Chapter 60

Part 10: Capital

According to his rambling, the duchess was not here.

She did not hire him.

Moreover, it had been a very long time since he last saw the duchess.

He claimed that after falling in love with the duchess at a ducal banquet, he had pledged blind loyalty to her and had sent her information about the first duchess, gifts, and neglected his family and wife, all without her direct command.

She had apparently sent thank-you letters in return.

However, none of the letters seemed to mention infidelity or whisper of love.

"Her and my love is not something so vulgar! It's not something a young man can understand!"

When I pointed this out, he shouted such nonsense.

In the end, it seemed to be the actions of a married man who had fallen into an affair or love on his own.

It was a result that made me sigh involuntarily.

Of course, it was unlikely that the viscount alone fell in love. The duchess must have guided him.

From another perspective, it was a truly terrifying ability.

To make someone like her and continue to do such things because of that liking.

If she had entered politics or been in the capital, she might have turned the country upside down.

But now, she would grow old alone in a corner of her house.

Fortunately, it seemed that I didn't need to change my future plans or the schedule for going to the capital.

Surely, such a person wouldn't appear again.

"Dear Maria, I have prepared all this for you. I have even prepared a child for you. And..."

He was now babbling, half out of his mind.

Since there were no other accomplices, it was time to finish according to the plan and leave.

I picked up the sword the viscount had dropped.

It was a beautiful sword.

I plunged the sword deep into the babbling viscount's chest.

The viscount trembled and soon his breath stopped.

I let go of the sword and stepped back.

Against the backdrop of the disheveled room, the viscount, with his own sword in his chest, was still staring blankly at the portrait.

I clenched my hand.

In my past life, I wouldn't have dared to do such a thing, but to survive in this world, I had to do even worse things, and I had no choice.

However, I kept feeling something on my hands, and it didn't seem to come off even when I rubbed it on my clothes.

After rubbing for a while, I sighed.

My hand, which I was rubbing on my clothes, was trembling.

Indeed, no matter how much I tried to ignore it, killing someone like this was a difficult task.

Even with a mind that had endured countless deaths, such a young body couldn't help but be shocked.

Once I acknowledged this, my trembling hand stopped.

It was fortunate.

Regaining my composure, I made the room even more chaotic.

I also slashed the portrait with the sword and sprinkled wine on it.

After the mess, the room looked like that of someone who had gone on a drunken rampage and then committed suicide.

There might be some strange points if examined closely, but his wives would likely ignore such details.

Well, it wouldn't matter even if they investigated.

There would be no one to connect a young boy camping dozens of kilometers away.

There were also some expensive-looking items rolling on the floor, but I ignored them all and left the room.

I didn't return the way I came but continued forward through the underground passage.

If it was a secret passage in a noble's mansion, there must be a hidden door outside on the opposite side.

As expected, at the end of the passage, there was a staircase leading up and an iron door with a mechanism.

I examined the closed door.

It was a mechanism door made of wheels and plate springs.

It seemed to be used more often than expected, as the door's edges were shiny. I turned the wheel with all my strength, and the door opened easily.

Rumble.

After opening the door and climbing up, I saw the interior of a half-ruined house.

It seemed to be an abandoned house, or perhaps it was disguised as one.

The house was in a secluded area, a bit away from the village.

Rumble.

When I went outside, the door closed again, thanks to the plate springs.

The door leading to the underground was very well made.

Although it was made of iron, it was hard to distinguish from the other floors.

Moreover, it seemed difficult to open the iron door from the outside with my strength.

But it was a door that didn't need to be opened again.

I went outside the house. The house was a bit away from the village.

The surroundings were full of collapsed houses, as if this place had been abandoned due to some incident.

It was still dark outside. The sun was far from rising, but as it was a journey, I had to hurry.

"Shall I go?"

I slung my sword over my back and took a deep breath.

Then I ran again.

As time passed and the sun began to rise, I arrived back at where the group was staying.

Everyone except the guard was asleep.

It was easy to avoid the guard, who was staring blankly with half-closed eyes, and I quietly approached the carriage.

Just as I was about to climb into the carriage.

"Are you just getting here?"

A voice stopped my steps.

The voice of a half-asleep girl.

It was the viscount's daughter. She was sitting against the carriage, dressed for travel.

"Didn't you sleep at all?"

"It wouldn't be polite to fall asleep before the person returns."

She answered with a smile.

