Compensation θ ~ I might be late for reincarnation, but since I was born as the talented eldest son of a prestigious noble, I might be on the winning side.

How did the remains disappear?

Is it an accident or an incident? In other words, is it a loss due to negligence, or is it a theft? Depending on that, the situation is completely different.

Having said that, the chance for negligence seems quite thin.

There’s no way they can lose the urn on the property, no matter how large it is.

Moreover, Lord Alexander, the head of the house at the time, was present at the construction of the water basin. He, of course, as well as the relatives present there, would not treat the remains of their important ancestors so carelessly.

So, who on earth stole it?

One of the suspects, Flor Blanca, probably has no reason to go to such lengths.

What would a lady like her do by stealing remains? She only wanted confirmation that she was loved by Lord Alexander because she was jealous of the love story of Lord Hugo and the spirits.

But, how did she, a sheltered and born-in-the-capital lady, learn about the love story of Lord Hugo from almost a century ago? There’s a significant question there.

She is intense in her convictions, but in a sense, pure and fundamentally has a simple thought process. If someone intentionally whisper something to her ears, she can be easily influenced.

In that regard, it cannot be denied that there is a possibility that she was taken advantage of or instigated by the forces planning to weaken Kilyam.

The craftsmen who undertook the construction of the water basin were dispatched from the royal family. And not only people but also the stone materials and statues used were brought in by them.

In a way, they boldly entered the core of the Kilyam family by fully responding to Flor Blanca’s requests.

Snowflake stone is a mineral preferred by the Belfast royal family but rarely produced in the Glass region. It’s white and beautiful but not very strong. It’s clearly unsuitable for flooring, especially when reinforced and used for the curb of the water basin and the surrounding floor.

In transporting heavy stone materials, a lot laborers must have come and gone, creating an opportunity for outsiders to enter.

If we limit it to the invasion of the yellow demon [Gula], the Belfast royal family might not appear to be victims of the witch.

But, is that really the case?

If you filter through the profit and loss account and look at it from a deeper perspective, you will see a different picture of this series of events.

It is undeniable that the ones who suffered the most were the people who lost their lives in the great famine.

So, what about the surviving people other than that? Not everyone necessarily stands on the losing side.

The Kilyam family clearly suffered the greatest loss. After all, they lost their kingdom due to unjust threats and were forced into an unwanted marriage.

So, on the contrary, who gained the most? Undoubtedly, the Belfast Kingdom—more precisely, the Belfast royal family.

Even if they lost many lives in the famine for several years, their own lives were not threatened. Saying this might sound callous, but for the royal family with the privilege of being prioritized in the supply of goods, it was not an immediate problem, just a statistical figure. Moreover, after some years, the numbers would naturally recover.

In exchange for that loss, over the next approximately hundred years, they secured the indisputable food storehouse in the form of the Glass region. Moreover, the ruling family of the region would be under the leadership of the royal family.

At that time, how much advantage did it give the royal family?

Because of this, the feudal lords had no choice but to negotiate with the royal family to get more food supplies.

There is no doubt that the long-term balance of payments will be a large surplus. And even in the short term, the royal family’s pockets will be filled to the brim.

When the unified kingdom collapsed, the founding father, Rozin Belfast, restarted the country as a federated state, but the power dynamics between the royal family and the feudal lords changed significantly. The feudal lords began to take a strong stance against the royal family.

They acquired a very effective card to tilt the balance back in favor of the royal family.

Even if they did let go of a big fish at the time, but they also succeeded in reeling in the fattened fish, the Kilyam Kingdom.

Just by making the most of the wildcard called Flor Blanca at hand, they achieve both goals in one fell swoop.

Not everything is based on fact of course, but looking at the history of the Kilyam family afterward, it can be said that the Belfast royal family is an opponent that cannot be underestimated.

The fifth head, Lord Hugo, was attacked by surrounding feudal lords in a surprise war.

The tenth head, Lord Alexander, on the verge of an invasion war, entered under the umbrella of the Belfast Kingdom and had to accept a political marriage.

In the time of the fourteenth head, Lord Grayson, there was a second political marriage, and in the fifteenth, Lord Riley, who carried the blood of the royal family, ascended to the position of the head of Kilyam.

And now, in the sixteenth generation. Perhaps it was impossible to have two consecutive political marriages, so they formed a marriage alliance with the Spinning Count family, a close ally of the royal family, and the child, namely me, will become the next head.

