Chapter 91
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Chapter 91
As expected, both Warehouse 113 and Warehouse 241 contained scrolls in green boxes. Naturally, I had adjusted their positions so that using them at the banquet would cause no accidents.
'But those scrolls bore a mark that only I could recognize.'
When Saint Kairo's form disappeared, the original scroll required waving one's hand five times, but the scroll in Warehouse 113 required four waves, while the one in Warehouse 241 required six.
'I designed it so I could tell whether the scrolls had been swapped or not, and also identify which faction had done the swapping.'
Had I divided the groups into more factions, I could have observed more precisely, but given the time constraints, splitting them into two was the best I could manage.
'Swapping that many scrolls alone is impossible. Obviously, it would require cooperation from the Ministry of Education staff who transport the scrolls....'
In other words, the Scroll Department spy would provide information, and then the Ministry of Education would act accordingly.
I took a deep breath and steadied myself.
It was a trap I had laid anticipating a spy, but seeing the results with my own eyes made my heart lurch.
'Did I unconsciously suffer mentally because of this? My stomach keeps churning.'
The nausea that had plagued me since yesterday intensified. I suppressed the queasiness and whispered into Crown Prince Kiaros's ear.
"Your Highness."
If Crown Prince Kiaros had already found me suspicious, it was better to offer some excuse now, however hastily.
"I was simply looking at Young Prince Jayden because I found him adorable. I had no time to concern myself with special abilities or anything like that."
Even knowing it was suspicious, I had no choice but to lie. I couldn't reveal that I knew the future.
But I could expose someone far more suspicious.
"I was observing the results of the trap I laid, as I mentioned before."
I calmed my pounding heart.
At the very end, when Saint Kairo's form vanished, he waved his hand four times.
No matter how long I waited, no matter how desperately I waited, Saint Kairo waved only four times before disappearing.
Truly... I had actually hoped he would wave five times.
I had hoped that no one had swapped the scrolls, that there were no more spies in this organization.
"I've identified the spy in the Scroll Department. The one who tried to sabotage this banquet and bring me down."
Crown Prince Kiaros's expression was equally grave. After all, this plan was something we had devised together beforehand.
[Will you be attending the Saint Kairo Banquet?]
[I'm not sure. Initially, I wasn't planning to go.]
[I would appreciate your attendance.]
I glanced at the Minister of Education. Our eyes met immediately. The Minister of Education wore an expression of disbelief, panic-stricken.
Of course—he couldn't believe the event had gone smoothly after swapping the scrolls.
Seeing that face, Crown Prince Kiaros also adopted a cold expression.
"As expected, Namia Loapi's deduction was entirely correct."
From that point forward, Crown Prince Kiaros's authority was necessary to corner him.
I couldn't simply tell him, 'I'll handle it myself, just give me the signal,' so I had asked him to come to the banquet in person to verify the situation.
Of course, I hadn't anticipated him asking for a partner... but thinking about it, the fact that Crown Prince Kiaros had asked me to be his partner meant I was right beside him, which made communication convenient.
"In any case, which faction does the spy belong to?"
Crown Prince Kiaros only knew that I had divided the Scroll Department staff into two groups and given them different information. So I had to provide the names now.
I maintained my composure as much as possible and whispered.
"Victor Awin, Anastasia Kayen."
"Team Leader rank."
"And...."
"Hmm? Is there more?"
"...Ah...."
My breath caught sharply in my throat.
I had maintained my composure until that moment, but my fingertips began to tremble. Speaking this name aloud was infinitely harder than uttering the previous two.
My throat tightened and tears welled up in my eyes. Only after taking several deep breaths could I barely, truly barely, suppress my emotions.
A voice whispered endlessly in my heart: 'Surely not. It can't be him.' Yet I could not omit his name.
"It's...."
I had told the Team Leader inside the Minister's Office, and the remaining staff outside it.
Since the Minister's Office had poor soundproofing, I had secretly used a soundproofing scroll. If the information leaked and the staff outside the office overheard it, the plan would have to be abandoned.
And the meaning of that name was....
"...Kibon Altes, sir. He is my secretary in the Minister's Office."
Though I wished not to believe it, there was a spy among these three.
* * *
"Where are you going, Minister?"
"Ah, I have a headache."
The Minister of Education turned around hastily.
"I should leave first. Please enjoy the banquet."
His head throbbed as though the headache were genuine. When his eyes met Namia's cool blue gaze, an instinctive terror swept over him.
That woman knows everything. She deliberately set this trap.
The day before the event, he had received a note from the Gaejo Faction.
Office scrolls are stored in a green box in Warehouse 113.
Swap them with the scrolls in the blue box for the event.
The event is tomorrow, and the quantity is too large for me to swap them alone without being detected.
Fortunately, the Ministry of Education staff have agreed to move the scroll boxes, so have them swap them just before the event. The Scroll Department has so few personnel that they cannot monitor the Ministry of Education staff.
Then the final Kairo-form flame will strike the chandelier and cause a great fire in the banquet hall.
This instruction from the Gaejo Faction was based on information provided by a spy in the Scroll Department.
The Minister of Education had ordered seven civil servants with five years of service who had been mobilized.
[I just received a call from the Minister of Scrolls—apparently the scrolls were mixed up. He says the scrolls in the green box from Warehouse 113 are actually for the banquet hall. Go swap them right now. Oh, keep the boxes as they are. The Empress and the Young Prince mustn't find out about this mistake.]
The Ministry of Education civil servants nodded, thinking, 'That's just how the Scroll Department people are.'
[Still, preserve the pride of the Ministry of Education staff. Don't even speak with the Scroll Department people. I'm sorry to have you mobilized for this event, but I promise there won't be anything like this in the future. As a token of encouragement, I've brought energy drinks—everyone have one.]
He had clearly confirmed with his own eyes that the swap had taken place in Warehouse 113. Yet the result was this....
The sight of Namia whispering in Crown Prince Kiaros's ear was chilling.
'I need to hide first.'
It was as he was quickly leaving the banquet hall.
"Please stop right there."
When he reached the Imperial Palace Back Gate, someone blocked his path as if they had been waiting.
A brown-haired youth standing with a group of unknown knights. The Minister of Education recognized at a glance that the man who had stopped him was merely an ordinary civil servant.
"Who are you? Get out of my way!"
"I am Luca Class, the Minister of Scrolls and Namia Loapi's rival."
"What?"
The young man—whose face bore a peculiar blend of dullness and an obsessive intensity—lifted his head.
"We conducted a drug screening on seven Ministry of Education officials who were mobilized for the Scroll Department's event earlier. Every single one tested positive for paralytic toxin."
The Minister of Education's heart sank with a heavy thud.
It was true that I had laced the energy drinks I gave my staff with paralytic toxin.
After all, there was a high probability they would testify that the Minister of Education had ordered them to swap out the scrolls.
Originally, amid the chaos of the massive fire, they were all supposed to perish in the flames—
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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