MIDV: Chapter 74

Ludger’s eyes widened in surprise, then fluttered slightly.

“…Why do you think that?”

“In our conversation just now, you skillfully avoided answering the question. You mentioned sending the warning letter yourself, but you didn’t admit that you were actually going to destroy the Silver Magnolia Branch.”

“…..”

“And you only mentioned the crime of ‘stealing the item’, but didn’t even bring up the crime of destruction.”

It was a clever play of words. Ludger didn’t outright deny being the culprit behind the warning letter, but he didn’t confirm it either.

“And the Thief Heilbroner has never damaged the target item before.”

“…..”

“Even considering the criminal’s profile…. this latest announcement seems out of character.”

“If I tell you I’m not responsible… will you believe me, Captain?”

“As I said, the suspicion will remain. However… if you say it’s not true, I’ll also consider that possibility.”

“…..”

“I want to trust you, Young Duke, which is why I always remain cautious.”

“…Haha.”

Ludger let out a low laugh. He seemed somewhat relieved.

“Well, honestly… I thought you wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said.”

“…..”

“Isn’t that the case? I already said I would send the warning letter, and the timing is too coincidental. You even seemed convinced it was me when you first arrived.”

“…Yes. I was indeed confused when I received the letter.”

“I feel a bit lighter after hearing your words. Yes, it’s alright to have a relationship where trust and suspicion coexist. It’s okay to doubt me.”

He spoke clearly.

“But that warning letter wasn’t from me.”

“Thank you for being honest.”

“No… It’s because I don’t fully trust Captain either, so I kept quiet. I don’t deserve your gratitude.”

“…..”

“As an apology… I’ll share one more thing.”

“…What is it?”

“I understand that Captain’s order of knights was blocked from receiving information regarding today’s incident, but that’s not because the higher-ups were busy.”

Hearing those words, I lifted my head. Once again, the ominous feeling turned out to be true, and I could feel it deep within me.

“…Are you saying the city hall intentionally excluded us?”

“That’s right.”

Ludger, in a low voice, relayed the conversation that had taken place today, excluding our order of knights.

As I listened to Ludger’s explanation, I clenched my teeth.

Damn Gustav.

That bastard is trying his hardest to sabotage me.

“For now, please understand that Captain Geloic managed to delay the immediate disbandment of the Ruby Knights, claiming it’s too soon.”

“…..”

“But if the Ruby Knights don’t produce any notable results during the Lunar New Year event… they might actually be absorbed into the Sapphire Knights.”

Unconsciously, I clenched my fist.

The absurd proposal from Gustav, followed by these circumstances, was deliberately orchestrated.

It was clear that all of this was done to choke the life out of me.

If I wanted to survive in this Empire, I had to submit to Gustav Mayr.

I unconsciously twisted the fork I was holding in my hand.

“…We will achieve outstanding results.”

“…..”

“I won’t let… that impostor go unpunished.”

I had always lived my life flowing with the current. I simply thought about doing my best with what I could do in the moment, never living with the mindset of achieving something for the sake of my pride or with the determination that I would definitely make it happen.

But for the first time while living as a knight, I decided to fight for my honor.

“We will capture the impersonator and ensure no casualties during the festival.”

“Yes. I believe in your strength, Captain Clara.”

Ludger’s gaze sharpened as he supported my resolve.

“And I too… cannot forgive the one who dared to impersonate the Thief Heilbronner.”

“… You mean by that.”

“I’m planning to send a warning letter as well. The ‘real’ one.”

“…..!”

“I plan to steal the Silver Magnolia Branch that the imposter intends to destroy and return it to a safe place.”

“A safe place, you say…”

“Where it rightfully belongs, the Royal Palace.”

I felt a sense of relief at those words. If he had secretly taken the Silver Magnolia Branch for himself, my suspicions would have flared up again.

‘So, if Ludger isn’t the villain and I had only misunderstood him, then who is this impersonator…?’

As I started to assume the imposter was the true villain, something about it started to bother me.

“However, Your Highness.”

“Hmm?”

