#53 Servant Cedric (19) – Rational Inference

Claudia had rarely experienced running with all her might.

In the first place, she didn’t really like moving her body, and as a noble young lady where even the act of walking fell under the category of ‘etiquette,’ it was even more so.

But at this moment, that past was irrelevant as she ran with all her strength.

The servants of the mansion watched her with surprised eyes, trying to say something, but she didn’t care, even the breath catching in her throat was pushed aside.

“About Cedric, sir. I think his health hasn’t been very good lately.”

“His workload has decreased significantly compared to before, and his speed is relatively slower, and although he still does more than his share, how should I put it, before it was ‘I couldn’t even imagine keeping up with him,’ but now it feels like he’s come down to the level of ‘just a competent person’.”

“I just thought he was taking it a bit easier now that the mansion and the estate are stable, but last time I saw him… he was coughing up blood.”

“And the way he naturally erased the traces without being particularly flustered or surprised, it seemed like Cedric himself was well aware of his condition.”

“It’s like other people’s personal affairs, so I hesitated to say anything, but I thought you should know, Miss.”

Repeating the maid’s testimony in her head over and over, Claudia ran and ran with clumsy skill.

And finally, arriving at the room where Cedric was staying, she threw open the door.

Or, tried to throw it open.

Click! Click!

“Cedric! Open the door! Cedric!!”

Banging and pulling on the locked door, after a moment, Cedric appeared, opening it from the inside.

With his characteristic puppy-like face, Cedric widened his eyes in surprise, then looked puzzled at Claudia, who was panting heavily.

“Miss, what’s wrong?”

“You, you…! Haa, I mean, haa!”

“First, calm down a bit and catch your breath. Here, slowly, slowly.”

With Cedric’s help, Claudia managed to steady her breathing, and then questioned Cedric accusingly.

“Cedric, are you, by any chance, sick? Huh? Tell me honestly, don’t lie!!”

At Claudia’s pressing, Cedric narrowed his eyes for a moment, then gave a wry smile as if he guessed the situation.

“It’s nothing that Miss needs to worry about.”

“How can I not worry?! Where are you, what hurts? Did you see a doctor? Should I call one for you? Huh?”

“Milady.”

“Why didn’t you say anything when you were hurting! Is that why you’re quitting too? Afraid you’d get fired if you couldn’t work?”

“Milady.”

“I’d never abandon you over something like that! It’s okay if you don’t work. The omelets, the tea, it’s all fine, just stay by my side…”

“Claudia Milady!”

Not raising his voice playfully like Cedric usually did, but speaking as if genuinely scolding her, Claudia flinched and trembled violently.

“I apologize for interrupting you, but I believe you are mistaken about something, and I felt compelled to correct it.”

Looking up at his mistress with trembling eyes, filled with anxiety, the servant continued calmly.

“Firstly, it is true that I am feeling a little unwell, but it is not as serious as you seem to be worrying about.”

That was true.

“And the reason I am considering leaving this position is because I have completed the work I needed to do here. I am simply leaving to take on new work in a new place. I am not leaving for any of the negative reasons you seem to be imagining.”

That was also true.

“Lastly, an individual who does nothing and merely relies on the benevolence of their master cannot truly be called a ‘servant.’ Becoming such a being would go against my pride.”

Cedric had not uttered a single lie.

He had undoubtedly spoken only the truth to Claudia.

His attitude was so unwavering and resolute that even Claudia, who had been convinced that Cedric was seriously ill, felt a moment of confusion.

In the end, she had no choice but to back down, for now.

“O-okay. If you’re alright, then that’s good. Let’s talk about re-employment again tomorrow.”

“I do not believe my answer will change, but I understand.”

Leaving Cedric behind after he bowed his head in greeting, Claudia reluctantly walked away from his room.

It was a forced action, as she knew that if she stayed there, Cedric wouldn’t be able to rest with his ailing body.

Oblivious to the strange gazes directed at her, Claudia fell deep into thought.

‘Is Cedric’s condition really not serious? But he vomited blood…’

Claudia didn’t possess the insight to judge someone’s level or physical condition just by looking at them.

The Blood Fiend could use its beastly senses to discern an opponent and relay that information to Claudia, but even that wasn’t entirely reliable.

They hadn’t been able to properly gauge Cedric even when they were a tightly-knit, elite force; how much less could they now, scattered and fragmented as they were.

Calling a doctor to examine him might be an option, but somehow Claudia felt that Cedric could skillfully deceive even that. Even if the doctor said he was fine, this anxiety wouldn’t disappear.

Then suddenly, a certain face popped into Claudia’s head.

If it had been the old Claudia, she would have bitten off her own tongue rather than even attempting to ask for help from that person, but if it concerned Cedric, then it was a different story.

Claudia steeled herself.

*

“Huh, so, you’re telling me you want me to check on the condition of that servant, is that what you’re saying right now?”

A look of incredulity flashed across the face of the Marquis Redbell.

And no wonder.

