Chapter 264 – Alternative
“An alternative?” Asked Archduke. Lord Belmont looked at her with creased eyebrows.
“You see, the government holds it as their top priority to identify and recruit all Inducers; however, not all of them become agents in the end. Some of them are cast off. Their memories erased, they are returned to their lives as crappy system possessors, not knowing of their potential and with no information on how to advance their systems. Just waste away their gift and life.” Said Theressa.
“Why? If they are so useful, how can the government abandon them?” Carl asked, looking at Lord Belmont.
“They have been deemed too dangerous to give power and seen more as a future threat to the Kingdom than an asset.” Said Lord Belmont with a sigh.
“A threat? Why?” Asked Prince.
“I would say it is because they are too uncontrollable. Too ambitious, too independent. Why would the government train someone who might one day turn their sight on them and become an enemy? Isn’t that right?” Theressa said, looking at Lord Belmont.
“You are correct, but not entirely. It’s not might, but will. It is something in their systems. All systems define their users in some way, and with Inducers it is the worst. Sometimes their own system influences them. As if some darkness within them takes over. Their desires and ambitions become insatiable. They lose loyalty to anyone other than themselves. Fighting this darkness is the first thing they are taught when they come to service; however, some of them are recruited already engulfed by it. Tainted, so to speak.
It is impossible to change them for the better at that point. So, they are cast away. But it's not like they live a completely shitty life, as you said, Dutchess. That trait makes them very assertive. A few of them live poorly. Most become incredible salespeople working in renowned merchant companies. Some, though, become criminals and die climbing the career ladder of the underworld. But the last ones are almost always assassinated by the government in the end. The country would not take the risk of them somehow awakening to their true power using their criminal network and connections.” Explained Lord Belmont.
“I assume your offering this alternative means you are in possession of such an individual or at least know where to find him?” Asked Archduke.
“Indeed.” Said Theressa, glancing at Lord Belmont. Although I have found out about them just recently. I myself was quite surprised when I found out about such individuals' existence." She added with a smirk.
“I see. My people have been careless. But it is understandable; they did not know they were dealing with someone like you. However, eavesdropping on investigators performing interrogation is a crime, do you know?” Said Lord Belmont.
“Eavsdropping? I merely heard it from the mouth of someone else. But you would not condemn a little spider weaving his web in the corner of the room for not taking note of him and spilling state secrets in his presence on your own?” Said Theressa unperturbed.
“Umm, what is this about?" The prince asked.
“Please do not mind it, your highness. Just some case that we’ve been investigating in another city that turned out not so simple. It seems certain someone has manipulated it from the shadows. And that certain someone overheard an information me and my colleague discussed behind the closed door a few weeks back. I would have to instruct my subordinates to be more careful from now on.”
“Anyway, that individual you are talking about, he is capable of helping?” Asked Archduke.
“No, not at the moment. She is nowhere near the level of that Inducer maid of yours. However, if she receives proper training, she will reach that level quite fast. As an independent third party, I assume using her help would be safer than turning to the royal family. No offense, Your Highness.” Theressa said, and Kevin nodded agreeing with her.
“Her?” Asked Archduke. “It's a woman?”
“Inducers are always women. Another trait of the system.” Said Lord Belmont.
“I did not know that.” Said Theressa. “Interesting.”
“You say she needs training, but only the royal family may provide it…” Said Archduke
“Is that really so?” Said Theressa, glancing at Lord Belmont. “I would assume the Royal Investigator would know a few know-hows.”
“Why would I willingly groom an individual that has been deemed a threat to the Kingdom?” Asked Lord Belmont.
"Such individuals are beyond someone else's control. If you think she would be loyal to you, you are disillusioned. The reason they are held as such a threat is that even beings such as you, Guardians, are not immune to their influence at their peak. Having an uncontrolled individual with the power to manipulate beings at the level of a Guardian or Duke roaming freely in the kingdom is something I am not able to allow as a Royal Investigator.”
“You are not? And would you be willing to allow your friend to be executed for punishing evil and righting the injustice?” Said Theressa nonchalantly, what seemed to have no sense. The Archduke raised his eyebrow, looking at her in confusion before gazing at the Royal Investigator and seeing shock on the man's face.
“Wha…what are you…how did you...” Started to say, Lord Belmont, and then sprang up from his seat. His eyes flashed blue for a second before he closed them and concentrated on himself. He scanned every inch of his skin and clothes until he found what he was looking for.
He muttered a word and a small ball of white light lifted from his body and floated over the table.
“I assume this is yours.” Said Lord Belmont, gazing at a tiny form of a spider, the size of a tick, in the center of the floating sphere. “It seems like my subordinates were not the only ones too careless.” He said, lifting his eyes to Theressa.
