Chapter 160 - <3>
Edward awoke to the sound of someone pounding violently on the door. He looked at the chain-link pocket watch he kept by his pillow; it was not yet seven in the morning. Of course, the time on this watch was set to the Yuresla Kingdom's standard time, so it would differ from the local time, but even so, it was early.
In the next bed, Anna had bolted upright at almost the same time as Edward.
"What's going on?"
Startled, Anna looked around, then met Edward's gaze with a bewildered tilt of her head.
"An earthquake… it's not, is it?"
"It seems not."
Ever since leaving the port town in the Luciana Kingdom Federation, whenever they stayed at an inn, the early-rising duo of Edward and Anna had been roommates. The real reason they shared a room was Ritz, but Edward was quite content to room with the granddaughter-like Anna, who would accompany him on his morning walks.
"Then what could it be?"
Though she had just woken up, Anna's large green eyes were wide open as if she had been awake for some time. She asked with a perplexed look.
"Well. It is certainly an emergency, there's no mistaking that."
"Is it okay to open the door?"
"Check to see who it is first."
"Okay."
With a slight sense of tension, Anna slowly rose from the bed and, still in her long nightgown, approached the door.
"Who is it?"
In response to Anna's slightly drawn-out question, a familiar voice answered, its tone more tense than it had any right to be at this hour.
"It's me. Something terrible has happened."
"Franz?"
Anna turned back to face him, tilting her head quizzically. Edward gave a silent nod for her to open it. Reassured that it was a companion, Anna unhesitatingly threw the door wide open.
"You're up early, Franz. What's the—"
Anna's words caught in her throat, her expression freezing. Edward, who had been watching, furrowed his brow. It wasn't just a pale-faced Franz standing there; flanking him on both sides, as if escorting a prisoner, were men of the Birdfolk, dressed in their clan's distinctive clothing.
"You are Grand Duke Edward of the Yuresla Kingdom, correct?"
The Birdfolk man who spoke looked past Anna's head, his gaze fixed directly on Edward. The sturdy-looking man with brown skin and silver hair appeared to be in his fifties, in human terms. Since the Birdfolk were long-lived, his actual age was unknown, but given that his companion was very young, it was likely this man was the one in charge, entrusted with full authority for whatever orders they were carrying out.
But his expression held not a single shred of amity; it was taut with a stiff tension. It seemed this was not about permission being granted to enter the holy land.
"Indeed, I am Edward Baldia, but?"
"We are the Tashkur Autonomous Guard."
"Autonomous Guard?"
"You may think of us as having a similar role to your country's military police."
"…Understood. But what business does the Autonomous Guard have with us?"
"Your subordinate, the man who was once a minister, has been apprehended this morning on suspicion of murdering a Birdfolk man."
For a moment, Edward was at a loss for words. Then he scowled and asked again.
"…I fail to understand what you mean."
"You may take it to mean exactly what I said."
The man's stern expression didn't waver. Edward looked at Franz, who stood there with a pale face. He must have already heard. Anna stood frozen, her mouth agape.
"I would like to hear the details, but I can hardly do so in this state. Would you be so kind as to wait in the dining hall below?"
The Birdfolk men nodded silently. They released Franz and went downstairs. In this country, which required diplomatic-like entry procedures, Edward's position seemed to be given a certain amount of respect. He let out a small, quiet sigh of relief. If this had been Roshozu, he could have been executed on the spot with no room for complaint. He was lucky this had happened in this country.
As soon as the door closed, Franz collapsed to the floor. Anna, her face pale, walked over to Edward's side.
"Ed-san, this has to be some kind of mistake, right? Ritz suspected of murder? That's absolutely impossible, isn't it? This isn't a battlefield, and Ritz is a strong fighter, so there's no way he'd kill someone."
"Anna."
"It's a mistake, isn't it? Right, it's a mistake!?"
She was trying to laugh it off as a mistake, but her smile was stiff, and her large eyes were glistening as if she were about to cry. The sudden arrest of Ritz, whom she trusted most, had thrown her into a state of utter confusion.
