Chapter 27 Ominous Presence
"...Looks like I was a bit late."
Stepping into an empty warehouse in the Belmont territory, Sigurt lets out a sigh as he surveys the desolate scene.
No, to be precise, it's not completely empty.
There lies a maid, a silent corpse.
"Hmm, it seems she was a maid of the Belmont family. A single stab to the heart with a sword, instant death."
Marquis Alvine Neithardt, a knight who accompanied Sigurt and Neil, confirms the body lying in a pool of blood.
In the maid's hand, there was an ID with the family crest, indicating she belonged to the Belmont family.
There's no doubt about it.
"Why did they kill her? Wasn't she one of them? I don't get it..."
Neil, still a child despite his skills, turns pale in front of the maid's corpse.
To him, it's incomprehensible why someone from the same side would be killed so brutally.
What a kind boy, Sigurt thinks of his dear friend.
"Most likely, it was to silence her. They eliminated anyone who knew the truth to leave no evidence of the deal."
"For such a reason...!!"
Neil clenches his teeth at Alvine's words, reaching out to the maid's terrified face and gently closing her eyelids.
In silent prayer, hoping for her peace, Neil bows his head, and Sigurt lightly closes his eyes as well.
"Anyway, it's certain that a deal with monsters took place here. We can assume the monsters have already been handed over to the Duke's family."
In the midst of this, Alvine announces.
Hearing this, Neil suddenly looks up.
"Then, could it be that they're at the Duke's residence...!?"
"I doubt they would transport them directly to the mansion, but... there is one concern..."
Alvine spreads out a map and draws a line between their current location and the Duke's residence.
Neil tilts his head, wondering what it means, as Alvine points to a specific spot.
"Actually, we received information that today, the Duke's daughter was seen entering this forest with daughters from other families. If they were to transport the monsters from this location to the Duke's residence, it would be right in their path."
"Wait... no way!?"
"Yes. There's a slight chance, but... if a carriage were to have an accident here, there's a possibility that monsters could attack the young ladies."
The moment Neil heard that, his expression turned pale, even more so than when he saw a corpse.
Even though Yumie said she could use magic, it was just weak magic for show.
She couldn't fight at all.
The thought that Yumie might be attacked by monsters and end up as a silent corpse like the maid from earlier──no matter how small the chance, it was enough to blow away Neil's calmness.
"Sigurt!! I'm going to Yumie first!!"
"Calm down, Neil. We don't even have confirmation that the monsters are being transported to the Duke's residence, and even if they are, it doesn't mean an accident will definitely happen, right? I'll prepare a fast horse, so until then..."
"Running is faster than a horse!! I'll leave the other possibilities to you, Sigurt!!"
Before Sigurt could respond, Neil enhanced his whole body with magic and took off running at an incredible speed.
Really, when it comes to his sister, he becomes blind to everything else──Sigurt thought in exasperation, but at the same time, he found that impulse somewhat admirable.
In the royal family, there is no such thing as family affection.
(Because I was born into the royal family, I can't avoid being caught up in political struggles, whether I want to or not. So, even if we share the same blood as siblings, I know we shouldn't be too close...)
Watching Neil and Yumie, Sigurt couldn't help but think of his sister in the palace.
Being half-siblings, with their mothers belonging to different factions, they had almost no chance to even greet each other, let alone get along.
Still... sometimes, he thinks.
If they could forget all those entanglements and get along like those two, how wonderful would that be──.
(...Heh, now's not the time to indulge in such sentimentality.)
He can envy them anytime.
But if he doesn't do something about the incident happening right in front of him, he might not even be allowed to feel that way.
To avoid the worst-case scenario, he has to take action himself.
"Prince, is it alright if we don't chase after that kid?"
"I won't be able to catch up to Neil's legs anyway. More importantly, we have our own things to do."
"Huh, things to do, you say?"
With a questioning look on Alvine's face, Sigurt smiles and says, "Yeah".
"It's an important matter, prepare a fast horse right away."
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