In a few months, it was a name he hadn’t heard in a while. A very subtle but distinct crack appeared on Franz’s forehead.
“Is it in the south?”
“Yes. It was even at the very end of the southern region in the south. A place called Urentum…”
The knight began to offer unsolicited explanations. Franz compared the rundown village of Urentum in the backward southern region he was well aware of to a lingering tune on a musical instrument.
“For a while, I was worried that no disturbance was detected from the magic stones, fearing that Viscount may have been involved in selling fake magic stones. Luckily, it seems that wasn’t the case. Upon checking, all four magic stones were successfully detonated.”
After seemingly disappearing for months, had she escaped to the south? She truly was an unpredictable woman, Franz mumbled.
“And now?”
“Yes?”
“So, where is Viscount Louisette right now?”
“Oh, that’s…”
Franz’s sharp gaze pierced the knight. Although the knight had done nothing wrong, he stiffened involuntarily.
***
Clatter.
At the loud, almost deafening noise as if his eardrums were about to burst, Franz suddenly recalled six months ago. When he first arrived in Urentum, he had taken a train like this one… He gazed quietly at the scenery outside the window, rapidly fading away.
He had not expected to leave Urentum so abruptly. The probability of ever returning to Urentum, where life went on almost the same each day, was close to zero.
Yet, despite this, he felt uneasy about the unexpected departure from Urentum, probably due to the sudden and unplanned journey to the capital.
“As soon as it gets light, we’ll head straight back to Lahart.”
On the day of the explosion, it was only after receiving treatment from the doctor that Karl spoke. When all the knights had been dismissed and only he, me, and Valerri remained in the security office.
He said he had wasted too much time looking for me and that we needed to return to the capital immediately to handle the piled-up tasks.
I thought he meant he was going back first, but Karl explained that since I was somehow linked to the murdered Duke Schwaben, I too had to go to the capital for questioning. Despite feeling uncomfortable, I agreed with his reasoning that going to the capital was necessary to clear any suspicions.
Thus, I had no choice but to board the train heading to the capital with the knights.
“We will thoroughly investigate the truth behind the incident at the Imperial Palace. And also, anything related to that child…”
As he spoke, his gaze scanning over the child was sharp. Judging by his words and demeanor, it seemed Karl had not seen the potion mixed with the child’s blood.
Fortunately, isn’t it? Unfortunately, I boarded the train with unanswered questions, carrying Valerie. In the end, I didn’t find out who left the child in front of my house.
It takes four days to get from here to the central southern train station and another two days from there to the capital city train station. That’s if you don’t stop and keep running without rest.
The empire was divided into five major regions.
Surrounding the central region where the capital, LaHart, is located, are four large regions connected north, south, east, and west.
The Manuus River, with its capital Suwon in the northeast, cuts across the empire, and most major cities in the country were located near the river. Hence, the further away from the river, the more underdeveloped the region become, especially in the north and south.
Among them, Urentum at the southern tip was so rural that there was no direct train from the capital, making it one of the most secluded places among rural areas.
I thought it was an ideal place to hide.
Knock knock.
The sound interrupted my thoughts. I quickly turned to see a familiar face outside the window.
Karl Rudolf Johann Albrecht.
It was the face I saw two days after boarding the train.
“Let’s talk, Count Luizet.”
He had come. Perhaps he was resuming the investigation that was disrupted due to the sudden incident. I straightened my posture nervously.
“The count will meet people as soon as he arrives at the LaHart train station.”
I naturally expected questions related to the child. I clenched my fist and anticipated a few questions in my mind, but they seemed irrelevant now.
“Who are these people?”
“People who are there to meet the Count, of course.”
His expression seemed to say, “Why do you ask such a thing?” It was as if the owner returning home and being welcomed by people was a natural occurrence. That was the look he had.
“Please come inside.”
“Of course.”
Karl, who had been halfway out the door, finally stepped inside and closed the door. Maybe he felt uncomfortable being alone in a closed space with me, especially with lurking eyes. Of all times, why visit when Hannah is not present?
“The Count’s aide doesn’t seem to be around.”
“Yes. They have some matters to attend to…”
Hannah said she had something to discuss with Clovis, Karl’s aide. Despite feeling like she couldn’t do anything in this place where she had to fulfill her responsibilities as a lawyer, she moved around busily.
Although unwillingly accompanying towards the capital, it must be clarified that this was voluntary travel and not escorting a criminal, as Hannah sought the busy aide to emphasize her loyalty to the duke.
Should she prepare her arguments and defense well in advance before going to the capital?
Truly, I was grateful to have Hannah by my side, even though I knew nothing.
Karl awkwardly avoided eye contact, searching different parts of the sleeping car. Following his busy movements, I spotted Valerie. Ah, it seemed Karl was curious about Valerie.
“She’s asleep.”
The first day on the train she whined all day without sleep, but the next day, Valerie slept soundly as if it were her own home.
Her chubby cheeks, wriggling with every breath, were so adorable. I barely resisted the urge to poke them with my finger and instead brushed her hair away gently.
“First, we’ll arrange for your return to the duke’s manor, but you’ll soon have to report to the capital’s security office.”
Contrary to my expectations, Karl seemed disinterested in whether the child was asleep or not. I was about to express relief that Valerie had adapted well to the train, but I quietly held my tongue.
“But how did you know that people would be at the train station?”
Communication methods here were not as advanced as in modern times. How did news of our departure reach the capital before us? I was puzzled.
“It’s surprising that a duke would be asking such a question.”
“Why…?”
“We used a Louisette sender-receiver, which can instantly transport items to desired locations. With it, a message can arrive in five minutes or less.”
Interesting. Although the name sounded familiar. Louisette?
“That’s amazing. Such things exist.”
Karl stared at me strangely.
“Why?”
“The Louisette sender-receiver. It’s an invention made by the Louisette family’s company.”
“If it’s the Louisette family…”
“Yes. It’s the duke’s family.”
I see. Come to think of it, Celeste’s family first entered mining development and then accumulated immense wealth by monopolizing magic gem mining rights.
In the end, not only did they mine and sell magic stones, but they also developed inventions using the magic stones… I remembered belatedly.
“It seems the count has truly lost his memory.”
It seemed he didn’t completely believe my claim that I had lost my memory from a carriage accident. Karl’s gaze became even sharper, as if trying to figure out if I was lying or not.
“Yes, I really have no memory.”
At least this was not a lie. Except for basic information about Celeste and the future, I knew nothing at all.
“It won’t be easy to investigate. If you had your memory, we could find out what the count did around the time of the Duke of Schwaben’s death.”
“There’s no need to spend time investigating. I’ve been in Urentum for the past six months. That much I’m sure of.”
“What were you doing before those six months?”
“Well… I don’t remember…”
“Yes. You mentioned losing your memory from a carriage accident six months ago. That’s why we need to investigate that period. It’s about finding out all the details of the count’s actions in the past few mysterious months, including whether the carriage accident really happened or not.”
Just like when I first saw Karl, an inscrutable cold mask fell over his face.
