‘Utterly foolish.’
I looked down impassively at the servant trembling on the floor.
‘Are they really so short on capable people that they have to entrust a job to someone like that?’
Or perhaps the people higher up simply had terrible judgment when it came to people.
‘The head chamberlain’s mental defenses were barely any better than that man’s, so I can already tell what kind of attitude they have toward life.’
There were people who prioritized their own safety and peace of mind, making careless decisions about everything else according to whatever suited them at the moment.
Only after an incident occurred would they suddenly become strict in order to avoid taking responsibility.
As expected.
The head chamberlain, who had been glaring down at Osman with contempt, beckoned to the soldiers waiting outside the door.
“You should understand that attempting to harm a hostage is an extremely serious crime, Osman.”
He deliberately emphasized that this matter would not end with simply forcing the trash-like gruel containing poisonous herbs into his mouth.
“We will conduct a strict investigation to determine whether you acted alone or whether someone was behind you.”
He was saying this because he was conscious of me, a maid from Bardia who had become Elhardt’s attendant.
It was his way of making it clear that he himself was innocent.
‘It doesn’t seem like anyone else is involved, so I suppose this is enough.’
I had investigated the matter thoroughly, even using demonic powers, so there was no way I had missed anyone behind the incident.
“Take him away.”
“Yes, Lord Chamberlain!”
Osman, trembling almost like a madman, was seized by the soldiers and dragged away.
“Ghk! Please, save me… Save me….”
“What a pathetic fool.”
The head chamberlain clicked his tongue and muttered as he watched him.
“Regardless of his punishment, that man must kneel before my master and apologize.”
“Of course he must.”
How casually he said it, as though it were obvious.
It was absurd to see the head chamberlain shamelessly acting as though he had done his duty.
But well, people like that were easy to handle.
Having gotten the answer I wanted, I nodded in satisfaction.
There was one thing Osman had misunderstood.
He believed that he had the authority to make decisions himself.
The knight named Hamel, who had lost his life last night while assaulting Elhardt, had been the same.
They freely exercised authority that no one had given them, yet somehow believed they were relieving their superiors of their burdens.
Authority was bestowed from above. It wasn’t something the people below could simply pick up and claim for themselves.
It was an utterly ridiculous way of thinking.
Why else would the Cradion Empire have demanded Elhardt as a hostage?
A man who had already lost his political power in Bardia and become the deposed Crown Prince.
‘They intend to make use of Elhardt in the wars of conquest to come.’
Hadn’t he possessed such incredible martial prowess that he had practically protected the corrupt kingdom all by himself until now?
‘Apparently, the people of Bardia even called him their guardian deity.’
They had confined him like this for now to isolate him, but once Bardia was completely subjugated by Cradion and there was no turning back, they would try to win Elhardt over.
‘Even if they have to marry him to an imperial princess.’
It was a method frequently used even in the past, when the political situation on the continent was in turmoil.
It would be ideal for them if Elhardt harbored resentment toward the homeland that had abandoned him, but even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t matter.
They could simply use the people of Bardia as hostages and make him serve them to their heart’s content.
Even I, who had only been here for a single day, could piece together circumstances to this extent.
Yet Osman had failed to understand the intentions of those above him and had crossed the line.
Had he merely insulted Elhardt, perhaps things would have been different, but he had deliberately tried to harm him.
There was no way they would let that slide.
They would certainly punish him severely, if only to set an example.
‘Nothing is more troublesome than an underling who can’t be controlled.’
After Hamel’s summary execution last night and Osman being thrown into prison today, the palace servants would also become more wary.
‘They’ll learn not to treat Elhardt carelessly.’
‘And any idiot who can’t even understand that can simply be dealt with by me.’
From now on, what I really needed to pay attention to was the people above.
“From now on, I’ll come to collect my master’s meals myself, so please go to the kitchen personally and inform them.”
If you don’t handle this properly, you’ll end up just like that servant.
The head chamberlain, whose mental defenses had already been breached once, accepted the thought I slipped into his mind as his own and hurriedly nodded.
‘The demons’ powers really are convenient.’