"Calm yourself, Anna."
"But…"
"First, you must calm down. When a problem arises, the most important thing is to remain calm."
As he slowly and gently admonished her, Anna's eyes remained filled with anxiety, but she nodded several times, small and quick, before finally taking a deep breath. It was clear she was trying her hardest to compose herself. To reassure her further, he added another word.
"As long as he is with you, Ritz will not kill a person unless under the most extreme circumstances. Rest assured."
"With me…?"
"That's right. He detests seeing you get hurt more than anything else. So you must believe in him."
As he gently prompted her, Anna gave a firm nod.
"You're right. There's no way Ritz would do something like that."
"Exactly."
"If we don't believe in him, then it's no good, is it!"
Anna, who had been downcast, flashed a bright smile. He knew it was forced cheerfulness, but this was her way of convincing herself and moving forward. In this oppressive situation, that was a blessing.
In contrast, he patted the shoulder of Franz, who was sitting there stunned, a stiff expression on his face. His blue eyes wavered with anxiety and confusion. In complete opposition to Anna, he was terribly weak when it came to sudden changes in circumstance. Edward spoke to Franz in a calm tone, different from how he addressed Anna. In his case, this was more effective than gentle admonishment.
"You go and get ready as well. Come to the dining hall as soon as you are finished. Do you understand?"
"…Yes, Your Majesty."
After seeing Franz stumble out of the room, he quickly got ready. The three of them met again in the dining hall downstairs to face the Birdfolk men about ten minutes later. Amidst the tense atmosphere, Edward ordered tea for everyone. As black tea was placed before the three of them, and the Birdfolk men were served this country's characteristic butter tea, the Birdfolk, who had been waiting for the three with stiff expressions, finally began to speak while sipping their tea.
The man introduced himself as Dayaram, the leader of the squad in charge of investigating the case Ritz was a suspect in. The man with him was his subordinate, also investigating the case.
"The man who was murdered is named Ashok. He is the father of Anil, whom you know."
"…Anil's father?"
The name was so unexpected that a murmur escaped his lips. Anna, sitting next to him, drew in a sharp breath. It seemed she was making an effort not to cry out.
"Yes. Last night, Ashok told his daughter, Kamala, that he was going to meet with someone from the Tashkur Liberation Front in a room at the Birdfolk assembly hall, and then he left home."
"The Tashkur Liberation Front…"
"Currently, in Tashkur, the activities of the Liberation Front, centered around the youth, have become quite active. The Liberation Front is a faction that advocates for Tashkur to belong to the nation as one of the states of the Sarnia Federation, rather than a special autonomous region, and to participate in the national politics just like the other states."
It seemed this city was not as peacefully united as it appeared; a crisis of division was brewing within this small community. Edward silently prompted Dayaram to continue.
"When Ashok had not returned by the next morning, Kamala became worried. She went with an Autonomous Guard member who was on security duty to check the lodging rooms on the upper floor of the assembly hall, where they found a single locked door. When they broke the lock with a body blow…"
Dayaram trailed off, his gaze fixed on Edward. Edward gave a small nod, and he continued.
"I see. That's where my subordinate was."
"Yes. Along with Ashok's dead body."
The graphic situation described by Dayaram cast a hush over the room. Since a moment ago, Anna and Franz hadn't even touched the tea before them. Franz, in particular, was severely shaken, his eyes vacant. Anna seemed to have recovered quickly from the initial shock and was now desperately trying not to miss a single word.
After a brief silence, Edward let out a slow breath and then turned his eyes to Dayaram, who was explaining.
"I understand the situation. But his presence in that room alone does not make him the culprit, does it?"
"Unfortunately, the entrance to that room was barred from the inside."
"And the window?"
"There is one. The window was open, but outside is a cliff."
"A Birdfolk would be able to escape through that window, would they not?"
"It is possible. However, when the armed culprit is inside the room, why must we search for a culprit outside?"
Dayaram asked, his stern expression unwavering as he looked at Edward. It was true that when a culprit and a corpse were present, the standard theory was to consider the two people on the scene the perpetrator and the victim. But Edward was convinced that Ritz was not the culprit.
