believe that this letter was stolen from Castle Perreina, but the problem is the Count of Maasa’s signature and seal. I believe they may be forgeries.”

“And that would mean…?”

“In short, it would mean that this letter could be a stratagem on Lord Vasmarque’s part. I believe that he may have forged the Count of Maasa’s signature and seal in order to pressure the Count of Perreina into committing himself to Lord Vasmarque’s cause.”

“Would that really work?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t the Count of Perreina have seen the Count of Maasa’s real signature and seal plenty of times already?”

“Perhaps, but it’s far from impossible to make a forgery convincing enough to pass a cursory inspection,” replied Rietz. “I’ve heard that there are even some forgers who make a living solely by creating seals that are indistinguishable from the real thing.”

“Hmm… What makes you think it’s a forgery, though?”

“The fact that the Count of Perreina was the only one who Lord Vasmarque tried to recruit,” said Rietz. “That strikes me as extremely unnatural.”

“Does it? But the Count of Perreina already owed Lord Vasmarque a favor. Wouldn’t it make sense for Lord Vasmarque to go after Perreina first, since he’d know their count would have the highest odds of being receptive to the offer? Especially considering that if anyone turned the offer down, the fact that an offer was made would almost definitely get leaked.”

“But would that information leak really work to Lord Vasmarque’s disadvantage?” asked Rietz. “I imagine that many of the western counties have allied themselves with Lord Couran in no small part because they believe that the Count of Maasa has taken his side. If he really had chosen to support Lord Vasmarque instead, then going public with that information could easily win over other allies as well. Vasmarque would have nothing to lose from the revelation…and everything to gain.”

“Hmm… That’s a good point, actually. But even if the seal is a forgery, it seems odd that Lord Vasmarque didn’t reach out to the Count of Canarre and try to convince him, too.”

“Perhaps he thought that would be overplaying his hand?” suggested Rietz. “The farther the letter spreads, the more likely that someone will notice it’s a forgery. A single message to the Count of Maasa is all it would take to prove its inauthenticity, after all. As such, it would make sense for Lord Vasmarque to only use this tactic on the one count who owed him a debt and was likely already deeply involved with his affairs.”

“I get it…”

“Perhaps we might learn something if Lord Lumeire takes the letter directly to the Count of Maasa and asks about it…? No, that would prove nothing. After all, if the letter is genuine and the Count of Maasa is involved in some sort of plot, he would have no reason to be upfront about it… In any case, yes, I believe it would be in our best interests to show it to Lord Lumeire immediately.”

“I thought so. In that case, let’s make our way to Castle Canarre on the double!”

Showing up at the castle this late at night was most certainly a breach of etiquette, but considering the urgency of the situation, I figured the count would forgive us. We made our way toward Castle Canarre, which was only a short walk away from where we were staying. There was no gatekeeper stationed outside at this time of night, but there were guards posted on watch around the perimeter of the castle, so we were able to explain the circumstances and get them to let us inside.

Soon after we entered, Menas ran up to us in a fluster.

“Welcome, Lord Ars!” he called out. “Lord Lumeire is eagerly awaiting your news regarding the Count of Perreina!”

It seemed the guards had told him why we’d come.

“I’m sorry to come calling so late at night,” I said.

“No, no, think nothing of it! Even a second’s delay can make a world of difference when news of this magnitude is concerned. Come, come! I’ll lead you to Lord Lumeire at once!”

Considering the fact that we’d shown up unannounced, I was surprised by how readily we were granted an audience with the count.

Maybe we just happened to arrive while he wasn’t busy with anything else?

Menas guided us to Lumeire’s room.

“Well met, Ars,” Lumeire said as we stepped inside.

“Thank you, and my apologies for disturbing you so late at night,” I replied.

“No matter. Frankly, I’ve done no small amount of second-guessing myself as to whether entrusting you with such an important task was a wise decision. I’m very impressed to see you return to me with information in hand so quickly.”

“I’m afraid you might wish to reserve your praise until after you’ve heard his report, M’lord,” noted Menas.

“Y-Yes, of course. There’s no telling what sort of information it is, after all,” Lumeire said, then cleared his throat. “So, let’s hear it. What have you learned?”

“First, I’d like you to read this,” I said, gesturing to Rietz. I’d given the letter to him for safekeeping, so he took it out and passed it to Lumeire.

“A letter…?” muttered Lumeire. He unfurled it and began reading. “A letter of alliance? And a list of counties pledged to Lord Vasmarque’s cause, with accompanying signatures and seals… Hmph, Perreina’s as well… What?! What is the meaning of this?!”

I had a funny feeling that Lumeire had just reached the Count of Maasa’s signature. His jaw dropped and his eyes bulged in shock.

“H-How could this be…? The Count of Maasa, siding with Lord Vasmarque? N-No, that can’t be… The Count of Maasa has always held lord Couran in the highest of esteem, and he’s never been one for deception…”

It seemed that Lumeire was even more shocked by the count’s apparent betrayal than we were. He did know the man personally, after all.

“I-Is this letter genuine?” he asked, turning his gaze back to me.

“It was obtained from the Count of Perreina’s home, so yes, in all likelihood, it is,” I explained. “However, I can’t be certain that the seal and signature of the Count of Maasa are authentic.”

“What do you mean?” asked Lumeire. I quickly explained our suspicions that the letter may have been part of Vasmarque’s scheme to lure the Count of Perreina into an alliance.

“I see. Lord Vasmarque’s always been a crafty one, and I wouldn’t put this sort of scheme past him… However, the signatures and seals upon this document look indistinguishable from the real things, to my eyes,” he said as he slowly and carefully inspected the page.

