Reborn As Noble - Chapter 254

Chapter 254: The Cult Conspiracy ( 254 )

Inside the study room, Marcellus sat at his desk, accompanied by Lithia. Cedric was beside him, with Meira attending to his needs, while Javier slumped in his chair, Liana seated elegantly next to him.

“Ehhh!? Doing paperwork!? I don’t want to!” Javier groaned, flopping dramatically onto the table.

Marcellus rubbed his temples. “Shut up, Javier. We’re all suffering here.”

Cedric leaned back in his chair, pressing his forehead with frustration. “Alf will check on us every hour… or maybe every 30 minutes.”

Javier sat up straight. “Every 30 minutes!? Are you serious!?”

Marcellus smirked mischievously. “Heheh, maybe even 15 minutes if he’s in a bad mood.”

Javier groaned, burying his face in his arms. “Ugh! Why me!? I’m still a kid!”

Cedric laughed. “Twelve years old is a kid? Keep dreaming, little brother! Ahahaha!”

Liana sighed, placing a neatly arranged stack of parchment in front of Javier. “Young Master, just focus and finish your work quickly. Complaining won’t help.”

Javier slumped dramatically over the desk. “This is child labor! I refuse!”

Liana gently placed a hand on his back. “Young Master, you brought this upon yourself.”

Marcellus chuckled, flipping through a stack of tax reports. “You’re the one who thought the ‘study room punishment’ was easy. Welcome to reality, little brother.”

Cedric smirked, dipping his quill into ink. “Yeah, keep dreaming, ‘kid.’ Do you think Father cares about your age?”

Javier grumbled, glaring at the endless stacks of documents before him. Crossing his arms, he pouted. “Ugh… Fine, fine. But I’m not happy about it!”

Lithia rolled her eyes, then turned to Marcellus. “Master Marcellus, would you like more tea as well?”

Marcellus sighed. “Yeah, yeah… I need something to survive this torture.”

As the maids gracefully poured their masters’ tea, the study room filled with reluctant scribbling, long sighs, and quiet chuckles from the ever-watchful Liana, Lithia, and Meira.

Javier picked up one of the reports, his playful demeanor fading as he read through the contents. His eyes narrowed, scanning each line carefully.

“This… is about the cult. The Saint of Three Gods.”

The room, once filled with sighs and complaints about paperwork, grew still.

Liana, noticing the shift in his demeanor, tilted her head. “Young Master?”

Javier set the document down and turned to her. “Fetch me all reports regarding this cult. Everything we have.”

Liana nodded without hesitation. “Right away, Young Master.” She swiftly stood and left the room.

Marcellus raised an eyebrow at Javier’s sudden seriousness, reaching over to grab the report. “Oi, what’s with the tone? Let me see.”

He skimmed the contents, his expression darkening. Without a word, he handed it to Cedric, who took it and began reading as well.

Cedric clenched his jaw. “What the hell is this?”

Marcellus turned to Lithia. “Find all reports related to this cult. Every single one.”

Lithia bowed her head slightly. “Understood, Master Marcellus.” She promptly left to assist Liana.

The air in the study room grew tense.

Cedric set the report down, exhaling slowly. “This isn’t just some crazy religious group… These bastards are dangerous.”

Javier leaned back, tapping his fingers on the desk. “Yeah… and they tried to get into our region.”

Marcellus crossed his arms. “And failed, thanks to you.”

Javier smirked slightly but shook his head. “That was just the first attempt. If they’re as persistent as this report says, they won’t stop there.”

Cedric cracked his knuckles. “Then we make sure they never step foot in our region again.”

Javier flipped through the pages, his eyes darkening with each line he read.

“The summoned heroes are also involved in this?”

Marcellus leaned forward, arms crossed. “Yeah. According to the reports, they’ve started burning villages, accusing anyone who doesn’t follow their faith of being part of some ‘satanic cult.’ Survivors and eyewitnesses are all saying the same thing.”

Liana carefully placed another stack of reports beside Javier. “Young Master, here’s more information regarding the cult.”

Javier grabbed the top report, quickly scanning its contents. Just as he finished, Lithia entered the room, carrying another heavy pile of documents.

“Master Marcellus, Master Cedric—this is everything we have regarding their movements in the kingdom.”

Cedric ran a hand through his hair. “Damn… this is worse than I thought.”

Javier looked at his brothers, his voice firm. “This is a serious matter.”

