CH 30

An unexpected blowback almost sinks Klein, but then he remembers that today is three days before the poisoning.

After sending a letter to Trek, he goes back to his bedroom.

He takes out his usual notepad and goes to his desk to decide on a course of action based on his previous reflections.

“First, I need to get Trek on my side. This should be done. I have to be careful to keep the same trend.”

Can he reproduce the moment when he turns pale due to the unexpected appearance of a hostile force?

It is true that it is not a pleasant feeling. It makes me anxious.

But it’s probably not a problem. I’ll put it as a non-issue and move on.

“The move to expose the poisoning is perfect. The question is, what will I do after that?”

From the information he has gathered so far, it seems that the First Prince, who was Klein’s boss, knows that the Hermes Trading Company is an enemy and will continue to use them.

And now, let’s take a look back at the previous developments.

Hermes started to cut his losses as soon as he tortured Saga.

For example, the situation in the East or the connection with the Marquis of Laguna.

The moment Hermes judged that some information would be leaked. Hermes will make a move like last time.

Klein wants to avoid that.

In other words, the option of detaining and interrogating the Saga of the attempted poisoning will disappear.

“Would it be better to play the role of an incompetent lord who knows nothing? No, but if I’m seen as really incompetent, I will likely face…sanctions.”

For example, to round things off, let’s say you make the same move as you did right after you prevented the poisoning the first time.

[I got caught up in the Saga’s plot, and I have defeated the enemy! Thank goodness!]

If he backs down, he will be branded as incompetent, and his boss may erase him.

Even if he survives this time, Brynhildr’s report to the prince will surely be written as a failure.

In other words, the probability that he will be stuck in the next round is high.

“Um… So, after we get Trek on our side, we can prevent poisoning but not capture the Saga. What happens after that?”

Klein would like to get points from the prince for preventing the poisoning, but he knows he can’t be that naive.

When you accept help from forces you know are your enemies, you can be sure that they are looking at you to see if you will notice them and what you will do once you do.

“What should I do? Maybe I should create an atmosphere of ‘I noticed the real culprit, but I intentionally let them go.’ ?”

Klein growls at his desk.

Marie arrives with a bucket and a dustcloth in hand.

She quickly finishes cleaning up, but she is clearly disturbed.

She forgets to knock and comes in, acting suspiciously, occasionally glancing sideways at Klein.

“…… Hey, Marie.”

“Hyaah! “

Marie’s voice sounds shrill, and her whole body shakes with a shudder. Her cheeks were flushed red, and she looked at Klein with her fingers fidgeting.

She did not make eye contact with him, however, and remained somewhat awkward.

“W-what is it? Do you want to touch my hair that much?”

“No, let’s put that aside for a moment.”

“Ah…no, what do you mean to put that aside.”

After all the embarrassment, Klein wanted to take advantage of the situation.

In the deadly loop, he began to seek solace.

Well, that’s beside the point.

Klein, who had found a way out of the silver mine through Marie’s comments, was hoping for some ideas this time as well.

“Well, I don’t know how to tell you this.”

Klein tried to come up with some words.

But this was surprisingly difficult.

The chairman of the board of merchants is planning to assassinate me, and one of his underlings has been forced to do the job.

But there is another mastermind.

He can’t pursue the case.

If he does, there is a strong possibility of an all-out war with his boss, the first prince, and the Marquis family.

However, he must show that he knows the real culprit, or he will be in danger.

The situation is quite complicated, and the relationships are quite intertwined.

He did not know how to put such a story in perspective.

“…Uh, Marie, for example, a nobleman was visiting my house.”

“Eh? Yes.”

“The nobleman’s son plays a prank on the house, and Hans finds out.”

He doesn’t know if this is the right analogy or not, but if it’s not, he can come up with another one.

With that thought, Klein continues with a subtle expression on his face.

“So, actually, the reason for his prank is. His parents, a noble, didn’t like me and wanted to ruin my reputation, so they ordered their son to do it.”

“Hm, hmm?”

“…I don’t want to get in trouble with his parents. But if I knew that his parents were acting in a hostile manner. Is there any way for Hans to solve it while keeping my reputation intact?”

Here’s how the analogy really works.

Klein = first prince.

Hans = Klein.

The nobleman who visits the house is Hermes, and the child is the Saga.

What an absurd analogy!

Klein himself thought so, but no further words came to mind.

“Klein-sama knows that the parents are the main culprits…?”

