Chapter 430 – At the Duke's Family Villa

I headed to the Driscoll Duke family’s villa located in the central district. It seemed word had already come from Prince Josiah, as I noticed soldiers patrolling the perimeter of the estate. Their armor designs were slightly different from the Termwills soldiers, meaning they were probably troops who had accompanied the Duke from his territory.

“Excuse me, I’m here on Clark’s introduction,” I said to the gatekeeper, showing him the letter of introduction.

“May I ask your name?” the soldier asked after checking Clark’s name on the stationery.

“My name is Mathius.”

When I gave my name, the soldier smiled and returned the stationery.

“Right. I heard from Lord Clark about hiring you. Actually, there’s been some trouble in the city, so the atmosphere’s a bit tense. Because of that, you might face some unpleasantness… but please bear with it. It’s part of the duty when being employed at a great noble’s estate.”

With that, he opened the gate for me.

Essentially, he was saying that once the decision to hire me gets around, the background checks might become strict with all sorts of probing questions, but since it’s not my fault, I shouldn’t worry about it.

“If you proceed through the garden, you’ll reach the main entrance. However, servants usually go around to the service entrance. If you follow the stone-paved path, you can veer right and go that way. There are guards in the garden too, but they should have been informed. If anyone stops you, just show them Lord Clark’s letter of introduction and explain, same as with me.”

“Thank you for your various kindnesses.”

“Yeah. Good luck.”

When I thanked him, he smiled and saw me off.

I crossed the well-maintained garden, detoured along the path, and circled around to the service entrance.

There were indeed soldiers patrolling the garden, but perhaps because I’d confidently entered through the main gate, no one actually stopped me. When I bowed slightly, they returned light bows. Hmm. The soldiers’ discipline seems good.

“You—” someone suddenly addressed me.

Turning toward the voice, I saw a well-built man wearing glasses. His age… mid-twenties perhaps?

“I don’t recognize your face. Are you a servant of this estate? What are you doing here?”

“My apologies. I’m Mathius. I have an appointment for an interview with Lord Clark. I was told servants should go around to the service entrance.”

“Ah, I see. It’s just that I saw a unfamiliar boy dressed as a servant. Apparently there’s been some trouble in the city, so I’ve gotten a bit nervous. I was just strolling through the garden to clear my head.”

“The gatekeeper also mentioned I might be stopped because of the disturbance.”

“Is that so? I’m Leslie Driscoll. If you get hired, we’ll probably see each other again.”

“So you’re from the Driscoll Duke family.”

Leslie Driscoll. So this man was…

As I’d heard, he spoke in a quiet tone.

Quiet and calm. You could say he was unobtrusive, and considering Vanessa’s comment about him possibly hiding his true feelings, that might be accurate.

In any case, as someone meeting him for the first time, I couldn’t possibly understand his character from just this brief exchange. What I can tell now is… his magical power is quite high. A magician, perhaps?

Well… it wouldn’t be good to make him suspicious now. I couldn’t stare too intently either. I bowed and decided to head to the service entrance. Leslie also nodded quietly without saying anything and saw me off.

I circled around the estate and reached the service entrance… When I knocked, a servant appeared from inside.

“Oh. You’re not one of this estate’s servants… are you? What business brings you here?”

“I’m Mathius. I’m here on Lord Clark’s introduction.”

When I answered, the servant nodded understandingly and showed me to the reception room.

“Please wait a moment. There’s been some trouble in the city, so the master will also be attending the interview.”

…I see. They’re using the disturbance as an opportunity to complete arrangements like meeting with me.

“Yes. Thank you.”

When I responded, the servant made tea and left the room.

I checked thoroughly with my monocle to see if any magical mechanisms had been installed in the room, whether any eavesdropping devices had been placed beforehand… but I discovered what appeared to be a magic tool sold by the Labyrinth Trading Company.

…Did they purchase this from the Labyrinth Trading Company right after coming to Termwills? While there’s a magical power reaction from the embedded magic stone, nothing seems unnatural about it… this should be fine.

After waiting like that for a while, a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties entered the room accompanied by Clark.

