Chapter 70 ─ Shadow Movement

"I'm glad you all could come, I'm so glad to see your support in this situation, please enjoy this party as a token of my affection for your support."

It was evening and a party was being held at the Rosenberg mansion.

The guests were officials, diplomats, upstart nobles, knights and merchants who belong to the Rosenberg Household faction.

Apparently there is a thing called the Anti-Rosenberg faction, that's why our vassals are called part of our faction.

Barbara was in a beautiful dress giving a speech as tomorrow would be the battle.

Just by looking at the faces of the people gathered here I can tell that no one wants tomorrow to come.

Fighting against the imperial family is the stupidest thing in the world. No one wants to die or lose against them as it would mean the end of them.

I was standing next to Eli who was greeting vassals of Rosenberg Household before all that trouble happened.

A man approached as Eli finished greeting a couple.

She looked excited.

"Uncle Carmichael!"

A man possibly in his late forties, gray hair and glasses approached.

"You look great Elize-chan."

"Yes. Thank you for coming."

"No, no, no, it's normal for me to come. After all you are my niece by name."

As I was lost in conversation, Eli explained.

"He' s Count Carmichael, he's my uncle by title, as he's a longtime family friend."

Count Carmichael waved his hand at me.

"Nice to meet you, you're Razel-kun aren't you, Elize-chan's fiancé right?"

"Y-Yes. I'm Razel, nice to meet you."

His face reminded me of the kind old man who would give you candy when you bought a lot of stuff in their stores since they liked to see cheerful children.

"He has been with us since what happened with my─ you know. He's been a great support all these years."

"Despite the fact that her father and I were business partners, I always had a special fondness for Elize-chan since she was a little snooty girl."

Eli blushed as she remembered her childhood.

"Back then I was different! Now I'm a high society lady!"

"Your tone of voice indicates that you're just a big girl, hahaha."

"Uncle!"

Eli puffed out her cheeks, the count is right, she is a big girl.

While they were talking about things from the past, another figure approached. But his appearance instead of being trustworthy is rather weird.

He looks like a criminal as his clothes were black, his tie misplaced and also his buttons badly fastened.

His shoulder-length wavy hair was jet black and his only visible eye was blue. His right eye was covered by a patch with a skull in the center and his badly trimmed beard did not give a sense that he was a guest.

He was even the only one smoking a cigarette.

The man as he approached greeted us in an inappropriate manner.

"It's a nice night don't you think."

He brought his hand to the cigarette and I noticed he had a snake tattoo on the back of his wrist, the tattoo continued but only the head was visible, the rest was hidden by his clothes.

"I am a newcomer to this faction, the newly appointed baron, Ludger von Valtrane, a pleasure."

Both, he and I were of the same stature, but our looks radiated a different feeling.

He looked like someone you would see one last time before your eyes closed forever.

Eli as a sign of respect, despite the stinky smell of cheap cigars greeted him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Baron Valtrane, as the daughter of the Duchess I welcome you."

She said as she lifted the ends of her dress.

The man despite the duchess's daughter speaking respectfully to him did nothing only said.

"Just Ludger tell me miss, the rest is superfluous as it is not even important."

With those words the man walked away, but for some reason he reminded me a lot of a dandy.

◇◇◇

Four people approached Barbara, one of them was Celes─ Celestine von Lautreamont, a beautiful woman with violet-pink hair and cyan eyes.

Beside her were three individuals wearing fine and expensive garments.

The shortest of them all was an obese man, but with a gentle face and charismatic laugh, frizzy orange hair and brown eyes, his name was Rean Reinfort, the head of the Reinfort Company.

At his side were two very attractive young men, a girl with tanned skin, long red hair, exotic mocha-colored skin and blue eyes.

While the man next to her was a green-haired, red-eyed young man with a fine, neatly trimmed beard.

They both introduced themselves.

"Good evening Duchess Rosenberg, my name is Karen Alcott, I am a saleswoman for the Brighton Company, in charge of fine jewelry and luxury gowns."

"I'm Jared Clover, nice to meet you, I'm one of the heads of the Zilva Company, in charge of producing raw materials for magical tools."

"Ohoho, it's nice to see you again duchess."

"I can say the same duchess."

Celes being the last to greet, Barbara responded the same way.

"I appreciate your support at this critical time for us. It is in cases like this that the trust of allies can be seen."

"Ohoho don't even say it, after all, we are your allies."

"Please join me."

Barbara said with an angelic smile.

Jared and Karen didn't understand why the request to escort her to a private room.

But after entering, Barbara closed the door and then released something inappropriate from a lady of high nobility.

"Aaah how damned tiring it is to be wearing this damned dress. My breasts feel tight and I can't walk in these heels."

Barbara released her thoughts and then went to sit in an armchair.

