The expressions of the two men, exchanging silly jokes, became strange. "Are you... asking what she's like as a candidate in the marriage market?"
I replied shrugging. "If she has so much talent, isn't she basically a gold mine? The newspaper company will pass to your brother, so you'll have to find another way to survive, unless you work for him. Isn't being the husband of the future duchess the perfect position to spend the rest of your days having fun and eating the most delicious food?"
Yeager burst out laughing. "You're a funny guy. Jean Berkley Gratten doesn't have a chance. The next Duke of Berkley-Gratten is already decided. He's so overwhelming that people can't even imagine any other successor taking his place."
That was quite surprising. "Is there no chance even for a sword genius like her?"
Volkwin replied casually. "Yes. Because there's a genius even more terrifying than that."
"And who is this terrifying genius?"
"Gavroche Berkley Gratten. Jean Berkley can never become the next head as long as he's alive."
He seemed very excited talking about this guy. It made me want to see him with my own eyes at least once.
"Ah, now that I think about it, she suddenly showed interest in you yesterday, didn't she?"
"There's no such thing."
"Mmm. Although you are a bit handsome. Jean is a woman who knows nothing but the sword. She wouldn't have approached you just by looking at your face. No, unless you are a very good swordsman, at least."
Yeager, looking at me with suspicious eyes, whispered in a low voice and asked, "Gray, are you a swordsman?"
What a terrifying boy. I almost let out a nervous laugh because of how good his intuition was. So, was Jean really interested in me because of her inclination for being a swordsman? But that couldn't be. According to the assassin butler, Jean was the master of the "Clone" guild. So, wasn't she also the same person who repeatedly sent assassins to the Weatherwoods mansion at the request of her client? She must also have had other hidden intentions.
If I use this... I can dig up information about the client through Jean. Even if no one else here knew, I needed to discover the identity of the client. According to Yeager's information, the client didn't just target the Weatherwoods mansion, but also other places. This almost served as sure proof that his obsession with Dian Cecht's relics was not a mere whim.
No one who is obsessed with something is right in the head. I have to find out who it is before there's a greater death toll. There was an old saying that if you want to catch a dragon, you must enter its nest. Little by little, the outline of a plan of how to take advantage of this opportunity was being formed in my mind.
"Oh, look at this: you have a great body, Gray. I heard the previous Viscount was a great warrior, did you ever learn from him?"
"No way, I don't use my body at all. It looks good, but it has no substance. Let's see, it's more romantic or dreamy than useful." I ostentatiously spread my hands that had no calluses. Volkwin shook his head after examining my palms.
"They're definitely not a warrior's hands. They look so soft and fluffy I can't imagine a sword between them."
We chatted for a long time, and it wasn't until eleven at night that we returned to our respective rooms. It was probably as of that day. I, Yeager, and Volkwin. At some point, our group of three began to expand. Of course, at first it was just a couple, but gradually, three became six and six became fifteen.
"Eh, I was wondering where everyone was. Have you all been hidden here? Where's my seat?" I rented another large room, but I added some more arrivals and it was also full.
"Wait, you're off duty. If you go to that table by the window there, you'll see Viscount Weatherwoods. It's easy to find him, he's tall and handsome with bright blonde hair. We're all gathered in an organized way so we can sit with him, so the right thing is that you greet him first."
"Ah, is that so? Thanks. You've grown more."
I didn't gather these people. I was sitting and they piled up on their own. "Good evening, Viscount Weatherwoods. I'm Henry Port of Ports, it's really a great honor to meet you." After that, people kept greeting me out of courtesy, but after ten minutes, they didn't even bother and turned back. Nodding slightly, I pretended that I would definitely remember their identity in the future and then returned my attention to my cards. Thanks to the kind man whose name I didn't even remember, a sixteenth person was added to our room. They are a headache.