It was just a hunch, but how could she know of inducers so much? He did not discuss it with his subordinates, but he did go to a secret library to refresh some of his memories about them. And how did she know of his friendship with Paula? There was only one answer: she was eavesdropping on him. But how?
The answer was this little spider. The last time they visited with Archduke, now over a month ago, she must have planted this thing on his body. It was so tiny that his usual spirit sense could not sense it. Only when he specifically scanned his entire body was he able to notice it. However the spider now seemed to be dead and has been for some time if his spirit sense was not mistaken.
But for how long he could not know. He was quite sure that it must have been still alive when he met Master Kolosov and His Majesty when they played chess. How many state secrets has this little thing eavesdropped on in this time and delivered to its master? To her.
“Is that a Spider?” Archduke asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Never knew they could be this small.”
“They can’t. Normally. To make it so small, something else must be sacrificed. This little fella is born without any digestive organs.” Said Theressa lifting her hands and taking the light sphere. “Made only to live for but a few weeks at most. Its entire life purpose is just to serve its master's wishes.”
A small spider came out of her sleeve, grabbed the tiny spider and quickly scurried away.
“Thank you for bringing it back. We can bury it here on the land where it was born as a tiny hero.” Theressa said, gazing at Lord Belmont with a gleeful smile.
“Fuck.” Thought, Lord Belmont. “This woman. No wonder Master Kolosov was so wary of her. She is full of tricks.”
“I see. This thing was spying on us?" said Archduke, “I assume that I had one of them stuck to my body as well?”
“Allas, you, your Excellency, is quite a difficult case. Who would have known you lose your temper quite so often. The little fellow has little to no protection against any magical auras that strong individuals may emanate in their emotional state. It died mere hours after you left my domain last time.” Theressa said half jokingly.
“No wonder. You are too composed, Belmont. See? Sometimes it's useful to just let it out. But anyway, what does she mean by letting a friend be executed?” Asked Archduke.
“Paula the Stormbringer. It seems this time she has stirred up too big a storm and will be tried for her crime, and no doubt will be executed soon.” Said Theressa.
“What?” Noah exclaimed. He was silent for some time, sitting on the couch, as if distracted by something, but when Paula’s name came up, his attention immediately returned to the people in the room and their conversation.
“What do you mean by that?” Said Noah. “Why would master Paula?”
“Master?” Asked Lord Belmont. “You have been trained by her? I did not know she took in nobles as students.”
“Only a few lessons, but she helped me quite a lot. I am very grateful to Granny. What happened, why would she be tried?” Asked Noah glancing between Lord Belmont and Theressa.
“I am sorry, dear, I had no time to deliver the news. But it seems she had committed quite a serious crime. She killed several high noblemen.”
“Granny is not some criminal, there must have been a reason…” muttered Noah.
“Reason or not. She had no right to do that and will be found guilty without question.” Said Lord Belmont with sadness in his voice.
“Then why wasn’t she tried yet? I believe quite some time has passed.” Theressa asked.
“Khem…I am the main investigator, and I have not completed my, ahem… investigation yet. There have been some matters that needed to be… investigated. Yes… there seem to be some matters that may lessen her sentence.” Said Lord Belmont, coughing a bit and taking a sip of his tea that one of the Dryads had just added to his cup.
Everyone in the room looked at him strangely. Wasn’t he just stalling the investigation on purpose? That was pure abuse of his legal power.
“That woman. Is she a friend of yours?” Asked Archduke.
“We have known each other for quite some time.” Said Lord Belmont.
“I heard she was taken to the frontier. That means she would be tried by the Archduke of the West.” Said Theressa. “That means her fate is entirely in the hands of that man. He is said to be quite a direct and severe man. Which means she would most likely be sentenced to execution within days of the trial. Unless….” she added, looking the Archduke of the North in the eyes, “there are some hidden agreements. But who could have an agreement with the Archduke on an equal level?”
The Archduke caught on to her hint immediately, turning to Lord Belmont.
“Khem, if there is indeed a matter that can lower her sentence to a degree and let us exchange the death penalty for something else, maybe I could talk to the Archduke of the West and see if he listens to your findings thoroughly before making his judgment. As your friend, of course, Lord Belmont. We have spent quite a lot of time together lately and I think of you as a friend.” The Archduke said, clearly offering a barter. Favor for a favor.
“That…” said Lord Belmont with a sigh as he looked at Theressa’s triumphant smile, “would be most kind from your side.” He said agreeing.
“Wonderful. Now all that’s left is to decide our further actions.” Said Theressa
“Further actions?” Asked Archduke
“The maid. What to do with her?” Said Theressa.
“Is this even a question? That treacherous bitch. Once we capture her, I’ll make her regret being born.”
