“The reason is simple—those two letters.”

Hulim Heyerar replied.

“Those two letters?”

“That’s right. On the surface, they appear to be letters you wrote to Crawford, but their true purpose was to make us see……”

……

Rewind to the first meeting between Crawford and The Investor……

“……State your purpose at once, or I’ll call the guards!”

“Hehe, is that really so?”

The Investor looked at the Minister of Governance, who was blustering but inwardly terrified, with amusement.

“You quietly betrayed the Third Prince Theodore Serions when he fell out of favor. Dear Minister, what do you think the Third Prince thinks of you now~?”

“T-The Third Prince……”

Crawford’s lips turned pale in an instant.

“A-Are you here to kill me on the Third Prince’s orders?!”

“Hehe, don’t misunderstand. If that were the case, why would I bother saying all this~?”

“Then what exactly do you want……”

“I’ve come only to tell you one thing.”

The Investor spoke in a calm tone, as if discussing a trivial household matter.

“As you feared just now—yes, Theodore does intend to kill you~!”

“W-What?!”

Crawford turned deathly pale with fright.

“I am the Minister of Governance! He can’t do this! And I’m now loyal to Princess Felena Serions!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Minister~.”

The Investor scoffed.

“Surely you know your own situation?”

“I……”

“You were originally a spy planted by the Third Prince in Felena’s faction. What do you think Felena would do if she found out? And—”

“Your position as Minister of Governance? How laughable~! You can’t possibly be unaware of who would take your place if you died, can you?”

“……”

Crawford’s expression grew even more grim.

But The Investor acted as if he hadn’t noticed, continuing on:

“……After your death, Felena will undoubtedly believe it was the Crown Prince’s faction that did it, won’t she?”

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“The situation will then escalate into a conflict between the Crown Prince’s faction and the Fourth Princess’s faction. Meanwhile, the true mastermind—the Third Prince—will not only eliminate you, a traitor, but also reap the benefits. Do you think the Third Prince has any reason not to do this~?”

“I-I……”

Crawford collapsed onto the ground, his face contorted in despair.

He knew The Investor was telling the truth.

The Third Prince was probably really going to kill him.

“What should I do? I’ve truly switched my allegiance to Princess Felena now, but I’ve never done anything to harm the Third Prince! And I served him loyally and achieved many merits in the past—why is he being so ruthless?!”

“Hmph! How naive!”

The Investor said disdainfully.

“Why? You’re a Minister of Governance, yet you can’t figure it out? Do you think this is a child’s game? What good are your past merits when you’ve betrayed him? That alone is reason enough to kill you!”

The Investor’s words struck Crawford’s heart like a heavy hammer, blow after blow.

“……Am I just supposed to wait to die, then?”

“Hehe, of course not!”

The Investor said with a wide smile, a smile like the pattern on the back of a spider weaving a web in the dark.

“Didn’t I say so~?”

“I’ve come to save you. All you need to do is cooperate with me, and I have a way to keep you alive!”

Crawford slowly lifted his head.

He stared at The Investor’s face, obscured by shadows in the dim light, impossible to make out clearly.

“……You?”

“Hehe, it seems you still don’t believe me. Very well—it would be unreasonable to expect you to trust me so quickly. I’ll give you some time to think. Once you’ve verified for yourself whether the Third Prince really intends to kill you, you can decide whether to cooperate with me~.”

“……”

A few days after meeting The Investor……

Crawford tried every means possible, finally contacting an old acquaintance and meeting him in secret to sound him out……

“What do you want? Are you trying to get me killed too!”

Berzera Ud snapped angrily.

“I’m sorry…… Berzera, you’re one of the few who knows the truth about me. I just want to know—what does the Third Prince think of me now?”

Crawford begged.

“You——!”

Berzera’s face flushed with rage.

But seeing his friend’s desperate expression, he sighed helplessly in the end.

“Sigh……”

After a long pause, he spoke slowly:

“Crawford……”

“Pray for your own safety.”

At these words, Crawford’s heart plummeted into an icy abyss……

In the end, he left the secret meeting place, completely dejected.

Berzera watched his retreating figure, shaking his head in helplessness before returning home.

But shortly after he arrived home……

“Berzera, His Highness Theodore wishes to see you.”

Two men sent by Theodore stared at Berzera coldly.

Berzera’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

“Gentlemen, may I ask why His Highness wishes to see me……”

“Hmph, you should know perfectly well.”

“……”

“A word of warning—His Highness has no tolerance for a second traitor.”

At these words, Berzera’s heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

Crawford, you’ve doomed me……

After confirming the truth from Berzera, Crawford finally chose to contact The Investor and agree to cooperate with him.

As assistance, The Investor sent him a letter, along with some “gifts”……

“……Tell Princess Felena everything?!”

Staring at the contents of the letter and the “gifts” that would prove his sincerity, Crawford hesitated for a long time before finally making up his mind……

“……Your Highness, that is the entire story. I beg you to do with me as you see fit!”

Crawford knelt before Felena Serions, his face filled with remorse.

“……”

Felena said nothing, silently flipping through the “gifts” Crawford had brought.

After a long while, she set them aside, looked down at Crawford kneeling on the ground, and spoke:

“Stand up.”

“……Thank you, Your Highness.”

Crawford climbed to his feet cautiously.

As soon as he stood up, Felena suddenly added: “I’ve suspected there was something off about you for a long time.”

“??!”

Crawford froze completely.

“But I never imagined you’d already abandoned the darkness for the light. You should have confessed this earlier—I’m not as petty as Theodore.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Crawford wiped the cold sweat from his brow, hurrying to respond:

“It’s all my fault! I only kept silent because I believe Your Highness Felena is a far wiser ruler—the one I truly ought to follow. I was afraid Your Highness would mind my past, so I never dared to speak up……”

“Heheh, you’ve got quite the eye, boy!”

Crawford’s flattery pleased Felena greatly—after all, the mages around her always spoke their minds bluntly.

“Your Highness is too kind.”

“Enough, you may leave now.”

“Uh, Your Highness, what about this……”

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