Chapter 102

Invitation

Winter was passing in the county. Even so, the cold persisted here all year round, and the bitter chill had seeped into the drawing room of Whitewolf Castle.

Frost covered the window frames as though they had been decorated with ice. Wind crept through the gaps, carrying the scent of bitter cold and a trace of dampness. At least the fireplace on one side of the room was burning steadily, giving off warmth.

"Uuugh...!"

A man was groaning in pain in front of the fireplace.

He was naked, stripped bare except for a covering over his privates. On closer inspection, I saw sharp red wounds on his shoulders and waist. Bloody marks covered his back where skin had been torn away. They looked like the traces of a fierce battle.

But metal armor lay neatly beside him. His torn skin showed not the aftermath of combat, but what happened when you wore metal armor in this cold.

I stepped forward, making my presence known.

"Uuugh... Oh!"

The man startled at my approach, then turned his face toward me.

'Not him.'

... It wasn't Ian.

Bernard had already told me as much, in fact. Even so, seeing it for myself brought an unavoidable wave of disappointment.

That face on the verge of freezing to death—

"I-I'm so sorry...!!"

No matter how I looked at him, he wasn't Ian.

"I-I'd heard it was c-cold...! Ugh, b-but... I really... had no idea it would be th-this cold...!"

He was shivering uncontrollably.

"Ah, I-I haven't introduced m-myself...! I-I'm Squire H-Herald, of the F-First Order of the Royal Knights, the royal guard...!"

The Royal Knights were an elite knightly order charged with guarding key royal facilities, including the palace where the king resided. The kingdom's most celebrated prodigies gathered in their ranks.

H-Herald, however, was not a full-fledged knight but an esquire—in other words, a knight in training.

"What brings the Royal Knights all the way out here?"

His rank was therefore lower than mine as the eldest legitimate son of a count's house. In truth, even a full-fledged member of the Royal Knights would have been no different. Their personal standing was not particularly high. They borrowed the king's authority only when representing the royal court; their actual status was that of a low-ranking official.

A count, on the other hand, held a title bestowed directly by the monarch. The standing of his direct descendants was by no means low, either. That was why H-Herald showed no offense at my informal manner.

"His Majesty the King sent me... concerning the will left by C-Count Whitewolf... Haaah...!"

If anything, H-Herald acted as though my manner was only natural.

"His Majesty the King?"

"Y-Yes...!"

H-Herald braced himself with a grunt, apparently squeezing out his aura to drive away the cold for a moment. While he did so, I sank into thought.

'I'd forgotten about the will for a while.'

It had already been three months since the royal court had started investigating whether the will had been tampered with, or whatever it was they were doing. That meant three months had passed since Father's death—and since my return to the past.

'It's only been three months?'

It felt like a year. But now that I thought about it...

'I spent a full 241 days in the Infinite Labyrinth.'

By my own reckoning, it really had been nearly a year.

"Please excuse me."

H-Herald had warmed himself with aura. I thought it every time I saw it: aura was awfully convenient. Though I supposed that was only natural for a power that could bring mere imaginings into reality.

"His Majesty said he could not believe the contents of the will."

At H-Herald's next words, I tilted my head slightly. Surely he knew Father's will hadn't been tampered with?

"To be precise, he is perplexed by the written pledge Lady Whitewolf submitted."

"The pledge Seraphia sent?"

"It stated that Lady Whitewolf would relinquish her positions as lord of the county and head of the House."

"... Ah."

The pledge she had given me that time she suddenly invited me to a meal. It stated that she, Seraphia, would give up everything she had inherited. That seemed to be what he meant.

"His Majesty therefore wishes to meet you both in person before reaching a decision."

"His Majesty himself?"

"Yes. I have come to invite you both to the kingdom's capital."

It happened the instant H-Herald finished speaking.

◆A Territory Quest has arrived.

A new Territory Quest arrived, its contents unfurling before my eyes.

* * *

You have fulfilled a lord's responsibilities and duties!

You have become a true lord who genuinely cares for his residents!

Hearts swell! Hearts race!

Every resident is your captive!

Now, kneel at my feet, all of you!

For I am Count Adrian, lord of Whitewolf county!

... But your elation is short-lived!

Huh? Whaaat?

Wait a second...?!

I'm... not a count...?

What utter nonsense is this!

I am the eldest legitimate son of House Whitewolf!

Adrian Whitewolf himself!!

