I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess - Chapter 166



166 – Suspicious Contact

The two people who successfully resolved their problems returned to their normal state.

There was also a story about Ariel kicking the blanket and rolling around because she gave it to him as a gift, but that was just a small aside.

As time passed, the person who had been ordered to investigate by Albrich returned to Hespania, and the two people synthesized this information and began to analyze it along with the information they had learned.

This matter was carried out in extreme secrecy without even informing the vassals.

The results of this did not reach Yulken’s ears until ten days later, and today we gathered in his study instead of the drawing room to talk.

“I’m sorry, father. They keep making me come back…”

“Don’t worry about it. It was a car that I also felt had a lot of uncomfortable parts.”

As soon as they met, Yulken waved his hand to his daughter, who gave her an apple, and read the report.

Today, we decided to talk not only about Albrich, but also about what happened during the recent recapture of Whitewood, so he was also waiting.

The news that the immigrants who had always resisted strongly and harassed the northern residents had recently decreased in strength was quite curious to him.

“I guess your mother has gone somewhere.”

“Well, he said he was going to meet a friend.”

Since Helen had just left the castle for a while, only three people gathered here today.

Even if she had existed in the first place, Yulken would have tried not to bring this up to his wife.

“For now, let’s leave aside the topic of Marquis Bertus and start talking about the immigrants. “What about the information?”

“It was difficult to obtain specific information because the security was quite tight, but it is clear that the situation is somewhat chaotic.”

“It’s messy… ? “The expressions are very vague.”

I don’t know what it means to be disorganized, but when this expression is used when examining the enemy’s atmosphere, it usually applies to situations where discipline is not in order or the chain of command is unclear.

However, seeing as Edgar had previously mentioned that the guard was tight, it was at least not the former.

Moreover, it would be difficult to say that it is the latter because the ethnic groups have a tradition of unconditional obedience to their leaders since ancient times.

Just as Yulken’s doubts were getting deeper, Edgar pointed out a part of her report and added an additional explanation.

Let me know in advance that from here on, his guesses are added.

“Looking at the current situation, it seems certain that a problem has arisen in the chain of command for some reason.”

“It’s a little surprising. As you know, these people are more loyal to their leaders than you might think. Still, is there a reason?”

“Yes. To be more precise… “We are investigating whether something has gone wrong with the man named Kellagra.”

Yulken slightly twitched his eyebrows at the unexpected news.

From noble mtl dot come

In other words, the reason Edgar thinks their chain of command has been disrupted is not because the loyalty of his subordinates has faded, but because the leader has died or some kind of problem has arisen.

This was Edgar’s guess, and it was also the result of three days of brainstorming with Ariel and other vassals.

“Since they are so barbaric, it wouldn’t be surprising if they got hurt at any time and any place. But I heard they were pretty quiet after that.”

After occupying Whitewood, the barbarians guarded the place and continued their reign quietly for a long time without fighting much else.

Above all, if a big name like Kelagh had participated in the battle and moved, intelligence would definitely caught some movement.

Of course, there were plenty of other possibilities.

For example, illness or someone’s sneak attack attempt.

However, because these people were born with strong bodies, their ancestral leaders rarely suffered from illness.

In addition, the sneak attack attempt was somewhat strange because those who were hostile to the foreigners would have been members of the empire, but they would have attempted a large-scale subjugation and would not have ended up with a sneak attack at best.＜ Br＞

“Yes, so I thought about it carefully… Other than a few vague rumors, there was nothing that seemed like this. But some questions remain.”

“What is it?”

“I’m going to explain that now.”

Another document brought by Edgar described the circumstances of the battle at Whitewood when Yulken was captured.

“According to reports at this time, all the troops hiding in the forest to attempt a surprise attack were annihilated by fire, and the enemy, believed to have come through the canyon, made a surprise attack on the rear and Whitewood was captured.”

“That’s literally it. But it wasn’t it true that we couldn’t find any trace of that?”

Yulken also investigated the matter in detail after returning to the castle, but there was no significant result.

The presumption is that they used large-scale magic to burn the forest, and then escaped surveillance by some means and attacked along the canyon at the end.

However, that level of speculation was nothing more than a battle analysis that anyone could make by looking at the circumstances.

In other words, unless clear evidence is found, it cannot escape the scope of speculation.

When Yulken looked at Edgar with eyes as if asking if he had found anything, Ariel, who was next to him, nodded and stepped forward to answer.

“Actually, this is connected to the story about Marquis Bertus.”

“Hmm? “What do you mean, you’re connected to that person?”

What kind of connection is there between this tribe and the Bertus family, the marquis of the empire?

Yulken’s eyes widened at the sudden news.

“I’m sure your father knows. “What lies along the path of the canyon leading to Whitewood?”

It is known as the longest and largest canyon in the country, and its length and depth are so vast that it goes beyond imagination.

