It took me some time to process everything.
And I had a feeling that things were about to get more complicated. Because at some point, the first prince, which 'Marcus Rile' supports, will see through the schemes I'm entangled in.
I took a deep breath and leaned on the railing, looking at the beautiful night, snow glowing under the moonlight.
I wasn't wearing my coat. And there was nothing beneath my shirt either. My body was loving this cold.
It had been some time since dinner with the counts and the duke.
Even the knights stationed at different places at the castle were changing shifts quickly, because despite the woollen clothing, they were circulating their aura throughout their bodies to maintain an optimal temperature.
I could hear footsteps approaching me, but I kept looking ahead.
"Most men in the castle are currently huddled near hearths, dreaming of summer, or embracing the love of their life under the warmth of the sheets." Nicholas Vahn spoke as he leaned on the railing beside me.
He had dark grey hair, a bluish tint in the black iris of his eye. Clean-shaven and middle-aged. Wearing grey winter clothing and tiger skinned cloak.
"And here you are, Count Rile, standing as if it were a spring breeze," he spoke, and closed his palms, lost in thought, looking at the scenery ahead.
"I prefer the cold," I replied, and followed his gaze to the snowy mountains behind the castle of Black-Ice.
"You know…" Nicholas mumbled.
"It was I who suggested your name to the duke," he continued.
'Did he now?' I thought.
Well, even if rebellion was meant to fail, chaos would be inevitable unless it's stopped in its early stages.
Because Krells hold a significant number of Knights. And the Knights of the north are strong men.
That's why most of the details about how exactly the Krells fell and purged the kingdom into chaos were vague. Because all of it had happened before the beginning of the game.
The real story begins when our protagonist becomes a second-year cadet. So, all of this was happening a year before the beginning of the story.
"Duke sees the Iron, I see the blood," Nicholas continued.
"You didn't suggest me out of the duke's gain, Vahn, you suggested me for your own profits," I spoke, and looked at him.
"All I see in you is not a traitor, but an opportunist," I said.
"But if I think about it…why would you need my help?" I tilted my head and ran through all the possibilities.
"A man who's an opportunist like you wouldn't betray or stop the rebellion; he'd want the price meant for another."
"You know, Riles hold a major trading network. It's easy to make money disappear from the eyes of tax agents, and even more if that money is meant to be liquified illegally."
"That suggests…you want to steal some amount from the assets that duke is gonna convert into cash, and that amount is not insignificant in any way."
"Let's see…" I leaned in and smirked. "You're funding your own army, aren't you?"
Vahn stared into my eyes and chuckled.
'What a fool… All of them,' I thought.
"You're as sharp as the duke's son was supposed to be, Count Rile," Vahn replied.
'Oh, is that a threat? Should I kill him right now? No…I can't let his death be painless, a simple murder just to break off the connections from the duke I'm trying to stop,' I thought.
"Yes, I want this rebellion to succeed," Nicholas added and turned his body to face me. "But, Mordrak is a man of the past, I'm a man of the future. A future where North isn't just a fortress but a sovereign, and I assure you, if you help me optimise the assets along with duke, you'll find I'm a much more…flexible benefactor than a grieving father."
"You must be wondering why I'm telling you this so boldly," Vahn took a step forward, "Why would I hand a righteous professor the rope to hang me in front of the duke?"
"The reason is pretty simple…if you tell Mordrak, I'm building a private army to counter his exhausted forces in the end, he'll kill me. And he will look at you, the man I hand-picked, the man who spent the last hour discussing 'invisible gold' with a traitor, and he will wonder what else we discussed in the dark,"
"Mordrak is a man of honour. You're either with him or against him. If you rat me out, you become a hero for a day and a corpse by the end of the week when the rebellion starves. But if you stay silent, you wouldn't just be an accountant living on the salary of promises, but a silent partner of the next sovereign,"
"You expect me to believe you, Count Vahn? When you, a person who's served the duke for ages is ready to betray him in the end just for his own gains?" I asked.
Silence. Vahn paused for a while, letting my words sink in.
"Trust?" he whispered.
A cold grin spread across his face.
"Trust is a fairy tale told to knights to keep them from thinking." He turned back to the mountains, as his tiger-skinned cloak fluttered with the cold breeze.
"I betray Mordrak because he's a dead man walking," Vahn spoke. "He fights for a memory, a son who's rotting in a grave."
"There's no profit in loyalty to a ghost, but you…You're different, Count Rile. You're the core…if you die, the money stops, my army starves, and I don't think I can ever find a man that's a better strategist than you," he said.
"You're the core I need to keep running, Count Rile. Only a fool destroys his own core," Vahn concluded.
"…" I stared down at my chest, remembering how Orochi had stabbed his hand in my chest and destroyed the core.
'He thinks I see the duke's inefficiency, and I share the appetite for the crown,' I thought, looking back at Nicolas, and smirked, 'Fine, I'll bite the bait.'
"A logical assessment," I replied, raising my brows.
"But logic requires data. If I am to be your 'silent partner,' I need to know exactly how much blood you've already sucked from the duke's veins. I won't have my trade routes compromised by a secret you haven't told me."
"Haha…" Vahn started laughing. "I knew it…You are like me, Count Rile. It'll be fun working with you."
He brought his hand forward to shake, laughing as he'd truly achieved something.
"It'll be fun working with you, Count Vahn," I accepted his hand and smiled.
'Yes, it'll be fun destroying you, bloodsucker,' I thought.
.-.-.-.-.-.
After a long night of comprehending everything. The sun was up, hiding behind the clouds, raining snow in the fine morning of the North.
There were some major developments since yesterday.
I woke up in the royal room assigned to me within the keep of Black-Ice.
*Knock* *Knock*
Someone knocked twice on the dark wooden doors of my room. It was a faint knock, one that resonated from a sharp stature. A woman.
"Come in," I said.
Opening the door was the same maid who had served me wine yesterday. She had a set of clothes that suited Marcus' style, and a towel.
'Was she set up for this?' I thought.
"Uhm, greetings, Count Rile," She bowed.
"I'm here to help you bath," She continued.
'Help me bath? What am I? A child?' I thought.
I ignored her and stood up, walking towards her. "Who told you to help me?" I asked.
She blushed and stared, "No one…My lord,"
"Are you sure? You know how serious a crime it is to lie to a count?" I leaned in.
"No, no… It's not like that!" She said, and looked in my eyes.
"Then what is it?" I followed with another question.
"I was just told to deliver these to your room, but…" She paused, and her cheeks flushed even more.
"But?" I asked.
"It was my…" Her whispers were stuck in her throat.
"What? Speak a little louder…" I said.
"It was my idea!" She finally said that.
"…"
I took the clothes and towel from her hand while she was dazed.
"I don't need …help", I muttered and smiled. "Leave the room, please."
"I-…I apologise," she bowed deeply.
"Don't worry about it, close the door on your way out," I replied, and stared at her as she left after closing the door, almost about to tear up from embarrassment.
'…I guess even Marcus attracts a lot of ladies, it's not just Ymir,' I thought.