Chapter 82 It'S A Hit, My Intuition!
"Ah, Mr. Aaron... this letter...!!"
Lady Eva's voice trembled as she read the letter from Margrave Lorentz.
"――It's almost all about wooden swords, though!? What's the point of this!?"
"Ah, sorry. Not that, but read the last page."
Come to think of it, the letter was mostly about wooden swords. What's important is only the last page.
"You should've said that from the start..."
Lady Eva said, looking disappointed, and then read the last page again.
And this time, her expression changed to one of shock.
"This content... is it true...? No, it's more than that, this is..."
"Eva, let me see too."
Lady Eva's expression seemed to hint at something serious, so Fiona asked with a solemn face.
"Yes... Here you go..."
Lady Eva handed over the letter with a reluctant look. Fiona took it and started reading immediately, furrowing her brow.
"This means... the Caduceus family has been secretly selling materials from the labyrinth, including those from the deeper floors of the [God's Remains Labyrinth] that are hard to get, right? And they're materials that can't be obtained normally, from the 46th floor and below."
"That's right."
"That means... there are people who explored the 46th floor before us... and that's..."
"That's right."
"There can't be many people like that... which means... the mastermind behind the Stampede is the Caduceus family, right?"
"Currently, that's the most likely possibility."
I affirm Fiona's speculation.
[God's Remains Labyrinth] From the 46th floor onward, the materials, especially the 'Wind Elemental Treant's Core', were sold off in various countries about 3 years ago, which is an undeniable fact. And at that time, if it weren't for the organization that Judas and his friends belonged to, which had been holding onto large quantities of past materials until the present day, it would have been impossible to obtain the 'Wind Elemental Treant's Core'.
Therefore, it's almost certain that the Caduceus family is somehow related to that organization.
However.
The possibility that one of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] is the mastermind behind the scenes is something that's been clear from the start.
Just because the Caduceus family is involved doesn't mean Lady Eva would be shocked to hear it.
Lady Eva was shocked because...
"Margrave Lorentz considers [Four Great Families of the Seals] itself dangerous...? Mr. Aaron, what does that mean?"
It's because of the part written at the very end of the letter, "If you value your safety, do not get deeply involved with the [Four Great Families of the Seals]". That's why I warned him.
And judging from Lady Eva's reaction, it seems she herself doesn't know the reason why the [Four Great Families of the Seals] are being viewed as a threat.
"Well...? I don't know anything beyond what's written in the letter."
I don't know why Margrave Lorentz is wary of the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
"Well, I don't know what intentions Margrave had when he warned me... but one thing is clear, right?"
"That the Caduceus family is the mastermind, or at the very least, a traitor?"
I nod in agreement with Lady Eva's confirmation.
"Well, I don't know to what extent the Caduceus family is involved, though."
Is it just a small number of people within the main house who are involved, or is the entire household moving as one? Or perhaps there's another possibility altogether.
"If we had that information, we could accuse the Caduceus family and it would be great, but if we say it out loud, it's just a matter of them secretly selling off the materials. It's like Lady Eva gave me the 'Gravity Elemental Treant's core wood' and just stored it away, so it's easy to make excuses and get out of it. As evidence of betrayal, it's pretty weak."
"That's true... but it's enough to ask questions. Even if we don't get the truth, we can still make them suspicious. If the Caduceus family is really behind it, it'll be hard to move... I think."
Lady Eva's words left both me and Fiona speechless, nodding in agreement.
So, even if we can't corner them with this information, it's still enough to play a significant role in restraining them.
But I wanted to add one more thing.
That is, to take advantage of the opening the Caduceus family showed us. In other words, the opening they gave us by kidnapping me all the way to a foreign land and not killing me.
I told Lady Eva and the others.
"I don't know who in the Caduceus family is involved, but there's one person who's definitely involved, and I have a hunch about them..."
It's almost certain that this person is an enemy, and they probably know some information.
"...Who is it?"
Lady Eva asked with a serious face, but it seemed like she had realized something.
As if to confirm my thoughts, I quickly blurted out the name.
"You must have realized, right? ――It's Chloe Caduceus."
"But, isn't Chloe... the one who was taken as a hostage against you?"
Fiona asked, and I replied, "That's exactly why."
"The guys who kidnapped me only referred to Chloe as 'my precious person.' So when I saw the staff Lady Eva and the others were using when they set up the teleportation circle, I thought the hostage was Lady Eva..."
"......"
"...Fiona? Do you understand what I'm saying? There's no hidden meaning behind Mr. Aaron's words..."
"......I know it."
The air between Lady Eva and Fiona grew tense as a crucial fact was revealed.
I nodded and continued.
"But when I was actually teleported to the wilderness, the hostage wasn't Lady Eva, but Chloe. At that point, I had hardly spoken to Chloe. It's a bit unnatural to call her a 'precious person'..."
"It's more than just a bit unnatural, isn't it..."
"I think there are two main reasons why Chloe, with whom I had a shallow relationship, was taken as a hostage. One reason is that they couldn't find a suitable person to take as a hostage around me..."
"Ahh......Fiona is..."
"I'll take revenge if they come at me."
"That's right, isn't it? And besides...I don't really think about it much. Mr. Aaron's friend, Mr. Lion, was an Expert Explorer before, right? He's not suitable as a hostage either..."
"Well, the person who becomes a hostage is up to me. The reason they couldn't find one is that their information gathering abilities are weak... that's all, right?"
I looked at Lady Eva, seeking her agreement.
Lady Eva nodded strongly, saying "Of course, that's right."
"Eh, yeah...well, that's right..."
