Chapter 16

I began writing down the words that were floating up.

Elmar Archibald, the adventure novelist, had hidden plenty of cipher text within the parchment. As I wrote it out, the content turned out to be as follows:

◇ ◇ ◇

I, Elmar Archibald, was a merchant in Ashbury, working as an undercover agent.

I, who frequented the royal castle, was a favorite of the Fifth Princess Carolina.

One day, Princess Carolina made a request of me.

“I am to marry the Prince of Randall. However, the prince has already had three of his wives die, and I have been chosen as the fourth. All three of the previous wives were reportedly beaten to death. I am terrified of being beaten to death. If you help me escape from this castle, I will give you all the jewels I possess.”

I, who had been attracted to Princess Carolina for some time, agonized but eventually accepted her request. The two of us escaped from the castle and blended into a group of settlers in the Sibyl Forest. We opened a barbershop and general store in the settlement.

The princess did not complain about the unfamiliar life and endured the harsh conditions. On our days off, we would venture into the forest and enjoy exploring the uncharted territory. We even built a small stone house deep in the forest.

One day, we passed through a fissure leading to a crater and discovered gold ore inside.

We brought some of the gold ore back and displayed it in our bedroom. Fearing that it would attract attention, we worked without relying on the gold.

One day, I was discovered by members of the organization.

They broke into our house and saw the gold ore in the bedroom. They said they would let me go if I told them where the gold ore was located.

After guiding five men back, I was attacked and fought back, severely injuring myself. My wife, who was tending to my wounds, helped me recover. In my old age, I wrote a novel based on my experiences. My wife lived a full life and passed away, ascending to the heavens.

The last wish of my wife was, “I have not been of any use to my country. As a form of apology, I want you to inform the Ashbury royal family about the existence of the gold mine.”

However, the Ashbury royal family had knowingly sent her to a place where she would be beaten to death. I couldn’t bring myself to simply inform them about the gold mine. Therefore, I embedded the Haggle code into my novel written in Ashbury language.

May the one who deciphers and reaches the crown obtain the gold vein. I have not told my child about my true identity or the existence of the gold vein. I want my child to have a peaceful life. The title of the novel is "The Lost Crown." This cipher document is Elmar Archibald’s last will and testament.

◇ ◇ ◇

“You were an agent...”

I spoke to the book.

Elmar Archibald, the author of "The Lost Crown," was a senior in the special operations team of the Haggle Kingdom where I was from, and also a senior who had escaped from the organization.

“Hhhh”

I let out a long sigh.

Jeffrey was fidgeting, so I handed him the paper with the deciphered text. After reading it carefully, Jeffrey looked at me with a surprised expression.

“So Elmar was an agent of Haggle?”

“It seems so. I’m surprised.”

“Moreover, he took the Fifth Princess out of the castle and lived with her as a couple?”

“It seems so.”

“I’m amazed. I never thought such an adventure novel-like story actually happened.”

Jeffrey was staring at me.

“What is it?”

“You’re really skilled.”

“Huh. Thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve been so excited and had so much fun.”

“Still, it’s incredible that so much cipher text can be hidden in a single passage.”

“That’s the beauty of this cipher. You just need to follow the numerical instructions and go back in reverse when you reach the end of the text. However, you need an incredibly rich vocabulary to use this method.”

Elmar tried to keep everything secret to protect his child.

While I have a lot in common with Elmar, the agent from a hundred years ago, there is a decisive difference.

I told Nonna about my past as an agent and taught her how to protect herself. I wonder if it’s safer to know nothing or to be prepared after knowing the truth.

I don’t know which is right.

But I am the type who prepares for what can be prepared.

I want to raise and protect Nonna. I want to walk through life with Jeffrey.

My only wishes are those two. I don’t need the gold ore.

My wishes are things that can’t be fulfilled with gold.

The next day, I dug up the pot I had buried in the ground and put the bundle of parchment in my bag. We all mounted our horses and set off for the capital. The vacation was shorter than I had expected.

“Are we already going back?”

“Thanks to Nonna’s love for stones, it was very helpful.”

