“So, what made the Prince of Ethenell want to come looking for an old has-been like me?”
Just as I thought, he already knew my true identity. When I considered that, in spite of this knowledge, he still hadn’t changed his expression, I felt my palms start to sweat again. That was the caliber of man I was dealing with. From the little he’d already heard, he probably knew that I was seeking more information. But... With that stupid grin on his face, I can’t discern what he’s thinking at all.
It didn’t look like bargaining with him would get me anywhere. After accepting that I’d have to abandon that avenue, I opted to be direct about what I hoped to learn.
“I want information about the people you’ve worked with in committing your various crimes up till now.”
When the man heard this, there was, for the first time, a definite change in his expression. First he opened his eyes wide in shock, then he began to laugh raucously.
“I didn’t expect you to be so blunt. You might be more fun than I thought.”
“So, are you going to tell me?”
“Huh? No way.”
I was silent. He had rejected me without a second thought.
It’s a long shot, but I guess I have no choice. I can but try.
“Is there anything I can do to make it worth your while? If you’d like a new title in Ethenell, I can arrange something for you.”
“Titles, huh? Not interested. Can’t you see how much fun I’m having now that I’m free of them?” said the man.
“So,” I couldn’t help but reply, “are you saying you deliberately left the house of a marquess in that state of affairs?”
The man just grinned in response. His expression sent a shiver down my spine.
I had thought his story was strange, ever since I first heard it. After dodging an investigation by some of the most capable members of Sorcié’s upper echelons, and without having left a shred of evidence of his involvement in the plot, how could it be that he had made one slipup that cost him his status and left him a commoner?
Now I was starting to think that, just maybe, the man had done so on purpose. The incident that had cost the man his title didn’t seem to have much to do with the man himself. He was a man to be pitied, his title stolen from him simply as the fallout of misconduct by his closest relations and everyone else around him. That was the conclusion that the people in Sorcié’s top echelon had reached. After investigating thoroughly, they had decided there was no way that he could have been involved in the incident.
I wonder about that. I think he must have been involved after all. He fooled the greatest minds in Sorcié’s upper echelon, and played the part of a man to be pitied.
“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself, using those closest to you to serve your own interests?” Knowing the facts of the case, I couldn’t stop a stern note from entering my voice.
“Not at all,” the man replied, wearing a look of utter indifference.
It seemed that my own sense of right and wrong didn’t apply here. That’s what I sensed when I looked at the man’s face.
“Ha ha ha, I’m nothing but a commoner now, an old has-been. There’s nothing left for you to gain from getting involved. If you just want to curry favor with Sorcié, I bet the information you already have is enough.” Here the man paused for a moment, then grinned and said, “If you dig too deeply, it might get the people you care about hurt.”
Though a smile played on his lips, there was not even the hint of a smile in his eyes. I fancied that I saw a profound darkness lurking behind those gray eyes. The instincts I had honed during my time as a mercenary sounded the alarm bell, warning me that he was dangerous, so I edged away from him.
The man seemed to be enjoying himself as he watched me back off.
“Don’t worry, as long as you don’t dig any deeper, I won’t do anything,” he said. “It’s getting late, so why don’t you run along, Your Highness?”
This time, he really did walk away, but I couldn’t bring myself to pursue him any further.
“Are you okay?” asked Janne, running over to me as soon as the man was gone.
“I don’t think we should mess with him. Let’s call it quits with the information we already have,” I declared. We then returned to our lodgings in the palace.
★★★★★★
A few days had passed since I went sightseeing with Cezar. Today was a typical day for me, spent at the Magical Ministry. Once we finished work for the day, Maria and I helped Cyrus harvest vegetables from the plot he kept on the grounds of the Ministry. At this time of year, there were a lot of vegetables that had to be yanked out of the ground, so we were covered in quite a lot of mud by the end, but that just spoke to how many vegetables there were to pull up, and to how big they were. I was really excited.
“These potatoes sure grew nicely. Both in size and number, these are totally different from my vegetable patch,” I said, praising Cyrus as I looked at one of the potatoes I’d yanked out of the dirt.
Cyrus looked pleased.
“Yes. They really didn’t grow much at first. After I began using some fertilizer I bought from a nearby farmer, they started to do much better.”
“Oh, fertilizer, you say? What kind?”
“The farmer kept cattle, so this fertilizer was made from cow manure; it’s really very good. It’s popular among farmers in the area.”
“Ah, I see... Fertilizer made from cow manure?” I said, a little disappointed.
“Ah, right,” Cyrus responded with a disheartened look. “I suppose you are a young noblewoman, after all. I guess fertilizer made from cow manure wouldn’t be suitable for you.”