Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 106

To the Teacher, From Vanessa 106

Starting with Doran in the East, the Crime Management Bureau and the Intelligence Bureau, both under the Ministry of Justice, directly investigated the suspected individuals, but the results were disheartening.

Dozens of lower-ranking nobles and wealthy merchants were directly or indirectly involved. There were even rumors of high-ranking nobles being implicated.

Fortunately, the Special Forces and the Intelligence Bureau conducted their work with utmost secrecy. Most incriminating documents had long been shredded, but some evidence was discovered during the surprise raids.

“Correspondence with the temple, huh?”

As the king casually tilted his head back, Baras, an agent from the Intelligence Bureau, slowly blinked.

Contrary to the typical image of intelligence agents, Baras had a disheveled appearance. With his messy hair and untidy beard, he looked anything but agile.

“It seems some of the content is encrypted. We’re currently decrypting it, so it shouldn’t take too long.”

“Instead of decrypting that, why not just ‘encourage’ the guys we caught to talk?”

As the king flipped through the correspondence, Baras smiled faintly.

“We’re doing both simultaneously, Your Majesty.”

“What about the magic circles?”

“Two more have been placed under the protection of the Special Forces, bringing the total to fifteen. The number of those partially destroyed remains at four.”

The king rubbed his forehead, looking irritated. Gideon spoke calmly.

“There will be no further destruction.”

“You sound confident.”

“Their hands are completely tied. Their funding has been cut off, and the movements of the priests are monitored the moment they step outside. The nobles involved are too busy trying to protect themselves. Now that even the Intelligence Bureau has fully revealed itself, it’s even more impossible for them to act. The magic circles of the Night Vandals are now safe.”

The king stared at the commander of the Special Forces he had personally appointed.

Gideon’s posture was ramrod straight, and his face was calm and unreadable. He was clearly a man who stood by his word.

“Alright. I’ll trust you on that. What about the joint conference?”

“We haven’t shared the details yet. Your Majesty’s officials are keeping the secret perfectly, so other than Alban’s successor, there’s definitely no one else who knows.”

“The successor, Eugenia Alban, huh?”

“Alban’s successor has handled the matter more cleanly than anyone expected.”

“That’s a relief. Wouldn’t it be my shame if she hadn’t? A king may not feel shame in some matters, but this isn’t one of them.”

The eyes that usually sparkled with mischief flashed sharply, and the voice that had been languid suddenly became cold. Sharp words fell like autumn rain.

“What could be more shameful for a king than failing to protect his kingdom’s people? Especially because of failing to do what should have been done in the past.”

Everyone in the king’s private chamber remained silent. They had no right to point out the king’s past failings.

“When you sit in a high position, you start judging everything by shame. You become blind to things that are too small. Strictly speaking, this matter is, in some ways, beneficial to me. How often does one get the chance to cleanly weed out the nobles who plot conspiracies under their nose? It’s rare.”

The transparent gray eyes narrowed.

“But what about those who are harmed in the meantime? Nevertheless, I am still waiting for solid evidence. For a perfect cleanup at the end. It’s a shameful thing to require such a thing.”

As the king spoke with a sigh, Baras softly offered.

“A clean finish is necessary to prevent the same thing from happening again in the kingdom’s long history. It is an unavoidable sacrifice.”

However, Gideon, who had been looking down, was struck by a somewhat cynical thought.

Normally, he would have considered it the most reasonable plan and wouldn’t have been emotionally affected.

It was true that he felt sorry for the kingdom’s people who were harmed, but there wasn’t enough evidence or justification to suppress the suspected individuals right now.

But Gideon thought of Vanessa, who had been forcibly transferred to the Special Forces by the king’s order.

Wasn’t Vanessa Rose a citizen of the kingdom? Did her danger mean nothing to the king? Why hadn’t he even offered an apology?

Vanessa possessed great power, but she hadn’t properly learned how to control it. She had only recently realized the conditions for wielding it, so she needed more practice, but she wasn’t even given enough time.

As a result, she had returned covered in wounds. Even though she was someone who had no reason to be hurt.

His heart sank at the sight of the bruises on her pale skin. Even though magic might have healed them instantly, the fact that she had been hurt remained.

He was angry, but there was nothing he could do.

Vanessa’s choice should be respected, but her motivation to join the Special Forces stemmed from the king. Because the king had offered Valder’s assets as bait to protect her.

He had rarely disagreed with the king’s words and intentions. The king who ruled Priba was generally reasonable and fair, and his direction aligned with Gideon’s own.

But lately, Gideon had been feeling resentful. So, unlike in the past, he only responded to the king’s requests with the bare minimum.

Realizing that the first antipathy he felt towards the king was solely because of Vanessa Rose, he let out a faint sigh. He was both pleased and afraid of the change she brought.

What if she left after changing everything about him? What if there was an end to their relationship…?

Baras bowed his head towards Gideon, who was lost in thought. Only then did Gideon snap back to attention.

“Since the Special Forces handled the work so cleanly, we just have to capitalize on it. The Minister of Justice was practically giddy. I’ll be in contact soon.”

