Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: An Arrow That Lost Its Target
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Vampire Duke Territory.
Investigation Headquarters.
I found the place where the criminals had died, together with Grandfather.
Thanks to the hunters preserving the scene, everything from back then was left intact.
"How is it?"
Grandfather, who had been examining the area for a long time, finally spoke.
"It's definitely suicide."
They'd been fleeing desperately,
and then they do this at the end?
All of them, at the same time?
"It's strange, isn't it?"
"It is strange. Circumstantially suspicious, but there are no traces left at the scene."
With Vampire's Bridge sealed off,
they were rats trapped in a jar.
I thought we'd almost caught them all.
On the flip side, the enemy must have felt the terror of being nabbed any moment.
'Did they cut off the tail? To protect the main body?'
That was the only thought that came to mind.
If these guys were the main body, they wouldn't have chosen death as their final resort.
"Heir! Heir!"
A hunter came running up fast.
This had been happening a lot lately.
Looks like they'd found another criminal's body.
"Heir!"
"Yes, where this time?"
"Madam Brilda has taken her own life."
"What!?"
I'd clearly heard it,
but the words didn't compute.
For a moment, my mind just blanked out.
"She took her own life in the mansion."
"...Why?"
Brilda.
Why?
Was she the type to commit suicide?
No.
Were her crimes that severe?
Not compared to her status.
Even if all the revealed sins were true, Brilda would get nothing more than house arrest.
She was the lady of the Frontier house, my stepmother after all.
It might be a big deal for commoners, but not for nobles.
So why?
I clutched my hair with both hands and yanked.
The shocking news had my brain frozen.
"Elwin."
"Grandfather..."
Grandfather gently wrapped his hands around mine.
Then lowered them.
In that brief moment, strands of hair were pulled out in my grip.
"Don't try to understand everything at once."
"..."
"Unravel it one piece at a time."
"Sorry. I just panicked for a second..."
"Take slow, deep breaths."
"Yes."
I drew in a big breath,
and slowly let it out.
After repeating a few times,
my dazed mind started working again.
"I'll leave this place to you, Grandfather."
"Got it."
"I need to head to South Castle. I'll take the Chase Mercenary Group with me."
.
.
The heart of Frontier.
South Castle.
Even after passing through the gates, I didn't slow down.
Headed straight for the Frontier mansion.
The Frontier mansion was eerily quiet.
No swarm of maids like usual,
no retainers constantly coming and going.
I entered the funeral hall set up in one corner of the mansion.
Inside, only maids and mansion workers were keeping vigil.
I went in and confirmed the body.
'Brilda...'
It was definitely Brilda.
Not some scheme of hers, either.
She was really dead.
I pulled the cloth back over Brilda's face.
Then stepped back a few paces.
Standing there, I offered a silent prayer.
Memories with Brilda surfaced.
The first time I woke up in this other world,
I had no information at all.
When I heard Brilda was my mother back then, I'd clung to her.
'I can picture Brilda's flustered face.'
After marrying Alensia,
I remembered her seeing me off as I left the mansion.
Brilda, who had always been cold, smiled that time.
Probably because marrying Alensia meant I'd be out of the running for heir.
When I returned to the territory after the broken engagement,
I recalled how she'd paraded countless retainers to flaunt her power.
'Life is truly futile.'
Not a single one of those retainers standing by her side back then had shown up.
Probably because the winds of power had shifted decisively.
I finished my silent prayer and raised my head.
Anna handed me a flower.
I placed it atop Brilda.
Leaving the funeral hall,
the heavy air felt a bit lighter.
'First the attackers, now Brilda like this...'
Too many things happening at once,
my head was a mess.
Murmur. Murmur.
Murmur. Murmur.
Suddenly the funeral hall grew noisy.
Then they started dismantling the temporary structure.
"What's going on?"
"Since the Heir has paid respects, we're now taking Madam to Paonia."
"To Paonia?"
Paonia was Brilda's family home.
Even so, Brilda was Frontier now, wasn't she?
Her name had changed to Brilda Frontier upon marriage.
At that moment,
Brilda's personal maid Anna approached.
"It's written in Madam's will."
"Will? Where is it?"
"On the desk in Madam's room."
I bolted up to the third floor in one go.
And picked up the will left there.
The will was filled with regrets about her life.
Self-recrimination for failing to make Gibson the heir.
