Chapter 341: Snowball (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 341: Snowball (5)
Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit. It had only been a rumor at first, but as time passed, even the palace acknowledged that fact. Of course, refuting it wouldn't be too hard. I just had to set up a forum for me to prove myself and use Auril Gavis's gift there. Then I could salvage my reputation and my status as a baronet.
But... Something is off.
The more I thought about it, the more wary I felt. And rightfully so, because a dead person had immunity; not literally, but in moral terms. Since there was no point in asking the dead to answer for their sins, people didn't usually dig deeper into or pay much attention to said sins. Yet it had happened anyway, a situation where a dead person was rumored to be an evil spirit and the palace had confirmed it.
I should lie low for a while...
This wasn't normal. I didn't see it as an act of god or something coincidental like that. The reason the rumors had spread was that someone wanted something. And since the palace acknowledged it, it would be smarter to assume they had done so for a reason.
But the problem is, I have no idea what that reason is.
I didn't have enough information, and so it was dangerous to go to the palace and say, "I'm back alive," and take the stand to defend myself. Not everyone would welcome the news of my survival. In fact, there could be someone out there who would see my survival as unfortunate enough to want to neutralize me altogether. If that person was in the palace, I was as good as dead.
...Standing on that stage can come after I at least figure out what's going on.
Soon, I decided on my plan for the time being. First things first: collect information without informing anyone of my return. Clearing my name and restoring my noble status and reputation would come after that.
"Hah..." After getting my thoughts somewhat in order, I let out a long breath and checked on Erwen, who was lying on the bed.
It seemed I would need her help for the time being. Right now, I didn't have the money to even buy clothes, let alone find a place to stay. It was impossible to conceal my very recognizable appearance to go out and gather information in the first place. To be honest, her attitude today was very uncomfortable...
But seeing as she's passed out after drinking so little, it seems her old self hasn't completely disappeared.
Just as I was watching Erwen sleep like an angel with that thought in mind, her eyes opened. "How long are you going to stare out the window like you're waiting for someone?"
Huh...? She wasn't sleeping?
***
The particularly calm, peaceful moonlit night had passed and as soon as it was morning, Erwen put on her jacket and got ready to leave. Clearly anxious, she issued the same warning several times. "You cannot go outside while I'm out. I have a way of finding out if you take even one step outside. Okay...?"
I was curious what that method of hers was, but I just nodded and asked where she was headed. "Are you going back to your holy land?"
"Yes. I should stop by."
True, I heard she became the pureblood of the elves and made a contract with the Elemental Ruler. She had tribal duties and responsibilities—
"Because I'll need more money from now on."
"...Hm?"
"I'll get rid of everything I need to there and find a better house for you within the day. This place... is n-not the best, is it?"
"...In what way?"
"I mean... it's not that I don't like it, either... but it'll be better to start off in a better place..."
...You know, I'm just going to interpret that as this inn having too many cons to use as a hideout.
"Then... I'll be back?"
"Ah, wait. Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Sorry? Favor? Do you want me to buy you meat?"
"No, not that... Not that you shouldn't buy meat. Anyway, this is a different favor." I asked Erwen to stop by the bank and check on my safe, and if something was inside, to bring it to me with no questions asked.
"Okay. See you later, Mister!" Erwen readily accepted my request and left. She didn't seem all that reliable, though.
She'll bring it back all right... right?
I felt oddly anxious, but there was nothing I could do. If I went out, someone would definitely recognize me.
Still, I'm glad Amelia came back to the present first.
It was only last night that it hit me that the safe's storage period of twenty-two years had been exceeded, much to my bewilderment. Thankfully, it seemed Amelia had taken appropriate action. Otherwise, she wouldn't have left me that command.
"The safe..."
She probably went there in advance and extended the storage period. She was truly a trustworthy woman.
Looks like she's gotten even stronger in that time too.
The summoning radius of a doppelganger created through Self-Replication was typically five yards, and once summoned, its range of motion was a hundred yards from the original body. But it didn't seem like Amelia's main body was in the area during the fight yesterday at all. Simply put, she must have acquired a new skill. For reference, three skills worked well with Self-Replication and could get rid of the above restrictions. But considering Amelia usually heeded my advice in the past, there was a high chance she'd absorbed the one I recommended.
