Chapter 55
‘If I get closer to her, it might be easier to find her weakness.’
“Then, please excuse me for a moment.”
Eltar gave her permission after settling the bill.
Soon, a tea table was set.
The raspberries were deep in color, fresh, and gave off a sweet and tangy scent—they tasted delicious.
“It’s so good!”
At Ariel’s admiration, Eltar smiled warmly.
“The raspberries grown around here are famous for their quality and flavor.”
Ariel chatted casually while carefully observing Eltar.
After the clash with the Revan Knights at lunch, Ariel had done some digging into Eltar.
‘They said she’s fair and has excellent leadership, just like someone trusted by knights.’
That ability, they said, was why she could become the heir to the Revan Count family.
But she hadn’t stood out from the beginning.
When Eltar first took charge of the fortress in the mines, things were apparently a complete mess.
Her swordsmanship wasn’t particularly outstanding, and many people died in battle.
There were even voices saying that her younger brother, who was skilled in swordsmanship, should be made heir instead.
But that younger brother came to the fortress and ended up dying to a rare monster—and after that, Eltar began to distinguish herself.
‘People dying to monsters isn’t that unusual, but the fact that it was a rare species bothers me.’
Of all places, for a rare type of monster to appear in an area suspected of dark magic being used.
‘Could it be related to the sudden increase in the number of monsters?’
As she ate raspberries, Ariel cautiously spoke.
“By the way, it’s troubling that the number of monsters has suddenly increased.”
“Yes. Thankfully, His Grace the Duke came to help, so I feel a little less worried.”
“That’s true… but still, I can’t help but feel uneasy. I’ve heard strong monsters have been showing up a lot lately… even an Amylos appeared…”
Ariel added carefully, watching Eltar’s expression.
“I also heard that your younger brother was an excellent swordsman, yet he lost his life to a monster.”
It was the kind of remark that could sound rude, but Eltar simply replied calmly.
“My younger brother is different from His Grace. He was talented, but nothing compared to the Duke.”
Eltar’s lips twisted slightly.
“My brother’s talent only shone for a short while in childhood, but the Duke is one of the most exceptional men in the Empire.”
Ariel tilted her head slightly.
‘That’s odd. It’s a little different from what Swell told me.’
According to Swell, who had met him personally, the younger brother was both highly talented and diligent, the kind of person who would become an outstanding swordsman with time.
‘If strict Swell said that, the talent must have been considerable. So why go out of her way to belittle him?’
It felt like there was a faint trace of hostility, so subtle that even Eltar herself might not have realized it.
Ariel considered pressing further—but then a scream rang out from the hallway.
“Kyaaah!”
“What the—! Stop it!”
The two rushed outside to find a small, bird-like monster flying wildly through the corridor.
It was a monster called a Sparrow. Quick, but not particularly dangerous.
“How did a monster get in here?”
A nearby knight swung his sword.
The sharp blade aimed precisely at the monster.
But then—
KAAANG!
The monster bit down on the blade with its beak and broke it.
“W-What? What the hell is this?!”
The startled knight stared between the broken sword and the monster. Then, the creature lunged straight at him.
“You can’t let your guard down.”
Ariel, flustered, threw the raspberries she was holding and hit the monster.
BOOM!
The creature slammed into the wall, flapping feebly before going limp.
“My lady!”
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine! But that scared me! I’ve never seen a Sparrow break a sword before!”
“I told you. The monsters appearing in the fortress these days are far stronger than usual.”
Eltar walked over as she spoke.
“Not just Sparrows. They’re all much stronger than we’ve ever known.”
“You’re right.”
Ariel had heard monsters were getting stronger, but this felt like evolution.
‘When Dad hunted monsters, they weren’t this strong… or maybe everything just looked weak because he was too strong?’
Ariel examined the monster with a serious expression.
‘I have a few guesses… but not enough information yet.’
“First, we should figure out how this monster even got inside the fortress.”
Eltar nodded at Ariel’s words.
The monster’s entry route was quickly discovered.
