I sat on the balcony and didn’t do anything, just waited for the situation to unfold. When I asked if we should move more, Ian shook his head. He moved slowly, like someone who was just wasting his time here, refilling his empty teacup.
“What do you think is the probability of discovering an unspecified person attempting a specific act in an unspecified location?”
I blinked at a question I had never thought of before.
“Normally, in a situation like this, how much scope do you think one person would have to take on to find that unspecified person?”
“Hmm… As wide a range as possible? Wouldn’t it be better if it overlaps? Because you can check it consistently…”
“That makes sense. But in fact, it is right to patrol a very small and limited space.”
“Is that so?”
“They say it’s a search that requires looking at people. Surprisingly, threats like this are simple and easy to find. Because it’s not a professionally trained person trying to detonate a bomb. It’s a person who is forced to act under duress, so they don’t activate the bomb. You may not be able to.”
Ian extended his fingers.
“So we will move with at least two people. One person prepared to risk his or her life and one person who is scared will move in this structure. It could be two or three people, but the important thing is that they do not move alone. Then, the range will naturally decrease. In addition, all the people on the list Rodil Ra gave were men except for her. So, if you check the women as well, but mainly check the men, there won’t be any problem.”
I see… I nodded and was about to express my admiration for his words, but suddenly a strange thought occurred to me and I closed my eyes.
“But you said earlier that Ian is going with two people, right? Then do we really need hostages? Just Beralt or the Crown Prince’s men can go and blow it up.”
Wouldn’t it be better to entrust it to a subordinate who sacrificed his life rather than entrust it to someone who may be too scared to press the bomb? When asked an obvious question, Ian grinned.
“No. There will definitely be at least two people, including the hostage.”
“On your shoulder?”
“It would be double insurance. People are so fearful that no matter how much they say they will risk their lives to carry out a task, they can ultimately become intimidated by death. So, they would have attached a hostage and a person to watch over him. After that, he would have given orders like this. He told his subordinate that if he didn’t detonate the bomb, their family would be killed.”
“So does this mean that you made the same threats to your subordinates who were not hostages?”
“It was inhumane, but I would have done it.”
It was the worst. He threatens a subordinate who trusts and follows him with his family as collateral. I couldn’t believe that despite their behavior, they were still firmly maintaining their positions.
“…That’s why there are at least two people.”
“There is no such thing as certainty when risking a person’s life, so I think they must have set up double and triple locking devices. It must be hellish for the people who are affected. It’s like being locked in an open prison with no way to escape. So…”
Ian suddenly stopped talking and put down his spoon. As he stretched out his hand, a small bird flew out and landed on the back of his hand. Perhaps it was because there were no people around, or because they were sitting in a corner, but no one paid much attention even if a bird flew by. The balcony is open, so sometimes sparrows can fly in and sit there, so it’s only natural. The bird was not just a sparrow, but an octagonal bird that Ian used for all purposes. Ian took the paper hanging from the bird’s leg, rolled it up, and looked at the contents. Then he smiled lowly and handed me the paper.
“What?”
“Look.”
I handed the paper to him and looked at its contents. There was nothing special, just numbers.
“This?”
“It means we recovered three bombs.”
“Really?!”
Contrary to his indifferent tone, what he said was not something that could be simply ignored. I found the bomb… I was really glad. Ian started the car.
“It looks like that guy is working hard.”
“That guy?”
“Did I tell you earlier at the mansion? There is a capable person. There is a strange man. He is the head of the security force in the Berdian Principality.”
He’s the head of the police force, and he’s a weird guy? I couldn’t understand, so I just blinked. Ian is fed up. He smiled and crossed his legs, looking relaxed.
“He has an eccentric personality. He doesn’t hesitate to swear at me and never does anything he doesn’t like. But he likes people so much that he has been in that position for 200 years.”
“Ah… I see. It’s quite strange…”
Was something strange?
“Two hundred years?”
“Yes. Two hundred years.”
“20 years?”
“No, two hundred years.”
Was he kidding me? How can a person live 200 years? I looked at Ian, but he didn’t really look like he was playing around or lying. It feels like I’ve literally lived for 200 years…
“Is it possible for a person to live 200 years?”
“That person is possible, he’s a bit unique.”
“Unique? Is he from a long-lived clan?”
I remember reading it in a book. There are various races in the world, but the most unique one among them was a story about a clan that lives longer than the lifespan of an average person. Is this a clan that is said to live for about 300 years? They say they disappeared more than a thousand years ago.
“It’s because of the contract rather than longevity. The contract with the Berdian family.”
“…contract?”
When she showed interest, Ian pressed her cheek into his palm and tilted her head.
“It is a contract that his life is infinite within the range permitted by the family. His life will be in line with the continuation of the family. If the Verdian family disappears from history, he will also lose his life. If the family continues indefinitely, He, too, will live his life that way.”
