Chapter 43: Having Come Too Far (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 43: Having Come Too Far (1)
It had all started with Sia.
Calian had helped the boy when he was being pursued.
Afterward, Calian arrested the man who had attacked him while trying to capture Sia. That man gave up the name of the Blue Warbler, and the Blue Warbler, in turn, surrendered another name.
Hale Latran.
As the man who had become the focal point of everything became clear in his mind, Calian galloped through the rain.
The cold downpour helped clear his head. It wasn’t hard to deduce why someone would hoard sacred artifacts. Glancing down at the ring, which was still leaking mana, Calian spoke.
It’s Randel. He maintained his connection to Randel by offering sacred artifacts to Tensil. Since he was officially on Franz’s side, he had to acquire the artifacts secretly. That’s why he went out of his way to pay an exorbitant price to purchase them through a Secritian spy.
Calian could feel Alan chuckling at his words.
He keeps a foot in Franz’s camp while maintaining ties with Randel, all while sending me gifts behind their backs. And on top of that, he was selling Kairis’s intelligence to a Secritian spy.
Quite the remarkable fellow.
For now, I need to get back to the castle. Quickly.
Anyone on Randel’s side could be Calian’s enemy. The realization sent a wave of unease through him.
I have a nagging feeling he wasn’t actually drunk when I put him to sleep during the banquet.
After all, the man had far too many secrets.
What if he had only pretended to be drunk to test how Calian would treat him, or for some other ulterior motive?
So you put a perfectly sober man to sleep before you left?
If he wasn't drunk, then yes, that’s exactly what happened.
Calian urged his horse to go even faster.
I don’t know why this horse is so slow. If it were Raven, we’d have arrived by now!
Ride slowly. You’ll break your neck at that rate.
Ignoring Alan’s leisurely warning, Calian only pushed the horse harder.
Meanwhile, Alan arrived at his estate, passed the singing statue, and entered his house. He then began brewing a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
As he savored the aroma of the dark coffee dripping drop by drop, Calian’s voice reached him again.
By the way, what was the name of the priest who’s supposed to be here?
Malcolm Chettish. Lemain mentioned he’s likely the butler.
Calian, roughly wiping the rainwater from his hair, furrowed his brow.
If he was the butler, wasn’t he the same man who had looked so flustered when Calian had asked about the priest earlier?
I thought he was anxious because Count Latran was being rude. It seems he was flustered because the Count was lying.
Having nothing to add, Alan asked a different question.
Did you make sure to silence that Warbler spy?
Calian nodded, though Alan couldn’t see him.
Yes. If word gets out among the spies that she came all the way to Latran to secretly meet a prince of Kairis, it won’t end well for her. She’ll keep her mouth shut for her own sake.
With that said, Calian slowed his horse. The lord’s castle was coming into view.
Thick steam rose from the horse’s body after its frantic gallop through the pouring rain.
Too impatient to wait for the knights to come and take the horse, Calian handed the reins to Kyrie and Yuran, who had followed close behind. He then slipped back to his room, taking extra care to ensure no one saw him.
* * *
“I already told you His Highness is out for a walk. Aren’t you being a bit too persistent?”
After returning to his room, Calian used Clean Magic to tidy his rain-soaked, mud-splattered appearance and clear the stains from the window frame and outer wall. Just as he finished, he heard someone arguing angrily outside his door.
It was Yan’s voice, sharp with irritation.
“The Count wishes to apologize for his disrespectful behavior during the banquet and insists on seeing His Highness before the night is over. So, if you could at least tell me when he will return…”
The butler, Malcolm, pleaded in response.
So that man was the priest.
Malcolm was persistently pestering Yan, who was sticking to the story about Calian being out for a walk. It seemed Hale Latran had sent Malcolm at this late hour under the pretext of an apology.
“This doesn’t sound like an attempt to apologize. Since when does a count’s butler have the right to question the whereabouts of a prince?”
Yan’s voice had turned icy.
Needing to get rid of the butler first, Calian quickly shed his robe and hid it behind the door. He then unbuttoned the top of his shirt and messed up his hair.
Forcing a deeply annoyed expression onto his face, he flung the door open.
“…I simply,” he began in an irritated tone.
Malcolm looked utterly startled by the sudden appearance of the prince who was supposedly out.
“…cannot get any rest,” Calian finished.
He felt a brief pang of displeasure, realizing he was acting just like Franz, but there was no better way to drive away an unwanted guest.
“Your Highness, it is not that…” Malcolm bowed his head, thoroughly flustered.
Pretending not to hear him, Calian turned as if to reprimand Yan. “I told you to send them away with a proper excuse. You couldn’t even manage that simple task.”
“My apologies, Your Highness.”
Ignoring Yan, who played along and apologized quickly, Calian slammed the door shut.
Slam!
He heard Malcolm apologizing as he scurried away. A moment later, Yan stepped inside.
“Did anyone else visit? Was there anything else suspicious besides that butler?”
“That butler you just chased away was all. As for other suspicious things, there was a certain prince who snuck out through the window and snuck back in the same way,” Yan said, picking up the robe from behind the door as if he had been waiting for this moment.
His voice was full of thorns, likely because he had been quite startled by the stunt. Calian just chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
“You returned sooner than I expected,” Yan said.
“Things just turned out that way. Still, why were you so angry? You weren’t like this at the palace.”
