IAPAB 07

Chapter 07

I had no idea something like that had happened.

It wasn’t mentioned in the original story, so I never knew.

But this is strange.

From what I knew, Duke Argent didn’t hate Cain. Nor did she find him bothersome.

Then why would she ignore him and say something like that?

“…Although that happened, it’s not something you need to concern yourself with, Lady Winiel. There’s no need to dwell on it.”

The maid once again insisted I let it go and closed her mouth firmly afterward.

She even pressed her lips tightly together, as though regretting having spoken at all.

Hmm, but I can’t let the conversation end here.

Sorry, but now that she’d started talking, I intended to gather as much information as possible.

“You seem to know quite a lot.”

“I’ve worked here for a long time, and I originally served as the young master’s personal maid.”

“Wow, then you probably know other things too. Has the communication magic tool not been used since then?”

“…”

“You can’t tell me…?”

“…It is still used.”

Every word from the maid came with a sigh.

Pretending not to notice, I simply nodded attentively.

“It’s used to receive messages. Not often, but important news occasionally comes through.”

“So the frequency changed? It used to be more frequent before?”

“…No, the frequency of incoming messages is about the same as before.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t tell you the contents, but a message arrived just a few days ago.”

If she didn’t want contact, shouldn’t she stop contacting them too?

It completely contradicted what Duke Argent had supposedly said.

There has to be some misunderstanding.

At this point, even if Cain objected, I needed to somehow bring Duke Argent here and make them talk.

“So basically, the young master believes this incident isn’t important enough to tell the Duke about.”

“That is correct.”

“And I have no right to interfere.”

“…That is correct.”

“Hm, even so, I still need to meet the Duke, so please contact her.”

“Pardon?”

“Maybe everyone forgot because I saved the young master, but I originally came to House Argent because I had something to say.”

Thank you for the meal.

I picked up the now spotless plate—cleaned of even the crumbs—and walked toward the sink.

“So as a saint candidate, I need to relay something to the Duke. That isn’t a family matter, so I’m allowed to request it, right? Of course, while we’re talking, this incident might end up reaching her ears…”

“…”

“But hiding it won’t improve their relationship anyway, so it shouldn’t become a huge issue.”

Sitting around quietly wasn’t going to solve anything. We had to at least try.

The stream of water washed over the plate pleasantly.

The maid remained silent.

Uh-oh, was I too rude?

Only then did I realize I’d been stubbornly pushing my own opinion.

Sneaking a glance at her, I hurriedly added,

“But I’m not saying she absolutely has to come here! I can go to her too—I just want to talk…”

Swish.

In the blink of an eye, the plate vanished from my hands.

“Huh?”

I looked up at the maid who had taken it from me.

Calmly, she resumed washing it herself before speaking.

“You make a valid point. I will try to arrange for you to meet the Duke.”

“!”

A smile slowly spread across my face.

“Thank you!”

I beamed brightly at her.

The maid only bowed slightly before continuing her work without much reaction.

Still, the worry clouding her expression had noticeably softened.

“But what if the young master stops us again? He already said something earlier. And wouldn’t using the communication device without permission be against the rules anyway?”

“It’s alright. There’s a regulation stating that permission is not required when sending urgent messages.”

What an amazing rule!

“Where is the magic tool? Can I use it too?!”

“Guests are not allowed to use it personally, so I will handle it.”

After drying the plate and putting it away, the maid led me out of the kitchen.

“It’s here.”

The place she brought me to was the basement.

Though calling it a basement felt strange—perhaps because this was a ducal estate, it wasn’t musty or dirty at all.

It’s actually nicer than my room at the temple.

As I looked around the room, my gaze landed on a massive machine occupying an entire wall.

A complicated device made of interconnected metal parts.

This must be the communication magic tool.

Wow, so cool!

Without thinking, I placed my hand on the device before quickly pulling it away.

I shouldn’t touch things carelessly!

Fortunately, the maid was too busy preparing the device to notice.

Whew, thank goodness… hm? Wait, I think I felt something just now.

Rubbing the hand that had touched the device, I tilted my head.

For a brief moment, a familiar sensation had brushed against my fingertips.

Divine power? Why would I feel that here? This is a magic device.

Was I imagining it?

I reached toward the device again.

That was when—

“What exactly are you doing here?”

