Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Seeing the mansion, I could know how much Morris paid attention.

The exterior was really different, but inside the mansion he reproduced the 2nd floor corridor of the Gradias mansion that was in the Valdemar Count’s territory as is.

“From the carpet of the floor to the pictures, furniture, where did you bring them all from? Did you buy again what was sold?”

“No way. All new.”

Not only the appearance but even the atmosphere was the same.

Just in case opening the door, similarly it was my room from the Valdemar Count’s territory.

I couldn’t stay often, but mother paid attention until life so her taste was contained.

“Amazing. The path to my room and only my room can be detached like this.”

Moreover, most of the servants called after finishing the house tour were familiar to the eyes.

“Welcome, family head!”

“Really long time no see!”

The maids and workers who found young me cute.

They held the memories of that time and politely greeted containing welcome.

“Did you follow up to here?”

“No matter how far the distance, it’s heaven rather than adapting from the beginning in a new family!”

The youngest maid answered smiling.

“Kitchen, garden, coachman, carpenter for house maintenance one each, cleaning and errands two. All together six. There is also a separate residence and since there is no mistress yet, I’m thinking of maintaining with this degree.”

It can be thought many for a mansion the owner leaves empty, but compared to the mansion size it’s a considerably simple composition.

From the moment bringing Morris, it meant equipping a mansion of the level needing a butler so this degree of expenditure was sufficiently within the expected range.

Rather, whether because of the attitude I showed while organizing the family assets at that time, there was a feeling of tightening the belt tightly.

In fact the current situation was much better than expected then.

Even with the funds coming in from the Spirit Vein Forest and lumber business of the Valdemar Count’s territory, the maintenance cost of this degree of mansion is covered, and recently even the Spirit Vein Forest business rights of the Westeros Ducal territory arose so it will become much more leisurely.

To the degree it’s okay even operating the Gradias Viscount mansion of Valdemar as is.

Of course, for me who will continue going around outside, even that grand mansion is not needed.

“You worked hard. I really like it.”

Even this degree might be in the realm of some luxury, but knowing how hard it is to find a person to deeply trust and entrust this and that, it wasn’t regrettable at all.

Speaking now, in the previous life I refused Morris saying he would follow, and he steadily sent greeting letters to me.

And after I became a detective and money arose a bit and prepared a mansion, he eventually proposed wouldn’t you employ himself and the grandson he educated.

His grandson was already working well adapted as a proper noble’s butler at a young age, but unable to overcome Morris’s stubbornness he came to find me and entrusted.

Entering my mansion all aged with that upright body all shriveled, he even shed tears.

Like that he lived as my butler to the end.

When he passed away, everyone of the mansion mourned his death.

He conveyed greetings to the children then held my hand and apologized to the end for not being able to guard the Gradias family mansion in Valdemar.

I said when is that old matter and comforted that you worked hard then yielded the place to his family but there was something I regretted then.

At a young age, not to abandon so coldly him who was managing that small house the Count prepared.

“Saying so, it’s really rewarding.”

A person who smiles so brightly and enjoys with the household matters of the Gradias family.

“But sorry, after hiding these loads in a safe place, it seems I’ll have to depart right away.”

“Haha, no. Since you’re busy with work, I’ll know that and prepare quickly.”

And Morris began guiding.

“Here, there was the same space in the family head’s study too. Not completely the same but I tried to make it as similar as possible.”

He handed the blue pen among the pens placed on the desk of the study.

“Please infuse mana into this pen and sign.”

Drawing the pen on the desk with a swish, nothing was drawn.

Subsequently scribbling and completing the signature, the sound of stone scraping was heard from behind.

The thick back wall of the study opened and a narrow room was revealed.

“I called trustworthy ones of the Valdemar Count’s territory who have done the construction work of noble families for generations for at least eight hundred years and prepared. You can use with peace of mind.”

It didn’t seem that much money was used.

It seems he mobilized all the accumulated connections and networks.

I told to move all the loads in front of the study, then together with Morris transferred and organized them neatly inside the secret warehouse.

And early the next morning climbed the carriage.