The rightful successor acknowledged by the residents...!

Whaaaat?!

There's some bastard who refuses to acknowledge me?!

Who could that be... Oh!

... My father?

That's right!

None other than your father!

Your father alone refused to acknowledge you!

He left everything belonging to the family to your younger sister, who shares not a single drop of your blood.

And sadly, even if you wanted to win his approval now, you no longer can!

Is this why they tell you to be good to your parents while they're alive?

... Like hell it is!

You're famous for setting your parents' hearts on fire!

Truly, the mightiest wastrel on earth!

Aaaaargh, the rage is rising!

I'm. Turning. Evil!

Why are you doing this? What are you doing, my son!

I'm succeeding you as count, Father!

... Sadly, that iconic scene can no longer come to pass, but what does it matter!

You're still usurping the countship against your father's wishes!

But remember, you're no monstrous disgrace of a son. You're a figure of authority who has proven his abilities, fulfilled his responsibilities, and rightfully earned the people's recognition!

On that note, don't forget!

Everyone in the county now wants you to become count!

* * *

==[I'm Succeeding You as Count, Father!] ==

[Objective] - Gain the royal family's recognition

[Reward] - Unlock certain 「Management Mode」 features

[If Declined] - Restrict 「Management Mode」 features

'... Did it learn about countable infinity too?'

This Berserk Fuss[?] clearly knew no limits.

* * *

The Berserk Fuss[?] seemed to have learned countable infinity. It left me dazed for a moment, but...

'This didn't happen in my previous life.'

I calmly gathered my thoughts.

The king had summoned us because Father's will conflicted with Seraphia's pledge. But in my previous life? I had run away from the family, leaving Seraphia with no reason to send a pledge to the royal court. She had probably inherited the countship according to Father's will. This time, however, my remaining with the family had changed the situation.

In other words...

'I've changed the future.'

Didn't they say a small variable could bring about an enormous change, just as the flutter of a butterfly's wings could cause a gale somewhere far away?

The lycanthrope, the Legion Commander of Beasts, had fallen by my hand. So had Avarus and Iratum. Beyond that, Kraulgar, the Legion Commander of the Abyss, had been annihilated. As a result, the lawless city of Violess had disappeared.

The flutter of my tiny butterfly wings had seriously disrupted the Emperor's grand plan to devour the continent. In other words, the empire might act differently than it had in my previous life.

Keeping that in mind—

◆Starting Territory Quest: [I'm Succeeding You as Count, Father!]

I accepted the quest without much deliberation. After all, now that I had decided to use Whitewolf county as my base, I needed the countship. More importantly, I couldn't pass up unlocking 「Management Mode」 features as a reward.

'I'll have to bring Seraphia.'

That meant traveling by carriage. It would take roughly two weeks to reach the capital from the county. A month for the round trip, then.

"Very well. We'll make our preparations and depart."

There was quite a lot to prepare.

"Then may I report that you have accepted the invitation as well?"

"... Invitation?"

Not a summons?

"Ah! I forgot to mention it. The cold quite drove it from my mind..."

H-Herald scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"You see, Her Highness the Queen expressed a strong desire for a meeting."

"...?"

What was this about now?

"Her Highness wants to meet me?"

"Not you, my lord..."

"Don't tell me she means Seraphia?"

H-Herald nodded lightly and said,

"Lady Whitewolf's birthday is approaching, is it not?"

... Was it?

"Her Highness therefore suggested that Lady Whitewolf make her debut in high society on this occasion."

"High society?"

"Yes."

Court society was different from ordinary aristocratic society. The Kingdom of Battenberg practiced monogamy. That meant marriages were strictly confined to the noble class. Daughters of noble houses reaching marriageable age were therefore given an occasion to introduce themselves to aristocratic society: the court social season.

They made their first appearance by being presented to the queen. That was called a "debut."

"Her Highness said she would hold a special ball for this gathering."

That meant she would even arrange a debutante ball. Put simply, she intended to pull out all the stops for this occasion.

"But isn't it early for the social season?"

The court season usually began in May. It was only mid-January, with the season of bitter cold passing. May was still a long way off.

"This year it is scheduled to begin somewhat earlier, in February."

That wasn't unheard of. The season would sometimes begin earlier than usual for matters of national importance.

"Her Highness asked me to extend an invitation, saying she hoped Lady Whitewolf would attend this season as well."

