episode_0067

Episode 67

Even if I hear abusive language, it doesn’t really matter. People who are cornered will naturally do anything.

But I guess that wasn’t the case with Pilgret.

“Heh…!”

Without any time to stop him, Pilgret grabbed the old man’s chin. Although he must have been enraged, his actions were so quick and accurate that they could be included in a manual under the title ‘Exercising Physical Threat.’ So it might feel scarier.

“You’re carelessly teasing the mouth. If you say such nonsense again, I will rip your entire lower jaw off.”

“What, what… It means defeat, defeat! And that too… towards the current king… poisoning…”

You’re too hung up on a plan that has already failed. That’s how desperate it is.

Before Pilgret inadvertently applied too much force, I signaled him to back off. Philgret immediately let go of the old man and came back behind me.

“Yes. You are right. I gave my father poison. It’s immoral. But what if that’s true? I don’t think there would be anyone who would trust me anyway… Hehe. It would only add to the justification for exterminating the Kakas people that they are a poor people.”

“Kkkktt…”

“Besides, if you want to spread that fact, you would have to escape from here first, right? With that old and worn-out body, can you escape this extremely complicated underground maze? Ah, I guess it would be better to untie it first.”

It was a foolish choice that could not even be called a number in the first place. Did you think that the person you were with during this secret interrogation would fall for something like that? Well, it’s common for people to do ridiculous things when they’re desperate.

“There is only one choice for you. All you have to do is open your mouth. Unless the information you are trying to hide is worth your own life and the lives of all your compatriots in the kingdom.”

The old man bowed his head and was silent for a moment. Finally, he raised his head and spoke in a trembling voice.

“Okay… I’ll tell you everything. Well, if you really do that, you won’t touch your compatriots, right?”

“Of course. I swear in the name of the goddess.”

The old man took a deep breath as if making a big decision and began to speak.

“Mistle… No, as they say here, it was mistletoe. Those twisted mistletoe branches are a method used by certain groups living in the coldest regions of the North.”

“Which group?”

“You’ve probably never heard of it. They’re a group called the Black Mountain Goat Society… They’re such an extreme group among us shamans that we don’t have much interaction with them. Because they are truly crazy…”

Black goat sashimi.

Is that the culprit that continues to instill hatred in Carmel’s spirit? Just knowing the name was worth it.

“Black goat sashimi… Where are they?”

“In the far north. The location you saw may also be inconsistent. From the beginning, it was providence to live wandering in the polar lands.”

In the end, the story is that it is outside of Lustier. Well, if such a suspicious group was active within the kingdom, there is no way that information would not have been received. If so, it would be difficult to eradicate it right away.

“Thank you for the valuable information. Next, tell us more about this item itself. The working principle or the solution.”

“I don’t know…”

“Are you saying this at the risk of the lives of your compatriots?”

“Really! Their method is to steal money from the outside world! Well, besides, I’m a businessman, not a witch doctor! From what I picked up, I can’t…”

The old man shouted urgently. It didn’t look like he was lying. for now.

“Hmm, okay. I’ll trust you.

“This is the end. This is really all I know. Can you stop letting me go?”

“Of course, I have to release it. However, when I am convinced that what the old man said is true.”

“…sure…? Uh, how…?”

To put the anxious-looking old man at ease a little, I smiled at him with an angelic smile.

It was after three days and nights that the old man was able to escape from the underground.

* * *

“Are you sure it’s okay, princess?”

“What?”

“That old northerner. Was it really okay to let him go alive? He even gave me gold coins.”

Perhaps because of his initial slip of the tongue, the old man seemed to have quite an ugly streak to Pilgret. I said with a grin.

“Don’t worry. No matter how much you talk about it, you’ll just get arrested for insulting the royal family. Who would believe it in the first place? A rumor that the angelic Princess Sarah committed a terrible act.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Well, it’s safe to say there’s absolutely no chance of him opening his mouth. Because the old man is a wise man who cares about his fellow countrymen. And you even received money? There is nothing like a big reward to rationalize one’s actions.”

