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84.

For Cassian Artez, subduing Samuel Motty was almost laughably easy.
Clang—!
The moment Samuel Motty's blade shattered in ‌‌‌two, Cassian kicked him away from us and hurled ‌a magical restraint at him in the same fluid motion.
"You think that'll work on—ugh?!"
He frantically waved his hand to erect a dark barrier in defense.
But the magical restraint I'd launched devoured the black energy ravenously before neutralizing Samuel Motty entirely.
"What—what is this...! How could you—!"
"How could I defeat you? Well, it's simply proof that a ‌‌‌‌so-called information broker is rather sloppy with their ‌‌‌intelligence gathering."
I smiled ‌‌‌‌sweetly and activated another magical device.
The moment I did, both the interior and exterior flooded with light.
Samuel Motty looked around in disbelief at what surrounded him. ‌‌‌
Of course, his reaction was entirely within our expectations.
He was a rare spirit summoner—one who had supposedly vanished from this world ages ago.
Which was precisely why we needed to meet with Samuel Motty today.
To eliminate all uncertainty.
I decided to graciously ‌‌‌‌explain the situation to him.
"Did you know? Blocking the power of spirits is far simpler than one might think."
"Wh—what..."
"After all this ‌‌‌time, a light spirit summoner emerges, yet those wicked mages discovered your weaknesses long ago."
For someone claiming to be an information merchant, he wore a remarkably ‌‌vacant expression—apparently he'd known nothing of it.
'In ‌‌the original story, mages held little significance, making him practically invincible.'
But the reality we inhabited was far different, since I'd consumed only the sweet parts of the original narrative.
While it was unfortunate for Samuel Motty, I ‌‌felt no obligation to sympathize.
"Well then, Motty, ‌‌from now on I'll kindly inform you of everything you've done, so please listen carefully with your ears wide open, yes?"
Minor violations like invasion of privacy, tax evasion, and knowing full well that today's target was Second Prince Cassian Artez ‌‌before launching an ambush—that added up to attempted assassination of royalty.

*

Samuel Motty listened to my explanation with a hollow, vacant stare.
Then, for a brief moment, his consciousness flickered back.

'The information—couldn't you just tell me? You royals don't need it anyway! I must clear my father's name!'

There was something pitiable about the way he pleaded.
Especially since he had the wrong target for his revenge.
Samuel Motty's father was the First Empress's younger ‌brother.
He was not an entirely virtuous man, but he was not one to commit cowardly acts.
That had always been a thorn in the side of the ambitious First Empress.
The more the Late Duke Jamoti, the First Empress's father, favored his younger brother.
Her siblings had to be chess pieces that moved ‌‌precisely according to her will.
Then came an incident where her younger brother nearly ruined her chance to become the Emperor's concubine.
To the First Empress, her younger brother's pleas were nothing but ‌‌naive, self-righteous words from someone ignorant of the world.
So she decided to eliminate the younger brother who stood in her way.
But the First Empress was a master of concealment.
Instead of acting directly, she manipulated her elder brother, the current Duke Jamoti, to expel his father.
Samuel's father, not as cunning as the First Empress, was cast out with nothing and harbored resentment only toward his own brother.
And Samuel Motty grew up listening to that story all along.
Unable to afford proper treatment for his illnesses due to poverty, he lost ‌‌‌both parents in succession, and his thirst for revenge against House Jamoti only deepened.
Even when Samuel Motty and his own father ‌‌‌cast aside all pride and sought help from House Jamoti, they were turned away.
So I did not give him information outright, but I left him one opportunity.

'There is another way to atone for your sins—by serving the Imperial Family. You are a Spirit Master with potential for redemption, so if that value is recognized, it would be ‌‌possible.'
'What does that mean to me....'
'Is not the First Empress herself the key figure of House Jamoti?'

