Chapter 59

Chapter 9: Secret (2)

A secret passage behind the bookshelf.

"If it's typical, it's really a typical place..."

I grabbed the bookshelves on both sides, gently pushed and pulled them.

However, contrary to my expectations, the bookshelves didn't budge at all.

There must be a hidden switch or something in such situations...

I could just break it if I didn't care about the consequences, but now I had to move as quietly as possible.

I carefully examined the bookshelf.

It was filled with hardcover books like philosophy and history. Moreover, they were all books I had read at home. The books in the viscount's private library couldn't compare to the collection the duke boasted about.

As I carefully examined the books, I tilted my head at a book title far below.

"Why is this book here?"

Next to the complete works of "The Life of Knight Carlos," the founder of our kingdom and the duke's ancestor, an odd book was inserted.

At first glance, it could be mistaken for a part of the biography, but this book was clearly a novel about Knight Carlos's love story. It was a kind of fanfiction.

The love novel about the first king was naturally banned officially, and almost no one knew about it.

I recognized it because I had seen it rolling around, covered in dust, in the warehouse.

"Still, why is this completely unrelated novel here?"

Just in case, I gently grabbed the book and pulled it.

Click.

Sure enough, the book didn't come out, but I heard something opening behind the bookshelf.

I let go of the book and took a step back.

I watched the bookshelf with hopeful eyes.

However, for a long time, the bookshelf showed no change.

"Clearly, in movies, the bookshelf slides open and a secret passage appears."

Was this book the switch?

Just in case, I approached the bookshelf again and tried to move it.

Swoosh.

Surprisingly, the bookshelf moved smoothly to the side this time.

Unfortunately, the secret door in this study wasn't automatic.

Despite feeling a bit disappointed, I could see a staircase leading underground behind the opened bookshelf.

The staircase was dark without any light, but by channeling mana into my eyes, it didn't seem difficult to go down.

I reduced my footsteps and quietly descended the stairs.

Thud, thud.

The stairs soon turned into a passage.

Indeed, this secret passage seemed to lead outside, just like the one in the marquis's mansion.

Could it lead outside the mansion?

That thought crossed my mind, but fortunately, I saw a closed door on the passage wall before I could exit.

Light was seeping through the cracks in the wooden door, and muffled voices could be heard along with the light.

"...Just wait a little longer. We managed to escape, and my daughter will bring good news soon."

It was definitely the viscount's voice.

He was talking to someone else.

Was the person listening to him the one I expected?

I recalled the words the viscount whispered in my ear before he died.

"You played a part in driving Maria away, didn't you? Crawling out of the territory like a fool. The duke is untouchable, but you, who crawled out of the mansion, will die here. This is Maria's revenge."

How absurd I felt when I heard those words.

It had been several years, and it had become a matter I no longer recalled.

Yet, to be killed by the second duchess's order in such a place and at such a time was truly frustrating.

There were no other eyes here, and I had heard their conversation, so there was no need to be more careful.

I gripped my greatsword and kicked the door with my mana-filled legs.

Bang!

The door shattered with a loud noise. Despite a small kick, the door broke into pieces thanks to the mana.

I burst through the fragments and rushed inside.

Inside the door was a small room that looked like a converted storage area.

On one side, various items were piled up, and on the other, there was a bed, a table, and a row of wine bottles.

The viscount was sitting at the table, turning around with a surprised look.

The viscount confirmed it.

I looked at the opposite side of the viscount.

I saw the woman he was talking to.

No, not a woman, but a painting of a woman hanging on the wall.

The painting depicted the duchess Maria, who looked younger than she does now.

While I was staring at the painting in a daze,

"How did you get here?"

The viscount, having confirmed my presence, reached for the sword next to him.

Swish.

The sword was sucked into his hand.

Seeing this, I regained my senses.

The sword moving on its own, could it be a similar ability to his daughter's?

Damn, if so, this is quite a dangerous situation!

Startled, I hastily raised my sword to prepare for the viscount's attack.

However, contrary to my expectations, the viscount didn't attack immediately.

Holding the sword, he panted as if he had just used his ability.

Was it because of that? Is his ability similar but much weaker?

In any case, I couldn't miss this opportunity. I took a step forward and swung my greatsword at him.

He seemed to have learned some swordsmanship, as he raised his sword to block my greatsword.