Lumeire had surely seen nobles’ signatures and seals far more times than any of us, and I wasn’t about to second-guess his judgment. That said, if he was right, then it would mean we’d have no choice but to assume the Count of Maasa was our enemy. I had to wonder what sort of action Lumeire would take if he decided that was the only explanation.

“Ahem,” said Menas, who was standing off to the side and listening in on our conversation. “Might I take a look at that document?”

“Oh, that’s right,” said Lumeire, passing him the letter. “I’d forgotten you have a power that comes in handy at times such as these.”

Menas spent a moment slowly and carefully inspecting the letter, then looked up once more.

“Hmm, yes. I believe that the signature and seal of the Count of Maasa are indeed forgeries.”

“Really?!” I exclaimed.

“Yes, indeed. Wait just a moment,” said Menas, who then stepped out of the room.

“Menas possesses the power to ascertain the authenticity of signatures, seals, and the like,” explained Lumeire as his retainer left.

I had no idea he had that sort of ability!

My Appraisal skill allowed me to see people’s status screens, but it had become increasingly clear that it did not allow me to tell whether or not they had special skills or abilities of their own. I was starting to appreciate that there was always a lot more to a person deep down than what little my power could tell me about them. Part of me was hopeful that my skill would evolve and start giving me that sort of info eventually, but considering the status screens hadn’t changed in the slightest since the day I was born, I figured I should keep my expectations low.

Menas soon returned with a second letter in hand.

“This letter bears the genuine signature and seal of the Count of Maasa,” he explained. “To be on the safe side, I suggest we compare them.”

Menas placed the two letters side by side, lining the relevant sections up. The count’s seal, incidentally, depicted a hexagon with a circle within it, and a five-pointed star within the circle.

“Yes, I thought as much,” mumbled Menas. “The shape of the circle really is slightly askew…and the hexagon is slightly too small.”

Honestly, I couldn’t tell at all, even after he pointed the differences out. I almost thought I could see the discrepancies after staring at the seals for several moments longer, but I suspected I was just fooling myself.

Next, Menas brought out a ruler and started taking careful measurements of the two seals.

“Yes, yes, I knew it! The difference is slight, but it is there. The signatures are quite similar as well, but the count’s genuine article is written in a slightly different hand than the forgery. And a forgery it is─I am now confident beyond a shadow of a doubt. The others are genuine, however, so they have likely all pledged their support to Vasmarque.”

“What’s truly important here is that the Count of Maasa’s are fake. That is a relief,” said Lumeire. I could tell that he really didn’t want to end up in a conflict with the County of Maasa. “I shall report on these matters to the Count of Maasa and Lord Couran. I’m certain that between the three of us, the problem will be settled in no time. You have done exceptionally well, Ars, and I assure you that you will be rewarded accordingly in due time.”

“I am honored by your praise, Lord Lumeire,” I replied.

I felt a little awkward about being complimented over my so-called accomplishment. After all, Pham was the one who’d done all the actual work, and Rietz was the one who’d introduced me to him. Then again, taking credit for your retainers’ accomplishments did strike me as a very feudal-lord sort of thing to do.

We wound up spending the night in the castle, then returned to Lamberg the next day.

○

A few weeks passed before I received word on the plan to bring the Count of Perreina over to our side. A message finally arrived one day, informing me that the plan had succeeded and that I was to report to Castle Canarre. We set off at once, and it wasn’t long before I stood face-to-face with Lumeire once more. This time, however, I ended up attending my audience with the count on my own. Lumeire, Menas, and I were the only ones present.

“Well met, Ars,” said Lumeire. “Once again, allow me to congratulate you: your efforts proved instrumental in our success. Thanks to you, the Count of Perreina has agreed to side with Lord Couran.”

“I am pleased beyond measure that I was able to be of service to you and Lord Couran,” I replied.

“As you should be. I’m not exaggerating─your work really did make all the difference. Come to think of it, I suppose I never told you, but the Count of Perreina can provide us with a certain resource of incredible strategic significance.”

“A resource…? What is it?” I asked.

“Explosive magistones. They’re an incredibly rare form of ore. Perreina is the only source of the stuff in Missian, and it is one of only four in all of Summerforth. Aqua magia refined from explosive magistones allow the user to perform truly incredible, and truly destructive, feats of magic.”

That was certainly the first I’d heard of Perreina having such an incredible resource. For a moment, I thought that having their count on our side could prove incredibly advantageous, but then it occurred to me that Perreina had been committed to Vasmarque’s side for quite a long time before they’d defected. In the worst case, Vasmarque may have already secured himself a considerable supply of magistones.

“Unfortunately, the Count of Perreina has informed us that Lord Vasmarque continues to help himself to the magistone reserves,” sighed Lumeire, immediately confirming my suspicions. “They’ve set up checkpoints along the border and are stopping anyone who attempts to cross with magistones on hand, but it seems the smugglers are one step ahead of Perreina’s border guards, as they continue to deliver a large quantity of magistones into Lord Vasmarque’s clutches. I can’t say with confidence that we have the upper hand in that respect.”

“Still,” continued Lumeire in a brighter tone. “We’re far better off than we were when the Count of Perreina was trapped under Lord Vasmarque’s thumb. The tide is turning in our favor, of that I’m certain! But enough talk─I’m sure you’re anxious to see your reward. Menas!”

“Yes, M’lord!”

