Chapter 77: Recruitment is the Most Important for the Party
Sushia’s eyes widened as she read the parchment.
‘You are not my daughter.’
Her eyes, now as large as peas, widened even more.
‘I’m a doppelgänger, borrowing the appearance of the Duke of Senestia.’
At this point, her eyes were as big as watermelons.
“Impossible...!”
Until recently, they had eaten together, talked together, and even bathed together (with the servants attending). The idea that the family wasn’t real but a doppelgänger was absurd—even in a play, it would be criticized.
Moreover, a doppelgänger is a legendary monster that perfectly mimics a person.
They were believed to be extinct.
Sushia continued to read the parchment.
‘When I first saw you, you were a child.
You were being abused by the Duke.
Seeing the Duke beat a child for no reason, I made up my mind.
This child will be useful.
So, I took him away.’
Sushia recalled the past.
Her father had been a very strict man when she was young. Not just strict, but harsh.
He would get angry over trivial things and resort to hitting.
Every night, she heard her mother sobbing in her room.
It was a deeply buried past.
Because one day, her father had changed as if he were “a different person.”
He always smiled at her, treated the servants kindly, and her mother no longer cried.
Unless she made a serious mistake, her father would admonish her with words instead of punishment. Rarely, he would pick up a switch, but that was very rare.
‘I hate the Empire.
The Empire is detestable, Sushia.
They do not tolerate those who are different from themselves.
As a doppelgänger, I was captured by them long ago and experimented on for decades while still alive.
They may have forgotten, but I remember.
So, I sought revenge.
I gathered those in the same situation and formed an organization.
The background of the Duke of Senestia was very useful.
But now, it’s no longer necessary.
You foolishly fell for the doppelgänger’s trick.
Hahahaha!
You’d never know that the real Duke of Senestia is the skeleton lying on the floor.
Well, take that skeleton and try appealing to the Empire, crying that the real Duke was murdered.
Anyway, I’m off. I’ve already left for a place beyond the Empire’s reach, so you’ll never find me again.
Live well, Sushia, and Cecilia.’
Sushia’s hands, holding the parchment, trembled.
‘If my father was a doppelgänger, then where is my mother?’
She had no way of knowing.
There were only a few servants who testified that Lady Cecilia had hastily prepared and disappeared in the middle of the night.
****
“So that’s what happened.”
After leaving the basement, Sushia called for Ascal and Yulia, the people she trusted the most.
Yulia read the parchment after dispelling its magic, and Ascal examined the basement. According to his hunch, there was still a hidden space in the basement.
Ascal pressed a random spot, and suddenly, the wall sank into the floor.
And within the hidden space was another hidden space.
Documents for the house, land deeds, seals, ledgers, jewels, and insignias.
It was a treasure trove.
The core assets of the Duke’s household were stored here.
“Lia, can we verify the identity with this skull?”
“Yes, it will cost quite a bit, but it’s possible with restoration magic. There are also other alternative methods.”
“Then it should be easy to prove that the real Duke of Senestia was murdered.”
“Yes.”
The skull was in pristine condition.
There were no signs of misaligned bones.
“There’s no need to send Sushia to a convent or marry her off to another noble.”
“Indeed.”
“What happens to the Duke’s position now?”
“Unless Miss Sushia marries, according to Imperial law, she becomes the next Duke of Senestia.”
Ascal patted Sushia’s shoulder.
“Congratulations, Sushia. You’ve been promoted from the Duke’s daughter to the Duke herself.”
“What? What? ...What do you mean?”
“Truly, congratulations.”
Yulia also smiled warmly, genuinely pleased.
Still in a state of confusion, Sushia only looked bewildered.
“Damn doppelgänger! Just wait until I get my hands on you! I’ll tear you apart!”
“It’s truly unfortunate. To think that the Duke of Senestia lost his life to that vicious doppelgänger…”
Behind them, Ascal whispered quietly to Yulia.
-This was intentional, wasn’t it?
-Yes, the Duke, or rather the doppelgänger, left plenty of evidence behind. Almost too easy to prove.
-Take good care of Sushia.
There are many old stories about doppelgängers turning into people and pretending to be them.
But to think it would actually happen.
‘Tsk…’
A doppelgänger.
What now?
Ascal swallowed his saliva.
****
Ascal had an audience with the Emperor for the first time in a long while.
The Emperor, like a loyal dog seeing its master for the first time in nearly a year, ran up to Ascal.
