Absolutely Do Not Touch ELdmia Egga – Chapter 117

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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I followed Luserik, who drove the carriage in silence and composure.

The Noble Council building was located not far from the prison.

Since I’d never been there before, despite living in the capital, I’d imagined something like the British Houses of Parliament.

Surprisingly, the building itself wasn’t that large.

Honestly, I’d worried that everyone would glare at me and try to kill me the moment I stepped inside.

But as I passed by the older private soldiers, they didn’t seem to recognize me, and only whispered amongst themselves.

It seemed unlikely to be a problem.

“I heard over twenty are dead. The ones who made it back alive said a single swing of his sword takes off a head.”

“It’s reassuring that they don’t recognize me even when I’m walking right past them.”

Even though many of them were gathered in groups, talking amongst themselves, mostly about me, no one seemed to recognize me.

“They died because of their own fault, so they probably won’t even get proper condolence money.”

“Whose men were they this time?”

“Viscount Etabil.”

“Whew. That loan shark did it again. I wondered how he kept bringing in private soldiers. Is he just hiring them from random taverns?”

“He might be saddling thugs with debt and bringing them in. I wish he’d think about us, who are struggling too.”

I almost turned around involuntarily, having overheard such unexpected information.

They were casually discussing such things in a public place like this?

Even the soldiers Luserik had brought seemed different in training from the ones I’d killed…

I hadn’t expected their sense of belonging to be different as well, almost as if they were from different units.

And a loan shark?

Could that Etabil fellow be the one who targeted our friend Gies?

Before I could focus on these questions and retrace my memories, Luserik diligently led me to an elegant room on the third floor.

He knocked lightly and announced,

“Your Excellency, Sir Eldmia Egga has arrived.”

“Enter.”

Following Luserik, who opened the door with a respectful posture after the aged voice responded, I entered.

An elderly man with an antique monocle greeted me with a smile.

“We finally meet. A pleasure. I am Duke Lesrom Zrasil Tsin Lawinera, the thorn in the Royalists’ side.”

Quite the cheerful self-introduction, despite his sharp features, which couldn’t be described as affable.

Although I’d never liked the Noble Council, Eldmia Egga, a man who distinguishes between public and private matters, knew how to respond to pleasantries with pleasantries.

Maintaining a respectful posture while I greeted him in kind, I replied,

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency. I am Eldmia Egga, the thorn in the Noble faction’s side.”

“Hahaha. A cheerful fellow indeed. If only there were two like you in the Noble Council, my remaining years would be much more entertaining. Have a seat. It’s impolite to keep a guest standing. Ah, but your introduction is incorrect. You’re not a thorn in our side, surprisingly.”

It seemed the elderly Duke had a very open mind.

However, the nuance that he already knew about me was a bit concerning.

“You seem to know me already.”

I asked, keeping my eyes on him as I sat on the sofa in the center of the room.

Duke Lesrom responded while skillfully preparing tea with a tea set from the side, his movements incredibly familiar.

Wait, the Duke is personally making tea?

“Of course. Your recent activities have been quite spectacular. I know as much as His Majesty does. Conversely, this means His Majesty is also clearly aware of your existence, even before your visit to the Empire. Ah, there’s only one type of tea here, so try it first, and let me know if it’s not to your liking.”

He spoke in a consistently cheerful tone, but the content was far beyond my expectations.

He knew about me even before the visit to the Empire?

Did Ekaf report something?

“Are you curious? You might not be interested, but I hope you find our conversation intriguing. Pleasant conversations begin with intrigue, don’t they?”

Duke Lesrom finished preparing the tea impeccably, almost like the Ogatorf family’s head butler.

He placed the teacups down with flawless movements and sat across from me.

I couldn’t believe my eyes, and my expression must have betrayed my surprise.

“I’m quite good at brewing tea, you see.”

I’d expected to meet someone incredibly overbearing and steeped in authority, but he was so unexpected that I couldn’t predict his actions.

While I remained silent, unable to grasp the situation, Duke Lesrom shrugged and continued speaking.

“Don’t you think magic tools are quite convenient? This teapot has a built-in magic stone. Just infuse it with mana, and it maintains the optimal temperature. I’m quite fond of it. Functionally, it might seem trivial, but in my younger days, this was considered incredibly sophisticated technology.”

“Ah, yes…”

“But this magic technology wasn’t initially created for pleasant tea parties. It’s a byproduct of research into delayed explosion magic, a way to inflict damage on enemies. Ironically, the mages conducting the research, tired of drinking cold tea, applied the technology to create this.”

He shook his head and smiled wistfully, as if reminiscing.

But that expression quickly disappeared, and the conversation naturally shifted.