Glenn had been inside the room for a while and made tea for everyone.

Celes followed behind Barbara and then Rean told the other two to go sit down as well.

"Please sit down."

Jared and Karen took Rean's word for it and nervously sat down.

Then Glenn came over to give them tea.

Barbara finished her tea very quickly and said give her another.

"Glenn give me another one please, but put some wine in it."

"I'm sorry to say it but I refuse."

"Why!"

"He's been drinking a lot of alcohol these days."

"I'm stressed out about this damn problem! I don't even remember when was the last time I worried about my health since this trouble with that stupid bald guy and that stupid prince."

Barbara was spitting venom towards the enemy faction that declared war on them.

Jared and Karen were still confused, it was Celes who explained the situation.

"I'm sorry you saw this woman's behavior. But understand her she is in her day."

"Hey, what the hell are you insinuating?"

"But the reason you came here is because..."

Celes took a moment before revealing a shocking revelation.

"We know there is a traitor in our members."

"My vassals you should say."

"The reason all this happened is because we know that someone within the territory has somehow managed to sabotage palace reports and put the duchess's signature on them, that's how all this trouble came about."

"Hey, don't ignore the duchess."

"That's why we brought you here, we know you guys haven't been since you have no reason to because you are not members of our faction."

Rean continued with what Celes was saying after finishing her tea.

"I was investigating on my own what happened since I have been supporting the Duchess for months now. She even made me the main trader of her precious rock mine. I couldn't let her down."

"That's why I asked you to do this. You guys have nothing to do with Rosenberg Household let alone having traded with them before, what brings you here?"

Karen who up until this point was acting like a scared kitten, revealed her true self.

"I'm surprised that they noticed our interests."

"Ours?"

Celes said in confusion.

Jared spoke up to answer her concern.

"The truth is that she and I are a couple, but in our jobs there is a serious problem."

"Starting with Karen's, she was demoted as sales manager since her coworkers had been sabotaging her."

"I've been losing customer after customer for some time now, at this rate I'll be fired."

"To make matters worse, my situation doesn't help her at all."

"Why?"

Celes asked.

"You see, I am the fourth son of the late Viscount Clover."

"After discovering the fraud he perpetrated, my family was affected. Only my brother the heir knew about it, the others did not."

"It is because of my father's horrible person that we not only lost our middle name, we lost prestige as well."

"I managed to get in as one of the heads of the company because of my charisma and way of getting partners, but because of my father is that I am losing influence and will soon be fired."

This time it was Barbara who spoke.

"What do you desire from Rosenberg Household?"

"Nothing in particular other than to be exclusive dealers for the Rosenberg Household."

"Why just us? There are better options. Don't you know the situation we're in?"

Jared and Karen looked at each other for a moment and then nodded.

"We know, but we have an eye for both business and people. And that instinct of ours told us that the Rosenberg Household will win."

Barbara and the others stared at the guests, then Barbara laughed a little.

"Hahahaha, how funny."

"Duchess-sama?"

"Nothing. It's just that it reminds me a bit of my family, the reason why there being so many candidates for fiancé for the Rosenberg heir they chose me was because out of all of them I stood out the most, it was funny."

Barbara snapped her fingers and Glenn brought up a contract that was in some papers on a nearby table.

"This contract is for exclusivity. Brighton Company and Zilva Company will be our main dealers from now on. Since when we win, everyone will want to do deals with us."

Jared was curious and asked.

"I'm sorry to say this Duchess, I said we had a good eye, but you look very confident, where do you get such confidence, is it that you can see the future, aren't you afraid of the power of the palace?"

Barbara had her cup full again and before she drank it she replied.

"The palace may have the best weapons and resources, but we have an invincible trump card."

"May I ask what it is?"

At Karen's reply, Barbara smiled in a very haughty manner.

"We have Razel-kun, the future duke, the hero of Lautreamont, the newly appointed black knight and rank A adventurer, but most of all... the one man who has made the emperor himself stand up and despite having disobeyed an order from him, is still alive to tell the tale."

For Barbara, Razel was an absolute existence for victory.

"That confidence in his son-in-law is unbelievable."

"It's just that he's the best man I could ever meet. Not for nothing did he defend my daughter in such a heroic way that romance stories are being written of that tragic event."

"No doubt with Razel-kun on our side, the palace will know defeat at the hands of a ducal house for the first time."

After saying that, she thought.

(Besides that he's my man. If a woman doesn't have confidence in her man, she's trash.)

(Aaah, Razel-kun was so cool that day that I felt like my heart would jump out of my chest!)

(I wish I had been the one to speak up so he could defend me from that damn bald guy. Aah I feel like I'm getting in the mood.)

Barbara unintentionally fidgeted from side to side while making a weird face.

◇◇◇

"..."

