“Do you have any idea what you have done?!”
A few days after the social gathering ended, Dmitri returned from training with his lips pressed tightly together.
“…I do.”
“And you committed such a rash act knowing full well?”
Before him lay a letter in an envelope, alongside his father, who was roaring with anger.
“A letter like this arrived from House Speda today! Read it!”
He already knew what it would say.
When he removed the letter from the envelope, it was exactly as expected. It was a protest regarding his behavior at the social gathering.
“What were you thinking?”
“It was a good opportunity to keep her in check.”
She had hunted a Diawolf during her coming-of-age ceremony. Naturally, he had assumed it was a lie.
Even if it were true, she could not have hunted it alone. He had thought that pointing that out would be a perfect opportunity to undermine Luciana, an opponent from the other faction.
“That tongue of yours never runs out of excuses. You lost the argument, left the social gathering first, and only damaged your own standing.”
Grit.
It was infuriating, but because it was true, he had nothing to say.
Who could have known? Until now, Luciana had responded to his challenges only with a mild denial or silence.
Yet not only had she actively defended herself, she had even attempted a counterattack.
“I have told you again and again. Feuding with the daughter of House Speda over that paltry pride of yours does nothing to help our house.”
“….”
Paltry pride.
At those words from Count Valtrion, Dmitri’s face twisted in a most gratifying fashion.
He had a strong body compared to his peers and took considerable pride in it.
In the North, the prey hunted at a coming-of-age ceremony was a point of pride through which young nobles displayed their martial prowess.
In truth, Dmitri was not someone who fell short anywhere. During his coming-of-age ceremony a few months ago, he had hunted a Northern Orc, a creature known for its ferocity.
But compared to the Diawolf Luciana had hunted, its brilliance had faded.
He had already been compared to her often, whether over their houses or their martial prowess.
Inferiority and jealousy.
Those murky emotions soon spilled outward.
Into political disputes, the one thing he was confident he could handle better than Luciana.
“Confine yourself to the estate for a month and cool your head.”
But he had lost even at that and ended up in this state.
“Damn it….”
Back in his room, Dmitri vented his anger on the innocent floor.
It was an order from his father, the head of the house. Unable to take revenge on Luciana, he was fated to keep his head down within the estate for the time being.
But then.
Dmitri, who had been raging as he wrecked his room, calmed down in an instant.
“This is better. The Martial Arts Tournament will be held in a month anyway. If I only have the Amplification Orb…!”
Not stopping there, an ominous laugh filled his room.
Dmitri’s mind was already a month ahead. He imagined himself bringing Luciana to her knees in an event that had not even happened yet.
***
“So that bastard had been wearing a thick mask at the social gathering. He was this much of a brat inside his house?”
No matter how strict the watch over a noble house was, there were always places beyond its eyes.
The space between one floor of a building and the next.
Such gaps were inevitable when constructing a building high enough to suit noble dignity.
There was only one reason I had come here.
[Luciana’s Affection: 40 (Trust)]
[Current Psychological State]
[Luciana is satisfied that Hans disguised himself as her and put Dmitri Valtrion in his place.]
[However, she regrets that there is no clear way to inflict tangible damage.]
Her Affection had leaped up at once from a negative value. Considering my first impression, it was a deeply moving number.
What was more, seeing the simple psychological state I had gained as a reward this time also inspired this infiltration.
Tangible damage.
If I could check House Speda’s rival house while furthering my own growth as well, what could be better?
-What? You want to know about the surrounding nobles?
The preparations had been as easy as drinking cold soup.
When I said that I wanted to identify our enemies and allies clearly after this social gathering, Yegor had praised my initiative and willingly handed me a map.
Dmitri Valtrion. You picked the wrong person.
If you thought it would end with public humiliation, you were sorely mistaken.
I intended to make you pay dearly for the arrogant outrage you showed Luciana at the social gathering.
“With your house’s relic, that is.”
Alarm security magic? A light tap from Tute made all of it useless.
It was not called a master key for nothing.
“A Martial Arts Tournament, huh.”
The coming-of-age ceremony and the thing Dmitri had just mentioned alike.
The North was not called a military city for nothing. From an early age, they put people through intense combat training by every possible means.
And Dmitri seemed fairly confident as well.
He would be borrowing the power of a relic, but it was not as if there were a rule saying one had to fight with pure skill alone.
“Pushing through with the power of a relic is the right way to go.”
Luciana and this bastard alike.
High noble status was useful for creating a gap between oneself and others with better equipment.
“Sorry about this. Now I want it even more.”
The relic Dmitri had mentioned, the Amplification Orb, was surely related to increasing a particular stat.
It was something I needed as well.
“Then shall I go and fetch the goods?”
I leaped down from the narrow space fit only for insects and landed in the corridor. The Human-Skin Mask was in my hand as well.
The way it adhered to my face as I raised it there.
It was high-quality after all.
The person I would disguise myself as wielded enough authority to roam the estate freely and enter the vault where the relics were kept. I also already understood his personality, making him easy to imitate.
That person was none other than Dmitri Valtrion.
“Who goes there?! Ah, it is you, Young Master.”
The soldier guarding the massive door leading underground bowed his head toward me.
