Chapter 93 – Fingers
The mansion of the main house of Gray Point, located in the center of the imperial capital, was a luxurious and stately building, as if revealing the family’s long history.
From the outside, Eleonor seemed even more majestic than the emperor’s main palace, which he had recently entered.
Eleanor felt proud of being a member of a count family with a long tradition and history, one of only a few in the Empire, and took it for granted to take on the responsibility and duty.
Whenever she passed a hallway hung with portraits of the successive Earls of Greypoint, she took particular care not to be out of shape.
But Eleonol is also human.
The youngest strategy mage and general.
The one who subdued the ancient beast.
Even she, with her various titles, could not help feeling the alienation and loneliness of her husband sitting alone in a spacious office that had been cleaned by numerous servants.
Even more so since the parents of the late Earl of Greypoint and his wife, Eleanor, had passed away.
She lost her parents at the age of fourteen and succeeded to her earldom the following year. Even her own home seemed foreign to her, having spent her five years on the battlefield as a commander in the Imperial Army.
Click.
Eleo Nole placed her neatly emptied teacup on her dance desk and shook her head softly.
No matter what her inner thoughts are, she is not the one who will reveal them.
She knew very well that if she was a member of society, her feelings hidden in her heart should not be her attitude.
Especially if they are the ones who should be an example to others.
In that respect, the princess who had to make her angry every day was a special person in many ways.
“Whoa…”
Eleanor let out a deep sigh.
She can’t get her mind right as much as when she thinks about him.
Especially when the mind is confused like now.
She would stop her hands for a few minutes as she checked the pile of papers on her desk and let out a sigh.
Even when the battle with the ancient beast approached, she did not show much agitation, but what happened in her main palace a few days ago shook her whole outlook on life.
You can’t just think about it and move on.
No way
Awesome…
As soon as she caught her guard, she barely suppressed her sigh, which was about to burst out endlessly, when she heard the door to her office open.
As soon as he heard the sound of the heavy wooden door slowly opening, Eleo Nole gathered her magical powers just in case.
She opened her office door without knocking.
None of her servants were so rude.
“Hello, Earl of Greypoint.”
As expected, the person who opened the door was not a servant of the Greypoint family.
A gray-haired old man was standing in front of the wide open door.
He is an old man with a large bowler hat, a red coat worn by magicians, and a crooked staff.
It was a fancy outfit like a circus member, but it didn’t look tacky because it was made with very luxurious designs and fabrics.
Accompanied by several attendants who stood upright like dolls with his eyes closed, he greeted them right away.
“…Who are you?
No one was planning to visit today.
The place you are now entering without permission is the private quarters of my Countess Eleonor Greypoint.
Apologize for the rudeness immediately and leave.”
“Oh, you’re being too harsh on an old man.
Don’t you already guess who I am?
I heard that you officially have a junior, so I came to see you.”
Eleanor’s eyes trembled slightly.
It was as the old man said.
It was evident that the old man was not a formal guest, for no report came from Eleanor, the owner of the mansion.
When she came to her office without being noticed by dozens of servants, she at least guessed that the old man in front of her was not an ordinary person.
The old man said she had just come to see her junior.
That word means only one thing.
This old man must also be one of the emperor’s ‘fingers’.
He grinned, and gold teeth flashed between his lips.
“Since I’ve heard about the Count, let me introduce myself first.
I am Ventry, Marquis of Loquist.”
“Marquis of Loquist…?
I have met the Marquis of Loquist.
At that time, he was over 50 years old.
But not an old man like you.”
The old man, who caught Eleanor’s suspicious gaze, snapped his cane and answered.
It was a lively and smirking voice, unlike an old man’s.
His words were so dramatic and emotional, like an actor reading a script, that anything seemed exaggerated.
“It’s not worth it!
I think he’s referring to Benjamin, but he’s my great-great-grandson.”
“Did you say your great-grandson?”
A great-grandson is a grandson’s grandson.
To say that a person who can be considered a distant descendant is corrected until he is over 50 years old.
So, how old is this old man?
The old man said as Eleonor frowned.
“You must be wondering how many years I’ve lived?