In the rising morning sun, her smile shone brightly, but unfortunately, it was a meaningless smile to me.

It wasn't a smile that could charm people like the duchess's.

"By the way, did you come back empty-handed? You said you were a good hunter."

She tilted her head, looking at me curiously.

Her face was puzzled, but her eyes had become very sharp.

"There wasn't much to catch, as expected."

I shrugged and brought back the items I had left at the campsite's edge.

Rustle.

When I dragged the body, which was several times larger than my own, the guard was surprised.

"Ah! Is that a wild boar?"

The guard was amazed at the size of the wild boar, and the people who were sleeping under blankets woke up and looked at the wild boar I had caught.

I dragged the wild boar to the front of the carriage and shrugged.

"I could only catch one. Everyone was sleeping, so I left it outside."

Her sharp eyes returned to normal at my words. She sighed and stood up.

"It's a relief that you returned safely."

Her tone was one of relief, but there was a hint of complaint in her words.

The soldiers and people were talking about the wild boar I had caught, and I could finally sigh in relief.

I could have arrived at least an hour earlier, but it seemed to be quite helpful, considering the unexpected situation.

But.

Why did the viscount's daughter wait for me without sleeping?

If she were a naive young master, I might have thought she was waiting for me because she had a crush on me or out of some angelic heart, but I couldn't think that way at all.

I stared intently at her back as she entered the carriage.

* * *

The breakfast that followed was lively thanks to the wild boar I had brought.

"Are you saying you stayed up all night to catch this? Pathetic."

Although he was surprised by the size of the wild boar, Manuel, as usual, ignored me.

Naturally, I and the others pretended not to hear.

The viscount's siblings watched this scene with curiosity.

Manuel grumbled, but everyone else was happy.

The food on the journey couldn't be good.

The soldiers immediately butchered the wild boar, and the meat was used for the morning soup.

After eating the meat soup, which was not typical for breakfast, we set off again.

Leaving the territory, we headed for the capital.

During the journey to the capital, I pondered.

Whether to leave the viscount's daughter, Valeria, alone.

In the case of the viscount, he was someone who could harm me even if I returned to the past, so I couldn't leave him alone. However, it wasn't the same with Valeria.

Although her personality seemed dangerous and her abilities were remarkable, it was unclear whether she could harm me now that the viscount was dead.

She didn't even want to hear the viscount's words.

But it felt uneasy to leave her alone, so I couldn't help but think deeply.

Fortunately, she didn't take off her mask until we arrived at the capital.

A week later, we finally arrived at the capital.

* * *

The capital of Carlos Kingdom. A city where the knight Carlos, who defeated the demon king with a hero, returned to his ruined hometown and established a kingdom.

Before the knight Carlos established the kingdom, it had a different name, but after he established the kingdom, the city was named 'Palma' after his sword.

Before us was a huge city surrounded by a large wall, several times larger than the city of Meseta, where the duchy was located.

"Wow..."

As we passed through the city gates, the soldiers who had never been to the capital kept exclaiming in amazement.

The viscount's son and daughter were also busy looking around, and even Manuel's eyes were darting around.

I also marveled purely.

The city was much larger than I had expected.

Tall buildings over five stories, countless people, carriages, and horses. However, the streets were not dirty, and the smell was not bad.

The capital of the kingdom was more prosperous and complex than the capital of the duchy, Meseta, but it was still a quite pleasant city to look at.

We passed through the city gates without inspection and headed straight for the residential area.

The mansion where the duke or family members stayed when they came to the capital.

Naturally, it was smaller than the house in the territory, but it was a three-story, elegant mansion in a high-class residential area, befitting the duke's dignity.

People were waiting in front of the mansion.

A middle-aged man who looked like a butler and maids in maid uniforms were standing at the door.

"Welcome."

They bowed to Manuel, but the words they said after the greeting were not for Manuel but for the viscount's son.

"We received a message from the viscount's family through communication magic. They are asking you to return immediately."

He handed a letter to the viscount's son.

The emblem of the capital's magic tower. It was a magic communication letter.

The viscount's son opened the letter and frowned. His face was bewildered and at a loss.

"What happened?"

When his sister asked, he handed the letter to her.

Valeria read the letter and let out a low exclamation.

"Oh! Father has passed away."

When she raised her head, her face was full of sorrow, but I remembered the exclamation she had made before.

It was an exclamation mixed with joy.