Lumeire gave Menas a wave, prompting him to step out of the room, then return moments later with two boxes loaded onto a small cart. The boxes themselves were quite different in size, with one of them quite small and the other notably large.

“You’ll find three hundred gold coins within, altogether,” said Lumeire. “Consider it your reward for a job well done.”

“Th-Three hundred gold coins?”

I had expected him to reward me in gold, yes, but three hundred was far beyond my wildest expectations. I’d been anticipating closer to fifty.

“Indeed,” Lumeire replied with a nod. “Lord Couran contributed his own coin to your reward. I’m ashamed to admit it, but my pockets aren’t particularly deep these days, and his money accounts for the bulk of it. The small box is my contribution─fifty gold coins in total. The remaining two hundred and fifty in the large box are your reward from Lord Couran.”

That explained it. I hadn’t anticipated Couran personally rewarding me as well. It made sense that he had money to spare, though, considering he ruled over Semplar. Two hundred and fifty gold was probably chump change to him.

“My sincerest thanks,” I said as I accepted the boxes. I took the cart as well, though I had a feeling they were going to be a nightmare to transport regardless.

“There’s one more thing I ought to tell you,” continued Lumeire. “Lord Couran wishes to meet you in person.”

“Huh? Wait, seriously?” I replied in shock. I’d helped him out, sure, but there was a world’s worth of difference between Couran’s social standing and my own.

Broadly speaking, the status of a lord was determined by the worth of the land they ruled over. Noble ranks and the status they granted used to be a far more strict affair, supposedly, but in the current day and age, they practically felt like a formality compared to the practical power that a lord wielded.

Semplar, the territory that Couran ruled over, was one of the most affluent regions in all of Missian. Plus, being the son of the late duke gave him no small amount of pull. His influence was overwhelmingly greater than that of a petty lord like me, and it was a shock that he would bother going out of his way to meet with me. It seemed likely that something unusual was playing out behind the scenes.

“Truth be told,” said Lumeire, “I mentioned you in conversation with Lord Couran and he took quite an interest in you. Raven told me about your talent to perceive the talents of others some time ago. Well, really, he boasted to me about how you were the one who recruited Rietz and Charlotte. The moment I mentioned your capabilities to Lord Couran, he told me that he’d be most interested in meeting you.”

So that’s where this is coming from─it’s all about my skill.

I had to admit, Appraisal was an incredibly useful ability to have. It was no surprise that someone in Couran’s position would take an interest in it.

“Plans have been made to throw a party in celebration of Perreina’s recruitment,” Lumeire continued. “Perreina spent long enough sworn to the other side’s service that there’s still some lingering doubt among our allies regarding their allegiance, and the idea is that a social gathering will help dispel that skepticism. Serious stuff, I assure you. In any case, I want you to attend that party as well. This isn’t an order, and you’re welcome to refuse…but I trust you’d never even consider that an option, would you?”

“I certainly wouldn’t,” I replied immediately. “I would be honored to attend.”

I’d been wanting to appraise Couran for quite a long time, so a party seemed like the perfect chance to not only see him, but also all the other nobles he’d forged alliances with. Knowing how capable the people on my side were could prove invaluable in the long run, so I couldn’t let a chance that good slip past me.

“Excellent,” said Lumeire. “I’ll inform Lord Couran at once. And again, Ars, what you’ve done for us is truly commendable. I expect great things from you.”

“Thank you, Lord Lumeire. I intend to do my utmost to support Lord Couran.”

We left the castle soon after, reward money in tow.

“All right!” I said. “Back to Lamberg, then?”

“Just a moment, please,” said Rietz.

“What is it?”

“About the Shadows─we wound up hiring them to dig into the Perreina situation for us, yes, but have you forgotten our initial goal? Weren’t we going to ask them to supply us with information on the overall state of Missian?”

A long, awkward silence followed.

“Oh. Right.”

I really had completely forgotten. Getting information on the Count of Perreina was never our primary goal in the first place! Our initial plan was to make contact with the Shadows; Perreina was just an afterthought!

“Good point, yeah. And now that you mention it, we do have plenty of funds on hand! How about we make our way to the Tremps and commission some spies?”

“I think that would be an excellent idea,” said Rietz.

That said, what am I actually going to ask them to, well, do?

I could definitely get information on our allies from Lumeire, and I’d be able to look into their stats at the party I’d just been invited to, so asking about them seemed like a waste. Information on our enemies, on the other hand, would obviously prove useful, and the best place to dig up info on them was their base of operations: Arcantez.

The security at Castle Arcantez would be tight, of course, and infiltrating it for the sake of gathering information might be a challenge, even for the Shadows. That said, they wouldn’t necessarily have to get into the castle itself to find useful information. Simply gathering intel in the castle town could potentially prove incredibly helpful. As for how long we’d commission them for, I figured I’d set the contract to last as long as the war lasted.

“I’m thinking we should ask them to go to Arcantez and keep gathering as much useful information as they can manage until the war ends,” I said, summing up my thought process to Rietz.

“Yes, that sounds prudent to me,” said Rietz. “I should note, however, that setting the duration of the contract to the duration of the war means we’ll likely be charged a very hefty sum.”

“Fortunately for us, we just received a very hefty sum as a reward,” I replied.

With a solid plan in mind, we headed off to the Shadows’ bar.

“About the mission,” said Charlotte as we arrived at our destination. “Why not just hire them to kill ‘Vasmarque’ or whatever his name is and be done with it?”

I did a double-take.

That certainly came out of nowhere!