“I wanted to enjoy camping in the forest a bit more. Mom, when will you return Sibyl?”

“When we get home.”

“I want to give Bernard the souvenirs as soon as possible.”

Lord Clark was smiling, listening to the conversation between Nonna and me.

(Ah, Lord Clark has become capable of such an adult smile.) I realized the length of the five years we had been apart through that smile.

We set off for the capital with Aure, and the carriage we had left in the forest was still intact.

In the carriage, Aure was like a frightened fawn, always clinging to Lord Clark.

Nonna tried to join the conversation between Aure and Lord Clark, gesturing and speaking multiple times, but Aure didn’t respond at all. Nonna eventually gave up and looked dejected. I comforted her, saying that Aure might accept her once she calms down a bit more.

Before getting into the carriage, Jeffrey and I had a detailed discussion.

As a result, we decided not to tell Lord Clark about Elmar’s will. This was Jeffrey’s strong decision.

“The Fifth Princess Carolina lived a happy life with Elmar. Reporting that she married an agent from another country now would make no one happy. Her descendants are not part of the royal family, and her relatives are all in the heavens.”

“Even though we’ve uncovered the truth about this country’s history, you want to keep it a secret for my sake. I feel a bit guilty. I wish there was a good way to tell Bernard the truth.”

Jeffrey shook his head slowly.

“If we reveal the content of the cipher, the country will want to know who deciphered the difficult code. That would negate the meaning of you changing your name and disappearing from the country for five years.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

In the end, we decided not to tell Lord Clark about Elmar’s will.

We also asked him to omit as much as possible about our family in his report. Jeffrey, who had set the conditions for the trip before we left, is really a forward-thinking person.

Lord Clark promised to report only the following, omitting everything related to us:

“I discovered a house deep in the forest by following the instructions on a sign I found during my travels.”

“I found a pot containing parchment in the empty house.”

“The parchment led me to a fissure in a cliff.”

“The fissure led to a crater, where I found gold ore.”

“Alright, this is fine.”

“It’s refreshingly free of any mention of us.”

“Uncle Jeff, I’m completely satisfied with this. I’m grateful for the opportunity to accompany you. I’ve never been so excited in my life.”

“I had fun too.”

“So did I, Lord Clark.”

Everyone was satisfied. This is good.

We used the same number of days for the return trip as we did for the outbound journey and arrived at our mansion in the capital.

Seeing Lord Clark hurry to return home, Aure didn’t want to leave. But Jeffrey and I had decided to bring her back.

There is a possibility that the country will punish us for bringing a foreigner back without permission. Jeffrey decided that our family should bear the punishment. Originally, Jeffrey wasn’t overly excited about the ennoblement because of my situation. “If we were ennobled before, the punishment would be the revocation of the ennoblement and a move,” Jeffrey laughed.

Lord Clark left with a determined look, saying, “I need to turn the records into an official report and submit them to Uncle Edward.”

Aure, who had not opened up to anyone except Lord Clark, needed to learn Subalts as soon as possible.

“You will live here. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“No one will capture you again. No one will be violent.”

“Yes.”

When I spoke to her in Subalts, which I had learned from Lord Clark, she at least responded.

What kind of treatment did Aure receive from her employer? The extent of the physical and mental scars on a sixteen-year-old and the way she flinched made my heart ache. Bersa also frowned when she heard the story.

“How pitiful. How should we treat Aure, Madam?”

“Until we talk to her and decide, please treat her as a guest in our home. Could you prepare a set of clothes that would suit her? Teach her how to use the facilities in the house. If you have any doubts, no matter how small, please ask me.”

“Understood. By the way, Madam, I have a report to make. The medicine you gave me—”

“What about it?”

“The ointment for hand sores and the painkillers were very effective.”

“That’s good, isn’t it? I’m glad they worked.”

“So, when I accidentally boasted about the medicine to the grocer, he asked for some. I can’t just give it away, so could you decide on a price?”

“Sure. I’ll write down the price and give it to you by tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s fine. The medicine is meant to be used by many people.”

After entrusting Aure to Bersa, I decided to visit Bernard’s mansion first.