Chapter 37: Newborn calf doesn’t fear a tiger

As the lone rider drew closer, Alaric noticed several more horses appearing behind him.

Unlike the first man, the people following him carried insignias belonging to several different ducal houses.

Of course they came.

Alaric immediately opened the System Shop.

[Seal of Mind: 20 Coins]

He bought three without hesitation.

[Coins Remaining: 15]

Four chances in total. This should be enough unless that bastard decides to interrogate me like I murdered his entire family.

A few minutes later, the riders stopped several dozen meters away.

The Divine Inspector dismounted first.

He looked to be a man in his forties, wearing plain dark robes underneath a cloak carrying the insignia of the Royal Family. His brown hair was cut short, while his face looked ordinary enough that Alaric probably wouldn’t remember him if they met somewhere else.

"Young Lord Alaric Orlen."

Alaric nodded. "Divine Inspector."

"I have been dispatched by the Crown. I am here to do my job."

Alaric smiled slightly. "And what exactly would that job be?"

"To inspect the battlefield in Moliken Forest and determine whether the claims made by House Orlen possess merit."

Alaric made a confused expression.

"I thought you were here for the territory inspection regarding our promotion."

The man shook his head. "Other royal officials will handle that matter. My duty concerns the alleged infiltration and the involvement of House Yuglev."

"Ah."

Alaric glanced toward the representatives behind him.

"Then I’m afraid I can’t allow you inside yet."

Several expressions immediately changed.

One of the ducal representatives spoke first. "Young Lord Orlen, are you obstructing a Royal investigation?"

"No."

Alaric’s answer came immediately.

"I’m questioning whether I can trust the people conducting it."

The Divine Inspector narrowed his eyes at that, looking at the bold young man in front of him more carefully.

Alaric continued before anyone interrupted him.

"Ulyt soldiers somehow crossed the border and appeared inside House Orlen’s territory. Why House Orlen? Why not the territory belonging to another noble house?"

A representative frowned. "What exactly are you implying?"

"I don’t know. You tell me."

Alaric shrugged.

"House Orlen has defended the southwestern border alone for a very long time. Reinforcements were repeatedly delayed despite the war continuing. Then somehow enemy soldiers appear deep inside the same House whose army has been exhausted protecting that border."

His gaze moved toward the Divine Inspector.

"If I simply hand over every piece of evidence without asking questions, wouldn’t that make me an idiot?"

The divine inspector took out his wand, a popular magic item of Mages. Some used a book, while others used a wand. Nevertheless, no matter what magic item a Mage used, their common function was to strengthen the spell models they used.

"Watch your words. Are you suggesting that the Crown collaborated with Ulyt Kingdom?" The middle aged divine inspector questioned with a frown with his wand subtly out on display.

Alaric looked genuinely thoughtful.

"Why would the Crown do something like that? They’d be stupid to side with an enemy kingdom, right?"

There was silence in the air as nobody knew where Alaric was going with this.

The young man then added casually.

"Perhaps because my mother is a Paragon Knight?"

The Divine Inspector’s expression finally changed slightly.

Paragon Knight was an extremely strong existence. The royal family had two, while more than half of the six ducal houses didn’t have a single paragon under their hand.

The authority of a duke gave one an official power enough to strengthen them to the rank of a Paragon Official.

If someone who was already a Paragon Knight received an authority of power enough to make them a Paragon Official on top of that, they would become double Paragons, an extremely terrifying existence.

The king and two strongest dukes were precisely such existences. It was also why everyone resisted the promotion of House Orlen. And precisely for the same reason did the old Duke Evermont support the promotion of House Orlen.

The divine inspector understood the meaning behind the question. He himself was a Champion Mage, while Marchioness Orlen was a Paragon Knight.

Alaric wasn’t directly threatening him, but the meaning was obvious enough.

The Divine Inspector looked at Alaric for several seconds before sighing.

"Newborn calves truly do not fear tigers."

Alaric smiled. "I’ve been called worse."

"What do you want?"

"Proof."

"Proof of what?"

"That the Crown and the noble houses standing behind it are loyal to the Flenn Kingdom."

Several representatives immediately became angry again. Was Alaric taking them for idiots? But Alaric ignored them. He hadn’t finished speaking.

"Send armies to the southwestern border."

The Divine Inspector narrowed his eyes.

"House Orlen asking for reinforcements is one matter. Preventing a Royal investigation until those reinforcements arrive is another."

"No. They are the same matter."

Alaric’s smile disappeared.

"If Ulyt truly infiltrated our kingdom, then defending the border isn’t a personal favor to House Orlen. It is a national responsibility."

"Yet House Orlen has carried that national responsibility almost alone."

He pointed toward Moliken Forest.

"Now you want me to trust you with evidence regarding the same enemy whose border the rest of the kingdom has burdened my House to defend by itself."

The representatives began arguing. Some accused Alaric of deliberately holding evidence hostage, while others argued that the Crown had already acknowledged the seriousness of the matter by dispatching Divine Inspectors.

Alaric didn’t move. He only repeated the same point.

"Send soldiers."

The Divine Inspector did not activate his special eyes.

Alaric would know if he did because using the Divine Ability required mana. He could sense mana.

More importantly, the eyes couldn’t simply be used whenever their owner felt curious.

An ability capable of determining whether people were deliberately lying was an enormous political weapon. If Divine Inspectors could casually activate it during every disagreement, no noble would ever speak freely around them.

Their use required legitimacy and political justification.

The same applied to forcing their way into Moliken Forest.

A Divine Inspector represented the Crown, and the Crown couldn’t search a noble territory by force. That was an extremely sensitive issue. It similarly required political justification and legitimacy.

And Alaric had deliberately shifted the argument in that direction when they exchanged some kind words again.

He didn’t reject the request. He simply told them that the Divine Inspectors and others needed to prove their legitimacy that they weren’t traitors or people supporting traitors simply by sending their armies to the border.

If they did that, he would have peace of mind that they weren’t here to destroy evidence of Ulyt infiltrators since they weren’t traitors.

Now, if the ducal representatives openly opposed that request, they would effectively be arguing that House Orlen should be searched by force.

That would set a precedent that even their own noble houses could be searched by force in the future.

That would be shooting themselves in the foot.

Well played, young man.

The Divine Inspector thought before eventually asking, "If forces are dispatched, you will allow the investigation, am I correct?"

Alaric nodded.

"Once I see that the Flenn Kingdom treats this as a national issue instead of House Orlen’s personal problem, I will personally escort you inside."

Bullshit. You just want time.

The Divine Inspector inwardly cursed him.

Then he turned toward the ducal representatives.

"Send word to the capital."

Alaric finally relaxed slightly.

Now let’s see how quickly you people can move an army.