Chapter 80
Cats are territorial animals.
As such, they get stressed even by small changes in their territory.
So to take such a cat… to a strange place far from its territory? And not just any strange place, but to the busiest and most complex city in the empire?
And on top of that, the purpose of going there is to meet Volker, his enemy.
Just thinking about the immense stress the cat would experience made Ruan feel stressed as well.
Moreover,
Ruan recalled the Grand Duke’s recent demeanor, which had been consistently at rock bottom.
The Grand Duke was already in a situation where he had experienced a great deal of stress from the monster wave. Cats are animals vulnerable to stress. If he received any more stress from this, the cat might fall ill.
‘But if we refuse to go to the capital, we don’t know what that con artist might do… What should we do?’
Feeling a headache coming on, Ruan closed his eyes tightly and then opened them.
But he couldn’t dwell on this problem for long.
Because Marquis Elenroth had requested him as a guide.
Ruan’s gaze turned to the Marquis, who was showing off the gifts supposedly sent by the Emperor. With a softer accent than the people of Reinke, the Marquis was busy talking about the Emperor’s intention to commend Reinke’s hard work and sacrifices.
If he really thought that, he wouldn’t have done such things to Reinke… But true to his reputation as a famous scholar, Marquis Elenroth was quite eloquent, and therefore his nonsense sounded quite plausible.
Ruan watched this scene and inwardly clicked his tongue.
‘While there are scholars who study to prevent hatred from becoming normalized, there are also scholars who use their learning to gild the faces of evil rulers and justify their actions.’
These intelligent gentlemen who should know better than anyone what they’re doing.
Moreover, Marquis Elenroth was a man who claimed that ‘academic perfection’ was the goal of his life. Yet for the sake of achieving this ultimate goal, he was using his academic achievements to package words that even he knew were nonsense to make them sound plausible.
It made Ruan wonder how such a person could be called the empire’s top intellectual.
‘So now the problem is… that I have to deal with this eloquent speaker?’
The fact that he specifically chose Ruan as his companion meant one of three things: either to extract information about the Grand Duke from him as the Grand Duke’s closest aide, or to probe him about the monster product business he was in charge of, or both.
Nevertheless, accepting him readily was a way to control the information being leaked while reversing the situation to extract information.
While a person’s basic nature might not change, situations can change a lot. The more information available to base choices on, the better, regardless of what choice was made.
But with such an eloquent opponent…
‘If I’m not very careful, I might end up being completely drained of information rather than extracting any.’
While Ruan was thinking ahead about the questions and answers he would exchange with the Marquis, the Marquis, seemingly satisfied with his own talk, turned towards Ruan.
“This is my first visit to Reinke, but it’s quite a nice place. Despite the cold weather and constant threat of monsters, everyone looks cheerful and seems very kind. I suppose that speaks to the stability of His Grace the Grand Duke’s rule?”
It was extremely unpleasant to hear such words from someone who had simply stood by when Volker brought chaos bordering on destruction to Reinke…
But there was nothing to gain from showing that he knew about Volker’s machinations here. So Ruan just put on the face of a friendly aide and smiled.
“Yes. His Grace is a ruler who provides stability and trust to the people of the domain just by his existence. As you said, the environment is harsh, and there was a major incident a few years ago… But because His Grace is here, everyone can live each day faithfully, spending time on their respect and belief in him rather than being afraid.”
After praising the Grand Duke, Ruan subtly steered the conversation in the direction he wanted.
“However, this year, with the monster wave over and at this crucial time when we should be preparing for the new year ahead, His Grace will have to be away… Everyone’s hearts must be heavy.”
Towards the topic of the Grand Duke’s journey to the capital. Putting on a wistful expression as if he was truly worried sick, Ruan ‘composed himself’ and said,
“But His Grace is not only our respected lord but also His Majesty’s loyal vassal. It’s only natural that His Majesty would summon him.”
Finishing his speech as if he were a young man who excessively admired the Grand Duke as the only great person he knew living his whole life in the northern frontier, Ruan looked at the Marquis as he began to speak.
