The people who had come to deliver the report withdrew. Yuder used the moment of privacy to speak up.

“Even if we don’t know the exact details, it’s clear enough that the assassination attempt on Her Majesty the Empress was nothing more than bait to put Kiole in the spotlight.”

“My guess is, while they may have wanted to use him to confront House Diarca, the more pressing reason was likely that someone judged Kiole la Diarca’s life to be in danger. It was about time, after all.”

“What do you mean, ‘it was about time’?”

“You must’ve heard that after returning from the South, Kiole had been on leave for health reasons—but in truth, he was under house arrest on the Duke of Diarca’s orders.”

“I believe I heard something like that.”

“But the Duke didn’t vent his usual frustrations or anger toward his youngest son. Instead, he drastically cut back support to his other children and close aides.”

Yuder hadn’t met Kiole since returning to the capital and hadn’t paid much attention to the inner workings of House Diarca, so this was new information to him. His eyebrows twitched, and Kishiar smiled faintly.

“It might not look connected on the surface, but I doubt the others inside the house saw it that way. Especially not the eldest son, who’s cautious and ambitious like his father, or the third, known for his jealousy.”

“......”

“Word’s been going around for almost a year now that Kiole la Diarca, who used to do nothing but swing swords and had no interest in succession, has turned over a new leaf and become remarkably clever. Someone was bound to grow suspicious.”

“So someone’s finally decided to test whether the rumors are true.”

“If they’re anything like the Diarca people I know, yes.”

Kiole was someone who hadn’t even existed anymore by the time Yuder, in his previous life, had become Commander and started memorizing noble names and power structures.

‘Still, I’d thought even if someone did kill him, it wouldn’t happen this quickly... Is this another thing that’s changed because of me?’

Yuder felt a subtle, bitter emotion.

He didn’t like Kiole. But he also didn’t want to see the guy die in a flash like in his previous life.

Was it because of the last memory he had of Kiole, flailing with frustration but insisting on going back to the capital to beg his father to send aid to the South?

‘And... surprisingly, he did keep that promise.’

“I personally think the recent deployment of Imperial Guard support to the South, which Kiole facilitated, may have been the decisive trigger.”

Kishiar had voiced the very thought Yuder was just contemplating. Yuder let out a sigh and furrowed his brow.

“...In the previous game, Kiole was already gone before I ever registered him. The old Duke of Diarca died from illness right after the new Emperor ascended, and Kiorne la Diarca succeeded him.”

Of course, less than a year later, Kachian began distancing himself from Diarca’s influence and clashing with the nobility. Kiorne’s fortune didn’t last long.

Yudrain Aile had assassinated many of Kiorne and Diarca’s lackeys under Kachian’s secret command. Kiorne himself wasn’t spared either. After an incident where someone silently severed his fingers in his sleep—an act no one noticed until he awoke—he submitted before true fear.

And the one who’d snuck into Kiorne’s bedchamber and cut off those fingers was Yuder himself.

“In any case... I’d rather not see the same result this time. So I’ll just ignore the absurd glory Kiole’s gained from allegedly saving Her Majesty the Empress.”

In the past, if Yuder had deemed Kiole in danger, he would have had to intervene directly. But now, Emperor Keillusa was firmly entrenched in the capital and would probably ensure Kiole’s survival. That was a relief.

Granted, Kiole did seem to be attracting even more serious misunderstandings from others lately... But what could Yuder do? At least the misunderstandings were flattering this time—far more than the real Kiole probably deserved.

Kishiar rubbed his chin thoughtfully before speaking.

“Thanks to what you just said... a thought occurred to me. If my hunch is correct, this could all become far more interesting than expected.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Think about it. In the current timeline, there are plenty of reasons for the other siblings to be wary of Kiole due to the rumors. But in the previous game, there shouldn’t have been any such reason. Yet he still vanished too soon. That implies... we can speculate something quite intriguing, can’t we?”

“I don’t know. I just assumed the bastard pissed someone off with his mouth and got stabbed for it somewhere.”

Yuder’s blunt answer made Kishiar’s eyes narrow in amusement.

“That’s certainly plausible. But the fact that Kiole disappeared before you even noticed him, the announcement that the old Duke of Diarca died of illness, and the fact that Kiorne succeeded him—all of that happened around the same time. Don’t you find that odd?” 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

A cold smile curled on Kishiar’s lips.

“As far as I know, the current old Duke of Diarca has no chronic illness. Kiorne, though called the young Duke by others, hasn’t officially been confirmed as heir by his father. And Kiole—surprisingly—seems to be rather cherished as the youngest son.”

Then, counting on his fingers, he laid it out:

“I know the old Duke’s personality extremely well. For every assassin he’s sent my way, I’ve gathered just as many scraps of information about him and House Diarca—down to the most trivial details. And I can say this confidently: if one of his children had been assassinated, he would have made a spectacle of it, announcing it far and wide and punishing the culprit publicly. Especially if it was one of the children he secretly favored, even if he didn’t show it.”

“......”

“Even if you weren’t in a position to notice back then, there’s no way you could’ve missed it. He would’ve made a massive fuss. But he didn’t. Isn’t that strange?”

“Now that you say it... It is strange that the old Duke of Diarca died so quietly.”

“Exactly. And in situations like this, the person who gains the most from someone’s odd behavior or death is often the one responsible—or at least involved. So, who do you think gained the most?”

The obvious answer was Kiorne la Diarca. Yuder was about to say so when another name flashed through his mind like lightning.

Someone who gained from Kiorne, who was less capable than his father, becoming Duke.

Someone who broke free from the influence of his own family—the one that had bound him.

Someone who struggled and bled, even in this life, to escape the grasp of the old Duke of Diarca.

There was only one person it could be.

“...Kachian la Orr.”

Kishiar nodded like a teacher hearing the correct answer. The red in his eyes flared like embers.

“It’s only speculation. But the motive and opportunity are certainly there, aren’t they?”

Kachian la Orr joins hands with Kiorne to escape the influence of House Diarca. Kiorne tries to remove his father—and before that, eliminates Kiole. Yuder wasn’t convinced ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ that would’ve worked, but... the foxlike Duke of Diarca had gone suspiciously silent afterward, and then died with no further resistance. Which meant...

“—Kiole’s death... might have had some impact on his father’s death. That’s what you’re thinking.”

“Exactly.”

Kishiar nodded.

“The Duke of Diarca was publicly known to be disappointed in his youngest son. Even I’d heard that. But if, even in the previous game, Kiole’s death affected the Duke enough to cause a chain reaction—then perhaps he cherished his youngest more than he let on. If so, then the same is likely true this time as well.”

In one way or another.