If his travel companions were only Edward and Franz, it might be a different story, but in the current situation with his beloved Anna present, he would never take such a risk. But Edward's reasoning would not hold up here.
"Was the weapon the sword he was carrying?"
"No. It was a dagger. The suspect possessed no other weapons."
"…I see. That is strange."
Ritz had taken Edward's sword, saying that his own weapon would stand out too much. That sword was made in the Yuresla royal castle; while it wasn't flashy, it did bear the kingdom's crest. Edward knew that Ritz was not a man to forget his weapon. If that was the case, where could that sword have gone?
Furthermore, Ritz disliked daggers, considering them weapons suited for assassination, so the only dagger-like items he carried were small knives tucked away in his bag or inner pocket. It was unlikely that a man in a security profession like Dayaram would call such a small knife a dagger. If that was the case, where on earth did that dagger come from?
As Edward fell silent, Dayaram furrowed his brow and asked with a suspicious look.
"Is there something odd about that?"
"I was just wondering where his sword went."
"It has not been found at the scene."
Dayaram's brow furrowed, as if to say, and what of it? If there were no murder weapon at the scene, the sword's existence might be important, but since there was a weapon, it probably meant nothing. But to Edward, it was important.
"Would you mind looking for it? I find it very hard to believe he would part with his own weapon."
He stared intently at Dayaram, who returned his gaze with a strong one of his own. But after a moment, Dayaram averted his eyes and let out a small sigh.
"…We will look for it."
Though he seemed reluctant, Dayaram gave the order to his subordinate in a low voice. Perhaps feeling somewhat displeased at being influenced by Edward's presence, Dayaram cleared his throat once and returned to explaining the incident.
"The suspect, Mr. Alster, claims, 'The place I was last night is not here. I was brought here from somewhere else.' To bring him into the room would require some method, but this assembly hall is always guarded by the Autonomous Guard, and nothing suspicious passed through from that night until this morning."
"…Then what about being carried up the cliff and thrown through the window?"
"Impossible. We Birdfolk are indeed a people capable of flight, but we cannot fly while carrying a man as large as Mr. Alster."
"Are you saying that no Birdfolk has that power?"
"I cannot say that with certainty, but at the very least, those with that much spiritual power are few, and all of them are dignitaries of the nation."
"Hmm…"
Those with higher spiritual power rise to higher positions in this country. But a high-ranking individual would have no risk in committing this crime. Dayaram's point was logical.
"Furthermore, Ashok was scheduled to meet with a member of the Tashkur Liberation Front. There is no one in the Tashkur Liberation Front who could fly while carrying Mr. Alster alone. Even if they could carry him, it would only be possible with multiple people. But I do not believe it would be possible for multiple people to fly up the wall, evading the eyes of the Autonomous Guard, and carry Mr. Alster's body in through the window."
"Are you saying there are few with strong spiritual power in the Liberation Front?"
"Yes. The core of the Liberation Front consists of those who are weak and closer to humans."
"I see. Is that why they are conducting a liberation movement?"
"…I will leave that to your imagination."
"I see."
Perhaps there was a firmly established system of discrimination in this country, like a class system based on spiritual power. If one's entire life was dictated by the strength of the power they were born with, it was likely that some would harbor ambitions of living alongside humans and rising to the top of the federation.
But he couldn't understand why they would have to frame Ritz as the murderer. Not only Ritz himself, but even Edward had no way of knowing that a man named Ashok held a position contrary to the Liberation Front.
In other words, killing him would result in no benefit or loss for Ritz. If there was someone who framed Ritz, it would have to be someone who stood to gain from Ashok's death. The reasons people kill people—grudges, conflicts of interest, sudden impulses—are the same in any country.
But what was extremely difficult was finding a logically sound explanation for the circumstances of how and why Ritz was there. If the true culprit had brought Ritz, he had no idea how they could have slipped past the guards' eyes while carrying the large Ritz.
"But I know my subordinate well. He is not the kind of man to commit murder."
