Chapter 42, You’ve Come Too Far (1)

Translator: Lizzz

Editor: Hedge

 

It all started with Sia.

 

Kalian had helped him when he was being chased.

 

Afterward, he arrested the man who attacked him while trying to catch Sia. That was when the man’s mouth revealed the name of Blue Warbler. And Blue Warbler offered up another name.

 

Hale Latran.

 

Kalian galloped through the rain, thinking of the man who had become the convergence point of everything that had happened so far.

 

The cold rain helped clear his thoughts bit by bit. With that clarity, it was not difficult to deduce the reason for collecting Divine Artifacts. Kalian glanced briefly at the ring still emanating magical power and conveyed his message.

 

– It’s Randel. By offering Divine Artifacts to Tansyll, he maintains ties with Randel. Since he is on Plants’ side, naturally the collection of Divine Artifacts has to be done in secret. That’s why he went through Secritia’s spy to purchase Divine Artifacts at such inflated prices.

 

Allan’s amused chuckle could be felt in response to Kalian’s words.

 

– While maintaining ties with Randel, he put one foot in Plants’ camp, and behind the scenes, he had even tried to send me gifts. He was even selling Cyries information to a spy from Secritia.

 

– What an impressive character indeed.

 

– For now, I think we need to quickly return to the castle.

 

Someone on Randel’s side could be an enemy to Kalian. Hence, the feeling of unease arose.

 

– At the banquet, when I put him to sleep, I kept thinking he might not have been drunk.

 

[He is someone who kept many secrets. If he had pretended to be drunk, it could be to either test how I would treat him or for some other scheme.]

 

– Did you put a sober person to sleep and leave?

 

– If he wasn’t drunk, then that’s exactly what I did.

 

Kalian urged on his already galloping horse.

 

– I don’t understand why this horse is so slow. If it were Raven, we would have arrived already!

 

– Ride slowly. You’ll break your neck at this rate.

 

Ignoring Allan’s calm warning, Kalian only continued to increase the horse’s speed.

 

Meanwhile, Allan arrived at his mansion, passed by the singing statue, and entered the house. He began brewing a cup of coffee in the kitchen.

 

As he leisurely savored the aroma of black coffee dripping drop by drop, Kalian’s voice came through again.

 

– By the way, what’s the name of that Priest who’s supposed to be here?

 

– Malcom Chetish. Rmain said he would be Latran’s butler.

 

Kalian, wiping away the raindrops trickling down his hair, furrowed his brows. [The butler? Then, isn’t he the same person who had been flustered when I asked about the Priest?]

 

– I thought he was uncomfortable because Count Latran was being rude. But it seems it was because Count Latran was lying.

 

Allan, who had nothing particular to say about that, posed a different question.

 

– Did you properly silence that spy, Blue Warbler?

 

Kalian nodded, though Allan could not see it, so Kalian continued to answer.

 

– Yes. Since it wouldn’t be good for other spies to know that a Cyries Prince secretly met someone in Latran, they’ll keep their mouths shut on their own.

 

After saying that, Kalian slowed his horse’s pace. The Count’s castle was coming into view.

 

Steam rose from the horse’s body that had galloped through the rain.

 

Waiting for the knights to come take the horse made him anxious. So Kalian handed the reins to Kyrie and Yuran, who had followed him. Then, being extra cautious of any watching eyes, he returned to his room.

 

* * *

 

“I told you, the Prince is out for a walk. Aren’t you being too persistent?”

 

After returning to his room and using Clean magic to deal with his rain and mud-covered appearance, as well as the mud marks on the windowsill and outer wall, he heard someone’s angry voice outside the door.

 

It was Ian’s voice, sharp with anger.

 

“The Count wishes to apologise for his improper behaviour at the banquet and wants to see the Prince before the night is over. So, if you could just tell us when he will be back…”

 

These words followed. It was butler, Malcom.

 

[So that man is the Priest.]

 

Malcom was persistently clinging to Ian, who was making an excuse that Kalian had gone for a walk. It seemed Hale Latran had sent Malcom at this hour, saying he wanted to apologise to Kalian.

