episode_0175

The two people who arrived at the estate did not head straight to the mansion, but decided to check out the atmosphere of the estate first.

They went to a nearby stable, gave the stable owner a gold coin, left the horse in their care for a while, and began to slowly wander around the territory.

Of course, the idea of examining the atmosphere of the estate was entirely Earningstone’s own.

“Sir, I think it’s a bit strange to come all the way here in a hurry and then suddenly go to the village temple.”

“Then, did you think you would be able to enter the mansion as soon as you arrived? It’s standard for nobles of the same rank to send messages asking for permission to enter the mansion, but do you think it’s any different for us?”

At the sight of Earningstern shrugging his shoulders calmly as if stating the obvious, the junior who was following him lowered his head and sighed.

“No… … . Didn’t you say it was going to be like that until you left the Academy? … .”

Earnings Stone, who chuckled at the sight of his junior, answered while looking at the residents of the territory who looked so peaceful.

“That will happen. If you wander around the territory, they will contact you from over there first.”

“How do you know that?”

“What did we do before we came here?”

“Yes? That’s it, proof of identity at the gate… … . Ah.”

The junior blinked and looked at Earningstern, and Earningstern began to walk slowly.

“If something serious happens, the soldiers at the bottom are required to report it to the top. Of course, the end of that report will be Yeongju. Well, if the lord is away, the lord’s representative or a person with full authority will receive the report.”

“But, even if a report goes to the lord, there is no reason for the lord to call us.”

“Think carefully. Why would he suddenly invite his daughter, a student at the academy, and his blood relative, who is a professor, to his mansion during the semester?”

“Uh… … . Big deal?”

How did you really become an investigator? Earningstern, who was looking at his junior with that look on his face, shook his head and massaged his eyebrows.

“What… … . It’s a bit vague, but it’s true. okay. Something big must have happened that forced them to be summoned. Probably not the death of a relative. The death of a relative is a serious matter, but it is not something that requires two people to be called in.”

“Then… … . Is the lord dead? The head of the Rochelle family?”

“There is a possibility, but if that were the case, he would have only invited his daughter, Charlotte. Because it was Genea La Rochelle who established the relationship with the couple, not Priscilla de Arbel.”

“So you’re saying it was the duchess who died?”

“When inferred using only the given information, that is the most likely story.”

The junior nodded at Earningstern’s words, and Earningstern, who thought for a moment, frowned and said.

“And this is just a guess, so just ignore it. Whoever it was, the person who died probably did not die well. Whether there was a knife stuck in his back or he drank poison, he probably wouldn’t have died a normal death.”

“Senior, if you do that wrong, you will be framed as a nobleman. There’s nothing I can do about what I’ve already said, but wouldn’t it be better to be careful?”

“… … under. Yes, thank you for your concern.”

Earningstern, who smiled, roughly stroked his junior’s head and continued speaking.

“Anyway, as I just said, he probably didn’t die well. I don’t know for some reason?”

“I don’t know.”

“If he had died gracefully, it would have been widely known. Come to pay your respects and mourn, because someone great has died here. Something like that. But there is nothing like that, and even if it is announced, the people in the territory who should know first don’t know anything.”

The junior who nodded at Earningstern’s words, huh? He made a questioning sound and scratched his head.

“Maybe he passed away not long ago? Or maybe it’s just because you’re feeling really unwell. Oh, if it’s the latter, wouldn’t it fit the reason for calling Professor Priscilla? Isn’t Professor Priscilla a professor specializing in herbalism and potions?”

“My health deteriorated rapidly, so I called Professor Priscilla… … . Of course, I can’t say that there is no possibility.”

“What should we do if we really made a mistake?”

“What… … . Only time will tell whether it was a waste of time or not.”

The junior couldn’t hide his doubts about Earningstern’s attitude, which was so lukewarm considering that he had arrived in a hurry.

“So, what does that have to do with calling us?”

“Whether it is the duchess or the duke himself, if there is anything suspicious about the death, they will call us. Tsk, maybe it’s because I have a lot to think about, but I can’t organize my words.”

“So, you can call us. Are you saying I might not call you?”

“Could it be so? ha… … . I can’t tell you anything because I’m not sure.”

While saying that, Earningstern took out the notebook from his pocket and opened it. He wrote a few words on the blank page, then closed the notebook again and said,

“Wait for now. That’s all we can do anyway.”

