Chapter 282 - A Persistent Stalker
It was a little early to turn in, but I was just thinking of heading to bed when Paula showed up—despite being out for what was supposed to be a night on the town.
She’d mentioned wanting to check out some bar or another, so I’d assumed she wouldn’t be back until morning. What was going on? And come to think of it, she didn’t seem drunk—but she reeked of alcohol. Had she run into trouble mid-outing?
Well, no help for it. If she came all the way here, it clearly wasn’t something she could handle alone. Best to hear her out.
“So, what kind of trouble are we talking about?”
“It’s like this—I was gonna invite Charlotte out for a drink, so I stopped by her workshop. But when I got there, she seemed caught up in some kind of mess.”
“Charlotte? That’s surprising. What kind of mess?”
Apparently, after we parted ways, Paula had finished her shopping and gone on a bar crawl. At some point during her rounds, she noticed she was near the workshop where Charlotte was training and decided to drop in.
I’d actually been planning to visit Charlotte myself tomorrow or the day after. She was still in the Royal Capital, undergoing her craft training. No matter.
Now that I thought about it, I recalled hearing that Charlotte’s family had held a viscountcy back in the old kingdom. By the end of the kingdom’s reign, they’d lost their noble status, and Charlotte had been left with no relatives. For some reason, she ended up joining us. Despite being from a lower noble house, she was sharp and capable, and after joining the Kikyo Society, she never slacked off. That’s why I’d promoted her to deputy leader of the Fifth Combat Unit back then.
Later, she became head of the R&D Bureau. She’s an extremely valuable member with an outstanding record of contributions to the organization. And she’s perfectly well-mannered and socially adept—definitely not the type to stir up trouble.
Paula didn’t answer my question right away. Instead, she smugly stuffed a pastry into her mouth and washed it down with tea. Only then did she smirk and say:
“It’s man trouble.”
Hmm. Charlotte was of age, so I suppose that wasn’t entirely out of the question. Our organization had strict standards for personal conduct, and we even had cosmetics that could practically be called magic potions. Even among rough types, there were plenty of women who looked presentable. And Charlotte had always been undeniably beautiful. It wasn’t strange that she’d attract attention. In fact, if she weren’t one of the Kikyo Society’s top fighters, she’d probably have men swarming her every day.
Besides, the Kikyo Society didn’t ban romance. As long as members didn’t betray the organization, they were pretty much free to do as they pleased.
Of course, freedom came with responsibility.
When emotions got involved, things could get complicated. But every member knew the rules. The Kikyo Society didn’t show mercy, not even to its own, if lines were crossed. Nearly everyone understood the boundaries, so foolish behavior was rare.
Still, Charlotte—responsible, level-headed Charlotte—getting tangled up in a man problem? She wasn’t the type to play around, and if she wasn’t interested, she’d flat-out refuse. The fact that this was being called “trouble” suggested something messy was going on. That was what surprised me.
“...Specifically? Was someone pressuring her?”
“Nah. All I saw was some noble pretty boy yelling his head off in front of the workshop. Kept demanding to see Charlotte. The old guys at the workshop were desperately trying to calm him down. That’s all. But the guy was so intense, it felt like something serious was going down.”
So it was one-sided, huh?
“The workshop staff were calming him? That’s odd. Charlotte wouldn’t usually leave something like that to others. She’s not the type to pass the buck. Was she out?”
“Maybe. But even if she was there, if it’s some ex or a stalker, she’d probably avoid showing her face. Didn’t look like this was the first time, either. Gotta be some persistent bastard.”
I see. If someone was that stubborn, someone like me or Paula might just punch a noble in the face without hesitation. But Charlotte was more careful. She’d probably consider the workshop that was hosting her, her standing in the Kikyo Society—she wouldn’t want to cause a scene.
Her training should be wrapping up soon. Once she moved to Exembra, the trouble would likely fade. Staying quiet until then was one way to keep things peaceful.
“Either way, I want to know who this stalker is. If Charlotte’s troubled, we can’t just ignore it.”
“Right. I’ll gather the members in the Royal Capital and start digging. Yukari, if you figure out who the guy is, let Rosmerta-sama know. Probably best, since it’s a noble involved.”
“I’ll do that. Maybe we should hear from Charlotte directly, if we can reach her.”
“Not sure about that. If it were me, I wouldn’t want others sticking their noses in.”