Tall and slender. Downturned eyes and a confident-looking face. A well-groomed mustache.

His clothing was… formal but gave a flashy impression due to the color scheme. A noble’s outfit made of wine-red glossy fabric with embroidery.

“Ah, sorry to keep you waiting. Things have been a bit hectic. Nice to meet you, I’m Owen Driscoll.”

Duke Driscoll said this with an amiable smile and extended his right hand.

His expression and way of speaking could easily give off a frivolous atmosphere, but as expected of a great noble, he gives a refined impression.

Should I say he’s somewhere between frivolous and charming? The flashy color scheme seems to suit him well. He’s probably the polar opposite in many ways from Grand Duke Debonnis, who gives an impression of dignity, reliability, and solidity.

Before responding, I first used soundproofing magic to prevent our voices from leaking outside the room.

“Not at all. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Duke Driscoll. I’m Theodore Gartner. For now, please call me Mathius.”

I removed my glove, revealing the disguise ring, then accepted the Duke’s handshake.

After shaking hands, the Duke changed his friendly smile to a serious one and bowed his head.

“I deeply apologize for our incompetence causing this situation that has troubled you, the Ambassador. And… I’d like to thank you for saving my son and daughter, and Clark from their predicament.”

“—Indeed. I accept your words.”

When I nodded, the Duke raised his face and sat in a chair with a solemn expression. Clark poured a carbonated drink and placed the cup before the Duke. …The information about him liking rare, new things seems accurate.

“I’m sorry. I’d hoped to meet you with more cheerful topics to discuss,” said the Duke, who had been wearing a serious expression but now spoke in a joking tone as if relaxing his shoulders.

“Well… let’s save such conversations for after everything is resolved.”

When I answered, the Duke nodded and changed his friendly smile back to a serious one.

The cheerful topics must be what I heard about from Prince Josiah before. That he wants to build connections with me.

As Duke Driscoll… he probably actually wanted to discuss business matters with me rather than noble affairs, but given the circumstances, that’s not really possible.

He seems to be seriously restraining himself in various ways for the reconciliation with the Grand Duke’s family too. That’s exactly why there were no objections to my plan to infiltrate here.

“Regarding this matter, I’ve heard various things from Oscar, Vanessa, and Clark. Considering the situation… it’s probably someone from our camp after all.”

The Duke closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Do you have any ideas? Lady Vanessa seemed to have some suspicions…”

“…No, embarrassingly. But… precisely because I’m the kind of brother who can’t understand him, he might hold a grudge.”

If Vanessa’s story is true, that means Leslie holds dark feelings toward the Duke. Regardless of whether Leslie is involved in the incident or not. Though there might be a difference between whether it was temporary or not.

Leslie Driscoll. What concerns me is whether he’s proficient in magic.

“Can he use magic?”

“I’ve heard his magical power is high. That said, it’s not uncommon among Duke and Grand Duke families. I’m similar, and Oscar and Vanessa are too. As for whether he studied it in his private life, I can’t answer. Since we each became rulers of our territories, there are inevitably aspects we can’t grasp.”

Well, they’re relatives of the Verdgar royal family… As expected. Indeed, from what I can see with my monocle, Duke Driscoll’s magical power is high too.

“But I do know where Leslie has been going. The Duke family has a villa—or rather, an old castle—built by a famous ancestor on an island in the western sea. That old castle seems to be his longtime favorite.”

At those words, I stopped the teacup I had raised.

A Verdgar—and an ancient era castle at that.

That… who knows what might be there. Considering the malicious nature of the grimoire stored in Theoreme Castle, it wouldn’t be strange if there were equivalent items.

Could that be it? Did he frequently go there for magical research, and when his research bore fruit, he started moving? Or did he find something dangerous and become influenced by it, or inspired by it?

Actually, the magical power I sensed from Leslie in the garden earlier was considerable. While it’s hasty to judge a magician’s true ability solely by the amount of magical power in their normal state… he’s definitely above the Duke. He might have hidden capabilities, and their nature is unknown. At this point, I can’t say for sure, but it’s only proper to remain cautious.