130 – The die is cast.
Royal capital Grand Seine. Reading the report posted by Meryl, Crown Princess Yuril narrowed her eyes.
At the same time, she spoke to her younger brother, who was reading the same report.
“Julius, what do you think?”
“…To be honest, both hands were raised. This is my first time in a situation like this.”
Julius said, holding up the report.
“There is not a single wound on the body that could indicate a cause of death, and there is no sign of any poison or other reaction. There are no signs of breathing difficulties due to a heart attack. …Where else would you see something like this?”
Numerous corpses discovered within the church headquarters.
All of the bodies were brought out, and the cause of death was investigated along with background checks.
The result is unknown.
He was clearly dead, but no matter how much we investigated, we could not determine the cause of death.
“…Ahead of the meeting, all sorts of strange things happen.”
Princess Yuril sighed.
In fact, the main purpose of sending the Silver Snow Knights to the church headquarters this time was to collect information.
In order to check the church’s suspicious behavior, she was planning to hold a meeting with her collaborators in the County of Wentos.
However, at that moment, two intrusions by Alan Ludwig, a criminal who had fallen into the hands of the church, were confirmed.
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Using that as an excuse, the Silver Snow Knights were dispatched to obtain at least a little information, but instead of getting the information, they ended up facing a huge situation.
“Confirmed the death of all the ambassadors, including Cardinal Gerald… There are also names of the Pauline cult that visited us not long ago and the Marconi cult that was active in the kingdom.”
While checking the list of major figures among the dead, Julius discovered a name he knew.
It is as if almost all the church officials have died.
There were no survivors inside the church.
To be precise, it was correct to say that all those inside the church ‘one day’ died.
As a result of investigating the surroundings, there was one knight member who was originally a member of the 1st Holy Knights Order of the church, but could not follow the leader because his family lived nearby.
He remained at the church headquarters, but because he was a member of the First Order of Knights Templar, he was excluded from almost all events and events.
He said that one day, because there was a very important event at church, he was ordered to stay at home for a week.
All those who were in a similar situation to him received the order and stayed at home.
And just a week had passed since receiving that order, and that was the day Merrill stormed into the church headquarters.
In other words, it could be said that everyone who was found dead in the church at least a week ago was fine.
…What on earth happened a week ago?
No matter how much I researched or thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.
If one thing is certain, it is Alan Ludwig, who is from the church and is currently infiltrating the kingdom.
It was said that he might be related.
“…Increase the number of search personnel. Tell the scene to act cautiously as something may have happened to him…”
Princess Yuril stood up.
“Julius, can I leave the work of the royal capital to you?”
“I understand, sister.”
The clear truth has not yet been revealed.
But if the culprit of this incident is Allan Ludwig, the place he would go is probably…
“…There is still time before the meeting, but it would be better to leave for the county.”
We have obtained additional information about Alan’s sightings.
This guy probably departed from the church headquarters and entered the nearest Republic… From there, he stowed away on a ship and arrived at Freyton.
And he went north from Freyton…
“…There’s a high chance they’ll come this way.”
Those words came out of my mouth without me even realizing it.
Allen’s strange obsession with Riel and hatred for me.
When I thought about that, there was a high possibility that he would follow Riel and me toward the County of Wentos.
Of course, there is a nationwide wanted order, so it is unlikely that he will come to Arianrod Fortress via carriage.
After being spotted in Freyton, a few days later, a wanted order was immediately issued throughout the capital following Aria’s report, so he won’t be moving that fast.
Then, where would he go in Freyton, the southern part of the kingdom?
Even though it’s in the southern part of the kingdom…A place he would go.
…There was one place that came to mind.
Duchy of Ignis.
Of course, it would be difficult for this guy to enter the city of Brimpton, which is the center of the city, as the security is so high, but there is a high possibility that he has infiltrated other places.
…More than anything, there is Alan Ludwig’s hometown.
It was a hometown that was only briefly mentioned in the original work, but the possibility of him being there was quite high.
So, I came to the Duchy of Ignis to go there.
… Well, at the same time, there was also the purpose of finalizing the date of her wedding to Riel.
“Oh, welcome, Mr. Kyou.”
The ducal mansion near the city of Brimpton.
The person who welcomed me when I arrived there was none other than Alicia.
Alicia Melott, no. The woman, now Alicia Ignis, smiled her smile.
“Hello, Alicia.”
“He’s waiting in the office. Come with me.”
I followed Alicia to where Prince Andrew was waiting and saw Prince Andrew struggling with a large pile of documents.
Prince Andrew raised his head as if he heard the door opening, saw me, got up and moved to the reception table.
“Prince Andrew. It’s been a while since I saw you.”
“I thought it was time to come. Come on.”
Prince Andrew sat down, and Alicia sat next to him.
As I sat down across from him, Prince Andrew gestured towards the waiting maid.
Immediately, a teacup was placed in front of my eyes.
“Ah, it’s delicious.”
“Is that so? This is black tea that has been harvested and processed recently.”
Prince Andrew smiled as he admired the fragrant taste of tea.
“Riel, she likes it very much. Let her take it with her when she returns later.”
“Thank you.”
…Well, I think this is enough for ice breaking.
