GDTEA Chapter 123

Make Your Position Clear 

Darhan, who had returned to the conference hall, was surrounded by the flattery of the noble faction, who were already raising their glasses in premature celebration.

Darhan himself was in good spirits, having savored the taste of victory as he looked down at Count Chelonar, who had fallen into despair.

“—Marquis.”

At that moment, Count Chelonar approached Darhan with a haggard face.

It was an early return for someone who had said he would visit the count’s residence through the imperial palace portal.

Darhan sharply observed Count Chelonar’s condition. It had been weighing on his mind that the count had postponed the magic oath and suddenly said he needed to visit the count’s residence.

“—Thank you, Marquis.”

As if to render his worries meaningless, Count Chelonar unhesitatingly bowed his head to Darhan in front of all the assembled nobles.

“Thank you so very much for granting my request.”

The subtly charged atmosphere of the conference hall now shifted its attention to the new dynamic between Count Chelonar and Darhan.

Darhan looked down at Count Chelonar, who was showing excessive deference, and regarded him with a satisfied gaze.

Since the head of the neutral faction had bowed his head to him, the head of the noble faction, before the conference had even begun, there would be no chance of the atmosphere reversing.

“Between us, there’s no need to bow your head over something like this, Count Chelonar.”

Darhan manufactured an expression of mild discomfort and extended a benevolent hand.

Count Chelonar slowly straightened his back as Darhan patted him.

The dark circles beneath his sunken eyes were quite red.

‘Having seen his dying daughter, he must have come to his senses by now.’

Quite some time had passed since he had administered the poison combined with forbidden magic, so the scene Count Chelonar must have witnessed was plain to see.

Now, Count Chelonar would be fully prepared to offer everything—his family and all the power of the neutral faction—at Darhan’s feet if it meant saving his daughter.

Darhan patted Count Chelonar on the back and was conscious of the gazes around them.

‘Even if I told him to kneel right now and lick my shoes, he’d say he’d do it.’

He postponed that small pleasure for later.

There was no need to tarnish the honor of the House of Chelonar before Eris Biyan had been formally adopted into it.

“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor has arrived!”

As Count Chelonar returned to his seat, the Emperor also returned to the conference hall at that very moment.

Darhan carefully observed the Emperor’s expression, just to be safe.

‘It’s over, Your Majesty. This is my victory.’

When today’s conference ended, the Emperor would officially lose a great deal.

And he would be forced to hand over much of it to the noble faction.

Of course, if the Emperor was as cunning as a snake, he might have prepared another move.

‘But whatever he does, he cannot overturn this tide.’

Just as Darhan and the noble faction, who were equally convinced of their own victory, focused their attention on the Emperor’s lips as he was about to call the conference to order—

“Perhaps you should postpone the conference to another day, Your Majesty.”

“——!”

Darhan’s eyes changed at the voice that came from thin air.

Soon, an artificial wind blew through the conference hall, and the Tower Master appeared in one of the empty seats, sweeping back his flowing hair.

The nobles gulped dryly.

‘The atmosphere……’

The atmosphere they had so carefully controlled was crumbling with the Tower Master’s appearance.

However, since Darhan had anticipated that the Tower Master would appear in the conference hall at some point, his change in expression was not significant.

Instead, he faced the Tower Master calmly.

“Tower Master. The noble council is not a matter you can presume to interfere with freely. Above all, the nobles attending the conference are only permitted to speak on the items on the agenda. Please conduct yourself with restraint.”

So shut your mouth and stop opening it where it doesn’t belong.

The Tower Master, having read Darhan’s true meaning, curled one corner of his mouth.

“I was merely saying this is not the time to hold a conference in peace of mind. It seems the Marquis lacks discernment. Oh my, pardon me. No matter how true the words may be, they wouldn’t be pleasant to hear—I’ll conduct myself with restraint.”

“…….”

The manner of speaking that had been grating on his nerves since last time made a vein stand out on Darhan’s forehead.

Regardless, the Tower Master turned to look at the Emperor.

“Your Majesty. It seems rumors of Grand Duke Gwendhill’s death are crossing the borders.”

“——!”

The words ‘crossing the borders’ changed the air in the conference hall.

There was not a single noble present who did not understand what the Tower Master’s warning meant.

“The death of Grand Duke Gwendhill, who was the central figure and hero who led the Great Empire of Neweiton to victory in the Great War—once that is officially announced, the suppressed ambitions of conquest from other nations, which the Empire had been keeping in check, will begin to boil over. And yet everyone here seems quite at ease, fixated only on swallowing up the Grand Duchy.”

