Chapter 182: Aren't You, Minamoto-no-Raikou, Also in League with the Monsters?
Manaka Sajyou had always been aware of Mary's existence, so to guard against Mary's Clairvoyance, she herself had always been in a state of concealment.
Thus, even if she wasn't hiding in her Magical Workshop, Mary couldn't locate her using Clairvoyance.
But not hiding in her Magical Workshop meant she had entered Morgan's intelligence network.
Morgan's intelligence system relied on fairly conventional methods to train operatives—such agents were practically everywhere within Noah's territory, even in the small nations and tribes around Lian.
So, almost as soon as Manaka Sajyou left her Magical Workshop, Noah received intelligence about her.
Regarding this report, Noah initially just glanced at it without paying much attention.
He knew there was no need to search for Manaka Sajyou anymore; from her travel route, it was clear she intended to come to Rome City.
However, at the bottom of the report, he noticed the agent had specially noted that the Roman officials Noah had previously ordered to be monitored were also making vigorous efforts to gather similar intelligence.
They didn't recognize Manaka Sajyou.
But when they heard that someone dressed in the attire of the former Roman Adjutant Officer was steadily advancing toward Rome City, they seemed quite excited, even considering actively covering for her...
Seeing this, Noah began to understand.
As he read the report, he stroked Fou in his arms and murmured to himself.
"Could it be that these guys are relying on Manaka Sajyou?"
In Rome City, inside a small, unmarked tavern hidden behind the main street.
The Roman officials had gathered there, nearly filling the tavern. Then, Jon, seated at the bar counter, spoke up.
"You should all have received the intelligence... I'm almost certain the one returning is the Adjutant Officer—so during this time, all of you must maintain cover and prepare everything."
Hearing this, many officials nodded.
But among them were some who hesitated.
"...Are we really going to do this? Can the Adjutant Officer truly contend with that person?"
His words left a considerable number of them silent.
Although they had great confidence in the Adjutant Officer, if the opponent was that one... it was hard to say.
The official who spoke first saw things most clearly.
"It's normal to worry about such things, but it's also unnecessary—what we must think about now isn't whether the Adjutant Officer can win, but that we must believe in him."
"After all, if we don't believe in him, then we have no hope at all."
His words steeled the resolve of many Roman officials.
Then, after briefly arranging various matters, they left the tavern, each determined to make preparations no matter what before the Adjutant Officer arrived in Rome City.
However, what they didn't know was that among them, one official who had been sitting in the corner the whole time slipped into an alley after they dispersed.
When he pulled back the hood that covered his face, Noah's features were revealed.
"It seems I guessed correctly after all. These people are placing their hopes on Manaka Sajyou..."
Noah said this while shaking his head helplessly and making his way back toward the palace through the secret passage.
"Then I probably don't need to do anything special. I can just wait for these gamblers to jump off the cliff themselves."
As Noah spoke, Mary's voice echoed in his mind.
"Indeed, there's no need to do anything. If anything, we should slightly relax the restrictions on those people—after all, I remember how that saying from the story you told went...
'When Heaven wishes to destroy someone, it first drives them mad,' or something like that?"
"It's 'When Heaven wishes to destroy someone, it first drives them mad.'"
"Yes, that's the one. In short, during this period, we'll ease some of the restrictions on them. Then, just as you said, we only need to wait for them to destroy themselves in their madness."
Hearing Mary say this, Noah nodded.
"Exactly. Then let's proceed this way."
Thus, Noah finalized his plan for dealing with these individuals.
After dispersing from today's gathering, the officials found it surprisingly smooth when they began making preparations.
They pooled a considerable amount of funds, and some officials managed to acquire a certain quantity of weapons and provisions.
Noah had only recently assumed the title of Emperor of Rome. Although there weren't many who opposed him, there was still a notable faction.
This time, almost all of them staked everything they could gamble and gathered everything they could muster, all in anticipation of their Adjutant Officer's return.
For them, everything went remarkably smoothly.
Their preparations proceeded without a hitch, and concealing the Adjutant Officer's whereabouts also went smoothly.
Afterward, the Adjutant Officer wasn't intercepted by Noah's forces, and the journey back to Rome was equally smooth.
Everything was so smooth it was almost unimaginable.
Even their fear of Noah began to wane.
Once they felt they had the standing to start causing trouble right under Noah's nose, their previously restrained and hidden attitudes gradually surfaced.
Even before the plan to oppose Noah had begun, internal issues emerged—some individuals started privately withholding supplies and assets.
And these actions were carried out so discreetly that a full third of the supplies were seized without anyone noticing.
Besides this, the person responsible for assembling the troops began asserting their presence within the ranks. From their behavior, it seemed they intended to seize an opportunity to make a move once the Adjutant Officer returned and the rebellion succeeded.
Apart from these two, other chaotic situations began to arise.
Even some officials who had been retained by Noah despite not being nobles started dreaming of being ennobled by the new emperor once the plan succeeded...
Truly, all their flaws were on full display.
If they had already succeeded in their schemes, these fellows would likely have started riding roughshod over the people, just like those nobles back then!
Fortunately, they hadn't gone that far yet, so Noah observed their situation with the detached amusement of someone watching monkeys at a zoo.
He didn't take action against them, simply waiting quietly.
Just as these officials were waiting for their Adjutant Officer to return, Noah was also waiting for Manaka Sajyou to come back, so he could properly show them what true despair felt like.
During this time, Noah also documented evidence of their crimes.
Both sides maintained an uneasy peace until...
Manaka Sajyou returned to Rome City.