Chapter 25 - The Error of Count Ezrin Renalt
Count Ezrin Renalt Realdi received the news in his office.
"Is this true?"
The house steward who brought the report straightened his posture with a respectful "Yes."
"The letter?"
Feeling a sense of incongruity, Renalt remained uncertain.
"Right here."
The unopened letter was presented to him.
He took it, carefully broke the seal, and examined the contents.
It was a short letter.
'To Count Ezrin, Lord Renalt Realdi
Under the authority of the Government Administration's Ministry of Ceremonies and Ministry of Agriculture entrusted to me by His Majesty, I request that the following two items be implemented immediately.
1. Confirmation of receipt regarding the matter of the banishment of Marquess Mares's daughter, previously sent via official courier.
2. Response regarding the matter of stockpiling provisions and other supplies, previously sent via official courier.
Regarding the preceding two items, please send them immediately via the bearer of this official courier.
Scribe of the Government Administration Ministry of Ceremonies, Alfred Kleving
Scribe of the Government Administration Ministry of Agriculture, Bastian Delvan'
—Something is wrong. This is clearly wrong.
After finishing the letter, doubts swirled in Renalt's head.
It was nine days ago that instructions had arrived from the Marquess's daughter in the royal capital via official courier.
It had indicated the appearance of fake official couriers and the response to be taken regarding them.
Three days later, a fake official courier who visited was captured according to the instructions and thrown into the dungeon.
A severe interrogation—severe enough not to kill them—was being conducted to make them spit out their background, but the results were not promising.
Another fake official courier visited the Count's residence, which was on high alert, one day later.
The same measures were taken for this one as well.
The fact that fake official couriers were appearing was an extremely dangerous matter, but the response of setting a password for the exchange of official couriers itself seemed concise and appropriate.
Even if they could not be distinguished by appearance, a genuine official courier should have been told the password.
However.
The first time made sense. The banishment of the only daughter of Marquess Mares, the key to the defense of the eastern border.
As a fake official courier involving the enemy country to the east, it was a highly plausible content.
The second time was the confirmation of food stockpiles.
This, too, was not entirely incomprehensible.
If an army were to be raised, the stockpiling of essential provisions and the ability to confirm that amount would reveal the extent of the kingdom's preparations.
However, it would be a meaningless story if they could not capture the official courier from this side, and doing such a thing would expose the plot.
Today, the third time, was a demand for the responses to the previous two.
Clearly, the content was based on the premise that the previous two had "passed through" and that Renalt had not yet responded.
As a conspiracy, it was far too redundant.
The frequency was also a problem.
During these six days, Renalt had not welcomed a legitimate official courier.
Assuming someone was manipulating the fake official couriers, would it be possible for only the fakes to come three times in a row?
The frequency was too high to dismiss as a coincidence, and if it was intentional, the risk of exposure was too high.
Was he overlooking something?
But if he was overlooking something, what was it?
"—Your Excellency?"
At the steward's suspicious voice, Renalt was pulled back to reality.
"—Ah, sorry. I was just thinking, 'Again?'"
"It is a bit frequent, isn't it?"
The steward might have been harboring similar doubts.
"What does the letter say?"
Renalt handed over the letter in silence.
After reading it once, the steward let out a groan-like sound and fell silent.
"I don't understand it.
The three letters are consistent with each other.
But—"
"If we consider it a conspiracy, I feel it doesn't quite fit with the conspiracy itself."
"Yes.
And if it is genuine, it doesn't fit with the instructions from that young lady."
The signature of the Marquess's daughter looked like nothing but the real thing.
Was that forged, or—.
No, there's no way that could be, Renalt's rational side denied it.
His intuition told him otherwise.
—What if everything is real?
The signature of the Marquess's daughter is real. The first letter was written by her hand.
The content is false. She set a non-existent password to make him judge subsequent official couriers as fakes.
The three letters from the official couriers after that are all real.
Sent by the Government Administration without knowing of the existence of the first letter.
A cold sweat broke out on his back.
His hands trembled. His mouth went dry.
He stood up instinctively.
Beneath his waist, the chair he had handled roughly made a small sound as if in protest.
"—Your Excellency."
Looking up from the letter, the steward spoke in a raspy voice.
He might have reached the same conclusion as Renalt himself.
Renalt, meeting the steward's gaze, spoke in a tone of forced composure.
"Stop the interrogation immediately.
Move the three from the dungeon to individual rooms in the manor and place them under house arrest.
And then—send a messenger to the Government Administration.
Have the messenger carry the letter from the Marquess's daughter and others, a total of four letters including this one. I leave the selection of the person to you.
When the preparations are ready, call them here. I must explain the circumstances to them."
The steward bowed and exited hurriedly.
It was rare for the steward, who always behaved calmly, but Renalt himself did not have the leeway to point that out now.
Left alone in the office, Renalt stared at the letter placed on the desk.
The concise and dry string of characters now appeared even like a chain of a curse.
If the speculation he had just reached was correct, it was nothing other than the rebellion of the Marquess's daughter, the rebellion of the House of Marquess Mares.
And he had, albeit unintentionally, ended up complicit in that rebellion.
—Why?
Why did it lead to rebellion?
Why did she use fake official couriers?
Why was he the target?
And why was he unable to see through it?
There was no one who could answer Renalt's questions—including Renalt himself.
The fact that he noticed by the third time and was able to take proper action without falling into normalcy bias means he's actually quite competent. The author probably wouldn't be able to act until the advance party was sent in.