Chapter 80#

Chaise a la ReineChapter 80#

He needed a good reason to do something that was tantamount to snitching on his own people.

Eugène spoke up, hoping to steer their conversation toward a more productive direction.

“I know you recently apprehended a spy from the Confederation of Five Nations. Were you unable to extract any information from her?”

Victor gave Eugène a startled look, shocked that he would so casually reveal a state secret. It was incomprehensible to him that such confidential information would be disclosed in front of an underworld figure.

However, the thought lasted only a moment. He quickly understood Eugène’s intent. Though he could not know the exact reason, it was clear Eugène believed that sharing this information with the Hunter would be beneficial for the negotiation.

“Thanks to the assistance we received from you at the time, we made significant progress. We apprehended two cells and uncovered one of their infiltration routes. But that is where it ended. The trail went cold. We have not been able to uncover anything regarding their higher command.”

He responded naturally, just as Eugène had intended.

“What is more concerning is that their activity is far more substantial than we had anticipated. Among the Nightwings’ hideouts we raided, we were fortunate enough to recover an encrypted supply manifest. Once deciphered, the scale of it was beyond anything we imagined. The amount of supplies listed corresponds to a force the size of a battalion. If that is the scale managed by a single cell, then the overall force must be even larger. That implies something close to a full-scale operation, yet we have no clue as to their objective.”

No matter how powerful the Confederation of Five Nations might be, dispatching thousands of agents into a foreign state was no small feat. Running such a vast human network was tantamount to war and required a continuous expenditure of resources that no nation could sustain for long.

What that means is this: whatever plot the Confederation of Five Nations is weaving within the empire, it is bound to erupt soon. With the amount of manpower and materiel they have invested, they will undoubtedly aim for an outcome equivalent to war, even if not war itself.

Eugène’s expression hardened as he realized the gravity of the situation. While Ebroin V had intended to reorganize the Imperial Navy during the internal turmoil the Confederation of Five Nations was undergoing in their transition to a federal system, the situation now suggested they had already taken countermeasures.

Their plan to stir unrest within the empire was likely designed to ensure the empire could not direct its attention outward while they stabilized their own political affairs.

The first plausible scenario I can think of is rebellion, but the odds of success are too slim. The current Emperor is not only legitimate in bloodline but also politically flawless, commanding unwavering support from both the military and the populace. It is true that the nobles are preoccupied with factional interests, but not to the extent of endorsing a rebellion without cause.

What’s more, Prince Merrick was no match for the Emperor. Compared to the Emperor, a war hero and the restorer of Landrienne, Prince Merrick lacked symbolic authority, and even more so, he lacked the capacity. Even if one were to use him as a figurehead in a rebellion, it would undoubtedly end in swift failure. And once that rebellion was suppressed, it would be equal to eliminating the last threat to imperial sovereignty.

“… As Mr. Adelphe said, it is frustrating how little we know. I cannot even begin to guess what they are plotting.”

EUgène mUrmUred, a low note of genUlne anxlety eScaplng hlm, the orlglnal lntent behlnd hlS qUeStlon now forgotten.

He had conSldered coUntleSS poSSlbllltleS beyond rebelllon, bUt each had ltS flawS. GlVen the conSlderable nUmber of perSonnel moblllZed, lt waS already clear that Some form of mllltary force waS lnVolVed. BUt eVen ln the capltal alone, the lmperlal GUard nUmbered oVer thlrty thoUSand, So there waS only So mUch a force of SeVeral thoUSand coUld accompllSh.

Even an armed upriSing would be quaShed within dayS, or at moSt, a few monthS, and a nation aS Solidly inStitutionaliZed aS the empire would not be So eaSily Shaken.

“Try thinking creatively. What would it take to plunge a stable and prosperous empire like this one into chaos for several years? It would require something that shakes the very foundations of the state.”

The Emperor, noting Eugène’s genuine concern, spoke with unnerving calm, as if it were all someone else’s business. Yet his tone hinted that he had something specific in mind. Sensing this, Eugène asked cautiously.

“Do you, perhaps, have any suspicions, sir?”

Eugène, well aware of the Emperor’s unparalleled acuity, fixed his gaze on him with a glimmer of hope.

“To a certain extent. Let me offer a simple example. What if the rebellion were not merely a rebellion, but one that presupposed the assassination of the Emperor? Suppose that before anything even begins, the Emperor and all his children are killed in a single coordinated strike. Then the only remaining heir to the throne would be Prince Merrick. The chances of success would increase immeasurably, would they not?”

The Emperor spoke blithely of the possibility of his own assassination, not only his own, but that of his children as well. Had anyone else spoken such words, they would have been executed for lèse-majesté. Eugène, aghast, could scarcely conceal his shock.