“The reason I came today is… To coordinate the date of her wedding to Riel, and also…”
“Yes. I have read the report.”
Before I finished speaking, Prince Andrew opened his mouth.
“Alan Ludwig, this is probably a story about a guy who wouldn’t be happy even if he chewed him up.”
“……”
In fact, Prince Andrew and Alan Ludwig originally had little to do with each other.
Andrew Young master often wandered around the house with his parents since childhood.
Maybe that’s why, even when he was young, he had very few encounters with Alan, at most once or twice.
However, Alan showed her obsession with Riel and tried to attack Riel with her weapon in her royal capital.
At the same time, Riel greatly loathes and dislikes the man named Alan Ludwig.
The same goes for Eve Ignis, the younger sister.
For Prince Andrew, that alone was enough reason to hate Alan Ludwig.
“Are you sure that he could be in the duchy?”
“… Because he is wanted, he cannot use any means of transportation. He would not have been able to travel very far even before the search began in earnest.”
Even if you move on foot with all your might, you cannot even reach the royal capital.
In that case, there is a high possibility that it is still in the southern part of the kingdom, so if you are only looking for that possibility, it is the Dukedom of Ignis, your home.
“…Primula Village.”
“Primula?”
“That’s his hometown. I think there’s a good chance he’s there.”
“Ah, it seems like he was definitely from there.”
The duchy has numerous agricultural areas.
Among them, Primula Village is a place where various agricultural products other than grains are grown.
In the original work, it is briefly mentioned that Alan Ludwig was born and raised in the village of Primula and followed his father to Brimpton.
Then…Maybe…
A field where farming is in full swing.
The adults who sweat and work there.
Young children running around while adults are working.
In a beautiful rural village boasting such peaceful scenery, a suspicious person wearing a hood has entered.
The hood, which was tattered and stained black here and there, and the silhouette that could be seen at a glance showed that he was one-armed.
“…I’m back after a long time.”
The suspicious person, Alan Ludwig, was momentarily impressed by the sight of his hometown for the first time in a long time.
He originally intended to head straight to the County of Wentoth, where Riel was waiting.
However, he was sure that it would be bothersome if he was checked while trying to board a train or carriage, and it might actually hinder his ability to go to meet Riel.
In the end, while traveling on foot, he headed north from Brayton and reached the Duchy of Ignis.
He wanted to take a break in a small town where inspections were not strict, so he naturally headed towards his hometown.
After seeing him for the first time in a long time, his hometown felt bigger than before.
“……”
But for Alan, one thing changed significantly.
His hometown home where he spent his childhood with his mother and father.
His feet naturally went to the place where the house was, but his house was not there.
“Hmm? Are you a traveler?”
While he was standing blankly where his house was, someone spoke to him.
Alan realized at a glance that he was the village chief whom he had been indebted to as a child, so he pulled his hood down deeper.
“It would be best to stay away from that place.”
“……”
“There used to be a house there… But the child who lived there committed a serious crime and was expelled from the country.”
At the site of the house, there was a sign posted, and various swear words were written on the sign.
Something like ‘the shame of the village’ or ‘a great sinner’.
…Well, it is a rejection of those who are excluded from the group, which is unique to small rural towns like this.
Of course, it didn’t matter to Alan, who had left his hometown for a long time, but even so, he felt something boiling inside him.
It was that time.
“Stop there.”
Both the village chief and Alan’s eyes turned toward the voice.
A group of duchy soldiers wearing armor had gathered there.
“Alan Ludwig, you are under arrest. Remain calm.”
Hearing those words, the village chief opened his eyes wide and looked at Alan.
“Are you…Are you Alan? Why are you here…”
“……”
Instead of answering, Alan pulled out his sword.
A report was made to Prince Andrew that Alan was found in Primula Village.
The soldiers who discovered him moved to arrest him, but Alan resisted with his sword and repelled the soldiers.
There were wounded and dead soldiers.
In addition, the chief of Primula village was also transported with serious injuries, and it is said that he disappeared after wreaking havoc in the surrounding area.
Immediately, the surrounding soldiers surrounded the area and began searching, but the guy had already disappeared.
Well, it might not go far, but it might be hard to find.
When Prince Andrew was wondering what to do, I spoke to Prince Andrew.
“Young master.”
“Hmm?”
His eyes turned to me, and I smiled slightly and said to him.
“There is a way to lure that bastard out.”
“…Really?”
“That bastard is strangely obsessed with Riel and holds a grudge against me.”
At my words, Prince Andrew opened his eyes wide as if he realized something.
“…No way.”
“Yes, let’s announce the decision we made a while ago and lure him away.”
After that, a proclamation was issued throughout the Duchy of Ignis.
Actually, it wasn’t something I wanted to announce in such a big and expansive way, but I believed that this was the way to lure him out.
Announcing the marriage of Duke Ignis’ second daughter, Riel Ignis, and a proclamation regarding the wedding date.
And at the same time, her husband-to-be, Count Wenthos, spread a rumor that her eldest son, Kyouwentos, was visiting the Duchy of Ignis.
…In reality, such an obvious trap would most likely not be caught.
However, the opponent is Alan Ludwig, who is not in his right mind.
The die has been cast.
Now, all we had to do was wait for the prey to be caught in the trap.