“Yeah, maybe. But if Charlotte’s in trouble, I can’t just pretend I didn’t see it. Let’s try to handle it quietly.”
“Got it.”
There were always a few members of the Intelligence Bureau stationed in the Royal Capital for information gathering. They might already know something, even without us asking.
One concern: anything we did in the Royal Capital would inevitably reach Rosmerta’s ears. That was just how it was. We could handle the investigation on our own, but if it risked turning into a scandal, we should at least consult her first. And if this stalker turned out to be someone useful to Rosmerta, things could get awkward. I’d rather avoid indirect conflict with a friend if possible.
That said, I had no intention of backing down no matter who the opponent was. If I decided action was necessary, I wouldn’t hesitate. And I liked to think that’s precisely why Rosmerta and I could remain friends.
Anyway, first things first. Let’s wait for the investigation results. Then we’ll decide what to do.
The next morning, after seeing off the Duchess on her daily errands, I—just a guest myself—left the fortress for a while.
I walked to a main street, sensed a familiar presence, and casually slipped into a nearby café. Sitting in a quiet corner, sipping slightly tart fleur juice, I felt someone unobtrusively take the seat beside me. A plain-looking woman placed a folded piece of paper on my lap and whispered:
“I heard from Paula and looked into it. If I learn more, I’ll deliver it again.”
“Thank you.”
We exchanged words softly, never meeting each other’s eyes. Still playing strangers, I finished my drink, slipped the note into my pocket, and stood.
Some members of the Intelligence Bureau preferred to stay out of the spotlight. It was easier to meet outside the fortress for that reason. Paula, whose face was already known, would’ve been the natural messenger—but she must’ve been tied up with something.
Outside, I wandered away from the noise, eventually sitting on a bench by an irrigation canal.
The shade softened the sunlight, making the tiny handwriting on the note easy to read. I skimmed it, confirming the contents.
For a single night’s work, the details were impressively thorough. The stalker’s name was one I’d only recently heard. The name itself wasn’t the issue—it was the fact that he sounded far more troublesome than expected. Definitely better to wait for more intel before bringing it up with Rosmerta...
“And we still don’t know the history between him and Charlotte. That’d be useful to figure out.”
Without understanding the full picture, we risked making a misstep.
Honestly, I’d rather avoid getting involved in love entanglements. But judging by the man’s one-sided obsession, this probably wasn’t about romance. Charlotte, diligently training in the Royal Capital, didn’t strike me as someone who’d be out partying with men. Something else was going on.
Since pondering it wouldn’t help, I decided to wait it out by shopping.
I browsed jewelry stores, wandered through bookshops, window-shopped at a few clothing stores, then took a break at a café. Before I knew it, hours had passed. I’d heard Rosmerta wouldn’t return to the fortress until late, so I had plenty of time to kill.
Still with time to spare, I was deeply engrossed in a novel I’d bought when a woman passing by quietly set a piece of paper on my table. This had to be the follow-up!
I casually, but quickly, snatched it and checked the contents.
Oh, this covered almost everything I wanted to know. Truly impressive work by our Intelligence Bureau. Now I understood the stalker’s identity, his background, and his connection to Charlotte. With this much information, I could talk to Rosmerta smoothly.
“Maybe I’ll grab dinner somewhere before heading back. That should make for a good timing.”
As I weighed locations and times, Paula appeared.
“Hey, Yukari. Did you get the info?”
“I did. But what’ve you been up to?”
“Just scoping out the stalker, that’s all. Just in case.”
“What’s there to scope? We’re not storming his place.”
Paula’s quick temper was one of her charms, but I’d rather avoid unnecessary fights in the Royal Capital—for now, at least.
“That’s why I said ‘just in case.’ You never know what a stalker might do. If he’s got some shady muscle on his side, he might cause trouble first. Even if we plan to act, better to know what we’re dealing with.”
“Fair enough.”
“Right? Anyway, I’m starving. Let’s grab food and talk.”
“Same here. Let’s find somewhere nearby.”
We found a small restaurant close by, ordered heartily, and quietly discussed dangerous matters. The timing felt just right.
“Alright, I’ll start watching the guy tonight. You handle the groundwork.”
“We’ll see how it goes.”
After parting ways with Paula, I returned to the fortress late. Rosmerta had come back a little earlier, apparently. Since we were close enough to meet casually at odd hours, I headed straight to her private quarters to bring up the issue.
