Prince Arnolf de Klaus of the Astin Kingdom had, once again, been humiliated in this scenario.
The apple of the Bellita Kingdom’s eye, Princess Chloe de Tartalia, had kissed another man right in front of him. Not just any kiss, but a deep one with Gilbert Forte, the son of the ruling Swordmaster, Count Hermann Forte.
The nobles, caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, failed to react appropriately, wary of the Swordmaster.
The prince, his face hardened, departed. He had traveled for months to a distant foreign country, only to stay for a mere week.
After that, Orville was swept up in the winds of war, and the prices of iron and weapons rose rapidly.
The Corolla Family and the Verza Family, who had never been on good terms, clashed over the illegal arms trade.
Brawls broke out all over Orville, and there were several cases of arson.
Up to this point, these were events that Leo was aware of.
The Rauno Family, as always, kept a low profile. They were the family with the longest history in Orville.
Countless families had risen like comets and disappeared without a trace in Orville, but the Rauno Family remained unfazed. They protected their business interests as usual, exchanging gifts with small business owners.
And when those owners held grudges against someone, they accepted assassination requests, building relationships.
Leo was deeply impressed by Joseph Rauno.
He didn’t rush.
‘That's right. My goal is to overthrow the prince of the Conrad Kingdom… This isn’t something that can be done in a hurry.’
If even the actions of a single family to survive were this prudent, what he had to do was to turn an entire kingdom upside down.
Leo calmed his impatient heart and focused on gathering information about the Conrad Kingdom. It was fortunate that Lena was still young.
Of course, it wasn’t easy. Information from another country, especially about its highest echelons, wasn’t as common as stones on the road.
Unfortunately, the Rauno Family was well-versed in information about Orville and the Bellita Kingdom, but they had no interest in other countries, so they were of little help.
In the end, Leo went out and searched for merchants who had come from the Conrad Kingdom.
The haggard-looking merchant in front of him cleared his throat awkwardly and said,
“Well, I’ve picked up a few things on my trips… but it’s not a big deal, and I’m not sure if it’s accurate, so I’m a little hesitant to tell you…”
The merchant trailed off. He was intimidated by Leo’s tattoo and wanted something in return.
Leo exerted a bit of force and slammed a silver coin on the table. Only then did the merchant start spilling what he knew.
It was useless information.
* * *
As winter approached, the Rauno Family mansion was well-stocked with firewood.
The boss, who had summoned Leo for the first time in a while, was waiting for him with his back to the fireplace. In a cautious voice, he said,
“A big job has come in.”
His expression was the same as usual, but his fingers, clasped behind his back, fidgeted nervously.
“It’s a request to kill a noble.”
“A noble, sir? But if we kill a noble, the aftermath…”
If a commoner killed a noble, all hell would break loose. In this world, where the class system was absolute, it was an unacceptable act, and the perpetrator was executed without trial.
If the perpetrator escaped and wasn’t caught, his relatives would be slaughtered, and even the village where he lived or his acquaintances would suffer.
Joseph Rauno handed over a piece of paper, saying,
“That’s right. It would be the end of our family. But the person who requested the contract is his father.”
Leo accepted the elegantly decorated letter. At the bottom of the letter was the seal of Marquis Benard Tatian, the head of the Royalist faction. The letter, written in elegant handwriting, requested the death of his son.
Joseph, with a troubled look on his face, waited for Leo to finish reading before continuing,
“Tatian’s representative delivered this himself. He said he’d arrange a meeting with the Marquis if you wanted.”
He approached Leo and placed a hand on his shoulder. Because of Leo’s height, it looked as if a father was patting his son on the back, and indeed, Joseph spoke with such trust,
“Go and meet the Marquis.”
“Yes, sir. But why this request…?”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought. You’re young, and strangely trustworthy. I thought the Marquis might open up more to a young man he could trust.”
[Achievement: First meeting with the Family Boss - The gangsters trust your words.]
It seems he was mistaken because of this achievement.
“If we were to take this contract, I was going to give it to you anyway. You’re the most skilled. Since you’ll be doing it either way, I’m asking you to handle it from start to finish. It’ll help us decide whether to try to gain something from the Marquis’ request or to lie low.”
He finished speaking and held out an envelope.
It bore the seal of the Tatian family, seemingly used to seal the envelope, as it was now dangling from the flap.
The symbol of the Tatian family was a scale.
Embossed on the richly dripping green wax, the scale was already tipped to one side, even though nothing was placed on it.
Leo’s body flushed.
With this, he could meet a high-ranking noble at the heart of the kingdom’s politics!
And maybe…
Gulp, Leo licked his lips and reached out. In front of the blazing fireplace, the envelope was handed over to him.
The cigarette Leo had tossed in failed to catch fire and landed on the edge of the hearth, slowly burning away.