The ending point ends just before reaching Whitewood, located in the northwest, and the starting point is located near the bottom of the northeast.

And at the corner of the road, the Bertus family, or more precisely, the Baltreg family subordinate to the Bertus family, stands guard like a watchtower.

In other words, this is what the two people mean.

For some reason, the barbarians and the Bertus family negotiated, and they ended the conversation by turning a blind eye to the troops attacking through the canyon, which resulted in the Whitewood raid.

However, in Yulken’s opinion, there were quite a few loose ends.

Above all, even though the Bertus family, or Albrich, has many strange qualities, why is it that members of the empire are at best aligned with foreigners and the like? From there, the story didn’t fit together.

“Wouldn’t there be a lot of nonsense for it to be a guess? I can barely see it as a point of contact…”

“I thought so too. However, if you look at the information brought by the intelligence that my father sent, the story is a little different.”

On the new piece of paper Ariel held out, it was written that they had researched Albrich’s surroundings to the best of their ability.

There was some useless content here and there, but it didn’t matter because I was told to investigate as much as possible, even if it was personal.

The problem was that the content written in the very center was quite strange.

“See? ‘The head of the Baltregg family visits the castle and shares stories. It says, ‘Content is irrelevant.’”

“The date is… Right. “It was ten days before the surprise attack on Whitewood.”

In terms of timing, it was not appropriate, but it matched so perfectly that it felt different.

It was even strange that the conversation I had with someone on another day was written down in quite detail, but the conversation I had at that time was specifically written as unwritten.

At the very least, he could have passed it on to his closest associates, but why was he so silent?

“This information is not officially known, but… It is estimated that around 200 private soldiers suddenly appeared from this day.”

“It’s definitely becoming more and more questionable. “It’s not all known to the public, but what’s most disturbing is that there was something going on behind the scenes.”

It would be better if the movements of the private soldiers were clearly visible even to the eyes of the empire. The fact that they moved secretly means that there was something that was holding them back for some reason.

“And finally… “This is just a rumor, but it is what was written in the report from the person who investigated it at Whitewood.”

“Hmm. ‘They were shaking with anxiety. Some of the immigrants went around shouting that it was foolish to trust them. ‘I couldn’t find out their identity.’ La…”

“What if those guys are the Bertus family?”

It’s so contradictory that it feels uncomfortable.

Of course, the evidence is insufficient, so it’s still just below the seriousness stage, but for some reason, Yulken could feel the skin growing on his arms.

Above all, Ariel did not mention it directly, but if it is true that the Bertus family provided power, the method of inflicting fire on the snow-covered forest is also fully explained.

“Yes, I admit that your guess has some potential. But Ariel, you know. “This is not even the level to have a serious opinion, let alone evidence.”

“Of course. “I have no intention of informing my vassals about this and ordering a large-scale investigation.”

Who could dare to talk about this matter, which has no justification or physical evidence in the first place?

The two people who talked and combined information knew this better than anyone else.

However, what was important in this process was not whether Albrich really joined hands with the immigrants and did something.

The idea was simply, ‘There was a coincidence between the two pieces of information I happened to research, and I should keep this in mind.’

There is always a stark difference between being alert and not being alert.

It is safe to say that the reason Whitewood allowed the surprise attack at the time was because of the lack of awareness.

“For now, I’m content with just keeping it in mind. “So that we can respond more reliably the next time there is contact between the two groups or there is unrest.”

“… Okay, good idea. So, are you planning on continuing the investigation into the Bertus family?”

Ariel nodded her head silently.

Once you have something to point out, you can’t just ignore it.

“Do it as secretly as possible. “If this is just a coincidence and it turns out that we secretly investigated them, we will be in trouble.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

If the tail is long, it gets stepped on.

It wasn’t just a situation over there, and Ariel knew this well.

That’s why I told my subordinates who ordered the investigation to give priority to avoiding detection rather than collecting information.

“For now, let’s put it out of our heads until new information comes out. “We will both be tired.”

“Yes, father. Now that we’re talking, how about a private meal for the three of us?”

“It’s good. How about you? Would you like a drink as well?”

“I don’t have any plans today, so I think it’ll be okay. Even if it were, I wouldn’t be able to turn down the alcohol my father gave me.”

As her Yulken smiled in satisfaction, Ariel completely destroyed the stack of papers she was holding in her hand.

The original exists separately anyway, and it is hidden in a place only the two of you know.

Now all you have to do is clear your mind for a while and have a fun and peaceful time.

“Now that I think about it, I heard that a strange noise was heard in the office a while ago… Do you know anything?”

“Ah, father!”

Ariel, who was having such a happy dream, screamed at her father’s prank.

It was already so hard for me to show up at the office the next day because of that, so why did I mention it again when I was slowly forgetting about it?

For some reason, I felt like Edgar was becoming more and more like Yulken, and Yulken was becoming more like Edgar.