Reincarnated as a Villainous Duke (37) Who Gets Condemned by His Daughter ～I Stopped Acting Like a Villain, Yet My Daughter Keeps Becoming the 'Ice Lady'～ - Chapter 07: Spy Aramund

Chapter 07: Spy Aramund

It was the third day since my memories returned, and once again, my desk was piled high with paperwork.

Mildart sure didn’t go easy on me. I hoped to get along better with him someday—to the point where I could joke about it. After all, considering my previous life, I might actually be older than he is.

My mood was a bit lighter today, thanks to yesterday’s success in obtaining the “God Speed” (cheat) skill and making progress with Forsina. The path to my survival was finally starting to look promising.

I wanted to continue smoothly down the path of being a good and proper duke, but there were still many obstacles to overcome.

Today, I planned to tackle one of the trickier ones.

But first, I needed to clear up some loose ends.

I pressed a button on the magic device on my desk—a gadget that functioned like a fixed-line telephone.

A minute later, there was a knock on the office door, and the silver-haired steward, Mildart, entered.

“You called, my lord?”

“Yes. I’ve identified which of my previous orders need to be canceled. Follow these instructions and have the departments stop any ongoing work related to these orders immediately. Also, please apologize to them for the inconvenience.”

Mildart took the documents I handed him and began to review them.

“That’s a very reasonable decision. But are you sure, my lord? Canceling this many orders at once may affect your reputation.”

“The mistake was mine. I’ll accept any bad reputation that comes with it. Ignoring an error just to protect my image would cause greater harm in the long run.”

“A wise choice, indeed. I’ll inform all the departments immediately.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Mildart’s demeanor still held a hint of suspicion toward me. That was understandable. After all, these instructions didn’t completely undo all my throne-usurping moves. I planned to scale those back gradually—doing it all at once would damage my reputation too much.

Mildart bowed, then left the room with his usual flawless composure.

“…Phew. He still makes me a bit nervous.”

I had known him for years in this life, but with my memories from my past life back, it felt like I was dealing with someone new.

Well, considering I used to be just an ordinary commoner in my past life, the ducal household still felt like a world full of scheming and dangers.

Speaking of which, the person I was about to summon next was even more intimidating. They were a major character in the game and heavily involved in my mid-level boss storyline.

I pressed the button on the magic device—

“You called, my lord?”

Before I could even lift my finger off the button, a dark silhouette appeared, kneeling before me.

Seriously? I knew that’s how this character made her entrances, but seeing it in real life was way too startling for my heart.

Kneeling in front of my desk was a young woman with dark brown skin.

Her long, deep-purple hair was tied up at the top of her head, and her sharp purple eyes pierced through me. The lower half of her face was covered by a mask, but it was still obvious she was stunningly beautiful.

Her pointed ears extended to the sides—a telltale feature of the Dark Elf race in the game.

She wore an all-black bodysuit that hugged her curvy figure, designed with strategic openings that exposed parts of her chest and the outer sides of her thighs.

In the game, this slightly risqué ninja costume seemed normal, but seeing it in person made it impossible to know where to look.

“Aramund, I want an update on the project. How many ‘test subjects’ have you gathered?”

“Eight.”

“What’s their current status?”

“They’re in the underground cells. Their condition has been maintained as when we captured them.”

“…I see. Good.”

The Dark Elf flinched slightly at my words.

Aramund was the head of the duchy’s secret operations—the group responsible for espionage and covert activities.

I, Mark Stewart Blaumont, had ordered her to carry out several villainous schemes as part of my mid-level boss moves. I needed to put a stop to these activities, but if I suddenly ordered everything to stop, it would definitely raise suspicion.

In the game, her character was set to betray Mark Stewart Blaumont eventually, so I didn’t want to give her any reason to think something was off right now.

“Maintain the status quo with the ‘test subjects’. We’ll begin the research after I return from the royal capital. Until then, make sure they’re living comfortably and have everything they need.”

“Understood.”

Alright, that bought me a little time. I’d deal with this issue more thoroughly once I got back from the royal capital.

“Anything else noteworthy to report?”

“Yes. This concerns the royal family. It seems they plan to announce the development of the Southern Great Forest during the Crown Prince’s Inauguration.”

“The development of the Southern Great Forest?”

I repeated it because this wasn’t something from the game. I had no memory of any event involving the Southern Great Forest being planned.

“Yes. To prepare the development squads, the royal capital is actively requisitioning supplies.”

“Requisitioning? Are they just taking the goods by force?”

“It seems they’re buying at low prices. The merchants are complaining.”

“Well, of course they are. Is His Majesty being too forceful, or is someone advising him to do this?”

“It appears the ‘Black Duke’ is involved.”

“Duke Gentronov? What’s he up to now?”

“The daughters of the three major dukes will be attending the Crown Prince’s Inauguration. He may be trying to gain an advantage.”

“So, he’s looking to score some points and marry his daughter to the prince. I can’t really blame him, considering what he’s heard about my daughter.”

“Indeed.”

A flood of information had just come in, but fortunately, it was all within what my current memories could handle.

From the way Aramund was acting, she didn’t seem to suspect anything unusual about my behavior.

Still, the development of the Southern Great Forest was concerning. The Crown Prince’s Inauguration—the event that marked the game’s tutorial opening—was a month away. I’d likely learn more when the time came.

For now, I had given the most important instructions, so I dismissed Aramund.

“…The Southern Great Forest, the three major dukes, the Black Duke, Gentronov… This really is the world of ‘Orlea Old Stories.’”

It was strange to think this now, but hearing these details spoken aloud made everything feel all the more real.