Chapter 167 : Two Years Later (5)
Two Years Later (5)
Nobles gathered in Seifert Village finally began to enjoy the banquet.
In the spacious garden set up in the backyard of the lord's manor, countless people conversed while listening to sweet music.
Naturally, there were two main types of guests who could be called the protagonists of this event.
The first was Kelian, the family head who hosted the banquet.
The second was the Emperor of the Imperial Court, who ordered the banquet to be held for a major announcement.
His daughter, Estelle, could also be counted as one of the key figures.
"I'll get straight to the point."
But before entering the banquet hall, Estelle was being interrogated by Louis.
"Nothing happened. I just went into and came out of Rio's room, that's all."
When Pram responded to Louis's question, he clicked his tongue.
"How is that nothing? Didn't you see what was written next to that door?"
"...."
[Get out immediately. Unless you don't value your life.]
The moment Pram recalled that message, she froze.
Outwardly, she'd boasted that there was nothing to worry about if she wasn't caught, but inwardly, she'd been utterly terrified.
"Literally, unless you don't care about your life, it'd be best to undo whatever you did there and come back."
"Undo whatever I did?"
"For example... if you stole something."
Shaking her head at the warning, Pram said, "It wasn't me! I really didn't steal anything! Do you think I'm crazy enough to steal her things? It's not like I have multiple lives."
"Then what about the Princess?"
"I-I...."
Estelle hesitated, barely managing to open her mouth.
"I didn't touch anything."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then it's okay if I check your pockets, right?"
"W-What...?!"
In that instant, Estelle's heartbeat pounded.
"No! I really didn't steal anything!"
She tried hard to deny it, but the one she was talking to was Louis.
He could tell when someone was lying just by listening to their heartbeat, and even sense smells precisely.
"Then why do I smell Rio on something in your pocket?"
"*Hic!*"
Having finally been caught, Estelle cautiously slipped her hand into her pocket.
And from inside, a black teddy bear appeared.
"This looks like the doll I gave Rio as a present before, doesn't it?"
"...."
"Why did you steal it?"
Clicking his tongue, Louis asked Estelle, who answered honestly.
"It just smelled so good. I think the scent is the strongest because Miss Rio hugs it every night when she sleeps!"
It had been a doll Louis had bought for Rio last year as a birthday present.
For Rio, who until then had only ever stayed with the 7th Legion, it was her very first birthday present—a gift from Louis himself.
She cherished it like her own alter ego, always hugging it to sleep.
In that sense, one could say it was when Rio regained her girlishness.
"How does this sweaty-smelling doll smell nice to you?"
Louis looked at her like her sense of smell had broken, and Estelle widened her eyes and declared boldly.
"That smell is exactly what I call a fragrance."
"Huh?"
"Others might think it's the stench of a vagrant girl who hasn't even bathed... but to me, it's an irreplaceable scent! Where else would you find such clean stench?"
"...."
After hearing those words, Louis's mind spun.
What on earth had he just listened to?
It felt like he'd heard a cursed incantation and wanted to erase that memory.
"So, are you saying you're going to keep holding onto it?"
"Is that not allowed?"
Wow... This is going to drive someone crazy.
"That's something Rio treasures dearly. Even as a Princess, I can't guarantee your life."
He indirectly told her: if she wanted to live, she'd better return it right away.
As if the Princess already knew this, her face fell, but she soon smiled.
"Just for a little while! I'll put it back before Miss Rio comes. Hehehehehe...!"
"It's just that Orbel was especially crazy, but the little sister isn't any more normal either."
"What did you say?"
"Enough. Go put it back now. If Rio finds out later, the entire domain might be turned upside down."
"Hmph... It's not like I stole her clothes or anything..."
Hearing Estelle's sullen retort made Louis think back to his time in the 7th Legion.
Since there were so many criminals in that environment, sex offenders were rampant.
Naturally, many tried to steal Rio and Pram's clothes; those offenders were always discovered and purged.
"If Rio finds her doll missing, she might suspect innocent citizens."
Agreeing with that, Estelle dropped her arms in defeat.
"Pram, open Rio's room right now. We need to put her doll back."
"O-okay..."
Unfortunately, having been caught by the young master, Pram had no choice.
So as the two of them moved toward Rio's room, Silia appeared.
"Hey Louis! Have you seen Merry anywhere?"
"Merry... Isn't she one of the elf kids?"
Dressed up in a dress for the event, Silia was searching urgently for a child.
Louis found it strange that one of the elf kids from the orphanage would be here.
"What's she doing here?"
"Actually... I brought her here especially."
"Without taking any precautions?"
"Of course not, I used a magitech device to disguise her as an ordinary human."
Apparently, when Silia was about to attend the banquet, the elf children had begged to go too.
They'd pleaded as a group, and Silia had finally given in—to just one of them.
"So Merry was the one chosen."
"Yeah. She's really interested in knights, right? I thought it was a chance to show her some noble faces. But she disappeared when I wasn't looking."
That was why Silia ran straight to Louis.
"Did you maybe sense Merry's smell or sound anywhere?"
"No. Lately, they've started picking up some kind of spirit's blessing, right? The spirits are blocking all scents and sounds."
"I should have brought you two along just in case."
Mirianne and Frederick, in whom the Bloodline was imbued.
Since flash equipment wasn't needed at the event, those two were left at the orphanage.
That's why, even though they could normally find the kid easily, they couldn't this time.
"Where on earth did the little one run off to?"
While Silia grumbled, a spirit suddenly perched on Louis's shoulder.
