Chapter 104
The three of them only arrived at Pamila Village late at night. So they had to spend the first day resting.
There was nothing special on the second day either. They simply looked over the place where the memorial service would be held and did a brief rehearsal.
Of course, they did not waste that time. Richard and Ludwig secretly dispatched subordinates to check whether there was anything suspicious.
But nothing unusual was found.
“Are they planning to let it pass quietly this time?”
Aileen asked softly while watching Adrian play with a toy he had bought in the village. Standing beside her and hearing her question, Richard replied,
“Who knows.”
“I hope that’s the case, but I’m worried. If they’re truly plotting something and we fail to notice it, there’s nothing more dangerous than that.”
Since Aileen was right, Richard expressed his agreement with silence. He looked deep in thought.
Aileen, after glancing at him, also pressed her lips shut.
“Ah!”
Adrian, who had been playing with a bouncing ball, accidentally let it slip from his hand. The ball flew straight toward Aileen’s face.
Thud—
Aileen reflexively raised her arm to shield her face and then opened her eyes slightly. A large, long hand had shot out and caught the ball.
“Are you all right?”
Richard asked worriedly. Aileen nodded and lowered her arm.
So lost in thought, yet your reflexes are quick.
She was inwardly impressed when Adrian came running over, his face filled with shock and concern.
“S-Sister! I’m sorry!”
“Shouldn’t you be more careful, Young Count?”
Richard said as he held out the ball he was gripping. Adrian, fumbling as if at a loss for words, soon muttered in a small voice,
“…I’m sorry. But I didn’t think it would bounce that way.”
“I know, so don’t feel too bad. More importantly, Adrian, it’s about time for bed. It’s late.”
Aileen pointed at the clock, but Adrian didn’t look at it and instead gazed up at her with pleading eyes.
“But I want to play a little more…”
“No. Children need to sleep.”
“I’m not a child!”
“All I see is a small and adorable child?”
Adrian pouted. He felt dejected that he still appeared as a child in Aileen’s eyes.
With a faint chuckle, Aileen crouched down, meeting his eye level.
“I wish my little brother could stay a child forever. Because you’re cute.”
“I don’t want that! If that happens, I won’t be able to protect you, Sister! I’m going to grow big and strong!”
“Right. And to do that, you need to sleep early and wake up early, don’t you?”
Adrian shut his mouth with a speechless expression. He realized he had fallen for Aileen’s trick.
Smiling brightly, Aileen urged him to return to his room. After hesitating for a moment, Adrian finally drooped his shoulders and said,
“Then, Sister, please give me one hug before bed.”
“Of course.”
Aileen patted Adrian’s back as he hugged her and whispered,
“Good night, my little brother.”
“Hehe… Yes.”
His mood already lifted, Adrian smiled and ran off to his room. Watching him, Richard spoke with a faint smile in his voice.
“The Young Count knows one thing but not another. If it were me, I’d want to remain a child. That way, I could receive all of Aileen’s affection.”
“It seems you’re the one who knows one thing but not two, Richard. Even if Adrian grows tall and taller than me, I’m confident I’ll still love him.”
Thinking that might truly be the case, Richard fell silent. Aileen looked at him and smiled confidently.
“Richard, we should go to sleep too—”
Tap, tap—
At the sound coming from nearby, Aileen and Richard turned their heads at the same time. Their gazes went to the window.
Beyond it, a white hand was visible.
“Who…?”
The moment Aileen voiced her confusion, a face covered in a black mask suddenly popped up.
Startled, Aileen stepped back, and Richard moved to stand in front of her. The masked figure gestured for silence toward the two, who were on full alert.
Frozen in place as she stared at him, Aileen noticed something and flinched.
“Golden eyes…?”
Hearing her murmur, Richard also looked at the man’s exposed eyes. They were vividly shining gold, just like his own.
Recalling someone, Richard strode to the window and opened it.
“Could it be… Ludwig?”
With a small chuckle, the masked man stepped into the room. As he removed the mask covering his face, dark crimson hair fluttered down.
“My apologies for startling you.”
“What is with that suspicious attire?”
Richard asked incredulously, but Ludwig answered calmly,
“I judged this to be the most suitable outfit to come secretly without being discovered.”
“Was there a reason you had to sneak over to us dressed like that?”
Richard’s expression changed instantly.
Sensing the atmosphere turn serious, Ludwig nodded.
“I plan to look around the village from now on to spy out whether there are any suspicious movements.”
“Spy?”
“Yes. There are only two days left until the memorial service. If they intend to do something, they will surely move now.”
Listening to him, Richard nodded. But there was something to address.
