Secrets (2)
Secrets (2)
A secret passage behind a bookshelf.
"It's as cliché as it gets, but..."
I grabbed both sides of the bookshelf and tried pushing it slightly, then pulling it.
Contrary to my expectations, the bookshelf didn't budge an inch.
In situations like this, there had to be a hidden switch or something...
If I didn't care about the consequences, I could simply smash it to pieces, but for now, I had to be as quiet as possible.
I examined the bookshelf carefully.
It was packed with dry, heavy volumes, such as books on philosophy and history.
They were all books I'd already read back home. The books in the Baron's private study couldn't begin to compare with the Duke's proud collection.
As I scanned the books, my eyes landed on a title near the very bottom, and I tilted my head in confusion.
"Why is this book here?"
Right beside the complete collection of the [Biography of Knight Carlos]—the Founding King of our kingdom and the Duke's ancestor—sat a completely out-of-place book.
[Return of Knight Carlos]
Judging by its title alone, one might mistake it for another volume of the biography, but this book was definitely a novel about Knight Carlos's love life. A sort of fan fiction.
As a romance novel about the Founding King, it had naturally been officially classified as a forbidden book, which meant almost no one would recognize it.
I only recognized it because I'd seen it lying around, covered in dust, in the warehouse.
"Anyway, why is such an out-of-place novel sitting here?"
Just in case, I took hold of the book and carefully gave it a light tug.
Click.
As expected, the book didn't slide out, but the sound of something unlocking echoed from behind the bookshelf.
I let go of the book and stepped back.
Then I watched the bookshelf expectantly.
Yet even after a long moment, the bookshelf didn't change at all.
"In movies, the bookshelf usually slides open with a dramatic swoosh, revealing a secret passage."
Was that book not the switch after all?
Just in case, I approached the bookshelf again and tried to move it.
Hum.
To my utter disbelief, the bookshelf slid smoothly to the side, completely unlike before.
Unfortunately, the secret door in this study wasn't automatic.
I felt a little disappointed, but behind the opened bookshelf, a staircase leading down to the basement came into view.
The stairs were pitch-black, with no light at all, but channeling mana into my eyes made them easy enough to descend.
Muffling my footsteps, I quietly made my way down the stairs.
Tap, tap.
After a short while, the staircase gave way to a corridor.
As expected, this secret passage also seemed to lead outside, just like the one in the Marquis's mansion.
Could he have already escaped the mansion?
That thought crossed my mind, but fortunately, before I reached the exit, I spotted a closed door in the wall.
Light leaked through the cracks in the wooden door, and along with it came the muffled sound of voices.
"...Just wait a little longer. Though they luckily escaped, my daughter will bring good news soon."
It was definitely the Baron's voice.
He was talking to someone else.
Was the person listening to him the one I expected?
I recalled the words the Baron had whispered in my ear before I died.
"I heard you played a part in driving Maria out? You crawled out of the territory like a fool. The Duke is hard to touch, but you, who crawled out of the mansion, will die right here on this spot. This is Maria's revenge."
How absurd those words had sounded to me.
It had already happened several years ago, something I didn't even think about anymore.
Yet to think I'd end up dying at a time like this, in a place like this, at the instigation of the exiled second Duchess—it was truly mind-boggling.
There were no other eyes around, and since I'd already overheard their conversation, there was no longer any need to be cautious.
I gripped my greatsword and kicked the door with my mana-enhanced legs.
Bang!
The door shattered with a loud crash. Though I'd kicked it with a small foot, my mana blew it to splinters.
I lunged into the room through the flying debris.
Beyond the door was a small room that looked like a remodeled warehouse.
Various items were piled up on one side, while a bed, a table, and rows of wine bottles occupied the other.
The Baron was sitting in front of the table. He was in the middle of turning around, his expression startled.
I confirmed the Baron's presence.
Then I looked across from him.
I saw the woman he'd been talking to.
No, it wasn't a woman, but a portrait of one hanging on the wall.
The painting showed Duchess Maria, looking a little younger than she did now.
As I stared blankly at the painting,
"How did you get in here?!"
Recognizing me, the Baron reached for the sword lying beside him.
Swish.
The sword flew straight into his hand.
That sight snapped me back to reality.
A sword moving on its own... Could it be an ability similar to his daughter's?
Damn it, this was a pretty dangerous situation!
Startled, I hastily raised my sword and braced myself for the Baron's attack.
But contrary to my expectations, the Baron didn't attack immediately.
Holding the sword in his hand, he was, absurdly enough, panting heavily.
It looked as though simply using that ability had completely exhausted him.
Wait, was that it? It was a similar ability, but incredibly weak?
Either way, I couldn't let this opportunity slip by. I lunged forward in a single bound and swung my greatsword at him.
He must have had some training, because he raised his sword to block my incoming strike.
Boom!