First of all, let me just say that I am over two hundred years old.
And…”
“Have you finished your introduction?
So now let me tell you my business again.
Get out of here right now, Bentry Loquist.
It is very displeasing if you have committed such rudeness and yet expected my favor.
I don’t care how many years you’ve lived or what your last name is.
The important fact is that you have already passed on your position to the next generation a long time ago, and now you are just a retired old man.
From now on, please come back with the courtesy you should treat the current heir to the Earl of Greypoint.”
Eleanor fired at him in a calm but cool tone, and the old man, who introduced himself as the Marquis of Loquist, shut his mouth in surprise.
Eleanor and the old man both shut their mouths, and the inside of his office became deadly quiet.
It was the old man who broke the heavy silence.
A minute or so had passed since he had shut his mouth, when he suddenly burst into laughter.
Haha… Haha!
That’s right, the count is definitely right.
Yes, since I handed over the title of Marquis, I am nothing more than an old man in a closet!
After all, you’re no ordinary bet, Count.
What a sharp point!
I didn’t know that at that age he would have not only skills but also guts…”
“…”
Contrary to Eleonol’s expectation that he would return in a fit of anger, the old man responded with a big smile and an easygoing attitude.
He took off his bowler hat and bowed his gray hair.
“I sincerely apologize for my rudeness.
Apparently, as someone who died a long time ago, he is an old man who is accustomed to hiding his identity, so he seems to be sluggish in manners and slow down in the world.”
Unlike his words, the old man’s apology was polite and dignified.
It wasn’t Eleonol who didn’t know how difficult it was for someone with a high position and age to easily admit their faults and bow their heads.
She got up from her seat, feeling goodwill towards the rare old man.
“I will gladly accept your apology.
If you still have business, please come into the office.
How about a meal or tea?”
When Eleonor approached the old man and invited him, he murmured.
“Meal… Tea.
It’s been over 30 years since I last said that.
Miss you.”
Eleonol’s eyes widened.
Thirty years?
As she questioned her ears to see if she had heard something wrong, the old man laughed.
“Even though I may be just an old retired man, I still have a lot to tell you as a senior who has been blessed by His Majesty.”
“You mean you haven’t eaten anything in thirty years?
I just can’t believe it.”
“I can’t believe it at all!
Then Count, could you believe in the existence of magic that controls people’s minds?”
The old man smiled and said.
Eleanor, her eyes wide open, looked at him and said in a trembling voice.
“How can you say that?
Such magic has never existed in history.”
“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of this.
It’s a common conspiracy theory.
It is said that there has never been a wizard in history who can control people at will, but if there really is such a person.
If there really is a magician who can manipulate the memories and minds of others…
The idea that that person would become the master of the world without revealing his true identity to anyone.
Isn’t that a very interesting idea?
You are the master of the world There is only one such person, His Majesty the Emperor.”
“…”
Eleanor said nothing.
She looked at the several servants the old man had brought.
They stand there, completely unresponsive, like deaf people, even as shocking stories come and go right in front of their eyes.
The old man, noticing her gaze, giggles.
“They don’t have to worry, Count.
Because they are absolutely safe.
The secret will never be leaked.”
Eleanor saw a dark energy flickering in the eyes of the old man looking at her.
Said the old man, looking at the pile of papers on Eleonol’s desk.
“Looks like the jobs of the three cities that were bestowed for defeating the beasts in the ruins of Seoul…
Poor Relief to Tax Rate Adjustment. From maintenance of roads and waterworks to personnel approval from officials.
I don’t know why someone the size of a count is working on such a trivial thing.
I know that His Majesty ordered this matter to be given top priority.”
“…His Majesty did not force it.
If he felt like it, he told me to go out on his own.
And these are by no means trivial things.
Hamburg, Incheon, and Frankfurt are all large cities with a population of over one million.
Whether it’s tax rate adjustment, road maintenance, or personnel rights, I’m not an expert.
Even with my own eyes, there are countless irrational things.
You’d be surprised how many people’s lives would be improved with just a few of these papers because of the little decisions I’ve made here.
