Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Dogs Are the Best for Finding People
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Prince Marib's office, after Ian had left. The aide, summoned at dawn and rushing back, hurried inside without even fixing his disheveled hair.
Knock knock.
"Your Highness. It's Paal."
"Come in."
Unlike usual, Marib was perched by the window. His gaze was fixed outside, as if searching for a path in the darkness.
"Ian Hielo Viscount was just here."
"Ah, yes."
"He said Gail will take down Wesley."
"Yes?"
Had he misheard? Paal rubbed his face dryly, as if trying to shake off sleep. Gail taking down Wesley? Wasn't that clipping his own wings?
"It can't be. Did Lord Ian say that?"
"He said we'll know once we see the results of next week's personnel meeting. I can't believe it, but since he said it, there must be something to it."
The aide realized why Marib had summoned him so urgently. He was to find out what situation would force Gail to take down Wesley. What was so precious that he'd abandon Wesley to protect it—that could become Gail's Achilles' heel.
"And is there any way to obtain truth serum?"
"It's possible, but it will take time. Or in the case of truth serum, from Lord Ian..."
Marib had seen truth serum only once, at a briefing on commercialization discussions, and that was the first and last time. Some were still in research, but the Magic Department had been reluctant to show it off prematurely. The aide trailed off with a small sigh.
"You're thinking of using it on Lord Ian."
"No matter how I think about it, something feels off."
What was it? He was clearly bowing his head, yet it felt like he was looking at Marib as an equal. For example, hadn't a single one of Marib's orders to Ian been properly carried out? Sending support to the Mana Stone Management Division, not supplying Luron Stones, and so on.
'They had logic and merit, so I went along, but that very fact irks me subtly.'
A chess piece on the board should naturally have no will or ego, but every move felt like getting advice from the side. If he kept following, he'd lose his own center and judgment.
"Pay special attention to Gail and Wesley's movements. The personnel meeting is next week, so if they act, it'll be soon. Also, look into the person in the Magic Department who contacts Gail most frequently after Wesley."
That person would be Gail's pick for the next minister, his second wing. The aide bowed his head at Marib's command and replied that he understood.
"By the way, Your Highness, we got word from the Rutherford Merchant Group. They're planning to cross Hawan and enter Bariel again within this year. Probably aiming for summer to autumn."
"Rutherford? Has it been that long already?"
Marib took off his glasses and lightly rubbed the bridge of his nose. The merchant group he unofficially sponsored, longtime acquaintances, alchemists.
"There was nothing else in the letter. No enclosed mana stone either, so a reply might be difficult."
Swoosh.
The aide handed Marib a small letter and added that it was too shabby to believe it was a report for a prince.
"Did they find 'it'?"
"Probably. If not, they would've mentioned it. Fine. We'll deal with this in the second half of the year anyway."
A merchant group's basic job was buying, selling, and transporting commissioned goods. The fact that they were coming to central Bariel via Hawan, as before, proved they'd fulfilled Marib's request.
'They'll pass through Merelrof via Hawan again, like that time.'
Time had indeed passed. Merelrof's lord was dead, and neighboring Bratz had become Hielo territory. Marib chuckled and tucked the letter into a drawer.
* * *
Ian and Romandro arrived at the mansion around dawn. After changing clothes, Ian headed back to the Magic Department, while Romandro returned to the administration to monitor the situation. As soon as Ian stepped out of the carriage, Berik, who had been waiting, flung the door open wildly.
"Iaaaaan!"
"You idiot, you'll wake the whole neighborhood!"
Romandro covered his mouth with a finger, but it was useless on Berik. He came charging over, then stopped abruptly and scanned Ian up and down. Because of the bloodstains.
"W-What, Ian, what happened?!"
"It's nothing. No need to make a fuss."
"This isn't your blood, right? It's the other guy's?"
"It's mine."
"Damn it, why'd you come home beat up? Who the hell did this?!"
A lantern lit up on the second floor of the mansion. Clearly Mini or Vivianna had woken up from the commotion. Romandro scowled at Berik like a scolding parent before hurrying inside. Ian did the same. Berik circled around, frantically searching for Ian's wounds.
"Which empty-headed bastard did this to you? Huh? Don't you need a doctor?"
"Oh my, Lord Ian! Heavens!"
"Mini, sorry for waking you. I have to leave right away—prepare some clothes for me."
Mini, in her nightgown, froze in shock. But she quickly snapped to and headed upstairs to prepare Ian's outing clothes. Ian shoved away Berik, who was yelling nonstop beside him.
"Our Lord Ian Hielo Viscount! Huh? A viscount! A mage! The rarest gem in the world! Should I kill the bastard? Or huh? Break all his bones?!"
