Chapter 46: Erosion (2)
Ronan spoke. His gaze remained fixed on Dallan.
“My lord.”
“Yes?”
“Have you heard of the Arrival of the Star?”
“The Arrival of the Star…?”
The Duke smirked. Surprisingly, there was no change in Dallan’s expression.
However, the mana that was once again rising above his shoulders indicated that he was unsettled.
Regardless, it seemed certain that it was related to Nebula Clazier. Ronan continued speaking.
“Since the story will soon spread throughout the Empire, I’ll just tell you. First, the Arrival of the Star is the day when the end descends from the sky. The organization that destroyed Gran Cappadocia is Nebula Clazier.”
“Nebula Clazier…?”
“Yes. The so-called Nebula Clazier is a gathering of fools who believe in nonsensical stories, even a three-year-old child would scoff at. The problem is that these violent fools keep committing crimes.”
Ronan spoke, weaving together his own experiences and the information he had gleaned from Investigator Karaka. He covered everything from controlling cave giants with wicked magic to the fact that they were behind significant events that had been assumed to be accidents so far.
“Well…”
As the conversation progressed, the Duke’s face grew more serious. It seemed he couldn’t believe that the owner of Grancia hadn’t noticed such a massive secret. He asked in a voice tinged with suspicion.
“How did you find out about all of this? I heard that the arrests happened after the Grand Investigator’s intervention, so did you resort to torture before that?”
“Oh, you caught me.”
Ronan laughed mischievously, covering his mouth. While most of the information had been acquired by Karaka, there was no need to reveal the fact that he had been to Rodollan. He glanced at Dallan and continued.
“Yes, I made myself spill the beans.”
At that moment, the two men’s eyes met. Despite Dallan’s nonchalant gaze, there was a fierce intensity simmering within.
‘You’re in trouble.’
Ronan continued his story.
“They both had an absurd lack of loyalty. All villains are like that, but those brats were particularly ruthless. Just because their arms were cut off, they started blabbering like it was nothing?”
Aselle and Marya’s faces turned pale. It was an unheard-of story. Ronan deliberately exaggerated the tale. He recounted it as if he had been the one to extract the information through Karaka’s interrogation.
“Well, anyway, that’s how I learned that elves treasure their ears. They didn’t even draw their swords, but they threw a fit while peeing themselves? It was so disgusting…”
“Enough. That’s sufficient. We’ll receive official reports from Rodollan anyway, so let’s talk about something else.”
The Duke raised his hand to cut off Ronan’s words. Ronan nodded with a smile. The Duke, who had been stroking his chin, sighed.
“From the news that you single-handedly killed so many cave giants, I already felt it, but… You’re far from ordinary.”
“I was friends with Doron and his apprentice, after all. I was really angry.”
“While I don’t fail to understand that sentiment… Hm? Dallan, is something bothering you?”
“Yes? Oh, no, my lord.”
“Your mana is rough. If you’re tired, take a break and come back.”
For the first time, a hint of surprise crossed Dallan’s face. The knight who had come with him was also looking at Dallan strangely. Dallan politely declined the Duke’s offer.
“No, thank you. I’m perfectly fine, my lord.”
Though he was trying his best to suppress it, Dallan’s mana had grown fierce enough that others could feel it now. The flicker, accompanied by a tic, remained consistent.
“Judging by the reaction, you were quite close, weren’t you?”
Ronan didn’t directly bring up the topic with Dallan. The reliability of the information wasn’t certain yet, and if Dallan dismissed it, it could have been the end.
Acting too hastily might have even raised suspicions about Ronan himself – as a dubious character doubting the loyalty of a faithful knight. At that moment, the Duke took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, sighing.
“Hmm. Time has gone by quickly. I should give you my reward and send you off.”
“What? Didn’t you just give it to me?”
“I merely conveyed what Master Doron had given. Did you think that was Gracia’s way of showing gratitude?”
The Duke furrowed his brow. His expression seemed to say, “Are you spouting nonsense?”
Come to think of it, one of the three boxes brought by the knights was placed in front of the Duke. When the Duke opened the box, a brilliant light emerged.
The pupils of the three who saw the contents widened almost comically. Marya had the most explosive reaction.
“T-This is…!”
“Do you know what it is? Well, I guess it’s strange for a merchant not to know.”
Inside the box were nine pieces of platinum-colored metal cards. The front of the cards depicted a knight standing atop a dragon.
The Gracia Family’s promissory notes. Essentially, they were one-time-use vouchers for free exchange that could be used throughout the entire Empire. To Ronan, who had already used them once, it was a familiar item.
“Take them.”
The Duke distributed the promissory notes at three per person. As Aselle and Marya accepted the cards, their hands trembled.
“Is it really okay for us to receive something like this…?”
“Considering what you all protected that day, even a hundred wouldn’t be enough. Consult with those who have passed and use them discretionarily in necessary situations.”
Ronan also accepted the promissory notes with a wry smile. Unless Shullifen’s dementia recurred, he thought he wouldn’t touch these again any time soon.
However, what mattered now wasn’t the promissory notes or such. It was the Duke, who had just delivered the reward, preparing to leave. Suddenly rising from his seat, Ronan began rummaging through the drawers under the desk.
“Hmm? What are you looking for?”
“Oh, I was thinking about showing something to you, my lord. Just a moment… Oh, here it is.”
Ronan pulled out a notebook. He quickly flipped through loose pages. Both sides of each sheet were densely filled with writing. The Duke looked interested.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a record of the information I obtained through interrogation. I thought it might be somewhat helpful for the investigation… I was thinking of showing it to you first, my lord, but…”
Of course, it was a wicked lie. The notebook was actually the sketchbook Ronan used for his doodles.