"Be that as it may, as long as the situation is what it is, there is nothing we can do. We came here to confirm whether it is possible to punish someone who served as a minister in your country under our city's law, not to release him without charge."
Dayaram looked straight at Edward as he said this. Edward met his gaze calmly and spoke.
"Unfortunately, that is not possible. He is a hero in my country and very popular with the people. Even if this country is a special autonomous region, the fact that it belongs to the Sarnia Federation does not change. A rift in the international relations between Yuresla and Sarnia would be inevitable."
"…That is likely so…"
"But if he has truly committed a crime, he shall be subject to punishment. To prove that, I would like you to grant us time."
At the unexpected words following a complete refusal, Dayaram raised his face.
"What do you mean by that?"
"He is not the culprit. We will prove it. If it is proven that he is not the culprit and that there is another, I would like you to release my country's former minister. If we are unable to prove that he is not the culprit, then you may punish him according to your country's laws."
Slowly and with composure, Edward crossed his arms and resolutely made his pronouncement to Dayaram and his subordinate. They exchanged perplexed glances.
"What say you? This is the greatest concession I can offer."
At the moment, he had no idea how to clear Ritz's suspicion, but unless he did this, it seemed unlikely they would release Ritz.
"The punishment applicable for murder in Tashkur is the death penalty or a life sentence, you know?"
"I do not mind. My subordinate is innocent."
At Edward's confident words, Dayaram let out a sigh. It was probably not his imagination that he seemed somewhat relieved. Perhaps punishing a former minister of a nation was a heavy burden for them. Eventually, Dayaram let out a heavy sigh and nodded.
"Understood. We, the Autonomous Guard, will also offer our fullest cooperation in gathering information."
"That would be most helpful."
With this, it seemed he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Before the conversation ended, there was one more thing he had to ask. Edward calmly broached the subject.
"First, I would like to hear the circumstances from the man himself. Would you allow me to meet with Ritz Alster?"
He had thought they would be reluctant, but Dayaram nodded with surprising ease.
"If you are alone, that is fine."
"Understood. I shall go. Is that agreeable?"
He glanced at the silent Franz and Anna, and they gave small nods. The moment their eyes met, Anna gave a bright smile as if to say it would be all right. Despite whatever anxiety she must be feeling over her partner's indefinite absence, a situation that had changed their relationship from mere companions, she was a truly strong girl. If only a little of this strength could be shared with Franz, it might change his personality considerably, he couldn't help but think.
He jokingly urged the two of them to eat properly even in his absence, then left the inn with the Autonomous Guard. Conveniently, now that he was old, he didn't mind hunger so much.
Perhaps out of consideration for the elderly Edward, they walked slowly, not flying, through the endless maze of intricate stairs, slopes, and alleys. The labyrinthine cityscape gradually transformed into something more orderly as they climbed toward the upper parts of the city. Perhaps, just like the path to the royal castle in Yuresla's capital, Sears, the higher one went, the higher the status of the residents. If so, this city was similar to the far-off Sears.
Eventually, they arrived at a gray, sturdy stone building in the heart of the Birdfolk's residential district, a place completely devoid of tourist facilities. At the entrance stood two Birdfolk men in the exact same attire as those who had escorted Edward, keeping watch. It seemed the Autonomous Guard was composed entirely of pure-blooded Birdfolk.
Feeling their piercing gazes, he paid them no mind and proceeded deeper inside as prompted. The area just inside the entrance was coated in white plaster, and they seemed to handle consultations for ordinary people there, but as they went further in, the rough, unplastered stonework became exposed.
Eventually, at the top of a spiral stone staircase, Dayaram, who had been guiding Edward, stopped. There stood an old wooden door.
"Please, enter."
With a stiff yet polite tone, Dayaram casually opened the unlocked door. Inside, there was a simple desk and chair, along with paper and a pen for writing. It was probably a writing desk for a prison guard, but no one was sitting there now.