“Because no one at the royal palace crosses the line like that,” Yan replied, then began to recount what had happened. “At first, I told him exactly what you said before you left—that you went for a short walk because you weren’t feeling well. But that butler was incredibly rude. He kept asking where you went, when you left, and when you would return. And then Your Highness suddenly popped out.”
Once suspicion took root, everything began to look doubtful. Yan’s words struck Calian as odd. He furrowed his brows.
“He kept asking when I would return?”
“Yes. He seemed far more interested in your return time than anything else, claiming he wanted to apologize for the incident at the banquet.”
“If he wanted to spy on me, I could understand him asking where I went and when I left. But it makes no sense that he was more curious about when I would return.”
Calian fell silent, his lips pressed into a thin line as he nodded. Having finished his report, Yan, realizing Calian must have returned soaked to the bone, spoke up.
“I will go prepare your bath, then.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
Soon, Calian sat down, his fingers tapping on the table out of habit. Alan, who had yet to sever their connection, waited in silence, though he couldn’t possibly hear the sound.
After a moment, Calian leaned back in his chair and called out.
Master.
Yes, go on.
It seems certain that Count Latran wasn’t actually drunk. If he had been that intoxicated and then put to sleep with magic, there’s no way he would have woken up already. The butler came and kept asking when I would return. This means Count Latran wasn’t trying to spy on me—he was on guard in case I was spying on him.
There was only one reason the Count would want to slip away by pretending to be drunk.
I believe the Blue Warbler was at the tavern to meet Count Latran, not me. Today must have been the day of their sacred artifact transaction. That’s why the Count feigned being drunk to get away. But when he woke up and heard I had already gone out, he asked so persistently because he feared I might have noticed something.
He had coated his words in honey, saying how he had been waiting only for Calian’s arrival and how honored he was. Yet from the very start, he must have been plotting how to escape the banquet.
In any case, this was not a matter to be overlooked. If the Blue Warbler’s words were true, he was a man who sold Kairis’s intelligence to a spy for profit, then used that money to do good deeds for Tensil.
Having reached his conclusion, Calian sent his thoughts to Alan.
It will rain tomorrow as well. Since I’m stranded here anyway, I might as well catch the bat who’s selling out Kairis before I leave.
Alan immediately asked, Is there anything I can do to help?
Do you have any plans tomorrow? Calian asked just as quickly.
As always, Alan was the type to cancel any plans at Calian’s word. He replied as if he had been waiting for the question.
I was scheduled to meet Lemain, but I can postpone it.
Calian wore a dumbfounded expression. Master, at this rate, you might actually get exiled to Libern.
This time, Alan laughed.
Calian shook his head in resignation. It won’t take long, so please meet His Highness first, and then go somewhere for me.
Understood. What would you like me to do?
Please send someone to Count Latran’s residence.
He was referring to Hale’s residence in Kairisis. Since only Hale was present at the castle, the rest of his family was surely in the capital. He wanted Alan to send someone to search the house for evidence.
And please visit the Brissen Trading Company.
Alan replied, sounding highly amused. Since Count Latran owns a copper mine, should I go to the Brissen Trading Company and pretend to inquire about copper prices?
He meant that if Alan showed signs of investigating in the capital, Hale’s side would surely make a move, which they could then exploit.
Calian, pleased that Alan had understood his intent perfectly, replied, Yes, exactly. Please do that. And then, send a carrier pigeon to Latran Castle with the message I’m about to give you.
Go ahead.
Calian dictated the contents of the letter. Upon hearing a certain name included within it, Alan burst into hearty laughter.
* * *
The night was indeed very long.
It was close to midnight.
Having finished his conversation with Alan, Calian postponed his bath and visited the man in the prison one more time. Only then did he learn his name.
“Norton. Norton Ramirez.”
Despite having lost an arm, Norton looked much more composed than he had that afternoon. He seemed to have accepted that his rapidly necrotizing arm could not be saved. Whether this was because he had guarded a mine where severe injuries were common, or because he was now a man condemned to die, Calian couldn’t tell.
In any case, Norton was staring at Calian, his expression asking what he wanted this time. Hadn’t he already told him everything?
Then, perhaps sensing something ominous in Calian’s face, he spoke up in a hurry. “Did… did something happen to my wife?”
Though he had been speaking informally just moments ago, his anxiety made him address Calian with caution.
Calian shook his head.
The people who would have made such threats against Norton had already lost their heads. The Blue Warbler likely never cared about Norton’s wife from the start and probably didn’t even know where she lived. She had nothing to do with this.
“You don’t have to worry about her.”
“Then why are you…”
Calian looked at Norton and said flatly, “If you stay here, you will be executed in a few days.”
On their first meeting, Calian had ruined his shoulder. On their second, he had taken his arm. Now, on their third, he had come just to tell him he was about to die.
Naturally, Norton’s expression soured.
Before the man could open his mouth, Calian cut him off.
“Help me.”
Norton’s face twisted.
Calian continued, his own expression unreadable. “If you do, I will make sure you receive treatment.”
It was similar to what he had said that afternoon.
This time, however, Calian wasn’t talking about healing his arm. He was offering to strip away his status as a death row convict, rendering any such “treatment” unnecessary.
Norton didn’t understand immediately and stared down at his severed limb. Calian, without losing patience, spoke again.
“I took your arm as payment for drawing your sword against me. Now, I’m saying I’ll set you free. I can arrange for you to live in another territory, with a decent house and land to farm.”
“What kind of task warrants such generous terms?”
“Because it could be dangerous.”
Norton let out a dry laugh. “Just tell me. What do I need to do?”