"Ah...and another reason why Chloe was taken as a hostage is that if the Caduceus family is behind the scenes...don't you realize?"
"In other words, Chloe is also a member of the enemy organization, and the kidnapping and hostage situation were all just an act...right?"
Fiona seemed to have realized it too.
I nodded deeply.
"That's correct. And if Chloe is an enemy, it explains her inconsistent behavior after I rescued her..."
"Did she really behave like that? I didn't notice anything when it was explained before..."
"I also realized it after I obtained information that the Caduceus family was suspicious."
Now that I think about it, there was something strange about Chloe's behavior.
"One thing is, I realized right away that the place was a desolate wasteland. It's not like you can just find a place like that anywhere, and it's not something you'd normally think of."
"Umm... but if you're knowledgeable about geography, you can infer the relationship between the magical energy capacity of the teleportation circle and the possible teleport distance, so I think even I could have predicted it."
That's what Chloe said too.
...Yeah, let's stop this conversation here.
"One thing is, Chloe tried to return by airship, taking her time."
Chloe initially suggested going all the way to the capital of the Republic of Ilias and taking a month to return by airship. Isn't that really unnatural?
"Did you just ignore what I said earlier!?"
"Instead of going through mountains and forests, wouldn't it be way faster to return directly? But Chloe was really hesitant about it at first... Don't you think that's weird?"
"...No, I think that's weird too."
"Now that I think about it, while I was away from Necronia, there was an attack on the clan and the 'Great Outbreak'... Maybe they failed to assassinate me, so they tried to disperse out forces a bit by taking my time to return... Or maybe they had an accomplice in the capital of the republic who had a new plan to assassinate me..."
"...When you put it that way, it's definitely possible..."
Lady Eva still doesn't seem convinced, though.
On the other hand, Fiona is already convinced, saying "I knew it!" and "Chloe is the enemy!"
"And what's most decisive is... what happened today."
"...!!"
Just that, and Lady Eva seems to have realized it. Or maybe she had suspected it from the start...
I wasn't convinced myself, but her reaction now has convinced me.
"What's going on?"
Fiona tilts her head, so I explain.
"[Four-Square Boundary Disruption] is a powerful boundary magic. I don't think I can break it, and I don't think anyone else can either."
"Huh? But didn't she break it?"
She――We're talking about the false angel.
So, at first glance, it seemed like the false angel broke the [Four-Square Boundary Disruption] using some kind of Space magic during that battle.
But if you think about it calmly, that's weird.
"I don't know what kind of magic she used back then, but I could sense the amount of magical energy infused into the magic. It was definitely enormous for a single living being to use, but it's still no match for Lady Eva and the others, who had the assistance of magic stones and staffs. Even if it was Space magic that broke the barrier, the scale of the magic is too different to be effective."
"...So, what's going on...?"
"I thought maybe that shameless guy who was spying on us did something, but even when I think back, there were no signs of that. ...So, there's only one answer, right?"
The barrier magic that shouldn't have been broken was broken.
But if there's no one who can break it, then it wasn't broken――
"Someone must have released the barrier. One of the 4 mages must have. That's right, Lady Eva?"
"......"
Lady Eva nodded with a dark, sunken expression.
"...It's probably true. I didn't have confidence in it, but right before the parasite attacked the barrier, the magic's structure seemed to collapse. And that's why the [Four-Square Boundary Disruption] was broken...if you think about it that way, the pieces fit together."
"So...the one who intentionally collapsed the magic's structure is Chloe, right?"
"Yeah, probably, without a doubt. ...My instincts are right on the money."
Unfortunately, the warning I gave just before was meaningless.
Chloe knew she was suspected, and yet she still went ahead and broke the barrier, making her suspicions even stronger.
You could say the possibility of Chloe being the "enemy" is extremely high.
But, that has a big significance. The fact that we know someone who is likely a member of the True Identity organization, which is shrouded in mystery.
It's likely that, considering Chloe's bloodline, she's not just a low-ranking member. She must hold a certain position within the organization.
"I'd like to secure Chloe's safety and extract information, but... what do you think, Lady Eva?"
"It's possible, but I wouldn't recommend it. Even if we restrain her, Mr. Aaron's speculation alone isn't enough evidence, and if we forcefully detain her, we'll be the ones committing a crime."
"...How about we kidnap her without anyone noticing?"
Fiona casually suggests.
Well, we don't know what kind of security Chloe has, but it's not like it's impossible to do.
However, Lady Eva shook her head at this proposal as well.
"The [Four Great Families of the Seals] thoroughly manage their bloodlines to prevent them from being leaked outside, and Ms. Chloe is a member of the Caduceus main family, even if she's an adopted child. If we kidnap her, we'll be caught within half a day, even if we try to avoid detection."
Well, that's how it is...
Whether we kidnap or restrain her, it's a last resort.
But if we can identify the traitor, we might be able to extract some information by manipulating them.
"Anyway, that's it. I've conveyed the information I wanted to. Now it's up to Lady Eva to handle it. Who to tell, who not to tell..."
"...Understood. Let me think about it for a bit..."
With a solemn expression, Lady Eva nodded deeply.
"――And, Aaron?"
"What is it?"
Just as the conversation was wrapping up, Fiona opened her mouth again.
"Is that the end of your story?"
"That's right, isn't it?"
"Then it's my turn now."
"Huh? Do you have something to say?"
As I asked, she suddenly gave me a piercing stare.
"Is something going on? No way. I'll have you tell me. How did you know about [God's Body]?"
"Hmm..."
I fell silent for a moment, pondering Fiona's question――then opened my mouth.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)