Chapter 124: Time to Grant the Request 2
To think that our family would be treated with such disrespect.
Even if Father had maintained neutrality without building up his own separate power base, the opponent’s attack seems to have been carried out too swiftly.
Well, chaos arose with the Emperor’s sudden death, and amidst that turmoil, it wouldn’t be strange for anything to happen. Besides, the succession of power inherently requires a bloody purge, with countless lives lost.
For now, all the conditions for understanding this situation are in place: the temporal background, the situational background, the personal background, and so on. Like a well-crafted alarm clock, it’s ticking away perfectly.
When this alarm clock rings, Father will become a traitor.
“If a trial is held, Father will be imprisoned in the Security Bureau’s basement as a traitor. Our family’s assets will be confiscated. We need to finish this before then. The trial date was the 7th, right?”
“Yes. 5 days left.”
“Security will be the tightest on the day before the trial, so we should aim for the day before that. The evening of the 5th is the latest, then.”
“And while outlining the escape plan, there’s a bit of a problem, or rather…… something that’s hindering us. It’s something we need to address first.”
“What is it?”
“We need internal cooperation.”
Ugh. That’s right. I didn’t think of that.
Old Man saw my expression but didn’t say anything. He just spoke about the task at hand with his usual solemn demeanor.
“After some simple calculations, if we have internal cooperation, the time it takes to leave the mansion and disperse to the selected safe houses is one hour. We can use minimal personnel and funds. However, if we don’t have internal cooperation, it will take roughly two to three hours to gather and transport everyone. It won’t be enough time even if we cause a commotion, and we’ll need a lot more funds to make up for the lost time.”
“And the probability of success will also drop significantly, won’t it?”
“Precisely.”
“Sigh, I see. Internal cooperation, huh. Hmm.”
I scratched my cheek and took a sip of tea.
The place I’m currently at is the balcony of a house overlooking the Herduke family manor. Jay and Old Man have prepared many such safe houses out of boredom and having money to spare.
From my position, I can only barely see the eastern corner of the manor. I’ve been looking for about an hour, but there haven’t been many people passing by.
“First of all, the Lorand Marquisate will be added to the list of people to be rescued. The people from the Bring Count’s family went to Restart’s villa half a year ago and haven’t returned. That lightens the load.”
“Sigh, then that’s a little less than a hundred people.”
“Including the legal scope of guilt by association, it’s about that much.”
“Putting aside the question of success for now, will we be able to get to Orknesia?”
“We are currently making inquiries. We are looking into it in conjunction with Sky Years. It should be clear in two days.”
“As always, your work is reliable. It’s a good thing we have you, Old Man. I’ll leave it to you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll do my best.”
I lifted my teacup, savoring its aroma, and lost myself in thought.
I need to infiltrate the manor and meet Father today. And after revealing my intention to rescue him, I need to persuade him.
Ah, this is going to be difficult.
Father is a man who acts based on rationality, but even if my proposal is rational, I doubt he will accept it. He’s a man with a strong sense of responsibility, so I might have to exploit that as a weakness.
The Security Force won’t enter the manor, so the inside will be completely isolated. It’s more likely that it will be difficult for rumors to leak from the inside to the outside.
Like a gambler calculating odds, I checked how many cards I had in my hand. It seems I might have to use the wild card I’ve been saving for today.
“Old Man.”
“Yes, Master.”
“How many secret passages leading into the manor intersect with our safe houses?”
“Three. The main entrance, the garden, and your room, Master.”
“Prepare the one leading to my room by evening.”
“Understood.”
Old Man bowed politely and retreated with his usual composed gait.
The ability to remain calm in any situation is truly a remarkable talent. It really seems like bringing Old Man in was an excellent choice.
I drank my tea. Even an hour is precious, but now is the time to let time pass.
The most important thing for those imposing isolation is to eliminate secret passages. However, there are secret passages that they will never be able to find.
For example, the secret passage that leads from the basement of a certain ordinary tavern to my room.
Originally, it was at the end of a dead-end alley next to a building, but I bought the tavern building and changed the direction of the passage. It wouldn’t be easy to detect a secret passage with a changing exit.
“Three hours is the limit.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
I entered the passage with a lamp, hunched over. I heard the sound of the door closing behind me and being blocked by a barrel, leaving only the lamp in my hand to illuminate the passage.
I exited the passage, always filled with the smell of dry earth, and entered the original secret passage. In the well-crafted stone underground passage, there were a few of my footprints from the past.
I used to frequent this place, even sacrificing sleep. It’s a memory that now feels distant.
Before reaching my room, I extinguished the lamp and peered into the room through a small hole. It had been more than half a year since I left home, but the room was still clean.
Marlin must have been cleaning it every day.
I quickly slipped through the passage and immediately hid under the bed. This manor, boasting a long history, has secret passages built throughout in the old-fashioned way.
The blueprints have long since disappeared, and even the passages passed down through oral tradition number 24. In reality, there are more than double that.
And so, I moved through several secret passages, from under the bed to behind a statue, from behind the statue to under the stairs, and from under the stairs to inside the fireplace.
I don’t know how Father’s schedule has changed, but generally, he always went to the study after dinner. He was always there, whether he had work or not.
You may not know it, but I meticulously checked the manor’s secret passages. As a result, the only place I can’t access in this manor is my parents’ bedroom.
I emerged from the classic-style passage that opened through the bookshelf in the study. As expected, Father wasn’t there.
I drew the curtains and waited, leaning against the wall in the blind spot of the entrance. After a while, I heard voices from outside.
