9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 182 - The Abyss (3)

Tobias Heiman tried feeble resistance at first, but when Johann made a few threats that weren’t even really threats, his will quickly crumbled.

“Did Young Master Redan send you? I-I never did anything to the young master…!”

“That’s right.”

Tobias’s body trembled violently.

“He decided to give you a chance to explain yourself.”

Johann poked Tobias’s chest with the barrel of his Ossel service pistol.

“You embezzled this mansion and fortune from the Redan family, didn’t you? Tell me the truth.”

His face turned deathly pale.

It was strange, after all.

Lucas Redan himself didn’t seem to notice, but Johann had been feeling something was off from the beginning.

No matter how much they’d donated their fortune to the revolutionaries, no matter how many times their businesses failed spectacularly. Could they really have lost all the wealth passed down through generations?

The Redan family’s territory was famous for being prosperous—a golden land. Where did all that fortune go?

If the Redan couple had been able to attempt business so many times repeatedly, surely some remnants of that vast wealth must have remained.

The repeated business failures were suspicious as hell too.

Simple businesses like grain sales or orchards. Of course, they would have been trades that depended on good harvests or bad ones, on national policies.

But if they’d had sufficient capital, unless they possessed utterly catastrophic talent, how could everything they touched fail so completely?

And why did the Redan couple hurriedly board a ship bound for Rubellia, and how did they die swept away by a storm when the ship hadn’t even sunk?

‘Not even bothering to investigate—how stupid.’

He sneered while thinking of Lucas Redan. Whether he’d had no interest in his parents’ suspicious deaths, or whether he’d sensed something but covered it up.

“I-I bought it legitimately! I don’t know anything about any fortune!”

Thwack!

Johann’s fist drove into Tobias’s solar plexus.

“Do you want to be dragged before him? To the Supreme Leader’s residence? No, it would be cleaner to just handle you here.”

“Urk! Ugh, uhhhhhh!”

Tobias fell face-first to the floor, dry heaving and nearly fainting. He shook his head frantically.

“I-I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything!”

An absurd story flowed from his mouth.

***

December 1870.

The Redan family settled in the Heidel region.

The family consisted of just two people—a sickly mother and her sixteen-year-old son.

They bought a mansion and began rural life. Lady Redan hired several local young men, including Tobias Heiman, as servants.

Then they plunged into business with their remaining fortune. It involved buying wheat or barley from the villagers and selling it in the cities.

At first, it was tremendously successful. No matter how fallen the family might be, their connections didn’t just disappear.

As the revolutionary faction gradually established itself and persecution of former nobles and royalty somewhat subsided, the Redan family steadily increased their wealth.

Lady Redan’s son came of age, married, and had his first child, Lucas Redan. Around then, Lady Redan, who had grown frail from illness during their life in exile after the revolution, handed the business over to her son and daughter-in-law and spent her time caring for her grandson.

It was around the same period that Tobias Heiman was promoted to butler. Thanks to Lady Redan’s favorable opinion of the loyal and perceptive Tobias.

Originally, Tobias had looked after Lady Redan’s son like a brother or uncle. After becoming butler, he kept busy managing household affairs and helping with the business.

“There were no problems until then. But about five years later…”

Tobias glanced nervously at Johann’s expression before trembling and continuing.

“I-it must have been some misunderstanding! Anyway, the young mistress was taken away to Ossel. After that, everyone seemed to be making plans to leave this country. Eventually, when the young mistress fell ill and passed away, the master revealed his plan to me.”

“Now I understand.”

Johann said dryly.

“So you disguised business failures to siphon the fortune overseas.”

“Y-yes. Everything was moved to Rubellia. And then…”

Tobias hesitated and broke off.

***

“Tobias.”

“Yes, sir.”

The bustling crowds and busy ships that had filled the harbor during the day had all disappeared, leaving the docks quiet. The middle-aged man with his gentle features and small traveling bag looked at Tobias Heiman with trusting eyes.

“You’ll return from here.”

“What? That’s impossible. How can I go anywhere leaving you and madam behind? Please don’t abandon me!”

“No, it’s not like that, Tobias. Bring Lucas.”

“The young master… Didn’t you say you were cutting ties?”

When Tobias asked with a blank expression, Lady Redan stepped forward.