Dual Control.
So it would be logical to assume she took the essence of a Twin Hydra and gave her doppelganger independence, since I explained the cons of the other possible skills to her at length.
Anyway, I should get some sleep...
I was very tired since I stayed up pretty much the whole night, so I headed over to the bed and closed my eyes.
"Mister, wake up."
"Ah... you're here..."
When I opened my eyes again, I saw Erwen. The sun was slowly setting outside the window. A glance at the clock told me that about eight hours had passed.
"Did anything happen outside that I should know about?"
"Were... you worried about me?"
No, I was sleeping.
"Of course."
"...Hehe, this is kind of nice."
"Ahem, so, how did it go?"
"Ah, that? I had some money saved up, so I was able to find a suitable house! Since there wasn't much time, there were some things about the house I didn't like, but don't worry! I made sure to fix those parts."
"Really? That's good." I didn't really care about the house, so I cut off that particular conversation there and checked on something more important. "But... what about the bank? How did it go there?"
"...In what way?"
"I mean... it's not that I don't like it, either... but it'll be better to start off in a better place..."
...You know, I'm just going to interpret that as this inn having too many cons to use as a hideout.
"Then... I'll be back?"
"Ah, wait. Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Sorry? Favor? Do you want me to buy you meat?"
"No, not that... Not that you shouldn't buy meat. Anyway, this is a different favor." I asked Erwen to stop by the bank and check on my safe, and if something was inside, to bring it to me with no questions asked.
"Okay. See you later, Mister!" Erwen readily accepted my request and left. She didn't seem all that reliable, though.
She'll bring it back all right... right?
I felt oddly anxious, but there was nothing I could do. If I went out, someone would definitely recognize me.
Still, I'm glad Amelia came back to the present first.
It was only last night that it hit me that the safe's storage period of twenty-two years had been exceeded, much to my bewilderment. Thankfully, it seemed Amelia had taken appropriate action. Otherwise, she wouldn't have left me that command.
"The safe..."
She probably went there in advance and extended the storage period. She was truly a trustworthy woman.
Looks like she's gotten even stronger in that time too.
The summoning radius of a doppelganger created through Self-Replication was typically five yards, and once summoned, its range of motion was a hundred yards from the original body. But it didn't seem like Amelia's main body was in the area during the fight yesterday at all. Simply put, she must have acquired a new skill. For reference, three skills worked well with Self-Replication and could get rid of the above restrictions. But considering Amelia usually heeded my advice in the past, there was a high chance she'd absorbed the one I recommended.
Dual Control.
So it would be logical to assume she took the essence of a Twin Hydra and gave her doppelganger independence, since I explained the cons of the other possible skills to her at length.
Anyway, I should get some sleep...
I was very tired since I stayed up pretty much the whole night, so I headed over to the bed and closed my eyes.
"Mister, wake up."
"Ah... you're here..."
When I opened my eyes again, I saw Erwen. The sun was slowly setting outside the window. A glance at the clock told me that about eight hours had passed.
"Did anything happen outside that I should know about?"
"Were... you worried about me?"
No, I was sleeping.
"Of course."
"...Hehe, this is kind of nice."
"Ahem, so, how did it go?"
"Ah, that? I had some money saved up, so I was able to find a suitable house! Since there wasn't much time, there were some things about the house I didn't like, but don't worry! I made sure to fix those parts."
"Really? That's good." I didn't really care about the house, so I cut off that particular conversation there and checked on something more important. "But... what about the bank? How did it go there?"
"Ah... the bank...?" Her response was very vague.
That made me nervous. Was she unable to open the safe? I was sure I told her the right code. Or wait... did Amelia not get an extension?
Just as all sorts of scenarios were running through my mind, Erwen handed me a piece of paper crumpled into a ball from her pocket. "Here."
"Uh..." I subconsciously took it, but I didn't really understand what it was. "What's... this...?"
"What was in the safe. You asked me to get it for you."
"Was there a hammer in there? About this big—"
"There was nothing like that. There was only that letter."
"...Letter?" Only realizing what the paper ball was right at that moment, I carefully unfolded it. Although there was no sender, it wasn't hard to figure out who wrote it: Amelia Rainwales. "...Can I read it?"