Isn’t that what His Majesty, who gave me dominion over these cities, wants?”
At the mention of Eleo play, the old man bowed his head and laughed.
After a while, he stopped laughing and looked up at Eleanor.
His eyes are crooked in a blatant sneer.
“Do you really think so?”
“…”
Eleanor did not say anything this time either.
No, he couldn’t say anything.
She recalled a conversation with her Emperor a few days earlier.
The old man continued to speak to her who kept her mouth shut.
“That’s probably not the only reason the Count is doing this now.
Aren’t you feeling the burden of purging your old underlings?
Even so, they will get caught up in their minds and things won’t get out of hand.”
Flinch!
Eleonol shuddered.
The old man’s intellect was sharp.
She was shaking…
Her emperor might be her cold and cruel lord, contrary to what she had been learning all her life.
However, it could not be denied that the emperor was a great monarch.
In an era when beasts and humans competed for survival, she brought humans together to establish an empire. Without her, there would be no peace.
Of course, it was wrong to kill all members of the hunting team and their associates just because they were suspected of treason.
However, if it is true that there is no way to specify who the traitor is for some fatal reason and cannot be announced as the emperor said.
If killing them all is the only way to root out those who challenge the absolute legitimacy of the Empire. If it’s a way to prevent a bigger sacrifice.
Then…
Rustle!
When Eleanor, clenched into fists, was repeating a proposition he had been pondering over for the past few days, the old man pulled out a piece of paper with several lines of text from his bosom.
It appeared to be a list with the person’s name and detailed information written on it.
It was a list of members of the hunting party who decided not to enter the ecliptic.
“To inform such a count, almost all those located close to the ecliptic have already been eliminated.
Even close friends…
The remaining ones are only about half.
Their whereabouts are unknown, but it’s certain that they will all be wiped out soon.
Surely it is true that the traitor you seek so much is one of these?
It’s something to celebrate.”
Eleanor was half listening to the old man’s words.
From the moment the old man took out the list, she had been looking for the princess’s name in it.
Finally, she found the princess’s name on the list.
Her gaze put aside useless information such as age, unique magic, and hometown, and reached the end.
[Material unknown]
Eleonor let out a long sigh and gritted his teeth in remorse.
According to the old man, most of the people on the list have lost their lives.
To be so happy that one princess is alive.
‘I’m not qualified as a noble or a superior.’
As for being a princess, nothing goes according to her will.
She tried so hard to forget that mysterious man, but in the end she couldn’t.
She would still masturbate to the point that when she felt lonely or her mind wandered, she would go away again and again using the dildo he had given her as a gift.
Surprisingly, after doing so, I found myself at ease for a while.
‘But what if this heart is false?’
After her meeting with the emperor, she remembered several suspicious things about her princess.
The emperor somehow sensed a similar atmosphere…
She regenerated the wound in an instant before Eleonor’s eyes.
It was the same scene as the feat the princess showed before.
What if it’s not a coincidence?
What if he had the ability to instill blind loyalty and obedience towards himself, just like the Emperor?
What if all these feelings and feelings against him were lies?
If her princess, who helped her as her masturbation expert, had come to her with her other mind in the first place.
Unless this suspicion was resolved, she had to keep her distance from the princess.
She had to put aside her desire to forget him and see his face. Thoroughly.
It will be a difficult task, but with her strong mental strength, it will definitely be possible.
Then the old man coughed.
Deep in thought, Eleonol turned to him.
He was still talking about something.
“As I said before, now that I’m this old, I want very little now.
Emotions have faded a lot… The lively and exaggerated way of speaking may be a reaction to that.”
“Are you saying you’re okay?
If it doesn’t eat, doesn’t wish, and doesn’t die, it’s already…”
Rarely did Eleonor slur his words.
What she swallowed was such a cruel word.
The old man, realizing what she was about to say, gave her a wild grin, revealing her teeth.
“So we are the fingers, Count.
Like fingers cut off and stored in a barrel.
We are neither dead nor alive.
Of course we are not stupid.
We all know what state we are in and how terrible and absurd this is.
We have our grievances too, but…”
The old man giggles.
