411 - Leonardo's Perspective: Cerberus's Pursuit
To investigate Edgar of the Uhlenfurt territory, I moved to the Imperial capital Tralbach with Carlotta's guidance. At Carlotta's residence in the Imperial capital, as I was reading through the reports from the messenger I had sent ahead, Carlotta tilted her head and said, "Well, that's unusual."
"It seems lately Edgar has been returning to his territory quite frequently."
According to Carlotta, Edgar had apparently been living a life where he spent most of the year at his mansion in the Imperial capital and never went near his territory. That was why I had come to the Imperial capital without stopping by the Uhlenfurt territory, assuming he would be here this time as well, but it seemed that was a mistake. According to the report, for some reason Edgar had been returning to his territory quite frequently over the past year or so.
"But this is quite telling, is it not. I think we can safely assume his younger sister is with Edgar."
I took the report she held out with a "Look here," and read through it. It was a report on the investigation into Edgar, and the items on his recent purchases were clearly off. Perfume and cosmetics for women, embroidery needles and thread, dresses and shoes for a young girl, accessories like hats, and then the same set of doll dresses and shoes ordered. If he had a daughter, one might think they were gifts for her, but according to Carlotta, Edgar had no wife or children. He had estranged cousins and nieces, but given their poor relations, it was not the kind of relationship where they would exchange gifts even on non-anniversary occasions like birthdays. On anniversaries, one might send gifts they did not want to send as a matter of noble decorum, but apparently he was not the type to pick out gifts for his cousins on ordinary days.
"...This is also concerning. At the tailor shop 'Goddess's Gold Coin' on the main street, he brought in bobbin lace and ordered formal wear. There is no way there should be enough bobbin lace to use in a costume anywhere in the Empire."
"We have only just finished making the tools and are at the stage of practicing basic weaving techniques. As for the skill and quantity that could be used in a costume, it would easily take over a year to train a craftsman."
Within the Zugall Empire, where the existence of the lace became known in the summer and guidebooks began to be sold around the end of autumn, the existence of bobbin lace that seemed to have been woven domestically by early spring was truly unnatural. Given the purchases of dresses and shoes for a young girl, it was safe to assume that the one who kidnapped Tina was Edgar.
Whether to remain in the Imperial capital and wait for Edgar to show himself, or to part ways with Carlotta and head for the Uhlenfurt territory. As I was considering my next move, a subordinate I had left behind in the Augun territory arrived at Carlotta's residence in the Imperial capital as an express messenger.
"Carlotta-sama, a merchant came to Augun Castle to deliver a letter. It is a letter from a young lady named Chris something-or-other, and he says he was told to deliver it directly to Carlotta-sama because it is an important letter."
Since he was told to deliver it directly, he could not entrust it to someone else. He wanted to hand it over in person, so he asked me to either return to the castle or visit the mansion in the Imperial capital and wait. It would work out perfectly if Carlotta was returning to her territory. I would travel with her, see Carlotta safely back to the Augun territory, and then head on to the Uhlenfurt territory. As I was making these calculations beside her, Carlotta let out a bright exclamation. She seemed quite delighted by the letter from the young lady named "Chris something-or-other."
"Oh my, a letter from Christina? I will return at once."
...Huh? Christina?
The "Chris something-or-other" from my subordinate had not registered at all, but "Christina" coming from Carlotta's mouth left me greatly confused. Christina was Tina's name. The name "Christina," which should never have come from the lips of Carlotta, to whom I had only ever referred to Tina as "my younger sister," left me bewildered.
"...Carlotta-sama, who is this Christina?"
It must be a different person with the same name. Thinking that, I asked just to confirm, but surprisingly, the "Christina" Carlotta spoke of was indeed Tina. It seemed she had sent a letter to the author of the bobbin lace guidebook she had bought in the autumn, and Carlotta smiled with great cheer.
"The Christina who made that guidebook is my kidnapped younger sister, but..."