"As you wish."
After asking Erwen to give me a second, I read the letter as quickly as possible. Despite it being full of wrinkles, it wasn't hard to read. To briefly summarize, the letter read as follows:
I've taken some measures, but in case something goes wrong and we can't meet, I'm leaving this letter. I extended the storage period, so if you leave me a note with your current location here, I'll come find you. Oh, and one last thing. Kraul's Demon Grinder is...
Unfortunately, the letter ended there. It seemed the last sentence had torn off as it was crumpled.
You left out the most important part!
I asked Erwen if she knew what the missing bit was, but she just answered that she didn't know. Apparently, she just skimmed it, so she didn't remember.
My hammer...!
My heart broke, worried something might have happened while I was away, but I decided to think as positively as possible. Yes, the future wasn't set in stone yet. It could simply be that Amelia had it. If that wasn't the case, I'd be able to find out what was going on once I wrote her a reply.
"Um, Erwen..." After burning the letter to maintain secrecy, I called for Erwen. I was going to ask if she could put the reply in the safe for me.
"It's okay. It's not your fault that you received a love letter, Mister. You can't help who you are."
"Huh?"
"Ah, by the way, I made sure to dispose of the safe just in case."
"Uh..."
"You're not sad, are you? That you can't contact that woman."
I should have been angry and demanded to know why she did such a thing—I was someone who knew how to get angry when I needed to. Yeah, that was what I should have done, but for some reason, I found myself agreeing with her instead. "O-Of course not!" It was an instinctive reaction. If I were to tack a reason onto it in hindsight, it could have been that I was worried about what would happen if Erwen and I had a falling out.
"Hehe, right?"
Anyway, after that, I ate the food Erwen brought for me, and soon it was nighttime, the best time to use the power of the elemental of darkness. We concealed ourselves like last time and headed to the house Erwen had found.
"You... found this place in one day?" It was a single-family home with high fences and a private yard.
"I told you. I have a lot of money."
I mean, still, if she managed to buy a mansion like this in one day, that means she bought it at full price without even bargaining... If that's the case, can't she just buy me a new Demon Grinder?
I followed Erwen into the mansion.
Boom.
As the thick iron door closed and the bright lights of the mansion turned on, I realized there were no windows. No, to be precise, anything remotely window-like had been covered with thick boards. I had noticed it looked dark from the outside, but I thought she had just drawn the curtains.
"Um... Erwen...?"
"Yes?"
"Why are the windows..."
"Ah, these? It'll be an issue if someone peeks in from the outside..." Erwen said with a smile. "And you won't be going outside anymore, anyway."
Gulp.
"Still... was it necessary to put up planks...? If people looking is the problem, there are curtains, and the fence outside looked very high..." Sensing something had gone wrong over the course of this conversation, I hastily offered a sensible rebuttal, but my logic fell on deaf ears.
"No, you don't really understand, Mister, what a great—no, dangerous situation this is! I'm not just talking about you. What will happen if I get caught hiding you?"
"...That would be a huge problem." That was such a valid response that I had no choice but to agree with her. Not only would it be an issue, but she could lose everything she'd worked so hard to achieve up to this point.
But did my reaction boost her confidence? "Right? So this is an unavoidable measure! Because you're a troublemaker, Mister. I have no choice but to watch over you." Erwen's voice grew louder, though not for long, of course. "Oh, no... your shoulders are drooping..." When I hung my head, Erwen stamped her feet like someone who had just seen something incredibly sad and carefully proposed a compromise. "It must be tough, but cheer up... I'll let you take walks in the garden at night sometimes. Okay?"
"Really...?"
"Yes! Of course, assuming I'm next to you."
That was how my life in isolation began. Time passed, and soon it was midnight on the 15th.
[Your soul has resonated and is being drawn into a different world.]
"Ah... the bank...?" Her response was very vague.
That made me nervous. Was she unable to open the safe? I was sure I told her the right code. Or wait... did Amelia not get an extension?
Just as all sorts of scenarios were running through my mind, Erwen handed me a piece of paper crumpled into a ball from her pocket. "Here."
