Chapter 236 – Guard Dog

000

If you ask where the house of the Tromeia family is located on the street where the families of nobles line up, people will usually ask back, ‘Which one?’

For an outsider, it would be difficult to understand the meaning of that answer, but it was natural for the nobles living in the capital.

I guess so. In fact, there were two mansions of the Tromeia family within the capital.

One is the mansion where Percys Tromeia resides, whom Cleon and his companions often visit and discuss the future.

Percys himself is busy with state affairs, so he only occasionally returns to the mansion, and spends most of his time in the palace office.

Undoubtedly, in this royal capital, it was a building with the longest history after the royal castle, and it was also a place that symbolized the dignity of the kingdom’s shield itself.

That’s why nobles and people call the mansion ‘Tromeia Mansion’ with the meaning of respect.

And another mansion.

The mansion where Percys Tromeia’s younger brother resides, and the three Tostromeia, who, like his older brother, are high officials in the kingdom.

Its size his was on the small side compared to his brother’s, but it was a little bigger than most noble family mansions.

From when Percys married Aurelia, when Setos started living separately, saying, ‘I don’t want to interfere with his brother’s conjugal relationship’.

Now it is recognized by people as a completely different Tromeia Mansion, and it is called ‘Tromeia Minor Mansion’ to compare it with Sir Percys’ Mansion.

It was a name that was naturally compared to his older brother his, but Setos showed that he didn’t care too much.

There were so many things that his brother and himself had to take care of separately to be offended by such a thing.

Besides, unlike the Tromeia mansion located in the center of the aristocratic street.

The small mansion that Setos lives in is built a little far from the main street, close to the back alley.

The nobility was located in a corner area where they could not come close to it.

As Setos likes to go behind the scenes, it was intentional to some extent to settle in a place where people’s eyes do not gather well.

Thanks, if there is a good point.

It’s about hiding one person, it’s not even a job.

After getting off the wagon, a figure wearing a black robe walked quickly through the small mansion’s main gate and entered the mansion’s interior.

Setos, who had returned to the capital two days earlier, smiled at the fact that the man he had been waiting for had finally arrived and greeted him with open arms.

“Welcome, Alvein. You must have suffered a lot.”

In his voice when he said that, there was more kindness than when he was dealing with his precious subordinates.

“… Your men let me go. Is this the power of the Prince of Tromeia?”

When he lowered the hood of the robe he was wearing, a young man with untidy blond hair and narrow eyes appeared inside.

A few days ago, in a prison in the northern region, he met Setos, who called himself his father.

With his help his, he was able to escape from the prison of forced labor and return to the royal capital.

By now, there must be chaos in the prison.

Most of the guards were like scarecrows who followed Setos’ requests and orders straight away.

No- Because the opponent is Setos, he must follow him without any doubt.

Because he is one of the heroes who saved the country from the rebels.

Because it is Setos Tromeia who thinks more of the guards in the danger zone than anyone else and insists on the basic rights of the soldiers of the kingdom.

They were enthusiastic about Sethos, infatuated with him, and regarded his judgment as absolute and followed it.

Setos knew it, but he didn’t feel the need to explain it to Alvein.

Just now, feeling a bit of joy at the fact that he had come out of that ice hell, he approached Albein with his arms open.

However, seeing him like that, Alvein quietly backed away and refused to embrace him.

“Why do you do that? This father said he would hug me at least once.”

When Setos said something disappointing, Alvein was silent for a moment, then looked at him and opened his mouth.

“…I don’t think of you as my father yet… You, my mother, have been abandoned.”

“…That-“

A voice of resentment. He was grateful for getting him out of that icy hell, but that was n’t enough to accept him as his own father.

And what Albain said was also a painful part for Setos, and it was an unchanging fact whether he broke up with his mother his voluntarily or not.

“Listen, Albein. The reason I broke up with her Setsuna was for her sake.”

And, just like it was. He unwittingly opens his mouth and pours out excuses for his son.

Albein’s face frowned when he heard that, but Setos didn’t care and continued talking.

“The Tromeia family is always under check from countless nobles in an invisible place. It’s literally a dirty political battle in which more blood flows. It’s a burden too heavy for her, and her life could have been threatened if she went wrong.”

Albein clenched his fists at his words that continued to pour out.

“So, did she survive that you abandoned her? Her mother died giving birth to me. She was left with the shock of being abandoned by you.”

“That…”

“Any story is only an excuse… Unless her mother is brought back to life.”

At Albein’s words, Setos had no choice but to shut his mouth.

His venom-filled eyes his seemed to pierce his own heart his.

“…Then… Let’s postpone the hug. First, I’ll introduce you to your room. Stay here for a while and hide yourself. Even if the rats chase you, you won’t be able to get in here easily.”

“…A rat?”

“I’m the kingdom’s investigator. For now, stop worrying, I’ll take care of it myself… You stand in front of others only when everything is ready.”

At Setos’words, Albein closed his mouth and looked into the eyes of the man he called his father.

His eyes were full of boundless confidence and anticipation of the future—

He seemed to know who he resembled now.