“How long has it been—! Count Erindale! It’s so good to see you. You should visit more often. Do you know how lonely this old man has been lately?”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. Are you still enjoying your crystal tea?”
“Of course. Without crystal tea in the morning, I don’t feel alive.”
After listening to the Emperor’s lengthy complaints, Ascal brought up the main topic.
The matter of the doppelgänger.
“What, that can’t be. The doppelgänger that escaped back then did that? It’s karma. Karma, I tell you.”
“...”
“Sushia must be heartbroken.”
“Yes. Losing her parents so suddenly... Ha.”
The aging Emperor had become quite emotional.
“What will happen to the Duke’s position?”
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with Miss Sushia inheriting it, but managing the Duke’s household alone would be difficult, wouldn’t it? A suitable man…”
“While it’s an honor, I must humbly decline as I am not fit for such a role.”
Sensing danger, Ascal preemptively declined.
The Emperor tilted his head, puzzled.
“What do you mean? You, of course, should—cough—form an alliance with our royal family, shouldn’t you?”
“...Pardon?”
“Do you prefer dark hair or blond?”
“...Pardon?”
“Haha, we’re both men here. Be honest. Or do my daughters not appeal to you?”
Ascal began to sweat. It felt like he had escaped a fox only to encounter a dragon.
No matter how subtly he tried to change the topic, the Emperor seemed very sincere.
Every gentle attempt to steer the conversation away was met with another proposal for marriage.
In the end, Ascal decided to take drastic action.
“I love my work! Your Majesty! I want to become your Prime Minister!”
Prime Minister.
In his dreams, Ascal had become the Prime Minister, only to be driven to the brink of insanity by the overwhelming workload.
The trauma from that dream had kept him away from the palace for a while. Just hearing the word “Prime Minister” made him feel queasy.
But it seemed better to work himself to the bone for a year and retire with the Emperor than to suffer as part of the royal family forever—
“That’s impossible.”
“Pardon?”
“The Crown Prince came to me recently and insisted that if Ascal ever asked to become Prime Minister, I must refuse. Otherwise, he threatened to confiscate my pudding in old age.”
Confiscating his pudding? The Emperor, stripped of his power, seemed pitiful.
The formidable Crown Prince had already blocked all escape routes.
It was as if Ascal could hear the Crown Prince’s voice whispering in his ear.
“Oh, a clever move. But I already anticipated it.”
It felt like playing chess for retirement.
“But I still have many hidden moves. Crown Prince, you won’t stop me.”
Ascal’s determination burned bright.
****
Somehow, Ascal managed to avoid the topic of marriage, and Sushia’s situation was settled like this:
<If a suitable spouse is not found within a year, Sushia Senestia will inherit the title of Duke.>
Until then, the royal family promised to actively support the Senestia household.
Thus, Sushia’s new titles were as follows:
Almost a Saintess Sushia.
Soon-to-be Duke Sushia.
One-bite Reviewer Sushia.
“In that case, you get a promotion. You’re now a 7th-rank official.”
“What, how is that possible?”
“It’s my decision. Oh, and Lia, there’s a place we need to visit. Let’s go out.”
“I’ll prepare right away.”
Lia stood up.
Before retiring, Ascal was preparing for one last dragon raid.
He planned not to announce it publicly to avoid causing chaos until everything was ready.
The first new member to recruit was Sirius.
Leader of the anti-Empire army, a strategic genius, future Swordmaster, and eventually called a hero—a top-tier talent.
“Someone with that kind of talent should be the one putting in the effort.”
Honestly, he no longer considered calling himself an ordinary person.
It felt like he had already crossed a point of no return.
True to his position as the head of the Evaluation Department, Ascal decided to amend his evaluation appropriately.
Ascal rummaged through his documents.
These were papers summarizing his subjective evaluations.
Old!
<Ascal Debrue: Rank E>
New!
<Ascal Erindale: Rank C>
A generous two-rank promotion.
For reference, those positioned at Rank S were Yulia and Sirius. Recently, even the Crown Prince was on the verge of being promoted.
They were crucial figures in the dragon raid.
Losing even one of them would be problematic.
Unless some unbelievable new member appeared out of nowhere.
With that thought, Ascal headed to the Haven Orphanage, now known as the Haven Training Center.
And...
Some time later…
“Oh, Master! Great Master! Don’t leave us!”
As soon as Ascal saw the students collectively stomping their boots on top of the desks, he felt dizzy.
