How a Second Life Knight Lives

32. Dear one.

There is a word called build-up.

Originally, it was a soccer term, but at some point, ordinary people started using it commonly.

It means the preparatory work done in advance to proceed with a task.

Similar words include preliminary work, groundwork, and base work.

Of course, if you properly set up the build-up,

Things that should go smoothly will go smoothly,

And even things that shouldn’t work out can be made to work.

Whether you use unimaginable tricks,

Spend money openly,

Wave your fist in front of someone’s face,

Or press down with power,

As long as you make the related parties nod their heads, even if something seems strange, the work will proceed.

Even if later on, someone says, ‘Oh! This doesn’t seem right,’ and the situation is overturned, and people are handcuffed and dragged to prison, the work will have already progressed.

Therefore, Countess Linnea and I need to do that build-up.

If I suddenly pop out of nowhere and become Countess Linnea’s fiancé, it could cause not just a ‘slight’ damage to her authority, but a catastrophic one.

If the Countess falls in love and shows her emotions slightly, loyal vassals might turn a blind eye, but if she loses her reason and confuses public affairs, someone might openly rebel.

At the very least, there needs to be some time for me to appear and linger around Countess Linnea.

Meanwhile, if I draw some attention and Countess Linnea adds fuel to the fire, and we put on a bit of a show, the vassals and surrounding nobles will be convinced that they understand what’s happening.

That guy is the key to moving Countess Linnea.

We should use him.

Or

We should get rid of him.

While buying time like that, Countess Linnea does what she needs to do, and I get the title and the land.

Nice.

It’s a good plan.

If only I can survive until the end.

That it’s not easy,

I know too.

If I were to enter a chaos where I couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe,

I would never have accepted such a request.

Isn’t it too dangerous, even if it’s dangerous?

The person preparing my meal,

The person guarding me,

The subordinates carrying out my orders,

If I can’t be sure whether they are enemies or allies,

Would I be able to sleep properly?

Even if I receive a title and land in advance, if I die before enjoying it, it would only benefit others.

But I have a cheat key.

Status window.

With the minimap in the status window, I can distinguish those with hostility.

It seems there are times when the performance is strange, but still, where else can you find something that can distinguish those who want to kill me?

That’s why I accepted the Countess’s request.

It seemed like I wouldn’t die easily.

But still, such a reaction!

I looked at the people in front of me again, through the translucent minimap.

The Countess’s personal retainers.

Members of the city council.

A few advisors.

Some related to the military and the guard.

All of them are key figures in the city of Kalmar, each representing various interest groups that make up the city of Kalmar.

About a third of the dots are blinking red.

Of course, just because they are marked in red doesn’t mean they are all traitors.

Until just a moment ago, there were only three dots blinking red.

So, there are three people who can be suspected of being traitors.

It’s just that I attracted some attention, and those who got so angry they wanted to kill me started popping up.

“Ah, so, Sir William…”

“I’m not yet of a status to be called ‘Sir,’ but I will soon be formally knighted by the Count, so you may call me whatever you prefer, Sir Sorensen.”

“Very well, Sir William. Please clarify. This is a formal setting. Are you claiming that there are those within the guard and the estate’s army who have allied with other forces?”

“From the perspective of an inspector, I would say that the possibility is high. It is, after all, within the realm of possibility.”

If the color of the blinking red dot could change, there would be several people turning not just red, but crimson.

There were several who were visibly struggling to contain their anger, their faces flushed with heat.

They were all officers of the guard and the estate’s army.

“If it is within the realm of possibility, what about the others present here?”

“That is why I have been appointed as an inspector by the Count. Whether the possibility remains just a possibility, I intend to find out.”

Before my answer,

‘Of course, I am also suspicious of others.’

was omitted, but there were few here who were so dull as to not notice.

Still, lip service was necessary.

Even if it was contradictory.

“Of course, I do not doubt the loyalty of those present here. I am merely considering that there might have been some misunderstanding, some minor mistake, that’s all.”

“Sir William. Hmm… Sir William.”

The Countess was present.

The Countess had appointed me as an inspector, and I had merely expressed my aspirations as an inspector.

So, they were hesitant to openly confront me.

If my actions were in line with the Countess’s intentions, it would indeed be a serious matter.

It would mean that the Countess was doubting her own vassals.

There were certainly reasons to be suspicious.

The former Count who died in an accident.

It would be strange not to be suspicious.

*

Those who were quick-witted became troubled.