“I, uh, think assassination might be a little out of the question,” I replied. “I’m sure his security’s as airtight as it gets. I guess it would bring the war to an end right away, though…”

“I recommend against it,” said Rietz. “An assassination of that magnitude is the sort of decision you shouldn’t be making. We have no idea what Lord Couran intends to do with his brother when the war is over, after all. Enemies or not, they are siblings, and he may plan to imprison Lord Vasmarque rather than kill him. I don’t believe we should take such a drastic step unless Lord Couran specifically requests that we do so.”

“Oh, come on,” moaned Charlotte. “I thought that if you beat the enemy general, you could win the war in one fell swoop! That’s what they told me, anyway.”

If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say my father was the one who put that particular idea in her head. I guess it’s not exactly wrong. Definitely too drastic of a measure for the current circumstances, though.

The three of us walked into the bar. Night had already fallen, so Pham was nowhere to be found on the first floor. We explained to Alex that we were here to hire the Shadows, and a short while later, he led us up to Pham’s office.

“Didn’t expect to see you again so soon, Ars Louvent,” said Pham with a subtle grin as we walked through the door. I quickly explained the details of our request, trying not to let his shockingly girly looks distract me.

“‘Useful information,’ eh? Anything more specific you’d want out of us?” he asked when I finished.

“Let’s see… Information on the size of our enemy’s forces, their tactics, their overall strategy, the strengths and weaknesses of their nobles, information that could give us a diplomatic edge─really, I’d want you to report anything and everything you come across and believe could be significant.”

“Arcantez… That city’s a real pain in the ass to work out of. You should know that this is gonna cost you, and if you wanna keep us working for you until the war’s over, we’re talking a span of years, potentially. What do you say to five gold a month?”

“Making it sixty gold a year? I can pay that,” I replied immediately. His offer wasn’t far off from the price I’d anticipated, so I didn’t bother haggling.

“Not quite done yet, though,” added Pham. “I’ll be asking for a bit extra on top of that for any particularly important info we dig up.”

“A bonus, huh? How will we determine your specific payment for those?”

“We’ll just have to talk it out when the time comes.”

“I see. No objections there.”

“All right, then─consider it a done deal,” said Pham. “I’ll take the first month’s payment upfront, then I’ll send a subordinate of mine to report to you on a monthly basis. He’ll stop by here every month with a letter from me, collecting our payment for the next month in exchange.”

“Understood. But if that’s how we’re doing this, I’d like to meet this subordinate of yours ahead of time,” I replied.

“Fair enough,” said Pham with a shrug. “In that case, come back tomorrow.”

“I’ll do just that,” I replied, then gave him his five gold. And with that, our negotiations came to an end.

We left the Tremps, stayed overnight at an inn, and went right back to the bar again the next night to meet Pham’s subordinate.

“My name is Ben, and it’s nice to meet you,” said a man who I could only describe as the most unremarkable individual I’d ever met. His face had no noteworthy or particularly distinguishing features. His voice was utterly unmemorable. In fact, I had a feeling that I’d forget what he’d looked like by the next day, let alone the next month.

Well, if I can’t remember his face, I’ll just have to remember his stat block!

Thus, I gave Ben a quick appraisal.

His status screen turned out to be full of surprises. I’d more or less expected Ben to be a pseudonym, but I hadn’t expected his real name to be such a mouthful, to start. That would make life easier for me. Even if I forgot his face entirely, a single appraisal would let me know it was him in an instant.

Equally surprising, though, were his stats. His Leadership cap was incredibly high─high enough that he probably could’ve become a general if he’d applied himself to the task. I knew this wasn’t the time to go headhunting, but under any other circumstance, I definitely would’ve taken a shot at recruiting him to be one of my retainers.

Then again, if good stats were all I was looking for, I would’ve tried to recruit Pham to be one of my retainers as well. That thought raised a question in my mind: did mercenaries ever become retainers of a noble household in this world? I imagined it was possible, at least, and if having the Shadows formally enter my employ was an option, I’d definitely want to pursue it.

Maybe if I keep climbing the social ladder, it’ll end up being a possibility someday.

I introduced myself to “Ben” and then, as that left us with nothing else in particular to discuss with him or Pham, we took our leave shortly thereafter.

○

A few days had passed since I received Lumeire’s reward. It was the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, at the height of summer.

Lamberg’s climate was pleasant enough in the winter, but summers were almost unbearably hot. This world lacked air conditioning, too, so I spent each and every day wishing that fall would hurry up and arrive already.

“Lord Ars?” said one of my estate’s caretakers. “A letter from Lord Lumeire has arrived for you.”

That didn’t come as a surprise. I’d been anticipating correspondence from Lumeire, and I had a pretty good guess as to what it was: an invitation to the party he’d mentioned the last time we spoke. Sure enough, I opened the letter to find it was precisely that. The party was scheduled to take place on the thirtieth of that same month, and it would spill over into the first of the month after. The new year was celebrated in this world, and the party had been deliberately timed to commemorate the occasion. That, more than likely, meant that I could look forward to a rather lavish affair.

The party would be held at Castle Perreina, and the invitation specified that I would not be allowed to bring guests. I wasn’t offended, considering that under normal circumstances, I myself probably wouldn’t have been of high enough status to get invited. And besides, even if they couldn’t attend the party, Rietz and the others would most definitely be coming to Perreina as my escorts. I would’ve liked to ring in the new year with them, if possible, but sadly, we’d have to put a rain check on that this year.