“This is just a guess, but… doesn’t the terror threat maker seem to have some sort of grudge against Heilbronner? If they simply wanted to succeed with the attack, they could have carried it out secretly without mentioning Heilbronner’s name. But they specifically brought up his name… it seems to me like they’re trying to provoke him.”

“…..”

“In that case, this is likely a trap to lure out the ‘real’ Heilbronner.”

Hearing my question, Ludger smiled coldly.

‘So, he understands what I’m getting at.’

He answered with a firm tone, just as I expected.

“If it’s a trap designed to expose my identity… then there must be some clue hidden in it.”

“…..”

“If I had avoided risky gambles, I wouldn’t have made it this far. Isn’t that right?”

His eyes gleamed sharply. He looked as though he was ready to strike down the imposter, who wasn’t even present, with a fierce, cutting gaze.

Though Ludger was a high-ranking mage, he had been operating as the Phantom Thief, even sending warning letters before the crime. It had been a gamble overflowing with the risk of getting caught.

Moreover, this imposter’s provocation touched on the honor Ludger has built as Heilbronner. In such a situation, being cautious now would be something his pride wouldn’t allow.

“I understand. However, please also remember that I am in pursuit of Heilbronner as well.

I raised the corner of my mouth playfully.

“I won’t be going easy on you, so be careful not to get caught by me before the imposter.”

“I’ll make sure to avoid bumping into Captain Clara as much as possible. I’m really scared of you.”

“Even so, how could I possibly be a match for the greatest mage?”

“There’s no way. The first person to make me taste defeat in my life was Captain Clara.”

Ludger’s eyes softened into a gentle curve.

“That’s why I won’t let my guard down, not for a moment.”

“…..”

He sounded half-joking.

But still, there was something oddly pleasing about the way it seemed like he was acknowledging my abilities. I nodded firmly, trying to brush off the feeling.

“Yes. While I, as a knight, cannot cooperate with Heilbronner, I do hope we can both achieve our respective goals.”

“Indeed.”

Only then did I relax and take a sip of water. My mind, which had been a chaotic swirl in many ways, finally calmed down.

“Well… it seems like we’ve more or less covered the issue of the warning letter. As for the other reason we were supposed to meet today.”

“…You’re talking about the engagement contract.”

“Yes. I’ll review it, but the actual signing will have to wait until after the Lunar New Year holiday.”

If everything Ludger said to me today turns out to be a lie, then no matter how difficult my circumstances are, I can’t possibly get engaged to someone like that.

In other words, this was the bare minimum for me.

Ludger nodded without showing any sign of being offended by my words.

“That’s fine. Actually… I thought you’d bring up breaking off the engagement.”

“Break off?”

“Hmm.”

He lowered his gaze to the table, and I followed it to my left hand.

“…Ah.”

“You’re not wearing your ring.”

“No, it’s just…”

As I was speaking, I belatedly noticed Ludger’s left hand. On his ring finger, there was still the red ring, just as it had been before.

I quickly spoke, almost as an excuse.

“…To be honest, I was a bit embarrassed because I’m not used to it.”

“Hmm.”

“For practical reasons, I’m a knight… If I wear a ring while wielding a sword, I could easily hurt myself.”

“Hmm.”

Ludger nodded slightly.

“Well, if that’s the case, Captain.”

“But I could wear it on a necklace or something…! I’ll wear it differently.”

“It’s alright. We might not end up signing the engagement contract anyway.”

“… In that case, aren’t you supposed to ask me to trust you, assuring me you won’t do anything bad?”

“Haha.”

Ludger shrugged and laughed. I’m not sure if it was just my feeling, but he seemed somewhat relieved.

“I’ll do my best to earn your trust, so we can have that engagement ceremony without any issues.”

“Yes. And while I won’t expose the true identity of the Phantom Thief Heilbronner, you can continue to suspect me all you like.”

After saying that, I ended up laughing too.

It felt strange even to say it, but we truly did have a peculiar relationship.

In truth, there was still something else I wanted to ask Ludger.

What his ultimate goal was. How he knew about black magic. And whether this incident was related to black magic as well.

If the imposter is someone using black magic… then wouldn’t Ludger be in opposition to black magic?