But there was no way he could properly block my sword, which carried the strength and speed of a knight-class warrior or higher.
His sword shattered, and he was sent flying toward the opposite wall.
Crash! Clatter!
He crashed spectacularly into the pile of items on one side, smashed through them, and tumbled violently to the floor.
"Surely he didn't die? I hit him with the flat of the blade."
He'd flown back so effortlessly that I was actually worried the Baron might have died too quickly.
"Ungh."
Fortunately, he didn't seem to be dead. I approached him as he twitched beneath the debris.
Now it was time to get some detailed answers out of him.
The words I'd heard from the Baron right before my recent death.
"This is revenge for Maria, whom you and the Duke drove out!"
Because of those words, I had expected to meet the second Duchess here.
Instead of her, her portrait was the only thing there to greet me.
Just a solitary portrait... What on earth was going on? Well, I could simply ask the man himself.
I pulled the groaning Baron out from under the pile of items.
Though my body hadn't fully grown yet, my physical strength surpassed that of an adult, so I dragged him out without any trouble.
"Ugh, aaargh."
Even after being dragged out, he gasped for breath in agony.
Several wounds from his own shattered sword were visible. His arm looked broken, and his ribs seemed fractured, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Still, he seemed capable of speaking.
As he lay there panting, I lightly tapped his chest with the toe of my boot.
"Ugh."
As expected, he snapped back to alertness.
"Hello there. We meet again, though I didn't get a chance to greet you properly."
I greeted him politely as he regained his senses.
I performed a knight's greeting with my greatsword planted on the floor. He grimaced in pain and stared at me as if I were some bizarre creature.
"Y-You... what on earth are you...?"
"Even when no one's watching, it's best to be polite. After all, despite my young age, I possess knight-class skills, as you know."
Only then did he realize his mistake.
He'd underestimated me because of my young age, despite having no real power himself. He must have been agitated by the sudden turn of events, but that didn't excuse his blunder.
Well, it was a welcome mistake for me.
"Ugh, how did you find this place? And... how did you return? I heard you'd left the territory."
Now that he was conscious, questions seemed to flood his mind.
It also seemed someone had been tailing and monitoring us.
Perhaps he was surprisingly thorough in some ways. Though it was all meaningless now.
"I'm the one who wants to ask the questions. I want to know why a portrait of the second Duchess is hanging in a place like this, and why you tried to kill me."
Although actually killing me was something that hadn't happened to this current version of the Baron, he'd still tried to kill me just moments ago, so it wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Besides, I was genuinely curious about why the Duchess's portrait was here.
"How dare you! A mere brat breaking into someone else's house and spouting such nonsense! Ugh, is it because the Duke is a half-breed that he didn't teach you properly? I suppose nothing can be done about lowborn blood."
Had his pain eased a little? Grimacing, he showered me with an abusive "adult lecture" instead of answering.
Naturally, it had absolutely no effect.
Actually, it did have an effect. Just the opposite one.
I laid my sword upside down across his chest, right where I'd tapped him with my boot.
Then I slightly loosened my grip on the sword.
Click.
"Ugh."
The Baron squirmed, letting out a suppressed shriek.
As a result, the sword sank a little deeper, and a smear of blood seeped through the Baron's chest.
"Since lowborn blood is spilling, I suppose I should switch from questioning to interrogation."
"Ugh. Y-You bastard..."
He raised his arm as if to try something, but the mana infused in my sword had already scattered his mana.
"Let me ask again. Why did you try to kill me?"
"Ugh. When the Duke drove Maria out, you were the biggest reason! It's an absurd reason, but it's more than enough reason for you to die!"
Though his logic was incoherent, this was roughly the reason I'd expected based on what he'd said when he killed me before.
"Did the Duchess complain to you, my lord? Did she ask you to take revenge because she'd been wronged?"
But what I wanted to know was the extent of the Duchess's involvement.
Since I'd been stabbed in the back like this even after driving her out and erasing her from my memory, I might have to alter my future plans depending on the Baron's answer.
"Are you trying to frame poor Maria again?! What kind of ridiculous frame are you trying to pin on her this time, that lovely, pure, flower-like woman?!"
The screaming Baron's expression turned dazed. He continued speaking as he stared at the portrait on the wall.
"I haven't seen her in a long time, but I could feel her pain as if it were my own! Not only was she sold off to a Duke she didn't love and forced to drag out a miserable existence, but she was also framed for trying to kill a half-breed like you and driven out! Who on earth would believe such a lie?!"
As if making a confession, he poured out his words with an expression that seemed completely oblivious to his physical pain.
"I loved her from the very first moment I saw her. She knew I loved her, too. I risked everything for her. Killing you and ruining the Duke is my sole purpose in life now! And..."
Was it because of the strange fragrance drifting through the room? Or was it a delusion to escape the pain? He rambled on and on without stopping.