Eek! You scared me!

Startled by the sudden voice, I jerked my hand away and spun around.

“This isn’t a place people are allowed to enter freely.”

A middle-aged man wearing a knight’s uniform stood there with a stern expression, though he had a gentle-looking face.

Who’s this?

I quickly observed the situation.

The maid stopped what she was doing and lowered her head.

“My apologies. I was about to use the magic device to send an urgent message to the Duke.”

“An urgent matter? If it was truly urgent, shouldn’t you have spoken to me before coming here?”

The man let out a heavy sigh.

“Just because the rules allow its use without permission in emergencies doesn’t mean the rule exists to be abused recklessly.”

Apparently, he outranked the maid.

But why is he calling it reckless without even hearing the reason first?

I stepped between the maid and the man.

After all, none of this was the maid’s fault. I was the one who insisted on coming here.

“Wait a moment. There’s a reason for this.”

“Who—? Surely you’re Lady Winiel?”

The man’s eyes widened.

I’ve been standing here the whole time though.

I nodded awkwardly.

Immediately, the man’s stern expression melted into a warm smile.

“I was actually planning to visit and thank you for saving the young master, but to think we’d meet here instead. It’s a pleasure.”

“Huh? Ah… yes. But who are you?”

“Ah, forgive my late introduction. I am Tristan Nelson, commander of the Argent Knights.”

…Tristan?

I knew that name.

He’s someone from the original story.

The commander of the Argent Knights, an old friend of Cain’s father, and the man entrusted with protecting and assisting Cain after he was left alone at the estate.

But at the same time…

He was the main instigator behind the rumors that isolated young Cain from the servants.

In truth, he envied Cain’s father for rising in status after marrying Duke Argent.

But since he couldn’t directly harm Cain’s father, he instead poured his malice onto the son left behind alone at the estate.

I really hate this guy.

Even though it hadn’t happened to me personally, just thinking about it made me feel awful.

Because I had seen with my own eyes how deeply Cain was wounded by the rumors Tristan spread.

Come to think of it, after Cain’s father dies, this guy confesses to Duke Argent and gets rejected.

And afterward, in his bitterness, he blurts out all sorts of things, exposing the fact that he had spread the rumors about Cain. That revelation eventually leads to the heartfelt conversation between Cain and his mother.

Originally, once I met the Duke, I planned to subtly suggest she investigate him.

But now that I’d met him in person, I wanted him dealt with immediately.

But there’s no evidence. His crimes are only exposed later because he lashes out after getting rejected.

Hold it in. I have to endure it for now.

“Lady Winiel? Why are you staring at me so frighteningly… haha.”

Since I merely stood there silently, Tristan laughed awkwardly before clearing his throat.

“Ahem. Anyway, Rain, stop preparing the magic device and step away for now. Discuss this with me first.”

At Tristan’s gesture, the maid—Rain—rose with a shadow over her expression.

Ah, wait. No way.

I quickly stepped between Rain and Tristan.

“Lady Winiel?”

“Wait a second. We need to use the magic device. There’s a reason.”

“Pardon? Why would you…?”

Tristan trailed off awkwardly before pressing a hand to his forehead as though realizing something.

“Surely you were trying to contact the Duke? I’m afraid the regulations do not permit that.”

“I’m not doing it personally. I said I had something urgent to tell the Duke, and she was helping me.”

“Even so, that won’t be allowed. The Duke is currently very busy. The young master is aware of that and specifically said he does not wish to disturb her.”

“Using the communication device for a brief message isn’t that much of a disturbance.”

“But we cannot disregard the young master’s wishes. He doesn’t want even that small interruption caused.”

Coming from the person who’s ignored Cain’s feelings more than anyone.

I barely restrained myself from frowning.

Then a thought struck me.

This man really doesn’t want me talking to the Duke.

He was probably worried I’d report the dark magic attack.

If the Duke learns something serious happened to Cain, she’ll investigate.

And during that investigation, she’d discover the servants were avoiding Cain.

Or maybe she’d even uncover that Tristan himself was the one leading it.

Once I reached that conclusion, Tristan’s cautious behavior finally made sense.

“Yes, and?”

“…Pardon?”

“So what exactly are you going to do about it? I have an urgent message important enough that I’m willing to interrupt the Duke for a moment.”

And honestly, why should that concern me?