Recalling the Dmitri I had seen earlier, I opened my mouth.
‘I am a spoiled brat.’
“What a rotten way to start the morning, pointing a spear at me. Open the door already.”
“…Pardon me, but may I ask why you are going underground?”
However, he was the sort who did not forget his duty even under the pressure of the heir to the house.
“You do not need to know.”
“I apologize, but unless you tell me your purpose, I cannot let you go below, even if you are the Young Master. It is the Count’s order.”
Even if I pressed him with authority, there was a high chance he would only resist with his determination to uphold the rules and regulations.
‘Should I just subdue the guard in front of me? I can open the door with Tute and go inside.’
But I soon erased that option from my mind.
There was no guarantee I could subdue him, and the risk was too great.
“Tsk. I came to retrieve a relic.”
So I made the demand boldly.
“…A relic, Young Master?”
“Yes. The Martial Arts Tournament is a month away. I am going to take the Amplification Orb for that.”
“The Amplification Orb…. Have you informed the head of the house?”
There were likely precious relics here that only the head of the house could use.
In other words, even the heir would have limits on the relics he could take.
Yet the Amplification Orb he had named so confidently was surely a relic he had enough authority to take out as the heir.
“Do I need Father’s permission just to take out a relic like that? Use your judgment and act accordingly.”
No matter how faithfully he followed his principles as a soldier, in a world of social hierarchy, there were always people above others.
He could not compare to Luciana, but the heir to a count’s house held a position more than sufficient to stand above ordinary people—and even the rules.
“Understood. This way, please.”
In the end, the massive door opened wide for the intruder at the gatekeeper’s hand, without any real resistance.
“The Amplification Orb is in Room 108.”
“What are you doing? Why are you not leading the way?”
The soldier shook his head from side to side before speaking again.
“I only guard this door. I do not have permission to enter. You know that if I go inside, the guardian will attack me.”
…I had not known there was a second layer of security.
“Tsk. That is for you to figure out. There will be no problem if you are with me, will there?”
“I apologize. The head of the house told me that the Snow Spirit recognizes only members of House Valtrion by blood. Even if you are present, there is no guarantee it will not attack me.”
“Useless. Fine. I will come out on my own, so just close the door.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
This was a little troublesome. I had not expected them to have released such a capable watchdog that responded to bloodlines.
“The Human-Skin Mask has become a piece of scrap paper.”
Once I was inside, I removed the item that had served its purpose as soon as the door closed, without the slightest regret. The spirit would not be fooled whether I wore it or not.
“I can open the vault’s lock with Tute, but the Snow Spirit is the problem.”
The situation was worse than before.
I could at least gain an advantage against the guard from before by using Tute to strip off his armor, but it was useless against the Snow Spirit.
“Tch. It would be such a shame to turn back after coming this far. I should hurry, take the Amplification Orb, and run.”
If I had just a little time, I would have cleaned out every relic here.
Smacking my lips in regret, I first headed for Room 108, as the guard had told me.
There was security magic on it as a second layer of protection. It seemed to be security magic that opened through blood or iris recognition.
Of course, all locks were equal before this master key.
Just as I was about to hold Tute against it.
“Ah, damn it. How did you notice me and come here so quickly?”
As if to swallow up my grumbling, a loud roar accompanied an icy wind that swept through the vault.
“You are not of House Valtrion’s blood.”
It was a statue of an old man carefully stroking a beard made of ice.
Without a doubt, it was the Snow Spirit the guard had mentioned.
“Intruders will be eliminated.”
Despite its kindly appearance, it aimed an icicle spear at me that looked as though one hit would send me straight to my grave, then slowly approached.
***
Alex, the guard protecting House Valtrion’s vault, could not help but gape at the sight before him.
“Have you gone deaf? I said I came to retrieve a relic, so open the door already.”
For some reason, Dmitri—the one who had entered through this door an hour ago—was making the exact same demand.
Was he dreaming?
He rubbed his eyes, but the Young Master scolding him was neither an illusion nor did he disappear.
“Young Master. Please forgive me, but I must take a small liberty.”
Though briefly flustered, he had already grasped the situation. One of the two had to be an outrageously brazen thief.
“Wh-What?! Have you gone mad? Instead of opening the door, what are you…!”
Alex showed no trace of respect for Dmitri. Now, he first had to confirm whether he was truly Dmitri.
“…Forgive my rudeness.”
Dmitri tried to resist, but he could not escape the rough hands of the gatekeeper, a former knight.
Alex took out a small needle, pricked Dmitri’s finger, and let the blood fall onto a sheet of paper infused with magic.
The crest of House Valtrion bloomed on the paper.
Only after seeing proof of his innocence could Dmitri escape the gatekeeper’s grasp.
“You insolent bastard! You dared lay your hands on me! You will pay for this!”
He feared the retaliation of the real Young Master, who was enraged by the treatment he had received, but there was something even more frightening.
Whether the count would dismiss him or have him executed, he did not know.
Still, he had to finish cleaning up the situation as best he could.
“Emergency!”
-CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The bell, which only Alex could ring to signal that an intruder had entered the vault, filled the count’s castle.
“Catch the thief!”
For the duty that might be his last as a guard, he summoned every available force in the castle.