There was nothing more effective against people close to evil.
‘Though I need to be careful. If I use it too often, they might start clinging to me.’
How annoying those demons had been, claiming that since I had conquered their territory, I was responsible for them.
If I didn’t want to be troubled by those people again after finally getting rid of them, I needed to determine the level of magical defenses here.
I needed to establish a limit on the amount of power I could use without causing problems and figure out how to use it efficiently.
‘I should look around a little before returning once the meal is ready.’
According to what the head chamberlain had told me, the place I was currently in was the Central Palace.
The offices of the high-ranking officials who formed the core of Cradion’s internal administration were gathered here.
Naturally, security was fairly tight, but I wasn’t an outsider anymore, so there was no problem with me wandering around freely.
‘Apparently, only a select few with permission can access the third floor and above.’
I had no intention of snooping around places like that in broad daylight and attracting suspicion.
‘First, I need to understand the building’s layout and how they handle security.’
When Bardia was first founded, Mikhail had agonized over how to secure the palace, both inside and out.
Even after people who could be considered experts put their heads together, they had gone through countless trials and errors, improving the system each time something went wrong.
More than three hundred years had passed since then, so naturally, I had expected the system to have developed into something far more sophisticated.
‘What the hell? Why is the Imperial Palace of an empire this poorly defended…?’
It looked like it could be brought down with one or two intermediate attack spells.
‘They only have beginner-level alarm magic? What kind of confidence are they operating on…?’
As I continued thinking while inspecting the walls, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Are high-ranking mages rare in Cradion?’
Come to think of it, I couldn’t sense the presence of even one or two master-level mages, which an imperial palace ought to have.
No matter how large the city was, it shouldn’t have been large enough for me not to detect them.
‘I think I’ll have to ask Elhardt about this.’
He must have been on the front lines until recently, so he would know Cradion’s military strength better than anyone.
‘The soldiers and knights around the Central Palace aren’t particularly strong.’
The ones guarding the detached palace seemed to be around the same level.
‘If I look at the knights guarding the Emperor or the Crown Prince, I’ll be able to gauge things more accurately.’
Even as I thought that, I didn’t expect to encounter them easily.
They would each have their own palace and offices, so how often would they personally come all the way to the Central Palace?
‘I’ve roughly figured out the layout up to the second floor, so I should head back.’
The meal should be ready by now.
‘Our prince must be hungry.’
I had skipped a meal as well, but after years of eating only the minimum amount necessary for survival, I had become so accustomed to it that I rarely felt hungry.
‘Elhardt, on the other hand, probably burns an absurd amount of energy just by breathing.’
Considering his build and muscle mass, I felt like he needed ten times as much food as I did.
I was making my way down the stairs while recalling the location of the dining hall the head chamberlain had told me about when—
‘Hmm…?’
I sensed an amount of mana coming from the lower floor that far surpassed the level of every knight I had encountered so far.
‘Advanced at least. Not quite at the supreme level, though.’
I quickly descended the stairs and blended in among the other servants standing against the hallway wall.
Naturally lowering my head, I listened to their quiet whispers among themselves and soon learned who the visitor was.
‘The Crown Prince. How lucky.’
To think that only a day after infiltrating the enemy empire’s Imperial Palace, I would have the opportunity to observe one of the highest-ranking figures in power.
I subtly shifted my gaze and caught sight of a blond man walking in the center of the group.
‘That must be him.’
I was gauging the level of his escort knights when I suddenly flinched.
The Crown Prince’s appearance, glimpsed briefly between the knights, looked… remarkably similar to Mikhail.
‘Huh…?’
I had absolutely no intention of doing something foolish that would draw attention to myself, so I lowered my gaze before it was too late.
But my mind was already filled with questions.
‘Could he possibly be one of Mikhail’s descendants?’
Perhaps it was simply an incredible coincidence….
I suppressed my urge to take a closer look and waited for the group to pass.
But why?
“…….”
“Your Highness…?”
At first, it seemed as though our gazes had merely brushed past each other.
But the Crown Prince stopped walking, and his gaze remained fixed stubbornly upon me.
As though he were trying to confirm something.
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