Behind the door where Barbara and the others were conversing. A mysterious figure was overhearing everything.

"We'll see if that idiot will make it out alive, you old fool."

◇◇◇

The morning of the day of the battle had arrived.

In his office preparing to leave home, was Olgren who tossed his coffee toward the door.

"Damn it!"

He was annoyed, so much so, that the veins stood out on his shiny forehead.

"Those sons of bitches failed again!"

Olgren had for days now sent assassins after Razel's life, all of them failed.

Worst of all, the Rosenberg faction's spy reported yesterday that he heard that Razel was the Rosenbergs' perfect weapon.

"Declaring that snotty little shit is their trump card...how dare those idiots declare such barbarity!"

"Get out!"

From the floor of his office, a shadow appeared out of nowhere, a huge body emerged from the ground.

It wore a black cloak that covered its entire body.

"Do you wish for something?"

"Go kill that bastard!"

"Is that an order from His Highness the second prince?"

"I am His Highness Blake's chief benefactor! My word is his word! Go to now and take him to a hidden place and kill him!"

"The Rosenbergs nor anyone else must see you! But you must eliminate him before the battle!"

Olgren clutched his head and then broke out in a cold sweat from fear.

"That brat had to eliminate all the assassins I sent, he knows I'm part of the black crows. He must not spend any more time alive! Kill him and bring me his head as soon as possible!"

"Understood."

The mysterious figure vanished as Olgren continued to ramble on.

"The leader will kill me if I fail."

"I must win, whatever I do."

"Grin! Grin!"

A man came rushing quickly into Olgren's office.

"What is it my lord?"

"You have everything ready for battle!"

Grin smiled a grim smile.

"Yes. Everyone is more than ready, I even made unexpected adjustments, our victory is clear."

"Good, I understand."

"Then I'm off."

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"I feel a little bad, so I'm appointing you as the flagship commander."

"Really!?"

"Yes, I'm putting you in charge of everything."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure the Rosenbergs are eliminated!"

"Sure..."

Grin left the room as Olgren shivered before sitting down.

"Everything will be fine, the palace is invincible. The reason I chose the second prince and not the heir is because the prime minister backs the heir."

"Because I'm trustworthy, the prime minister let me be Blake's main benefactor."

"I'm going to win."

"I will win!"

"The second prince will not lose!"

"Gororororo!"

◇

A certain person came to the Rosenberg Household.

"I heard that you guys are going to fight the second prince, let me tell you that he has my support."

It was Jake's father, Duke Fitzclarence.

A man with red hair and a sharp look like a hawk.

He came to bring us a gift according to the doorman.

"You don't know how excited I am to give you this."

I didn't understand why he wanted to give us a gift with such longing.

As we walked out to the backyard, we all made the same drawing face.

There, a huge 400-meter-long airship sat at anchor.

How on earth could something like that fit in the garden?

No doubt the territory is large, but this is overkill.

The airship was a beautiful dark blue color, on its sails it had the Rosenberg Household emblem drawn, a beautiful red rose.

On the bow was a large red horn, the horn seemed to have been armored in parts, it had a bifurcation as it joined the two ends.

The weirdest and most grotesque thing was that underneath the body was a wooden carving of the duke's face.

Eli looked a little disgusted at that, but put aside her disgust and asked the duke.

"Thank you for the gift Duke Fitzclarence, but why did you make it?"

"You nor your son gain anything from it."

The duke looked very proud as he replied.

"Alvin's daughter, no, Barbara's daughter. It is normal for dukes who hate the imperial family to help each other."

"No. We don't hate the imperial family, that would be treason."

"Please don't lump us together with you. I don't want any more trouble to my house. Take it away."

"I refuse, I already spoke to the captain of the old flagship and now all your vassals know that the Rosenblat is the flagship."

"Rosen... blat?"

"Indeed. This boy was created what maximum magical technology the ministry of magic, the section in charge of my great person, could make, hahahahaha."

The duke rejoiced as he laughed like an ape.

Eli wanted to argue further, but fell silent.

"I'm afraid I'll get a headache if I try to argue with you. We'll take it to this Rosen something."

"Rosenblat. I got the name from your last name."

"Huh?"

"Like the petal of a rose that falls when it dies, it can be raised for good so that its beauty will not go to waste. It represents the women of Rosenberg Household who have come through after the misfortunes that have befallen it."

"Duke Fitzclarence..."

Eli seemed moved by the Duke's words, who after handing Eli the manual on how to use it, left the way he came.

Apparently more guests had come and Eli went to greet them.

In the meantime, I will take the opportunity to see someone who has been feeling unwell since yesterday.

◇

I went to see Barbara who was feeling bad since last night.

Apparently she has had a bad headache and dizziness.

Glenn wasn't in as he went to see meds, which is odd having a healer in the house, Lily, who says she can't cure this dizziness as it seems to be psychological.

