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nChapter 65

nProofreader: xoxomonami

nRye said.

n“The seance was ruined, and I haven’t gotten any money, but it doesn’t affect me. He’ll forget my face tomorrow.”

n“Do you need more pay?”

n“If you give it to me, I won’t decline it.”

n“Her Grace must have given you enough.”

nEven with a puzzled face, Freil took out a pocket of silver coins from his arms and gave it to Rye.

nRye took it, put it in his inner pocket, and looked satisfied.

n“It’s important to get extra income.”

nThe second time Artizea visited Rye was about fifteen days before the wedding.

nWhat brings you to such a place when a precious marriage will be taking place soon?

nRye asked, complaining.

nYou have done very well the last time.

nIf you were dissatisfied with that, my throat would have fallen already.

nAre you afraid to live?

nRye shook his head.

nBut she wasn’t that offended.

nArtizea has clearly indicated that she was his superior, but never cared about his disrespect. She was comfortable with that attitude.

nAnd not so long ago, his sister contacted him again. It was said that an old doctor who had come from the capital to heal the youngest settled in the village.

nThe doctor said he hired her to be a nurse. His other siblings and village children were also taught letters and numbers for free.

nAs the youngest’s treatment expenses were reduced, there was room in his house. His mother also said that she started getting treatment for her wrist that’s always been sore.

nHe was honestly grateful. Instead of just throwing a large sum of money to take care of his own life, she was constantly taking care of his family so that they would not notice it.

nEven if she gave 10,000 gold at a time, his family will not be able to keep it well.

nHe was worried about what kind of work she made him do.

nArtizea said as if she had read that thought.

nIf you die, you don’t have to worry because your family will be taken care of forever.

nOh my. Have you already pawned someone else’s life?

nI have no intention of asking for your life yet.

nArtizea smiled faintly.

nI need a young man who has a good manner of speaking, can respond on his toes, has impeccable memory, shameless, and has an inconspicuous appearance. Of course, a heavy mouth is a necessary condition.

nWith exception to my appearance, I meet those conditions. I’m a little handsome…

nRye replied, searching the connections in his head for a moment.

nArtizea snorted at the retort about his appearance.

nI chose you, including your appearance.

nAnd what she asked him to do was to become a necromancer.

nIt’s about getting into the center of the social world. I’m sure you’ll get a pretty good extra income. But you shouldn’t be shaken or excited. Don’t forget that approaching your goal is the number one priority.

nRye told Keyshore that he gathered rumors of social affairs and told them in a plausible package.

nBut, in fact, all of the information he spoke of came from Artizea’s hands.

nArtizea collected useful information from the information she remembered in advance and compiled them into a small booklet. And she left it to Freil.

nIt wasn’t important information. It was just simple information that would be interesting and forgotten in the social world.

nMost of them were things such as Viscount Moe having an affair, or where the jeweled fan that Viscountess Moe lost would be found.

nThen he will be esteemed as a remarkable fortune teller at the time.

nOn the other hand, when it comes to important topics, there will be more attention from people as insignificant as Keyshore.

nTo raise interest and credibility, Artizea created a magic circle.

nThe magic circle with the word “Light” written on it was elegant to look at because of the ancient characters.

nHowever, the structure was very simple. When activated by a spell, a dazzling light is emitted for about 15 seconds and turns off automatically.

nBecause it was such small magic, there was no need for human sacrifice. The life force from freshly shed blood was enough.

nOf course, Rye complained while memorizing difficult ancient scripts.

nIf I get caught in the temple by mistake, I’ll be the one in trouble.

nSo you have to pretend to be a scammer.

nNecromancy and ancient magic are all prohibited in temples. If caught, they will be burned.

nHowever, there was always someone interested in divination, calling ghosts, or predicting through constellations. There have always been scammers.

nThe temple couldn’t be interested in these little things. Wouldn’t it be more demeaning to be tricked by a scammer that acted like a real wizard?

nIf you are caught as a scammer, I will get you out with money, so don’t worry.

nReally, I’m uneasy.

nIf you’re uneasy, can’t you just use it when it’s absolutely necessary?

nArtizea said that, but Rye couldn’t.

nAt first he didn’t do it because he hated bleeding.

nHowever, it changed as the atmosphere rose and invitations from noble families began to come.

nWithout realizing, his mouth fluttered magic really well and he used it to heighten mystery.

nThanks to that, his fingers, arms, and other parts were full of wounds.

nRye finally understood why Artizea was looking for someone who could approach the goal without getting too excited.

nHe became so popular that he was invited to decent homes such as the Keyshore Mansion. As a result, even he got excited over the prospect of money despite his firm goal.