Beyond it was a cell fitted with iron bars. Through the bars, a high window revealed the clear, high autumn sky, looking beautifully out of place. Could a Birdfolk communicate with the outside from here? As Edward casually thought this, Dayaram seemed to notice his gaze and turned to him with a stiff expression to explain.
"Since he is not a Birdfolk, we have him in here. This cell is not normally used."
It seemed he wanted to emphasize that they were not discriminating against Birdfolk. This, too, was likely a consideration not for Ritz personally, but for the Yuresla Kingdom. Edward nodded silently to show he understood, and Dayaram put his hand on the door they had come through.
"I will be outside the door, so please feel free to speak."
Perhaps taking Edward and Ritz's positions into consideration, Dayaram said this, bowed his head, and silently exited the door.
With no guardians or Birdfolk present, Edward finally let out a long, calming sigh and turned his gaze to the cell in front of him. On the crude bed, the only piece of furniture in the almost empty cell, Ritz was lying down, motionless.
"What are you doing, you fool?"
As he spat out the words in a tone of utter exasperation, Ritz scrambled to sit up. His face was swollen, and blood was still trickling from various places. He must have been beaten during interrogation. Until his identity was made clear, he would have been nothing more than a human tourist who had killed a Birdfolk, so it was only natural that he would suffer violence at the hands of his fellow Birdfolk.
"You've certainly become a handsome man."
As he said this and pulled out a chair that came with the writing desk to sit down, Ritz, realizing his wounds were being mocked, touched the cut on the corner of his mouth and pouted like a child.
"Shut up."
Without his protectors, Ritz was less gruff and more like a child. Edward once again let out an exasperated sigh and threw a word at him.
"Honestly, what are you doing?"
"I know I screwed up."
"If you know you screwed up, then stop wandering around playing at night. Don't you understand that you'll be taken advantage of when your guard is down?"
"I know. That's why I said I'm sorry…"
It seemed he was genuinely sorry, as Ritz hung his head dejectedly. He had probably learned his lesson well enough. There was no point in saying anything more sarcastic.
To the dejected Ritz, he explained that if the real culprit wasn't found, he would be judged by this country's laws, but if they could find the culprit, he would be released, as per the agreement with the Autonomous Guard. Ritz let out a clear sigh of relief.
"So we won't be immediately expelled from the country with our companions?"
"No."
"That's a relief."
Ritz said with a smile. From that, he could surmise that Ritz had allowed himself to be taken by this guard unit without resistance in order to clear up the misunderstanding and remove the possibility of being barred from this country's holy land in the future. He couldn't just give up on the Birdfolk's holy land, not for his own sake, but for Anna and Franz's. Ritz now had a certain amount of responsibility.
"The conditions given to us are strict. If we don't prove your innocence, you will remain imprisoned. You probably won't be executed, but a life sentence is a very real possibility."
"…Yeah."
"I am not an expert in that field. Keep that in mind."
"So you're saying my innocence might not be easily proven?"
"That's right. That's what I'm saying. In the worst-case scenario, we'll have to consider wintering in this city."
"Yeah, that makes sense…. Well, I'm prepared for it."
The plan was to stay in this city for no more than two weeks. Otherwise, descending from this high altitude would be dangerous. No matter how gentle the path, the weather in the highlands is unpredictable, and if they were caught in a blizzard, mountain novices like them would be done for.
Edward thought that was one option, but for them, it was a situation where the travel expenses would be too high. If they were to winter here, he intended to lend them money, but since it wasn't yet certain that they couldn't leave, he hadn't mentioned it in front of them. He had no intention of crushing the pride of Franz, who was in charge of their finances.
"For the sake of Anna, Franz, and the kingdom's honor, I intend to make every effort, but be prepared for the worst."
"I know."
"Then let's hear the situation. How did things end up like this?"
After asking that, he lightly glared at Ritz, who remained silent with his head down. Eventually, scratching his head, Ritz began to speak in bits and pieces.
"The thing is, I have no idea what's going on either."
After Ritz's confused story, Edward, exasperated and a little sarcastic, neatly summarized the points that needed to be investigated. He commandeered the ink and paper on the writing desk to jot them down.
