I Adopt The Male Lead - Chapter 39

“Behind it is the Vega Kingdom.”

Tuk.~

The sound of a fountain pen falling from the desk was heard.

Claude raised his head and looked at his loyal servant.

“What did you just say, Sir Chichester?”

“We caught the spy who was in charge of the tangent. The kingdom of Vega was behind it.”

Sir Chichester calmly repeated what he had just said.

Claude frowned.

“Magic is not Vega’s way. I guess they are trained to confess like that when caught?”

Sir Chichester handed the report to Claude.

“I have already checked Vega. His sister worked as a maid in the palace of Vega. As your Excellency is well aware, for commoners to be royal maids, there must be some kind of deal.”

Claude, who quickly skimmed through the report, sighed.

“Madam Bloe would hate me even more.”

“It’s not your responsibility.”

“It’s my responsibility.”

Claude replied in a dull voice.

“Neither I nor Wilder gave her the warning she deserved.”

“Did Madam Bloe say that?”

Claude looked out of his window and smirked.

“…No.”

Sir Chichester’s voice showed a stern sign.

“Lies don’t work on me.”

Claude raised his hands.

“Okay, okay. Madam Bloe resented me so much. But she’s right.”

Sir Chichester looked like he had a lot to say, but he didn’t say anything back.

Claude got up from his seat.

“This is better. There are only a few wizards in Vega, so it will be easy to find the wizard.”

“Vega may have conspired with a wizard in the empire”

“Attacks using Mana stone are definitely the way of the imperial wizard.”

The kingdom of Vega, which borders Tors, considers wizards as insidious.

That said, among the previous Vega kings, there were some cases where the king became a puppet who was manipulated by magic while being close to the royal wizard.

Now, the king of the Vega Kingdom expelled and rejected all the wizards of the royal family as soon as he ascended the throne.

Naturally, this led to a loss of national power, and the King of Vega raised the continent’s most elite assassins to minimize such loss.

The assassin alone was already a pain in the ass, but if they even started using wizards, it was a big deal that had to be reported to the imperial family.

“How many people know that Vega is behind it?”

“I, the interrogator, and the informants in Vega who were in charge of the field investigation.”

“Their names are?”

As soon as Claude heard their names, he was able to think of not only their appearance but also their personality.

There were less than five people in total, including the remaining interrogator and informants.

“Shut everyone’s mouths. This case is already over. I’ll take care of everything afterwards.”

“Your Excellency, aren’t you going to report it to the imperial family right away?”

Sir Chichester asked back in a surprised voice.

Despite the lack of manpower, the duke’s direct movement meant only one thing.

Settle it quietly.

“I’ll figure it out and tell you.”

“But wouldn’t it be better to seek help from the imperial family?”

“And in return for his help, I will receive His Majesty’s wrath. What else would he ask me in return this time.”

“There are no more talents or resources to take anyway.”

Sir Chichester replied bitterly.

“I don’t think there’s anything to lose by telling them.”

“You don’t know. They might even ask for a direct command now.”

“No way…”

“Is there anything else?”

Claude shrugged his shoulders.

“Other than the Land, is there more left for me? All the talents were taken away by others, and all the valuable resources were taken by His Majesty”

Of course, the South did not completely lose its teeth.

Thanks to the fertile soil, the crops grown in Tors were of the highest quality in the Empire, so there was never a day when the treasures in the vault ran out.

But there are things in the world that money cannot buy.

For example, loyalty.

Unfortunately for Tors, the wrath of the imperial family was also one of the problems that money could not solve.

“He also took the mining rights of the last remaining Mana stone mine last year.”

Claude stared into the air.

The original sin of the South, which occurred over a hundred years ago, is still far from being forgotten.

His great-grandfather was a traitor who tried to establish his own country.

Naturally, the three generations should have been destroyed, but the emperor at the time spared his youngest son, who was only five years old.

After the youngest son grew up and became Duke of Tors, the southern part and the imperial family maintained a smooth relationship.

At least on the outside,

But Claude was well aware that this was not the case.

‘His Majesty…  will only be satisfied when I die and the traitor’s blood is completely cut off.’

Chichester awakened Claude, who was lost in thought.

“But Your Excellency, the kingdom of Vega is not that easy.”

