LIGHTNOVELONLINE EP.23
“Of all people, it had to be Baron von Ulm…”
As I strolled through the streets, deep in thought, Maria mentioned that she’d think of a method herself, but honestly, I doubted she had any concrete ideas either. The situation was unavoidable; from the start, Baron von Ulm and Maria weren’t exactly on friendly terms.
The charity work was, at its core, just a guise for “let’s do something good together.” Participating in such activities implied leaving a weak connection, if not a good one, even with those with whom one had a somewhat strained relationship.
Being in a position to collect requests from the Empress’s faction and carry them out, it was clear that inviting Baron von Ulm would result in refusal.
“If I want to find evidence that could lead to a purge, I inevitably have to break into the mansion…”
Until now, my operations had proceeded smoothly because these people were at the bottom of the Empress’s faction. Of course, the status of the capital’s nobility isn’t solely defined by titles, but these people were based in provincial territories, so that didn’t apply here.
In short, regardless of their original power, the force that had brought them to the capital didn’t appear strong enough to have the luxury of worrying about security, meaning I could rummage around at my leisure.
However, Baron von Ulm was a different case. Even if his base was in the provinces, his family had endured for a long time, allowing him to extend his influence beyond his territory.
Especially in a feudal world where inheritance rights change through marriage, having survived for such a long time indicated numerous places of jurisdiction outside his original territory as well.
Indeed, Baron von Ulm had a fief located near the capital.
“I bet he wouldn’t have invited the Order ‘just’ for show.”
Only the royal family could operate an Order in the capital, so most would have to rely on some form of mercenary force, but loopholes always existed. A typical method was to bring in knight candidates who hadn’t yet joined the Order under the pretense of being guards.
Of course, not just anyone could do this. As knight candidates were significant forces for their territories, they couldn’t just be thrown away carelessly. Only those who could buy enough time to suppress a rebellion or a coup in their domains could afford to pull such strings near the capital.
Baron von Ulm would have likely enlisted candidates recruited from the fief near the capital.
Ordinary guards might conceal their movements using magic to lighten their steps or deceive others with an oppressive demeanor, but knight candidates were a different story.
It would sadly be impossible to sneak past their eyes and steal something, at least not at the level of an expert.
“It might have been easier if I could just use brute force.”
“Please bear with me on that.”
Jonas, who had come out with me on Maria’s orders, restrained me. Since there was nothing to do until we found a way to breach Baron von Ulm’s defenses, I thought about practicing sparring with him.
Fortunately, he had the day off, so I could take him along. Initially resistant to being dragged out for sparring on his day off, he capitulated once he heard I’d pay him triple his usual rate.
Of course, he really didn’t stand a chance. Although I hadn’t employed my abilities, the initial exchange felt somewhat balanced, but as time went on, the difference in endurance became evident.
“Do some training.”
“That sounds a bit unfair. I train hard too! It’s just that Sir Bil is exceptionally fit.”
Still, since he had loosened up, I didn’t push him too hard.
“Seriously. I wish the opponent were from the Order instead.”
“What’s the difference if they’re from the Order?”
I nodded.
“With knights, we could create an excuse for a friendly sparring match to lure them out.”
Being the vice-captain of the Order, I had some insights into this. Occasionally, there were friendly duels between knight orders from neighboring fiefs under the guise of goodwill.
In terms of etiquette among the nobility, such friendly sparring matches were generally accepted unless there was a deep-seated feud between the families.
Since the objective was goodwill, fatalities were rare unless it was an exceptionally unfortunate occurrence, and turning down a friendly duel was typically interpreted as a declaration of weakness.
“Since Baron von Ulm is active in the capital, he had no choice but to accept that.”
“Is that so?”
Of course, it was a pointless discussion. After all, the only knight orders present in the capital were those owned or hired by the royal family.
“Forget it; why obsess over what won’t work? I need to think of another method.”
“Hmm…”
Jonas rested his chin on his hand, pondering my words.
However, neither of us could come up with a clear solution. It was inevitable; both of us were more skilled with swords than with cunning plots.
EP.23
That said, I wasn’t about to give up, but honestly, it felt like Maria would think of a solution faster.
Thud.
“Huh?”
As I walked, someone who seemed far too small bumped into Jonas and hurried past.
I teased him about not paying attention as he walked. “How do you even bump into someone like that?”
“No, I dodged! That person intentionally bumped into me!”
“What?”
At that comment, I turned my head.
Through the crowd, I spotted someone quickly slipping away. It dawned on us that we’d just been pickpocketed.
“Hey, where’s your wallet?”
At my words, Jonas frantically checked his pockets.
“Th-the wallet is gone!”
It was definitely a pickpocketing. Despite being outside the castle, was there really pickpocketing in the capital? Or was it precisely because it was the capital that such thieves existed?
I refrained from overreacting. Honestly, if I couldn’t catch a common pickpocket as a knight, that’d be quite the disgrace. We dispersed a bit and calmly pursued the thief. Jonas was ready to tackle him, but I signaled for him to hold back.
I deliberately allowed the thief to keep running.
Pickpockets aren’t fools; unless it’s an inexperienced newbie starting out alone, they often launder their loot through some sort of middleman.
Especially since wallets are easily convertible into cash, there was no reason for a desperate pickpocket to refuse such a prize.
“How do I know this so well?
Pickpockets are everywhere, and after experiencing it several times, you learn whether you want to or not.
And as I expected, after a while, the thief headed toward a suspicious-looking building.
“…I can’t believe there’s actually a place like this.”
It was all too clear that this was a gathering spot for thieves or criminals. Jonas had quietly sidled up next to me, clearly grasping that this was his first time dealing with it.
Well, it’s not every day that a knight tasked with guarding princesses gets pickpocketed, after all.