“His Majesty has only met his most valiant and devoted vassal once long ago, so of course he’s curious. Moreover, I hear that His Grace has put effort into building systems that can cope even if people change or unexpected events occur? Then now that the monster wave is over, wouldn’t the domain run well even if His Grace is away?”
Hearing the Marquis’s words, Ruan initially thought that the main purpose of summoning the Grand Duke was indeed to show off the ‘most valiant and devoted vassal’ and to see him in person, but then he suddenly realized something odd.
‘He’s been constantly steering the conversation towards the Grand Duke, especially towards the Grand Duke’s abilities?’
This meant that just as Ruan’s most pressing concern was Volker’s ulterior motive for summoning the Grand Duke to the capital, what the Marquis was trying to find out from Ruan was information about the Grand Duke’s abilities.
Being more curious about the Grand Duke’s abilities than his ambitions.
Wasn’t Volker wary of the Grand Duke seeking power and encroaching on his own, or of him joining hands with Louise?
Although he had doubts for a moment, it was too early to jump to conclusions.
‘There’s also the possibility that this could lead to whether the Grand Duke is thinking of exerting influence outwardly since Reinke has stabilized due to his abilities.’
Ruan answered with the face of a young man who believed his superior and lord to be the most respectable and great person in the world.
“It’s true that the system His Grace has built is amazing… But the presence or absence of His Grace, who is a spiritual pillar and values caring for the domain and its people above all else, has a different meaning.”
Following the appeal that ‘our Grand Duke is an amazing person,’ it was an appeal that ‘he’s a person who only cares about the domain.’
Ruan waited with a smiling face to see which part of his statement the Marquis would react to.
Instead of immediately responding to Ruan’s words, the Marquis stared at him for a moment.
When Ruan maintained his smile despite this, the Marquis spoke.
“I had heard that you were exceptionally capable, but I didn’t know your loyalty was this outstanding as well.”
‘He realized that I’m probing him for the Grand Duke’s sake.’
But there was no need to explicitly acknowledge that.
Ruan pretended not to understand the implied meaning of the Marquis’s words and replied,
“I’m honored by Your Excellency’s praise.”
Looking at Ruan like this, the Marquis continued speaking as he started walking again.
“Not all rulers who receive loyalty from exceptional individuals are great, but one of the requirements of a great ruler is to receive loyalty from exceptional individuals.”
Once again, talk about the Grand Duke’s abilities.
Considering that the Marquis had understood Ruan’s intentions, this was as good as an answer, though not in the form of one.
That he was indeed interested in the Grand Duke’s abilities.
‘To show interest in the Grand Duke’s abilities above all else.’
This meant that this wasn’t Volker’s intention, who would be much more interested in the Grand Duke’s ambitions even if he was interested in his abilities.
The Marquis was now conversing with Ruan according to his own personal interests, not Volker’s intentions.
Ruan’s gaze turned to the Marquis’s rigid profile.
‘In “Tales of the Sirah Empire,” the Marquis wasn’t very interested in the Grand Duke.’
He did come all the way to Reinke to see the Grand Duke, but he was only interested in the conflict between Volker and Louise with the Grand Duke in the middle, meddling in that, without showing any interest in the Grand Duke as an individual.
So why now?
Ruan carefully thought about Marquis Elenroth as he appeared in “Tales of the Sirah Empire.”
The Marquis, though seemingly unpredictable and strange, was actually a character with surprisingly simple principles of action.
‘The Marquis is only interested in what he considers an ideal ruler and their reign. So… A ruler who prioritizes practical issues over ideal morality. One who doesn’t hesitate to use harsh punishments or strategies for the stability of the country, who fears being an object of fear less than being loved by people. He said that a perfect ruler is one who has strong military power and shows cool-headed and flexible leadership…’
As Ruan recalled the Marquis’s ‘ideal ruler image,’ he suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
I’ve heard this somewhere before.
I think I know someone like this.
Why does this…
Seems like our cat?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
