Ludger’s fine eyebrows rose slightly before dropping down calmly. It seemed the momentary astonishment that had grasped him went away quickly.
“That’s quite an unexpected profiling.”
“Is that so?”
“You must have never heard of such a criminal before being debriefed by the Security Forces. Then, what could be the reason for you to think that?”
While checking the location of the chimney and windows of the mansion with a sidelong glance, I slowly opened my mouth.
Without a doubt, the answer (Ludger Kassen) to his question was standing in front of me. However, even if I excluded that fact, there was another reason for why I could infer that Heilbronner was of noble background.
“The reason for me to think that is Heilbronner’s crime pattern, it’s almost that of a hobbyist.”
“…Hmm.”
“Stealing precious treasures, sending warning letters before committing the crime, also, sometimes even returning the stolen items as if it was just taken for a mere performance… all of this action makes Heilbronner’s theft feeling like a hobby, not a profession.”
“….”
“The fact that he can leisurely enjoy such a luxurious but dangerous hobby shows that he is quite wealthy.”
“I see. A hobby….”
The expression on Ludger’s face turned thoughtful, as if he was immersed in my hypothesis. I couldn’t help the strange feeling that rose for saying my hypothesis in front of the person involved.
“But if you think his crime is a hobby, it doesn’t necessarily mean he has to be of noble background, right? Nowadays, there are also commoners who are quite wealthy.”
The problem that Ludger pointed out was right. No longer was the time when only nobles could accumulate wealth. We were in a time when commoners, especially merchants, who have accumulated considerable amounts of wealth cannot be looked down on.
In other words, it was possible that even commoners who aren’t nobles but have accumulated considerable wealth could have committed such acts….
I twisted my lips before answering.
“I have excluded the commoners because of the information.”
“Information?”
“Yes. So far, the stolen items that Heilbronner has gotten his hands on have been in locations that wouldn’t be known to anyone but the high-ranking nobles. The same goes for the targets of the crimes.”
“….”
“No matter how much wealth someone has accumulated, a commoner can never delve into the tight network of exchanges between high-ranking nobles.”
“Indeed.”
“What made me particularly certain was the warning letter that arrived today.”
“…So the reason was the warning letter?”
Looking straight into his forest-green eyes slowly, I answered with certainty.
“The warning letter arrived as soon as the responsibility of the Heilbronner case was transferred from the existing Security Forces to our Ruby Knights. It was done so quickly as if he was tasting our ability.”
“….”
“However, not many people other than high-ranking nobles would know about the transfer of the case to our knights so quickly. Isn’t that evident enough that he has a high-level information network?”
“What if the arrival of the warning letter was just a coincidence?”
“That can not be possible, and the reason is the arrival of the warning letter was too right to be a coincidence. Heilbronner usually announces his crimes once every four to six weeks. However, this time, the warning letter came just in two weeks after his last crime.”
Crossing the arms on his broad chest, Ludger thought something deeply before a smile bloomed on his handsome face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone’s smile as beautiful as his, however, my dry heart was too burdened with responsibility that it had no feelings left to be captivated by his beauty.
“How astonishing that you also figured out the frequency of the warning letters. It certainly is praiseworthy, considering that you didn’t have time to read the transferred information in detail.”
“…Thank you for your generous words.”
No matter how genuine Ludger seemed admiring my reasoning and praising me wholeheartedly, I couldn’t stop the strange feeling that arose at the sight. For a moment, I forgot that he was the thief Heilbronner himself.
“Nevertheless, as I’ve promised, I’ll try my best to put some good words in your favor in the next meeting. Although I can not be certain, I hope it leads to a good result for you.”
“Yes, I’m grateful to you for even mentioning it.”
Even though the Duke Ludger Kassen was someone with greatest authority, he couldn’t make a decision on his own and could only voice out his opinions.
…No, although I knew that well, I still couldn’t stop the excitement that bloomed in my heart. Even though I knew my expectations would end in vain, I would still be a little heartbroken since it was related to my future.
“If there is nothing more to discuss, may I go back and take care of the remaining business?”
“You may.”
At the permission, I politely greeted him and raised my head and was about to head inside the mansion. However, at that moment, Ludger, who was supposed to head in the opposite direction from me, suddenly opened his mouth.
“Sir Clara.”
“Yes?”
“In your reasoning earlier…. You said that Heilbronner’s crimes were like that of a hobbyist.”
“Yes, that is exactly what I said.”
“What if….”
He paused for a moment as if choosing his words carefully before asking softly.
“What if Heilbronner had another purpose? What do you think it could be?”
“….”
At the carefully asked question, I couldn’t help but pause for a moment. Because even if others didn’t know, I certainly knew. The thief Heilbronner wasn’t doing it simply for fun. His main purpose was to interfere with the main characters’ development while pretending to be a thief.
Well, from his perspective, all his actions might be justified. However, from the main characters’ perspective, he was definitely considered an evildoer who disturbs the peace of the country. But from an outsider’ perspective, isn’t it just a political conflict between two opposing parties?
Whatever the reason was, that was none of my concern.