First, who was the prostitute who approached Ritz at the tavern.
Second, where was that woman's home.
Furthermore, there was the mystery of "how Ritz was transported to the assembly hall," but it seemed better to investigate the first and second points before that.
If the woman was the culprit's accomplice, she could have already gone down the mountain and escaped by this time of year. If that happened, they, being unfamiliar with the local geography, would not be able to pursue her. Besides, if the woman's identity was known, her house would be known, and there was a possibility that some clue to the case would emerge.
"Is there anything else you can remember?"
"Anything else, you ask… I woke up holding the murder weapon…"
"How pathetic."
"You can say that, but you wouldn't normally think a strange woman in a city you've never been to would drug you. I'm not bragging, but I've never once fallen for a woman like that before."
It was true that Ritz, like Edward, was a good judge of character. There was no way he wouldn't have seen through a person approaching with malicious intent.
"Then perhaps the other party had no malicious intent."
"Yeah. How do I put it? It felt like even sleeping with me was like a prank, that kind of light-hearted vibe."
Edward sighed at Ritz's low-voiced grumbling. He wondered what kind of face Anna would make if she knew. But there was no point in thinking about that.
After getting a detailed description of the prostitute's appearance, Edward stood up. He realized a considerable amount of time had already passed. If he stayed here for too long, it would make a bad impression on the Birdfolk. Considering he would be visiting this place many times, it was better to make a good impression.
"If I can, I'll come tomorrow… Do you need anything brought to you?"
"Something brought, huh…. I have warm clothes, and they do give me food, but I don't have a change of clothes. The Birdfolk aren't as big as me, apparently."
It was true that Ritz was wearing his usual clothes. They probably didn't have a prisoner's uniform in his size.
"Understood. I'll bring some when I come next time."
"Thanks."
As he turned toward the door, Ritz called out with uncharacteristic hesitation.
"Hey, Ed."
"What is it?"
"Um… Anna… how's she doing?"
When he turned back, Ritz was looking at him with a questioning and utterly pathetic expression, though he himself might not have realized it.
"She's not down, is she? No, before that… is she not angry?"
"After getting drugged by a prostitute while you were out playing around and being framed as a murderer, what face do you have to be worried about your beloved woman?"
He said with a sigh, and Ritz sulkily looked away.
"I know. It's all because of my own bad behavior."
"If you understand that, then you should just stay by Anna's side. She'll find out what you're doing in the city at night eventually, you know."
"I know that too… but…"
"But what?"
"If I'm with her all the time, I might become the most dangerous thing to her. That's something I absolutely refuse to let happen."
"So you intend to maintain this safe distance for the rest of the future?"
"If I don't, we won't be able to stay together in the future."
He doesn't step into the space of the person he holds dear; instead, he always takes a step back. The more important he thinks a person is, the more he tries to keep a little distance. That was the personality of the man named Ritz, the complete opposite of his appearance. He hadn't been like that when they first met, but it was a flaw of Ritz's that had gradually emerged while they were together. Words mixed with a sigh inadvertently escaped him.
"Still a coward, as always."
"Shut up. Leave me alone."
"I'll leave you alone even if you don't tell me to."
Of course, such a habit did not begin with Anna. The first time Edward noticed Ritz's tendency to pull back was when Ritz was in love with Patricia.
If they were even slightly apart and there was a wall between them, they couldn't touch each other, so they wouldn't get hurt—that's what Ritz had apparently thought. But Patricia had a similar tendency, and in the end, they couldn't gauge the distance properly and clashed. The fact that Edward stood between the two of them probably didn't help either.
That's why at the time, the two of them, while holding feelings for each other, ended up hurting each other. Perhaps because of that, Ritz still hadn't been able to correct his habits from that time.
Compared to the past, he had become better at keeping his distance and better at composing his expression. But the fundamental part had not improved at all; out of his deep affection for the other person, he would build a mental safety wall. Ritz was afraid of that wall disappearing, of hurting someone important to him both mentally and physically.
