Chapter 30

Mike is visiting our home under the pretense of being a civil servant at the royal castle. Jeffrey is also present, and now the three of us are having a conversation in hushed tones.

"Victoria, when did you first suspect Zachary's antique bookstore was suspicious?"

"From the first time I entered the store. They had expensive old books casually displayed on the shelves, but books of lesser value were in the bookcases. Moreover, they were mixed with forged old books. I thought it was strange for such a prestigious store, so I asked the manager of a bar I know about Zachary's antique bookstore."

When I inquired about the bookstore, Zahar had a troubled look on his face and told me this:

"That store had been around for generations, but the owner suddenly disappeared. About a year ago, I think. We thought we were close neighbors, but he didn't even say goodbye. Later, I heard rumors that he had fled after defaulting on his parents' debts."

"The forged old books and the parents' debts. Both smelled like the stories I heard at the monastery."

"I see. So?"

"That's why I frequently visited the bookstore and deliberately checked the contents of the locked bookcases each time. When Goodwill Trading was raided, Zachary was among the onlookers. He was staring at our carriage. I was waiting for him to approach me, suspecting my involvement in the raid."

"Anna, you should have told me at that point."

I had also struggled with this decision.

"I'm sorry, Jeff. If I had known Zachary would act that day, I would have called you. I couldn't ask you to accompany me every day without knowing when it would happen. Besides, if you were with me, Zachary wouldn't have approached. The case wouldn't have been solved, and the people who had been evicted wouldn't have been saved."

"There were supposedly five of them."

"Only five. In the end, Nonna took care of all of them. She did it without any danger. Shen martial arts are practical."

I smiled and apologized to Jeffrey.

"I'm sorry. I'll definitely call you next time. So don't be so down."

Mike and Jeffrey looked at me as if I were a troublesome person.

"Jeff, what's wrong?"

"Stop talking as if it's normal to be targeted by someone again."

"Oh, right, that was a slip of the tongue. For example."

"But, um, wait a moment, Victoria."

Mike closed his eyes, as if organizing his thoughts.

"Zachary might not have realized you were involved in the Goodwill Trading raid, right?"

"He definitely would have. I sniffed several suspicious books. Even though he tried not to look at me, he always watched me through the window. I think the sunshade was lowered to use the window as a mirror."

Mike sighed and looked at me.

"You knew all of this and still visited the bookstore. That's dangerous. But, I guess you felt safe because Nonna is so strong. Officially, I'm the one who apprehended them, but they all said, 'We were beaten by a terrifyingly strong girl.' Well, they committed many frauds and even preyed on nobles, so even the low-level criminals will face ten years of forced labor."

I felt relieved.

"So, at least for ten years, Nonna and I can be at ease."

"This time, we really were saved. We didn't know who the mastermind behind the forged contracts was. The people from Goodwill Trading received orders through intermediaries. No one knew about Zachary."

"He was cautious. But not knowing the value of the books was his downfall."

"No, Victoria, meeting you was Zachary's downfall."

Mike finally took a sip of tea and seemed to remember something.

"The coded document that came through Bernard has finally been decoded. Elmar was an agent of Hagel. My colleagues struggled to recognize the coding system as an old one from Hagel."

"Oh, really?"

"Really? Victoria, you had already decoded it, hadn't you?"

I only smiled ambiguously and didn't answer.

"Elmar is like you, Victoria. He left the organization, met his soulmate, and lived a happy life. It's the same."

"Is it?"

"Yes. Also, Elmar's unpublished work, which Bernard was involved in publishing, will soon be available in bookstores. I'm a fan of Elmar Archibald, so I'm looking forward to it. Oh, right, if you have anything you want to secretly tell me in the future, go to the house behind Mrs. Yolana's. It's the house where Mr. Miles used to live. Now it's rented by someone who can contact me."

Mike left with a smile.

When we were relaxing as a couple, there was a knock at the door, and Jeffrey and I looked at it together. Nonna was standing by the open door.

"Dad, now that I'm here, you don't have to worry about Mom."

"The little hero did well."

"Yes. Compared to Mr. Kan's disciples, their movements were very slow."

"Nonna, if you get hurt, Anna and I will suffer too."

"Got it. I'll be careful. And, Dad, Mom, can I have a pet?"

Right, I had forgotten. Now Nonna could raise a dog or a cat.

"Sure. You'll take care of it yourself, right?"

"Yes."

"What do you want? A dog? A cat? Or a bird?"

"Maybe a cat. Elizabeth's cat is cute, but it doesn't get close to me. I want a cat that will get close to me."

"Alright. Let's look for someone who is giving away kittens."

"Okay!"

And so, the case of the forged contracts was resolved. A few days later, Mr. Bernard came to our home with Elmar's unpublished work.

"Congratulations, Mr. Bernard. Elmar's unpublished work will make fans in various countries very happy."

"Being involved with Elmar's unpublished work, I feel I've lived a long life. It's all thanks to you, Victoria."

"Without your research, Mr. Bernard, we wouldn't have gotten this far."

Mr. Bernard gave me a brand new, pre-release Elmar novel. I took it with a smile, but to be honest, I was a bit afraid to read this book.

That night, Jeffrey came to my bedroom, looking very worried. I had been trying to keep a smile on my face, but I must have failed to hide it from Jeff.

"Anna, what's wrong? You've been looking gloomy since Uncle came."

"Jeff."

"Is it something you don't want to talk about?"

"No, but if my intuition is correct, I feel there might be a hidden code in that book too."

"In that book too? Why do you think so?"

Jeffrey sat down opposite me in a chair. I looked at Elmar's novel, "The End of a Long Journey," which was on my writing desk.

Before giving the bundle of parchment to Mr. Bernard, I had skimmed through the novel. It was more of a reflective story about an adventurer reminiscing about his past, living a peaceful life with a beloved woman after a long journey, with the assumption that the woman had already passed away.

"Why did Elmar need to hide this in a pot in that house in the forest? Was there some meaning in keeping it with a significant secret written in a coded message instead of making it a book?"

"What kind of meaning? I'm not an expert in codes. What do you think?"

Jeffrey stood up and sat next to me.

"I think Elmar deliberately hid 'The End of a Long Journey' in the pot so that only the person who decoded his will could read the hidden code. He didn't want it to be widely known, but he wanted someone to hear it."

"So?"

"Elmar, who lived a life full of secrets, might have wanted to unload his burdens before going to God's garden. I tried to imagine what he might have written if I were Elmar, hiding his true identity from his own child and wife."

Jeffrey gently placed his hand on my shoulder. The warmth of his hand was comforting.

"If I were Elmar, and I wanted someone to hear my story, but my secrets were linked to other secrets, so I couldn't tell anyone. I might have hidden it in a book, hoping that someone would read it someday in the distant future. If I were Elmar, that is."