“Hmm…”

“Besides, there might come a situation where you need to ask for other information, right? Well, from what I’ve seen this time, it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of useful information… but at least you probably know a lot about the northern peoples. You might become a valuable source of information someday, right?”

“My thoughts were short. It is definitely as you said, princess.”

Pilgret nodded as if he understood. I picked up the note on my desk and started reading it with my eyes. It was a compilation of the information given by the old man.

In fact, the only information the old man had was what he stated at the beginning.

1. The mistletoe in Carmel’s room, called Mystilia in their language, is a curse device that is the Black Goat Society’s method.

2. The Black Mountain Society is a type of religious group that originated in the North and is extremely hostile to the Lustier Kingdom, often engaging in extreme actions.

3. There is no specific information about Mystilia, but it is said to have been created by a professional shaman.

This was all the information I could get from the old man. This is a result that has been checked several times, so it must be correct.

There are still too many things that cannot be known from this alone.

The biggest question that comes to mind right now is this.

Is Carmel a member of the Black Goat Society?

Why is Carmel trying to destroy Lustier? I had doubts about that once.

If Carmel was sent by the Black Goat Society to destroy Lustier, then it is correct.

But actually, I can’t imagine it well.

The Carmel I know is nothing more than a servant of some suspicious religious group? Are you just a puppet being controlled? No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t think that would be the case.

I was lost in thought for a moment and then spoke in passing.

“Black goat sashimi… Have you ever heard of it, Pilgret?”

“No, this is the first time I’ve heard of such a thing. I have experience subjugating heretic groups a few times…”

“Hmm, it would be difficult for a group like that to be active within the Lustier Kingdom, right?”

“Yes. In fact, it would have to be considered impossible. Because the church and the knights are periodically finding and exterminating them.”

“That’s right…”

As expected, the place where they are located is outside of Lustie. If it had been within the kingdom, there would have been a lot more ways to investigate.

“By the way, princess. Can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“That thing called Mystilia. Surely the target of the curse is not the princess herself?”

Pilgret’s eyes were full of firm concern. To the point where it feels a bit burdensome.

“Of course not.”

There were many things that could not yet be explained by simple denial. If so, how did I find out about it, and if I actually saw it, where did I see it while I was imprisoned for three weeks, etc.

However, Philgret put aside the countless questions that would have arisen and answered.

“Then I’m glad.”

There were no further questions. That fact is probably the most important thing to Pilgret.

I don’t think there’s any point in pondering this unanswered question. I jumped out of my seat and stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“Yes. I want to meet my mother.”

I left the room and headed straight to Carmel’s room.

* * *

“How have you been, Mother? Even though it’s only been a few days, I already miss my days here.”

“Screw the useless introduction. You were the one who said there was something important to talk about, right? Let’s start with the main point.”

Carmel’s cold gaze falls across the table. I said, lowering my voice a little.

“Do you know about black goat sashimi?”

A short silence. Meanwhile, Carmel looked at me with a cold face like a porcelain mask. It’s not easy to read facial expressions.

Carmel finally opened her mouth and answered half-heartedly.

“Black goat sashimi? What is that?”

“Oh my? Are you denying it? It’s already in this room, right? Their symbol, Mystilia.”

Carmel’s eyes changed like spear blades. Carmel said, looking at me as if stabbing me.

“How did you…did you really open it? How on earth…”

“That’s not important, right? The problem is that your mother brought such an item to the palace, where not only His Majesty the King but also the royal family resides. That ugly thing covered in a powerful curse.”

The identity of the object in the box. I wanted to save the card named Mystilia until the very end. It is highly likely that you will never be able to have a card more powerful than this in the future.

But for me, resolving this situation was more important than anything else. As long as Mystilia’s curse continues, there will be no point in continuing to train Carmel.

“Pfft… you…”

Carmel let out a growling sound, clenched her molars, and glared at me. He seemed clearly aware that he was cornered.

It’s an expression I haven’t seen in a long time. An expression full of hostility toward me, yet feeling a strong sense of defeat. It was exactly the kind of expression that gave me a thrill of joy.