At this pace, by the time of my great-grandson, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Kilyam family was swallowed by the royal family.

That’s why the branch families are on guard.

Well, it’s all just a speculation though. Without clear evidence, it’s just a theory.

“Hey, Moriss. What could be the reason for keeping someone who is known to cause great harm to a large number of people alive?”

Being complacent is dangerous, so I wanted to ask my predecessors for his opinions.

“I’m not sure which person you are referring to, but the most likely use would be for warfare.”

“Warfare?”

“Yes. A human weapon. If they have such a harmful ability that it can be likened to that, they can be hidden until the time comes and released into enemy territory when needed. They are expendable, so it’s not regrettable if they died. Expect them to involve as many enemies as possible and achieve significant results in battle.”

I see.

‘Even a fool with a pair of scissors can be dangerous.’

What a troublesome blessing, if their nature can be discerned and used appropriately, they can produce a devastating result.

Yes. What had been bothering me for a long time was the existence of Flor Blanca.

With the power of the royal family, they could have kept her strictly isolated, provided no stimuli that would disturb her emotions, and let her lead a flat life with little fluctuation, creating a person with a skewed existence—rich in sensibility but incapable of controlling her emotions satisfactorily.

But they continued to shower Flor Blanca with maximum luxury from her childhood, instilling the value that it was natural, and raised her as a biased existence—showing only beautiful and enjoyable things, growing up in an extremely stress-free environment, ignorant of the world but become extremely sensitive in result.

As a result, any minor obstacle could become a spark to inflate her emotions, turning her into an impatient and uncontrollable person. Ultimately, they successfully pushed her onto Lord Alexander, securing the Kilyam Kingdom under the rule of the Belfast Kingdom. There must have been conspiracy involved in that.

Whether Flor Blanca’s first love was a destiny or a result of manipulation by those around her is unknown. However, the encounter between Alexander and Flor Blanca could have been intentionally orchestrated.

Now, about the remains.

In the previous battle for Glassbridge, powerful spirits, along with Lord Hugo, annihilated the invaders. If those spirits were to revive, it would be a significant force for Kilyam.

If someone feared the independence of the Glass region and schemed to eventually obtain everything, they would undoubtedly want to prevent the revival of the spirits.

If those individuals knew or speculated about the conditions for the revival of the spirits.

Even if the flower bed were destroyed, it could easily be restored as it wasn’t an unusual flower. Just like the ongoing construction. That’s also the case with the plate that contain Lord Hugo’s vow of love.

So, a crucial piece that cannot be replaced is Lord Hugo’s remains.

To create a reason to unearth Lord Hugo’s grave, steal the remains, and carry out covert operations without anyone noticing… Could the construction of the water basin itself be a camouflage?

Maybe I’m overthinking this.

Excessive assumptions can cause you to overlook the core of the problem.

In reality, the motive might be surprisingly simple. The remains of Lord Hugo, who had a powerful spirit covenant, might be what they wanted.

At that time, the benefits of the covenant might not have been widely known, and the culprit might not have known that it would lose its effect once the remains is taken away from the Glass region.

In any case, it’s almost certain that the remains were taken outside the Glass region. Because if it were limited to movement within the Glass region, the spirits would have caused a commotion, and someone with a covenant would have noticed.

I think the restoration of the water basin is essential for the revival of the spirits. And to accomplish that, a substitute for the remains is required.

For example, hair remains? It would be ideal to have a part of Lord Hugo’s body.

Oh? A part of the body… It might be there. Perhaps it could be obtained.

Yes, Lord Hugo built the castle city of Glassbridge and was not born in this place. Since he moved here after becoming the head, he must have spent his childhood in Valenfield.

The room I peeked into before. In the tomb of the past four heads, there were not only various relics but also baby teeth of the past heads saved from their childhoods. Perhaps there might be those of Lord Hugo?

I’m eager to find out. I want to check with Moriss-jii first, though. He might know about it.

“Are you talking about baby teeth of the past heads? Whether there were teeth for all of them or not is uncertain. To be sure, we need to check the list of stored items at the Lakeside Mansion. Is that acceptable?”

“Then let’s go to Valenfield and look for something that can replace the remains.”

“Let’s ask Nathan. Since it’s not a distance that can be easily traveled back and forth, if he opposes it, I’ll go search alone. Is that acceptable?”

“I’d like to go together if possible.”