I Inherited a Beautiful Wife and a Territory - Chapter 80

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inheriting a Beautiful Wife and Estate Episode 080

80. Rooting Out Spies

The Elimis domain was originally a closed-off region.

As such, it was difficult to infiltrate spies. So from the Serpal family’s perspective, Cliff’s current request had some welcome aspects.

‘The reason we failed to keep him in check was because we didn’t fully know his capabilities.’

The Serpal family’s leadership made this judgment.

And this thinking wasn’t wrong. So when he asked for serfs, they were actually pleased to comply.

Gald had come in such a manner.

“Phew.”

“Welcome home. You worked hard again today.”

As he entered the house, a woman greeted him.

She didn’t know Gald’s true identity. Born as a serf’s daughter, she had become Gald’s wife according to her master’s and parents’ wishes. They had lived together for four years now.

The two already had two children.

“Mm. Were there any problems with the children?”

“Of course not.”

“So did anything else happen today? I heard the women were doing other work…”

“I went to the kiln.”

“Kiln?”

At his wife’s words, Gald’s eyes gleamed with interest.

One of the missions he’d received when coming here was to find out who the craftsman making porcelain was. That way they could later either win him over or kidnap him to steal his skills.

And making porcelain required a kiln.

But what his wife told him wasn’t the information he wanted.

“Yes. It was a large kiln where they said they produce charcoal.”

“Hmm. Charcoal, you say…”

Charcoal, not porcelain.

Gald looked at his wife and asked carefully.

“Have you gotten close with the neighboring women? Since you were all sent here together to settle down, it would be good to become friends quickly, right?”

Gald knew that surprisingly useful information often came from women’s networks.

His wife nodded as she listened to what he said.

“Actually, I made friends with several people on the way here too. I’ve been socializing mainly with them. Now I’ve become quite close with many people. Oh, and come to think of it, I had lots of conversations with the women’s group that had been living in this domain from before when I went out this time.”

“Oh, really?”

Gald’s ears perked up.

This was welcome news. His wife nodded and said.

“Yes.”

“How was it? Did they say anything about our new master… I mean, the lord of this place?”

This was important.

Gald had this thought and subtly pressed close to the woman to see if she had heard anything. He deliberately lowered his voice as he spoke.

“Everyone was full of praise for the lord. And most importantly…”

“Gulp.”

“They say the lord is incredibly devoted to his wife.”

“…What?”

That wasn’t really the information he wanted to hear.

Gald looked at his wife with bewilderment. But his wife chattered away with a dreamy expression about what she’d heard.

‘So he frequently shows affection even in front of people, and the two of them often take walks together, things like that?’

Neither Cliff nor Priscilla hid their affection for each other.

This was becoming a kind of culture in this domain. So much so that when women gathered in the domain, they would boast about their own husbands.

What their husband did for them today, how their husband acted yesterday, and so on.

‘What is this…’

Gald pondered as he listened to the continuing stories about other people’s husbands. There wasn’t much useful information.

“Phew. That’s enough. Let’s go check on the kids.”

He stood up.

Perhaps because the topic of children came up.

“Oh, come to think of it, they said that here, children can attend school when they’re 5-6 years old.”

“…?”

“I heard they also make paper at that school.”

“…!”

More important information than expected had emerged.

‘Paper… is made at the school?’

That school—wasn’t there some way they could visit it?

While they were having this conversation, a shadow hidden by light flickered.

There were spies.

He had thought as much from the beginning, and after checking the Quest, that thought became even more certain.

At that time, Cliff thought he could weed them out quickly.

“Several people have definitely been confirmed…”

A full six people.

That was the number the dark elves, who were the Elimis family’s shadow guards, had found. Seeing that number, Cliff clicked his tongue.

‘That means the rest aren’t visible.’

【Hide and Seek, Don’t Let Your Hair Show】

Content: Spies have entered the domain.

Root out those spies.

Conditions

-Spies rooted out (6/12)

Rewards

-Domain Experience 100

-Lord Experience 150

He was getting significant help from the Quest.

Without the Quest, he might have thought the six were all there were.

‘But these aren’t all of them.’

The report the dark elves had submitted.

Belgimov’s confident face.

Cliff shook his head.

“No. There are at least twice that many.”

“Are you saying, my lord, that at least ten or more spies have come to us?”

At Belgimov’s question, Cliff nodded.

Belgimov also reconsidered after hearing those words.

“Then from now on, it will be difficult to find them. They would be professionally trained individuals.”

Negative words came from his mouth.

Cliff asked him.

“Professionally? You mean they’re skilled at hiding themselves?”

“Yes. The six discovered so far would be a kind of dummy.”

Decoys. Or fakes.

“People we could find if we expected spies might be mixed in and did one sweep… And they probably think the lord will let his guard down after weeding out such people.”

Belgimov was certainly a capable advisor.

Cliff also nodded as he listened to his words. He had thought that much too. The important thing was what came next.

“So… can you find the real ones?”