Morris was amazed watching me disguising inside the carriage.

“If you age about thirty years, it seems you’ll look like that.”

“How did you know?”

“...You speak exactly as if knowing the appearance of that time.”

I passed it smiling.

“Doing like this, I resemble father, right.”

“...Correct.”

Father aged a bit outwardly after suffering the curse.

“Going to the Carpenter Viscount with this appearance too young to the point of childish doesn’t seem good. I intend to go with the appearance of a middle-aged magic practitioner.”

I heard he is a noble-like person in a bad meaning.

Extremely gentlemanly and polite to those he acknowledges, but a person with many he doesn’t acknowledge.

So preparing in advance so the client’s attitude isn’t poor.

“There would be experience... I don’t know if just decorating the face will bring such an air.”

His worry changed to admiration as time passed.

“You really look middle-aged.”

“Right?”

It won’t look like acting.

Because...

It’s not acting.

***

Time flowed, and I entered near the Carpenter Viscount territory.

“Overall it feels wealthy.”

The territories passed so far were also wealthy, but the Carpenter Viscount territory uniquely had something different.

The road.

The roads here were strangely smoothly paved even before entering the Viscount territory, and from some point the carriage didn’t shake at all.

“They say they extended this wide road all the way to the territories of this area so that materials easy to damage even with small shaking can be fully loaded on luggage carriages and moved. Seeing directly, it’s really amazing.”

“I heard they earned considerable money from long ago with trade and workshop operation?”

“Yes, the rumors were like that, but coming and seeing, I clearly know. Commerce is active.”

Carriages going back and forth fully loaded and guard corps patrolling on horseback continued to be seen.

That is, the person to meet this time is not a simple viscount, but a big merchant dominating the area.

Still running on the path of success.

***

“Ronan... Gradias.”

I wore the luxurious black clothing of Equira the master gave and wore the famous sword Ash Black.

Moreover, a middle-aged face.

Yet casually informal speech?

The courage is amazing?

But it seemed just reading the name.

He put down the document he had held close to the eyes on the desk and stood up, then smiled brightly and requested a handshake.

“Embarrassingly I thought I’d be ignored for a request to catch one thief or a clumsy one would come, but it’s an honor to receive such a mysterious person.”

Mysterious person. An interesting expression.

Did he investigate me and nothing came out?

It would be so.

If digging in detail, one could know about Ronan Gradias who is a student of Equira and became a viscount at an early age...

Even if reaching there, one would know as a same name different person, and it would be hard to think the same person suddenly became a magic practitioner and came here to resolve the request.

In this wide Empire, overlapping surnames aren’t none at all, and the scale of noble families is also hard to grasp easily.

Whether collateral or direct, family head or sibling, one can’t know without deep investigation.

In the end that one couldn’t find out what kind of person of Equira I am, and decided to acknowledge Equira’s sincerity just by looking at the appearance and sword.

As planned.

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

“Then, may I quickly convey the business first?”

“Of course.”

As you’re busy, I’m also busy.

Coming here is nominal, in fact I came to see the black mage who will cause trouble in the nearby territory over there.

“Then... Please look at this map.”

He held a thin pointer and walked toward the map of the area attached to the wall.

There the Carpenter Viscount territory was contained, but the center wasn’t the Carpenter Viscount territory.

The three-way road between them.

The middle of the road extending to Carpenter, Serjes, Akalonia.

“A strange thief appeared here.”

His pointer pointed exactly that three-way road.

It looks important. Essentially the point where the most carriages come and go.

Seeing a proper shield emblem mark drawn above it, it seemed there was even a guard corps building.

“Some thief stops carriages and searches loads or demands food, and if a fight occurs knocks everyone down and just takes as he pleases. So merchants who know him don’t stop and follow as demanded.”

“The guard corps?”

“The guard corps was also robbed like that. Comes in casually and demands food, and if not given fights and knocks all down then takes the food and leaves, they say. There were also times he cooked and ate and left. Fought for a long while but never suppressed, and fearing a public order vacuum would arise because of the guy, now if he demands food they just give it.”

Essentially an outlaw.

