William's breath caught.
Aizen's expression remained resolute as he looked directly at him.
"You were the one who revealed my mistake to me. You were the one who gave me the chance to right my wrongs. And above all… the Grand Duke himself saw you as his successor. How could I let my personal desires ruin what he had entrusted to you?"
He was telling William not to hesitate.
To walk his chosen path.
Even if Aizen would never see the day his mistake was corrected, that did not matter to him.
William gripped Aizen's hands tightly.
"Then I will promise you one thing. You will never regret this decision."
Aizen smiled faintly.
As if he had already known that.
William gathered Aizen and his retainers in his office and spoke firmly.
"We're putting the matter of Jordi on hold for now. I don't like leaving an enemy at my back, but digging further is pointless if we can't act on what we find."
Even though Jordi was a traitor, they were not yet in a position to strike.
Even if they uncovered the identity of the force backing him, all it would do was add another name to their list of enemies.
It was better to focus their efforts elsewhere.
"Besides, we don't need to investigate. Whoever is backing him will reveal themselves soon enough. I already have a good idea of who it might be."
"What? Have you found a lead?"
"A lead? No. But if we piece together the information we already have, the answer is obvious."
William gestured around the room.
"They targeted my father on the battlefield, which means they had to be involved in suppressing the rebellion. No mere mage could have made such a decision alone. The one responsible must have been in a position to give orders directly."
"You're saying… it was one of His Majesty's closest aides?"
"No, not one of his aides. If that were the case, I would have known the moment I was assigned to Asagrim."
If the culprit had been one of the Emperor's trusted retainers, they would have been directly following imperial orders. He would have known immediately.
If it had been a completely unrelated noble, they would have had no reason to learn about his posting.
But this person… had discovered his location while the rebellion was still ongoing.
"In other words, they are close enough to the Emperor to hear privileged conversations. Someone who could overhear secrets. Someone positioned to eavesdrop on discussions about state affairs."
"Who could possibly be in such a position?"
"Not just an aide," William said. "It could be family."
"Family? Are you suggesting… the First Prince?"
"That would be too obvious," William said.
Hugo, who had been speaking, suddenly went stiff.
Because there was another person.
Someone who was neither a close aide nor entirely removed from power.
Someone personally close to the Emperor.
Someone Jordi might entrust his future to.
"Surely… not…"
William pressed a finger to his lips.
"Let's not jump to conclusions. The truth will come out soon enough."
His retainers nodded in silence.
If the person they were suspecting was truly the mastermind behind this, it was not a name to be spoken lightly.
Having put the matter of Jordi aside for the time being, William turned to more immediate concerns.
"Right now, our top priority is not revenge—it's stabilizing Asagrim. This land has immense potential, but…"
"But it lacks the people to bring that potential to life," Raymond muttered, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"With no citizens, there are no taxes. And without taxes, we can't maintain a military. Right now, we're barely surviving on the supplies and funds the Empire provided, but that'll only last another six months at best."
"Exactly. If I can't populate Asagrim within that time, I'll be bankrupt. The money will keep flowing out, but there will be no one to pay taxes."
"We'll have to bring in people from outside."
"If anyone is willing to give them up, that is."
William and Raymond exchanged bitter smiles.
To a lord, citizens were labor, soldiers, and the source of tax revenue.
Declaring that he intended to take a large number of them for himself?
Even an ally bound by generations of blood ties would turn into an enemy in an instant.
"If no one is willing to hand them over… we'll just have to take them. From someone who won't deserve an apology."
"There is a perfect candidate for that. But oddly enough, I haven't heard from him. He's had more than enough time to escape prison and return to his domain."
William's thoughts drifted to Norbeck Calix, the man who had broken out of prison not long ago.
Blinded by grief over his son's death, there was no chance that man would kneel before him.
By now, he should have already come charging in, ready for a fight to the death.
Yet, there had been no sign of him.
"Well, no helping it," William said, setting the matter aside for now. "Let's start by assigning your official positions. Ideally, I'd wait until the territory is properly established, but that'll take time. We can't afford to delay any longer."
His retainers tensed, their faces lighting up with anticipation.
This was no longer just a matter of personal loyalty—this was about official status, recognition that extended beyond William himself.
One by one, William announced the roles he had already decided.
"Hans, you'll be the chamberlain. I wanted to make you the steward, but appointing a steward when there isn't a single servant under him would be ridiculous."
"Wait, what?! But there were plenty of people yesterday who were way more capable than me—"
"Then have them teach you."
"Can the chamberlain even learn from the servants?!"
"They can in my domain. And if any of them get too arrogant while teaching you, feel free to execute them on the spot."
"Haha… execution? Surely you're joking—"
Hans laughed nervously, but then stopped when he saw William's expression.
He swallowed hard.
"...You're serious?"
"Of course. Though I imagine doing it yourself might be unpleasant, so I'll assign a soldier to handle the executions for you."