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[CHAPTER 132]
Wentworth Duke Mansion.
Slaaap—!
The sharp sound of a slap echoed from the Duchess’s room.
The Duke of Wentworth, finally learning what had happened to Amelia that day, had slapped the Duchess out of anger.
“Ugh!”
The Duchess clutched her cheek and sank to the floor, sobbing.
The Duke of Wentworth shouted with a face full of rage.
“Are you insane, insane! How dare you lay a hand on anything? In my house, no less! I said, on Amelia!”
The Duchess snapped back, indignantly shouting.
“You’re the crazy one! What’s with doting over Amelia, a girl you barely paid attention to before? You should care even half as much for Aiden! Then would you have done so?”
“Hah, what did you say? Look at this foolish woman… do you know how important the task I entrusted to Amelia was? And you nearly ruined it in an instant! And she doesn’t even reflect on it!”
“Then why entrust such an important task to a trivial girl? What could it be?”
The Duchess asked, but the Duke could not mention the task. It had been giving poison to the Crown Prince.
Of course, Amelia had been told it was a ‘love potion.’ Regardless, the fewer people knew about it, the better.
“If the Crown Prince’s palace questions this, it will all be your responsibility, understand?”
“I don’t care! But Aiden… you won’t blame Aiden, right? He’s your son! The eldest!”
As the Duchess clung to the Duke’s coat, he pushed her away irritably.
“Enough, stop making noise!”
“Duke!”
At that moment, a fluttering sound came from the open window, black feathers scattering.
The Duchess stepped back in surprise, and the Duke frowned at the intruder.
Judging by the size of the crow entering the room, it was not the Mage Tower Master himself.
“Do you know where you are to enter so recklessly?”
Even if he could not directly protest to the Mage Tower Master, it displeased the Duke that even such subordinates roamed freely in his house.
Regardless of the Duke’s mood, a wizard in a black robe now stood firmly in the middle of the room instead of the crow.
“The Mage Tower Master is very displeased and sent me to deliver this.”
“Displeased?”
“Amelia Wentworth has disappeared.”
“…….”
The Duke of Wentworth blinked, as if unable to comprehend. The wizard continued in a gruff voice.
“Yesterday, Amelia Wentworth left the palace and disappeared. Trace her movements and prepare a plan. Also, you, Phillips, are to find a way to pressure the Crown Prince using this incident.”
“W-What? Amelia really left the palace and disappeared? Then the poison… what about the poison?”
“Naturally, it failed. Not a drop reached the Crown Prince.”
“This…!”
The Duke of Wentworth exclaimed in a voice full of dismay.
Ignoring his reaction, the wizard finished his message.
“You will face consequences for failing. That is all.”
“Wait, consequences! How is this my responsibility? Wait!”
Despite the Duke’s shouts, the wizard transformed into a crow and left without looking back.
“Gone… gone!”
“Duke, poison? What do you mean by that?”
The Duchess, hiding behind the Duke, asked about the earlier conversation, but the Duke pushed her aside and stormed out.
“Move, there’s no time!”
The Duchess, left alone, muttered to herself in frustration but fell into deep thought.
***
It was a cloudy day.
Heading north, the gray sky appeared more often than sunny skies.
I tightened the heavy coat I had purchased on the way and stepped off the last carriage toward the northern village.
“Hoo…”
White breath puffed out with a long exhale.
After switching carriages for about four days, I arrived at a small village called ‘Runetten.’
There were few people, and travelers were even rarer, but I remembered it being frequently mentioned from the middle-late part of the original story.
Even knowing its location and name, it still felt unfamiliar. Moreover, since arriving in this world, this was my first time exploring directly, so I felt a bit hesitant.
At least Sylvia had come along, so I felt somewhat reassured.
Stepping down from the carriage, Sylvia looked around and asked me,
“Hoo, it’s cold. Why come all the way to such a cold place?”
Though she asked lightly, her eyes sparkled sharply behind a faint smile.
Naturally, I hadn’t come randomly. I was moving in a single direction toward a clear goal.
“Sylvia, why are you following me?”
“Just… felt like it. I thought I had to follow the princess. Otherwise, I might miss something important.”
Her words made me flinch inwardly, but I smiled to cover it.
In the original story, the mana crystal mine would later be discovered together by Silvia and Vincent. But the original is the original, and now… the one who finds it first owns it.
‘Still, maybe I’ll share a portion with Sylvia if I find it.’
A wizard was necessary to discover and prove the value of the mana crystal, which was why I allowed her to accompany me.
I naturally shifted my gaze toward the distance.
“Let’s find lodging first.”
Walking ahead, Sylvia grabbed the hem of my coat and pointed in another direction.
“Over there. In such a small village, travelers’ lodgings are either nonexistent or near the merchant hall.”
“I-I see.”
Though flustered, I obediently followed the direction Sylvia indicated.
The heroine Silvia seemed experienced as a wizard, moving confidently in unfamiliar places without a hint of surprise.
Runetten was quieter and more tranquil than expected. The chill of the northern air, the overcast sky, low stone walls, and surrounding coniferous trees added to the calm atmosphere.
With few travelers, the villagers occasionally glanced at us as we passed.
“We do attract attention. There really aren’t many travelers, huh.”
Sylvia, walking beside me, replied,
“Not many, but there are some. It’s famous because of some legend… passed down as a folk song. The first lyrics… when the foggy night comes…”
By chance, on the wall of the village hall we were passing, I saw writing that looked like graffiti.
[When the foggy night comes, the black forest path of Runetten opens
O seeker who follows the light, do not stop your steps
Where silver waves flow, the stars descend to the earth
He who holds it shall gain eternal glory]
“…shall gain eternal glory.”
Sylvia hummed the last line.
It was a famous melody even in Amelia’s memory. The exact lyrics weren’t remembered, but it seemed similar enough.
Could this really be the content?
Knowing what lay here, I interpreted every line as referring to the mana crystal cave.
At least the person who passed down this folk song must have known the village’s secret. I did not know from what era.
“Because of the last line, I’ve heard that sometimes people come to look for something here. I also thought… maybe I’ll come when I have free time.”
Seeing Sylvia smile shyly like that, I smiled back.
After walking a bit further, we found a sign reading ‘Runetten Central Merchant Hall,’ with a small inn sign beside it.
“Excuse me.”
I cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.
