"Hmm? There's not enough information about their relationship." Anna frowned, looking at the documents on Count Leinberd's table.
"We don't have enough to examine all of them. But we can't really steal all this information at the moment or the other party will notice," said Illia while bringing a few more documents.
They had been searching for important documents that could be used against the count. Yet, there wasn't a single document that connected him to the Supreme Devil Organization.
It felt as if he was not connected to the organization at all.
"What if the count is not connected to the organization?" Illia asked while furrowing her eyebrows. She felt annoyed if this was the case. After all, they had been suspecting the count's connection.
"Instead of thinking that way, it's better to think that the count is not important enough for the Supreme Devil Organization. I'm afraid that the middle man is not the count but the marquis himself." Anna shook her head helplessly.
"Still, we can't really approach the marquis right now. Although we have found some documents related to the marquis, it's not enough to make a move against him."
Anna thought for a moment. "What if we use the count to lead us to the marquis? You should be able to find a way, right?"
Illia contemplated for a moment. The possibility was there, but she didn't know whether it could work or not.
"Yeah. It's possible, but we have to move fast. After all, we have to use the information we've given to the count."
Anna frowned. If they truly had to use the information, it would mean that they had to go to either Countess Christina's territory or Marquis Walford's Territory.
"I guess this mission won't be as easy as I think…" Anna sighed. "If my prediction is right, I'm afraid that the count is planning to return right away. We don't have a lot of time here, so try to find any important documents and mark them so that we can retrieve them at any time. We can't let the count know about our action yet."
Illia agreed with Anna and immediately returned to their work.
As expected, the count didn't bother to rest since he had an important task that could allow him to rise even higher.
There was no way the count would let the chance slip.
Luckily, Anna and Illia had left this place. Since there might be the count's 'ears' in the city, Anna had to leave the city again. Even the brothel might not be safe, not because she didn't trust the brothel, but because the count might visit that place.
And as they predicted, Count Leinberd visited the brothel, not because he wanted some women's company, but because he had to pass the message from the marquis.
"That's how it is. If you do your job well, the marquis might become your guarantor." Count Leinberd smirked, glaring at both Illia and the manager. If not for the fact that he was in a rush, he would use this opportunity to blackmail Illia to sleep with him.
Illia gritted her teeth and slammed the table. "You are insane. Do you want us to anger Marquis Stargaze? If we use too much force to stop her, the brothel might be harmed after this!"
"That's your job. If you want to get Marquis Walford's help, you have to do your job well. If not, then you have to bear the consequences." Count Leinberd snorted, trying to assert his dominance.
Illia looked frustrated. She seemed to be considering the pros and cons of this action.
In the end, she said, "Fine. We'll do it. However, we can only stall her for three more days."
"Three days are enough." Count Leinberd smirked while standing up, ready to leave. He looked at Illia in contempt as if showing the difference in their power. He wanted Illia to think it was her honor to be appreciated by him.
In the end, Illia sent him off with an angry face as if she had just been defeated. But the moment she returned to the manager's office, her anger disappeared.
There was an evil smile on her face.
The manager, who saw her smile, couldn't help but ask, "I guess everything is going according to the plan… What should we do now?"
Illia nodded. "Yeah. That man is truly a fool like how you described. To think that the situation is this way, no wonder we can't find any trace of the Supreme Devil Organization in the count mansion."
Yes, Illia and Anna didn't expect that the count didn't have the connection. He only knew and used the marquis' connection to rise through the ranks. He was truly a fool since he didn't have any proof to take advantage of the marquis.
"He fears the strong but suppresses the weak. So, it'll be easy to manipulate him. Though, I don't think we can make any move right now." The manager took out a small piece of paper and put it down on the table, so Illia could read it.
"Hmm?" The information on that small piece of paper made her frown. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah. A few of our girls outside have confirmed it. And there might be some more people hiding in the shadows, so we have to be careful."
"…" Illia pinched the bridge of her nose.
"So, what should we do?" The manager asked.
Illia looked stressed as if she was frustrated with the information. But actually, she was happy because the situation was as they expected.
But the one who had planned all this was none other than a man who had just recently become an adult.
Yes, it was Noel. She didn't know how Noel knew that the marquis and the count would set up an ambush to get the book.
She was Harley's subordinate and Harley had sworn his loyalty to Noel. At first, she was skeptical about it since the other party was too green.
But the fact that he predicted all this showed his potential. If they let him grow for another decade, he would become a monster. And this was the person her master served.
She didn't realize it yet, but her loyalty to Noel gradually increased in her heart.