“Yes, that’s right. Hans knows that too, so if he catches the kid and reports to me, I’ll say, “Didn’t you see the real mastermind?” And he won’t get credit from me.”

Marie also looks at me strangely.

She looked as if she didn’t understand the purpose of the question in the first place.

Anyway, her reaction was subtle, but she seemed to have found her answer soon.

“Well, why don’t hans report this to Klein-sama?”

“… Uh, that’s obvious, huh.”

Klein is in over his head regarding the Nobility Grand Chamber of Commerce.

In such a situation, it would be right to leave it to the judgment of his superior, the First Prince.

It does not matter if it is a nobleman or his child.

Klein must report it to the First Prince.

“Is it obvious?”

“It is obvious.”

Klein has a look of “Why do I need to listen to such an obvious answer?”

Marie has a look of “Why does he needs to ask such an obvious question?”

They look at each other for a moment.

Then look away quickly after remembering the morning’s scene.

Afterward, Marie retrieves the bucket with a look that says her work is done.

“N-next, I have to wipe the windows in the hallway.”

“A-alright. Thank you for your work.”

Klein’s room is empty again.

For the time being, he found a solution to the problem.

“I’ll report it. That’s it.”

You don’t have to do everything yourself.

The prince must have had something in mind when he sent the Hermes Trading Company to Asgard.

If so, report that you are aware of the culprit.

Let Brynhildr take care of the rest.

That was his conclusion.

“Of course. If I think about it calmly, I will also be involved in their conflict.”

It would be a somewhat different story if this were a conflict of interest in which he is involved.

However, this time, the matter is different.

This political issue occurred without Klein’s knowledge or control, and he was only affected by the aftermath.

This was not his fault.

“Trek was right. It’s just one less trade association to support. What the hell was I worried about?”

Was he being too cautious because he was having a breakdown of reason and running off the rails?

Was he afraid of Brynhildr’s overwhelming fighting power, and he was looking for a surefire and easy way to get out of the situation―or was he overthinking it?

He asks himself these questions, but in any case, the answer is simple.

We could have beaten Hermes thoroughly if we had wanted to, but the fight would have likely escalated if we had done that.

“I understand that, and I overlooked it, but if he has any instructions for action, please let me know separately. Or maybe he doesn’t know what to tell me… is that why…?”

In other words, the best solution for the Prince, in this case, is to stay put until the right time.

Do not do your best, but wait.

That’s the conclusion he came to.

This is correct.

But Klein is puzzled.

“I don’t know why. I don’t know why it doesn’t feel right. ……”

Klein, who is not sure why this should be the correct answer, thinks for a moment.

After five minutes or so, he concludes.

“Oh, I see. I’ve been looking for the answer in all these iterations.”

So far, I’ve made choices that didn’t kill me. In other words, he has been choosing the correct answer.

However, if you answer all the questions correctly, you will be trapped back to a score of zero.

“The highest score is not to get a perfect score. Stopping at 80% seems to be the highest score. That’s a strange feeling.”

There is a 30-fold difference in military power with the Marquis of Laguna, and it will not be easy to make up for this difference.

He must put everything they have into their survival and choose the shortest and best way to develop.

Suddenly, it has become necessary to cut corners.

He is puzzled that he was told to settle for 80 points since he had been looking for a way to earn 200, 300 points, and so on, beyond 100 points.

Klein nods his head, guessing that’s the situation he’s in.

“Okay, I’ve got it all straightened out. I’m convinced. But it would be unnatural for me to just give you the report out of the blue. I’ll just look at the circumstances of the poisonings and make my own guess…”

If necessary, you can provide additional information.

How is the saga trading company treated in the East?

If the assassination is successful, what would be the future of the Hermes Trading Company?

You may give out such information and try to get some points in the evaluation.

After making this decision, Klein thinks to himself.

“It’s not good to be too uptight. Let’s be a little playful.”

Rather, it was a result of a playful spirit, such as,

Having a sweet and sour mood with Marie.

Or he could flirt with Brynhildr, and so on.

Klein’s face almost slackens as he thinks about it, but he quickly recomposes himself.

“What do I mean flirting with Brynhildr? Well, you know what, why don’t I report to her in the style of a mystery novel?”

He wondered if that would make him look sharp and capable.

He muttered something like that. He began to work on his script for the presentation of his deductions in three days.

As a result, Brynhildr gave him a passing grade.

The development of the territory was progressing rapidly while the political problems were being solved.