HIFH | Chapter 41

Episode 41

04. Doubt

[Sir Baylor,

I am reporting this month’s political situation.

The conditions in the border regions remain unstable.

There are signs of unrest from all directions,

and the counterintelligence department is closely monitoring the situation.

You once said,

no matter how deep the darkness, the light will eventually come.

As you said, dawn will surely arrive. But whether we will be able to witness that light, I cannot say. A bleak wind is blowing everywhere.

Difficulties are expected, but we must fulfill our duties.

I only hope it will not be too late.

I shall end my report here.

— L.]

On the way home.

I recalled the letter I had read at headquarters.

The contents were nothing more than a standard political report.

However, I couldn’t stop thinking about the familiar scent and decoration of the letter, as well as the initial “L” signed at the end.

There is only one person who knows the imperial court’s internal politics so well and uses the initial “L.”

‘Empress Laila.’

I had already heard that the Empress was trying to intervene in Catacle.

That was why she was in conflict with Baylor.

But after reading the letter…

“This isn’t a conflict.”

How should I put it? There was a subtle nuance in the letter.

As if she liked him…

“No way.”

Could Baylor’s reason for staging a coup be the Empress?

If he becomes her husband, a member of the imperial family, ascending the throne would be much easier—so that’s why?

A realization struck me like lightning.

Now, everything finally made sense.

‘The talk of them being at odds was just a deception.’

They must have been setting a trap to identify who supports the Empress and who supports the commander, organizing and expanding their forces accordingly.

‘Then Henry…’

As far as I knew, he didn’t support the Empress. But given that he had been searching for a relic separately, it seemed he didn’t support the commander either.

‘If Henry has figured all of this out…’

He might have fled.

— Aren’t you curious about what happened to Henry?

If Baylor was saying something like this, it meant Henry’s fate was uncertain.

‘Henry might not be dead.’

He could have realized everything and escaped.

‘Should I find him?’

Finding him and uncovering what’s really happening inside Catacle might be a good idea.

Yes.

I’ll find him.

I’ll ask him.

How likely is the coup to succeed?

If the chances are too low, and Baylor is blindly chasing an impossible dream, then I must stop him.

Even if I’m just a puppet following orders, I can’t let Baylor throw himself into the fire.

‘I have to find Henry.’

As soon as I reached that conclusion, a plan came to mind.

I would be ready to move by tomorrow.

***

Yawn.

I let out a long yawn as I walked down the stairs toward the dining hall.

Last night.

Between going out and overthinking, I had trouble sleeping, making it difficult to wake up in the morning.

Lack of sleep had me yawning endlessly.

“Good morning, Charles.”

The moment I entered the dining hall, Lu greeted me.

His face was bright, without a trace of fatigue, even though it was still morning.

His expression, so free of worry, seemed to dispel the restless thoughts lingering in my mind from the night before.

“You look especially tired today.”

Even this simple concern from him felt comforting.

Maybe because all I saw yesterday were people who resented me.

I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

“I guess I just didn’t sleep well.”

“Ah, did you go on another night stroll?”

I flinched. He hit the mark, but I feigned ignorance.

“No. I just couldn’t sleep. Don’t be suspicious.”

“I wasn’t suspicious—I was just asking.”

Lies.

Anyone could see he was suspicious.

But even if Lu was doubting me, there was nothing I could do.

If I reacted now, it would only make him more suspicious.

And he clearly had no definitive proof.

If he did, he would have already taken action.

So my best option was to ignore it.

I sniffled and took a seat at the dining table.

“The weather is really nice this morning.”

As Lu said, warm sunlight streamed through the large window on one side of the dining hall.

The breeze, rustling through the leaves, carried the feeling of the changing season.

After observing the scenery for a moment, Lu turned to me and asked,

“Shall we go on an outing today as well?”

I blinked. Then quickly shook my head.

“I’m going out alone today. Ah, Mardi, thank you. This looks delicious.”

I answered as I picked up my fork and stabbed a piece of salad that Mardi had brought over.

“What?”

Lu looked startled and asked again.

“You’re going out alone? Where are you planning to go?”

Hmm.

I was planning to go to the harbor to look for traces of Vice-Commander Henry.

Since he had a hobby of collecting ships, I could determine whether he was alive or dead based on whether his ships were still there.

…But I couldn’t say that.

So, I deliberately crunched on my salad, responding casually.

“Do I really need to report to you everywhere I go?”

“Isn’t it related to your mission?”

“No.”

“Then why are you moving on your own when it has nothing to do with the mission?”

I frowned.

“You just don’t want me going out, do you?”

“Yes.”

“Unbelievable.”

No matter how stubborn Lu was, I couldn’t give in today.

Since I had already decided to track Henry, any other action was not an option.

“Anyway, I’m going alone today. So go spend your own time.”

“…I’m going to feel hurt.”

“Go ahead and feel hurt.”

“You’re too much.”

“Then feel that I’m too much.”

Leaving Lu grumbling behind, I refocused on my salad.

So I didn’t see the expression on his face.

As soon as I finished breakfast, I left the mansion.

But I didn’t head straight to the harbor.

Instead, I left a letter at the abandoned warehouse where I had met Pinky.

The letter instructed him to come to the harbor.

It wasn’t our scheduled meeting day, but what choice did I have?

Now that I had learned about Baylor’s plans, there were more than a few things I needed to ask.

‘I’ll just pay them more.’

Thinking that, I stepped down from the carriage.

Immediately, the air, thick with the scent of sand and salt, filled my lungs.

Massive sails, towering ships, and people bustling about everywhere—

The harbor, teeming with life, always stirred something in my heart.

‘No, this isn’t the time for that.’

This was no time to appreciate the harbor’s atmosphere.

Taking out my notebook and pen, I slowly made my way to the docks.

I remembered Henry owned a total of five ships.

I couldn’t recall the exact shapes of his vessels, but I did remember the emblem he used as his symbol.

That should be enough to find them without much trouble.

If Henry had chosen to flee, the ships would be gone.

But if Henry was truly dead…

‘Then the ships would still be here.’

I bit my lower lip.

I’ve said this before, but I really hate when people die.

Not just because Esmeralda died because of me.

I simply found the loss of human life unbearably detestable.

Perhaps it stemmed from my past—seeing the children I had lived with in the slums die one by one.

Because I knew too well how fragile and easily extinguished a human life was.

That’s why…

I wanted to protect life even more.

I wished that no one would have to die.

‘That’s why I was in the infiltration unit.’

If an infiltration mission was carried out flawlessly, without detection, no lives had to be lost.

In any case, that was why I was searching for Henry now.

This search was not just to determine whether Henry was alive or dead but also to gauge the likelihood of Baylor’s coup succeeding.

If the chances of failure were high, I had to stop Baylor.

To save him.

‘Anyway…’

So far, I had found four of the five ships.

Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded rapidly.

I hoped—desperately—that I wouldn’t find the fifth one.

‘…Damn.’

A long sigh escaped my lips.

Because Henry’s final ship was right there in front of me.

The idea that he might have escaped had been nothing more than wishful thinking.

I felt sick to my stomach. then i pray to the god.

I didn’t believe in God, but I still wished he had gone to a better place.

‘There might be something left behind.’

I decided to board the ship and take a look.

So, I slowly stepped onto the deck and opened the door to the wheelhouse.