“Nevertheless, His Majesty is all we have.
As long as he drank his blood, the count must know it personally.
Only when we are loyal to him are we truly happy.
Isn’t that why His Majesty the Emperor is the master of this world, having such formidable abilities?”
Looking at the old man with an out of focus smile and saying terrible things, Eleonor felt a great sense of incongruity.
She instinctively noticed a crucial difference between the person in front of her eyes and herself, but she did not put it into words.
She didn’t know it, but it was because the purified miasma injected by the princess subdued and absorbed the emperor’s miasma.
“It’s a long story.
In any case, you should have known very well that I was just a servant seeking your Majesty’s favour.
I don’t like killing people very much, I’m just doing it for you.
So, instead of indiscriminately killing like other comrades, I pondered who the traitor was, Count.
As a result, I have succeeded in picking out the most influential among the people on this list.”
The old man continued.
Eleonol asked, trying to calm her trembling voice.
“If you’ve identified a suspect, why didn’t you tell her colleagues about it?
That would have reduced the number of meaningless victims.”
“You’re asking all sorts of strange things.
Of course, isn’t it to monopolize His Majesty’s favor?
I’m the only one who can find and deal with treasonous robbers while leaving the competitors to get lost.”
The old man, who replied as if asking for something obvious, continued.
“Sugarsong Sarikhshir.
He was the commander of the hunting unit and an informant.
I know about her family. She was brought up in the ecliptic, and she cannot betray Your Majesty.”
“I know about her.
After all, she was an informant.”
Eleanor’s voice was as cold as ice.
But the old man didn’t care and went on with his words.
“But something strange happened…
An almost identical person to Ji-Ah Kang, whom she reported dead, was found south of Daejeon.
There was an organization that was raised with a small donation in the past, and it seems that an assassin belonging to it ran into it.
The person who handed over the information to me recently passed away mysteriously, so I haven’t heard the details, but it’s not common to see such an appearance.”
“Daejeon…”
This is the destination the princess said she would head to next.
Eleonol let out a rough breath involuntarily.
“The day after the report that Ji-ah Kang was dead came up, Gongju-in, the leader of the 5th hunting team who left the unit, and his member Shin Eun-seo, were last found in Daejeon, Countess.
Isn’t something strange?”
“What? There could be any number of coincidences like that.”
Eleonol spat out involuntarily.
Inadvertently, he wrapped himself around the princess.
It shouldn’t be like this.
You have to look at everything fairly and objectively…
She made up her mind not to know what number she would be on her own.
Then the old man said.
“I heard that they were close enough to give him a private infirmary, Count.
Seeing that Your Majesty showed such strong hostility, there must have been something special about the rebels.
Have you ever guessed something from someone who was close to the princess?”
Without exaggeration or anything, the old man asked calmly.
It was the calmest and softest question since entering this room.
He was observing Eleonol’s reaction.
Eleonor, of course, responded with a flat denial, but the old man seemed to read something in her eyes.
After a while, the old man smiled bitterly.
At that moment, Eleonor realized what the old man had been looking for.
He designated the princess as a prime suspect through his own information network, and was looking at his acquaintance, Eleanor.
To get the conviction that the traitor’s true identity is a princess.
Were her old man’s courteous demeanor and her easy-going demeanor an act to catch her off guard?
The moment she realized that, sparks flew from Eleanor’s amber eyes.
“Don’t be too heartbroken, Count.
No matter how precious she was, it all faded over time anyway.
And if you think flexibly, the Count doesn’t have to get his hands dirty, which is a good thing.
So Count, by any chance, can I go and kill someone who claims to be a princess?”
Quarreung!
The old man hadn’t even finished speaking.
Eleanor felt a blatant murderous intent she had never felt before in the old man in front of her eyes.
The intense power and rage that shook inside her body turned into a giant thunderbolt and rained down on the old man.
The servants near the old man were unresponsive until his body burned to the dust.
A few seconds later, Eleonor was breathing heavily like a beast in front of a pile of ashes that had been burnt to black.
The servants who stood upright around the old man’s ashes moved like pendulums and fell helplessly to the ground.