Hatred toward Father for confirming me as heir.
Regret for recklessly raiding the merchant caravan.
And fear of me closing the noose.
"Brilda... wrote this?"
Impossible.
What kind of person was Brilda?
'Then who killed her?'
The problem was, that didn't make sense either.
Who could infiltrate the lord's mansion on the third floor and kill the lady of the house?
Without anyone noticing.
I set the will back on the desk,
and inspected the room.
I couldn't believe the will's contents.
Brilda's suicide felt fake too.
So there had to be some trace.
I searched the room, down to every speck of dust.
"Too clean."
Nothing more, nothing less,
it was a textbook noblewoman's room.
Moderately expensive items placed around,
bookshelves stocked with the cultural tomes noble ladies favored,
and neatly organized trendy teas and snacks they all loved.
"This Brilda's room?"
No room for doubt, yet that's exactly why I doubted.
I'd been in plenty of noble ladies' rooms before.
Well, precisely Alensia's room.
What was hers like?
Stuffed with all sorts of vital information.
Would Brilda be any different? No.
Neither Alensia nor Brilda were typical noble ladies.
They were real political players.
While Father guarded the territory,
Brilda had managed the Frontier internals.
And her room looked like this?
Then one person came to mind.
"Anna."
I looked out the window.
The room had darkened while I searched.
I rushed down to the first floor to find Anna.
But,
"She's already left?"
"Yes, she took Madam and departed for Paonia."
Together with the Chase Mercenary Group,
I pursued Anna.
Clop clop. Clop clop.
Clop clop. Clop clop.
Even atop the galloping horse,
my mind didn't stop racing.
'The only one who could tidy Brilda's room is Anna.'
Even if she hadn't done it herself, she'd have noticed any changes.
Yet she said nothing...
'Could she be connected to Brilda's death too?'
If Anna helped an assassin?
Couldn't she kill Brilda in the mansion?
No way... Anna herself?
I shook my head.
It was all just my speculation.
Catch Anna, interrogate her, and the picture would clarify.
"Halt!"
The Chase Mercenary Group blocked the funeral procession.
"Where's Anna?"
The people glanced at each other,
then one stepped forward.
"The maid Anna said she had business and split off midway."
"Split off midway? Where?"
I pinpointed where Anna had left,
and turned back.
'Lucky I brought the Chase Mercenary Group.'
The investigation HQ had Salamander and Chase mercs.
Good call bringing Chase.
They had hunters.
We arrived at the described spot,
and analyzed the traces left there.
"They're right. One of the group headed that way."
"Good. Track the footprints."
"Yep!"
The footprints veered off the road and led into the forest.
'Weird. A maid going into the woods alone?'
Even on the continent, not just Monster Island, that was dangerous.
"Heir!"
"What is it?"
"The trail... it cuts off."
"Cuts off?"
I rushed to the front.
The tracking hunter explained the situation.
Looking where he pointed, I saw faint traces.
But...
"Nothing ahead. Vanished clean."
"Kidnapped? Or monster attack?"
"No signs of people or monsters approaching. She literally vanished on her own."
"You mean...?"
"Yes, the maid hid her own tracks."
So Anna wasn't just any maid?
Skilled enough to evade a hunter's pursuit?
I weighed it in my mind.
Should I bring Grandfather here?
And track Anna to the end?
At that moment,
"Even Campbell-nim would struggle with this."
"Grandfather too?"
"Just my guess, but yeah. Not even the tiniest trace."
Just who the hell was Anna?
I'd been surprised before by her economic savvy.
But martial prowess? Never imagined.
"No way..."
What I'd dismissed as fantasy might be real.
'Someone with this skill could kill Brilda without a trace.'
And she was her personal maid to boot.
Easy to approach quietly.
Anna was definitely a key lead.
But if even Grandfather can't track her?
Give up the chase here?
When I'd found a clue to unravel Brilda's death?
Maybe even uncover the unknown enemy behind them?
The hunter examining the traces stood up.
Then shook his head.
"Impossible. Even if Campbell-nim came, it'd be tough. Any lingering traces would be gone by then."
Am I losing another lead?
Would time pass and Anna turn up as a corpse too?
All sorts of thoughts swirled, but
I couldn't just stand here.
As leader, I had to decide.
"For now... we head back to the mansion."
First things first,
handle what I can, one by one.