“No matter how much trouble that child causes us, how could parents cut him off first? We were simply waiting for the right time.”

“That boy—he must be having a hard time after failing the military entrance exam. He’s been singing about becoming His Excellency the Supreme Leader’s soldier since childhood. You go and comfort him gently. He’ll listen to you.”

This was exactly what Tobias had expected. He felt inwardly relieved while making a show of concern.

“But sir, this is a land with no connections. What if something happens to just the two of you without me—how could I go on living?”

When he pleaded with tears welling in his eyes, the middle-aged man smiled awkwardly and spoke quietly.

“Now, don’t worry so much.”

“But…”

“Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you. Our family has ties to the Queen of Rubellia. I plan to seek her protection.”

“What?!”

Tobias was so shocked that his tears disappeared without him noticing.

“Grandmother was very close friends with her. I have faint memories of visiting Rubellia as a child. After the revolution, she even sent letters to Mother offering help.

Of course, as you know, Mother was very prideful. She wouldn’t even consider leaving Schufaben for another country. But then eventually…”

A bitter smile crossed the man’s lips. Lady Redan’s final years hadn’t been very pleasant.

“S-so you’ve already arranged everything with the Queen?”

“No, that wasn’t possible. But I plan to cross to Rubellia and somehow find a way. She probably won’t turn us away coldly.”

Tobias’s face hardened slightly.

‘Damn!’

This would ruin the plan.

Tobias had intended to send the couple off first, then retrieve the fortune he’d hidden away. It was all converted to cash, so he just needed to grab it and run.

The Redan couple, dropped in Rubellia without a penny, wouldn’t be able to track him down. Even if they discovered the truth, they’d struggle just to survive, let alone seek revenge.

‘But the Queen of Rubellia!’

Such a massive backing had suddenly appeared. There was absolutely no reason for his master to lie to him. If the Queen really did help them!

Tobias desperately tried to persuade the couple.

But he was still too worried. There was no guarantee the Queen would truly help. At least until they established themselves in Rubellia, no, at least until they safely arrived, he would serve them. Then he’d bring the young master.

Swayed by his earnest pleas, the Redan couple finally changed their minds and the next morning at dawn, they became fish food in the distant sea.

A few days later.

Tobias arrived at Lüdelheim District 13’s red-light district.

Though he was dizzy from the flashy lights and people in scandalous dress, he steeled himself and found a particular tavern.

Lucas Redan was sprawled in a corner of the tavern. Drunk and chain-smoking. Tobias inwardly smiled at his eyes that looked far more unhinged than before.

“Young master.”

When he sat across from him, Lucas opened his bleary eyes wide.

“Uncle…?”

“Young master, I have something to tell you.”

“Did Father send you? To tell me to stop being stubborn? Tell him clearly! That damn household that doesn’t appreciate His Excellency the Supreme Leader’s grace—”

“No, the master and madam have passed away.”

“Ah.”

In that moment, what little light remained in Lucas’s eyes went out.

The two went down to the family home and held a simple funeral.

“This is all that’s left of the inheritance.”

Tobias carefully presented some jewelry and cash that wasn’t much.

“What should we do about the mansion?”

“Just… handle it as you see fit.”

“But young master…!”

“I’ll never come to this house again.”

And so Lucas Redan left Heidel forever.

***

“Everything was moved to Rubellia. And…”

Tobias paused briefly, pretending to be overcome with grief, before continuing.

“Both of them boarded the ship bound for Rubellia and died in an unfortunate accident…”

Johann curled his lips in a sneer.

“An accident?”

“Kuhuk!”

He strode up to Tobias and grabbed his throat with his large hand.

“That’s a lie that won’t fool anyone. You tricked your master and mistress into diverting the fortune to your relatives instead of Rubellia, then pushed them into the sea during a storm. Isn’t that right?”

“Kuh, uhhhh! N-no! It really was an unfortunate—kuk!”

“Will you maintain that claim in front of him too? You’ll have to confess to him in detail how a mere butler came to lord over that mansion.”

When Johann opened his palm, Tobias, who had been dangling in the air, crashed to the floor.

“Huk, huh, th-that! The young master told me to dispose of the mansion! I sold it to a villager! Years later when he went bankrupt and put it up for sale cheap, I bought it to preserve the memories, kuk! For…”

“You used a proxy to buy the mansion, then took possession when he’d completely forgotten. Obvious.”