 

“This isn’t the attitude of someone trying to make amends for impropriety. Since when does a Count’s butler have the right to interrogate a Prince’s movements?”

 

Ian’s voice had turned utterly cold as he rebuked the butler.

 

Kalian, who needed to send away this butler first, quickly hid his robe behind the door. Then he undid one shirt button and appropriately disheveled his hair.

 

After that, he put on an extremely angry expression and opened the door abruptly, speaking in an irritated voice.

 

“…Impossible.”

 

Malcom looked very surprised when the person who was supposedly absent suddenly appeared, and Kalian continued.

 

“I cannot even rest.”

 

Though he had an unpleasant feeling that he was now imitating Plants, there was nothing better for driving away unwanted visitors.

 

“Your Highness. That’s not…”

 

Malcom bowed his head nervously.

 

Pretending not to hear that, Kalian spoke as if scolding Ian.

 

“You. I told you to turn them away with an appropriate excuse, and you can’t even do that one thing.”

 

“I apologise, Your Highness.”

 

Ignoring Ian’s quick apology, Kalian slammed the door shut hard.

 

*Bang!*

 

The sound of Malcom apologizing and retreating with hasty steps could be heard. A moment later, Ian entered.

 

“Were there any other visitors or suspicious things besides that butler?”

 

“The butler that Your Highness just drove away was all. As for suspicious things, there was a certain Prince who left through the window and came back through it.”

 

Ian, picking up the robe from behind the door, spoke as if he had been waiting to say this.

 

His voice was full of thorns; he had probably been quite shocked by the sight of Kalian jumping through windows. Kalian laughed while patting Ian’s shoulder.

 

“You came back faster than expected.”

 

“That’s how it turned out. But really, why were you so angry? You weren’t like that at the palace.”

 

“Because there’s no one at the Royal Palace who crosses lines like that.”

 

After answering this way, Ian began to report what had just happened.

 

“At first, I said what you told me before you left, Your Highness. That you weren’t feeling well and went for a walk. But that butler was truly rude. He kept asking when and where you went out, and when you would return. Then, Your Highness suddenly appeared.”

 

When one thing became suspicious, every action seemed to have dubious aspects. So Ian’s report sounded strange. Kalian frowned and asked.

 

“He kept asking when I would return?”

 

“Yes. He wanted to know more about when you would return. Saying he wanted to apologise for what happened at the banquet.”

 

“If his intention was to track my movements, I could understand asking where and when I left, but it doesn’t make sense that he was more curious about when I would return.”

 

Kalian just nodded silently without further words. Ian, having delivered his message, spoke while thinking about how Kalian must have been soaked in the rain.

 

“I’ll prepare your bath.”

 

“Yes. Thank you.”

 

Soon, Kalian sat down and habitually tapped the table. Allan, who had still not broken the connection, waited silently even though he could not hear any sound for a while.

 

After sitting quietly like that for a while, Kalian leaned back in his chair and called out to Allan.

 

– Master.

 

– Yes. Please speak.

 

Allan’s response came immediately.

 

– It seems Count Latran indeed wasn’t drunk. If I had put him to sleep with magic while he was truly intoxicated, he wouldn’t have woken up by now. And his butler came and kept asking when I would return. So Count Latran was not trying to keep track of me. Rather, it seems he was wary that I might be tracking him.

 

There was only one reason why the Count would want to avoid the situation by pretending to be drunk. Kalian continued.

 

– Blue Warbler was at the tavern. But, she was not waiting for me. She was waiting for Count Latran. Today was the date for the Divine Artifacts trade. That was why the Count tried to slip away by pretending to be drunk. But when he woke up, he heard I had already gone out, so he asked such probing questions, worried that I might have noticed something.

 

All that talk about waiting for Kalian and being honoured to serve him, coating his words with honey. From that time, he must have already been planning how to escape from the banquet.

 

Either way, it was not a matter to be overlooked. If Blue Warbler’s words were true, here was someone making money by selling Cyries information to spies and using that money to carry favours for Tansyll.

 

Having finished that line of thought, Kalian conveyed his message to Allan.