The journey to Perreina would take about three days on horseback. I decided to give us five, just to be on the safe side, so we departed for Perreina on the morning of the twenty-fifth. This time, I was riding a horse that I’d claimed as my own. It had a red coat, was on the smaller side, and was very well-behaved and easy to handle.

Unfortunately, horseback riding was also far more tiring than I’d expected it to be, and it was, again, the height of summer. I’d never ridden a horse for days on end before, either, so by the time we reached Perreina, I was a haggard mess. We arrived on the twenty-ninth, slightly later than I’d initially anticipated.

Perreina was another walled city, much like Canarre, though slightly larger. Also, like Canarre, it featured a sprawling exterior city that rested outside the curtain walls. We quickly found an inn and bedded down for a long rest. If we’d arrived just one day later, I would’ve ended up attending the party in a state of exhaustion. But thankfully, leaving early had bought me a full day to rest up and recuperate.

That day passed by rather quickly, though, and before I knew it, the evening of the thirtieth had arrived. It was time for the party, so Rietz and the others escorted me to the castle’s front gate.

“I’ll be off, then!” I said with a wave.

“Best of luck,” said Rietz, who looked more than a little anxious about me going off on my own. Unfortunately, I was the only one who’d been invited, so bringing him along wasn’t an option.

I wasn’t too concerned, personally. After all, a party that Couran was scheduled to attend would certainly be heavily guarded. I’d already noticed an unusual number of guards by the gate, in fact, so I seriously doubted I had to worry about being attacked partway through the festivities. Frankly, I was more worried about committing some sort of horrible faux pas myself!

I set off into the castle, leaving Rietz and the others behind. I was stopped by the gatekeeper, but I’d been sent a formal letter of invitation this time around, so I was able to show it to him and get admitted right away.

Castle Perreina appeared just as ancient as Castle Canarre, though maybe just a little bigger. As I passed through the gate and neared the keep proper, I heard the sound of a commotion coming from within.

Oh, no─I’m not late, am I?

I hurried off toward the entrance. When I got inside, I found the main hall packed with nobles, all seated and chattering away with each other. I was, however, relieved to see that nobody was bringing in food yet. In other words, the party had yet to begin in earnest.

A few of the other guests cast skeptical glances my way as I walked past them. I could tell they were thinking something to the tune of, “What’s this brat doing in here?” I was fairly certain that most of them were high-ranking nobles, too, so their attention was making me quite uncomfortable.

“Oh, Ars! You made it!” cried out a familiar voice. I turned to look in the direction it had come from and found Lumeire making his way over to me.

“This place must be full of new faces to you, so let me give you a quick introduction. First, do you see the small-statured man sitting over there? That’s Rulrook Dolan, the Count of Perreina,” Lumeire said, pointing at a middle-aged man with a small build and white hair.

I gave Rulrook a quick appraisal. For being so small and slight of build, his Valor was remarkably high. His Politics was up there as well, though his Intelligence was nothing to write home about. I could definitely tell that he was an upstart noble, just like my father had been. He struck me as a fairly capable man, all around, and I could tell that having him on our side would prove beneficial, even setting aside the resources he could provide.

Lumeire proceeded down the line, naming all of the influential nobles one after another. Almost all of them had stats that were notably higher than the average person’s. I suppose I should have expected as much from a gathering of counts, really. There were one or two that certainly didn’t impress me, though, and I was also a little concerned to find that nobody’s stats stood out to me as truly exceptional.

“Has Lord Couran not arrived yet?” I asked.

“He’s around, but he seems to be out of the hall at the moment,” said Lumeire. “He’ll be here to give a speech when the party officially commences, I’m sure.”

Sounds like that speech will be the perfect opportunity to appraise him.

I was excited to learn what sort of person the late duke’s son was.

After finishing his explanation, Lumeire returned to his seat, and I sat down to his right. His wife, incidentally, was sitting on his left side. It seemed that many of the prominent nobles at the party had brought along their spouses, children, and siblings.

There were still plenty of people I hadn’t appraised yet, but just as I was getting started on that, I heard what sounded like the crashing of cymbals. The nobles’ chatter quickly ceased, and everyone stood up. I followed their example, and Lumeire leaned down to whisper, “Here he comes!” into my ear.

The silence was so absolute that I heard the tapping of his approaching footsteps long before I saw him. Finally, the door at the very end of the great hall swung open and a blond-haired man stepped through it. The moment he entered the hall, every noble present bowed in unison, with me frantically imitating the gesture a second later. That had to be Couran, surely, but I was too flustered to confirm it in the moment.

“Rise,” said the man in a deep, dignified voice that carried an unmistakable air of gravitas. I raised my head and took another look at him. His outfit was truly extravagant, and he stood before the hall of nobles with an imposing presence that made it feel like he owned the place and them. I estimated that he was in his early forties; and his face was peppered with scars. Noble-born though he may have been, it was clear at a glance that he’d been through more than his fair share of battles.

He was Couran─he had to be, so I appraised him on the spot.

To be honest, his stats were jaw-dropping. They were far beyond what I’d imagined, and I had already been expecting a lot from him. The persistent rumor was that his younger brother, Vasmarque, was favored by the late duke because he was far more talented than his older sibling. If that was true, and these were Couran’s stats, I couldn’t even guess what Vasmarque’s stat block looked like.

Then again, it was always possible that the duke just hadn’t had an eye for talent. Plus, parents tended to have skewed perspectives on their children’s abilities.

“I thank you all for coming here today,” said Couran, kicking off his speech. “On this evening, we close the curtain on the two hundred and tenth year since the Summerforth Empire’s founding. Tomorrow, we shall witness the dawn of a new year. Unending strife and bloodshed await us. Our empire is not what it once was, and I do not believe it will ever return to its former glory.”