Despite the sarcasm of his words, the Tower Master’s voice was detached.

It sounded as though the others were of such a low level of thinking that they were not worth engaging with.

“You are being far too dramatic, Tower Master. The Grand Duke certainly had a great presence, but he was a traitor all the same, was he not?”

“Quite so. The Grand Duke may have led the war to victory, but in the end he was caught out and became a criminal, did he not? With we nobles, who punished such a man, still standing strong, who would dare set their sights on our Great Empire of Neweiton?”

The noble faction was not about to sit there in silence.

The noble faction dismissed the Tower Master’s warning with a snort, cutting it down as excessive dramatization.

“Does Marquis Bridend share the same opinion?”

With every toss of his head and wave of his hand, the magic stones embedded among his flowing, elaborate robes gleamed with a jewel-like brilliance.

There were more than one or two things about him that set Darhan’s nerves on edge.

“I, the sovereign, is curious as well. What does the Marquis think?”

“…….”

The Emperor, who had been watching the invisible battle of nerves between Darhan and the Tower Master, tapped his armrest.

With the Emperor’s interested gaze making no attempt to conceal itself, Darhan bit down hard.

‘To think he would seize upon the delicate diplomatic situation with other nations in the aftermath of the war’s end.’

As the Tower Master said, Gwendhill was famous not only within the Empire but in other nations as well.

It was only natural to pay attention to Gwendhill’s achievements—so ferocious in battle that he was called a war demon, traversing countless battlefields—even accounting for the Magic Tower’s support.

It was only natural that fear would lead to reverence, or to wariness.

“What the Tower Master is saying, in other words, is that we should be wary of other nations’ reactions and delay the disposal of the traitor, is that correct?”

“You won’t be wary of them?”

“Why should we? If the great Empire of Neweiton were to be shaken by the death of a single Gwendhill, would that not be the greater problem?”

At Darhan’s words, the noble faction rushed forward with their agreement.

The Tower Master, his expression growing increasingly crooked, crossed his legs and folded his arms outright.

It was a truly insolent posture for a conference attended by the Emperor, yet no one dared point it out.

‘He’s making it plain he’ll show open favoritism.’

Darhan cast a sidelong glance at the Emperor and inwardly poured scorn.

“Oh. Is that so? So that is the will of the majority? Then let us follow the majority and make the official announcement of Grand Duke Gwendhill’s death, Your Majesty.”

“Tower Master——.”

The Emperor let out a sigh at the Tower Master’s change in attitude, having given up on those who couldn’t take a hint.

“What could possibly be the problem? The nobles who just cast their votes in favor, following Marquis Bridend, will take responsibility for their own words—and later, when war breaks out upon hearing the news of the House of Gwendhill’s annihilation, they will stand at the vanguard to protect the great Empire of Neweiton.”

“W-war, you say!”

At the word vanguard, one noble who had been among the loudest in the noble faction until just moments ago slammed the conference table in alarm.

The Tower Master shot the noble faction a glance as though regarding dim-witted creatures.

At that, Darhan laughed softly.

“War isn’t some children’s game, now. Would the other nations, which had tucked their tails and held their breath after the war’s end, really bare their teeth immediately just because Gwendhill is gone?”

“Oh, then you’ll take responsibility? That no war will break out—on the name of the House of Bridend? His Imperial Majesty must feel very reassured. That even without Gwendhill, Bridend will stand in his place at the vanguard of war, he says.”

For the first time, a crack appeared in Darhan’s expression.

Lightly said, in that grating manner of speaking—but this was a place attended by all the nobles and the Emperor alike.

It was a place where every single word was treated as an official statement.

‘Tower Master……!’

Darhan could not answer immediately and pressed his lips shut, and the noble faction, reading the room, fell silent as well.

The Tower Master clicked his tongue openly at the foolish nobles.

They may not have been on the level of Grand Duke Gwendhill, but what sort of nobles were these, with so little backbone?

“—Then, what would the Tower Master have us do?”

The Emperor, his expression finally relaxing, rested his chin comfortably in his hand and granted the Tower Master the floor.

“Leave the truth of Gwendhill’s death as it is—as rumor, as it stands now—and leave the Grand Duchy alone for the time being, Your Majesty.”

“That is——!”

Darhan, who had been pushing things forward precisely to get his hands on Grand Duke Gwendhill’s territory, raised his voice belatedly, but it was of no use.