 

– It will rain again tomorrow and I’m stuck here. So I should catch this bat who’s been selling Cyries information to spies before I leave.

 

To that, Allan immediately asked.

 

– Is there anything I can help with?

 

– Do you have any appointments tomorrow?

 

Kalian promptly asked in return.

 

As always, Allan would cancel all his appointments for Kalian’s requests. Therefore, Allan answered as if he had been waiting.

 

– I’m supposed to meet with Rmain, but I can postpone it.

 

[You are postponing an appointment with the King for me?] Kalian made a startled expression and spoke with concern.

 

– Master, at this rate you might really get exiled to Liberen.

 

This time, Allan laughed.

 

Kalian shook his head as if he could not stop him and said.

 

– It won’t take long, so please meet with His Majesty first and then go somewhere for me.

 

– Understood. What should I do?

 

– Please send someone to Count Latran’s estate.

 

He meant Hale’s estate in Cyriesus.

 

Since there was only Hale in this castle, the rest of his family must surely be staying in Cyriesus. He wanted Allan to send someone to look for evidence there.

 

– And please go to the Beurisen Trader’s Guild.

 

At those words, Allan spoke with great amusement.

 

– Since Count Latran owns copper mines, shall I pretend to inquire about copper prices at the Beurisen Trader’s Guild and return?

 

The idea was that if there were signs of Allan investigating something in the capital, Hale’s side would also make moves, and they could watch out for that.

 

Understanding the meaning well, Kalian answered Allan.

 

– Yes. That’s right. Please do that. And please send one messenger bird with what I’m about to tell you now. To Latran castle.

 

– Sure. Please tell me the contents.

 

Soon Kalian dictated the letter contents to Allan. Allan laughed very loudly at hearing a certain name that went into the letter.

 

* * *

 

That night was truly long.

 

Near midnight.

 

After finishing his conversation with Allan, Kalian postponed his bath and once again visited the man held in prison. And finally learned the man’s name.

 

“Norton. Norton Ramirez.”

 

Norton, who spoke thus, although missing one arm, looked much more comfortable than in the afternoon. He seemed to have accepted well enough that they could not save his arm, which had rapidly developed gangrene.

 

Whether it was because he had worked as a guard at the mine where serious injuries occurred every other day, or because he had become a death row prisoner, Kalian did not know.

 

At any rate, Norton was looking at Kalian as if wondering what business he had this time. After all, had he not already told him everything he knew?

 

Then, perhaps feeling anxious from Kalian’s expressionless face, he hastily opened his mouth.

 

“Has… has something happened to my wife?”

 

Norton, who until just recently had been speaking informally, now asked this way due to his anxiety about his wife.

 

Kalian shook his head.

 

The ones who would have made such tasteless threats to Norton had already lost their heads. Blue Warbler probably never cared about Norton’s wife from the beginning. She might not even have known where Norton’s house was. Norton’s wife had no connection whatsoever to Blue Warbler.

 

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

 

“Then why…”

 

Kalian spoke while looking at Norton.

 

“If you stay like this, you’ll be executed in a few days.”

 

Having damaged his shoulder when they first met and taken his arm in the second meeting, Kalian had come a third time to tell him he would soon die.

 

So Norton’s expression could not possibly be good.

 

Before an angry Norton could open his mouth, Kalian cut in.

 

“Help me.”

 

Norton frowned.

 

Kalian continued with his still expressionless face. “If you do, I’ll make it possible for you to receive treatment.”

 

That was similar to what Kalian had said in the afternoon.

 

However, what Kalian meant this time was not about healing his arm. He meant he would remove the death row prisoner label that made treatment unnecessary.

 

Norton did not understand right away and looked at his arm. Kalian, without showing impatience, spoke again.

 

“You lost that arm as payment for drawing your sword against me, so I’m saying I’ll set you free. I can arrange for you to live in another territory and provide you with a suitable house and farmland.”

 

“What kind of matter requires such generous conditions?”

 

“Because it could be dangerous.”

 

Norton replied with a wry laugh.

 

“Tell me. What do I need to do?”