Chapter 39
“Lady Katrina, is it true?”
“You uncovered the truth of the case? That the real culprit is someone else?”
Countless questions were hurled toward Katrina.
Meanwhile, Gilbert stared at her with a face like he’d swallowed something foul.
“Have you really uncovered something? If not, this is a very arrogant—”
“I saw the ledger.”
Gilbert flinched.
‘No. Calm down.’
There had been nothing in the archives Katrina had barged into that could completely catch him off guard.
He had never left his weaknesses out in the open.
“So what if you did?”
“The castle suddenly became wealthy right after the children disappeared eleven years ago.”
So what.
Gilbert replied as calmly as he could to the woman’s words.
“Animal furs happened to sell well during that time. Bear pelts, fox pelts… This place is overflowing with animals, isn’t it?”
“There must have been a limit to how much profit you could make from just furs.”
“I don’t quite understand what you’re implying. But if you look at the records, all of the money came from selling animal pelts!”
“I know. It was a total of 500,000 gold, wasn’t it?”
“Y-yes… That sounds right…”
Katrina responded calmly to Gilbert, who was beginning to stammer.
“So you’re saying you earned 500,000 gold. By hunting animals.”
“Y-yes…”
“That would’ve been impossible at the time.”
“…What?”
“You couldn’t have hunted that many animals. Because there was an epidemic back then.”
“…”
“A livestock disease. So many animals were culled.”
“…”
At that moment, Gilbert’s mind went completely blank.
“Come to think of it… That did happen about eleven years ago.”
“It must’ve been hard to make that much money from livestock.”
The invited guests began murmuring to one another as they looked at Gilbert strangely.
Their gazes were filled with suspicion.
“Y-you’re not suggesting I made money by doing something to those children, are you?!”
“If not, explain it. Where did that 500,000 gold come from?”
“…”
Cold sweat trickled down Gilbert’s face.
“T-the records must be wrong. I’ll immediately dismiss the clerk!”
“I know the records are wrong. That’s why I’m asking—how did you make that money?”
“It’s been so long… I can’t remember well… If you just give me a little time—”
“Hm? You made an unprecedented amount of money, and you don’t remember how?”
“…”
Gilbert desperately tried to recall something from his now-blank mind.
There was no proof that he had used the flute, after all.
“Lady Katrina, this is nonsense. The culprit has already been caught!”
Yes. The culprit had been caught.
Gilbert had personally ensured that.
“Well. Forcing someone to play a flute isn’t that difficult, is it?”
“You’re saying I handed someone a flute and told them to make the townspeople disappear? This is slander!”
People began whispering again.
Even those sitting at the dining table wore uncertain expressions.
Katrina certainly had a point. But it still wasn’t enough to definitively name the lord as the criminal.
To others, it was obvious that Gilbert had falsified the records. But it could’ve also been an unfortunate coincidence that the events lined up.
People started murmuring, uncertain who was telling the truth.
Gilbert continued to sweat, desperate to wriggle out of the situation.
Somehow…
“And one more thing.”
Katrina spoke again, as if she wasn’t finished yet.
“Before the incident happened again recently, the territory took in quite a number of criminals, didn’t it?”
“T-that’s…”
“Criminals who’d dabbled in black magic, no less.”
“N-no!”
“So before, you lured children in with the flute. And this time, you lured in people who possessed dark magic.”
“No, that’s not true!”
Gilbert practically begged as he shouted.
Stop talking!
“By chance, a few innocent townspeople were caught up in it. Even if the traces of magic were faint, they lived their lives unaware of it.”
“Lady Katrina! Please stop! This is all just your speculation!”
Even as he spoke, Gilbert clenched his fists tightly.
Everything he said now was nothing but a pitiful excuse.
“Yes, you’re right.”
Katrina admitted calmly.
“But it doesn’t sound like I’m wrong.”
She smiled faintly.
“This is slander! You—! You stole a relic! Someone like you could fabricate any story!”
“Sure. That still needs to be investigated. But that investigation won’t involve you, Gilbert.”
“Y-you…!”
“It all depends on what Grandmother decides.”
The atmosphere in the dining room froze. Gilbert realized his guests no longer met his gaze.
They were all siding with Katrina now.
Gilbert realized it.
It was over.
No—it couldn’t end like this.
He had come too far…
“I—I have proof!”
Gilbert suddenly shouted.
“I just remembered! There are other documents from eleven years ago, showing where the money came from!”
What is he planning now?
“Could you wait a moment? I’ll go and bring them right away.”
Katrina popped a piece of cut steak into her mouth.
“Go ahead.”
“…Thank you, my lady.”
Gilbert hurried out of the dining room.
As long as he wasn’t abandoning the castle and fleeing, Katrina didn’t care what he did.
‘Not that escaping would even work.’
Even if he tried, he’d be caught soon enough.
So Katrina waited calmly.
But—
After thirty minutes, she began to think he was running late.
‘Don’t tell me he fled?’
No, he wouldn’t do something that stupid.
“Ahem. The lord seems to be running a little late.”
“Maybe it’s taking time because the documents are old.”
Up to this point, the guests were still understanding.
So Katrina decided to wait a little longer too.
An hour passed.
‘I can’t wait any longer.’
Something had clearly happened.
There was no reason for him to be gone this long otherwise.
“How much longer are we supposed to wait for the lord?”
“Someone should go check on him.”
Fortunately, the others shared Katrina’s sentiment.
“Lady Katrina, perhaps you should go yourself?”
Katrina nodded.
She, too, felt the need to check. And with everyone being so cooperative, she had no reason to refuse.
“Very well. I’ll go and see the lord.”
Just as everyone came to that agreement—
Clack.
A metallic turning sound echoed from somewhere.
The crowd began to murmur in confusion.
It was no wonder—they all instantly recognized what that sound meant.
Someone, unable to believe it, asked in a trembling voice:
“…What was that sound just now?”
The person next to them voiced what everyone else was thinking.
“Wasn’t that the sound of a lock?”
“The door’s locked? Why would the door be locked?!”
People began to panic.
Someone rushed to check the doorknob of the dining room.
Clack, clack.
The door wouldn’t open.
