Chapter 39

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Chapter 39

“Madam, now that it has come to this, I think it’s better to reveal the culprit once and for all!”

The housekeeper bowed her head and raised her voice. Hearing her loud but shaky voice, the chef crawled forward. In front of Daisy, he hit his head on the floor and added loudly.

“If you look into our bags and rooms, you’ll know who stole the jewelry!”

“Forget it. What’s the point of doing that?”

“Pardon? W-What’s that supposed to mean?”

The chef raised his eyes dazedly. Daisy crossed her legs and lifted the corner of her mouth.

“For all I know, the criminal may have put it in someone else’s room or bag right after I collapsed yesterday. The jewel shone brilliantly in the dark, and I know that the person who was holding it was wearing this family’s uniform.”

Uniform? Why did she describe it so vaguely?

The servants looked at each other. Housekeeper, servant, maid, gardener and chef. Their uniforms were all different. Even if it’s dark, it would have been possible to distinguish which uniform it was.

But why? It should be easy to know the culprit.

“I’m sure it’s one of you. If it wasn’t one person, it could have been done by two or three people.”

It meant that all of the servants were culpable without exception.

Plop.

A maid collapsed as the strength suddenly left her legs.

Only then did the servants understand the gravity of the situation.

From the beginning, Daisy had no intention of finding the criminal.

There was no culprit among them!

Everything was fabricated by her.

Anyone could be chosen as the culprit. If they try to evade her eyes, they’ll be the culprit right away.

“You will be my mouth and ears even after you leave the Marquisate of Jean.”

Daisy’s gentle yet firm voice hit them with nightmarish force. She gracefully pushed her hair back.

“I want you to deliver the information that I need, and spread rumors that the Marquisate of Jean is a splendid and wonderful place, more than you ever imagined. I want you to be more enthusiastic and faster in spreading rumors.”

The servants’ ears would be of tremendous help in any situation. And their mouths would also be very useful.

Since rumors originally spread from inside the mansion. Rumors traveled from mouth to mouth and eventually reached the noble’s ears.

There’s still a lot to gain from these shameless servants.

“As soon as I hear the news that one of you leaked unnecessary things from your mouth, I will reveal the culprit right away. Whether it’s one, two or three people, I will make sure that this Empire knows that you were involved in the crime of stealing your Master’s precious jewelry.”

The servants helplessly stared at her as if their world had collapsed.

“But don’t worry, I will still write you a recommendation letter.”

Daisy saw a servant who was relieved by her words.

“Writing a letter of recommendation does not exclude you from the list of criminals. It is normal in an incident that a witness would distort their testimony or simply forget some part of it.”

As Daisy said that, she briefly glanced at May who stood at the side. That fleeting glance made the servants tremble in fear.

It meant that May was the witness and she could twist her words anytime.

She laid the trap perfectly. There was no chance of surviving this net if they made the slightest mistake.

Not everyone could completely avoid the thorny path, after all.

Fear filled the servants’ faces as they understood the meaning of her words. They couldn’t know how far the noblewoman in front of them would reach.

“Read it clearly.”

There was ‘Xandarvan’ testimony in the newspaper that Daisy threw.

An article on the front page saying, ‘Where are the necklace and bracelet that Marquis Jean gifted to his wife?’

Moreover, the article was published in a well-known newspaper.

The housekeeper’s jowls shook wildly as she grabbed the newspaper.

“No way. H-How could this be blown out of proportion? I’m in big trouble.”

As long as the incident received this much attention, the revealed criminal would be expelled from the aristocratic world.

Even if they leave their current job, it’ll be difficult to get hired elsewhere.

They would be ostracized for sure.

“Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be left off as the trivial matter you all had wished.”

One by one, the servants crawled around the housekeeper. Their gazes could not leave the newspaper for a long time.

Daisy left her spot just like that. May followed her right away.

“Good job, May.”

“Yes, Madam! Anytime!”

The Marquisate of Jean will change from now on.

Let’s show them that an ugly duckling can also fly like a swan.

Unexpected burning passion came upon the Zistanter Knightly Order.