What would the dark elf say about this?

“Even if we capture the dummies and interrogate them, it would be difficult to find out about the real ones. Similarly, just monitoring like we’re doing now won’t help us find those who received truly professional training.”

“…You’re saying they don’t show any signs?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what do we do?”

“There’s really no other way than to wait until they reveal their true intentions.”

While monitoring everyone like we’re doing now.

“Or we could cast bait that forces them to make their move first.”

That was the general approach. But Cliff looked at Belgimov again.

‘It seems like there’s something he hasn’t said yet…’

Clearly some method was on his mind. The dark elf who had lived for ages had a strategy that could be used in this situation.

When Cliff looked at him with such suspicion, Belgimov chuckled.

“I can’t fool the lord’s eyes.”

“What is it?”

“As I mentioned, these are professionals. From early on… that is, from childhood they live appearing ordinary yet not ordinary.”

He pondered those words.

Surely there was a hint in what he said.

‘Ah.’

And Cliff gradually grasped Belgimov’s thinking.

They would have lived ordinary lives.

And while living ordinary lives, they gather information from within.

But in the midst of that, people who received training as spies from childhood.

‘Right. The important thing is “from childhood.”‘

Seeing that Cliff seemed to understand, Belgimov smiled slightly.

Cliff called for Nigel.

“Please investigate how the previous masters of these new serfs have changed over time.”

“…Understood.”

Nigel looked puzzled at Cliff’s words.

But Nigel’s trust in Cliff was deep. He answered and withdrew, thinking there must be a reason.

It wasn’t a difficult task to begin with.

‘Hmm. What is the lord trying to confirm by finding out their origins and previous masters?’

In the Elimis Domain, serfs were treated no differently from regular domain residents.

At least that’s how the domain residents felt. Cliff also didn’t show a more oppressive attitude toward serfs.

Since they needed to integrate as domain residents.

For now, Nigel investigated as Cliff instructed. Belgimov accompanied Nigel, making the investigation even more thorough.

Meanwhile, Priscilla prepared for the festival with the women.

‘I hope this festival helps the newcomers settle into our domain.’

The domain moved busily in this way.

In one place preparing for winter, and in another planning for the festival.

Preparing for the approaching winter.

“I’ve brought it, my lord.”

The list came before Cliff.

Nine suspicious individuals.

‘Excluding the six already found, are there six among these, or will it be insufficient?’

It didn’t matter.

Cliff had gradually realized another way to use the Quest.

Namely, writing down each person here on the spy list one by one.

‘Gald… Oh. Got one for now.’

The Quest condition number went up.

He checked the rest one by one. If Gald was a spy, then his wife was naturally suspicious.

‘Huh?’

Unlike Gald being caught, his wife showed no reaction in the Quest numbers.

‘This is why it was more difficult.’

Probably his wife never imagined her husband was a Serpal spy.

Five remained in total.

‘Found another one.’

This time among the women.

As expected, her husband wasn’t a spy.

The spy names were discovered one by one like this. The numbers kept increasing one by one.

-Spy Detection (9/12)

-Spy Detection (10/12)

-Spy Detection (11/12)

Everything was sorted out.

The list he brought was finished.

“Huh?”

Bewilderment escaped Cliff’s lips.

Eleven people.

This was the result after examining the entire list of suspicious serfs. The result obtained through the dark elves’ surveillance network, Belgimov’s wisdom, and his own Quest.

But why…

‘One is missing?’

Cliff tilted his head in puzzlement.

The matter of 100 serf households entering.

It was hundreds of people. In the process of so many people mixing in, all the eyes and ears of the Elimis Family were focused on the serfs.

Ballard Village.

So there was no one to pay attention all the way here.

‘Hmm. The Elimis Domain has certainly developed a lot.’

Unlike the Elimis Domain, Ballard Village hadn’t changed much. But even here, there were things that had changed.

Namely, the increase in people traveling between the Platice Barony and Berkheim Domain.

And workers had increased for this purpose.

The man was also one of these people.

Thunk.

Thud.

“Hurry up a bit more.”

“Quickly, quickly…!”

Not Ballard Village, but Cliff’s manor belonging to the Platice Barony.

Work continued at that mountain lumber camp.

‘Is paper made from this wood?’

There was a rumor.

A rumor that paper was made from wood. Since few places possessed papermaking techniques yet, and the technology was confidential to each family, it wasn’t certain, but there was a rumor about using wood as material.

Since the trees in the Platice Barony were originally high-quality wood, it wouldn’t be strange to use them for paper. The timing roughly matched too.

In any case, he was thinking of watching for an opportunity.

When winter came, traffic between the Elimis Domain and external villages was cut off.

‘We’re only targeting that period.’

He had that thought.

He heard that winter came earlier to the Elimis Domain too. There was no way Cliff would come here.

He thought so.

“…Found you.”

But on the day he found the lumber camp strangely noisy.

Cliff, who spotted him, raised the corners of his mouth.

Chills ran down the man’s spine.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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