“Should we charge in right now?”
“No, wait.”
“Isn’t it confirmed now?”
“Sometimes, the building itself can be a facade.”
I recalled a few times I’d chased after pickpockets myself. Quite often, the building’s exterior was just a front, and serious money laundering occurred through hidden passages.
In particular, those engaging in such activities in the capital wouldn’t be careless about security, either.
“When the thief shows up, we’ll catch him and go inside afterward.”
“That’s a good plan!”
Not long after, the pickpocket emerged. He seemed thrilled with his recent haul, licking his fingers as he counted the cash.
“Now.”
“Got it!”
The moment he stepped out and turned the corner, we pounced on him and subdued him.
“Gyaah!”
With a scream, the thief hit the ground. I quickly twisted his arm behind his back. Jonas skillfully wrapped the thief’s legs with a cloth to bind him.
…Why does this feel so familiar?
“Now, let’s see that face.”
Anyway, we restrained him and pulled off his hood.
“Hmm?”
“Oh, wow.”
Both of us were taken aback.
I had expected him to be short, but the criminal was even younger than we’d imagined. He didn’t appear to be older than his early teens.
And that made it all the more surprising. How could a kid at this age be a pickpocket? Considering the nutritional situation of the impoverished, it was hard to comprehend.
As that thought crossed my mind, another possibility arose.
“Hold on a sec.”
“Yes?”
I probably needed to remove the fabric he’d draped over himself to hide his identity.
And, as expected, a sigh escaped me.
“Haah…”
“What’s wrong?”
On the pickpocket’s chest, there was an emblem—a pin that identified him as an orphan from the Golden Cross Orphanage.
—
Before we rummaged through the stash, we headed to the cathedral first.
Jonas grumbled about it, but since we’d come out for sparring, he hadn’t brought much money, and the wallet wasn’t expensive either; he didn’t seem to regret it too much. Once we handed him all the cash the thief had, he quickly brightened up and followed along cheerfully.
“Well, there’s no deadline for collecting debts from criminals. Let’s take our time!”
Of course, I didn’t intend to give up my wallet. I just postponed the deadline for retrieving it a little.
We headed to the Archbishop with the pickpocket in tow.
The Archbishop looked at the boy with a heavy gaze.
Some of the nuns and priests sighed, while others suppressed their anger. However, since the Archbishop, being the highest authority and leader, was present, no one stepped forward at first.
“…Is that so?”
The Archbishop, with a sigh, approached the pickpocket. He knelt and looked the child in the eye. The boy, who had been unable to lift his gaze and was staring at the ground, averted his eyes when he met the Archbishop’s.
Despite having committed such a bold act of theft, the boy seemed ashamed when confronted by the Archbishop about his wrongdoing.
“Why did you do this?”
Instead of scolding or yelling, the Archbishop gently asked. The boy shrank back even more. The Archbishop caressed the boy’s head to comfort him.
“I don’t think you did this out of sheer whim. I took you in when you were abandoned in front of the cathedral before you could even take your first steps, and I’ve watched you grow ever since. You’ve always led your peers proudly and, rather than bullying them, you’ve helped them.”
He then pulled the boy in for a firm embrace before letting go. He gently held the boy’s shoulders and asked again.
“I believe you didn’t commit this act solely out of personal greed. Surely, you must have done this because we failed to provide something you were longing for. Could you please tell us what we might have overlooked?”
While the Archbishop spoke, the nuns and priests moved closer, intervening to ensure we were out of the pickpocket’s line of sight. They probably thought that if he saw us, he wouldn’t respond out of pressure.
It was then that the boy answered in a small voice.
“…My parents.”
At that, a hush fell over the room.
Yes, everyone present here, apart from Jonas and me, were religious figures. The Golden Cross Church was known for its emphasis on charity as a world religion, so they treated the children with utmost sincerity. I had come to this conclusion after wandering around for a few days.
However, at the end of the day, they were merely administrators of the orphanage, referred to as ‘Sister’ or ‘Father’ by the children. They could never truly be the children’s ‘parents.’
“A nobleman said that if I obeyed him and performed well, I could be adopted by a good noble couple.”
At those words, the Archbishop’s shoulders twitched.
“I heard that there are a few other brothers and sisters doing the same! In fact, there are siblings who have already been adopted…”
What a devastating story it was. Even Jonas, who had seen all sorts of horrid things while wandering after failing to protect his lord before meeting the Iron Cross Order, frowned at this.
The Archbishop fell silent for a moment. After some time passed, he took a deep breath to steady his shaky breath and asked again.
“Do you know when this started?”
“—From that time.”
At that moment, my breath caught. The time the child mentioned was precisely when the Empress Faction began to push out the Archbishop and other brokers, claiming that position for themselves.
“…Well then, could you describe what this nobleman looked like?”
After hearing the child’s answer, he entrusted the cleanup to the priests and immediately headed to his office with me.
Even leaving Jonas outside, he closed the door as soon as he entered.
“Please, feel free to ask for whatever you need.”
His voice was impeccably calm and composed, but the flames of rage burned in his eyes.
The description the child provided of the criminal matched Baron von Ulm perfectly. And Baron von Ulm was a strong suspect as the leader of the Empress Faction.
What this implied was straightforward.
The Empress Faction was trying to leverage the orphanage to find a weakness in the Archbishop.
This did not mean that they sought to find a weakness through the children. If that were the case, it might’ve been better.
Instead, they were out to turn the orphanage into a den of criminals, aiming to tarnish the Archbishop and the church altogether.
“If it’s to attack the Empress Faction, I am willing to provide whatever assets the Palatinate Diocese or even the Golden Cross Church within the Empire requires.”
The Archbishop had more than enough motivation to fully align himself with us, beyond merely being in a vague partnership.