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"............"
This is more discomfort than I felt toward Noor when treating Naamis.
It may seem strange to say it myself, but I trusted the count's servants.
Even though the salary has been reduced due to my blunders, the important servants who followed me in my inexperience, I can't believe that a traitor would get mixed up amongst them.
I took care of all the traitors who entered in the past with Bosco.
Looking back, that was the first time I killed someone, and I killed those I trusted with my own hands.
I have to kill the people I trust again, and that's the nature of this discomfort.
'Bosco."
'Yes?"
After seeing off the carriage with the duke, I call out to Bosco, who is waiting for me as I enter the mansion.
He must have understood what I was going to do, and had a prepared expression on his face.
"I will find the traitor.
There is no time to lose, so we have until the end of the night to come up with a plan and put it into motion".
"Yes, Count Dicaman."
I will only be called Count Dicaman if Bosco is unemotional.
"First, activate the wiretap protection charms and make it difficult for the traitor to contact the Duke."
"It's time for me to make my patrols, so I'll check to see if anyone is acting suspiciously."
'I'll leave it to you."
Parting from Bosco, I headed for the study.
I never thought I would have to suspect the servants. ......
If there was a person who passed information to the duke, it would not be an existence that would be immediately discovered, and in some cases, there is a possibility that they have already escaped.
If magicians are included in the investigation, it will take even more time.
"The clownfish."
The power of jealousy calls forth a creature that excels at concealment.
It can be allowed to wander around the mansion, but experiments with its abilities have shown that it is not capable of giving very detailed orders.
Order: "Put to sleep anyone who tries to leave the Count's residence."
The last time I knocked out the duke's secret agent, the order was to knock him out without injury and bring him back.
"Bring him to me" is the order, and "without injury" and "stunned" are the conditions.
First of all, I know that I can always fulfill the main one, even if I move as many living creatures as I can at the same time.
However, if I added more than five requirements, there was a high probability of failure even if the number of creatures I was moving was small, and the more creatures I moved, the less I could achieve.
In addition, even if there was only one, the conditions were often unattainable if many abilities were given.
In the case of the current order, "Put to sleep those who try to leave the Count's mansion," the condition is "those who try to leave the Count's mansion," and the order is "put to sleep.
There are roughly 20 creatures released in and around the mansion, so the order with one condition should never fail. Maybe ......
"But what should I really do?"
For a moment, I thought that if I ordered all the creatures set up in the Count's mansion to bring the traitor to me, I could bring him to me, but I still didn't know the details of the conditions, and there was the risk that the servants would see the creatures I had created.
It is impossible to find out the traitor only with the ability of jealousy because there are too many uncertain factors and the level of skill.
If this is the case, Bosco will interview all the servants of the Count's family, giving the highest priority to the servants he considers suspicious. ......
No, if that's all it takes to get caught, it was already done the last time.
"I have no choice but to rely on Bosco again. ......?"
It is not a good sign that I, as the head of the family, am dependent on a single servant, even if he is the one I trust the most.
At least one method must be thought of before Bosco comes back.
ーーーーー
In the rocking carriage returning from Count Dickaman's residence to the Ducal Palace, there I was reflecting on my conversation with Count Dickaman.
He had become the head of the count's family at a young age and was supporting the count's family.
He had worked hard, but he was not always stuffy, and because he was in love with his daughter, he had used her for his convenience.
But that change ......
As I was concentrating on my thoughts, I received a call from the steward in charge of the duke's household.
"'A call for a report, eh?
I completely forgot about it."
No, I'm sorry to have bothered you so much.'
"No problem.
"Well, then..."
The Count was very scary.
I interrupted the butler's attempt to speak and gave him my impression of the Count.
Just before we met, I was going to ask him to resume his support.
It was not only to reduce the burden on the ducal family, but also to improve the reputation of the Count in my domain, who is also my daughter's fiancée, but I had found a weakness in his protection of the Bertona family members and was thinking of asking him to break off the engagement, which was my daughter's desire.
"I felt that Count Khalil Diqaman was the vessel of a king, the king and vizier of this country, the enemy of the empire but the emperor of the empire, and I felt that he was the same."
I can't explain it well, but when I come in contact with the people I just mentioned, I feel as if something mysterious is looking at me.
I still don't understand what it is, but all I know is that they are all very talented people.
"That's ......."
"I changed my plans as soon as I saw it.
I tried to gain the upper hand by showing that I had a weakness while negotiating with some degree of concession so as not to be completely antagonized. ......"
I broke all the plans I had in mind and thought about establishing good relations with the counts.
However, due to my policy, I felt more hostility from the Count than I had expected, and this time I changed it to a move aimed at improving relations while threatening him a little.
He knew that I was hiding the descendant of a hero in the duke's household, and I got a painful comeback."
'How did that information leak out?!"
"I don't know how it leaked out."
"We will immediately begin an investigation of the duke's family, to see if there are any spies in the family."
The steward said, "There are no spies in the duke's family."
Even if there were, there is no way to know that the person is a descendant of a hero, a fact known only to myself, the butler and my daughter.
It will take time to find out. If we wait until after the change of the Count, we will definitely not be able to find out in time.
"I'm sorry, I need to think, so I'm going to cut off now."
"I'm sorry, I need to do some thinking".
I am very tired and would like to take a rest right now, but the problems are piling up.
Managing the dukedom without the count's support, improving the count's reputation in the dukedom, persuading my daughter to ......
'Perhaps I have spoiled her too much."
I dote on my daughter, as those around me say.
But I have taught her the duties of an aristocrat, the engagement being a prime example, and I have told her several times, even if she does not yet understand me as a young girl.
I thought that one day she would understand, but she never approached the Count, and she was attracted to the young man she was spending time with.
I probably should have had a better discussion with my daughter, but I thought that she was only a countess, and I put her feelings first.
I put my daughter's feelings first, and as it turned out, I was wrong.
"Regret that now? ......
I'm sorry, Carna, but I seem to have made another mistake."
The smile of my late wife that came to my mind, the smile that was lost because of me.
I had a feeling that I was going to lose another important person.