Absolutely Do Not Touch ELdmia Egga – Chapter 112

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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[T/N: Hey Bois sorry I fucked up the last chap it was this one so I posted the correct chap for the previous one so please go back and read that one]

I thought it was the first time that tranquility had been so unwelcome.

What unfolded before me as I returned to the mansion with desperate thoughts was the peaceful greeting of the gatekeepers and the ever-quiet atmosphere of the mansion.

And all these elements were proof that no news had been received about the situation I had just experienced.

How nice it would have been if I could have simply introduced Asirye and ended the day with laughter, but in this already ruined situation, there was no room for such leisure.

Unable to properly respond to the warm greetings directed at me after my long absence, I practically ran up to Lord Ekaf’s presence.

There, I had to introduce Asirye as briefly as possible before delivering the news that Lagnis had been taken away.

At first, Lord Ekaf’s expression, which had been utterly peaceful despite his apparent bewilderment, began to deteriorate rapidly.

“They’re really… coming at us from an unexpected angle. No matter how many entanglements there are this time, to think they would make such a bold move…”

“Do you have any idea what this might be about, sir?”

“It’s… still too vague to say. I need to meet with His Majesty immediately and discuss this with others. Make sure to inform the head butler about how to handle Renisa’s response.”

Even as he spoke, Ekaf continued to ponder deeply.

As he hurriedly grabbed his coat and stood up, he didn’t forget his courtesy towards Asirye.

“I apologize for not being able to properly receive you after you’ve come such a long way, Asirye. I’ll come to see you as soon as this matter is settled. I’ll have a room prepared for you, so please make yourself at home.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Lord Ogatorf.”

“It’s nothing compared to how he has helped us. Well then, Eldmia. Please speak to Cheryl later as well.”

“Isn’t she at the Academy?”

“You know my daughter’s personality. I can’t not tell her, and once she knows, she’ll come running immediately.”

Lord Ekaf understood his daughter as much as he loved her.

It wasn’t difficult for me to imagine Cheryl going berserk as well.

At first, it seemed a bit bleak, but I started to feel considerably more at ease when I thought that this might be better than the worst-case scenario of her remaining at the Academy and getting into physical altercations with the noble children involved in this incident.

I didn’t think Cheryl would be unable to take care of herself due to a moment of emotion, but precisely because of that, I couldn’t ignore the possibility that she might exploit her equal status as an Academy student to a truly vicious extent.

Rather than leaving such an unpredictable element behind, it was clearly more beneficial in the long run to have her return to the mansion.

While I was reaching this conclusion, the uncharacteristically flustered Lord Ekaf gave brief instructions to the head butler before personally riding out of the mansion on horseback.

Simultaneously, the mansion quickly became unsettled, a stark contrast to the tranquility of just moments ago.

Even as we followed the head butler to the room where Asirye would be staying, it wasn’t hard to see people gathering in groups, exchanging questions, having noticed something amiss from Lord Ekaf’s urgent demeanor.

Some tried to question me, having found a clue in the fact that Lord Ekaf had rushed out immediately after I had came in, but they were forced to retreat under the stern gaze of the head butler, who prioritized manners, as Asirye was, after all, a guest, regardless of her connection to me.

“You can use this room. If you need anything, please ring the bell provided, and we will respond immediately. Eldmia? You have no immediate tasks, so please rest and chat.”

With that, the head butler, who had guided us to the room where I had first met Cheryl when I came to the mansion, closed the door with a final consideration towards me.

“Despite the bad situation, they’re good people,” Asirye commented.

“It’s a reflection of the head of the family’s righteous character,” I replied.

However, faced with the immediate problem, there was no time for such casual conversation about daily life.

Leaving Asirye to leisurely explore the room, I sat on the sofa and fell into deep thought.

No matter how much I pondered, it was unrealistic for me to predict the excuses the Noble Council would make.

Therefore, what I needed to think about right now was not that, but rather distinguishing between enemies and allies, as well as the circumstances that led to this action.

First, the conflict between the Royalist faction and the Noble faction ran deep, so the possibility of everyone except Lord Ekaf joining hands against Lagnis was infinitely close to zero.

In such a situation, if the Royalist faction had anticipated this problem in advance, the information should have naturally been passed on to Lord Ekaf as well.

No matter what anyone said, he was the figure who had stood at the forefront when Lagnis returned to the capital.

