Chapter 431: Haku’s True Identity

　The village chief’s house in the hidden village.

　The village chief was surprised and pleased by the contents of Tauro’s report, and was curious about how he came to obtain it.

　Of course. They had not been able to gather this much information using so many people.

　He was clearly curious about how we came about this information, which even powerful insiders could not gather.

“But how did you get all this information?”

“I’ll just say it’s an adventurer’s network. We are D rank adventurers, after all.”

　Tauro said in an enigmatic way to make them appreciate them.

“…… I see. I guess adventurers have connections that people like us can’t even imagine. But even so, That’s really impressive!”

　The village chief was very pleased with the results of Tauro, whom he had trusted to do a good job.

“So what exactly is your plan?”

　Tauro spoke frankly to find out the details of the plan while the village chief was still in a good mood.

“Our plan? …Are you aware of the rumor that the previous Count Graunewald had a child other than the current head of the family?”

“…… I’ve heard a lot of rumors, but aren’t most of those rumors lies?”

“We were the ones who started that rumor.”

“The village chief?”

“Fourteen years ago, when his predecessor died suddenly, a woman was pregnant with his child. I felt that the truth had to be told, so I started a rumor.”

“……I have a feeling it’s a certain common rumor too. ……”

　Tauro carefully points out.

“We immediately took the woman and her child into our care. A year later, the woman, who had been in poor health, passed away and we ended up hiding the child in this village.”

　The village chief ignored Tauro’s point and began to tell his story.

“Hiding? From what? I hear that the present Count Graunewald is a very reputable head of the family?”

“It’s a false mask. During the time of the previous count, that man’s reputation was extremely bad. I think the previous generation was so worried about him being such a prodigal son that they had a child somewhere else just to be safe.”

　Father ……, what did you do when you were young?

　Tauro chuckled bitterly to himself as he imagined the debauchery of his father, Count Graunewald, in his youth.

“Is that, by any chance, be Haku?”

“Yes, it is. Not that vicious man, but the proof of the will of his predecessor, Haku, is the one who must succeed the Count Graunewald family!”

“About Haku, he has black hair and eyes, doesn’t he? I believe the previous Count Graunewald had purple hair and blue eyes.”

“Hahahaha! Exactly. We dyed Haku’s hair and used medicine to change the color of his eyes for this day. Haku’s natural hair color is purple, and his eyes are blue.”

　…… I didn’t know there was a way to do that. But is he really the child of the previous generation?

　Tauro asks the crux of the matter, still thinking it is only circumstantial.

“What’s your proof?”

“There is no doubt about it, since his predecessor before his death occasionally went to the brothels in the city of Caxart. Haku’s mother was concerned about her son’s future, and although she did not confirm it, she didn’t deny it either when she passed away. Also, in the past, a secret spy of the current head of the family visited this village looking for Haku. I had Cross deal with that, but that should be enough.”

　I had heard that one of my father’s men had disappeared, so apparently he visited this village with evidence, but seeing as they got rid of him, maybe there’s some truth to it.

　Besides, if they have the same hair and eye color, so he must be the surviving child of the previous generation.

“So what are you going to do with Haku now?”

“Of course, I will have the title transferred to Haku! To do so, we will use the information provided by you to send our men to infiltrate the area, suppress the fake party, and get them to acknowledge it in front of everyone. The nobles invited to the party must know how important blood ties are.  I’m sure they will listen to our appeal. It may be a bit heavy-handed, but we will return to a legitimate bloodline. The people of the territory will also acknowledge it!”

　The village chief held up a clenched fist confidently.

“Will it really go that well? Surely there are some representatives from the towns and villages within the territory who won’t agree with this overly forceful tactic?”

“There will be representatives from all over, I’m sure. There are many supporters of the current head of the family. But I think the nobles around him care more  about bloodlines than, say, the adopted children of commoners, unless they are too far removed from it.”

“I understand ……. It is true that a child whose lineage is clear would be more suitable than a child with an unknown origin. That’s all I need to hear. We will cooperate with you. In return, I ask you pay us well.”

“Oh! That’s good to hear! The truth is, we were divided on what to do with you all. Of course, I was protecting you all as people with potential, but there were some fools among the hardliners who thought it would be better to get rid of you. I am relieved that you are willing to cooperate. And if we succeed, I will pay you a generous reward.”

　With a big smile on his face, the village chief welcomed the cooperation of Tauro and the other “Black Golden Wings.”

“Well then, on the day, we will infiltrate the party as planned, so please follow the plan.”

　After discussing the plan in detail with the village chief, Tauro left the hidden village.

　Tauro confirmed that he hadn’t been followed and nodded to everyone.

“Isn’t this worse than we thought, Leader?”

　Ankh spoke first.

“Yes it is. I didn’t expect to find underlings among the territorial soldiers. …… But I’m glad we got this information out of him so quickly. We have ten days left until then, so let’s work out a plan with my father to completely overturn them by then.”

　Ragune, Ankh, and Zion nodded in agreement, and the group hurried back to the capital.

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