I was at the royal castle in the capital of Sinfonia that day to see Orchid.
I considered the two of us to be reasonably close. Since he was a precious male friend around my own age, we exchanged letters quite often. When I was building my house, he was the first person I consulted regarding national regulations, and I still made time to visit the castle occasionally to enjoy tea and idle conversation with him.
Our schedules had aligned again, and I’d come to visit—partly out of a desire to show off the new black tea Nebula had brewed.
I could have gone straight to his quarters, but since I was ahead of schedule, I decided to stop by and greet Ryze-san first. After checking if he was available, I was promptly shown to his office.
Upon entering, I found Ryze-san working at his desk alongside another man—a striking, red-haired individual. He had short-cropped hair and a solid, muscular build. He possessed the rugged, cool charisma of someone in his forties, exuding the aura of a high-ranking general.
"Hello, Ryze-san."
"Ah, Miyama-kun. Good of you to come. My apologies—I always seem to be in the middle of work when you stop by."
"Oh, no, I'm the one who should apologize for coming by so suddenly."
I exchanged greetings with Ryze-san, who welcomed me warmly despite his wry smile. Then, the red-haired man looked at me with a gentle expression and spoke.
"Ah, Miyama-dono. It has been a long while."
"Eh? Um..."
He spoke as if we were old acquaintances, but I was at a complete loss. I had no idea who he was. Had we met at Amalie-san's birthday party or somewhere similar? No, Alice had been very careful to coordinate things so I wouldn't have to talk to many nobles.
"Now, now, Alfred... Miyama-kun won't recognize you while you look like that."
"Oops, quite right. Your Majesty, may I reveal the truth to Miyama-dono?"
"Yeah, I don't see any problem with that."
As I stood there wondering, Ryze-san offered a cryptic remark with a chuckle, and the man called Alfred let out a small laugh of his own. After receiving permission, Alfred-san produced a ring and slipped it onto his finger.
"...How about this? Does this ring a bell?"
"Wait... what?! I know you... we met in front of the Temple! You’re Count Ducas!"
"I am honored that you remembered me."
The moment the ring touched his finger, Alfred-san transformed. He became a flabby, bloated man who looked like a toad—a face so repulsive it was impossible to forget once seen. He was Count Ducas, the man I had encountered when I went to receive my blessing at the Temple right after arriving in this world. I was completely baffled.
Sensing my confusion, Ryze-san offered a brief explanation.
"He... Alfred is, so to speak, the Shadow of the Royal Family. His family has served the crown for generations, handling the 'dirty work' of the state. You could think of him as our version of a special forces operative."
"My real name is Alfred Dunel. I currently hold the rank of Viscount, but that is merely a temporary title granted so I can serve as His Majesty's aide; I am not a noble by birth. 'Count Ducas' is simply one of the many masks I wear for my work."
This sounded like a incredibly sensitive matter—likely a top-tier national secret. Since they had shared it with me out of trust, I made a mental note to be extremely careful never to let it slip.
"In the process of moving a massive organization like a country, things cannot always be handled through clean methods. I am the one who takes on that side of the burden. The persona of 'Count Ducas' is a way to manage public animosity. I use him to concentrate resentment when necessary, to intentionally voice dissatisfaction with the royal family, or to take the fall for incidents that could damage the crown's reputation. To put it bluntly, I am a lizard's tail that can be cut off at any time."
"Alfred's job involves things like managing public perception, information manipulation, and political schemes," Ryze-san added. "He has served me since I was a child and officially acts as my assistant. To me, he is my most trusted subordinate."
"Hahaha, well, from the perspective of the Phantasm King-sama whom Miyama-dono knows so well, my skills are mere child's play. Still, I do what I can as the Shadow of the Royal Family."
"...I see."
He was in a very unique position. He reminded me of a black-ops commander or a master of stealth. Chris-san had mentioned being skilled in schemes as well; I suppose a royal family really does have it tough if they don't have those kinds of cards in their hand.
"By the way," Ryze-san continued, "despite playing the role of a lecherous aristocrat as Count Ducas, Alfred himself is incredibly pure-hearted and a devoted husband. After all, it took him a whole year just to work up the courage to speak to his wife after falling in love at first sight."
"Your Majesty!"
"Oops..."
Alfred-san seemed to be someone Ryze-san truly trusted. Seeing them together, the way Ryze-san acted when talking to Alfred-san reminded me of how Lilia-san behaved with Luna-san or Sieg-san.
Serious-senpai: "This is a reveal that's been hinted at for a while now. Based on the law that all Named Characters in this series are good people at heart, some fans on Twitter and elsewhere had already predicted this, but it feels like he’s finally made his official debut."