kscans

Chapter 34 - A Distance Where We Might Touch, But Don't

The moment the second wooden box was opened, Mireille's expression changed distinctly. I couldn't understand why. To me, it just looked like statistical data and alchemy recipes.

(Isn't it just a record of the spoils from the master and the Supreme Commander's Tree Sea dates... or something like that?)

The number of monsters they had hunted was written down in dense detail. Among them were Helkaarns, a Branch Serpent that combined a tree-like form with a snake's body, and the illusion-type Mistrise... there were many rare specimens.

"What's wrong? Did you notice something?" I asked, but Mireille just kept staring at the page. Her slender fingertips seemed to be trembling slightly.

"Mireille." I gently touched her hand.

"...Leonhard-san."

Her voice, as she said my name, wavered faintly.

I remembered her from yesterday. --Even for me, a seasoned fighter, there were monsters I couldn't handle. But she had shown me that they could be defeated using alchemy tools. That was all Mireille.

Unlike Mireille, her master was an experienced fighter and the one who created these things. It wouldn't be strange for her to have defeated various monsters for the sake of prototyping and material collection.

But... still, this unease before me.

"There's something bothering you, isn't there? Can you tell me?" As gently as possible. So as not to frighten her. The memory of how my harsh words from two days ago had made her feel down was still a thorn in my side.

But Mireille lowered her trembling lashes and said, "...I need some time to gather my thoughts."

And with that, she took the documents and secluded herself on the third floor.

The warmth of the hand that had left mine seemed to take my heart with it as it distanced itself--and I couldn't help but clench my fist.

(What... is in these documents?)

From my perspective, the contents of the first box were far closer to being highly confidential. The second box was just statistical data and alchemy recipes. There was nothing that looked like personal information. The alchemy recipes seemed to be for some kind of large device, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

I muttered softly.

"...Statistical data and alchemy recipes. Which one raised her suspicions?"

Curious, I went to check on her on the third floor and could see Mireille engrossed in the documents. It was probably better to leave her alone for a while. I'll check on her later and talk to her.

What could a guy she had only known for a few days do? I clenched my fists.

Supreme Commander, the thing you needed to tell me back then wasn't a marriage proposal. If you intended to leave Mireille in my care, what I needed to know was the truth, wasn't it? Wasn't it to thoroughly convince me so I couldn't refuse?

It wasn't to help her live alone in a tower like this so she wouldn't be troubled. I don't know the circumstances. But both the Supreme Commander and Mireille's master are being unfair.

I felt a sense of powerlessness.

But it was a fact that she had noticed something related to the disappearance of the Supreme Commander and Mireille's master. I felt a sense of despair at the thought that I would have to get it out of her, even if it took time.

When Leonhard wanted to calm himself, he often enjoyed a cup of coffee. The caretaker at the Townhouse must have known that and been considerate. When I said I would be cooped up in my room for a week, he had bought a mountain of coffee beans.

I started a fire outside and, before making soup, I set the coffee grounds in the pot and added water to boil.

The pot was exclusively for coffee. It had an inner tube, and the coffee would be ready when the hot water rose to the top. I often used it to serve my superiors and the picky Imperial Guards when we were outside, and I would have a cup myself.

The aroma of coffee began to rise. Mixed with the smoke from the bonfire, the faintly sweet, roasted scent of the beans drifted through the air.

"She takes one lump of sugar, right?"

I muttered as I poured it into a cup. I hoped it would help ease Mireille's mind, even just a little.