His youngest daughter, currently the center of attention in political circles, barging in without so much as an appointment was absurd enough, but to come all this way and ask the head of the Redbell family to use his power as a health scanner for some lowly servant? It was almost unbelievable.

“If this is a joke, I’d rate it as not bad. It’s said that when something is so absurd, it makes you laugh even if it’s just a hollow chuckle.”

“Does it look like I’m joking?”

Despite the Marquis’ jest, Claudia’s gaze was dead serious.

Therefore, the Marquis answered with a touch of sincerity.

“It had better be a joke. Otherwise, it means my daughter is acting so rashly because of the living situation of some mere servant.”

It was a kind of warning.

If the Marquis’ other children had been there, they would have paled and lowered their heads, or suppressed their true feelings and taken a step back.

But Claudia’s response was neither of those.

“Cedric is more important to me than your approval.”

“Do you think everything you have will be maintained without my approval?”

“Don’t act like you own the whole forest that grew on the land just because you planted a single seed. How long are you going to keep milking this?”

Given the prevailing culture of the Birka Kingdom, where the authority of the head of the family is strong and children are seen as possessions of their parents, such a statement would have triggered horror or outrage in anyone but a select few.

And the Marquis Redbell was by no means a man detached from power and authority.

But, even so.

“Hmm.”

At the same time, he was competent, so he could suppress a moment’s anger or displeasure if it meant gaining greater authority and power.

Weighing whether it would be more beneficial to push Claudia away or compromise, he quickly came to a conclusion and spoke.

“I can check on his condition. But, even then, it won’t mean much.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t the guy say it himself? That he needs to do something new in a new place. Once that’s decided, it won’t change no matter what you do. He’ll leave.”

“What?”

The Marquis calmly continued, addressing Claudia, who seemed unable to grasp his meaning.

“If he was just after wealth and glory, that servant Cedric would have no reason to leave. Just staying by your side would allow him to live a life that most commoners can only dream of for the rest of his life. At least, as long as you don’t change your mind.”

Cedric had accomplished much by Claudia’s side.

After this, even if Claudia favored Cedric, his achievements would be so overwhelming, no one could complain.

And yet, why was Cedric ending his contract and trying to leave?

“You must have guessed at least this much, right? That Cedric isn’t some ordinary commoner. No, even a decent noble wouldn’t be able to display such overwhelming ability. That’s a talent painstakingly raised by at least a nation, or a gigantic force on par with one.”

Claudia couldn’t refute it.

Even she thought it was perfectly logical.

“What’s more, the force that raised this Cedric sent such a high-level talent to another country as a mere servant. And they worked him to the bone, practically bled him dry. Meaning, to whoever’s behind him, Cedric is just a pawn. Not so cheap as to be recklessly wasted, but not irreplaceable either. Something like that, I imagine.”

The way the Crown Prince treated his own proxies was exactly like that, so he wasn’t wrong.

Indeed, the Marquis, who’d grabbed hold of his family on the verge of collapse and lifted them back to the top of the kingdom, had exceptional insight.

Claudia asked in a trembling voice,

“Just… just who is it…? What kind of b*stards are working Cedric so hard according to their own whims?!”

“Well. I’m no fortune teller, so I can’t say for sure. But if his claim of being from the Empire isn’t just a smokescreen but an expression of confidence that ‘it’s okay if they find out,’ then his backers must be the Imperial family. If it were another group within the Empire, even if they were capable, they wouldn’t dare hint at the Empire’s existence so casually.”

If the Great Devil had heard that, he would have sworn he *was* a fortune teller.

“That’s…”

Claudia covered her mouth with both hands.

The Virka Kingdom, located on the southwestern tip of the continent, and the Empire, located in the northwest, didn’t share a border. So, to the Virkans, the Empire wasn’t a well-known country.

There was just a vague perception of it as a “distant, powerful nation.”

However, she, who was recently striving to acquire the various knowledge required of a lord, knew.

There was no nation within the continent that could single-handedly stand against the Empire and win. The 2nd and 3rd ranked countries would have to join forces to even discuss the chances of victory.

Moreover, the Virka Kingdom, which might not even make it into the top 10, could only put up a small resistance, even if it poured all its resources into it.

“Do you understand now? If you truly want to keep that servant Cedric in your hands, you need to gain enough power and influence to at least be able to meet the Empire’s Crown Prince face-to-face and negotiate. With you as you are now, you’re not even allowed to discuss that area.”

Even Marquis Redbell, a powerful figure who even the King of Virka couldn’t carelessly treat, was just one of those rural powerbrokers in the Empire.

Needless to say, Claudia, who had only just spread her wings, was no match.

Seeing his daughter, who seemed to despair at the height of the wall she had to overcome, the Marquis decided to show some kindness.

He remembered Cedric’s advice to be careful if he didn’t want to be lonely in his old age.

“Don’t try so hard to grasp what you can’t grasp, and at least cherish the time you have left.”

As if to deny the Marquis’s words, Claudia trembled and opened her mouth several times, but soon hung her head low.

Faced with the Marquis’s overly rational reasoning, all she could do was that much.