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

The two successfully resolved their conflict and returned to their usual state.

During the process, there was a small anecdote about Ariel kicking the blankets and rolling around, claiming the gift was for her, but that was merely a side note.

Time passed, and the one who had been sent to investigate Albrecht returned to Hespania, and the two began analyzing the information they had gathered.

This matter was conducted discreetly, without informing their retainers.

It wasn’t until ten days later that the results reached Yulken’s ears, and today, they gathered not in the reception room but in his study to discuss matters.

“I’m sorry, Father. I keep making you call for me…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been feeling quite uneasy about certain things myself.”

Yulken waved off his daughter’s apology nonchalantly while reading the report.

Today, they were discussing not only Albrecht but also summarizing events that had occurred recently during the Whitewood recapture, something he had been waiting to do.

News that the foreign tribes, who had always fiercely resisted and troubled the northern residents, had recently weakened was certainly a matter of curiosity for him.

“Oh, it seems Mother is not here.”

“Hmm, she said she would be meeting a friend.”

Helene had briefly left the castle, so today only the three of them were gathered.

Even if she were present, Yulken would have preferred not to discuss such matters with his wife.

“Let’s set aside the Marquis of Bertus for now and talk about the foreign tribes. What information do we have?”

“Due to tight security, we couldn’t gather specific details, but it’s clear that they are quite disorganized.”

“Disorganized? That’s a vague expression.”

While he wasn’t sure what kind of disorganization it referred to, such a description when assessing the enemy’s mood usually indicated a lack of discipline or unclear command structures.

However, since Edgar had previously mentioned the tight security, it didn’t seem to be the former.

Moreover, the foreign tribes had a long-standing tradition of absolute obedience to their leaders, so it was tough to consider it the latter.

As Yulken’s confusion deepened, Edgar pointed out a part of the report and added further explanation.

It was noted that this part contained some of his guesses.

“Based on the current situation, it seems likely that there has been some issue with the command structure for certain reasons.”

“That’s a bit unexpected. As you know, the foreign tribes are typically quite loyal to their leaders. Is there a reason for this?”

“Yes. More specifically, I suspect that something has happened to Kelrag.”

At this unexpected news, Yulken’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

In other words, the reason Edgar thought their command structure was shaken was not because the loyalty of their subordinates had weakened, but because their leader had either died or had some kind of issue.

This was a conjecture from Edgar, but it also stemmed from three days of brainstorming with Ariel and other retainers.

“Given their barbaric nature, it wouldn’t be surprising if they got hurt at any time. However, I heard they’ve been quite subdued since then.”

After occupying Whitewood, the foreign tribes had remained quiet, defending their hold without engaging in nearly any battles beyond that.

If a figure like Kelrag had participated in combat, there would surely have been some movement captured in intelligence.

Of course, other possibilities were also plenty.

For instance, illness or an assassination attempt.

However, considering that the foreign tribes were naturally physically robust, previous leaders rarely suffered from illnesses.

Furthermore, an assassination attempt seemed odd; those opposing the foreign tribes would likely be part of the Empire, and if so, they would probably attempt large-scale extermination rather than settle for mere assassination attempts.

“Yes, I’ve thought about it deeply, but apart from a few puzzling rumors, I found nothing definitive. However, some questions do linger.”

“What kind of questions?”

“I’m about to explain that.”

In another document Edgar brought, there were descriptions of the circumstances surrounding the battle in Whitewood during the time Yulken had been captured.

“According to the report, all the troops hiding in the forest to launch a surprise attack were annihilated by fire attacks, and it is presumed that the enemies who came through the canyon ambushed Whitewood from behind.”

“That was literally the case. But didn’t we fail to find any concrete traces regarding that matter?”

Yulken, upon returning to the castle that time, had thoroughly investigated that issue but found little success.

It was generally presumed that they had utilized large-scale magic to burn the forest and somehow managed to evade surveillance to attack through the far end of the canyon.

However, that was merely speculation, a combat analysis anyone could perform by observing the circumstances.

In other words, unless something concrete was discovered, they could ultimately only remain in the realm of conjecture.

As Yulken looked at Edgar as if asking whether he had found anything, Ariel nodded and stepped forward to continue.

“The truth is, this ties back to the Marquis of Bertus.”

“Hm? How does that connect to him?”

What connection could there possibly be between the foreign tribes and the imperial family of Bertus?

Yulken’s eyes widened at the unexpected news.

“You must know, Father, what lies at the entrance of the canyon leading to Whitewood.”

This canyon is known as the longest and largest in the country, its length and depth exceeding imagination.

The endpoint is located at Whitewood in the northwest, while the starting point is situated to the southeast.