Couran paused for a moment, then continued, “Once, the great men of House Salemakhia ruled over this land of Missian as kings, not subservient proxies to some far-flung greater power. I intend to win the battle that looms before us and take back what is mine by right. I shall then unite these lands under my banner, secede from the empire, and re-establish the Kingdom of Missian!”

He wants to bring back the Kingdom of Missian? Is that what he’s been after this whole time? I guess it’s not too surprising, considering the state of the empire.

“I believe that my brother, Vasmarque, intends to do the exact same thing,” Couran went on. “However, Vasmarque is a craven fiend! A man such as he is unworthy of the kingdom he seeks to establish! We will triumph, my brothers in arms, and our first battle has already been won! We have seen through Vasmarque’s schemes and put an end to them before they could play out!”

Couran went on to explain the details of Vasmarque’s plot to deceive Rulrook, the Count of Perreina, into thinking that Maasa had betrayed Couran’s cause. He took care not to rebuke Rulrook for siding with the enemy, and even framed the speech as praise, congratulating him for his choice to join the winning side. Rulrook stepped to the front at that point to offer his own speech, apologizing for his support of Vasmarque and swearing to spare no efforts in supporting Couran’s cause.

“I, however, was not the one to see through Vasmarque’s cowardly scheme,” Couran continued once Rulrook was finished. “That honor belongs to the youngest of us─a man with talent far beyond his years. Step forward, Ars Louvent and Lumeire Pyres.”

For a moment, I was too stunned to react. I had not expected my name to come up like that! Lumeire whispered, “Let’s go” into my ear as he stood, helping me shake off my panic and stand up along with him.

Why are we going up to the front? Am I supposed to give a speech?! Nobody said anything about a speech!

My one saving grace was that Lumeire had been called up with me. Hopefully, he’d be able to save my skin. It wasn’t that I was afraid of public speaking─I actually had quite a bit of experience with it, in fact─but speaking in front of a crowd of nobles who were all my superiors on the social ladder was a completely different question! I was afraid I’d be too tongue-tied to spit a single word out!

Despite the terror I felt, I managed to walk up to the front of the hall and stand next to Couran. Seeing him up close only reinforced the air of majesty that he projected. This was our first meeting, in any case, so I decided to err on the side of formality and bowed.

“It is an honor to meet you in person,” I said. “Ars Louvent, at your service.”

“Yes, I suppose this is the first time we’ve met. I am Couran Salemakhia,” said Couran with a smile. He then turned his gaze back to the crowd. “As you can see, Ars is still but a child. Nevertheless, he has done an exemplary job serving as the lord of a territory in Canarre known as Lamberg. He is the one who saw through Vasmarque’s treachery.”

A round of applause ensued, at Couran’s prompting. He then went on to praise me to the high heavens without ever actually offering any specifics as to how I discovered the nature of Vasmarque’s scheme.

Maybe hiring mercenaries to get a job like that done isn’t considered the most honorable approach among the high-ranking nobles?

Soon after, Couran’s focus shifted to Lumeire, who he praised just as lavishly for choosing me for the task. He asked Lumeire if he had anything to say, and Lumeire happily obliged with a bland but inoffensive, “I pledge to do everything in my power to support your cause, Lord Couran.” He got a round of applause for it, so apparently, it went over well.

It seemed my ordeal was finally over, and I was just about to return to my seat when Couran surreptitiously passed me a letter.

“No need to come if you’d prefer not to,” he whispered in my ear. “But personally, I’d be quite pleased if you did.”

To come to what, exactly? Is this letter another invitation?

I was immediately worried. When a man who was several steps your superior on the social ladder said, “No need to come,” your presence was absolutely mandated. The fact that he handed it to me on the sly meant it probably wasn’t something he’d want others seeing, so I stowed the letter in my breast pocket for the moment. I’d make a trip to the toilets or go outside for a breath of fresh air to read it privately later.

The party carried on, and it wasn’t long before food was brought out for us. It was all delicious─no surprise, considering Couran was in attendance. It was either the best or second-best meal I’d had since my reincarnation, most likely.

A performance was scheduled after dinner. I found a program affixed to one of the walls and discovered that said performance was scheduled to drag on for a very long time. It seemed they planned to keep going until the stroke of midnight. I excused myself before the entertainment got started, made my way to the restrooms, and found a private corner in which to read the letter.

When the magical dancers scheduled for the third act conclude their performance, I would like you to excuse yourself from the party and come see me. I have something to ask you, as well as something to ask of you, the letter read.

Instantly, my worries compounded. Turning a request from a lord of his standing down would be hard, no matter how unreasonable it might be. I’d have no choice but to do whatever he asked. I brooded over my options as I stowed the letter and returned to the party.

I arrived back in the hall just in time to catch the performance’s opening act. I sat through the first two of them, after which the magical dance troupe Couran had mentioned in his letter took to the stage. They cast and combined magic of all types and aspects, and frankly, it made for quite the spectacle.

Couran led the audience in a round of applause after the performance finished, then excused himself to visit the restroom. That was my cue to slip out as well, and the moment I did, I found Couran waiting for me just outside.

“I’m glad to see my offer caught your interest.”

“I wouldn’t even dream of refusing,” I replied.

“Well then, follow me.”

Couran led me out of the keep, then all the way outside the castle walls. A tall, slender man was waiting for us there.

“This man’s name is Robinson Renjee, and he is my most trusted retainer,” said Couran.

