The count moved very fast. As soon as he received the words about the book, he had asked his subordinates to go to Christina's territory to confirm the information.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the brothel, it was just he had to confirm it so that he could give the information to his superior, the marquis.
But before he could confirm the truth, Illia had arrived at his city.
She went to his mansion in haste with the help of the brothel manager.
The two were staring at each other. If he was in a situation where he could relax, his eyes would already be all over Illia.
However, this matter was of utmost importance. Without hesitation, the count said, "Thank you for going all the way here. However, may I know the reason for you to come here?"
"I have three pieces of information directly from the owner. First of all, Countess Christina has received the book, so if you want to investigate her, you should immediately do it as quickly as possible.
"Secondly, I don't know who will win in this situation, but the biggest fraction that is currently monitoring Countess Christina is none other than the Third Prince.
"Last but not least, it appears that the one visiting Countess Christina is related to the Demon Relief Squad.
"You don't have much left, Count Leinberd. After all, there is also an inquisitor coming to your city. She has been sneaking around in our brothel to find the relationship between us and the Supreme Devil Organization.
"The moment she arrives here, she will become extremely annoying. You should understand that."
"What? An inquisitor?" Although the three pieces of information shocked him, the one that alarmed him the most was none other than the inquisitor. After all, the Supreme Devil Organization was their biggest backing and the one with the most sensitive status. If exposed, they would be destroyed.
Count Leinberd looked down, contemplating for a moment. "It seems that I have to be extremely fast."
'What should I do now? Should I just report with the current information I get from the brothel? But I still have to confirm it to make the marquis believe me.
'Countess Christina is extremely strong and independent. Even after losing her backer, Count Ardagan, she is still able to withstand the pressure. It's impossible to harm her that quickly.
'And looking at the situation, she has two choices. The first one is to hand the book to the Third Prince, who is also aiming for this book, or send it to the royal family.
'Considering her backer, the Ardagan Family, sided with the Third Prince previously, she might give it to the Third Prince.
'Although not many acknowledged it, the Third Prince has a lot of influences in the Demon Banner Army. So, it seems that the Third Prince has been eyeing this book the whole time. After all, the one bringing this book is the Demon Relief Squad.
'Last but not least, Countess Christina is an excellent Spirit Magician. She is good enough to assess the book. No, should I say that the Demon Relief Squad is reaching out to her to check the content of the book before handing it to the Third Prince?
'And the most troublesome thing is the inquisitor. They have suspected us, so if we don't move fast and carefully, we might end up getting destroyed.'
Count Leinberd pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking about the pros and cons of his plan. One wrong move might give away their relationship with the Supreme Devil Organization.
Count Leinberd suddenly noticed something. "Hmm. You said that the owner sent you here to give the information. However, I don't think that's important enough for you to be here, right?"
"Yes." Illia nodded. "The owner has told me to assist you in dealing with the inquisitor. But because the status of the other party is sensitive, we can only delay her. That's about it."
"Her status is sensitive?" Count Leinberd furrowed his eyebrows. "Who is she?"
"She is the daughter of an Arbiter. Her last name is Stargaze."
"!!!" Count Leinberd widened his eyes in shock. "Stargaze as in the daughter of Marquis Stargaze, Anna Stargaze?"
"Yes." Illia nodded.
Count Leinberd covered his eyes, feeling a headache. He thought, 'This is not good. I've heard a lot of the recent problems in the organization as well. Anna Stargaze has been completing a lot of missions and there is not a single noble that can stop her.
'Even though Marquis Walford has the same rank, he is still not an Arbiter. So, if the two families clash, I'm afraid that Marquis Walford will lose. In other words, we can't touch her when she arrives.
'I have to discuss this with the marquis. But it seems that the brothel is planning to stall her. If they can stop her for a while, I should get enough time to talk with the marquis.
'And since they're the ones holding her back, Marquis Stargaze will be fighting them instead of us. I see. It seems that the owner of the brothel is showing us his sincerity.
'In addition, the fact that the information reaches us this fast shows a lot of their power. We really can't underestimate the brothel. Their strength will be a great help to all of us.'
Count Leinberd was smiling inwardly, coming up with a plan where he could get all the benefits while the others took the blame.
After a few minutes, Count Leinberd opened his mouth. "I understand. Thank you for giving me this information. Please deliver my thanks to your owner. But since you have come here, why—"
"I'm sorry, Count Leinberd." Illia cut him off before he could complete the sentence. She already knew that he would invite her to stay here, but she never planned to do it. She had heard a lot from the manager after all.
"I'm honored to be invited to your mansion. However, my body belongs to the owner, so I shall stay in the brothel." She politely lowered her head.
Count Leinberd could only fall silent. After all, he couldn't offend the brothel in the current situation.
