Chapter 112
Roberto, a low-level spy of the Rothschild baron family.
He was currently working as a servant in the Olbia baron family.
As a servant, he was a low-level coachman, just slightly better than a serf.
Having become a master of acting while working in the information guild, and since no family really investigates the background of mere coachmen.
Before he knew it, Roberto had succeeded in completely blending into this family.
"Hah, it's really unbelievable. Those bastards deserve to have their heads smashed with a hammer, really."
For low-level servants whose only entertainment is drinking, sleeping with women, or chatting.
So they couldn't help but be interested in what seemed like an interesting story they were hearing after a while.
Faber, the most senior among them, asked representing the coachmen:
"What happened? Did someone harass your wife?"
Roberto inwardly grinned, thinking he was halfway there.
However, in all matters, you must be even more cautious when you think things are going well.
Deus is one who makes people fail if they harbor arrogant hearts when things are going well, if only because He dislikes the sight of it.
'It was our guild's motto.'
"If it was just something like that, I would have blown out that person's teeth with this iron fist."
"Hearing you talk, you could even beat an armored knight?"
"Oh my, Faber sir. You're too much."
High-ranking people look down on and ignore the 'slums'.
However, just as warriors who survived hell are warriors of reversal, those without good conversational skills and sociability cannot survive in the slums.
If sociability is even a little lacking, you're likely to become a target for venting frustrations in miserable circumstances of living day to day.
So there are many masters of conversational skills necessary for social life among the poor, like flattery, sucking up, and agreeing.
Roberto was able to establish himself as the youngest (though older in age) in the coachmen's group in just 3 days with the conversational skills and social skills he had to acquire to survive there.
"The bastards from the Sisia baron family were mocking our Baron Olbia, saying his way of dressing is countrified."
Hearing those words, Faber and the other coachmen gritted their teeth.
"Those bastards worse than dogs dare to laugh at our baron?"
"Our baron is a bit of a miser, and for a noble gentleman his way of dressing is a bit lacking..."
"Damn it, is their baron so great?"
Outwardly, it would seem the coachmen here are angry out of loyalty to Baron Olbia.
But looking at just salary, servants like coachmen are only slightly better off than urban poor, and they have to embezzle money within a range that's not too noticeable.
These are some methods of embezzlement, or rather autonomous salary preparation:
Buying hay that's used for stable floors and horse feed at 1.7 times the market price and receiving 20% of the paid amount back, or…
Selling good grains like barley, beans, and oats used for horse feed to the food guild, then exchanging for the same amount of slightly off-tasting grains and pocketing the difference, etc.
(Of course, evidence remains, but the butler supervising them pretends not to see.)
Only by doing such things can they barely maintain earnings on par with the middle class in the city.
How could such uneducated things be so full of loyalty?
It's just that they should only badmouth their own baron among themselves, but it feels dirty when others badmouth him.
It's roughly similar to how family members can badmouth their brothers, sisters, mom, or dad, but if a friend does it, a fight could break out.
"Those bastards always look at us like they're scratching people whenever we drink at inns. Was that what they were thinking?"
Roberto remembered the instructions he received.
[Spread rumors within the family that Baron Sisia mocked Baron Olbia's countrified way of dressing. Then maximize bad feelings between the servants of the two families.]
And he pondered how to act according to instructions through his own initiative thinking.
Because in the slum information guild days, he just had to do exactly what he was told, but the Rothschild baron family generously gives bonuses according to merits even to mere low-level spies.
'I need to let my foxy wife live in luxury.'
She's 4 months pregnant now, by the time the baby is born, he wants to feed her delicious things often, if not every day, with money he earned himself.
"Was that so?"
Faber found the new guy who reacted just as much as he wanted, cute.
He does his work well and flatters well too, so there's no reason to dislike him.
"There are times when Butler Bren gives us a few silver coins saying it's from the baron for us all to eat and drink together. At those times we eat and drink at a cheap inn called 'Bed of Rest'. Every time, those bastards glare at us."
Strictly speaking, they've never actually glared.