Clang!

However, there was no way he could block my sword, which had the strength and speed of a knight or higher.

His sword broke, and he was thrown against the opposite wall.

Crash!

He collided with the items piled up on one side and tumbled to the ground, breaking the items in a dramatic fashion.

"Surely, he didn't die from a sword strike, did he?"

I was worried that he might have died too quickly, given how he was thrown away so anticlimactically.

"Ugh."

Fortunately, he didn't seem to be dead. I approached the viscount, who was twitching under the pile of items.

Now was the time to hear his story in detail.

* * *

The words I heard from the viscount before he died.

"This is Maria's revenge on you and the duke!"

Because of those words, I thought I would meet the second duchess here.

But instead of her, her portrait greeted me.

Why is there only a portrait? Well, I can ask the person directly.

I helped the viscount, who was buried under the items, out.

Despite my body not being fully grown, my strength, which was stronger than an adult's, allowed me to pull him out safely.

"Ugh, cough."

Even after being pulled out, he was still gasping for breath.

He had several wounds from the broken sword and a broken arm, and his ribs seemed to be broken, making it difficult for him to breathe.

But he could still speak.

I tapped his chest with my toe.

"Ugh."

As expected, he snapped back to his senses.

"Hello. We meet again, and I didn't even get to properly greet you."

I politely greeted the viscount, who had regained his senses.

Holding my greatsword upright, I gave a knight's salute. Despite his pain, he looked at me with a strange expression.

"You, you are...?"

"It's better to be polite even without an audience. As you know, I have the skills of a knight, despite my young age."

Only then did he realize his mistake.

Underestimating me because I was young and lacked proper abilities. He seemed excited by the sudden situation, but that didn't excuse his mistake.

Well, it was a welcome mistake for me.

"Ugh, how did you find this place? And... how did you come back? I heard you left the territory."

As he regained his senses, questions began to surface in his mind.

Moreover, it seemed there was someone following and monitoring us.

He might have been thorough in some unexpected ways, but now it was all meaningless.

"I want to ask the questions. Why is the second duchess's portrait here, and why did you try to kill me?"

While I wasn't actually killed, he did try to kill me just a moment ago, so it wasn't a completely wrong statement.

Moreover, I was genuinely curious about why the duchess's portrait was here.

"Have the nerve! What nonsense are you spouting by breaking into someone's house! Ugh, did the duke, who is only half, not teach you properly? Is it because of your low birth?"

His pain seemed to have lessened a bit. Despite his grimace, he poured out a mix of scolding and 'adult advice' instead of answering.

Naturally, it had no effect.

If anything, it had the opposite effect.

I placed my sword, held upside down, on his chest, where I had tapped him with my toe.

And I slightly relaxed the arm holding the sword.

Press.

"Ugh."

A suppressed scream accompanied the viscount's twitch.

As a result, the sword pressed a bit deeper into his chest, and a hint of blood appeared.

"Low blood is flowing, so I think I should switch from questioning to interrogation."

"Ugh. You, you."

He tried to raise his arm to do something, but his mana had already been dispersed by the mana in my sword.

"Let me ask again. Why did you try to kill me?"

"Ugh. When the duke drove Maria away, you were the biggest reason! It was an absurd reason, but it was enough to kill you!"

His words didn't make much sense, but up to this point, it was roughly what I had expected from the words he said when he tried to kill me.

"Did the duchess appeal to you? Did she ask for revenge because she was wronged?"

However, what I was curious about was how involved the duchess was.

After being driven away and erased from memory, to be betrayed like this, I might need to change my plans depending on the viscount's answer.

"Are you trying to frame the poor Maria again! To put another absurd charge on that lovely, pure flower of a woman!"

The viscount's expression became dazed as he shouted. He continued speaking, looking at the portrait on the wall.

"Even though I hadn't seen her for a long time, I could feel her pain clearly. Sold to a duke she didn't love, living a painful life, and then being driven away with the false charge of trying to kill a half-breed like you! Who would believe such a lie!"

As if making a confession, he spewed out his words without feeling the pain.

"From the moment I first saw her, I fell in love with her. She knew I loved her. I put everything on the line for her. Killing you and destroying the duke is my life's goal! And..."

Was it because of the strange scent in the room? Or was it a delusion to escape the pain? He rambled on endlessly.