“That’s not true! I was simply waiting here for the young master’s return!”

Johann looked down with emotionless eyes at Tobias, who persisted with his pathetic excuses to the very end.

‘Stupid Lucas Redan.’

Lighting a cigarette, he pressed his foot down on the back of the whimpering, prostrate Tobias.

“What a worthless bastard. There’s only one way to handle this situation.”

He’d need to borrow this Ossel office. It was time to display his specialty. Johann’s nickname was ‘Master of Interrogation.’

“Uhhhhhhhh…”

Tobias curled up and made animal-like sounds.

***

“Haaaahhh.”

What a shitty morning.

I stretched and sat up in bed. Turning my head, an dizzying view spread out through the large window.

Buildings layered in complex, mysterious structures with stairs and spires. Beyond them, clouds rolled across the sky.

I hadn’t measured exactly, but we were roughly a thousand setins—over a kilometer—above the ground.

I shuffled over to the desk by the window. Documents and reports scattered about in chaos.

Last night I’d struggled to grasp the battlefield situation until I was so sleepy my eyes were closing, then passed out from exhaustion.

Since becoming the Supreme Leader’s secretary, I’d been buried in a flood of information.

These were the very intelligence reports I’d craved so much when leading the White Raven Order. Now there was so much flowing in that just cramming it all into my head was overwhelming.

I’d learned for the first time that the position of secretary had peculiar aspects.

Officially, the secretary’s duties were to remain at the Supreme Leader’s residence, carry out the Supreme Leader’s commands, receive reports submitted to the Supreme Leader first to classify and analyze them, then assist the Supreme Leader’s decisions.

But beyond that, I basically did whatever the Supreme Leader told me to do. That was the feeling.

Originally there was only one secretary.

Eve Clothier.

The expressionless woman whose gaze held some inexplicable discomfort when she looked at me.

Did she think I wouldn’t notice? Or did she just not bother hiding it?

Well, I understood. A competitor had suddenly appeared to share the Supreme Leader’s attention.

Eve Clothier received the same materials I did, and we both equally followed the Supreme Leader around carrying out orders.

‘Plus the new secretary is someone trying to kill the Supreme Leader. She’d be crazy to like that.’

I chuckled and shuffled into the bathroom.

Life in the floating castle was more boring than expected.

I’d been given a room in the highest tower of the castle. Kruger lived at the very top of this building, and Eve Clothier was on the same floor as me.

A modest, simple room.

The furniture consisted of just a bed, desk, bookshelf, wardrobe, and table.

I’d wake up in the morning, go to the attached bathroom to wash and dress, eat food brought by Supreme Leader Department officials, then head to the top floor.

I’d spend all day following Kruger around serving him, making appropriate conversation, and occasionally playing drinking companion when he had alcohol.

Around midnight I’d return to my room, read and memorize new materials the officials had left, and sleep if Kruger didn’t call for me.

I gradually grasped the castle’s structure, the people working there, and the Supreme Leader Department’s system.

What I realized was this.

This place was a fortress Kruger had built for himself. Revolving perfectly around him.

Today would be another day of trailing after Kruger like a puppy, responding to his questions. Oh, and standing in the corner when Kruger was seated.

“How much do we have in mana stone reserves?”

“Going forward—”

“At the most conservative estimate, about sixty days’ worth. If the rationing system stabilizes and the occupied territories’ situation settles, it could extend to one hundred eighty days. Of course, we’ll have to rely on field commanders’ judgment rather than central command due to insufficient personnel.”

Eve, whose words I’d stolen, stared at me quietly. I just smiled back at her.

“Ahahaha! Lucas, you always add your personal opinions like that. How persistent.”

“I thought that was my role. Was I being presumptuous?”

“Only if I start depending on your judgment.”

“Would Your Excellency ever do such a thing?”

Then Eve’s device at her waist made a small beeping sound.

“…Your Excellency, Colonel Johann Werner requests an audience.”

My muscles tensed slightly.

‘So power is still concentrated over there. Reports go to her first. Well, the Supreme Leader Department officials must be confused. Whether to switch sides to the new secretary or maintain their current positions. Anyway, Johann. How long has it been since I’ve seen him? About a year?’

My mind tangled in complexity for an instant before settling down.