The skills of the Intelligence Bureau were renowned. They were the king’s secret agents, a tradition dating back to the era when royal authority was at its peak, with only their name having changed over time.

Gideon paid his respects and left the king’s private chamber.

Before a day had passed, he received a call informing him that one of the merchants who had been held separately had confessed. He admitted to offering gold to the temple in the form of sponsorship.

‘They said they would connect me to better business opportunities….’

‘I really didn’t know they were involved with monsters. I swear, I didn’t! So please….’

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The next day, a meeting was held in the First District despite it being a holiday. Given the significance of the matter, the details were shared immediately.

Gideon stared blankly at the silent table. The long table was sparsely filled, with several people absent.

Those with connections would be preparing to skillfully sever them, and others would be racking their brains to prove their innocence.

Of course, there would also be those who were genuinely outraged by the situation.

“Then, I understand that the details regarding the search of the Mosara Temple have been shared with everyone.”

“Are you really sure about this? If it’s a temple….”

Latitia Hu stroked her chin awkwardly, but there was no response.

Zenjata Baek, who always made a fuss at every joint conference, was uncharacteristically quiet today. He looked thinner and more haggard, and he kept fidgeting nervously. It was unlike him, who always emphasized noble dignity.

Gideon quietly observed him.

“Even though its influence has waned, it’s still a temple that has been around since the Edirne Empire. If we’re not certain, there’s a high possibility it will be seen as oppression by the royal family.”

“We’ve been tracking them for quite some time. We’ve been collecting solid evidence by following their trail for months. There’s no need to worry about a backlash. The Special Forces have secretly shared the details with the Intelligence Bureau. I trust that no one here believes the Intelligence Bureau of Priba is incompetent.”

Someone who had been silent finally spoke, his voice heavy.

“Is someone within the temple involved?”

“I will refrain from commenting on that at this time.”

“I see why Rossini Hu is absent. Given his blood ties with the Hu family.”

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze for a moment. A sound of someone clearing their throat was heard.

“Is their reason for dabbling in monsters solely to create chaos in the country and weaken His Majesty’s power?”

Zenjata Baek asked in a cracked voice. Gideon stared at him for a moment before slowly answering.

“No. Their other goal is speculated to be to awaken the Black Monster and destroy Priba.”

“Why would they do such a thing? It doesn’t make sense. It’s not good for them either.”

The awkwardly stammering voice was pathetic. The late Zenjata Baek would be ashamed if he could see his descendant now. He had strayed too far from the right path.

“They’ve been spreading stories that a new world will open when the monster awakens.”

“Isn’t that just nonsense floating around in the streets? Do the priests actually believe that story?”

As Count Alban twisted his mouth in disbelief, Gideon smiled with his eyes, but his gaze was ruthless.

“Someone may have been bewitched.”

With those words, the meeting ended in a disturbing atmosphere.

As Gideon got up, several nobles tried to grab him and ask questions, but he brushed them off.

“The details are incomplete and insufficient. Tell us more-”

“The investigation isn’t over. I’ve only shared the confirmed matters.”

“It seems that Duke Valder knows too much, and as always, it doesn’t seem to add up.”

“Then you should take on the job.”

At the coldness in Gideon’s voice, even the one who had clung to him until the end hid his dissatisfied expression and backed away.

Gideon quickened his pace and walked swiftly. Today, there was no one to sacrifice in his place, so he had to move quickly.

As a man who was tall enough to stand out in any crowd started walking at a fast pace, no one could keep up with him. Everyone gave up, as they would have to run to catch him, and the distance between them widened.

Gideon took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was much later than expected, and he felt anxious.

So, he didn’t even pay attention to the presence he would have keenly sensed under normal circumstances.

A maid who was wiping ornaments suddenly appeared from a hidden corner. Before he could react, the maid collided heavily with Gideon. The nobles who had given up chasing him and were walking slowly frowned.

The maid, who made eye contact with Gideon, turned pale.

“I’m so sorry! I dare to commit a crime worthy of death…!”

The young-looking girl prostrated herself, putting her head on the floor, and trembled.

Gideon looked at the shallow cut near his wrist, above his glove, and sighed softly. Blood was seeping out from the small opening. It seemed she had scratched him with the pin in her hand.

He silently helped the maid up and held out his hand. The maid, trembling, couldn’t even stand properly. She handed over the pin and lowered her head.

“T-this is a thing to poke, poke, clean the s-small gaps. I-I haven’t used it yet, so it’s not d-dirty.”

He silently examined the pin. The color was quite unique, but its shape was ordinary.

Gideon faintly channeled magic power into it, but no magical reaction occurred. It seemed to be just a cleaning tool, as the maid had said.

Gideon handed the pin back to the maid and started walking again.

“If you let such carelessness pass, it won’t be good for that maid. What’s to stop her from making the same mistake again? She’ll have no grounds to complain if she receives a severe punishment later.”

Unfortunately, someone took advantage of the opportunity and caught up with him. But Gideon quickly widened the gap again.

It was the first time in a while that he had free time and had made a date with Vanessa. He couldn’t afford to pay attention to such trivial matters.