“Those who live with pride in the name ‘Gwendhill’ are faithful imperial subjects who will be the first to step forward in the Empire’s time of crisis. Should war break out, as the Grand Duke once did, they will throw themselves forward without sparing themselves to protect the Empire—so for now, leave them alone, quietly, silently.”

The logic was that there was no need to hunt loyal hounds right now, in preparation for a war that might come—but to Darhan, it sounded like nothing more than a scheme by the Tower Master and the Emperor to protect Grand Duke Gwendhill’s territory.

However, he could not at that moment think of grounds to oppose that nonsensical logic.

The Emperor, having observed Darhan’s sharp and imposing energy, straightened his posture.

“Is there anyone who objects to the Tower Master’s opinion? If not, it would seem right to adjourn today’s conference here.”

“Your Majesty!”

“It seems we have been focused only on the domestic situation within the Empire since the war ended. See to it that the movements of other nations are watched with vigilance and that border security is further reinforced.”

“Our Magic Tower will also provide support personnel for the security, Your Majesty.”

“…….”

Having been so certain of victory, the fact that he had been defeated by the Tower Master—not once, but multiple times—was humiliation Darhan could scarcely endure.

By the time his clenched molars were numb with cold, Darhan turned his gaze toward Count Chelonar.

‘If only Chelonar had at least stepped forward as my shield and declared he would shoulder the burden of war and everything else, things would not have come to this.’

He had said he went to see his daughter—it seemed his head still wasn’t clear. Darhan suppressed the twisted smile aimed at the target of his frustration.

The moment the Emperor departed the conference hall, the noble faction quickly dispersed at Darhan’s signal.

After the imperial faction, who were wiping their chests in relief, and the neutral faction nobles, who had done nothing but watch and read the room, had cleared out to some extent, Darhan rose to his feet.

“When will you give me the medicine?”

But then, out of nowhere, Count Chelonar spoke first, shamelessly demanding the medicine.

Darhan was at a loss for words.

“Without having sworn the oath, and without taking any clear stance during the conference just now, you expect compensation?”

Darhan whispered in a low voice, conscious of the nobles still remaining in the conference hall.

Yet even so, Count Chelonar did not budge.

“At least show it to me. You’ve been pressing me with the oath and the existence of an adopted daughter, threatening me—and yet you only speak of compensation in words?”

“…….”

Darhan’s expression hardened as he looked at Count Chelonar, whose attitude had shifted.

It was not the gaze of a man crumbling as though he would lick his shoes at any moment.

‘Ha. It seems I’ve been quite underestimated.’

Having seen him lose the initiative to the Tower Master, it seemed the count had been emboldened.

Darhan laughed softly and met his gaze with cold eyes.

“What do you hope to gain by irritating me? Looking at a count with this little trust makes me want to change my mind. To think he’d be running calculations even after seeing his near-dead daughter. The young lady’s condition couldn’t possibly be good.”

Darhan bumped hard into Count Chelonar’s shoulder as he passed him.

“If you know it’s a threat, you ought to make your position clear, Count.”

Watching Darhan leave the conference hall with his back ramrod straight, Count Chelonar clenched his trembling fist.

He hadn’t even asked for the medicine to be handed over—just to be shown it—and still there had been so many words.

And yet the confidence in that gaze that said what could you possibly do without the medicine was genuine.

“Darhan Bridend…….”

Count Chelonar was certain.

The poison Darhan had fed to Eryl was a fatal, deadly toxin—meaning there would be no antidote, let alone a medicine to delay her death.

Just then, a buzzing sensation reached Count Chelonar’s ears, and along with it came the Tower Master’s covert whisper, transmitted from where he had already left the conference hall earlier.

—For the details, ask the doctor who saved the Count’s daughter.

‘The doctor……?’

—And give your thanks not to me, but to that doctor.

A doctor significant enough for the Tower Master to mention to this degree.

Count Chelonar rubbed his face and gave an inconspicuous nod of acknowledgment.

—In any case, make absolutely certain that doctor’s existence is never discovered by Marquis Bridend.

It is a most extraordinary doctor, you see—one who makes a specialty of striking Darhan Bridend squarely on the back of the head.

The Tower Master, having withheld the last remark, took his leave from the imperial palace in a flash, putting the tiresome conference behind him.

One week later, Sharti was escorted to the count’s residence and received with Count Chelonar’s most generous hospitality.

Even at this point, Count Chelonar could not have known.

That the man who had accompanied the benefactor who had saved his daughter—that this man’s identity was, of all things, Grand Duke Gwendhill, who had supposedly been found dead.

Truly, not even in his dreams, could he have imagined it.