A Shared Bedroom and a Perfect Crime
Rood narrowed his eyes at the news that he would be sharing a bedroom with Isabelle. “That won’t do. I’ll request a different room.”
Isabelle looked at him with clear disappointment. “Why? Is sleeping in the same room as me so distasteful to you?”
Rood had been about to answer, Yes. It is. I’d rather camp outside. But when he saw her face, the words died in his throat. There were times when Isabelle’s youthful features became a weapon. When she wanted something, he found himself wanting to grant any request that wasn’t too unreasonable. Yet sharing a bedchamber was one favor he could not easily give.
“It’s not that I dislike sharing the space. Isn’t it simply against propriety?”
Isabelle immediately pressed him. “Hah. You never paid the slightest attention to military regulations on the battlefield, yet now you suddenly cling to the rules?”
Rood averted his gaze. She had struck the heart of the matter. No matter how much of a knight he had become, his longer history was that of the Mad Dog, and this was far closer to his true nature.
“That was the battlefield. This is different, isn’t it? How many people die because they’re bound by rules in a place where life and death hang in the balance?”
“As a strategist, I feel compelled to refute that. If you ignore proper formations and laws and simply brawl like dogs, wouldn’t even more people die?”
At Isabelle’s words, Rood’s voice rose slightly. “When I went wild, that didn’t happen. Wasn’t it my ability that saved more lives than even your strategies?”
Isabelle deliberately cleared her throat. “Ahem. Have you never once considered that I simply factored your rampages into my calculations from the start?”
“Then—!”
Rood realized his voice had grown loud and took a deep breath. “Then was everything you said when you first brought me here a lie?” His voice trembled as he continued. “Even the part about making me your knight because I broke your expectations and produced results beyond them?”
Isabelle bit her slightly protruding lower lip and answered. “That… was sincere. I never expected you to sweep across the battlefield from the beginning, but you always exceeded my predictions.”
“Then it’s also true that you laid the stage so I could run wild.”
“W-well… yes, I suppose so.”
A heavy silence fell between Rood and Isabelle. The situation—arguing over something so trivial only to have it resolved so anticlimactically—left them both feeling awkward.
Isabelle was the first to speak again. “Anyway, I actually thought you would like sharing a bedroom with me. I’m a little flustered that you don’t.”
Rood shrugged. “Exactly what part of sleeping in the same room as you am I supposed to like?”
“Obviously this is foreign territory. As my knight, doesn’t it give you the authority to stay by my side day and night?”
At her words, Rood finally understood. Though this place was more splendid and spacious than the Voenac estate—and likely far more secure—it was still enemy soil. To protect Isabelle, he could not leave her side for even a moment. In fact, it was better that way.
“So that’s what you meant?”
“If not, what other intention could I possibly have for… sleeping together…”
Isabelle had begun to counter his reaction, but her voice gradually trailed off. It didn’t take long for her ears to turn bright red, then her entire face.
“Y-you, you! Do I look like some lustful pervert who only thinks about men?!”
At her outburst, Rood turned his head, realizing that his misunderstanding and the one she had just voiced weren’t actually that different.
“No, well… anyway, I understand my lord’s will. Now that you mention it, sharing a room does seem like a good idea.”
“Stop dodging and answer me! No matter how immature I may act, how on earth did you come to see me as such a pervert?!”
“Not at all. I have never once entertained such thoughts.”
When Rood played innocent, Isabelle instead pounded her chest with her fist, looking wronged and furious. “Fine then! How about we just sleep in the same bed? Shall we start with a bath? No, let’s just bathe together!”
Isabelle yanked off her outer robe and began roughly undoing the buttons of her shirt. Seeing her spiral out of control, Rood realized he could no longer deflect. He grabbed both of her shoulders.
“I’m sorry. It seems my thinking was rather shortsighted.”
“Rather?”
“Extremely shortsighted. I stand corrected.”
Only then did Isabelle catch her breath and begin rebuttoning her shirt. “Goodness. You talk about violating etiquette this and that, yet you commit such indecent acts without hesitation.”
With the situation settled, only an awkward atmosphere remained in the room. Isabelle occasionally stole glances at Rood standing beside her.
Could something like that… actually happen?
When Isabelle had first decided they would share a room, she hadn’t considered this particular possibility. Now her imagination began to run wild with scenarios she had overlooked. After all, when a young man and woman slept in the same place at night, anything could happen.
In her mind flashed scenes straight out of fairy tales and epics—the ones that always featured romantic entanglements between men and women.
What if something like that happens? Wait… what if it does happen?
In order to move toward the future she had seen in Mueject, such a thing was practically necessary. Still, imagining it happening right away today felt far too soon.
