Jeanne understood very keenly that things were becoming thorny. The sensible option would be to drop this matter and quit while she was still ahead, yet this would mean everything she had been trying to accomplish with this audit would have been for naught.
Worse, with this as a foundation, Darius could easily assert mental dominance over her as the winner of their battle of wits.
This left Jeanne feeling uncomfortable and stifled. The princess was aware that she was currently riding on the back of a tiger that was enraged, and getting down would only spell her doom. As such, she could only continue to ride it to the end and hope for the best.
Darius easily noticed her qualms and was amused. Truth be told, his annoyance about the summons had vanished the moment she had revealed the real reason for this audit.
In fact, Darius had started to garner a positive interest for her.
Their interaction allowed him to grasp her mentality and her current course of action made him nod his head inwardly. If he was in her shoes, he would do the exact same thing. Anyone with a bit of backbone and intelligence would, really.
However, the problem with her next move that made it seem stupid was that the difficulty was high and the penalty for failure was steep, making it riskier than it was rewarding.
As a merchant, Darius would hesitate to take such a venture, but put in her shoes, this was indeed the best option. Quite tragic really, Darius' heart went out for her.
He knew this was all a grand bluff due to his ability to Analyze. Darius might be good at reading people, but that was dealing with Earthlings who had an average of 10 points in Intellect while he had 21 initially.
In Faust… well, the issue should not need to be explained. Against Jeanne who was only 5 points lower than him, he found that he was having a hard time reading her, and was caught in the tempo of the battle.
Of course, while 5 points may seem small, they were also a gulf that separated Jeanne from an entirely new stage and ability. How long it would take her to acquire those points, no one knew.
Jeanne frowned as she read through the document, before she eventually continued speaking. "It says here that you met the leaders of the Equality Faction in Listo and gained their favor. Putting aside the title of Baron you were given, which is a right of Minor Duke Spencely, you were also given privileges equivalent to that of Count. How did this come to be?"
Darius smiled. "I know nothing of such things. I know not how nobility and titles work in Andrato, only that Minor Duke Spencely has treated me rather well, garnering my favor for this kingdom. It would be counter-intuitive to ruin that favor if you ask me."
Jeanne glared at Darius before flipping through the folder and opening another page. For the first time since he had met her, Jeanne smiled beautifully. It was really a captivating visage for any onlooker, but Darius only felt a chill when he saw it.
Jeanne's silver pupils narrowed as they gazed at Darius, and the young lady spoke in a slow and pressuring tone. "Baron Stone, in the same meeting with the leaders of the Equality Faction, your origins were revealed."
She gazed down on the document deliberately. "You were purported to be… the last survivor of the noble Stone House in the recently destroyed Westerlier Empire. Is that correct?"
Like a hawk, Jeanne's head snapped up as her pupils shone with a predatory glint. Darius' answer here was fixed and there was no escape from the hole he had dug for himself.
Darius sighed internally. He had naturally done his research about the Westerlier Empire before assuming the identity of one of their own. At the time, he had been a bit surprised to find 'Stone' to be the family name of a noble line of mages.
Anyone who had investigated his background would be able to find that out and should be largely convinced.
Only those who truly sought his demise would waste resources to go deeper and unearth the Stone Family register looking for his name. Judging from the confidence the princess was exuding, she was one such person.
According to his own plan, he had intended to quickly become a Journeyman after reaching Listo and establish his shop. With its high-quality goods, he would become a staple of the Andrato Kingdom that could not be done away with, like how a very powerful country on Earth could not get rid of a certain social media corporation even if they wanted to.
At that point, any questions raised about his identity could be swept under the rug by bribes, assassination, or collective pressure. It had worked grandly for him on Earth, and it should've worked in Faust.
Who would have thought some 'clever' princess would go so far just because she wanted to marry him without getting pressured by him? Just how much did she spend to get this much info? Was the Queen even aware? Darius doubted that.
Did she even understand the magnitude of what she was doing and the punishment she would suffer afterward?
Well, whatever the case, he couldn't avoid this question, so he calmly answered. "Indeed, that is what I told them."
Jeanne breathed out lightly, like she had finally resolved a big issue that plagued her heart. Her demeanor became less forceful and more pleasant, like she was suffering from schizophrenia.
"The Westerlier Empire was destroyed on the 1st of June, 8757 of the Faustian 4th generation calendar. This was three years ago. The former empire's territory has long since been divided between stronger parties and their resources seized. Their nobles were either absorbed into other nations or captured as slaves."
"As for their peasants, they were not even given a chance to make a choice, any found were taken as slaves immediately. As for the noble Stone family, they were one of the last families to be destroyed, and boasted great magical prowess."
Jeanne recited all this calmly, not breaking eye contact from Darius as she sought to unveil his lie in the most direct way possible.