Light returned to his face, which ‌‌had ‌‌been vacant throughout my kind explanation.
He would need to stand trial properly in the Capital City, but perhaps Samuel Motty would smoothly become a worker at the Winter Palace?
Once he learned the truth, he would help me keep the First Empress in check accordingly.
My mouth felt slightly bitter.
'In the original story, Roselita Salice persuaded him in childhood so he didn't become a criminal ‌‌‌and lived as an information merchant guild master instead.'
But to be honest, my sympathy extended only ‌‌‌to his childhood.
When his parents passed away, I was barely five ‌‌or six years old, and from the ‌‌distant Salice Barony, there was no way ‌‌‌I could have helped.
After ‌‌that, looking back at ‌‌‌the original story, he didn't face any life-threatening crises or have his fate greatly twisted, so I didn't pay attention to him.
Yet he grew up splendidly into a criminal—wasn't that his own doing?
'If he became ‌‌‌a criminal because no one enlightened him, then ‌he was rotten from the ‌‌‌start.'
Someone hid their gender their entire life, and another was treated as if they didn't exist, ‌yet neither became criminals.
And beyond that!
There were many people deeply connected to Roselita Salice whom I didn't touch for similar reasons.
Unlike me, living steadily as an extra, the original Roselita Salice was protagonist-like enough to have unrequited admirers.
Most notably, the sons of the three ducal houses.
Among them, was there anyone who voluntarily became a criminal?
'Francis Ashwood became a capable aide, and Wilhelmina's brothers are only visible during performance announcements.'
They just growl and burn with competitive spirit whenever they see me ‌‌at each announcement?
And the problematic House of Jamoti is also in a criminal state, but it wasn't voluntary.
'They became a scapegoat when trying to frame His Majesty with the charge of embezzling the sacred stone.'
By now, they were probably living ‌‌‌‌a frugal life well in the Remote Region.
So there was truly no reason for me to sympathize with Samuel Motty except for his childhood misfortune.

*

After finishing my conversation with Samuel Motty, I stepped outside to find that darkness had naturally settled over the landscape.
"The train that left ahead arrived at the Capital City without incident, it seems."
"All those strange looks from ‌‌the train conductors were worth it, then."
"Right, we cleanly separated only the first-class car we were in."
Since ‌‌‌‌‌we had even lured Samuel Motty, we had made multiple preparations.
We had requested that the station place the first-class car at the very end of the train.
Deliberately ignoring the ‌‌bewildered train conductor, we had even pre-arranged things so that only the first-class car ‌‌we occupied would detach in case of ‌‌emergency.
"Our knights certainly seem to have done ‌‌‌their work ‌‌‌well."
Of course, I had also stationed the Winter Palace knights on schedule.
As a result, the Dark Guild members who had ambushed us were subdued and bound in rows before my eyes.
On top of that, the lurking Dark Guild members were being dragged in like dried fish strung together, and when I stretched out my hand toward them as if to say they were the best, a hearty cheer erupted.
"We Winter Palace knights would even go to overturn the Temple if Roselita ordered ‌‌‌it."
"But that's not Ian's order either?"
At my question, Cassian Artez looked at me as if I were spouting nonsense.
"Roselita's will is my will—why would we need to distinguish between them?"
Really....
It was truly a serious problem that my superior was trying to erase his own sense of self lately.

*

[Dark Guild Subjugation! Where Next for the Winter Palace Demons?]
[What Fate Awaits the Guild Master in the Hands of the ‌‌Winter Palace Demons?]
[Dark Guild Compensation and Fines Settled! Prison Sentence: 66 Years!]

After arriving at the Capital City, we immediately handed over the captured Dark Guild to trial.
Interrogating the captured guild members and Samuel to locate their hideout was child's play.
The guild members were sentenced according to their respective positions and the severity of their crimes—ranging from light fines to brief imprisonment.
And ‌Samuel Motty, ‌‌‌a person of concern, made a fair deal with His Imperial Majesty,

"Where did you find such an adorable cat? ‌‌‌Marquis Clupea returns from his travels having subdued the Dark Guild and even prepared such a charming gift."
"Isn't it lovely? Though it does dislike people somewhat."
"A dignified ‌‌cat has its own appeal."

I pulled strings to have him assigned to the Winter Palace.
The Sun Palace's chief steward casually mentioned that the white-furred cat ‌‌‌who had stolen His Imperial ‌‌Majesty's heart had been given the ‌‌name 'Coco'.
In any case, Samuel Motty was destined to become Cassian Artez's faithful servant for the next sixty-six years.
'If he's truly as skilled an information broker as the original, ‌‌he'll figure it out on his own while working here.' ‌‌‌‌‌
Both the real injustice my father suffered and the ‌‌‌path I should have taken.
That was something he would ‌‌‌‌need to carve out for himself ‌‌in due time.
And since I'm a person with a kind ‌‌‌heart, I decided to treat him as a newcomer for at least the initial period.
I still harbored some sympathy for his ‌childhood.
So I kindly assigned him only a minimal amount of work compared to what our Criminal Mages handle, to help him adjust.
Yet Samuel Motty reacted with excessive alarm,
"Just make me do hard labor instead! What Imperial Palace duties are harder than the Dark Guild?"
His ‌‌‌outburst was truly incomprehensible.
‌‌‌‌

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