Veylin and Tristan exchanged a glance, each reading the same conclusion in the other's eyes-the Imperial Faction and the Church were acting in such perfect concert that there had to be more behind it.
Veylin looked at the marquis, swiftly piecing together the intelligence from the Royal Capital and everything else he knew.
He grew more certain of his suspicions: the Empire, the Imperial Faction, and Hector were all implicated in the plague.
And if he wanted to fight this vast conspiracy sweeping through the Duchy, the strength of one man and one territory would be nowhere near enough. He had to unite every force he could and bring them into his camp.
After a moment of silence, Veylin posed a question to Marquis Pedro.
"Your Lordship, don't you find this strange?"
Pedro Lorenzo looked at him in puzzlement.
Veylin continued, "Neither the Imperial Faction's 'Purification Bill' nor the Church's talk of 'divine punishment' aims to quell the plague. They're exploiting it. One side is harvesting land and power; the other, faith and souls."
He paused, his gaze sharpening.
"No natural disaster would so conveniently serve up a feast for two different powers at once. The only explanation is-"
Veylin's voice sank. "This plague was deliberately spread from the very beginning."
Then Veylin and Tristan laid out all their research into the plague virus, particularly those strange cursed runes.
A long while later, Pedro let out a soft breath. The veteran noble, who had weathered decades of upheaval in the Royal Capital, showed no shock.
"I've had my suspicions, too. The pattern of this plague's spread was far too... precise."
"It devastated territories with local industries along Gray Sea Bay's trade routes. Many families I know suffered enormous losses. Yet Marquis Ironwall in the Northern Frontier and those few families