“What is it? You don’t look like you’re here for a social call.”
“You noticed. I thought I’d let you know, just in case it reaches your ears later. Charlotte’s in some trouble.”
“Charlotte? She’s in the Royal Capital for training, isn’t she? What happened?”
I’d mentioned Charlotte to Rosmerta before, in casual conversation. Her puzzled expression suggested she hadn’t heard about any noble-related trouble.
It was unacceptable that one of our key members was being harassed—but from Rosmerta’s side, this might not seem like a big deal. Even if her subordinates were aware of events in the Royal Capital, they might not bother reporting something like this to the Duchess.
“Well, it’s about Viscount Lamreneis. Seems he’s been obsessively pursuing Charlotte, and she’s at her wit’s end.”
“That’s unfortunate. But isn’t this just a personal matter between them?”
I gave her a knowing look.
“It’d be nice if it were just that. But don’t tell me you don’t know what kind of man Lamreneis is?”
There was no way Rosmerta, the ruler of the Royal Capital, didn’t know what our Intelligence Bureau had uncovered with a simple investigation.
Viscount Lamreneis was filthy rich—obvious from how he’d aggressively bought up everything at recent auctions. His family was a newly risen house, standing out for all the wrong reasons.
I didn’t care much about that. In fact, I admired a noble who could make such bold moves. But here’s the twist: it turned out he and Charlotte had history.
Charlotte, once a viscount’s daughter, had been engaged to Viscount Lamreneis. A past engagement. Not that it mattered now, or that I cared why he was pursuing her again. The real issue lay elsewhere.
“You’ve done your homework... But why isn’t this just Charlotte’s personal problem?”
“Because he’s putting pressure on the workshop where she’s training. You know Lamreneis runs the most profitable workshop in the Royal Capital. If this keeps up, her training workshop might not survive unscathed.”
The Lamreneis workshop was a major contractor for the Royal Army, receiving massive orders. They had strong connections in the military and dominated access to raw materials. Any rival workshop would find them a dangerous enemy.
But Charlotte’s training workshop was top-tier too—good enough to host first-class rune mages. If it were destroyed, the guild wouldn’t stay silent, and the royal upper echelons wouldn’t tolerate it either.
Even if Rosmerta didn’t know about Charlotte and Lamreneis’s personal history, she couldn’t possibly be unaware of a conflict between two major workshops.
Which meant there was something else going on—something we didn’t know.
Rosmerta was testing how much I knew, and I was doing the same. We both understood the game. The conversation moved forward on that unspoken awareness.
“You seem to know more than you’re letting on. The Kikyo Society’s intelligence network is impressive.”
“Naturally. We’re also aware of the dirty work they’ve been doing behind the scenes. Personally, I don’t care what underhanded things people do—as long as they don’t oppose us. What I am curious about is why you’ve let this slide.”
How had Viscount Lamreneis risen so quickly? The answer lay in shady dealings. Not surprising. Throughout history, sudden wealth almost always came with dirt.
Yes, that was a biased view—but in this case, it was spot-on. The Lamreneis family had secured massive military contracts by bribing high-ranking officers and using women to gain favor. But that wasn’t all. They’d ruthlessly targeted rival workshops—aggressively poaching staff, even organizing systematic thefts from warehouses.
Before Rosmerta took control of the Royal Capital, they’d gone as far as infiltrating the fallen nation of Retnark, illegally mining magical minerals, and raiding and looting storage facilities. Multiple such incidents had occurred.
There was no direct evidence, but the Intelligence Bureau was certain. They’d been monitoring rising noble families for a while, which is how they’d uncovered so much.
My honest take? Impressive. Their cunning, their ability to seize opportunities and act decisively—it was exceptional.
Rosmerta probably learned about these facts later. But why tolerate the bribes even now?
Was she turning a blind eye because they were useful? Was she receiving bribes too? Or did she see an overall benefit in keeping them around?
As long as Charlotte wasn’t in danger, I didn’t really care.
“...Haa. I suppose it can’t be helped. We haven’t been ignoring them, you know. Right now, preparations for summer take absolute priority. Their methods may be questionable, but they’re efficient.”
“So you need reliable workers for the invasion of old Retnark—no matter how dirty their hands are. In other words, you’re treating them like us.”
“Viscount Lamreneis is not our ally. And... this next part must not leave this room.”
“Oh? A secret now?”
Knowing her, she was probably scheming something devious again.