“I am afraid that we cannot do it. At least for now.” Said Lord Belmont.
“What?” Carl exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.
“For a time she must stay free and unsuspecting of the situation. She might be in regular contact with her superiors, and if she is late they will suspect something. We don’t know who they are and how they would try to cover their tracks. I fear they might try to harm Lady Violette by activating some hidden suggestion in her mind. You would not wish that, right?” Theressa explained.
Carl crossed his arms and sat down, fuming with fury.
“How long would it take for your inducer to advance her system to a needed level of mastery? I am afraid if we take too long, it will also make the maid suspicious.
“You are absolutely correct. Returning Lady Violette into her presence for a time is also out of the question. There is no way she can play her role without making the maid suspicious.” Theressa said.
Everyone went silent, thinking it over, but it seems none had a good answer to this dilemma.
Theressa took a sip of tea, gazing at everyone in the room.
“Well, I might have a solution for this, however…” Said Theressa, making a pause as she looked at Lord Belmont. “I am not sure how our Lord Royal Investigator would react to such a method.
“Please tell us, Your Excellency. I’ll try to keep my mind open." Said Lord Belmont.
“What do you gentlemen know about the doppelgänger family?” Said Theressa.
“Doppelganger?” Muttered Carl, looking at Archduke and Lord Belmont, whose eyebrows creased.
“It’s one of the Guardian families.” Whispered Kevin.
“I see. You suggest exchanging her with a doppelgänger? It is indeed a way out,” said Archduke; “however, to turn to their family for help you need Royal family permission. In other words, we would need to explain why and what for we need a doppelgänger’s help. And that is exactly what we are trying to avoid.” Said Archduke.
“Why do you need Royal permission to make a deal with them?” Asked Carl
“Monsters need Royal permission to eat a living human; otherwise they will be put down like any other monster for such a deed.”
“Wait, wait, eat a living being?” Asked Carl.
Doppelgängers are perfect imitators. When they consume a human they can even absorb all their memories. This would let us exchange the maid with a perfect fake who would be able to continue making regular contact with their superior without blowing the cover. This ability makes them masters of infiltration operations. However, they can only do that by consuming a living person; otherwise, the imitation would be flawed, and to kill a human without repercussions, they need royal permission.” Lord Belmont said.
“Yes, but as you said, they don’t need permission if they consume what’s already dead.” Said Theressa.
“What?” Carl exclaimed once again. “So, as long as someone is already dead they can eat them? Eat humans freely?”
“Yes, but the amount of memory they can absorb from a dead person worsens with every second the brain has been dead. Which worsens the quality of their substitution. Consuming someone right after death is indeed a loophole in the law, but for that they have to be present at the time of the murder, which basically makes them liable and thus would require answering before the law.” The Archduke explained.
“But then again, you still need royal family permission to even interact with Dopplegänger family. They are keen on upholding their face and prestige and thus would simply turn away anyone who tries any other channel of contacting them.”
“What if we have a free agent? Unaffiliated with the Dopplegänger family?” Said Theressa.
“What?” This time the Archduke exclaimed.
“Ah.” Sighed Lord Belmont, “You have heard of it.”
“Hear of what?” Asked Archduke.
“There has been a member of a doppelganger family, outcast, who was banished from the family. Before the law it had not committed any crimes and thus it was allowed to live in the human realm.” Lord Belmont said.
“A monster was let roam our realm freely?” Archduke said
“I am not sure of its history, but I am of the mind that the Dopplegänger family made a deal with the White Tower of Central Cathedral to receive such permission. Why they did such a bothersome thing instead of simply getting rid of that outcast, I am not sure.” Said Lord Belmont.
“She. Not it.” Said Noah. “Her name is Nu.” Everyone looked at him surprised before gazing at Theressa.
“Yes, the reason I mentioned her is because she is currently under our wing.” Said Theressa “As for the problem with memory absorption… what do you say dear?”
“Its doable.” Said Noah. “My skill will compensate for the loss and restore scrambled memory, making her substitution complete, even if she absorbs a body after some time after its death.” Said Noah. “But…” mumbled Noah.
“But?” Asked Archduke.
“If you worry about the necessity of her death, dear, then you need not concern yourself with that. Mind manipulation is a crime punishable by death. And doing it to harm Archduke’s family... Well, the moment Archduke found out about it, the maid's fate was already decided. No matter who her true employer is, this is a matter of Archduke’s family prestige. This is no longer something you can influence.” Explained Theressa.
“Duchess is right. That is not for you to worry about, young man. The crime that woman committed against my family is too grievous for me to let her live. But you are too kind, young Count. Traitors have to be dealt with in the most vicious way.” Said Archduke.
“I see.” Said Noah nodding.