“Still, there’s no need for you to move personally. It’ll be dangerous.”
“The more people, the better.”
A faint smile formed at the corner of Ludwig’s lips. He showed no intention of backing down.
After watching him for a moment, Richard let out a deep sigh.
“…Be careful.”
Ludwig paused. It felt as though Richard was worrying about him.
As if, regardless of being half-brothers or having grown up like strangers, they were truly brothers.
“…I will keep that in mind.”
His voice came out somewhat restrained.
Aileen, who had been quietly watching the two, wore a pleased smile.
After Ludwig left again through the window, Aileen approached Richard and asked,
“He’ll be all right, won’t he?”
“He’ll be fine.”
Richard hesitated briefly, then added quietly,
“…He has to be.”
Gazing steadily at him, Aileen then looked toward the place where Ludwig had disappeared.
‘Please be careful, Your Highness.’
Hoping her concern would reach Ludwig.
❧ ❧ ❧
Night deepened and darkness settled over Pamila Village.
Ludwig hid himself in the shadows untouched by moonlight and searched every corner of the village as thoroughly as if combing through it.
Minimizing his presence as much as possible, he moved through the darkness like someone’s shadow.
But even by the deep hours before dawn, he could not find what he was looking for.
Soon it was the appointed time, and one by one, masked figures like him began gathering at the village center. They were the few trusted aides of Ludwig.
“How were the places you checked?”
“There was nothing.”
“Same here. I found no suspicious movements.”
Ludwig swallowed a sound of contemplation. At this point, he even began to wonder whether Abelio truly intended to let it pass this time.
After maintaining silence for a moment, he recalled the one person who had yet to arrive and asked,
“Come to think of it, where is Mitchell?”
“He hasn’t arrived yet.”
Ludwig tilted his head.
The one he expected to arrive earlier than anyone else, due to his impatient nature, had not come.
They stood there for the time being, waiting for their missing comrade. But no matter how long they waited, he did not appear.
Sensing something odd, one of them spoke to Ludwig.
“Your Highness.”
“…We’re heading to the northern part of the village now.”
Ludwig’s eyes had already turned sharp. He had judged that something was there.
The others nodded solemnly and followed Ludwig as he led the way. They quickly ran toward the northern part of the village that Mitchell had been assigned to, all to find him.
“Hey, Mitchell!”
To their surprise, they found Mitchell easily. He was lying flat on a rooftop.
One of his closest comrades smacked him hard on the head and said irritably,
“When you didn’t show up at the assembly time, we thought something had happened! What are you doing up here?”
“That hurts, you jerk!”
“I hit you so it would hurt!”
Mitchell glared and glanced toward one direction. Noticing it, Ludwig asked,
“Is there something?”
At his question, the others fell silent and looked at Mitchell. After hesitating, Mitchell pointed to a house.
“That house.”
Everyone’s gaze followed where he pointed. Though it was slightly apart from the other houses, it appeared to be an ordinary house with nothing visibly strange.
After staring at it for a while, one of his comrades asked in confusion,
“What about it?”
“I can feel a faint flow of mana.”
At Mitchell’s answer, not only Ludwig but the others also stiffened.
Mitchell came from a family of mages. Although he had chosen the sword, he possessed some talent for magic due to his lineage.
The fact that he could sense mana, even slightly, was proof of that.
Since it was he who said it, it could not be a lie.
“You said it’s faint. Then isn’t it just mana from a magic tool used in that house?”
“That’s what I thought too, but it’s different. If it were mana from a magic tool, it would feel thin and clear, like it had just been used. But the mana from that house feels vast and faint.”
“Ugh… I don’t get what you mean.”
“I’m the fool for thinking a blockhead like you would understand.”
“What?”
“Quiet.”
At Ludwig’s low word, the bickering pair shut their mouths.
He looked straight at Mitchell and asked,
“Then does that mean someone used magic in that house a long time ago? And magic vast enough for you to call it enormous?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Mitchell nodded. Ludwig pondered briefly, then looked at the house Mitchell had indicated.
“Your Highness?”
“…Let’s go inside.”
“Pardon?”
All his loyal subordinates stared at him in surprise.
“But, Your Highness, what if that house has nothing to do with this matter? It’ll cause an uproar for trespassing.”
“Then we’ll leave immediately.”
“But still…”
The one who objected was rather taken aback by Ludwig’s unusually proactive stance.
Ludwig adjusted his mask properly again and said,
“If you don’t wish to, stay here. I’ll go in alone.”
“…As if we could allow that.”
Though they sighed, they all pulled their masks back on. At their loyal display, Ludwig smiled inwardly.
“Then let’s go.”
