Chapter 34

“It’s been a while, your majesty.”

All the nobles of the Kingdom of Barua bowed their heads toward Roman.

“Let’s talk further after we’re inside.”

A long procession followed Roman to the Royal Palace. The meeting place where the assembly usually took place became quickly filled. Everyone sitting had dark expressions.

“Count Mia, what happened?”

Roman asked Count Mia, who was also the commander of the Kingdom of Barua’s Order of Knights.

“Recently, there had been a stabbing incident in the kingdom. It had happened in a crowded place so there were many casualties, and the perpetrator had to be put down on the spot.”

A pitiful groan was heard in the meeting hall.

“Ten are dead and many more wounded.”

“We couldn’t find any particular markings on the culprit.”

“It looked like he had to use more force.”

“He also looked drunk that day.”

“When we asked his acquaintances, they all said he wasn’t a bad person.”

All the stories they had heard were the opposite of what they had expected.

“So, he was drunk and then started stabbing people randomly?”

“…That’s what we know so far.”

Since then, the meeting hall became silent. At this rate, it was likely that they would have to impose a drinking ban.

“First, let’s try to find out more about the case. Tomorrow I will go to the scene of the crime and also meet with the wounded.”

On paper, the situation was a bloodbath and there were many witnesses, making it a troublesome case for the kingdom.

It was a commercial area, so as expected, fights occasionally broke out. Hence, they strengthened the law and patrolling in the area. However, they never expected that such an indiscriminate incident would happen.

“Is there anything else worth mentioning?”

He asked Brad, who was the only one remaining after everyone had left the meeting hall. Roman had sent him a separate letter before coming here.

“This is the report of the investigation on his recent conduct.”

Roman thoughtfully read through the documents he handed.

“Are you saying it is one of the trafficking organizations?”

“Yes, sire. It’s also a place where activity has been stagnant lately.”

Roman created a separate group to track down the trafficking rings. Brad was the head of that group.

Since it had only been recently organized, only the goods that were traded at the very bottom of the ring were known. For now, they were yet to penetrate the information network and dig deeper into it.

“Then only this guy was taken care of?”

“I think so, sire.”

“Why only this guy?”

Roman drummed his fingers on the desk. It happened so suddenly; he was sure there must be something.

“Investigate further.”

So little information was available that it was hard to know for sure. Roman heaved a deep sigh.

***

“It seems that the skills of the Grant family are not disappearing anytime soon.”

Jack gave Ver the commander’s badge. The badge was in the shape of a Jaguar, the symbol of the Marquis of Weiand.

The Marquis family of the Arceo Empire had two orders. The 1st order belonged to the territory that bordered other countries. The 2nd order was stationed in the capital. This was in case of a worst-case scenario where the border collapsed. Compared to the 1st order, there were not many members, nevertheless, all members had outstanding skills.

And, of course, this further emphasized Ver’s skills – having excelled among them.

“I will do my best.”

Ver lightly bowed before discretely trying to leave.

“Ah.”

Jack called out.

“My daughter won’t be in the mansion at the moment.”

“…”

“I wanted to let you know. Just in case.”

When he finished speaking, Jack’s smile indicated it wasn’t ‘just in case’. Ver, who didn’t respond to his words, left with a slight nod. Jack lightly chuckled at the sight.

He was a man who was easy to read. Unlike anyone else.

He was not the type to be conceited of his own skills. Even though he had excellent skills, he would not have accepted recognition unless he had made an effort. That type of person was hard to find. Perhaps Jack liked that diligence.

“Traditionally, courting was something one deals with on their own.”

And Jack was more lenient than he thought when it came to courtship. Unless something seriously unacceptable was involved.

Unlike Jack, who was delighted, Ver, standing at the door, covered his face with his hands.

‘Was it too obvious?’

He thought so. If Jack had not told him, he would have gone to see Prillance right away. Having time to spare until training with the knights, Ver followed where his feet had taken him. When he came to it, her room became clearly visible.

As the owner was absent, he could see a small flower through the closed window. It was the flower he gave her.

He felt happy that it was growing well in her room.

The flowers that he gave, she was keeping it well.

“What are you saying?”

Someone’s voice spoke so loudly that Ver could hear it from afar.

“What did you see? Speak properly.”

Even though she was a woman, she felt the gravity in her low voice.

“W, Well…”

Conversely, the other woman speaking seemed terrified. She had a relatively younger voice than the first woman. She intuitively thought it was a hard subject to bring up, so she tried to dodge the subject.

“Because I was on duty to feed the horses…I went to the stable.”

After hearing the word ‘stable’, Ver stopped in his tracks. Horses were usually used by nobles. He felt that it would not be a simple story.

“But?”

“But…there was already someone feeding the horses. I didn’t mind it at first.”

He treaded carefully to get closer to the exchange.

“When I got there, I was so surprised. As well as a little anxious. Everyone says that the coachman would definitely cause trouble someday…”

“And so?”

Ver finally saw the faces of the two engaging in discussion.

He knew one of them. She was the dedicated maid always with Prillance. Was it Mindy?

Her face was full of anxiety. The maid who talked to her was a girl who was as young as her voice.

“And when the coachman took the horse with him, I felt something was off, so I went inside just in case.”

The young maid showed Mindy what she held in her hand. Mindy’s face seemed to wonder why this thing was there.

“This…is powder, right?”

“I…I think so…”

The powder was similar to a cosmetic powder, however, it had a different color, so she couldn’t know for sure.

“It’s lead.”

Coming from behind the two maids, Ver looked at the thing held by one of the maids.

“Oh my goodness!”

Ver took the startled young maid’s hand. The maid’s face quickly turned red, but his gaze was focused solely on what the maid held.

He touched the lead and put it on his tongue. It was mixed with soil, but it was definitely lead. Ver’s eyes quickly turned sharp.

“That horse, where is it now?”