And at that entrance, the Bertus family, more precisely, the Baltreg family, linked to the Bertus family, stood guard like a watchtower.

In other words, what the two were suggesting was this.

For some unknown reason, the foreign tribes made a deal with the Bertus family, agreeing to ignore the troops ambushing through the canyon, which ultimately resulted in the surprise attack on Whitewood.

However, Yulken found many flaws in that notion.

Above all, while the Bertus family—specifically, Albrecht—had many peculiar points, why would a member of the Empire conspire with a foreign tribe? That was where the story lost its coherence.

“Wouldn’t you say that this is a rather far-fetched assumption? To consider that merely a connection…”

“I thought so too. But looking at the information the intelligence you sent brought in changes the narrative a bit.”

Ariel presented a newly found piece of paper that detailed the acquaintances of Albrecht and the investigations into his actions.

Though there were some trivial details scattered throughout, they had been instructed to investigate as much trivial information as possible, so it didn’t matter.

The problem was the rather strange content written right in the center.

“Do you see? It says, ‘The head of the Baltreg family visited the castle and talked. The content is undisclosed.’”

“The date… I see. That was ten days before the surprise at Whitewood.”

The timing was uncomfortably perfect, almost a bit strange.

Moreover, while other conversations from different days were recorded in reasonably detailed manner, the fact that this particular discussion was explicitly labeled as undisclosed was certainly peculiar.

One could at least mention it casually to close associates, so why such silence?

“This information may not be officially released, but… it’s estimated that about 200 mercenaries suddenly went missing around this date.”

“Indeed, it becomes increasingly perplexing. While not known to the public, it seems that something occurred behind the scenes.”

It would have been better if the movement of the mercenaries was something the Empire could visibly track, but the fact that it was done secretly implied there was something to conceal.

“And lastly… this is just a rumor, but it’s written in the report brought back by an investigator from Whitewood.”

“Hmm. ‘They were trembling with anxiety. Some from the foreign tribe yelled that trusting them was foolish. Their true identities were not discovered.’”

“What if ‘they’ referred to the Bertus family?”

The pieces fell into place disturbingly well.

Of course, the evidence was scant at best, barely reaching the level of suspicion, but Yulken inexplicably felt goosebumps.

Most importantly, while Ariel didn’t directly mention it, if it turned out that the Bertus family indeed supported the foreign tribes, it could certainly explain how they had conducted the fire attacks through the snow-covered dense forest.

“Alright, I’ll admit there’s a possibility in your speculation. However, Ariel, you know as well as I do that this doesn’t even reach the level of proper suspicion.”

“Of course. I don’t even plan to inform the retainers about this or order a large-scale investigation.”

Who would recklessly speak of something without justification or evidence? The two of them knew better than anyone.

However, what mattered in this process was not whether Albrecht really conspired with the foreign tribes.

It was merely that ‘two pieces of information casually stumbled upon intertwined, and let’s keep that in mind.’

Being vigilant and being unmindful always exhibits a striking difference.

It wouldn’t be wrong to consider that the acceptance of the surprise attack on Whitewood stemmed from such a difference in vigilance.

“For now, I’m satisfied with just keeping this in mind. If there’s any contact between the two groups or they show suspicious movement, we can react more certainly then.”

“…Right, good thinking. So, shall we continue investigating the Bertus family?”

Ariel nodded silently.

Now that they had found a clue, there was no way they could just overlook it.

“Proceed as discreetly as possible. If this turns out to be a mere coincidence, it would be problematic if we were revealed to have secretly investigated them.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

A long tail eventually gets stepped on.

That wouldn’t only apply to them, and Ariel was well aware of it.

That’s why she had instructed the subordinates she had ordered to prioritize not being discovered over gathering information.

“For now, let’s erase it from our minds until we receive new information. It’ll only tire us both.”

“Yes, Father. By the way, how about we share a quiet meal together since we’re on the topic?”

“Sounds good. How about you? Care for a drink as well?”

“Today seems fine as I have no schedule. Even if I did, I wouldn’t refuse the drink from you, Father.”

With a pleased smile from Yulken, Ariel neatly disposed of the stack of papers she held.

After all, the original copies existed separately, hidden in a location only known to the two of them.

Now, it was time to indulge in a pleasant and harmonious moment, leaving thoughts aside for a while.

“By the way, I heard something unusual coming from the office the other day… Do you have any idea what it was?”

“Ah, Father!”

Ariel, dreaming blissfully, screamed as her father teased her.

It had already been difficult enough to show her face in the office the next day because of that incident, and just as she was beginning to forget it, why bring it up again?

It felt increasingly like Edgar was taking after Yulken, and Yulken was morphing into Edgar.