“Regardless of what his purpose is…. I can only do my utmost to capture him.”
“….”
“Just as the thief Heilbronner has his own circumstances, I also have my own circumstances.”
I was nothing but an insignificant civil servant who had to sacrifice her life on line to make a living.
Bowing politely once again, I turned around.
“I wish you all the best.”
Ludger also turned around and walked away, not before leaving a lingering impression in his powerful voice.
‘He doesn’t seem to be that bothered.’
Well, perhaps now he would be a little troubled because I was successful in narrowing down his identity a bit. Before, he was so elusive that it was hard to catch his tail.
However, even after thinking for a long time, I still couldn’t figure out the reason for his last question.
‘Well, perhaps he just wanted someone to understand his reason for being a lone criminal.’
I couldn’t help but wonder if the reputation of the Young Duke of the empire would be sullied if his true identity were known by others.
The chilly morning wind hit my face, so I shrank my neck and tried to protect myself with my cloak.
‘I should have worn gloves…. oh no.’
When realization dawned over me, I clicked my tongue in regret at the mistake.
‘I should have told Ludger that I would return the gloves soon!’
At this rate, in his eyes, I would surely become a shameless person who swallowed up the expensive gloves.
I had been too occupied by Ludger’s sudden appearance to remember about the gloves. Therefore, I had completely forgotten to return the gloves to its owner.
Sighing mournfully, I recalled the gloves that I had taken to an expensive clothing store for cleaning purposes (my hard-earned money!). Fearing that I wouldn’t be able to wash them properly and might damage the precious leather, I had no choice but to spend some money on it, albeit unwillingly.
The gloves would be returned from the store in a few days. In case I forgot to return them to Ludger again, I decided to keep them with me and return them to Ludger as soon as I meet him.
‘I have a guess that I’ll be meeting Ludger often for the time being because of the work related to Heilbronner.’
Despite his handsome appearance by which I felt my eyes being blessed every time I saw him, it wasn’t a very pleasant reality for me.
Stretching my arms in exhaustion, I resumed my investigation of the mansion.
***
Sir Sein scanned the mansion’s structure like a competent knight and quickly summarized the information he gathered before reporting to me. He was quite useful as a subordinate when he wasn’t slacking off.
“As Count Schlermann said, the structure of the mansion itself isn’t much different from other mansions…”
“Was there anything suspicious that caught your eyes?”
“Um… Some places in the mansion had traces of patching here and there. It seems like additional construction was done after the building was built…”
“The Count certainly didn’t explain the reason for that, did he?”
“He did not. But according to what I have observed so far, there didn’t seem to be any suspicious empty spaces on the first and second floors.”
“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”
After finishing his report to me, Sir Sein looked at me with earnest eyes.
“I…Then….”
“Yes, you can leave work right away.”
“Thank you…!”
“But don’t forget that you have to come to work early tomorrow and also come here with me because of Heilbronner. I hope you remember that.”
“…Yes.”
Sir Sein’s happy face, that brightened after getting my permission to leave work early today, turned gloomy in an instant at my next command.
‘Don’t pretend to be pitiful in front of me, you crafty old man.’
Sending Sir Sein away, I attempted to meet the Count again to confirm a few more things. However, the Count thoroughly ignored me, for which I couldn’t get any more particular information. Although his attitude seemed to had improved a bit since Ludger declared his assistance in the case, he still behaved as arrogantly as before,
‘Well…I did my utmost, and I’ll also do my utmost tomorrow.’
Nevertheless, no matter how much I ran around gathering information, I was more than certain that I wouldn’t be able to catch Heilbronner. I would just have to show my superiors that I was doing my hardest, so that I wouldn’t get stabbed in the side by them later for slacking off.
Suppressing the urge to sigh at the inefficient but unnecessary responsibility that had been dumped onto my shoulders, I continued with my work.
***
After finishing the necessary investigation, I went back to the Ruby Knights’ office and had a late lunch. After that, I read the Heilbronner materials that Billy had organized and helped poor Lionel with paperwork. And before I knew it, night had befallen on us.
“Then you may leave work.”
“Yes, Captain! I’ll go to bed early today. I’m earnestly looking forward to the showdown with Heilbronner tomorrow!”
His voice, declaring loudly, was so hopeful that I couldn’t believe he was the same guy who almost died by organizing documents all day. That aspect of his was truly admirable.
“Haa…. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow….”
“Okay.”
Lionel, the complete opposite of Billy, got on the fare wagon like blanched spinach. Calling a fare wagon at this time, that guy spends money like water without us knowing.
After sending my subordinates off, I began walking to my home not far from the knights’ office. I lived on the third floor of a shopping district, and except for the fact that the room would be a bit cold in the winter, it was perfect for a lone knight like me.
‘Oh, that’s right. I didn’t check my mailbox yesterday because I came home drunk.’
Thinking that I should check if I had received any letters, I stopped by the first floor to check the public mailbox.
I couldn’t find any mail that was sent to my name on the first floor, so I climbed up to the third floor and checked the mailbox there. While checking the mailbox, an envelope touched my hand.
The name of the sender immediately put a frown on my face….
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