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Chapter 44
“……A button?”
“Don’t you think the embossed emblem is a little unusual?”
Lerazier examined the button closely. An unknown emblem had been engraved into it with exquisite precision.
“It’s not the crest of a noble family, but the craftsmanship is top-notch. That means it isn’t an ordinary button meant for common use.”
The two of them searched the surrounding area a little longer, but unfortunately, they couldn’t find any more traces as the trail led onto the main road.
The energy traces had been erased by the heavy foot traffic.
“Still, we found an important piece of evidence, so I’d say this was worth the effort.”
Calliope turned around with a satisfied expression.
“See? I told you I’d find traces.”
“Yeah.”
His response was brief, but inwardly, Lerazier was impressed by her persistence.
She’s amazing.
She hadn’t given up on information that anyone else might have overlooked.
And she had found it herself.
I always thought she was too proud to get her hands dirty with this kind of work.
Lerazier began to wonder if perhaps he had been wrong about her.
“What are you staring at?”
She asked after noticing his gaze.
“Nothing. I was just thinking that I ended up with an amazing lover.”
“You’re only realizing that now?”
At Calliope’s retort, he chuckled and held out his hand.
“Then shall we go?”
Calliope stared at his large palm for a moment before cautiously placing her fingers in it.
“Sure…… Ah!”
Their hands had barely touched when her upper body suddenly tilted backward.
Lerazier had slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, effortlessly lifting her into his arms.
Startled, Calliope immediately threw both arms around his neck. Lerazier let out a quiet laugh.
“Feels pretty secure. Hold on tight.”
He pushed off the ground and launched himself into the air.
Nestled in Lerazier’s arms as he bounded from rooftop to rooftop as though flying, Calliope carefully leaned against his chest.
The sleeping territory rushed past beneath their feet. They were at a dizzying height.
Perhaps that was why.
Calliope felt her heart beating just a little faster.
“Damn it. This was the perfect opportunity……”
Gilbert ground his teeth, unable to hide his disappointment.
That damned Second Prince.
He had asked him to accompany him to the territory for a while, but the man had stubbornly refused, claiming it would be difficult.
Then, if he was going to refuse, he could at least have obtained an entrance pass for the gate reserved for members of the Imperial Family quickly. Yet for some reason, it had taken more than two full days before Gilbert finally received one.
And after all that trouble to get here, all he had witnessed was his niece Calliope taking credit for everything and being praised by the territory’s residents.
Was that all?
He had nearly been discovered, too, which could have ruined the entire operation.
Who do you think I went through all this trouble for?!
Fortunately, if it hadn’t been for another benefactor, he would have completely ruined everything beyond repair.
“I’ve come all this way. There’s no way I can give up now.”
“That’s a good attitude.”
“Gasp!”
Gilbert sucked in a startled breath when a man suddenly appeared.
Unlike the people of the Empire, the man had dark copper-colored skin.
The man stared at Gilbert with an emotionless expression.
When those dull gray eyes turned toward him, Gilbert felt a chill run down his spine.
Forcing down his unease, Gilbert asked him,
“Ahem. So, how did things go on your end? Was everything resolved without incident?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, we were able to resolve the matter successfully.”
The man bowed politely, and Gilbert puffed out his chest.
“Of course! Just imagine if I hadn’t told you about Calliope’s plans. You would have all been caught!”
A pouch filled with gold coins was placed in front of the triumphant Gilbert.
His face immediately brightened.
“My master has high expectations of you, Baron. We hope you’ll continue to be of assistance.”
“You have nothing to worry about!”
Gilbert replied, unable to take his eyes off the gleaming gold coins.
The man looked down at him indifferently before adding,
“We’ll be wrapping things up here and withdrawing shortly. I was instructed to tell you to wait until you hear from us again.”
Only then did Gilbert abruptly raise his head.
Mining magic stones was practically like striking gold.
Why would they give it up so easily?