In that instant, Rio's voice came through the spirit's mouth.
[Young master! Young master! Something feels really off. I'll use the warp magitech device, so call Pram over for me.]
At Rio's urgent message via communication, Louis panicked and asked, "Wait, did you notice what happened to your room?"
[My room? What are you talking about?]
Ah, so it wasn't an emergency because of a thief.
Well, Rio didn't have clairvoyance anyway.
[Anyway, it's urgent. Please activate the warp magitech device through Pram.]
"What's so urgent?"
[Oh? Team leader big sis, are you next to him? Good timing. Listen to this too.]
When Silia asked, Rio began her explanation, calling it a good opportunity.
[This time, I was passing through the 7th Legion on business in the demon realm. There, instead of hunting monsters, they were focusing on capturing them alive.]
"Capture? Usually that means they sell them somewhere after catching them alive."
[But strangely, the hunting rate was very low. And it wasn't just for selling—some weird sorcery was being cast on the monsters.]
Was there even sorcery to cast on monsters?
Usually it's just necromancy to animate corpses.
[So we caught the soldiers and officers and interrogated them. Once I said I was with the special task force, they confessed everything.]
"What was the sorcery?"
[Actually, it wasn't sorcery. They were experimenting with applying warp magitech devices to monsters.]
"Don't tell me—they were trying to warp the monsters somewhere?"
[Yes, definitely. Of course, such an experiment can't be conducted in a random 7th Legion fortress without outside support.]
As always, the 7th Legion is closed off, so you never know what's going on.
If the bloody hands of the nobles in the shadows reached in, even more grotesque things would happen.
In fact, half of Louis's squad members had died because of such interference.
[So we tortured those guys and made them spill exactly which noble families supported them. There should be a paper with a list of those noble families tied to the spirit's leg.]
"Come to think of it, the Imperial Court Magic Tower had reported suspicious activity among the nobles."
As Silia untied the letter, she said, "Suddenly, several nobles were trying to reach out to the 7th Legion or were rumored to be dabbling in monster summoning sorcery. We don't know exactly who, but if true...."
[It's highly likely it's the families on that list.]
Silia opened the list sent by Rio.
[So, team leader, young master, do any of the families on the list... have representatives attending this banquet?]
That was what Rio wanted to know.
Did any of the families involved in suspicious sorcery attend this event?
The moment she checked the list, Silia's expression hardened.
"Louis. We have to arrest everyone from the families marked here, right now! And get in touch with Pram to activate the warp magitech device at the village entrance immediately."
Louis glanced at the families Silia had marked.
He smiled to himself, recognizing one of them as belonging to the guy he'd met earlier that day.
****
"Ssshhhaa! Haaaa! Ssshhhaa! Haaaa!"
"Your Highness the Princess, would you please stop it? You really look like a lunatic."
Having entered Rio's room, Estelle was pressing her nose into Rio's teddy bear.
To anyone, her sniffing in that state looked utterly crazy.
"This precious thing...."
"What's so precious?! It belonged to Rio in the first place!"
"Hngh...."
Regretfully, Estelle put the teddy bear back on the bed where it belonged.
She wanted to smell it once more, but she couldn't anymore.
"I wanted to store one like this in our Imperial Castle."
"Shut up."
Hearing this, Pram felt as if her head was about to split open from pain.
If this is what the Princess of the Imperial Court is like, then even the perverted scum who tried to steal their supplies and clothes in the 7th Legion should've been considered royalty.
"Your Highness, could you please consider your dignity?"
"I need stamina to maintain my dignity. I just have a different way of replenishing my stamina than others. Do you understand?"
"Agh... Your Highness, please...!"
Pram looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
Just then, a spirit landed on Pram's shoulder, and Silia's voice came through.
She was asking Pram to activate the warp magitech device at the village entrance to let Rio in right away.
Pram was the only one in this village, in this entire Imperial Court, who could instantly operate the magitech device.
"Yeah, yeah... I'm going, I'm going. I'll be off, so no more stealing, okay?"
With that, Pram hurriedly left the room alone.
Perhaps something urgent had happened.
But left alone again, Estelle picked the doll up from the bed and sniffed it.
"If not now, when else will I get to smell this!"
Wait, maybe I should get a doll just like this?
As a couple's doll.
"Yeah, let's do that."
She'd heard from father that addictions are dangerous things.
Thinking of that, even father wouldn't want her behaving this way.
"Still—just five more minutes!"
Even so, to indulge a little, Estelle started sniffing again.
"Who's there!"
Suddenly, someone called out from outside the door.
When she turned, a girl was standing there holding a blade.
"This is Rio big sis's room! It's protected by a barrier—you can't just come in! How did you get in here?"
A kid she didn't know was regarding her as a suspicious character.
Does she not know I'm the Princess? While wondering that, another suspicion crept in.
"You... Are you an elf?"
Using her Mind's Eye, Estelle saw the girl's true appearance.
Though the girl hid her features with a magitech device, to Estelle's eyes, those pointy ears were clear as day.
"So you really are a suspicious one! I'm Merry, future knight of this domain! Prepare yourself, intruder!"
Calling herself Merry, the girl rushed in and swung her blade at Estelle.
But as she charged, her blade was suddenly stopped.
"Little one."
Catching the blade easily between two fingers, Estelle smiled kindly.
"Sniff... This big sis isn't a suspicious person."
At the same time, she inhaled the scent of Rio's doll clutched in her other hand.
Seeing the Princess like that, the girl frowned.