C80
The next day, I met a man who arrived in front of the police station annex. The man who got off the carriage had a pleasant appearance and healthy, bronzed skin.
"Welcome, Count Miloam."
Count Miloam, who was in his forties, saw me and greeted me cheerfully.
"Thank you for inviting me! So, it's definitely..."
"My name is Ethel, and I am the direct subordinate of the second prince."
Currently, I was coming in and out of the police station as a temporary subordinate to Terence, the person in charge of this tax investigation, and as a member of the investigation team. The security forces provided comfort to the investigation team by giving them an annex so they could move autonomously.
"Power is supreme."
Thanks to this, I could invite Count Miloam here without people seeing me. Of course, I asked the Count to keep it a secret.
"Anyway, I never thought the second prince would be interested in me. Although I have visited the capital many times over the years, it has been quite a while since someone came to see me first."
Count Miloam seemed impressed. For some reason, Count Miloam was rejected by most nobles, including the emperor.
I asked Terence to call Count Miloam. As he was staying in the capital, the Count gladly accepted the prince's invitation.
"As I wrote, the person Count will meet today may be rude in words and actions. We ask for your understanding."
"It's okay. He's a great genius, isn't he? If I could borrow his wisdom, I would be willing to endure it!"
He was on his way to meet Elliot today. I guided the Count to the room where Elliot was locked up and warned him about the upcoming encounter.
When we opened the door and entered, we saw Elliot sitting calmly in a chair inside the cell. I introduced them both.
"Is the person you brought here Count Miloam? I find it hard to understand your thoughts."
Elliot looked at me and the Count with cautious eyes. The Count smiled cheerfully and replied.
"Haha, nice to meet you! You're a genius, aren't you?"
Leaning against the wall, I anxiously observed the meeting of the two people.
What kind of change can Count Miloam achieve in Elliot? Someone who could have become his subordinate. In Liena's first life, the outskirts where Elliot was assigned were Count Miloam's county.
The first point I doubted was the novel's description that Elliot was in an outskirts position. Elliot Rudd, who had great pride and exceptional abilities.
Although his background and personality were obstacles, isn't it a bit strange? I think a genius like Elliot can advance to the central politics, even if it takes some time.
If it were me in the past who believed in the novel's narrative, it would be a minor discomfort that I would have overlooked without even thinking about it. However, I have seen many things at a glance that are different from what I have read in books.
"Cassius, who felt warm, was a cold place, and the butler, who I thought was a kind man, hid his pain."
<Return and walk on a flower path> contained no obvious lies, but it was not a book that contained facts as they were. A world written from the perspective of the main protagonist, Liena.
"Moreover, Elliot had shown a desire for success from the moment he met Liena."
I couldn't imagine Elliot staying in a position, frustrated by his limitations. So maybe, just maybe... He may have stayed in a position because of his own desires.
If this speculation is true, there must have been a strong motive for Elliot to do so. I thought deeply about what that could be.
In my opinion, people who can have a great influence on others are people. People change by meeting and talking to other people and by being exposed to others' ideas.
"But...."
Elliot's parents died when he was a baby, and his uncle, who raised him in place of his parents, also passed away before Elliot entered the academy. I knew he had no friends due to his isolated personality.
In the novel, Liena assumed that Elliot was showing obsessive loyalty for that reason and tried to console him. Her thoughts also gave me some inspiration.
Just as Liena was such a significant presence for Elliot, it's possible that his teacher's presence was also important to him in his last life. The reason why Elliot was in Count Miloam's county, wasn't it because of Count Miloam?
I closely watched how the two people, who were originally destined to have a servant-master relationship, ended up meeting behind bars due to Liena's intervention.
"As you know, our territory is arid. We cannot reduce our military spending because we are on guard against the Kingdom of Zabica, which borders us."
Count Miloam entrusted Elliot with his difficulties as a lord.
"Recently, as internal affairs of the Kingdom of Zabica have worsened, the number of immigrants escaping from their homelands and flowing into the empire continues to increase. There are countless gaps in a territory that has no specialties of any kind."
This was the reason why Count Miloam was rejected. Every time he meets someone, he simply asks them to lend him money.
Due to chronic financial difficulties, Miloam County depends on subsidies provided by the government, but this is not enough, and the Count himself has to beg in all directions.