“Robinson Renjee, at your service,” the man said with a rather flamboyant bow. I quickly returned his greeting, then appraised him. His Leadership and Valor were both unremarkable, but he had an Intelligence of 88 and a Politics score of 91. It seemed Couran’s trust in him had been well-earned.

The three of us set off down the city streets.

Where in the world are we going? And why do we have to walk this far in the first place? Didn’t he just want to ask me for a favor?

“We’re almost there,” said Couran. “You’ll have to forgive me for being so circuitous. I wish to ask a favor of you that I’d rather not let your fellow lords overhear.”

The bad feeling I had about the situation only deepened. What sort of favor would he not want the other lords to hear? Was I about to get taken advantage of by a pedo?! I’d have no hope of fighting back if things went in that direction! I’d just have to go limp and take it! The more I thought about the situation, the more anxious I became.

“We’ve arrived,” Couran finally said as he stepped in front of a small, unremarkable-looking store. It struck me as old, unfashionable, and definitely not the sort of place you’d expect the son of a duke to frequent. We walked inside…only to find that there were no other customers at all, and for that matter, not even a storekeeper.

“A gold coin bought us the run of the place for the evening,” Couran explained as he plopped down onto a nearby chair. “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

I took a seat on a chair that faced him.

“Now then,” said Couran. “I am about to subject you to a simple test.”

A test? What’s he talking about?

“Lumeire told me that you have the power to perceive people’s strengths and talents. He told me you saw through to the hidden genius that lurked within a Malkan boy and a slave girl. I have a favor to ask that could only be granted by someone with a power like yours, but before I say anything more, I would like to verify that your power is real.”

I get it now─this is all about my Appraisal skill!

I was relieved to conclude that he wasn’t going to do anything untoward after all. I was also confused about why he’d bothered calling me all the way out here, in that case, but the relief was still winning out.

“All right,” I replied. “But how exactly would you like me to prove it?”

“A sound question. First, I would like to hear about your power in more detail. Once I know more, I can decide how I’d like to go about testing it.”

I quickly explained how my Appraisal skill worked to Couran.

“Leadership, Valor, Intelligence, and Politics, along with their aptitudes for a variety of roles,” he muttered when I finished. “I see. Frankly, that’s even more than I had hoped for, and it makes testing your power quite simple. I would like you to appraise both me and Robinson, and tell me the results. I know Robinson’s strengths better than anyone else, and needless to say, I’m quite acquainted with my own as well. If your information proves accurate for both of us, I will choose to believe your story. Be honest with me─if your power tells you that I have a weakness, then do not hold back for politeness’s sake.”

It really was a simple test. That was no trouble for me at all. I figured that the numerical scores my skill gave me would only serve to confuse him, so I chose to summarize what they meant about their capabilities in more ordinary language instead.

“I see… I am convinced. You do indeed possess the power you claimed,” said Couran with a nod when I finished speaking. “Now then, let’s move to the real matter at hand.”

“A-All right,” I replied nervously.

“No need to be so guarded! I suppose seeking out such an excess of privacy made you nervous. I promise you that I won’t be asking anything dreadful of you, so you can rest easy,” said Couran. Apparently, I’d been doing a poor job of hiding my state of mind.

“You inspected the capabilities of your fellow nobles at the party earlier, didn’t you?” he asked.

I’d been expecting a request at that point, not a question, so it took me a second to collect myself and answer him.

“Yes, I did,” I eventually replied. I had no idea what he was getting at, so I figured I’d be better off being honest.

“Tell me, what did you make of them?”

“I…well…let’s see… I thought they were an impressive group of individuals.”

“Did you really? Nothing about them struck you as lacking?”

“Lacking?”

If I were to answer that question honestly, I’d have to admit that, yes, I had been rather underwhelmed. I hadn’t been lying about them being impressive, but none of them other than Couran himself had been exceptional. I’d been expecting to see some real talent gathered up there, and to be completely frank, I was a little disappointed.

When I stopped to consider why that might have been, though, it struck me that most nobles had their titles handed down to them. It wasn’t all that common for an upstart to claw his way up the ranks and obtain a noble title, so really, it wasn’t too surprising at all that most of them were essentially ordinary people. In any case, I decided to reply honestly, and told him that I had indeed had a thought or two along those lines.

“I’d expect no less,” said Couran with a nod. “And I do not deny it. Few of my allies are incompetent, but fewer still truly excel. That applies not only to the counts, but also to the vassals who serve them─very few have made names for themselves. Even amongst my own direct subordinates, only Robinson here has proven himself truly worthy of praise.”

Couran clearly had an eye for talent as well, though nothing quite as easy or precise as what my skill provided me with. Finally, his decision to have the conversation away from prying eyes was starting to make sense. I couldn’t imagine any noble would be pleased to hear their lord describe them as unremarkable.

“The greatest thorn in my side is rather evident,” Couran continued. “I speak of the lack of anyone suited to serve as my tactician, of course. I believe myself to be more clever than the average person, and Robinson’s intellect is readily apparent, but neither of us has the experience required to fill the role. Vasmarque, on the other hand, has a man on his side named Remus. Not only was he my father’s closest advisor, but he’s also the pillar that has kept Missian stable for decades.”

Couran paused there, then sighed before admitting, “Vasmarque himself is remarkably intelligent as well. I’ve never once surpassed him academically. Worse still, his right-hand man, Thomas, is just as much of a prodigy as he is. And that’s not even mentioning her… Oh, but I suppose she was exiled? In any case, as I’m sure you’ve surmised, Vasmarque holds the upper hand in terms of his advisors’ wisdom by a substantial margin. Our forces are roughly equal in terms of strength, which means that whoever has the more capable subordinates will surely come out on top.”

