The Ruler of Conspiracy

by Kugane Maruyama

  “Then I’ll lead you partway there.”

  Hilma called a waiter, and he took Phillip to the room where the representative of the Nation of Darkness, Lady Albedo, was waiting.

  He knocked and then opened the door.

  The woman inside was simply too gorgeous.

  She wore a raven-black dress different from any he had ever seen in the kingdom. Her bare shoulders were a radiant white. Around her neck was a string of large jewels, yet it wasn’t gaudy at all but rather a modest accompaniment to her beauty.

  She’s so pretty…

  He blushed in spite of himself.

  “…Shall we go?”

  “Yes, allow me to escort you.”

  He took her hand in its black lace glove and helped her to her feet.

  Standing next to her, he noticed a pleasant smell. What perfume was it that made his heart so light? He was suddenly seized by the urge to smell more of it even if it meant snorting, but obviously he couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing.

  They walked together to the ballroom, but the silence weighed heavily on Phillip. He racked his brain to try to come up with a good topic but only thought of something right as they reached the ballroom’s door.

  “The ballroom is full of nobles. They’re all here to meet you, Lady Albedo.”

  The choice of topic wasn’t all that sudden, so she replied right away.

  “Oh? I’m grateful for your support, Lord Phillip.”

  Albedo gave him a familiar smile.

  Phillip’s heart pounded.

  He didn’t think it could be possible, but did she maybe sort of like him?

  In just a little while, he would be the man leading a large faction. The Nation of Darkness may have had an overpowering military, but it still had only one city.

  So wasn’t he a fairly good catch, then?

  And it just so happened he wasn’t married, either.

  “By the way, Lady Albedo, do you have a husband?”

  Her eyes went wide. He had seen her gentle smile a few times, but he had never witnessed an expression like this.

  Realizing he had made things awkward, he felt slightly ashamed of himself.

  “That’s an interesting question, Lord Phillip. It’s a terrible shame, but I don’t. I’m lonely and single.”

  “Is that so? With your beauty, I assumed you would be inundated with proposals before you even said a word.”

  “Tee-hee. Oddly enough, I’m not. That said, even if I were, I wouldn’t know what to do with them. So I actually feel like things are perfectly fine the way they are now.”

  “I see.”

  When they reached the door, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

  He heard a strange creak and turned to look for the source of the sound.

  “…Is something wrong?” Albedo asked with a smile, and the slight question in his mind slipped away.

  “No, nothing at all. Now then, allow me to escort you.”

  What could they see?

  Hilma was just a little curious how these nobles dressed to the nines viewed this ballroom.

  First-class cuisine, first-class waitstaff, first-class furnishings, first-class music, and third-rate garbage nobles.

  Most of the nobles at this ball were freeloading third sons or worse—the spares of the spares—disappointing and headache inducing for all sorts of reasons.

  One look at their faces was enough to tell.

  Many of them, feeling liberated, wore triumphant smiles, and likewise many of them were ablaze with ambition.

  To people like that, this ballroom was a place to satisfy their vanity.

  But really, this place was a feeding ground.

  The kingdom’s noble society had been thrown into confusion.

  Even a few months after the battle with the Nation of Darkness, the scars were large and showed no signs of healing. Some factions disbanded while others formed. Noble houses that had been at the top suddenly found themselves on the bottom.

  The kingdom’s current chaos was a great chance for the nobles who for whatever reason hadn’t belonged to a faction before. No, it was their last chance. If the factions re-formed, they would be driven into a corner. This place should have been a giant feeding frenzy for them.

  They were starving fish trying to get the small fries in their bellies.

  Meanwhile, the small fries would probably be eaten in a single bite without even realizing the larger fishes’ aim. Or would they notice it and manage to swim away? Or perhaps there were small-fry nobles who would take a bite out of larger fish and feast.

  After observing the ballroom for over an hour, Hilma had determined that there were no first-class nobles here—no one worth working with.

  But she didn’t despair. If there were any first-class nobles who could enter this dangerous ballroom unfazed, there was a good chance they were spies.

  Though she had rejected them during the invitation phase, Hilma didn’t feel she had managed it perfectly. She was sure a noble from some faction or another had managed to infiltrate.

  She considered it amusing.

  Her report would have more depth, which would make her more valuable, so it wasn’t a bad deal for her.

  Okay, it must be about that time?

  It had been an hour and a half since the ball started. It was the appointed time.

  Hilma’s true job started now.

  I’m scared.

  Her arrogant attitude of earlier had vanished as if it had never been there to begin with.

  A fear that the gentle word scared couldn’t even cover welled up from the pit of her stomach.

  The thought that if she displeased them, she would be sent back to that hell made her want to flee at top speed. Of course, if she did that, she would probably be punished in a way that would make even that place seem like heaven.

  She had given orders to kill more than once as a member of the Eight Fingers. And she had even given orders to make people suffer before their deaths. But any of her orders seemed downright merciful compared to the treatment she received from that monster.

  “Hilma.”

  The voice from behind startled her.