In that regard, he hadn't changed a bit from thirty-five years ago when they last parted. But unlike with Patricia, his partner, though considerably younger, was Anna, whose personality was such that she would accept all of Ritz. So perhaps because he could occasionally be honestly doted upon, it was a little better.
"Ritz."
"What is it?"
"Do you want to see Anna?"
"…What's with the sudden question?"
Looking at Ritz's bewildered face, Edward gave a wry smile at his troublesome little brother figure. Even without hearing the answer, he knew that Ritz wanted to see Anna. Even though he was freely playing the part of a playboy with women in the city at night, for Ritz, Anna was in a class of her own among all the people in the world. Just being apart for a single day, not seeing her face, was probably unbearably lonely for him.
"I'll ask you one last time. Do you want to see Anna?"
As he slowly repeated the question, Ritz's eyes widened, as if he had finally realized what Edward was trying to say.
"Enduring it until you're out of this prison is one way to heighten the feelings between you two, but well, I'll consider it depending on your answer."
As he said that with a teasing tone and a laugh, Ritz clung to the iron bars.
"I want to see her. I really, really want to see her! Please let me see her!"
He couldn't help but burst out laughing at Ritz's old, childish way of pleading so earnestly.
"Taking Anna to the entertainment district for questioning is not suitable for her. In any case, she would have had to be the one to stay behind. As long as we don't know where the culprit is, it's several times safer for her to be at the Autonomous Guard headquarters than to leave her at the inn."
"I see… yeah, you're right."
Yes, as long as the culprit's motive was unknown, Anna's and Franz's safety was not guaranteed. There was a possibility they could be used in the incident, and there was also the danger they could be targeted.
Furthermore, the existence of the man named Kuchiba, whom Anna had met in Roshozu, was also a concern. That man had said he would interfere wherever they went. There was a good chance he was lurking nearby, even if unseen.
"From next time on, Anna will be the one to come for visits. I will bring her, and when the questioning is over, I will come to pick her up."
"Thanks, Ed. I'm really, seriously in your debt!"
"Then let's just say I now have two favors owed to me by you."
"…That's a huge debt I've racked up…"
To Ritz, who sighed dramatically, Edward turned his back.
"We will do everything we can. You also try to remember the situation as clearly as possible."
"Yeah, sorry. I'm counting on you."
Avoiding the sight of Ritz's face as he pleaded in a truly downcast groan, Edward opened the old door and went outside without turning back. There, with the same stiff expression as when he had left the door moments ago, stood Dayaram, motionless.
"Are you finished?"
"Sorry about that. I took up your time."
"No. This is my job."
As he said that, Dayaram looked at Edward without a hint of a smile. Within his hard expression, a color of caution, a wariness of Edward and his companions' very existence, was clearly visible. But within the man's expression, there was something else, some other emotion, peeking through.
"Is there anything you require?"
"Give the man inside paper and something to write with. I told him to write down the details of the incident."
"Understood."
"Also, would it be possible for me to see the dead man's body?"
"The Grand Duke himself?"
"I have long experience on the battlefield. I will not be shaken by a mere corpse. Besides, if I see the wound, I will know at once whether he could have laid a hand on the victim."
He remained silent for a while, lost in thought, but eventually Dayaram gave a small nod.
"…Understood. I will make the arrangements."
He nodded back, and just as when he had arrived, Dayaram stood before Edward again in silence and began to walk. As they were descending the spiral stone staircase, their footsteps echoing, Dayaram suddenly stopped. The hesitation he had been feeling since a moment ago escaped as a sigh.
"Actually, besides you, there is another man who says that Mr. Alster is not the culprit."
"Oh…"
As he let out a voice of surprise at the unexpected words, Dayaram glanced back, a faint expression of bitterness tinging his features. Then, as if to say this was a monologue and should be ignored, he continued in a muttering tone.
"Therefore, it would be most appropriate to have him assist. It would be too much for you outsiders to investigate the case on your own."
It was certainly true. There were too many things they didn't know, such as the structure of the city and the relationships between its people.
"And what is this man's name?"
"Anil. He is the son of the murdered Ashok."