"Uh..." I subconsciously took it, but I didn't really understand what it was. "What's... this...?"
"What was in the safe. You asked me to get it for you."
"Was there a hammer in there? About this big—"
"There was nothing like that. There was only that letter."
"...Letter?" Only realizing what the paper ball was right at that moment, I carefully unfolded it. Although there was no sender, it wasn't hard to figure out who wrote it: Amelia Rainwales. "...Can I read it?"
"As you wish."
After asking Erwen to give me a second, I read the letter as quickly as possible. Despite it being full of wrinkles, it wasn't hard to read. To briefly summarize, the letter read as follows:
I've taken some measures, but in case something goes wrong and we can't meet, I'm leaving this letter. I extended the storage period, so if you leave me a note with your current location here, I'll come find you. Oh, and one last thing. Kraul's Demon Grinder is...
Unfortunately, the letter ended there. It seemed the last sentence had torn off as it was crumpled.
You left out the most important part!
I asked Erwen if she knew what the missing bit was, but she just answered that she didn't know. Apparently, she just skimmed it, so she didn't remember.
My hammer...!
My heart broke, worried something might have happened while I was away, but I decided to think as positively as possible. Yes, the future wasn't set in stone yet. It could simply be that Amelia had it. If that wasn't the case, I'd be able to find out what was going on once I wrote her a reply.
"Um, Erwen..." After burning the letter to maintain secrecy, I called for Erwen. I was going to ask if she could put the reply in the safe for me.
"It's okay. It's not your fault that you received a love letter, Mister. You can't help who you are."
"Huh?"
"Ah, by the way, I made sure to dispose of the safe just in case."
"Uh..."
"You're not sad, are you? That you can't contact that woman."
I should have been angry and demanded to know why she did such a thing—I was someone who knew how to get angry when I needed to. Yeah, that was what I should have done, but for some reason, I found myself agreeing with her instead. "O-Of course not!" It was an instinctive reaction. If I were to tack a reason onto it in hindsight, it could have been that I was worried about what would happen if Erwen and I had a falling out.
"Hehe, right?"
Anyway, after that, I ate the food Erwen brought for me, and soon it was nighttime, the best time to use the power of the elemental of darkness. We concealed ourselves like last time and headed to the house Erwen had found.
"You... found this place in one day?" It was a single-family home with high fences and a private yard.
"I told you. I have a lot of money."
I mean, still, if she managed to buy a mansion like this in one day, that means she bought it at full price without even bargaining... If that's the case, can't she just buy me a new Demon Grinder?
I followed Erwen into the mansion.
Boom.
As the thick iron door closed and the bright lights of the mansion turned on, I realized there were no windows. No, to be precise, anything remotely window-like had been covered with thick boards. I had noticed it looked dark from the outside, but I thought she had just drawn the curtains.
"Um... Erwen...?"
"Yes?"
"Why are the windows..."
"Ah, these? It'll be an issue if someone peeks in from the outside..." Erwen said with a smile. "And you won't be going outside anymore, anyway."
Gulp.
"Still... was it necessary to put up planks...? If people looking is the problem, there are curtains, and the fence outside looked very high..." Sensing something had gone wrong over the course of this conversation, I hastily offered a sensible rebuttal, but my logic fell on deaf ears.
"No, you don't really understand, Mister, what a great—no, dangerous situation this is! I'm not just talking about you. What will happen if I get caught hiding you?"
"...That would be a huge problem." That was such a valid response that I had no choice but to agree with her. Not only would it be an issue, but she could lose everything she'd worked so hard to achieve up to this point.
But did my reaction boost her confidence? "Right? So this is an unavoidable measure! Because you're a troublemaker, Mister. I have no choice but to watch over you." Erwen's voice grew louder, though not for long, of course. "Oh, no... your shoulders are drooping..." When I hung my head, Erwen stamped her feet like someone who had just seen something incredibly sad and carefully proposed a compromise. "It must be tough, but cheer up... I'll let you take walks in the garden at night sometimes. Okay?"
"Really...?"
"Yes! Of course, assuming I'm next to you."
That was how my life in isolation began. Time passed, and soon it was midnight on the 15th.
[Your soul has resonated and is being drawn into a different world.]