There was no way a reply letter could arrive from the kidnapped Tina. When I pointed this out, Carlotta pressed a finger to her lips, which were painted with a subdued shade of lipstick. The gesture meaning "secret" or "silence" made me realize my own blunder. I had a feeling Carlotta had somehow figured me out, but I had not let even my subordinates know I was from the Kingdom of Ivizia. The bandits I had taken over from Marco were originally citizens of the Kingdom of Ivizia, so they knew about me, but the subordinates who had joined along the way only thought of me as "Jin the bandit." It would be rather bad if they learned I was Leonardo, the Black Knight of the Kingdom of Ivizia.
...Damn it!
I had messed up. I was posing as a bandit and using a false name, but if I identified myself as Christina's older brother, it would reveal that I was not some bandit named Jin, but rather someone from the Kingdom of Ivizia. While there was no problem with merchants or ordinary citizens from the Kingdom of Ivizia visiting the Zugall Empire under the guise of travel, it was problematic for a knight of the Kingdom of Ivizia to infiltrate while hiding his identity and name, freely moving around within the Empire. If this fact became known, it could be misconstrued as secretly preparing for war, potentially causing problems later on. The disguise and false name were supposed to avoid that kind of trouble.
While I was sweating coldly on the inside, the conversation between Carlotta and her subordinate continued. When Carlotta asked who had brought the letter from Tina, the subordinate answered that it was a merchant named Cody.
...Cody?
At the familiar name that came from my subordinate's mouth, my composure returned in a flash. If the letter had been delivered by Cody, then it could not actually be a reply from Tina.
...I see. So things went according to Alf's aim.
When Tina, who had been trying to print the guidebook, went missing, I had tried to halt the printing, but Alfred had considered continuing the printing and spreading bobbin lace both within the country and abroad. He was supposed to be making the existence of bobbin lace known and using the guidebook to find people who owed a debt to Aurelia. That plan had borne fruit, and Carlotta had likely been caught in Alfred's net. Carlotta had said Aurelia was her friend. She would surely lend a hand to a friend's granddaughter, whom she cherished, in her time of need. In fact, even though she had no way to investigate the relationship between Aurelia and me, she had given more than enough help to me, who had said I was searching for my kidnapped younger sister. Saying she had confidence in her ability to read people.
In the end, I decided to leave watchers in the Imperial capital and return to the Augun territory. Edgar was not in the Imperial capital, but since there was no knowing when he might show up there again, watchers were necessary.
"Huh? What? Leo, no, Jin-san! Why are you with Carlotta-sama?"
Upon meeting face to face at Augun Castle, Cody's eyes went round and he hurriedly corrected my name, realizing his slip. What came into view as he cautiously looked around were three people, me, Carlotta, and an old gentleman who called himself her steward. It was a name I would rather not have used carelessly in everyday conversation, but those present were people who would probably overlook it at least once.
"...I thought I would run into you all somewhere along the way, but I never did. Before I knew it, I had come all the way to the Augun territory."
I wanted to ask how things had ended up this way, but first I should take care of Carlotta's business. I had already explained to Carlotta beforehand that it probably was not a reply from Tina, but she must still be curious about the contents.
"To Lady Carlotta, Lord of the Augun territory, I have brought a letter from Lady Christina Mey of Grenore, Kingdom of Ivizia."
"...And yet I have heard from Jin Boss that this Christina has been kidnapped?"
"The contents of the letter were written by the person who serves as Lady Christina's guardian in Grenore."
"I see. Then let us have a look at the letter."
As Carlotta read the letter written in Tina's name, likely penned by Alfred, I received a report of the situation from Cody. Cody seemed worried about whether it was okay for Carlotta to overhear, but I had already told Carlotta that my younger sister had been kidnapped. If I was going to be asked for an explanation later anyway, receiving the report alongside the letter, whose contents I could imagine, would save time.
"It seems that at Augusta Castle in the Uhlenfurt territory, Chuck-san found the young lady."
