#124. Outsider (1)
While some branch families and retainers were plotting to push Sasha aside, she too was not sitting idle.
Those who saw her as a thorn in their eyes stayed stubbornly in Bellicordo Castle, poking their noses into every matter of administration. Their purpose was obvious.
“To seize the true power of House Volkov.”
For that, the one holding the most influence had to disappear. Sasha was certain they would strike at her sooner or later, and she prepared for it.
She even thought assassins might slip into her room at night, so she slept with a sword hidden beside her pillow.
Though no attempt had come yet, she never let her guard down.
I must prepare for every possibility. Especially in times this dangerous.
But her first and most important safeguard was different:
She needed informants she could trust absolutely — those who would never betray or leak a secret, even by accident.
And Sasha had just the means.
Spirits.
Her affinity with spirits had grown so much that she could now summon higher-ranked ones. Unlike the lowest spirits, who looked like little fairies and had the mind of a child, the mid-ranked spirits were intelligent and took animal forms.
Before her now was a mid-ranked spirit of wind, shaped like a wolf with fur shimmering in blue and green light. The wolf-spirit spoke:
「Alexandra. Will you let them run wild like this?」
Unlike the childlike lowest spirits, this one could speak clearly, judge situations on its own, and even give her advice.
「They are cowards. Such men should not be left alone.」
Sasha gave a bitter smile.
“They are cowards. Instead of working productively, they just make useless schemes behind closed doors. Still… not yet. First, we must hear their full plan and make use of it.”
She fell silent, listening as the spirit relayed the nobles’ secret meeting.
Duke Titova, unaware that every word reached Sasha, was speaking with great excitement.
“Now that we’ve secured secrecy, we can speak freely.”
The nobles, pale from swearing on the cursed relic, drooped their shoulders but listened.
“Everyone knows of the devil’s thing that woman spread widely, yes?”
The sudden words confused them. Count Perelman frowned.
“Devil’s… thing? What nonsense? Has she spread such a thing?”
“…Kartoff.”
“Ah! You should’ve said so earlier. Hah! Anyone from the North knows it.”
Perelman stroked his beard and muttered, “Our cook got the recipe book. We eat it every day now.”
The others silently agreed. Kartoff had become so beloved that even nobles who disliked Sasha could not deny its worth.
In fact, Sasha’s popularity in the North was overwhelming. Even nobles who once envied her had fallen for her charm after speaking with her. The “Sa-Sa-Mo” group — We Love Sasha — had grown into a massive following, defending her fiercely against any slander.
This was why none of the nobles could oppose her openly.
“Then why bring it up?” someone asked. “We didn’t gather to praise her.”
“That’s right. This isn’t Sa-Sa-Mo.”
Titova scowled, then declared:
“Kartoff is her greatest achievement. But if it vanishes, what do you think will happen?”
He slammed the table.
“No, more than that — if Kartoff itself becomes the cause of a great crisis in the North, what then?”
Eyes widened. The room buzzed with wild speculation until one noble blurted out:
“Don’t tell me… has something happened to Kartoff?”
Titova smirked.
“Yes. A problem has appeared. For us, it is a golden opportunity.”
The nobles gasped, some cheering it as heaven’s favor. But Titova raised a hand.
“No. Fortune alone achieves nothing. A chance must be created. And I will create it.”
The room erupted in admiration as they looked at him with awe and envy.
Through the spirit, Sasha heard every word. A faint laugh slipped from her lips — not amused, but mocking.
“So instead of risking assassination, they’ll twist public opinion and try to erase my influence. Cleverer than I expected. But it’s useless, since I already know everything.”
She leaned against the window, folding her arms, thinking carefully.
Should she erase their scheme quietly, leaving no fuss? Or should she let it play out and use it?
Her decision was firm.
“No. This time, I won’t let it go.”
Kartoff was too important. It had become inseparable from Northern life. If it failed, famine could spread and the poor would starve.
“They know this, and still they plan such a thing. Truly vile.”
To them, commoners were not people to be respected — just tools to exploit. And Sasha herself, to them, was no true member of House Volkov, only an outsider from the South.
She had fought long to shake off that mark. Some Northerners now accepted her as one of their own, but prejudice still lingered.
Maybe, Sasha thought, this was her chance.
“It doesn’t matter where I was born. What matters is how much I’ve given to the North. And no one has done more than me.”
Her eyes gleamed.
“This time, I’ll make sure everyone sees that truth clearly. Once and for all.”
She sharpened her resolve, waiting patiently for the prey to stumble into the trap.
Like a hunter, silent and ready, she would strike when the moment came.