  When she turned around, it was the most idiotic man in the ballroom.

  “Hmm? Is something wrong?”

  “No, Lord Phillip. It’s nothing.”

  Hilma hid her true feelings beneath a smile. She was annoyed with herself for getting caught off guard by such a piece of trash.

  “Lady Albedo wanted to take a ten-minute break, so she was looking for you.”

  “She’s been talking with nobles nonstop, so it’s only natural that she would want to rest. Understood. I’ll show her where she can relax.”

  “I see. Then maybe I’ll go with you.”

  What are you talking about? Hilma was truly disgusted with him. Or has he sensed something?

  Wary, she kept up her act.

  “I think it would be better if you refrained.”

  “Why? I’ve been at her side all this time. I don’t think it would be strange for us to go together.”

  Now she knew he really didn’t get it.

  In other words, he was a moron among morons. He was an imbecile who had none of the manners or sense that a noble should have.

  “If a man who is not a woman’s husband accompanies her to a room to rest, that gives everyone an opportunity to gossip.”

  “Ohhh, but I was going to come right back after escorting her.”

  “Even so. I understand your concern as her host. But as the one providing the venue for the ball, I can take her to the resting area.”

  “Yeah…”

  He seemed like he wanted to say something, so Hilma waited in silence.

  Really, she wanted to tell him to spit it out already, but he was the host. She couldn’t be too rude to him.

  “What do you think I would have to do to marry her?”

  “Huh?!” His question made her forget her act. “Eh?! What did you just
say?!”

  “About a way for me to marry Lady Albedo.”

  Hilma wanted to scream, Is this nitwit for real?! but she reined in the urge. She didn’t think his stupidity was the bottomless kind. According to the information she had gathered, this woman was the right hand of the King of Darkness—essentially the prime minister. A low-level noble from the neighboring country couldn’t possibly have these kinds of designs.

  She would have been less surprised if he had asked how to go about marrying Princess Renner.

  “I mean, I managed to gather all these nobles together, didn’t I? I think I’m on her level, don’t you?”

  Hilma clamped her hands over her throat in spite of herself.

  Though she knew none of those things would slip down it, the fear and anxiety from the trauma of being shredded up made her do it.

  No, trauma wasn’t the end of it.

  How would she feel if she heard this nonsense coming from the mouth of this not-at-all attractive man? If the blowback fell only on Phillip, that was fine, but if any malice was turned on her, it was possible that dark hell awaited her again.

  “Su-surely that’s going too far. I’ve heard she’s the prime minister of the Nation of Darkness. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the equivalent of a duchess here.”

  “But the Nation of Darkness only has one city.”

  “Wh-what does that have to do with it?!”

  His remark disparaging the Nation of Darkness gave her goose bumps.

  Certainly, its territory wasn’t so large, even including the Katze Plain. But wasn’t its military mightier than anyone’s?

  No matter how much effort they poured into trade or diplomacy, relationships between nations were decided by brute power disparity. No matter how vast a nation’s territory, once it was defeated, its land would be stolen.

  If this idiot couldn’t even figure that out, how could she make him understand?

  Hilma’s thoughts went around and around, but she didn’t have an answer. Common sense and stupidity existed at odds with each other.

  In the end, she gave him the conclusion.

  “It’s impossible. There is no chance of you and Lady Albedo getting married.”

  “…We have a pretty good vibe going, though. Didn’t you notice when we entered the ballroom together?”

  Hilma was shocked. Is that what he was thinking up there?

  Is he planning on tempting people to his faction by claiming he has the Nation of Darkness’s backing? This guy is an extreme idiot… Give me a break. Don’t provoke her.

  She felt something bitter creeping out of her stomach—at the same time, she felt she would like to give this fool a taste of the sensation of those things going down into his.

  “…Our chat here has gone on a bit too long. I’ll escort Lady Albedo, so I’d appreciate it if you would stay here and entertain your guests.”

  “Ah, when you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice. Take good care of Lady Albedo.”

  She didn’t say, You should have known that without me having to say anything…, and instead bowed her head slightly. Then she went directly over to Albedo because she was sick of listening to that blockhead.

  Albedo was speaking with some nobles. Normally, Hilma would have read the atmosphere and watched for the right moment to say something, but she was tired from interacting with the idiot, so she spoke right away.

  “Excuse me, Lady Albedo, I thought perhaps you would like to take a rest.”

  “Hmm… Yes, I hate to be rude, but I think I’ll rest for a little while.” Albedo followed her out of the ballroom.

  “Phew… Ah, I feel sick.”

  Hilma looked over her shoulder at the voice. She wondered what she would do if the lady really did feel unwell.

  But when she looked, she saw her wiping at her shoulder with a handkerchief.

  Their eyes met.

  “That nasty man put his hands on me. There is only one man who is allowed to touch me out of desire for my body… That shit. That brainless shit.”

  Her teeth ground audibly. She, who wore that gentle smile at all times, openly expressed her disgust. It must have been that bad.

  Hilma wasn’t sure what to do. Was it all right to talk to her now? Or was she preparing to punish her?