But people see even breathing as ugly in those they dislike, and tend to see favorably most things done by those they like.
Now that bad feelings towards the Sisia family servants have arisen, memories of them have changed slightly for the worse, but...
"For servants of baron families of the same rank, those guys seem to really lack roots."
"Don't even mention it. Those damn bastards are the kind who sell old pack horses tied up in their family stables and lie that they died and were buried. They have no conscience."
"Tsk, people shouldn't do that. But, this story doesn't end here."
"What else?"
"Ah, this is really embarrassing..."
Roberto deliberately stalled.
"Come on, spit it out. Don't keep people in suspense. Before I just hit you."
To Roberto, the coachmen here looked very laughable.
Well, they probably got into fistfights occasionally.
But even such fights end with just moderate beating within limits of not dying, because they can't harm the nobles they serve.
'In our slums, no one cares even if several guys die.'
Roberto too has killed more people than he can count on his fingers.
But he acted slightly scared.
Because performing work for Baron Rothschild who treats him so generously like this takes unconditional priority over pride.
"Those bastards said that because the baron dresses like that, we dress like that too."
Hearing those words, Faber rolled up his sleeves.
Not being born as high-ranking people or servants, the baron being cursed at is only felt as an annoying level.
But treating themselves like that was hard to endure.
"Those bastards are worse than dogs, really. Hey, newbie. You're dead if this is a lie, got it?"
"Why would I lie to you, Faber sir?"
To Faber and the other coachmen, these words felt like a guarantee.
Originally those two families were on bickering terms anyway, so the plausibility was very sufficient.
"Hah, I want to make those bastards unable to walk on two feet. I'm really holding back for our baron's sake, holding back."
Actually, this is an excuse Faber made because he wants to back down without losing face, being afraid of fistfights too.
Seeing these words and the surrounding atmosphere, Roberto inwardly gave a thumbs up.
'Now there'll really be a fight.'
And as he expected, things started to move.
Everything was according to Fabio's plan.
**
The false rumors Roberto spread eventually reached Baron Olbia's ears too.
"Damn it! What? I dress like a drooling idiot?"
Of course, the content grew a bit as it spread from mouth to mouth.
But the most important core content didn't change.
'Baron Sisia laughed at him.'
"Butler, does this make sense?"
Actually, rumors are just rumors.
There isn't a single noble who doesn't know this.
But regardless of era, politicians rise and fall because of rumors.
Except for monsters like Fabio whose gait is different from the start no matter what they do.
'This is a matter of my honor.'
Even now other nobles are trying to bite at him like a pack of wild dogs, and he's neglecting this?
It was obvious something very bad would happen.
"Although it's just words spat out by mere servants..."
It's not something impossible or without basis.
To be honest, his master really does dress in a countrified way.
"We can't ignore it. So we can't punish that Roberto guy. It's not like he said something without basis. If we punish him, it could give the impression that we're getting angry after being pointed out as a 'fact', or that we're bowing to Baron Sisia."
In noble society, no, in politics, the moment you appear weak to someone, you get eaten.
"We shouldn't reward or punish him."
"That's a wise thought. In my opinion, since he likes spreading rumors, we should have him gather rumors while doing coachman work too."
If Fabio heard this, he would burst out laughing.
Making our spy gather information used by other families.
"That's a wise thought, as expected of the head butler."
"And rather than focusing on stepping on Baron Rothschild... we should consider protesting to Baron Sisia, the source of this false rumor."
"That guy belongs to the same faction, but is in a 'competitive relationship'."
They served different counts as their superiors.
So they bicker with each other.
Originally Fabio too should have detailed affiliations like Duke Visconti - Count XX - Viscount XX, but because his abilities are so outstanding.
He's stuck directly to the Duke, transcending all this.
"I should protest directly at the ball. And feel free to spend money generously, make new clothes. Bring in a craftsman who retired from working for the imperial family."
And these two started being swayed without even knowing that 'Fabio' was leading this fight.
Starting with Baron Olbia's overspending, they suffered considerable economic damage.
However, the person hiding behind was not yet satisfied.