It was an interesting story. It was something I had never thought of and was unfamiliar to me, so it was not easy to understand. Sharing your life with your family? Was that possible? Did you use some magic? But I had never heard of magic having anything to do with life. I heard that sacred magic has healing magic that can heal people, but… This feels like black magic.
“So does that mean that even if he wants to rest, he is bound by the contract and cannot die?”
“If the family allows it, he can break the contract and face death. But they won’t let him go easily.”
“Because it’s useful?”
“No. Because of his karma.”
“Karma?”
When Ian tilted his head, he looked around as if checking the time. Ian, who thought for a moment, as if trying to gauge whether he had a lot to say or whether it would be long, spoke out loud.
“It’s the price for the terrible murder that occurred in the Berdian territory 200 years ago.”
That expression sounded uncomfortable. Is that what karma means?
“To be exact, he didn’t kill anyone. It’s just that hundreds of innocent people died because he passed on incorrect information. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t his fault. There was simply an error in the delivery process.”
Ian’s hands moved slowly. He ran his palm across the cool surface of the table, his eyes following.
“But the man blamed himself for his sins and made a contract with the Berdian family.”
His hand reached the end of the table and returned again. Ian’s eyes rolled around. “It’s already been over 200 years. It’s time to take a break… but I guess I haven’t been able to shake it off yet, so I’m still serving as the leader of the security corps. Whatever it is… His abilities are unique and his skills are outstanding, so Ian chuckled. Did he remember that old man’s face? After hearing Ian’s words, I thought I would like to see that man too. He is a person who has lived for 200 years… what does it feel like?
“Anyway, if you leave it to that man, Yeongji won’t have any problems. His ability to deal with such dangerous tasks is excellent, so he won’t fail.”
“Isn’t that too much of a guess? Even so, it’s only unclear information…”
Ian shook his head.
“That’s the insurance I mentioned last time. It’s the most certain insurance. Even if the information is unclear, that one is enough. We’ll probably find and recover the remaining bombs soon. We just need to recover the remaining one.”
“But…”
“Later, when I have time, I’ll set up a place for you to talk to him. Maybe because I’ve lived for a long time, I have a wide view of the world, and if I talk to you, my knowledge will expand and there’s a lot to learn, so I was going to introduce you. Let’s meet and talk later, then I’ll do it.”
“You will naturally understand what the words mean.”
After saying that much, I couldn’t ask any more what it meant. All I can do is trust the man Ian is talking about and put this matter aside for a while. I chatted a few more words with Ian and looked around. There weren’t too many people on the balcony. There was just a man sitting at the table, leisurely reading a book. It was almost time for the bank to close at night, and just as I was thinking that it might be too leisurely, the person closed his book, got up, and opened the balcony. In the end, the balcony was quiet, with only Ian and I left. As if it had nothing to do with this incident or anything to do with it, the empty teacup cooled down and the conversation between the two of us naturally ended. It was not because I had anything to say, but because I felt awkward talking about our personal history in such a large and open space. After a long silence, Ian licked his lips and stood up.
“Let’s go back for now. This situation may last until tomorrow, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to watch a little longer. I ordered the soldiers to watch in turns, so it would be a good idea to go back and get some shut eye.”
“…I guess so.”
I thought about insisting that I would stay a little longer, but as he said, if I stayed here longer, there would be no one to listen to once the bank closed, so I obediently agreed and got up. Ian grinned, casually holding my hand and starting to move up the stairs, but then stopped and looked out the window.
“Ian?”
“Wait for a sec.”
He whistled lowly. It was a whistle so small that even I could barely hear it. Then the octopus flew over and sat on Ian’s forearm like before. There was a piece of paper hanging on the new leg like before. Ian skillfully took out the paper, checked the contents, and smiled.
“One more was found. They say four guns were recovered from the Berdian territory.”
“Then is the Berdian territory over?”
“Yes. It says four out of five have been recovered. Moreover, I did some more research and found that there is no other one, so it must be in the Duchy of Sapheldrik or Ajstain Territory.”
“Which of the two is the right one?”
If there’s one… it’s also Ajstain Territory
“I guess so. No matter how much the crown prince is, he wouldn’t target the Sapheldrick family, whose blood is mixed with the imperial family. If he had tried to target there in the first place, he would have divided the quantity rather than focusing on the Berdian territory…”
I sighed at the fact that it made sense. Should I say that I am glad that the people of the Duchy of Safeldrik were not involved? I couldn’t just be happy when my people in my territory might be harmed, so I quenched my appetite.
“Don’t worry too much. The other one will appear soon. You’ll be able to retrieve it without it exploding.”
I closed my eyes, feeling Ian’s hand gently stroking his head. When he says that, I feel like everything will end without incident. Is it because I am simple? A sense of relief and a strange, indescribable feeling coexisted.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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