Book 2: Chapter 52.3 (1/2)

Father’s Cold-Bloodedness

After the young lady exposed her father’s sin, a painful silence descended. The Earl did not show any signs of surprise and watched the young lady attentively, with his arms folded. The chief butler shut his eyes, with a glum look, and Captain Maxim just stood with his mouth agape.

Naturally, it was the young lady who broke the silence.

「Father, you knew that House Riviere was the mastermind behind channeling the skill orbs into the black market, but you couldn’t do anything about it. Even with the “Magic Eye of Inquiry”, you are the only one who can tell apart the other person’s lie. Even if you were able to strike down the nobles below the rank of Earl, you cannot lay hands on the top authority, one of the state’s leading Dukes, so you first planned an attempted poisoning of Kluvshrat-sama. …Captain Maxim!」

The young lady suddenly called out, so the captain responded “Y-Yes,” with a shrill voice.

「I asked Reiji earlier, but it seems that he doesn’t know anything. Did you receive any medicine from my father just before we left for the Sprout and New Moon Banquet?」

「Ah, yes. I was told that it was a panacea that works against all kinds of poisons. If by any chance someone collapses, I was to administer the medicine. …Ah.」

It seems that he was telling the truth, but Captain Maxim shut his mouth, as he was shot with a sharp glare by the butler.

「Father, you probably expected that either Lord Ethan of House Ebene or Lord Ethan’s escort would see through the poison. And in the unlikely event that Kluvshrat-sama swallowed the poison, Captain Maxim will cure it. But in that case, Captain Maxim’s actions would be too suspicious that your subsequent actions would be restricted… and similarly, since Reiji detected the poison, your actions were still restricted.」

To detect poison and cure poison is a double-edged sword that would arouse strong suspicions on yourself. Therefore, the Earl’s next move has to wait until the situation calmed down—until January.

「The man who administered the poison… you killed him immediately, right? If you stored that man with a cold storage magic tool, you can preserve the body. In reality, you must have planned to have House Ebene detect the poison, and then make up a story that the suspect was sighted on House Riviere’s grounds. And if that man’s corpse was found in House Riviere, you would be able to legally search House Riviere with full support. The corpse was already secured, so you can forge as much evidence as you like. You knew for certain that House Riviere was the mastermind behind the skill orbs in the black market, and that if you search their residence, you will definitely find concrete evidence, correct?」

Ouroboros going on rampage was a rare opportunity which turned out beneficial for the Earl. I wonder if his plan was probably to do it after the skill orb awarding ceremony from the start? The Earl had to prioritize giving the young lady a skill orb above all else, after all.

The Earl must have someone else besides Captain Maxim working for him. Even when I was talking to El-san at the Holy Royal Palace today, I sensed many people lurking outside. I didn’t dare ask about that.

Even if a damaged corpse was placed in the Duke’s residence amidst the chaos, it wouldn’t look too unnatural.

「A splendid reasoning.」the Earl said, laughing gently. Neither denying nor affirming.「You are already… a full-fledged noble, I see.」

「…It is the result of father’s upbringing.」

「No–」the Earl said, glancing at me.「…That is not a conclusion you can reach without strong resolve and conviction. Owing to a certain someone.」

Me? That can’t be, right?

「Earl, I also have something to ask.」

「What is it, certain someone?」

Is it me after all?

「…Err, you didn’t know that something would happen at the awarding ceremony, right? So, why weren’t you there?」

「Oh, that’s easy. Many of the priests attended the awarding ceremony. So it was a chance to check the private room of the priest who was channeling the skill orbs to House Riviere. I found a secret book containing messages titled “Destroy immediately”, but the priest probably kept it just in case House Riviere decided to betray him.」

I see. The awarding ceremony was the best time to investigate the priest, huh. So the Earl had a reason to wait until the awarding ceremony…

「After that, a dome of darkness appeared. I sensed that something was strange, and searched for something that could be a weapon, and took the stone that I happened to find. That stone has been reputed to have a special power since long ago.」

Well, at the end of the day, the Earl’s slender arm couldn’t destroy the dome, so I had to destroy it instead.

「Earl, why did the priest channel the skill orbs to House Riviere? Isn’t it a grave sin?」

「That’s easy. Money. …Remember this, Eva. The world runs on money. And people drive themselves to ruin chasing after money.」

The line of sight of the young lady and the Earl met.

Right now, I don’t know what the young lady is thinking. When she confided in me about her guess – and most likely also the truth – she was already looking so pale that she might have collapsed. But right now, the young lady has a resolved look.

「Father. Did you commit an injustice in order to correct another injustice? To the point where you even killed a person.」

Did the young lady really have to utter such words? I wondered over and over. I was also slightly aware that the Earl’s behavior was strange. And I always had an uncertain feeling due to that. But the young lady noticed before I did. If I hadn’t told the young lady anything extra, the Earl would have continued fooling everyone with a beautiful lie.

The young lady is still 12 years old. Even if she had become an “adult”, does she have to bear the duty of an “adult” so soon?

(Had I been a little smarter, the young lady wouldn’t have noticed.)

Still – I don’t know if it would be months or years later – I think she would’ve reached the truth on her own and questioned the Earl head-on, as she is doing now.

To be frank, I would have liked this to happen in a place I couldn’t see, a place I didn’t know, or a place I couldn’t hear. That was my true feeling. This is too painful to bear.

「…The man who poisoned the dish was originally supposed to be executed. He was a man of one of the noble houses who was involved in the channeling of the skill orb, and for some reason he escaped without being caught. The man understood his crime, and knew that the blame would extend to his wife and children who were extravagant with their money.」

The Earl paused his words there.

I’m sure the Earl offered a deal, something like “If you give your life, your wife and children will be overlooked.”

「Father, crimes must be judged by the law.」

「That is correct. I am sure House Riviere will be judged.」

Ah… this person has decided to treat the young lady as an “adult”. That much is clear from his wording.

And so long as she is treated as an “adult”, he must have decided not to show his true intentions anymore.

Even if they are the only family left to each other.

「…………」

The young lady’s face, seen from the side, looked strained. Like she was desperately holding back from crying.

The young lady must have expected the Earl to tell her everything. That’s why she confronted head-on.

I had a feeling that it was a “bad bet”, and unfortunately that premonition was right.