“Technology, tools, people. They produce entirely different results depending on where and how they’re used. However, there are times when someone who knows how to deploy them effectively has nothing, while someone incompetent holds everything. Lately, that’s been happening quite often, enough to give me heartburn.”

I figured he was about to suggest I join the Noble faction, so I watched him pour the tea with a sullen expression.

“Deltra was the same. He was a talent destined for greater things, but his unwavering loyalty was directed at the wrong person.”

The main topic suddenly emerged.

Fortunately, I managed to maintain my composure this time and asked him calmly,

“Who is Deltra?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know the name. He was one of the knights you killed about two years ago to save Margrave Levien. The one who died with the wyvern.”

Damn it.

Regardless, Duke Lesrom’s reaction remained unchanged.

I checked for any presence nearby and observed Duke Lesrom’s demeanor, but there was nothing unusual.

He simply watched me with an amused expression.

His calm reaction suggested he knew everything, and he wasn’t just testing the waters.

Why had he remained silent until now?

Wasn’t the information regarding Deltra supposed to be presented as evidence in tomorrow’s trial?

Anticipating unforeseen circumstances, I leaned forward slightly, ready to jump up at any moment.

Duke Lesrom laughed and waved his hand.

“You’re like a wild animal. Don’t worry. This isn’t a threat. I brought it up because I needed to explain the situation to ask for your cooperation.”

“The only matter Your Excellency would need my cooperation on would be regarding Margrave Levien.”

“That’s correct. We need to send that good-for-nothing Deltra’s master to the guillotine. Your continued rampage will disrupt our plans.”

“…Excuse me?”

What did I just hear?

Send someone to the guillotine?

Were they planning to cut their losses now?

No, if that were the case, there would be no reason to arrange this meeting.

Nothing made sense, and questions continued to pile up.

Duke Lesrom, with a faint smile, calmly said,

“I can guess what you’re thinking. This isn’t about cutting losses. She was never a ‘loss’ to begin with. To put it bluntly… it’s time to slaughter the boar we’ve kept penned up, preventing it from causing trouble elsewhere.”

He confirmed my thoughts as if he’d read my mind, then took a sip of his tea.

Despite the unsettling content of his words, his demeanor remained unchanged.

“Prioritizing the interests of one’s family and territory. That’s the simple essence of what a noble pursues. But even so, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Without them, we’re no better than bandits. This applies even to us, the Noble faction. Separate from our priorities, there’s one absolute we must uphold.”

“…And is that being upheld?”

“It must be. Swearing loyalty to the royal family. That’s something we cannot, and must not, compromise on. Well, I can’t demand it be upheld even to the point of the family’s annihilation by the royal family, but unless it reaches that point, it’s a given.”

His answer came out as if it were obvious, but coming from the mouth of the Noble faction leader, in direct opposition to the Royalists, it made me tilt my head and look at him askance.

Yet, Duke Lesrom, unfazed by my rudeness, continued,

“I understand I can’t tell you everything, as you don’t yet know who I am. But think about it logically. We’ve been getting along fine next to the current royal family, despite some minor squabbles. If a new family rises up and overthrows the royal family, wouldn’t that be no different from having to rebuild all our relationships and losing everything we’ve built so far? There’s no guarantee we’d gain the same benefits in that new order. We might even incur losses.”

Most nobles aren’t young or lacking enough to desire new wealth and honor through such efforts.

Duke Lesrom’s words, delivered with a satisfied smile after sipping his tea, sounded incredibly rational.

“But that’s just my perspective. Within the Noble Council, there are those who believe themselves capable and young enough to be king. Unfortunately, the truly competent individuals are either on the battlefield or away from the capital, so there’s little comparison. Perhaps because they’ve been steadily lining their pockets while those sacrifices have been made for seven years… they seem to have lost all sense of propriety.”

“And what does that have to do with Margrave Levien?”

“Hmm, that’s a bit tricky to explain. For now… let’s just say her existence played a significant role in the traitor’s plans.”

Even if he’d readily shared information, I would have been suspicious, but I had no reason to trust Duke Lesrom at this point.

And he wanted me to stay put under these circumstances?

No way.

“That won’t stop me from acting to ensure Margrave Levien’s safety, Your Excellency.”

“Of course not. That’s why I intend to write you a written oath.”

“…A written oath?”

“Without any wordplay. If Margrave Levien isn’t completely acquitted in tomorrow’s trial, and the traitor isn’t revealed… let’s see, I’ll relinquish all my titles and assets. With my official seal and signature, of course. What do you say?”

Faced with Duke Lesrom, who was willing to bet everything he had – his titles and assets – as a guarantee for his promise to expose the traitor and ensure Lagnis’s acquittal, I could only do one thing.

Rack my brain and try to figure out what his angle was.

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[Politics hurt my head tbh, but god chapter]