  “…What’s wrong? Let’s chat.”

  “Su-sure…,” Hilma responded, internally terrified. “I understand how you feel, Lady Albedo.”

  “Oh. Then…would it be impossible at this point to get rid of that fellow and find a new one?”

  “If you wish, Lady Albedo, I could find you a new toy.”

  Albedo’s mouth opened, then closed, and that repeated several times.

  It must have been an offer tantalizing enough to put her at a loss.

  Either way, hell surely awaited, but all she could feel for Phillip was that he would reap what he had sown.

  “Phew… Don’t worry. I was merely complaining. He made an impression on a lot of nobles at the royal cocktail party with the extent of his stupidity. In that sense, it would be a shame to trade him out now… If he’s acting that way on purpose, he might be more fun than I thought. But there’s no way.”

  Hilma remembered the conversation from earlier, that delusional man saying he wanted to marry Albedo.

  How would she react if Hilma told her?

  She was far too scared to bring it up—because it was possible it would start a fight.

  “He hasn’t done anything, yet he thinks himself special. What an outrageous idiot.”

  “Yeah. Eventually we’ll bring him crashing down to earth. This body belongs to Lord Ainz—he needs to be punished for touching it with his filthy hands.”

  Then without saying anything else or meeting anyone along their way, Hilma led Albedo to the entrance of a certain room.

  Before the door, she wanted to sink to her knees in relief. How stressful it was to accompany her alone—she, the right hand of that king who even ruled over Jaldabaoth. But she would never be permitted to slump like that.

  Hilma mobilized every last bit of her physical and mental energy, and at the same time, she promised herself that when this was all over, she would spend an entire day sleeping.

  “This way.”

  When Hilma opened the door to the room, the men sitting inside all stood at once. They were as bone thin as she was.

  They were her colleagues.

  Five Eight Fingers division chiefs plus their leader for a total of six.

  In other words, her most reliable friends in the world. Once they had quarreled, but the thought couldn’t possibly cross their minds anymore. Having learned the connection between Jaldabaoth and the Nation of Darkness, they were all in the same boat. Until this country was swallowed up, until they were liberated, they would have to work together as slaves.

  When her friends, with whom she felt even intimate, set eyes on the embodiment of fear that was Albedo, they bowed deeply. Their shoulders shuddered with a terror they couldn’t fully conceal.

  Albedo had Hilma close the door, and she took a seat in the highest-quality chair in the room, which had been placed in the most honored position. Neither the men nor Hilma made to sit down, instead standing at attention while waiting for orders.

  “All right, I have orders for you. First, I want you to transport all kinds of materials to the Nation of Darkness.”

  “Understood. It will be our pleasure to offer them to you.”

  The smuggling division chief answered without a moment’s hesitation. How could he possibly hesitate? Now that he had been summoned, all he could do was agree to any and all orders.

  The chief of the smuggling division had lost a ton of goods during the Jaldabaoth disturbance, so he didn’t have power over the Merchants Guild any longer, but his position was still secure. That was because when he did business with the nobles fighting the Nation of Darkness, he had done all his deals in cash up front. The merchants who had permitted payment after the fact were all struggling no
w, so perhaps it was more accurate to say that his reputation was once again on the rise.

  “That’s not what I mean. Sell them at the appropriate prices. And with the money you make, buy food to prepare the kingdom from the food shortage that is sure to hit. There’s a lot of food that the kingdom army wasn’t able to move—no, let’s have foodstuffs be handled under a forward contract. Lord Ainz has already begun producing large amounts of food for that purpose.”

  Given how many workers they had lost, the future she described was sure to come to pass.

  “Understood. We’ll have the merchants get started right away.”

  “These are what we want the most. Make sure to have them bring plenty in the first batch.”

  He reached out reverently for the bag she’d tossed onto the table.

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  “And how is the magic item research going?”

  A different person answered with zero delay. “My humble apologies!” He bent over so hard, he whacked his head into the table. The sound it made was surprisingly loud.

  “We’ve enlisted the help of the Wizards Guild and are investigating as we speak! Please give us a bit more time—or rather, if you don’t mind an in-progress report, I’m happy to give it.”

  “Sure, that’s fine. Work as fast as possible. Oh, and another thing. Have you decided on your new members yet? If you have, I need to take them back and baptize them.”

  The new members were to fill the empty seats—new division chiefs.

  Recalling what “baptism” entailed, Hilma felt nauseous. She desperately tried to keep her expression steady, but her colleagues all had the same look on their faces.

  The demonic baptism had broken their spirits and obliterated their will to resist. If any of them had been told they would have to endure it again, they would have burst into sobs like a child.

  “Unfortunately, we haven’t decided yet,” their leader said.

  It was true, but it was also a lie.

  There wasn’t actually any reason to appoint new heads. The chiefs missing were the security division’s and the slave-trafficking division’s. The latter’s deals were mostly done, so there wasn’t much benefit to choosing a new one. As for the former, they weren’t sure if there was any point in having one. Besides…