“Less than a week left. How…… is there no one who can help us?”
“The situation is not that different from what you know, Theron.”
Oh dear. Are Father and Brother coming together? No, it doesn’t matter. Even if the conversation goes south and we end up in a physical fight, I can defeat them both.
The door opened, and the two of them entered. The one who entered last locked the door, and the one who entered first found the lamp and lit it.
The one who locked the door, my brother, approached the window and said,
“The curtains are drawn.”
“I told them to open them again after sunset, but it seems they forgot.”
“It would be difficult for the servants to keep their sanity as well.”
Brother said cynically, trying to open the curtains. That’s when I spoke up abruptly.
“It would be better to leave them closed.”
“Who’s there?!”
Just then, Father’s hand lit the lamp.
As the orange light filled the room, I could see the two of them. From their perspective, they would see a person in black clothes wearing a mask.
Brother’s face hardened as he drew his dagger. Father remained calm, observing me silently. They probably couldn’t see my face clearly yet.
“Since you spoke, it means you’re willing to talk. You don’t seem to be an assassin. Would you mind revealing yourself?”
“Indeed. You’re quite composed.”
Ugh. Even with the mask, the dust made my voice crack. I cleared my throat and lowered the mask as I stepped forward. Brother’s face was etched with shock.
“Ri, Risel……?”
“Was it Risel?”
“It’s been a while, Father, Brother. The house has fallen into quite a state while I was away.”
Brother sheathed his dagger with a displeased expression. Oh, at least he’s not pointing a weapon at me.
“Where have you been all this time? Why are you only showing up now?”
“You’re wrong, Brother. I never came back.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, no one knows you entered the capital. You’re quite resourceful.”
Father nodded calmly. Seeing him completely unfazed, it seems I’m the third Risel to enter this room today.
I shrugged and said,
“At least the Security Force doesn’t know. So, let’s leave the curtains closed and talk for a bit.”
“Very well. Sit down. Theron, you too.”
Brother still had a disagreeable expression. Well, after resetting, I don’t care even if I see that kind of expression.
Father sat Brother next to him, and I ended up sitting opposite them. They might have some idea of what’s going on.
After the three of us were seated, Father asked bluntly,
“You must have heard the news a while ago. Why did you show up now?”
“Let me correct that. It hasn’t even been ten days since I heard the news. I was away on a trip and couldn’t hear it.”
“Hmph. I don’t know where you were gallivanting, but you look well. Did you feel like wandering around knowing the state of our family?”
“Brother, I just want to say one thing.”
“What is it?”
Brother looked at me with an annoyed expression. I showed him a bright smile.
“Your attitude isn’t going to be of any help in our conversation today, so if that’s all you have to say, please keep your noble lips shut.”
“Wh, what……!”
“Theron.”
“But Father……!”
Brother’s expression clearly said that this unmannerly brat who doesn’t even know the hierarchy needs a good beating. However, Father shook his head firmly.
“Let’s hear him out. Before that, you’re aware of the family’s situation, right?”
“I know it’s a situation that will be recorded in the historical annals. Imperial Year 375, the Herduke family attempted a rebellion but was suppressed. It will be recorded like that.”
“You rascal, did you forget human decency while rolling around in the wilderness?”
“Sigh, be quiet.”
I dug my little finger into my ear and flicked it away. I’m sorry, but since I need to take control of the conversation, there’s not much room for manners, Brother.
“You seem to be well-informed. What’s next?”
“To be honest, if I wanted to survive, surviving on my own wouldn’t be a problem. While you two were unaware, I’ve been developing my own resources and have already achieved considerable results. Nevertheless, I returned.”
“Why?”
“To protect my family. So, please just listen to me for a moment.”
Father pondered with a cautious expression and then nodded. Brother reluctantly crossed his arms and leaned back on the sofa.
I grinned and began my story.
The current inescapable situation. The invisible solution. The approaching ruin.
Up to this point, it’s all information the two of them already know. They might not want to accept it, but it’s the most accurate prediction of the future.
I took a deep breath and got to the main point.
A good way to overcome this crisis and save as many people as possible. The method I decided on in an instant after hearing the news.
The method that completely overturns the founding principles of our family.
Perhaps it’s a method I can only employ because I’m not entirely a member of the Herduke family. Maybe to me, who truly died and came back to life, a family that disregards individual worth doesn’t hold much significance.
Faced with my straightforward proposal, Father and Brother reacted as I expected. A natural level of aversion.
“You…… you’ve finally gone mad.”
Brother said, his face pale with shock and anger. Father, too, was simply stunned with a surprised expression.
“If you have any other plans in mind, I’m willing to listen with an open mind. As long as it’s not the plan to obediently appear in court and receive a judgment that’s practically already been decided.”
Father, who had remained silent, didn’t offer an evaluation of my plan or my mental state. What he said was something completely different.
“Home was an unnecessary place for you.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know the exact meaning, but the superficial meaning seemed to fit.
“I understand that your experiences outside have been of great help to you. And also that those are things that couldn’t be taught at home. You mainly developed yourself outside of the home.”
“Father……?”
Brother wore an expression that asked what he meant. I made the same expression inwardly while remaining outwardly silent.
“I won’t bother denying that there’s merit to your words. However, just because I don’t deny it doesn’t mean I’ll follow them. If we carry out your proposal, it’s the same as me admitting to the charges against me. We might save our lives, but we won’t be able to save the honor our family has built up over the years.”
It was a statement that didn’t align with what he had said before. For now, I refuted Father’s words.
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