“I have no intention of going to Vega. If you conspire with an Imperial Wizard, he’ll still be around here.”

Claude added in a confident tone.

“In Vega, if the wizard walks down the street, he will be stoned.”

Sir Chichester asked curiously.

“Are you planning on catching the wizard in Tors?”

“Wilder will be a good bait.”

Sir Chichester sighed.

“…that’s Wilder’s idea.”

“Of course.”

“The old man should now know that he is getting older. “

Claude smiled softly.

“He said before he retires, he will put an end to all my troubles.”

“That guy doesn’t even know his place

Sir Chichester gritted his teeth.

“After all, he almost cut off my neck a long time ago.”

Claude turned to the report again because it had not been a day or two since that complained about Wilder.

‘The spy traveled between the south and the southwest. This means…’

He flipped the report and closed it.

The southwest was a boring neighborhood with nothing interesting for spies except that it was on the way to the capital.

“The wizard must be in the capital.”

“I think so, too.”

Sir Chichester nodded.

“I can’t go to the capital.”

“Even if you go, it will be impossible to catch the criminal in that complex and easy-to-hide place.”

“As expected, I should use Wilder. Don’t worry. I won’t waste your friend’s life in vain.”

“Sir, who is someone’s close friend…!”

Claude stood up laughing.

“He is not so meticulous that he did not even confirm that his target did not go to work. It’s only a matter of time before he gets caught in the trap. Then….”

Claude’s words were cut off.

It was because he realized what it meant to catch the wizard.

“Madam Bloe can go back home.”

Sir Chichester finished his words for him.

“Madam Bloe doesn’t have a house.”

Claude said sternly.

“I saw it. He was staying with two children in an inn where even wandering knights would not be able to stay.”

“That too is her life.”

Claude sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right. How am I qualified to judge her life? but… No, let me stop.”

Claude swallowed the ugly thought that came to his mind.

But Sir Chichester saw through the heart of his master like a clear water, whom he had served since childhood.

“You don’t want to catch the wizard because once this is settled, Madam Bloe will leave.”

“…it’s a little different.”

“Then let me correct that you want to catch the wizard, but you don’t want Madam Bloe to leave.”

A teasing smile appeared on the old servant’s lips.

Claude had nothing to say and shut his mouth. In fact, his heart was exactly what Sir Chichester expressed.

“Actually, this old man does not know why Your Excellency is so interested in Madam Blohe.”

Claude frowned.

“Madam Bloe’s talent is……… It’s natural. I cannot afford to miss such a talented person.”

“If that’s the case, don’t miss this opportunity.

“What do you mean?”

“It means that you have to do your best to persuade Madam Bloe to stay here at the Duke’s Residence.”

“Right.”

“Madam Bloe is now indebted to you; won’t she be more generous than before.”

“Wait a minute, Madam was never generous to me”

Sir Chichester tilted his head.

“Is that so? Obviously, in either case, I heard that you were rejected as soon as you brought it up.”

“… I have nothing to say.”

Claude stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“To follow your words.”

“To Madam Bloe?”

“Then who else would it be?”

Claude handed his report back to Sir Chichester.

“I’ve memorized everything, so keep it all.”

“All right.”

Claude walked fast toward the annex where Karina was staying.

He heard Sir Chichester saying something, but he didn’t care at all.

‘It’s obvious. He’s just going to nag about me working so hard to get Madam Bloe”

The small annex had a simple and unadorned appearance, but contained a treasure inside.

Just like Karina.

He stood in front of the front door and took a deep breath.

‘What… What should I say?’

Come to think of it, it didn’t seem right to suddenly enter and asked to be a vassal.

Claude was lost in thought for a moment.

‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since Madam. I should ask how you’ve been doing first.’

First, I’ll talk about her safety and then I’ll offer her again to be a vassal.

It was the perfect plan.

When he rang the doorbell, the door opened a moment later.

Claude greeted her first, feeling a little nervous.

“Long time no see.”

Karina opened her eyes wide.

A bewildered answer flowed from her pale lips.

“Uh… it’s only been two days.”

Come to think of it, the feeling was long, but it was really only two days. Claude wanted to bite his tongue.

Karina tilted her head and continued to talk.

“Well… it’s been two long days. Would you like to come in?”