Sebastian immediately summoned Kris from my room and asked, "What exactly have you uncovered?"

    "Well, it hasn''t surfaced yet, but Baron Olbia from the Spo?rza Duke''s faction is preparing a little scheme."

    Politicians are, in essence, warriors living in an endless battle. There''s even a saying that anyone wanting to become a politician must have a naturally twisted personality. Journalists hover, hoping for one to slip up, and politicians from the same party, if in different factions, often go after each other outside of election season.

    In our Toscana Empire, where an absolute monarchy reigns, we''re far removed from democracy. But regardless of era or ideology, human nature remains unchanged. Even with the Emperor and the Duke''s favor, I''d naturally have rivals targeting me.

    ‘They left me alone when I was a mere baronet, but now that I’m on the same stage, the knives are drawn.’

    They’re trying to crush me early, fearing I might take a share of their influence.

    “They plan to spread rumors that my coffee trade with the Arsenio family indicates questionable faith, portraying me as an evil person who’d collaborate with heretics for profit.”

    The very fact that I reincarnated here defies scientific explanation. While I don''t disbelieve in Deus, I don''t think that simply believing in Deus saves everyone, or that even the most depraved get heaven simply by faith.

    Here, voicing any doubt about Deus brands you as a heretic, with consequences as dire as execution, akin to a North Korean citizen questioning their "Juche" ideology.

    ‘Not that my position is weak enough to face execution for a mere suspicion about my faith.’

    The problem is that such accusations could force me to pay a large atonement to the church, maybe half my known wealth. Restoring political influence afterward could take a year or two.

    Whoever said nobles fight gracefully?

    “They say Baron Olbia couldn’t do it alone and plans to bribe a canon law scholar from the Florence Cathedral to bolster his case.”

    Unable to offer money, he promised to make the canon law scholar’s nephew (an illegitimate son) a knight within our vassal ranks. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Deus Church starts selling indulgences soon—that would be beyond what I can handle.

    Hearing this ridiculous scheme, Kris asked, "But can we trust this information? Our agents within the Rothschild family are only in lowly guilds, merchant associations, and the lower echelons of noble households."

    It’s true. Barely a month has passed since we embedded them; infiltrating core positions would take decades.

    ‘But the wider your field of view, the easier it is to spot weaknesses.’

    “You’re right; our agents are mainly low-level staff and servants. But they’re far more reliable than mere rumor-mongering thieves, and they gather much more information.”

    They say that, in large corporations, anyone planning to leak technology or secrets worth billions or trillions in damages would need to be at least a department manager. Ideally, it would be an executive-level position. But once inside, one can observe who’s strapped for cash, who has an unchecked greed.

    “Didn’t he rise to baron within just three years after coming of age? You can’t understand him with common logic. Most nobles are relatively ordinary folk, after all...”

    Here, “ordinary” is a subjective standard.

    It’s similar to gathering a group of Nobel laureates and seeing how even they might stand apart from minds like Einstein or von Neumann. They say von Neumann solved problems that stumped other geniuses on the Manhattan Project in a mere two hours.

    By noble standards, I might seem relatively ordinary.

    But as Newton said, I stand on the shoulders of giants, those true geniuses who left their lessons and knowledge in ink and blood, allowing me to climb to this point.

    “It’s just the conclusion of thinking things through more than most.”

    Kris and Sebastian spoke in unison.

    “They say geniuses don’t really understand the thoughts of ordinary people...”

    “I think you’re undervaluing yourself, Baron.”

    Not that these two are average themselves.

    Still, there’s no time for these thoughts, so I decided to steer the conversation in a different direction.

    “I already have a countermeasure prepared.”

    “What’s the plan? Are you going to intervene personally?”

    Good nobles don’t sully their hands even if they know their opponents are plotting against them.

    Likewise, I don’t plan on directly dealing with the little scheme Baron Olbia’s trying to pull.

    The key is to leave no trace of my involvement whatsoever.

    ‘Even the Duke and the Emperor won’t catch on.’

    “I’m planning to fight fairly—with propaganda and fabrication.”

    Just as I made the Sultanate and the Kingdom of Granada clash, perhaps it’s only fair to stir up discord within their faction and let them tear each other apart.