He must surely be classified as a trusted core figure within the Royalist faction.

It was equally unlikely that other members of the Royalist faction had discussed this without giving him any hint.

In other words, the Royalist faction was probably just learning about this problem now.

“I didn’t study noble law…”

If I had known even a little, I could have at least pondered whether there were any legal flaws, but since I knew absolutely nothing, all I could do was speculate based on what I had overheard.

Lagnis hadn’t been able to refute the claims made by that guy for her arrest.

But it was also true that she had initially mentioned a royal decree.

If that was the case, it would be correct to assume that in this country, there were two methods for arresting a noble: one involving a formal document issued by the royal family, and another involving a kind of arrest warrant issued by the Noble Council.

Today’s action seemed closer to detaining a suspect to prevent them from fleeing before the trial scheduled for tomorrow, but the nuance suggested that forced execution was also possible in case of non-compliance.

Moreover, they even had the discretion to directly open a trial.

Looking at the conditions laid out, they were overwhelmingly favorable to the Noble Council.

Unless the royal family and the Royalist faction were complete idiots, things shouldn’t have unfolded this way.

And yet, for them to move to this extent…

“They either prepared in advance… or were in an extreme hurry.”

As far as I knew, there had been no notable movements from the Noble faction during the year and a half since Lagnis had returned to the capital.

Once she had entered the capital, they couldn’t openly interfere, and Lagnis had also moved cautiously, prioritizing internal affairs.

It was obvious that this would happen, which was why the Noble faction had tried to secure Lagnis before her official entry into the capital, even going so far as to employ extreme measures like Biryong and Deltra.

[T/N: Honestly, I couldn’t manage to remember who these two people were, so imagine if it was something cool]

Since that had failed, it would have been difficult for them to move without a pretext from our side.

It didn’t make sense that they would have made thorough preparations without knowing what kind of pretext might arise.

They lacked both manpower and financial resources.

They were keeping the Royalist faction in check, not just Lagnis alone.

They had hurried.

Extremely so.

Why?

Looking at the circumstances, the only thing that could have caused them to hurry was this visit to the Empire.

And I was at the core of all the events resulting from that visit to the Empire.

“Shit.”

Lagnis had clearly said that she had submitted something like a report to the royal family every single day during our stay in the Empire.

Surely there must have been a leak during that process.

That’s how information worked.

The one who defeated the Hero.

The one who killed Rudra’s son of a bitch.

The one who rescued the Imperial Princess.

How would the Noble faction have viewed the situation where someone not only had such an attendant without any fuss, but also received a direct invitation from the Empire?

Despite having no previous connection with the Empire, this person had left enormous traces with just a single visit, becoming like a bridgehead that signaled a positive turn in diplomacy between the kingdom and the empire.

From a general perspective, one might repeatedly curse “we’re screwed” while biting their nails, but it seemed the Noble faction bastards had a change of perspective.

If they couldn’t occupy the bridge, they decided to destroy it.

On the surface, during this visit, Lagnis had been my master.

Thinking in line with the aristocratic idea that a servant’s achievements are the master’s accomplishments, it would naturally appear that Lagnis had gained tremendous rapport with the Imperial family because of me.

But what would typically happen if such a Lagnis were branded as someone who had been preparing a rebellion within the kingdom?

Assuming things progressed according to their wishes, not only would Lagnis completely fall from grace, but the Empire would also have to withdraw, at least initially, to avoid suspicion of involvement in the kingdom’s rebellion.

As for my treatment… while it was uncertain for now, later on, the Noble faction would somehow try to deal with me, suspecting my connection to her.

Still, thanks to the three great achievements I had shown earlier, they might have planned to watch the Empire’s reaction and deal with me moderately, or even to gift me to the Empire outright.

And in the process of leading this, they might seek to re-establish their initiative regarding friendly relations with the Empire.

That is, if it had been a typical case.

Unfortunately, the relationship between myself, Esmée, and Lagnis was anything but typical.

“What are you pondering so deeply about?” Asirye asked.

“I’m desperately praying that just this once, all my anxious predictions will come true,” I replied.

“…Is it good for anxious predictions to come true?”

“Just this once.”

Even the Noble faction couldn’t have factored in my personal relationships with women into their plans, so I continued to pray fervently even as I answered Asirye.

God, please, even if it’s just this once, let me catch a break in life.

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