It can be said that the count cares a lot about his heritage, but in the situation of other people, even if he lends money, it is difficult to recover it, so they are reluctant to do so.
Indeed, even if the territory is poor, the lord can live in abundance while exploiting the people of the territory. However, it was rumored that Count Miloam lived frugally and helped those in need with his own money.
I had some expectations. Wouldn't Elliot Rudd use his genius knowledge to provide assistance to the Count who cares so much about his territory?
"Genius, could you share your wisdom? It makes no sense to keep borrowing money like this. How do you think our territory can be developed?"
Moreover, unlike a noble, he gives up his pride and even seeks advice from Elliot, a commoner. If even that unfortunate Elliot feels something when he sees Count Miloam like this...
"No. I'm not interested.
...He felt nothing.
"If you were stuck here in the first place, would you like to use your wisdom for others? I've felt quite dirty since yesterday.
"Hey, don't do that."
"I would consider it if you could get me out of here or let me communicate with someone from outside."
"That's something I can't do. Do you need anything else?"
"Money? If you pay me 10,000 gold, I might change my mind."
"10,000 gold? That's ridiculously expensive!"
"Then don't bother me and go back."
"Here is bread made by Mrs. Molly, who works in our castle. How is it possible that this doesn't work?"
"Could it be possible?!"
Elliot turned his head, muttering that there are all kinds of absurd people.
"Hey, don't be so harsh, just say something. I heard that you are the second lord of the Iver Merchant Guild."
"......
"I hope trade will also pick up in our territory. What should I do to make that happen? Think that you are helping a poor person."
"......
"Genius, now that I look closely, you have a very clear appearance. They say a handsome person also has a beautiful heart, right? Don't ignore me, answer me."
Even when Count Miloam convinced and consoled him, Elliot didn't even raise an eyebrow. Instead, he picked his ears with his fingers and said to himself.
"Hey, is a dog barking?"
In the end, Count Miloam, who seemed like a good person, exploded.
"You damn bastard!"
He reached his hand through the iron bars and grabbed Elliot by the neck. Bam! Elliot's head hit the iron bars violently.
"Ugh!"
However, the person who suffered was Count Miloam. Due to the effect of a self-defense artifact that Elliot had implanted in his body.
"Are you okay?!"
I ran to the count and checked his condition. Fortunately, although he had a red lump on his forehead, he didn't seem to be seriously injured. The Count said, rubbing his lump.
"It's regrettable. Miss Ethel warned me beforehand not to touch that guy."
"Why did he do that?"
"What does it matter if he's smart? That guy is less than human. Even if you hit him, it's cheap!"
I agree with this statement a hundred times, but it's difficult for me when two people are in such disagreement.
"I've never been hit in my life..."
Elliot had a dazed expression on his face. The artifact would have almost returned the pain to Count Miloam, but the fact that he had been assaulted seemed shocking to him.
"What are you doing when you can't even solve your own problems and come to ask others for help?!"
Count Miloam smiled at Elliot, who looked at him as if he was going to kill him.
"Guys like you need a few more hits. Since there was no one to scold you, your personality has become twisted."
"If you can hit me, try hitting me! You're the one who will suffer anyway!"
"Fine! I'll hit that artifact or whatever until it exceeds its capacity!"
"There's no way the artifact becomes useless using such ignorant methods! Are you really using your head as decoration?"
"Hey, you two, calm down..."
"Mentally rotten bastard!"
"Stupid noble!"
I tried to stop them, but the eccentric genius and the kind and wonderful Count continued their childish argument. It's ruined. Not only did the two become close friends, but they ended up becoming enemies.
"After all, did I make a mistake...?"
Instead of changing Elliot, this only left a negative impression on Count Miloam.
"Ethel Wallace! Don't ever let him in here again!"
"Miss Ethel! Don't listen to him. I'll come here every day to beat that guy up!"
I just missed Terence. Yesterday he smiled kindly and handed me a cup of tea.
-----------------
The location is the Imperial Palace of the Asteroth Empire, and even within it, there is an interrogation room located in a quiet place that is rarely visited by people.
"Do you plan not to say anything until the end? Princess Cassius."
"......
The second prince Terence Belver Asteroth was interrogating Liena Cassius."