Even a Scoundrel Gets Tired

168 – The Suddenly Arrived Envelope (2)

A black envelope and black stationery.

All letters sent

from the Charlotte Ducal House

bore this very mark.

So, the Charlotte family sent this to me, but,

however much I pondered it, it felt strange.

There was no one left there

who would call for me.

Aria, who said she would

remain there for a while,

possessed a magical tool to contact me separately,

and Sino, who had followed me

to the dormitory since this morning,

was the same.

If she had something

to tell me, she wouldn’t

have suffered in silence; she would have told me then and there.

That would mean, the only

person remaining, even using the process of elimination,

was Duke Charlotte himself…

Could he have any reason

to summon me in such

a way?

Without bothering to

reveal himself directly?

There had to be a reason

why I was asked to deliver

such a letter.

Ella had said,

that the person who handed her

the letter at least

didn’t resemble Duke Charlotte.

But there was no reason for an outsider

to be carrying a letter

from the Charlotte family,

so it was certain, at least, that the person

worked within

the Charlotte household.

I couldn’t discern his true intent,

but that he’d gone to such lengths

to beckon me,

I was of a mind to accept his invitation gladly.

“Young Master, but to barge in

like this…”

“They called for us first, after all,

so there shouldn’t be any issue.”

Strike while the iron is hot, they say.

And so Ella and I, directly toward Charlotte Estate,

stood right before

the mansion where we’d recently

been staying,

awaiting someone to emerge.

Of course, we hadn’t informed them

we were coming.

After summoning a person

with nary a word,

they’d forgive us this small spite, I reckoned.

And besides, they likely

knew I was already here.

The feeling of being watched

was constant, coming from more than one place.

No doubt it wouldn’t be long

before someone emerged

from within to greet us.

Thump, thump─

And as if to mock my very thoughts,

From within the mansion gates,

The echoing sound of shoe heels,

Belonging to someone, at least a grown man, resonated.

Not long after that,

A figure appeared, clad in attire I’d grown far too familiar with by now—

A black robe, and a black

Mask. He turned directly towards me, standing just beyond the gates,

And slowly inclined his head.

“Good day, Baron Jennison.”

“….”

“..Hearing ‘Baron’ after Master’s name just sounds odd, hehe..”

Ella scratched at her cheek, seemingly abashed,

But the truth was, hearing those words

Spoken right in front of me,

Felt just as strange.

I really should be getting used to this whole

Nobility system by now,

But still, when others treat me

As if I were some sort of exalted being,

It more often than not, feels a bit overwhelming.

“..If you found something about my manner of speaking

Uncomfortable—”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“That’s a relief.”

“..Did you know we were coming?”

“I simply received

Word from the Head of House.”

Then, the black robe he wore

Fluttered slightly, and in an instant,

The imposing gate that stood before us,

Began to creak open.

Even though no hand

Had touched it.

“Please, come in. I’ve notified the Head of House; he will be here shortly.”

“..He isn’t here then?”

“I am most apologetic, but it is as you say.”

…Truly, a person impossible to fathom.

Summoning someone here, and then

departing to some unknown place himself.

For a moment, the thought of simply

returning to my room wasn’t so bad,

although it wasn’t as if I’d come

an enormous distance.

Still, retracing this path

was a troublesome prospect, to say the least,

and the contents of the letter

weighed heavily on my mind.

So I quietly stepped inside the manor.

*Creeeaaak*,

The moment Ella and I crossed the threshold,

the door, as if by some cruel jest,

slammed shut on its own once more.

And before us,

his dark cloak billowed again.

Though not a breath of wind stirred.

“….”

“Is something the matter, Baron?”

“..No, it’s nothing.”

“Allow me to guide you to suitable accommodations.”

Was it merely my imagination?

Though the sun was still

high and bright in the heavens,

somehow, the surroundings seemed to have

grown remarkably darker.

*

“Master.”

“Hmm? Something else?”

“Baron Jennison has

arrived at the Duke’s estate, it seems.”

“Hmm, so he received my letter?”

“It would appear so, but…”

Just now, the man in the

manor, like that individual,

he was adorned head to toe

in garments of black,

The man continued his report, bound and tied.

Before him,

Charlotte still simply, endlessly,

swung her blade.

How long she had been

wielding that sword, he couldn’t say,

but a considerable amount of sweat

poured from her body.

