“Oh…”
The answer was deceptively simple. Rick, the very person who’d been acting as our guide, was working hand in glove with the intruders. With his help, it would have been easy to slip past the knights guarding the site.
“Now, what makes you so certain that this Rick fellow and I know each other? I’d love to hear your thought process.” The merchant flashed me an inquiring smile.
How could he ask this question with such composure, knowing how guilty he looked? This man possessed phenomenal strength of will.
Just as we were observing him, he’d been sizing us up as well.
“Thinking back,” I said, “he acted strangely at the first ruins we visited. When we spotted suspicious footprints, instead of looking for more and trying to follow their trail, Rick ran straight for the vault, almost as though he was trying to divert our attention away from them.”
“Doesn’t that vault contain national treasures and other valuable items? Maybe he was desperate to make sure they were still there.”
“Of course. I thought the same, so I wasn’t particularly suspicious at the time.”
That was the first thing that made me raise an eyebrow—but I decided I was most likely overthinking things, so I chose not to mention it.
“I only grew truly suspicious after we arrived here. Rick told us he was worried that we’d have to cut our honeymoon short—but at what point?”
“At what point?”
“Yes. When we parted ways yesterday, after the break-in at the Sivaltz Ruins, we agreed to meet up again here. We made it clear that we would continue our travels.”
“Now that you mention it, I said we’d carry on with our trip when he asked me about it.”
“That made me wonder—did someone tell Rick that trespassers were arrested outside the Volcanic Miasma Zone this morning? If so, that might explain why he thought we might call off our trip.”
That was the moment my suspicion became clear—and now it was turning into conviction.
After hearing my theory, Sir Osvalt stroked his chin in understanding. “That makes sense…”
“After that, I told Rick I wanted to take a look at an area where I’d sensed a presence, but he attempted to steer us in the opposite direction.”
“So that’s why you got upset with him! In other words, Rick was stalling for time so these guys could escape.”
“I think so. Of course, I don’t have any proof…”
I had no definite evidence. However, much as he could deny it, the circumstances suggested that Rick had colluded with the intruders.
“So what’s the truth? I know you’re listening. Come out and explain yourself.”
“I-I’m so sorry! Everything you say is, well, correct, Lady Philia!”
Rick emerged from the shadows, trembling. He hung his head, tears pouring down his cheeks.
He must have felt deeply guilty to come clean right away. Why had he committed such a shameful act? I couldn’t understand his motivations.
“Rick, even His Majesty praised your reputation as an archeologist. What happened?”
“I-I’m so sorry! Uh, I-I let my impulses get the better of me! This man told me he’d compensate me generously, and the lure of more funding for my research was too hard to resist! Indeed!”
So he’d fallen for a bribe. He’d told us that excavation work had been paused due to cuts in the nation’s budget, but I hadn’t realized how much it affected him.
Of course, that didn’t mean we could let him off the hook, but hearing his explanation did make me feel a pang of sympathy.
“I understand your situation, Rick,” I said. “Let’s start by treating the injured. Are you and your co-conspirators willing to share your testimonies outside of these ruins?”
As I suspected, Rick’s associates were the same people who had trespassed in the Volcanic Miasma Zone. From what I could sense, the injured parties weren’t doing well. As a saint, I couldn’t leave them to suffer.
“Of course we are,” said the merchant, reverently bowing his head once again. “Do allow me to apologize for my discourteous actions. You truly are a saint. You have a wonderful, merciful heart. For that, I wish to express my sincere gratitude.” He turned to the tower. “Come out! The saint has generously offered to heal your wounds!”
Hearing his call, four men came out from the tower.
Two of them had sustained serious injuries. As I’d suspected, they needed immediate care.
With that, we left the ruins together.
“Saint Heal!”
This healing spell removed any abnormalities from a person’s body, restoring them to full health. It couldn’t bring someone back to life, nor could it regenerate a lost limb, but it could treat most injuries and cases of exhaustion.
“I-I’m better! It’s like all that pain was never there at all!”
“It’s a miracle! Whoa! I can’t believe I recovered so quickly!”
The two seriously injured intruders, now healed, joyfully threw their arms in the air. Their wounds had vanished without a trace.
I was just relieved that I was able to intervene before it was too late.
From what they’d told me, they had indeed been injured on their jaunt into the Volcanic Miasma Zone.
“You definitely live up to your reputation as an archsaint.” The merchant clapped slowly, a grin plastered on his face. “Truly impressive. I know a few people who can use healing magic, but there’s no comparison. I might not know anything about magic, but I know quality when I see it.”
He knew quality when he saw it? That certainly sounded like business talk. Was this all about money for him?
What if the series of break-ins had something to do with his business?
“Now that everyone’s feeling better, I want to hear what you have to say.” Arms crossed, Sir Osvalt began interrogating the people I believed to be merchants. “First, tell us who you really are—and no lies. If you don’t want to muddy the waters even further, that is.”
He implied that deceit would incur greater punishment—but he was willing to treat them well as long as they spoke the truth. As usual, I was struck by the kindness behind his words.
The merchant closed his single eye and placed a hand on his breast. “That goes without saying. You were generous enough to help out my subordinates, and that touches my heart. I swear to speak the truth and nothing but the truth.”
I found this man mystifying. It didn’t sound like he was lying, but he was hard to fathom, as though he was hiding something deep in his heart.
“I’ll take your word for it,” said Sir Osvalt. “What’s your name, anyway? You seem to be the leader.”
“Certainly. I apologize for not introducing myself sooner.” The man spoke politely. “My name is Harry Freyer, and I am a merchant from the kingdom of Ashbrugge. These four are my underlings. I hired the pair who got injured upon my arrival in Parnacorta, so we’re not terribly well acquainted.”
Ashbrugge was known as a vibrant place for business, and it wasn’t uncommon for its merchants to travel overseas for trade—so long as they abided by the local laws. Beyond that, the name Harry Freyer sounded familiar. I remembered Lena mentioning it…
“Sir Osvalt, this is the merchant who popularized that fabric we received from the Ashbrugge royal family. I’m sure Lena said he was named Harry Freyer.”
“Oh yes, I remember. You have a good memory. This is the man she was talking about, huh?”
According to Lena, Harry was quite a successful businessman. What could have driven someone so accomplished to commit crimes in our country?
The web of mystery was getting more and more tangled.
Sir Osvalt turned to Harry Freyer. “‘Harry’, is it? Are you some sort of celebrity?”
“Oh no, don’t be ridiculous. I never would have imagined that Archsaint Philia would know my name. What an honor! For a businessman like myself, that is the ultimate honor.”
Harry bowed respectfully yet again. But just how much of it was genuine?
“On that note, Mr. Merchant, what brings you to our country? What were you hoping to accomplish by sneaking into the Volcanic Miasma Zone, an off-limits area?”
“My goodness, Prince Osvalt. Don’t you see why I spent so much money getting Rick on board and exposed myself to such risks?”
Harry observed our reactions with apparent amusement. He kept his cool, despite being cornered. This was no ordinary merchant.
There was only one thing he could be after.
“It’s the Moontear Flower, isn’t it? You’re trying to obtain the elusive plant.”
Harry’s eye narrowed, but his voice remained calm. “Correct. I knew you’d work it out, esteemed Saint. You’re as intelligent as you are beautiful.”
This was precisely why we’d kept the location of the Moontear Flowers a secret. I wasn’t sure how Harry had gotten his hands on that information, but he must have done something disreputable.