Besides, with this immature body, it would be impossible anyway.
Isabelle whispered softly, “Though once the seal is released, who knows…”
“What kind of scheme are you plotting now? A seal?”
“Eek!”
Rood jumped at Isabelle’s startled cry and instinctively stepped back.
“Why are you so surprised? Weren’t you thinking of a way to solve the problem?”
I was actually devising a plan that would create a problem where none existed.
Unable to say that, Isabelle gave a short reply. “Idiot.”
“How can you suddenly insult me like that?”
“Never mind. As you said, I have thought of several ways to resolve the Duchess’s request.”
Rood found her sudden change of subject somewhat suspicious, but pressing her would do no good, so he let it slide.
“First of all, how exactly has the content of this request changed, and what are we supposed to do?”
“I’ll explain step by step. Originally, the identities of people within the territory had been erased from everyone’s memories.”
Rood nodded. He had already heard this.
“But recently, a series of murders has occurred, and these victims remain in everyone’s memories.”
“Aren’t they separate incidents?”
“If they were, the Duchess would not have altered the request. Moreover, she said this was a far more serious issue than the commoners living in poverty.”
“But isn’t she the type of person who wouldn’t care at all if something happened to commoners?”
Rood spoke sarcastically. From what he had seen, Duchess Manet looked down on those who were not nobles, treating them as worthless. However, Isabelle shook her head.
“Duchess Manet simply speaks bluntly. Despite appearances, she is a generous woman who lends land and money to the commoners in her territory so they can settle, and she always relays their grievances to the Duke.”
“That woman?”
Rood felt somewhat doubtful at Isabelle’s defense, but she nodded again.
“Honestly, many of the policies I’ve implemented in my own territory were ideas she conceived and carried out first. Anyway, back to the main topic.”
Isabelle continued. “Even Duchess Manet, who cherishes her people, finds this crisis difficult to ignore. This time, it is not the victims but the perpetrator who is erasing his own identity and moving about freely.”
“Hm? What’s the problem with that?”
“Think about it. Only the results and actions of his crimes remain, while no one can perceive his existence. Yet he is killing people.”
Rood tilted his head. “Wait a moment. It’s not just that memories of the past were erased, but…”
“Correct. He has had only his identity erased. In other words, he is a ghost with a physical body.”
Only then did Rood realize the truth. Unless this perpetrator was caught at the scene, he could never be captured. No one would know who the killer was, and even if there were witnesses, they would be utterly unable to recall him. It was the birth of a being that could kill people anywhere, anytime—day or night—and simply flee. A perfect crime.
“My lord. Shouldn’t you have refused? This is too dangerous.”
“It was something that had to be done regardless. If we want to obtain tickets to Tleque, and if this criminal isn’t caught, how could anyone manage the territory with peace of mind?”
“But this isn’t even your territory, Lady Isabelle.”
“There is no law saying such a being won’t cross over into ours.”
In truth, the Helpm territory and the Voenac lands were close enough to reach by carriage in just two days. After devastating one territory, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t commit crimes elsewhere.
“Above all, isn’t this case fascinating?”
Rood interjected at Isabelle’s casual declaration that a murder case was interesting. “My lord, no matter how you look at it, calling a clear murder case ‘fascinating’ seems problematic.”
Isabelle pondered for a moment before answering. “It may be morally wrong, but suppressing one’s true feelings is also hypocrisy and therefore morally incorrect, is it not?”
“Are you genuinely finding this case interesting, my lord?”
“It is also why I continue to take on solver work even when busy. When presented with a problem that seems impossible for anyone to solve, a genius cannot help but look forward to it.”
Isabelle said, “I wonder how I will unravel this case under such adverse conditions.”
Rood was slightly surprised by her statement. It was truly arrogant—and even reckless. Yet what surprised him was something else. He himself had tasted the thrill of single-handedly breaking through a path everyone believed impenetrable on the battlefield. That was why he could easily empathize with her words.
So in the end, we’re the same.
Rood finally felt he understood why he had never had colleagues he could call friends.
“Then, my lord, how do you intend to break through this seemingly impregnable situation?”
Isabelle wiped the smile from her face and spoke with a serious expression. “We must begin with an investigation. We should listen to the witnesses’ testimonies as well.”
“But there might not be any witnesses, right?”
“There must be. Otherwise, how would Duchess Manet have known to change the request to capturing the suspect?”
Rood nodded at her words. To determine whether identities had been erased or not, there absolutely had to be witnesses to the incidents.
“Since the topic has come up, shall we go take a look?”
“Where to, my lord?”
“Obviously into the city. Prepare quickly!”
Since Rood had already finished preparing to head out, he checked his attire and nodded toward Isabelle. It was time to solve the case.