WCSM 14

chapter 14

Ah, could he be the owner’s son?

“Do you usually wear a mask?”

“If milady usually wears a veil, then I suppose I would as well.”

So that means no.

Then why?

The question lingered, but it wasn’t the important thing right now.

“If there was embezzlement within the Holy Knight Order, how much would you pay for that information?”

“Well… normally eight hundred thousand luric, but it depends on the weight of the information.”

He would decide after hearing it.

His position was clear.

Raising a brow beneath her veil, Iona studied the man sitting across from her more closely.

Strangely, she felt as though she was being observed as well.

‘Unless he’s high-ranking nobility, that relaxed attitude makes no sense.’

Words themselves symbolize power.

Only those who have something to gain speak so freely.

This man was not the sort who could be bought with money.

‘Originally, I planned to buy off the newspaper. But this isn’t bad either. In fact, it’s better.’

Things had changed from her expectations, but Iona quickly acknowledged that she was in the weaker position here.

And even if she didn’t receive a single coin, it wouldn’t matter much.

Her goal was not money, but to tarnish the honor of Felix Teresia.

There was only one thing she hoped for.

That this man wanted the same thing she did.

“I can’t reveal who I am. I’d like the article to be anonymous as well.”

“Protecting a source’s identity is only natural.”

The man nodded.

She couldn’t fully trust him, but wasn’t there a saying that the enemy of your enemy is your friend? If <Pen and Sword> disliked religious figures, they would accept the information she offered.

Iona scraped away her hesitation and exhaled it with her breath.

“Within the Holy Knight Order, the only truly noble ones are Felix Teresia and a few of his close aides. The lower-ranking holy knights talk about honor on the surface, but in truth, they resent their low pay.”

“I see.”

“After Felix became commander, that resentment festered. Not long ago, one knight tampered with supply goods. He manipulated unit prices, accepted low-quality materials, and pocketed the difference. Ah, and some swords that were no longer in use probably disappeared as well.”

The man tilted his head, long fingers resting near his temple, as though he were listening to music.

Though she couldn’t see him clearly because of the mask, his posture and aura felt as if he were receiving a subordinate’s report.

He appeared calm, but she could tell he was weighing the value of the information.

Because he resembled her father and elder brother in that way.

‘Ah, of course, I don’t mean he gives off that sinister air those men do.’

Nor did he have that lone, self-righteous purity like Felix Teresia.

‘If I had to put it….’

Someone born that way?

From him emanated a peculiar atmosphere—as if this was all perfectly natural to him, so natural there was nothing strange about it.

She grew curious about his identity, but digging recklessly would be foolish.

More importantly, she had no intention of revealing her own.

“Felix Teresia knows about it. But he decided to cover it up, saying it was an internal matter of the Order. The knights are funded by the people’s taxes. Can they really do that?”

In the future she remembered, Iona had been the one to bury the scandal.

She had divided responsibility into small pieces to prevent problems for Felix and the Teresia family, and even manipulated public opinion using hired hands.

‘But I won’t cover for them this time.’

[The Constellation ‘Master of Lies’ shows curiosity about what you once did.]

“……”

The man across from her remained silent for a moment.

It made her slightly uncomfortable, but she didn’t show it.

There was no way he wouldn’t bite.

It might look suspicious because it was too appetizing, but still.

“Do you know the name of the knight who committed the corruption?”

“Yes. Servan Rioner led it, and Theonald Luxen and Mark Oban conspired with him.”

“But if it happened recently, the amount likely isn’t large.”

“What matters is that Felix Teresia knew and still covered it up.”

“That’s not incorrect.”

His lips—red enough to seem almost sensual for a man—curved smoothly upward.

“Did you come here knowing what kind of newspaper we are?”

“Yes. You dislike those connected to religion. You often publish articles with a negative stance toward the Order. I’ve read them all.”

Come to think of it, in a country where religious power was strong, how had <Pen and Sword> managed that?

The Order must have pressured them to shut down.

‘They must have powerful backing.’

All the better.

After some thought, Iona decided to play another card.

If they tied this to the current case in one article, it would be a direct punch to Felix’s face.

“Oh, and this applies to most of the Holy Knights. They are required to donate to Baldur’s main church. So are families that claim to believe in Baldur.”

“Yes. And they issue donation receipts.”

“Those are fake. Most donate about a hundred thousand luric, but record it as one million. Then they receive tax deductions equal to the inflated amount.”

Iona had discovered that while handling the Teresia family’s accounting settlement.

The numbers simply didn’t add up. When she asked Griselda, she was told it was customary practice and nothing to worry about.

Felix, the man so proud of his purity, might not have known. But if everyone around him was doing it… had he truly not known?

“It’s worth investigating.”

Just as Iona swallowed nervously, the man finally spoke.

“However, if we publish both articles at the same time, it may raise suspicion of an internal whistleblower.”

“That’s fine.”

In this life, she had not yet taken on the administrative duties of the Teresia family or the Holy Knight Order.

As ‘the current Iona,’ she had no way of knowing these details.

“If they suspect an internal whistleblower, that’s even better.”

They would turn on each other and self-destruct.

Watching that would be entertaining.

“You’re quite an unusual person.”

“In what way?”

“The Teresia family’s popularity is at its peak these days, isn’t it?”

“Let’s call it a personal grudge. And for your information, I haven’t even vented a quarter of it. I have plenty more information.”

She hadn’t realized she would work this hard to ruin someone.

Iona hated Felix for turning her into this.

She wanted to curse him, resent him—she had not even the slightest intention of forgiving.

“The Baldur faith says forgiving your enemy is victory. I think that’s nonsense.”

And her revered Goddess Isis taught that even if it took a lifetime, one must exact revenge.

“Wouldn’t it have been easier not to create a reason for revenge in the first place?”

“Interestingly, we share the same view on revenge.”

A dangerous smile rose to the man’s lips.

This one felt more sincere than anything before.

“I will give you two million luric for now. If it proves true and we publish the articles, I will pay you ten times that.”

“……!”

“When the article is released, come back and show this.”

The man held out the jet-black ring from his pinky finger.

It bore neither a family crest nor the newspaper’s name engraved on it.

She wasn’t entirely sure this alone would secure payment, but she silently slipped the ring onto her thumb.

If he’s offering, why refuse?

Besides, there was a subtle sense of camaraderie now.

‘As expected, the fastest way for people to grow close is to hate the same thing.’

Iona once again realized a truth about life.

“Thank you for bringing valuable information.”

With the pouch of money in hand, she prepared to leave. Before she noticed, the man was standing by the door, extending his hand toward her.

Iona shook it without thinking and noticed how large his hand was.

Well, considering her thumb was much smaller than his pinky, no wonder the ring was loose.

“It seems you still have much information left untold. I hope we can meet again.”

The man met her gaze and murmured slowly.

‘Red eyes?’