It was an answer I couldn’t believe at all, but since he’s a senior, he must have something in mind. The junior nodded, recalling the image of Earningstern he had seen.

2 hours after that. Even though the sun had completely set over the ridge and night had come, still no one came to visit them.

“Senior… … . I guess we were in vain… … .”

“… … Let’s go back to the stable first.”

“You mean the stable, not the inn? Are you saying we should go out on horseback right now? No! That guy is dead!!”

“Just follow me. I guess I was thinking a bit wrong.”

After saying this, Earningstern headed straight to the stables. My junior, who didn’t understand the situation, wondered what on earth he was going to do, but he couldn’t keep up and endure. I immediately followed him.

Arriving at the stable like that, Earningstern immediately began examining the horses he had left there.

“Hey, check your words too.”

“Yes.”

Under Earningstone’s instructions, the junior examined his words, but could not find anything unusual.

I groped around, but as expected, there wasn’t anything hidden.

“Found it.”

At the sound of Earningstern’s voice coming from across the room, the junior stopped fumbling with the saddle and looked towards Earningstern.

He was pulling out a piece of luxurious paper he had never seen from under the horse’s saddle.

“Okay. Something bad happened, but there’s no way I would send someone out in the open.”

“What are you looking for?”

“What is it? It’s an invitation from the mansion.”

As Earningstern said, he unfolded the neatly folded paper. There was writing written in elegant handwriting on the paper.

[I’ll see you at the back gate of Rochelle Mansion when the moon rises.]

“I don’t know who sent it, but I wrote down the business clearly. Let’s go, it’s work.”

“Ah, yes.”

The two headed to the Rochelle mansion as written on the paper.

* * *

As the moon began to rise, the two people who were waiting quietly near the back gate of Rochelle Mansion opened their eyes to the sight of a figure approaching the tightly closed back gate.

At the same time that the two people who felt popular appeared, the back door of the mansion opened and a person walked out.

“I’m glad my letter arrived safely. I was wondering what if you couldn’t read it.”

The person who walked out of the back gate of the mansion was an elderly woman.

The old man facing the two people put his hand on his chest, bowed his head slightly, and introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Riev, the head maid of the Rochelle family.”

“It seemed like a fairly simple letter, but it was surprising. The person who sent it was the head maid.”

“I wrote the letter immediately after receiving the report, so there was no time to think about the content. I hope you understand.”

“I wrote it as soon as I received the report… … . It seems like you have some pretty urgent work to do. If it’s okay with me, could you tell me?”

“Before that, I need to confirm one thing.”

After saying that, the head maid sharply opened her eyes and raised her chin, and Earningstern, seeing that, nodded and took out the Eye of the Sun from her bosom.

Even though it was late at night, the mark was shining brightly under the moonlight, and the head maid who was looking at it carefully confirmed that the mark was genuine and nodded.

“Sorry for doubting you. Because it was absolutely necessary.”

“It’s important to understand the other person. I understand. So, now can you tell me what’s going on in this mansion?”

The head maid nodded at Earningstone’s words, starting with the incident where the previous head of the Rochelle family died after drinking poison, and what happened after Charlotte returned to the mansion. He told me everything without exception.

As the head maid continued, Earningstern could not keep her mouth shut as she felt as if she had discovered a path that had not been visible before, as if she had found the missing piece of a puzzle.

‘Another being who wants Charlotte isolated and has enough power to influence her. A being who can receive reports of the princess’s movements from outside the academy. A being who has reason to have malice towards her.’

“… … And, I suspect Master Arcien La Rochelle as the prime suspect in all of this.”

‘The princess’s younger brother.’

All the puzzles are together, now all you have to do is put them together. Earningstern knew it, but he couldn’t bring himself to put in the last piece.

Maybe not. Just like at the academy, it might be my mistake again. This was because the shackles of self-distrust created by several failures were holding Earningstone back.

“First of all, I understand what you are saying. I also understood that all the circumstances were pointing to Master Arcien.”

“Then are you helping me?”

“I have a strong desire to help, but if there is no solid evidence, there is nothing I can do even if I am an investigator directly under the royal family.”

Therefore, Earningstern decided to take a step back.

“So, I would like you to help me find the evidence.”

That is, until you have indisputable evidence that you can be sure of.

“Good. This Liev. As long as we can save Lady Charlotte and Madame Genea, I will do my best to help you.”

On a night when the moon was up, the two people who met each other looked at each other and nodded.