The reason his statement was vague with "it seems" was that Cody himself had not seen Tina. The reason Cody had not seen Tina was simple. While they were searching for Tina, they were spotted by the other side and attacked. After repelling the attack, Jean-Jacques had apparently charged into Augusta Castle on his own and found Tina. At that time, since Cody, being merely a merchant, would have found it difficult to sneak into the castle, he had acted separately and had not seen Tina.
"After slipping into the neighboring territory, we followed Chuck-san's instructions and left the Empire, while Chuck-san himself said he would keep watch on Augusta Castle and returned to the Uhlenfurt territory."
"So Chuck is at Augusta Castle, then."
Jean-Jacques was keeping watch, and Edgar was nowhere in the Imperial capital. That meant Tina was likely still at Augusta Castle in the Uhlenfurt territory.
"Carlotta-sama, thank you for all your hospitality. I will be heading out now..."
Tina's whereabouts were becoming clear. Considering her safe return, I might not be able to take her out immediately, but first I wanted to confirm she was safe. Thinking this, I turned to Carlotta to take my leave from Augun Castle early, but when she looked up from the letter, Carlotta's face was alive with a vibrant smile.
"Yes, you can leave securing an escape route to me. She is the late wise woman's precious girl, after all. Go and retrieve her at once, and bring her to my territory."
It would be difficult for me alone to secure Tina and go into hiding within the Zugall Empire, but with Carlotta, a territorial lord, it would be possible for her to hide us within her vast territory and shelter us from pursuers. Even if I found Tina, I had thought I would not be able to retrieve her until an escape route was secured, but with Carlotta's cooperation, securing an escape route could be deferred. It became possible to retrieve Tina right now.
"Thank you. I will repay this debt someday, I swear."
"That is quite all right. Compared to the kindness I received from the wise woman, this is still not enough."
Urging me not to worry about later and to go retrieve my younger sister quickly, Carlotta pushed me forward, and I left Augun Castle. Cody offered to guide me, but I declined. Traveling alone on horseback versus going with Cody's guidance, the guidance would actually be slower.
Leaving Cody behind at Augun Castle, I spurred my horse onward. Along the way, whenever I encountered subordinates I had sent to gather information, I dispatched them toward Augusta Castle and the Augun territory. I might need more hands at Augusta Castle, and once Tina was safely retrieved, I would need to disband the bandit group that had swollen to nearly two hundred. Even aside from that, the season had already turned to spring. Calling themselves righteous thieves, the subordinates who were originally honest villagers had to be sent back to their respective villages to return to their farm work.
...Where is Jean-Jacques?
Upon arriving at Augusta Castle, I first scouted the surroundings. There were guards and gatekeepers, but having lived as a bandit for a while, I could see infiltration routes everywhere. While searching for inconspicuous entry points, I also looked for signs of Jean-Jacques hiding somewhere. He should be in hiding too, so I did not expect him to be somewhere easy to spot, but if he saw me, Jean-Jacques might come out on his own.
I slipped onto the grounds of Augusta Castle through the branches and approached the castle from the vast back garden. As I made my way through the garden searching for signs of Tina and Jean-Jacques, an iron gate came into view. Given the structure of the building, the ruling family's bedrooms and private chambers were probably beyond the iron gate. It was not uncommon for mansions to keep watchdogs as a defense against intruders, I realized, just as a black-furred dog appeared on the other side of the iron gate.
...Huh?
Beyond the iron gate, there were three black-furred dogs. It was clear they were checking on me, so I stared back with fierce intensity, refusing to take a single step back for my sister's sake. At that, the tail of the dog at the very back went down.
I was feeling just a little pleased that I had won a staring contest with the watchdogs, when the three dogs parted to either side. Another black-furred dog emerged from behind them, but the moment I saw its face, my head filled with question marks.
"...Oscar? You, what are you doing here...?"
Emerging confidently from behind the watchdogs was Oscar, Bertrand's pet black dog. The appearance of a black dog that had no business being in a place like this made my mind go blank for a moment, but I held steady. It seemed the watchdogs had accepted the black dog as their leader. If that was the case, then if I could win the black dog to my side, I should be able to proceed beyond the iron gate.