I mean, Barbara herself is the one who thinks she is sick.

I find this odd.

"How are you feeling?"

I asked her after entering her room.

She was lying on the bed, I asked the maids taking care of her to leave us alone for a moment.

"Just fine, I just have a headache and every now and then I have vomiting."

"Lily said it's psychological."

"It must be from all this stress going on."

Barbara got embarrassed and turned her head away from me.

"This vacation was supposed to be special for all of us. We'd finally have time for you to spend together with Eli and the other girls."

"But those stupid people have ruined everything for us and the month is almost over."

It certainly is as she says, we haven't been able to relax because of it.

But I didn't want to make her feel bad about not having spent time together.

I took her hand and when she looked up at me I kissed her.

It was a kiss between lovers and very innocent.

Our lips touched and there was no tongue.

As I pulled my lips away, a slight trace of saliva bridged it.

"Don't worry, I will win. Nothing bad will happen to you or this house as long as I'm here."

Barbara couldn't seem to take what I said and pulled the covers over herself.

"Gosh!"

In a coy, charming way she let her eyes show.

"If you say that, this old woman will only make her fall more in love with you. Why are you so wonderful?"

"It should be a crime that there's a man as wonderful as you."

"Hehehe, in that case, these breasts should be illegal too."

I jumped up and fell on her ample breasts.

I thoroughly enjoyed moving my face from side to side as she screamed in a teasing and cute way.

"Kyah~! Razel-kun is so lustful, I'm being assaulted, no~!"

While we were playing for a bit, the door opened as someone knocked.

"Duchess, I was informed by the chief butler that it will take longer than─"

Cordelia, who had her eyes closed walked in. Opening them, she watched me bridging Barbara's breasts.

Her expression was as if she had seen the worst scumbag in the world, before closing the door she said.

"Forget what I said. Go on with what you were doing."

◇◇◇

Cordelia as she closed the room sighed.

"Good heavens."

It was a sigh of disappointment.

But not for Barbara, but for Razel.

"Despite the situation we find ourselves in, that good-for-nothing thinks only of perverted things. Truly what a horrible future awaits this house."

"On that we agree..."

"...!"

Quickly Cordelia turned around when a mysterious hoarse voice was heard behind her.

Standing there was a large man in a black cloak and mask.

Cordelia couldn't scream as another black-cloaked man covered her mouth.

"There is no one closer than you, so you will serve."

Cordelia wanted to cry, she didn't understand anything. The mysterious figures along with her disappeared.

◇

After freeing myself from Barbara's hypnotic breasts, I left the room to find Cordelia and tell her not to think badly of me.

Despite the fact that not much had happened, and the hallway is very long, she was gone.

I thought she was very quick, but before I re-entered the room, I noticed a piece of paper on the floor.

"What about this?"

Picking up the paper, it had a message written on it which distorted my face.

"If you want her back and in one piece, come to this address alone. We will not guarantee her life if you do not comply with this order."

(Who the hell did this?)

I had no idea what this meant until I found Cordelia's glasses.

They could be anyone's glasses, but hers had an attachment on one side in the shape of a dolphin.

It would be weird this coincidence, just in case, I'll quickly run through the mansion.

After several minutes of doing so at high speed, Cordelia was nowhere to be found.

(So she really was kidnapped!)

◇◇◇

"Then... may I know what they wish for?"

A few moments ago six figures appeared in the residence.

They were the capture targets, among them was Cid.

Regulux a little nervously said.

"Y-You see Elize. We want to help them."

"Hah?"

Eli's face implied that he was told a very stupid joke. But Cid backed Regulux up.

"It's like he says. The thing is, we don't agree on what Blake nii-sama does."

"T-That's right!"

"Blake is bad and we want to help them. The more hands the better, right?"

Regulux despite saying that, had another motive that he couldn't reveal.

(Ever since I was a kid. I always got along with Blake, we never fought or yelled at each other, so I thought the event where he felt threatened by me and Lily would never happen. But the situation somehow ended up just like in the game.)

It was Oscar who spoke now.

"It will be an aerial battle from what I heard. After what happened with Razel, we don't want to stay behind him, this is a good chance not to lose to him."

(Hey Oscar, don't show that you want to have a rematch with that guy.)

(By the way, why does he always seem to get involved in things like this?)

"I appreciate your words, but we─"

Before Eli could turn them down, Razel quickly ran past behind her.

A great wind blew as he ran.

Eli seeing him shouted.

"Razel, where are you going?"

Without turning to look, but shouting as he ran he said.

"I'm sorry, but I have something important to do now!"

"You can against those idiots, ask those hinderers and Cid for help!"

The five were insulted by Razel, but only one of them, Bellange. He watched as Razel ran nervously.