Ronan painstakingly examined drawings of spewing fire from Cita or trivial information like the method Lucy taught him for making tea, all with a serious expression. After a while, he closed the notebook and raised his head.
“Well, I guess that’s no good after all. It’s too messy. I’ll organize it and send it to you by mail by tomorrow.”
“Dull, isn’t it?”
“Once you see the content, you’ll change your mind. There were quite a few interesting things among the tidbits of information gleaned from screams. For instance…”
Dallan’s gaze was blatantly fixed on Ronan’s sketchbook. Ronan intentionally drew out the conversation with a trailing tone and chuckled lightly.
“Ah, about information related to something called ‘Ahayute’.”
In that instant, Dallan’s eyes widened. For a moment, it seemed like boiling mana surged within him. Precisely at the same spot, Ronan slipped a note into the notebook. The Duke smirked.
“Ahayute? It’s a strange name.”
“I agree. It’s a name suitable for attaching to a monkey with hemorrhoids.”
Dallan bit his lips. With that last exchange, the Duke of Gracia left. Before leaving the room, he expressed his gratitude once more for saving Gran Cappadocia.
“Then, I’ll be going now. I’ll be looking forward to your progress.”
“See you again, Your Grace.”
Ronan let out a heavy sigh as the door closed. He had done everything he could. What remained was for things to unfold as he had envisioned. As Aselle and Marya approached him, bewildered, he thought about how to approach the situation.
“R-Ronan… We don’t understand… What’s happening?”
“Hey, what’s this talk about interrogation? Did you kill someone?”
The fact that they had faced the Duke of Gracia since early morning, along with the revelation of a secret organization they’d never heard of, left them flabbergasted.
“Hmm…”
Ronan sighed, stroking his chin. Aselle and Marya. Since they were the ones who would stay by his side until the end, he knew he would eventually have to tell them the truth. However, involving them in today’s events seemed premature.
‘Dallan, the duke’s knight, without a doubt, is affiliated with Nebula Clazier.’
Ronan made up his mind and stood up. The most important thing now was to secure undeniable evidence. After calming Aselle and Marya and sending them on their way, he left the room.
Ronan’s destination was the top floor of Navirose Manor. Wandering through the spacious corridors, he came to a stop in front of an unusually ornate door. Shortly after he knocked roughly, the familiar face appeared.
****
That night.
The sky was covered with dense, ominous clouds. The full moon rising behind the clouds emitted feeble light akin to a candle behind a screen. Guards on the castle tower were betting whether the moon would appear before sunrise.
Swoosh!
At that moment, a shadow crossed over the walls of Philleon. Swiftly bypassing the guards, the shadow headed straight into the heart of the estate. The shadow’s footsteps were silent, devoid of sound.
“······”
Finally reaching its destination, the shadow looked up. The Navirose Manor, shrouded in the night’s shadow, exuded an eerie atmosphere, resembling a vampire’s castle.
Moving along the side of the building, the shadow began to count floors with gestures. Fortunately, the room he targeted lacked illumination. Leaping swiftly, the shadow landed gracefully on the balcony of a third-floor room.
The window had no curtains. Inside the room, luxurious furniture of all kinds was visible, and the back of a sleeping boy whose blanket was turned up to his head was revealed. The shadow retrieved a piece of parchment with geometric patterns from its pouch and affixed it to the window.
Shuaaa!
Before long, the massive window began melting away like ice. The shadow entered the room before the window had completely dissolved. The boy was still asleep.
“Puh… Uuugh… Cough…”
His sneeze was feeble. The shadow silently approached the boy while suppressing its presence.
“Graaah… Cooough…”
The sound of something snapping came from the shadow’s mouth. Quickly, the shadow seized a drawer under the desk while keeping its presence hidden. Upon pulling open the second drawer from the top, it saw a tattered notebook. Crumbling sounds came from its mouth.
Snatching the notebook, the shadow turned to the sleeping boy. In his hand, however, was not the notebook but a sharp dagger. Approaching the boy, the shadow held the dagger ready.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
“….?”
The moment the shadow reached a distance of three steps from the boy, it suddenly felt something odd. Rushing, the shadow lifted the blanket. Revealed were four thick pillows.
“Guh… guh…”
At that moment, the sound of a sneeze echoed once more. The shadow realized that the sound had come from above.
The lifted shadow could see the black-haired boy hanging upside down from the chandelier, making sneezing sounds, and the creature with red eyes.
Thump
“… Heh heh, I told you, didn’t I? That he’d come tonight.”
Thud!
The boy hanging from the chandelier turned into a raven and landed by the window, naturally blocking the shadow’s escape route. He held an unfamiliar-shaped sword in his hand.
Ronan said, “There are too many reasons you’d want to kill me.”
The shadow calmly took its next action. Inserting the dagger into its belt, it rested its hand on the hilt of the longsword. A voice from behind them reached their ears.
“Can you explain?”
“······!”
An eerie chill ran down their spines. The voice was deep and low, familiar, like a bottomless abyss. The shadow turned its head, its mouth agape for the first time.
“Why… are you here…”
“I asked if you can explain.”
A human form was slowly approaching from the darkness. At that moment, the clouds cleared, and moonlight filtered into the room. Under the serene beams of light, a boy with azure hair revealed himself.
“I’ll ask for the last time.”
In the boy’s hand was a mithril-made longsword. The sharp tip of the blue sword was aimed at the shadow. Shullifen de Grancia began to speak.
“Can you explain the current situation? Dallan.”
“···Your Highness.”
Dallan gripped the hilt of his sword. The white blade revealed itself under the moonlight. Eerie mana flickered above Dallan’s shoulder.
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