“What? Already? Surely you can’t mean that. Even so……”
“Then, until next time.”
“W-Wait!”
Gilbert hurriedly reached out, trying to say something, but the man had already disappeared.
After delivering his master’s orders to Gilbert, the man crossed through the darkness and climbed the rugged mountain where there wasn’t even a proper path.
He silently pushed through the bushes and branches that repeatedly caught and tangled themselves around his body as he continued onward.
How much time had passed?
At last, he arrived at a small clearing.
On a rare stretch of flat land in the mountains stood a small barracks.
He immediately opened the makeshift covering at the entrance, stepped inside, and prostrated himself.
“These are the magic stones we extracted last.”
He took a heavy pouch from inside his clothing and presented it to the master before him.
“You’ve done well.”
After briefly praising his subordinate, the master spoke again.
“It seems we’ll have to clean things up now.”
“Yes.”
“I thought we would have a little more time…… But it seems the Viscount Verdi’s work is more competent than I expected.”
At the thought of someone with whom he was being compared, the corners of his eyes tightened slightly before relaxing again.
“Regardless, take care of everything cleanly so there are no loose ends.”
“Yes, Master.”
As he watched his subordinate disappear, a man with beautiful silver hair flashed his red eyes.
“We’ve finally arrived at the Imperial Capital!”
The carriage had just passed through the capital’s walls and was now traveling along a well-maintained road.
Lerazier chuckled as he watched Calliope grumble about how exhausting the journey had been.
“Who was working like a workaholic before? And now you’re complaining about being tired?”
“Just because I’m a workaholic doesn’t mean I have infinite stamina, you know?”
Calliope shot back before continuing,
“Still, I’m glad we have something to show for it. The territory’s problems have been resolved, and as long as I’m around, whoever’s behind this will probably keep their heads down for the time being.”
Seeing her fiddling with the button, Lerazier asked,
“By the way, have you decided what you’re going to do with the magic stones?”
“I’m going to start by mining the magic stones buried underground. If we create more jobs, we’ll be able to accept more residents into the territory.”
He nodded.
“If you need any help, let me know. If it’s something I can do, I’ll cooperate.”
“Really?”
Calliope’s eyes widened.
“You really mean you’ll help? You’re not going to change your mind later?”
“Calliope Verdi.”
Lerazier laced his fingers behind his head and stretched lazily as he spoke.
“Do you know what my nickname was when I worked as a mercenary for a while?”
“What? You were a mercenary too? Seriously, you’ve done all kinds of things, haven’t you?”
“I tried everything I wasn’t supposed to do, everything dangerous, and everything that would get me cursed out.”
Lerazier continued with a mischievous smile.
“Anyway, that was my nickname. The Hound Who Works for What He Gets.”
“What?”
Calliope furrowed her brows sharply.
Lerazier calmly continued,
“It means I intend to work properly for the amount of magic stones I received from you.”
“Hey, even when you talk, you always have to—”
But at that moment, Calliope stopped when she caught a fleeting expression on Lerazier’s face.
It was an expression she had never seen on him before.
More precisely, it was an expression she had never even imagined he could make.
As though he were deliberately dredging up a memory of profound despair from the depths of himself……
But the expression had appeared and disappeared so quickly that Calliope wasn’t even sure she had seen it correctly.
Ah, I’m probably just imagining things because I’m so tired.
While she was still uncertain, Lerazier said,
“What? Even when I talk, I always— You know, the worst thing in the world is to stop halfway through a sentence, and the second-worst thing is……”
“You always say things like that and call them jokes! Are you satisfied now?”
Just then, the carriage arrived at the Verdi Count’s residence.
Calliope promptly hopped out first.
As a result, Lerazier was left sitting alone in the carriage.
“……”
He watched Calliope walk away, her skirt fluttering as she strode along.
Remembering the expression on her face—somewhat embarrassed, and perhaps a little angry—he quietly muttered,
“I wasn’t joking.”
It was probably something she would never hear.