“If he only eats at the guard corps, it’s fortunate. Rather if so, I presented considerable money saying do the guard corps and tried to recruit. But was rejected. He said there is something to find in the merchants’ loads, so he must search the desired carriage. That was a condition that couldn’t be accepted.”

I nodded.

No greed for money of all things, certainly a peculiar thief.

“Ah, I heard, there was also a story that what he is looking for might be something edible.”

“I’ll remember. More than that, didn’t you call mercenaries?”

“Not only me but the money added one by one by merchants who suffered damage from the guy has piled, and now there is no higher bounty than that guy in this vicinity.”

“Even so, he’s settling here and not moving.”

“Yes, bounty hunters unusually just cut the neck, they say. That what... There are also cases asking if he’ll come again and if saying never comes again they spare, but not common, they say.”

“Doesn’t he kill the guard corps?”

“Yes, even if he broke somewhere, he diligently apologizes, and brings potions from somewhere and throws them, they say. Though it was what he snatched from other merchants that day...”

Certainly, if he killed colleagues, there is no way they would accept.

No matter how strong, they would have resisted to the end or rebelled.

“So before one knew it, the mercenaries or fixers stepping up saying they’ll catch also cut off. I did contact the capital side a few times, but there the scale is different again, right? Really skilled ones satisfying with that degree of bounty aren’t many coming here, and even coming they lost their lives in a row.”

“Knights?”

“It’s a viscount family, and no matter how much money, what can’t be done in a short period is a skilled knight order, right?”

I nodded.

“Essentially the guard corps can be called the knight order of our territory. We’ve treated mana users preferentially for a long time. Wherever in the territory, there are quite a few skilled ones who could become knights.”

Already sent all the forces that could be sent.

“I’m putting in support requests to the capital side but unless a crazy guy massacring citizens inside the territory, for this degree only a letter saying resolve on your own was returned.”

There were those who oversee the whole Empire and dispose of strong ones showing such abnormal behavior.

But since overseeing the whole Empire, those whose work intensity is already high, it doesn’t seem they’ll step out for this degree of matter.

Even in Equira, no one was receiving this mission until purple said he would do it and readily stamped, right.

This degree is seen as a ‘small potato.’

“Recently while preparing a new business there were many things to think. In this busy and chaotic midst, the story was heard that that guy beat the caravan leader who was preciously received in the Viscount territory. I thought it was about time to end it.”

“Oh dear.”

“So to the money piled as bounty, I wrote and sent an amount containing personal grudge to Equira. No news so I thought rejected, but thank you for personally coming.”

Lucky.

If not me, it would have been ignored.

“I want to hear the explanation about that guy.”

Might it be someone I know.

If surviving even in the future and going around acting as he pleases like that, the notoriety as a criminal would have been high so there is no way I wouldn’t know.

“Let’s see... He looks like this.”

He extended one wanted poster.

“Overall dark armor, wearing red gloves and gaiters. Uses a sword... Ah, that’s why I put in a request to Equira.”

“You did well.”

“Age is hard to gauge but about early to mid thirties...”

Regrettably I don’t know at all.

After finishing the conversation with the Carpenter Viscount, several days passed.

I moderately disguised as a fruit merchant and went back and forth the three-way road five times.

Worried it would spoil, I disposed of the fruits in the middle and filled again and came out, so he didn’t seem a diligent thief more than expected.

He said he was looking for something, but like this I don’t know even if just passing by.

Around the time thinking like that, finally the guy appeared.

“Stop there for a bit.”

A person as the Carpenter Viscount described opened the carriage door and was looking inside.

“Some food...”

The guy looked at me and looked at Berger.

“No, pass.”

“Huh?”

Closes the door with a bang without even answering.

And seeing him waving his hand outside, he seems a guy with really good sense.

Did he confirm that it’s not the person he’s looking for?

Overall a curious guy.

I got off the carriage.

And pointed at the guy already running far and fleeing and said.

“Berger, catch that guy.”

Wind pressure arose beside.

Soon two shadows grow distant but it’s okay.

I can just go find them.

© Rovin#1p34l