Her frame, already showing

the heavy hand of time,

had been screaming in protest for a while now.

*Swish*—

From the direction her sword danced,

a fountain of blood

invariably erupted.

*Kyaaak*—

The cries of the monsters followed in quick succession.

“…My Lady, are you alright?”

“Hmm? This is nothing.”

“…I have served you, My Lady,

for nigh on ten years.”

“Has it already been that long? Haha, how time flies.”

“My Lady’s condition

requires rest, even a little…”

“….”

“..Forgive me, I overstepped.”

“Nonsense, thank you for your concern.”

With a smile, she

began to swing her sword anew.

And truly, it wasn’t long before

the entire area was littered with the corpses of monsters.

Only then did she finally release her grip on the weapon.

*Clang*—

That blade, which had severed

countless monster bones and carved through flesh,

was worn almost to nothing.

And yet, the sword’s body,

miraculously unbroken,

reeked of monster viscera and

a nauseating, metallic stench.

“My Lord, might I inquire as to why, suddenly,

you insist on the sword?”

The hound, however, was curious.

Why his master,

clinging only to a single-handed blade,

fought against foes each comparable to intermediate-level monsters, at the very least.

He ought to have

drawn his daggers.

Why, suddenly wielding

a single-handed sword, did he also forgo magic?

Once again, he knew it a

presumptuous question,

yet he had to ask.

‘..Could it be that something amiss befell

My Lord, back then…?’

If something were wrong

with the Duke’s body,

now was not the time for them to be lingering here.

“….”

“My Lord, perhaps something happened then…!”

“No, it’s not quite

what you’re thinking, is it?”

“..Pardon?”

“Just… a bit of regret, you see.”

“..Regret, you say?”

However,

much to his worry’s irrelevance,

there was nothing wrong with Duke Charlotte’s physical state.

Though, if one considered mental state a form of physical state, there might be a *slight* problem.

‘An imbecile who abandoned

the sword because he lacked talent,

what’s he trying to prove now?!’

“..Aptly said.”

“Sir?”

“No, nothing at all.”

“….”

“Let us depart, then.

The child must be waiting.”

“Yes, I shall make preparations.”

And so, the two of them

I turned my back on the corpses of the fiends.

In any case, most of the fiends’

remains were composed

of magic power, so if

left alone, they would simply vanish.

The carcasses of the animals

possessed by the fiends, however,

could be buried later by the townsfolk.

“Lord, what are we

to do with this place now?”

“..Tch, I’m vexed by that myself.”

“….”

“If only fewer magical beasts had emerged, I would have considered using it for training.”

“If that were the case, it would have been a

truly valuable combat experience.”

“Of all the places, this had to appear in

the territory I manage… Tch.”

“..What are your orders?”

“It’s a pity, but there’s no choice.

I can’t risk people’s

lives over something like this.”

“….”

“Besides, I doubt there are any

relics to be found…”

“Then…”

“Condemn it. Erase every trace.”

“Your will, shall be done.”

“Ah, and if these things

appear again, report it immediately.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“..Of all times for a gate to appear.”

Just moments ago, the black chasm

spewed out fiends endlessly, accompanied

by a violet aura,

but now it was sealed away by

Charlotte’s hand.

The spot became instead covered in blackened corpses,

but they did not know.

This was only the beginning.

*

The Charlotte family manor remained, as ever, a place of comfort.

Indeed, one might say it befitting a Duke’s residence;

the knights and secretaries

who managed the estate,

even the lowliest servants engaged in the most menial tasks,

each and every one of them

courteous and kind.

Even to me, who would

only stay for a brief while

before departing, they showered endless kindness.

Well, perhaps it was because

I was a guest

invited by the Duke.

Still, seeing how well they treated not just me, but

Ella as well,

my heart couldn’t help but swell with warmth.

I already felt as though

I was making Ella suffer,

dragging her along with me every day.

And lately, I hadn’t even

been able to stay by her side.

Though I, of all people,

may not be the one to say it,

children need to live with a smile on their face.

“…But when will the Duke arrive—”

“Brother?”

“Hm? Who… Aria?”

“Why are you here, Brother? Just this morning you were headed to the academy…”

“The Duke

sent me a letter.”

“….”

“…Aria? Why that look on yo—”

“What… what will you do, Brother?”