nIf he were a normal man, he were more likely to forget his original goal and focus on the interests of the social world, and run wild.

nHowever, even Rye did not yet know what Artizea’s final goal was.

nHe was only told that if the goal was approaching, he would naturally know.

nThe carriage started rolling. Rye received a booklet from Freil’s hand and began memorizing the information he needed for the next seance.

nThe reason why he didn’t give the booklet at all was because there was a lot of information about the nobles and it was dangerous for Rye to keep.

nSo, Freil had to come in person every time to have Rye memorize the booklet.

n“The Marchioness seems to be running a separate information organization, right?”

n“Don’t try to dig too far.”

nFreil said briefly.

nBut in fact, Freil was also curious.

nFreil classified the information there into three categories.

nThe first is information that can be found through investigation, and the second is new information that can be inferred from the collected information.

nHowever, the third could only be thought of as a prophecy.

nMost of all, it was amazing that this amount of information could be collected and written at once.

nArtizea began to form an information network in earnest around the time she met Cedric.

nEven considering the scale of the information network that was created now, that was perfect.

nYet, with the size of the information network, it will not be possible to find out so much information at once.

n‘I’m also interested in things that don’t need to be too much digging.’

nFreil shook his head.

nIf you don’t want to believe it, you don’t need to know, but if you choose to believe it, you don’t have to think about anything else.

nRye, who memorized all the necessary information, returned the booklet.

nThe carriage arrived near Rye’s accommodation just in time.

nRye jumped out of the carriage.

nThen he entered the place, and ran back out of the road before Freil started the carriage.

nFreil was surprised and gestured to the coachman to wait. Rye jumped into the carriage.

n“Here. This is the Marchioness’ goal.”

nRye handed out an envelope of an invitation.

nThe envelope was stamped with the Marquisate of Rosan.

nIt is only Artizea and Miraila that can write from the Marquisate of Rosan.

nAnd since Artizea is not in the capital, this was Miraila.

n“It’s terrible, even the Marchioness. With a pretty face. To be taking revenge so thoroughly.”

n“Don’t be alarmed. Watch your mouth.”

nFreil said lowly.

nHe knew the goal.

nHowever, he did not know the final goal of Artizea’s play.

nMy mother is always anxious.

nAs she completed the booklet and gave it to him, Artizea said so.

nBut she can’t lean on the temple. My mother’s life itself violates the temple’s teachings, but that doesn’t mean she can’t get out of that situation.

nArtizea laughed in a self-helpful way.

nIsn’t the sincere dedication of the emperor’s mistress to the temple itself a ridicule in the social world? She can give a bribe, but she can’t pray.

nYes.

nThen the only place to rely on is superstition. If she sees a necromancer who is rumored to be clever, she will surely be interested.

nArtizea also said.

nThe reason I chose a young man is because my mother believes the word of a man much better. If he were a young man, he would be a substitute for my brother.

nAren’t you putting too heavy a burden on Rye Fidget?

nRye will do well. Because he’s a man who is quick to act.

nArtizea said so.

nThere is a high probability that I will not be in the capital, so you should advise Rye instead.

nYes.

nHe must not give the initiative of the relationship to my mother. He doesn’t really need to get close. He needs to thoroughly pretend to be a mysterious necromancer and focus on raising money.

nYes.

nBy attracting multiple people to the seance, reducing the number of meetings one-to-one, mainly by making predictions or giving information to other people, it is difficult. My mother will be anxious just because the seance is real, so it’s okay.

nWould His Majesty the Emperor remain still?

nIt is important for His Majesty to think that necromancy is just play. If he thinks she’s indulged in a rather peculiar play, he’ll fall for it. The most important thing is not to reveal Rye’s identity.

nYes.

nDon’t worry too much about her because my mother never shows off her recourse to superstitions in front of His Majesty. I have also advised Countess Eunice.

nYes.

nSo I think the possibility is low, but if His Majesty intervenes while you can’t contact me, or if there is any other urgent situation, protect Rye. Be prepared so that he can always give up everything and disappear.

nOkay. By the way, if you have enough trust before you come back, will you not proceed with the work in advance?

nHe could only guess what she was going to do.

nBut if she’s going to get Miraila into a conspiracy, Freil asked if it wasn’t good when neither Artizea nor Cedric were in the capital.

nI think it’s safer for you to control it yourself. It’s something that can get me involved. It’s okay if it’s me alone, but it’s difficult to stop the Grand Duke Evron from getting caught in it.

nArtizea said with a cold face.

nHowever, she quickly erased her cold face and sighed with a somber face.

nFreil quietly stepped back without disturbing her any further.

nThis is not revenge. That was the only thing he could know for sure.

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