The former Count’s accidental death was a near-disaster for the young and inexperienced Countess Linnea, who suddenly had to take on the title, and it was the same for those present here.

Someone had to take responsibility for this enormous accident, and no one knew how far the repercussions would go.

Once suspicion began, it was endless.

However, that was in the case of a normal successor.

The Countess, the successor, was still young and inexperienced.

It was a time when the support of the vassals was needed, not a time for political purges to strengthen power.

Although there were no blemishes on legitimacy, the power struggles among the great nobles would exaggerate even the smallest blemish to slander a person as strange.

It has been ten years since the emperor has not been on the throne.

Therefore, during such times, it was better to share an implicit agreement to be cautious, from the countess at the top to the lowest officials.

However, it seemed that the implicit agreement was broken within a year.

Could it be that the countess had gained confidence in her rule?

The person who suddenly appeared and was appointed as an inspector was still a novice who had not even been knighted.

Considering that he caught the mercenaries that even the city guards couldn’t find within a few hours of being commissioned by the city council, he must be a person of outstanding ability.

There are also rumors that his personal martial prowess is not ordinary, and that he can handle several knights.

Still, he is practically an outsider who has not been settled in the city of Kalmar for long.

An outsider.

Yes, the problem is that he is someone from outside.

Isn’t he a person with no ties to the city of Kalmar?

There is no way to know what kind of person he is.

It is also vague how to establish a connection with him.

It is unclear whether he is completely the countess’s person or if there is room for compromise.

Above all, he is not trustworthy.

What if he causes a big problem and just leaves this place?

If he acts as if he doesn’t care about the people left behind, only those who were close to him will suffer.

No, the real problem is not him.

He is just a tool.

The real problem is…

People looked at Countess Linnea with complicated thoughts.

At that moment, Countess Linnea spoke.

“Sir Sorensen.”

“Yes, Countess.”

Sorensen flinched and bowed slightly as the countess intervened in his conversation with William.

Sorensen was in a state of confusion as William openly declared war.

It was unclear whether William knew something or was just bluffing, and with the countess in front of him, he couldn’t openly ask questions, which was driving him crazy.

Are you really going to turn everyone here into your enemies?

Wouldn’t it look strange to ask such a question outright?

It sounds like plotting a conspiracy behind the Countess’s back.

Countess Linnea glanced at Sorensen, who was sweating on his forehead, and then spoke to the gathered people.

“I have met Sir William privately a few times and have come to know his exceptional abilities. Although he is young and lacks experience, I am convinced that his dedication to Kalmar is second to none. Therefore, I have appointed him as an inspector, thinking it would be good for him to work for the estate. He has already proven his abilities while working as an investigator for the city council.”

Ah! William is the Countess’s hand.

Just a tool.

This is the Countess’s will.

Only then could the vassals and officials be sure.

They all thought they understood how things were going, hiding their expressions.

But that was their mistake.

“And Sir William is also someone I hold dear.”

The expressions of the vassals, who had been listening indifferently to the Countess’s words, shattered.

Hold dear.

It is not a word that means love between a man and a woman.

It is a formal word used to indicate a close relationship or someone you want to be intimate with.

However, if she speaks with a flushed face and warm emotions in her eyes, anyone would notice that it was not used in that sense.

Moreover, the Countess was educated as a ruler from a young age.

Such a person openly revealing her emotions like that!

That cold person?

The vassals and key officials of the estate screamed inwardly.

Who is that guy!

Countess, get a grip!

What has that snake-like guy done to our Countess!

*

Watching the faces of people changing every moment was surprisingly fun.

I didn’t know what an expression of shock looked like before, but now I know for sure.

And I could feel the way people looked at me changing drastically.

After the surprise and confusion passed, the gazes were clearly divided into two.

Suspicious gazes and probing gazes.

Neither of them were particularly affectionate.

Instead, fear and longing were reflected in that gaze.

Perhaps this gaze is similar to what a powerful person’s concubine might feel?

People’s thoughts seem to be getting ahead of themselves.

Then I should set it on fire.

“I also admire you, Count. So I intend to do my best in the task you have entrusted to me. First, I will visit the territory’s army tomorrow. Then I will see those related to the territory’s army tomorrow.”

In the territory’s army, there is Master Johan.

The strongest person in Kalmar City and its surrounding areas.

The leader of the territory’s knights.

The martial arts master of the Count’s family.

A person rumored to possess the mystery of knights.

I plan to test what the [Stamina: MAX] item in the status window means through him.

And also check the actual state of the territory’s army.