But H-Herald's next words gave me pause.

'Something's going on here.'

... There was something behind this.

After all, people of low standing couldn't attend court society functions. Of course, Seraphia's standing wasn't low. But even high-ranking nobles were barred if they were involved in too many scandals or became the subject of gossip. Court society had even turned away a duke's daughter simply for being poorly dressed. It wasn't called the pinnacle of high society for nothing.

Yet the queen was personally inviting Seraphia, merely the adopted daughter of a count's house on the frontier? I could only conclude that the queen had some reason to summon Seraphia to court.

It might be something of a stretch, but... it seemed as though this social season was being held to bring Seraphia there. In that case, the early season was another future changed by the variable that was me.

And that "reason" the queen wanted to bring Seraphia to court? This was pure conjecture, but what if it had something to do with the appointed one—the Predestined One?

'Then the Emperor is involved in this social season.'

If that was a conclusion I could reach—

'The queen is an imperial puppet?'

I would have to check the list I had obtained from Iratum.

* * *

The county stretched out beyond the window. Sitting alone in my room, I scanned the names on the list I had tricked Iratum into giving me in Violess. It listed important figures in each kingdom who had been won over by the Dark Merchant Company. As I went through it, I found:

[Marceline Charlotte de Battenberg]

The name of the Kingdom of Battenberg's queen.

"I can safely rule out the possibility that this information is false."

Iratum had believed I was Avarus at the time. Which meant—

"Queen Marceline has definitely been bought off by the empire."

This was something I hadn't uncovered even in my previous life.

"... So that was why."

The pieces of my previous life began falling into place, one by one. The reason the Kingdom of Battenberg would soon fracture until even its name began to fade from memory.

"It was because of the queen."

More precisely, because of the Devotees of the Fallen Souls who had controlled her. More precisely still, because of the Emperor, the ultimate power behind it all.

"In that case..."

The puzzle mostly fit together. But there was one thing.

... Something was strange.

"Why didn't I know this?"

Why hadn't I known something as important as Queen Marceline being bought off? Granted, I had been living like a vagabond at this point in my previous life. I didn't know much about the major events of this period.

But I had become the allied army's Predator and served as Chief of Covert Operations in the special warfare unit. If it concerned the empire, I had left no stone unturned in investigating and uncovering it. Even if it had happened in the past, how could I not have known that the queen had been bought off by the empire...?

"Did I never look into it?"

That seemed the only explanation, but...

"How could that be?"

... It couldn't.

For one thing, this was the kingdom the Sovereign of Bitter Cold had belonged to. There was no way I wouldn't have investigated it. More importantly...

"Leon didn't know about it either."

Leon Battenberg. The first prince of the Kingdom of Battenberg, who would later be known as the Lion of the Allied Army. He, too, had been completely unaware that the queen had been bought off.

He might not know at this point in time. But after everything had happened? It made no sense for him to remain ignorant even in his days as the Lion of the Allied Army. Now that I thought about it...

"Out of everything I know, my information on the Kingdom of Battenberg is unusually sparse."

Strangely, only my information about Battenberg was lacking. More precisely, there were gaps here and there.

I could set aside the king's summons, since that hadn't happened in my previous life. But the court social season was different. It was an annual event. And since it coincided with Seraphia's birthday, she would have been invited in my previous life as well. Yet I knew nothing about it.

Major events and crucial information like that. None of it came to mind. As though it had been erased from my memory—

"... Wait."

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind. This feeling that my memories had been erased. These strange circumstances, as though gaps had opened in my information.

"Could this be..."

... I had experienced it before.

I had investigated countless matters concerning the empire. I hadn't uncovered everything I investigated, but I could confidently say I had come close to the truth.

Take the Vicarius, the rank equivalent to a pope among the Devotees of the Fallen Souls. I hadn't learned who the Vicarius was, but I had discovered that he was an Avatar of the Sovereign of the Abyss.

Yet there was one person. No, perhaps I should say one thing. One being alone had left me in utter "darkness."

A being that made people forget all information and records concerning it, preventing anyone from knowing of its existence. A being possessing the Authority of "Memory Erasure," which instantly erased even the awareness of thinking about it—

One of the six Sovereigns serving the Emperor.

The Sovereign of Darkness.

Then these gaps in my knowledge... If they were the work of the Sovereign of Darkness—

"The Sovereign of Darkness is involved in this?"

That was the conclusion I could reach.