"Seriously, they won't blame you for failing your guard duty, so cut it out. My head hurts."
"Ah, right. Heh heh."
Berik scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. His master had come home bloodied while he was passed out drunk, so he was venting first to preempt a scolding. That aside, he was genuinely startled and worried.
"But seriously, what happened? Does it hurt?"
"It's a side effect of the magic potion. No pain, so no issue. By the way, where's Hasha?"
He wasn't around during the day when they left, and no sign even at dawn. Berik picked his ear and shrugged. He'd just woken up to the carriage sound—how would he know Hasha's whereabouts?
"No idea."
"...What?"
Ian paused while unbuttoning his shirt. He'd heard Hasha had been going out often lately, but not coming back this late. More importantly, Hasha was a smart kid. Being in the capital meant he knew to hide from Wesley's faction.
"Lord Romandro! Mini!"
"Y-Yes?"
Romandro, who had been greeting Vivianna, hurried down. Mini too. Ian took the fresh clothes and asked.
"Mini, do you know any places Hasha might go?"
"Hasha, um, he just went around the neighborhood inside and out."
"He never came back this late?"
"Yes. Though I've come home sleeping sometimes, so I thought maybe today too. Hasha still isn't back?"
In the current situation, trouble for Hasha would be bad. The kid was the sole survivor to testify about forbidden necromancy. After lighting the fuse by meeting Gail and Marib, a summons for Hasha would come soon.
The problem was not knowing exactly when.
"Hasha disappeared?"
"Not disappeared, but there seems to be a problem."
"Oh god, this is driving me crazy!"
"Fortunately, we secured testimony via brooch, but it's hard to accept as objective evidence. For now, we should send people out as quickly as possible."
Mini, listening quietly, gasped and covered her mouth. The brooch came to mind.
"What's wrong?"
"W-Well..."
"Mini, time is short."
"The brooch. Hasha has it. Specifically, on a necklace."
It was to record fragments of the past that suddenly came to mind while staying still. Layering testimony upon testimony. Romandro frowned in dismay, but Ian's face brightened instead.
"Hasha went out wearing it?"
"Yes, probably. And this is a high-class residential area for officials, so stray dogs without owners get caught. To wander around, he needs a mark like that."
"Huh, did he leave the neighborhood and go far? That'd make him an easy target."
A flashy necklace on a dog would attract threats from vagrants or thugs. As Romandro clutched his cheeks and wailed, Ian waved it off.
"Go get the leather pouch."
"Leather pouch? W-Wait a second!"
The brooch Derga had pinned to Ian's chest. It allowed recording and location tracking simultaneously. A directional needle made of the same mana stone as the brooch—not a compass needle—would roughly indicate Hasha's position.
Click.
"H-How do you read this?"
"It's a low-grade mana stone, so even I don't know precisely. Just gauge by direction and light intensity."
The compass's mana stone needle pointed north. The light was faint but not out. Meaning quite far away.
"Berik."
"Yeah?"
Whoosh!
Ian tossed the compass to Berik, who caught it reflexively. But he immediately flinched as if touching something he shouldn't and threw it onto the sofa. He'd caught on to the order.
"You're sending me?"
"You want me to go?"
"No distance reading. How far do I go?"
"At worst, within the capital. If it goes beyond, send word to the mansion and keep tracking."
"Kids always stay out late playing!"
"You're the youngest here."
"That's bullshit! You're the youngest!"
"Ah. Right."
True. Ian had forgotten he was living a second life. With his curt reply cutting off the banter, Berik flopped onto the sofa and whined.
"Go find Hasha. If anyone threatened him, do whatever you want."
As Ian straightened his newly changed clothes and muttered, Berik's ears perked up.
"Kill, spare, slice, stab—up to you."
"...Mana release?"
"Of course not. Probably not even that level."
He'd left before Karenna's mayor's letter arrived and hadn't returned, so likely not Wesley's doing. And if it were her, Ian would've gotten a reaction by now. More likely caught up in some unlucky mess.
"No take-backs later."
"Moderately, with some thinking."
"Of course! I'm so smart!"
Berik's eyes sparkled as he grinned, and Romandro clutched his forehead. That guy had zero self-awareness. Ian glanced at the breaking dawn and hurried his preparations to head to work.
"Come on, Berik. Bring Hasha back safe. I'll reward you."
"What?"
"Ever eaten a whole pig by yourself?"
Crash! Bang!
No sooner had Ian spoken than Berik bolted outside. He dashed right, realized the direction was wrong, and veered left.
"I wonder if we can trust that one."
"Dogs are the best for finding people, aren't they?"
Ian nodded, watching the dawn sun rise. Just as many things had happened to him overnight, perhaps many things had happened to Hasha too.