“If such conveniently timed fortune were to fall upon one man alone, every citizen of the empire would suspect Prince Merrick. There is no way the nobility would accept a usurper with the blood of His Majesty and His Majesty’s young children, who are not even ten years old, on his hands.”

“Indeed.”

“Then?”

“That would be Prince Merrick’s problem, would it not? What does it matter to the Confederation of Five Nations? If the empire is thrown into turmoil as a result, all the better for them.”

Though he said as much, the Emperor was expecting their conspiracy to unfold in a far more complicated manner. For there were still puzzle pieces left in his grasp that had yet to be fitted together. He could glimpse part of the picture, but the full form remained elusive.

The Silver Fox of Rodom had woven her scheme with care, like a tapestry, and the intricate weave of warp and weft ensnared the steps of any who dared trace it.

After hearing the explanation, the assumption did seem reasonable, and precisely for that reason, Eugène grew all the more furious.

So then, knowing all that, His Majesty is still wandering about alone like this? At a time like this, when assassins targeting his life could leap out from any shadow?!

Eugène’s insides churned with such rage that he could hardly contain himself. It had been ages since he’d last been this angry. If he weren’t the Emperor, Eugène would have grabbed him by the collar right then and there.

“What the hell are you all talking about? ‘Nightwings’? Don’t tell me… You mean that Nightingale that Silver Fox bitch keeps?”

Just in time, Hunter interjected before Eugène’s temper reached its peak. He had a rough idea of the situation from the exchange so far, and asked in a voice chilled to ice.

“Tell me. The people you are after… are they really Nightingales?”

He glared at Eugène, his eyes glowing with determination, as if he would not tolerate nonsense. Seeing that look, Eugène barely managed to suppress his seething emotions. He was still frighteningly angry, but right now it was more important to get Hunter to understand than to focus on his own feelings.

“There is no nightingale in the empire. That bird only nests in the Confederation of Five Nations.”

Indeed, there were no nightingales in the empire. Here, the bird was regarded as a rare and beautiful pet that could not be easily seen, but in the Confederation of Five Nations, it was nothing more than a common resident bird found anywhere. That is why Rodom’s spies were called by the codename ‘Nightwings’, instead of their original name, ‘Nightingales’, in the empire. The empire’s people found it absurd to refer to a foreign espionage organization with a name that reminded them of dainty little pet birds owned by noblewomen.

“You mean to say that the Nightwings came in through my smuggling route?”

“From the looks of it, we have already suspected as much. As I understand it, they have their own infiltration routes, but I doubt they could have handled all those hundreds of people.”

Of course, not all of those hundreds were Nightwings. Surely, some were just regular troops smuggled in under cover. But if even one among them was someone who sang for the Silver Fox, then Hunter would never forgive himself for letting them slip by under his nose.

Nightwings were the hidden daggers of Queen Gwyneth, who was known as the Silver Fox of Rodom. Not only in the empire, but even within the Confederation of Five Nations, they had spun countless webs of conspiracies. And one of those schemes had destroyed Hunter’s family.

Victor gave Hunter a questioning look, but Eugène shook his head slightly as this was not the time or place to explain. He chose instead to give Hunter space until the man reached a decision on his own.

“So that bitch’s pet birds were chirping in my front yard, were they?”

Hunter chuckled lowly, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. The fact that he had unknowingly been used by the enemy who ruined his family made him want to tear himself apart with fury, and yet, it also brought a twisted relief that at last, he now knew.

He had clashed now and then with the immediate culprit, Count Baltenor, but had yet to exact any vengeance upon the one who backed him: Marquis Lecaster. He had been too far out of reach for Hunter to strike.

“How kind of them, walking straight into my reach like this.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“What kind of question is that? Sounds like there is going to be quite the grand feast, and if you do not invite me, I will resent you for life.”

Though his eyes were still glinting cold and sharp, Hunter had more or less regained his composure. He tapped Eugène on the thigh and added with a smirk,

“Damn it, and you knew all this but did not tell me? Huh?”

He even stuck out his lower lip a little in mock offense at Eugène, who had kept silent about all this until the time was right.

“So, what do you want me to do? Just so you know, I do not work for free. I will give you a special discount, though.”

Hunter bit down on his crooked smile as he asked. It was Victor, not Eugène, who answered his question.

“As we discussed, we would like you to first disclose your smuggling route. Also, we will need your help searching areas where enemy forces could be hiding. Even if they are scattered, the individual units are likely to be quite large. The Nightwings are capable, yes, but not even they can manage that many people individually.”

The empire’s territory is far too vast for Victor’s organization to cover alone. On the other hand, Hunter’s Jackdaw Syndicate had sprawling networks that extended not only into the capital but across the provinces as well, driven by profit and personal gain.

“If such places exist, they are likely not within the capital. There is no location in the city where so many foreigners could gather without being noticed. If there were, I would have heard something already.”