Although they were at war, Carlyx judged that any knights who did not follow his instructions enthusiastically would only cause damage. So he decided if he couldn’t change the system at once, he would do it gradually.

First, Carlyx interviewed the knights one-by-one.

The knights were surprised that he called them individually, but they were once again surprised by what awaited them inside.

Carlyx already stood in the training hall, to be exact, inside the ring.

As he called the knight to the ring, he calmly recited.

“Your skill today will be a deciding factor whether I will condone your past behavior or dismiss you for good.”

Most of the knights were shocked by his sudden declaration. No matter how they reacted, Carlyx maintained his complete composure.

“Hold your sword.”

“What? No, Commander. How can I fight against the Commander?”

“Deal with it. If you’ve followed the training diligently this far, you’ll last a few minutes.”

“Commander!”

“Lift your sword. I want to test how good your skills are among the Zistanter Knightly Order.”

The knight slowly came to his senses and brought his hand to his sword handle. Looking at his slow movement, Carlyx pulled out his sword first.

Shiing-

His sword touched the knight’s neck in an instant.

“I’m not sure if you know, but there are many people who covet your spot right now.”

The knight’s pupils trembled as he glanced at the sword that was ready to slit his neck. Fear was apparent in his eyes.

“From now on, if you can’t keep up with the mental and physical training in the Zistanter Knightly Order, I’ll kick you out.”

“…..”

“In order to meet that standard, you will have to abandon your useless pride and learn sincerely.”

The knight tried to evade the sword, but it followed him at a faster rate than he could move.

“I said, lift your sword.”

Still with his heavy voice and firm tone. Carlyx’s attitude was still the same on the surface, but something had definitely changed.

“I’m saying this for the last time. Lift. Your sword. Sir.”

“Y-Yes Sir! Commander Carlyx!”

The knight was scared, but he drew his sword and charged toward Carlyx.

The fight began. It was filled with groans, but the knight’s spirit was slowly burning inside.

Their skills in the battle were more important than their posture during training.

The Zistanter Knightly Order was an Imperial Knighthood that frequently went to war.

Precision was needed to survive, but execution and judgment were also important. Therefore, a duel was needed to properly evaluate their skills.

Of course, letters had already been sent to the knights who were blacklisted by Daisy.

[As an honorable Knight of Zistanter, you are obligated to follow the Commander, but you weren’t ashamed to badmouth your Commander behind his back. Considering that you have abandoned the basic dignity you must keep as a knight, we have decided to dismiss you.]

It was written by Carlyx and modified by Daisy several times. Aside from those two, Logan, Jeffrey and Frederick also actively helped.

“Hey, you didn’t even react when I told you to kick them out. What’s up with you now?”

“Sir, I want to have a duel with you even if I’m excluded from the test.”

“Madam, there’s something else I overheard.”

They also helped by recalling what happened in the past.

During the conversation, Logan still cracked a joke sometimes, but he didn’t say anything unnecessary this time.

The Knightly Order of Zistanter was scorned by the nobles, but it was still a dream appointment for the commoners.

They held the test and numerous commoners applied. Only the best of them were selected.

Even though only a few people joined to replace those who were dismissed, the attitude in the Order changed drastically.

The knights’ duel with Carlyx brought change to the overall atmosphere.

“Wow, I swung my sword only once that day.”

“You too?”

“I don’t remember how many times I swung nor how long it lasted. Was it about five minutes?”

“I heard that five minutes is pretty long.”

“Really?”

“If you’re not confident with your own skills, how can you call yourself a knight?”

They often ridiculed and cursed at the knights who had gossiped about Carlyx. Even those who were complaining about the poor treatment in the Order started to laugh as they reminisced about their past.

“How’s your wound?”

“I’m better now because the doctor treated me. They examined my wounds very quickly.”

“That’s right. Last time, they examined my body and told me that my bone seemed to have dislocated a little. I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t for that doctor.”

The knights knew that it was such a great privilege to get treated by doctors. They also knew that it was because of Daisy’s wisdom.

The knights vowed loyalty to the Zistanter Knightly Order.

Their eyes were filled with intense respect.

At last, those eyes resembled the eyes of a true knight.

Among them, Frederick and Jeffrey were the most satisfied.

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