There were several reasons why people whose faces and names I recognized ended up joining us. "Ah, I see a familiar face. Do you mind if I join you?" "Good morning, Mr. Volkwin. How long has it been? I was going to play a card game with my team, but it seems the number of people here matches. Do you want to join me?" "Are you Mr. Yeager and Volkwin? You are! It's been so long."
The biggest factor was Yeager's existence. "Where have you been busy these days, without even showing your face?" "Oh! Who is this handsome boy here? If you're a friend of someone so attractive, you should introduce him to us too!" Yeager had many friends. What a uselessly sociable guy. A man with many friends and good social skills was boring.
A new person stuck to me every hour and I had to pretend I wanted to meet them. In that sense, Raphael was a good friend. Unlike his attractive appearance, he was quite shy and at first it was hard to talk to him, so no one approached him, and he didn't approach anyone either. Before I had to tell him everything others asked me to pass on to him.
"Should I increase the stakes?" Occasionally, Yeager threatened me with capital.
"No. My family is poor. We don't have money."
"You're the first aristocrat to say something like that openly, Gray. The more I know you, the more unusual you are."
"Look who's talking, Yeager. What to say about someone who draws a crowd just by breathing."
"...you really don't think all these people are gathered here because of me, right?"
So? When I cast a glance at Volkwin, who was looking at his cards, he let out a soft snicker. "Gray, sometimes you're so innocent."
"Are you making fun of me?"
"Gray, I'm still a bit baffled that you're going out with us. Haha.... You really don't look at the people around you, right? All these people are gathered here for you, my friend."
When I looked silently at the crowd without saying a word, Yeager seemed a bit surprised. "Oh, you really didn't know."
"Haha, use your head, Gray. Aren't these tricks common? They're using me and the card games as an excuse. If all this were just for the sake of friendships, our room wouldn't be the only one full."
I looked around with a new feeling. Everyone seemed to be busy drinking and enjoying their games, whether they were card or board games. But the occasional look they threw at me contained a little curiosity. A sixth sense spoke to me. All the attention of these people was on me. But I already knew. I had only considered the reason as curiosity. After all, a member of the noble council resumed his house's activities after being out of the spotlight for four years. Anyone would be curious.
"Well, then this is the real question. Why is everyone so hell-bent on seeing Viscount Weatherwoods?" But now I didn't think it was just curiosity.
"Because I'm handsome."
When I replied so shamelessly, the two stood still for a moment. "I like your confidence, Gray."
"Thanks, Volkwin, I like it too."
Yeager, smiling dejectedly, took a card and spoke: "The first day we met Gray, do you remember what I said, Volkwin?"
Volkwin replied as frankly as if he were reading a verse from a poem. "You said that the people who come here are like vultures looking to find someone to hunt, and that even if they pretend to do so, they don't really want to be together and therefore it's hard to blend in with them if it's the first time someone comes here."
Now that I thought about it, I remembered hearing this advice from them. But I didn't expect Volkwin to recreate it without missing a beat. "You have an extraordinary memory, Volkwin."
Volkwin smiled shyly at my most sincere compliment. "Thanks. I... don't forget anything I've seen or heard even once. What Yeager said was a bit crude, but it's not wrong. Most people on board the Black Ragel would agree."
"Aristocracy is aristocracy, and the upper class is the upper class. Although the lines may have become a bit blurred, the class system is still fully active." After thinking about it much, Volkwin increased the bet by half. "Yes, it's true. If you look closely, there's an invisible wall between families belonging to aristocratic society and those that don't, and there's a wall between those who have deep ties with the aristocracy and, again, those who don't."
"Hmm, to divide them a bit differently, there are those who participated in the war and those who remained silent. Those who are receiving benefits from that contribution and those who aren't. There's the pro-imperial side and the side..."
The pro-Jenna faction seemed to refer to Raphael's side. Only then did I understand what these two were trying to say. I spoke, taking a card from the table. "Hm, it seems you are saying my position in this is quite ambiguous." And everything was at stake.