Marcellus nodded. “Yeah. According to the reports, out of the 59 regions in the kingdom, 49 have already fallen under this so-called faith.”

Cedric slammed his fist against the desk. “That means only 10 regions, including ours, are resisting them.”

Liana spoke softly but with urgency. “And if the summoned heroes are backing them, this could escalate into something far worse.”

Javier gritted his teeth, his mind racing. This wasn’t just some religious movement anymore.

“Brother, what should we do?”

Marcellus leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin. “Hmm… I think it’s best if we ask Alf about this matter. That way, we can confirm what steps have already been taken.”

Cedric nodded. “Agreed. But one thing’s clear—we need a faster patrol squad. Something that can outpace horses and cover more ground.”

Marcellus tapped the desk thoughtfully. “Pekko patrol squads, then?”

Javier smirked. “Sounds like the best option. But speed alone isn’t enough—we need a well-balanced team for each unit.”

Cedric began outlining his plan. “Each patrol squad should have three knights, two magic bow users, one scout, one assassin, one mage, and one healer. If we can assign a paladin to each squad, even better. Paladins can counter enemy spells.”

Javier frowned slightly. “The problem is budget allocation. We need to go over the financials with Father. Expanding the patrol units too quickly could drain resources from other critical areas.”

Liana stepped forward, placing another document in front of him. “Young Master, this report includes last month’s military expenditures. It might help when you present the idea to Lord Garius.”

Javier exhaled sharply. “Alright… first, we confirm everything with Alf. Then, we bring this to Father. We need a solid plan before we propose anything.”

Marcellus grinned. “And here I thought this was just another boring day of paperwork.”

Cedric chuckled. “Well, little brother, you wanted to avoid responsibility, right? Looks like it found you anyway.”

Javier groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Damn it…”

Javier leaned forward, deep in thought. “The problem isn’t just patrol strength—it’s communication. Even if our squads detect an enemy, it’ll take too long to relay the message, even with Pekkos.”

Marcellus tapped the desk. “Yeah… if only we had a way to send messages instantly across long distances.”

Cedric crossed his arms, thinking hard. “Maybe we should ask Father? He might know if there’s already something we can use.”

Javier, however, was lost in thought, recalling his past life in Japan. There were ways to send messages quickly back then—instant communication, even across vast distances. He just had to figure out how to recreate something similar with magic.

“Hmmm…” Javier muttered, rubbing his chin. “Maybe we should develop…”

Marcellus and Cedric turned to him. “Develop what?”

Javier grinned. “A magical transmission device. Something that allows messages to be sent instantly from one squad to another, or even straight to the estate.”

Liana raised an eyebrow. “You mean like enchanted message scrolls?”

Javier shook his head. “No, scrolls are one-time use and need someone to physically deliver them. What we need is something reusable—something that lets us talk in real-time.”

Cedric’s eyes widened. “Wait… you mean like a long-distance link? A magic-based relay system?”

Javier snapped his fingers. “Exactly! If we can create a mana-powered relay that links key locations and patrol squads, then information can be passed instantly.”

Marcellus grinned. “That… actually sounds possible. But do you think it’s doable?”

Cedric nodded. “The idea is solid, but the real issue is mana crystals. We’d need a lot of them.”

Marcellus crossed his arms. “True. The ore isn’t a problem—we have our own mines. And building the relay towers would actually provide more jobs for our people, increasing their income.”

Javier tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking. “Then it all comes down to how efficiently we can use mana crystals. If we can make a device that consumes minimal energy while transmitting signals over long distances, we might be able to reduce the total number of crystals needed.”

Liana, standing beside him, tilted her head slightly. “Young Master, would the magic circuits you use in your other inventions work for this?”

Javier’s eyes lit up. “That’s a good point, Liana. I’ve already made small-scale magic devices before. If I can tweak the mana flow and add a stabilizing formation, we might be able to make this work without draining too many crystals.”

Marcellus grinned. “So, what’s next?”

Javier smirked. “I’ll draft a plan for the relay system and start designing a prototype for the magic transmission device. If it works, we’ll present it to Father and see about full-scale production.”

Cedric chuckled. “If this succeeds, it’ll revolutionize how we communicate across the region.”

Javier leaned back, grinning. “Exactly. And once it’s in place, we won’t just be defending our region—we’ll be outmaneuvering anyone who dares to mess with us.”

( End of Chapter )