“You mean to say that, as things stand, you’re going to lose?” I asked.

Couran nodded gravely and replied, “That brings me to my request. I have heard that your power has enabled you to recruit a host of truly talented retainers into your service. Do you know of anyone you would endorse to become my personal tactician?”

“Anyone I can endorse? I’m not sure,” I carefully answered. Anyone I chose to name here would go on to serve under Couran─in other words, I’d be giving them up to him. I wasn’t about to just hand over my people that easily.

“Of course, I appreciate that you wouldn’t want your own prodigies stolen away from you,” Couran clarified. “Instead, I have a proposal: I would like you to participate in my next council of war.”

“Your council? You want me to be there?”

“I do. Ordinarily, only the most influential of nobles would be permitted at such a conference, but I would like you to attend…and to bring someone with tactical expertise along with you.”

“Are, umm…? Are you sure someone as inexperienced as me should be present at a council like that?” I asked.

Couran shrugged and replied, “I’m sure some of those present will be unamused, but talking them down will be my responsibility. Moreover, whether or not a proposal is accepted at a council of war hinges upon whether the proposal has merit─not upon who made it. If you have a useful perspective to contribute, then my people will accept you. As I said before, while none of them truly excel, none are outright inept, either. They can tell the difference between a good suggestion and a bad one.”

“There’s just one other thing I’m somewhat concerned about,” I said. “If I were to attend, it’s possible that I may wind up bringing a Malkan along with me. Do you believe that would pose a problem?”

If I were to accept his proposal, I planned to bring Rietz and Rosell. That said, Rietz was a Malkan, which meant he was likely to be the subject of prejudice even at the council itself. I wasn’t convinced the lords there would listen to him at all.

“I see,” said Couran. “So that Malkan of yours is one of the ones you believe could make a decent tactician, eh? You’re right to be concerned, in a sense. I imagine that some of my subordinates would look upon him with scorn. That said, as I stated a moment ago, what he says would carry far more weight than who he is. If he puts forward an unmistakably sound proposal, then I don’t imagine any would oppose him, and even if they did, they would be quickly overruled by the majority. In the worst case, I can always silence them myself.”

“That’s good to hear,” I replied. Inwardly, though, I was still shocked.

Me? At a council of war? Is Couran seriously desperate enough to turn to a literal child for this sort of help?

Like Pham had said, I had no interest in boarding a sinking ship, and I was less than convinced that my help would be enough to turn the tide of war in his favor. Rietz and Rosell both had astonishingly high Intelligence scores, yes, and Rietz would surely be suited for the task, but Rosell was a lot less of a certain factor. After all, he was just a kid.

Worse still, his Intelligence score had plateaued recently. It had only gone up by one point over the past year, bringing it to a current score of 90. He studied tirelessly day after day, and he seemed to be getting smarter, but my Appraisal told a different story.

I was beginning to understand that “Intelligence,” as far as my skill was concerned, was determined exclusively by one’s ability to come up with the sort of plans that would prove helpful in a battle. Rosell, meanwhile, had literally no practical battlefield experience, so it was no wonder his Intelligence wasn’t improving. That meant thrusting him into a real-life council of war out of nowhere would probably end very poorly.

That left me with only Rietz to my name. Would he be able to carry Couran to victory on his own? Couran had named three notable tacticians who were supporting his brother, and when it came down to it, Rietz was more of an all-rounder than a specialized tactician. It seemed very likely he’d find himself at a disadvantage compared to them.

The one major counterpoint, of course, was that however much I talked about not boarding sinking ships, I was more or less already aboard this one, so jumping off could prove dangerous in its own right. Did I even have it in me to betray Couran? Would Lumeire be able to do something in his capacity as count if I convinced him we were doomed? Would it even be possible for me to join up with Vasmarque on my own if things got really bad?

I guess I’d have to get in contact with his chief retainers through some sort of back channel. But even just getting him to accept a secret message from a no-name noble on the other side would probably be hard!

“I appreciate that my offer has given you a lot to think about, Ars,” said Couran. It was like he’d seen right through me…and like he knew that I was seriously considering the merits of betraying him. “I would not dream of making an offer such as this without a corresponding promise of compensation. Assuming you bring me the tactician I need, and assuming said tactician leads me to victory over Vasmarque, I shall grant you the title of Count of Canarre.”

“Huh?”

My jaw dropped.

Me? The count?!

“Is that even a possibility?” I asked. “What about Lord Lumeire?”

“He would be made count of a larger county. I must confess that Canarre’s proximity to the border makes it somewhat less than desirable in the eyes of the nobility. House Pyres has ruled over the county for five generations, and I imagine the current count views the region with no small amount of fondness, but if granted a more desirable title and territory in exchange, I trust he will not be discontent.”

I could become a count if the war goes well… I could become the sort of lord who lives in an honest-to-goodness castle…?

Lamberg was a pleasant enough territory, to be sure, but it had its limits, and those limits were absolute. If I remained in my current station, then I would always live with the looming threat of a more powerful lord deciding to snuff me out on impulse. I would never escape my status as small-time nobility.

Becoming the Count of Canarre would mean moving several steps up the social ladder, all at once. There was a degree of risk that we would lose the war, certainly, but making contact with Vasmarque and stabbing Couran in the back was also a gamble.

Thus, I made my choice.

“Understood. I accept your offer.”