There was an old gate no longer in use, and it seemed the monster slipped through a gap there.
Apparently, the knights assigned to guard that area had left their post briefly to play cards—and that’s when it happened.
“This is my failure. I’m so ashamed I can’t lift my head.”
Eltar furiously threw the negligent knights into prison.
But Ariel couldn’t shake a nagging feeling.
“I’d like to question those knights about what happened then. Would that be okay?”
“We still have a lot of interrogations to do ourselves. I’ll set aside some time for you tomorrow.”
But Ariel never got to meet the knights.
Because all of them vanished.
“How could you be so negligent that something like this happened?! Did the presence of the Clasta Knights and the Mage Tower make everyone lax?!”
Eltar was livid when she heard the news.
And no wonder.
It wasn’t enough that the knights’ negligence let a monster into the fortress—they even escaped from prison?
“I’m sorry. We never imagined they’d break the magic restraints and run.”
The knight reporting looked ready to collapse.
A knight without magic was no different from an ordinary person.
So how could they possibly break sturdy magic restraints with their bare hands?
“I’m not asking for excuses! Mobilize every available soldier immediately and track them down. If we lose them this time, I’ll personally see that the punishment is severe.”
Fortunately, a few days later, the knights’ corpses were found in the west.
They had managed to escape the prison, but failed to fend off the monsters outside and were killed.
Yet Ariel still couldn’t shake the sense of unease.
“Swell.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Can you arrange for me to meet someone who was close to the escaped knights, or anyone involved in their interrogation?”
If the Duke had been here, things would have gone much smoother—but he was busy exterminating the monsters in the mines.
‘Maybe that’s better. Let’s solve this before Dad returns.’
Thankfully, Ariel managed to speak with a comrade of one of the dead knights.
He had already lost friends to monsters and now had gone through this ordeal, so his face was filled with grief.
His eyes were swollen from crying.
“You wanted to ask about Helia, right?”
Helia was one of the dead knights.
“Yes. I know it’s painful losing a close friend, but could you tell me what you know about her?”
“Yes, because I thought it was strange too. Helia letting a monster in because she was slacking during her watch, and then escaping prison and dying… it makes no sense.”
“What kind of person was Helia?”
“She was very diligent. Always trained hard, and she was so uptight she’d refuse whenever we suggested playing cards during watch. I know you probably disapprove of us doing that while on duty…”
“No, I understand.”
Ariel had seen plenty of that while working with Rigan’s subjugation unit.
People often shirked guard duty and passed it on to others.
‘Compared to that, the Clasta Knights being so disciplined is what’s unusual.’
“And she really wanted to finish up here and return home.”
“She had family waiting?”
“Yes. She’d just had a baby girl. She volunteered for this post because the fortress is dangerous, so the pay is high—she wanted to earn money. But then… sob…”
Overcome with emotion, her comrade broke down crying.
“She kept saying once the Duke came, everything would be settled soon and we could go home… so why… why would she escape like that…”
Ariel handed her a tissue from the box nearby.
“I don’t understand either why someone as diligent as Helia would do that. Could it be… that she was afraid of Eltar? Maybe she ran away because she thought the Count’s daughter would punish her harshly?”
There were indeed commanders who ruled the battlefield with brutal military law.
If Helia thought she’d die no matter what, it wouldn’t be strange for her to try escaping.
But the comrade shook her head firmly.
“No. She’s strict, but not someone who treats lives carelessly. She always tried to figure out how to keep us alive.”
The tear-streaked face didn’t look like it was lying.
‘True. From what I’ve seen, Eltar doesn’t seem cruel.’
Even after the prison break, when she was fuming with rage, she didn’t vent her anger on the knights.
From their armor to their meals, you could tell she was strict but cared for them.
Hearing this, Ariel became certain.
‘Someone staged this to make it look like Helia and the others escaped, then killed them.’
But who would do such a thing?
There were over a hundred people in the fortress.
Finding which of them committed murder would be difficult.
‘Still, if I keep digging, I’ll find something.’
Just then, Eltar entered the room where Ariel and the knight were talking.