“I don’t know what you want to do with me, and it doesn’t matter. …But there are things you want to do with me too.”

“It’s something I want to do. Tell me.”

At Albein’s words, Setos changed his gaze and asked.

If there was anything he wanted, he was willing to do anything and help.

“To get revenge on the guy who took everything from me.”

“…Is it Cleon?”

“You knew that far. If he’s in the royal capital right now, wouldn’t he be able to do something with your power?”

At Alvein’s words, Setos shook his head in regret.

“He’s now favored by his sister-in-law his and acting alongside her daughter her. It’s impossible for me, even me, to do anything to him with power and position alone. Right now.”

“…Now is?”

Setos added as if to soothe the disappointed Alvein.

“Yes. You’ll find out soon. A family with a long history is always… Dark inside. That means that the Tromeia family is no exception.”

“…”

Upon hearing her father’s words her, Alban sighed in disapproval and shook her head.

“Then, I’ll tell the servant to guide you to your room. First, focus on resting well and regaining the energy you lost at the labor facility.”

Saying that, Alvein looked at Setos for a while as he left the mansion and headed for the castle.

It was her eye contact with her with a woman in a maid’s uniform coming towards her.

Though I felt unpleasant when I thought of ‘Gala’ who had deceived myself before about her brown skin.

The woman in front of her had a beautiful appearance that reminded her of her.

“I heard the whole story from Setos. Lord Alvein.”

As she said that, her red hair fluttering, she slightly lowered her waist and raised the corners of her mouth.

And she greets Albein with a seductive smile.

The eyes of her through her spectacles were so deep that they hardly seemed human.

“My name is ‘Belili,’ who served as the chamberlain of this mansion.”

She smiled like a devil and guided Albein.

001

At the same time, in the royal capital, Cleon is staying at the palace of Palanata.

With her guests in the living room, everyone in the dorm, including Sasha and Leila, has gathered.

Surrounding the aristocratic girl drinking tea in an elegant pose, all of them had serious expressions.

Except for one person, the girl who caused the commotion – Merca.

“Hmm! That’s pretty good. Who brewed this tea?”

“Me, me…?”

Sasha carefully lifted one of her hands from her.

Merca smiles lightly as she gently puts down the teacup she was served.

“At this level, there’s no problem working as a maid in our mansion.”

“Chi, are you praising me?”

“Of course! If it’s a maid of our marquise family, it’s to the extent that the sons of nobles come to receive education.”

I see! Although she does and Sasha, feeling the joy of being praised with her relief, she raises her voice.

Aruru, who had somehow followed suit, just quietly looked at Merca.

“Merka. Now that you know, about that fugitive named ‘Albein’.”

At Aruru’s words Her, Merca sighs and inhales the tea once more, then exhales her warm breath.

Then, with a relaxed smile, he looked back at Aruru and talked.

“I’ve just arrived at the royal capital. I want you to rest a little.”

“You’re the one who came to us first. It’s not good to talk like that and then sit around like that.”

On the rare occasion that Aruru sees her frowning about others, Cleon quietly whispers to Layla.

“…Aruru, I’m strangely not in a good mood.”

“That’s right. That drill head, as for Aruru’s questions from earlier, I’m not going to pass on important information while deftly getting away with it. Even Aruru, who has a lot of patience with her, is bound to become ferocious. “

At Lila’s words her, Quon, who had been listening quietly, nodded her head.

And. After taking the last sip, Merca seemed to save the tea for a while.

She opened her eyes and opened her mouth to look at Cleon and his companions her.

“Let me introduce myself once again. My name is ‘Merka Alcadias’. I am the current head of the family of the Marquis of Alcadias, and I hold the title of ‘Special Investigator’ in the kingdom.”

“Special Investigator. Investigator who can exert influence over the entire kingdom territory… It was said.”

At Cleon’s words her, Merca lightly nodded her head.

“That’s right. What we do is simple. We catch bastards who have committed crime kingdoms and run away and give them the appropriate punishment. In that sense, it’s another’s shield.”

At the words that were quite conscious of Aruru, Aruru only let out a sigh.

“Is there another nickname for Alcadias?”

At Aruru’s words Her, Merca raised the corner of her mouth and smiled broadly.

“Another… Nickname?”

“Yes. It’s embarrassing, but our family has been around since ancient times. It’s also called the vulgar name ‘Guardian of the Kingdom’.”

At those words, everyone present, including Cleon, who questioned them, fell silent.

Certainly, ‘Guardian’ has a loyal image, but there are many other words that sound good, such as ‘Guardian’.

However, for a nickname given to a great aristocrat called the Marquis family, it felt like there was quite a bit of contempt mixed in.

“I-I think it’s good! Ears have a cute feeling…”

In such an awkward atmosphere, when Sasha raised her voice, Merka blinked her eyes in surprise, then smiled.

“Thank you. I think so too. So. I have no intention of denying the name.”

When Merka said that, Sasha let out a sigh of relief once again.

“So. What you, the special investigator of that kingdom, are chasing right now… That idiot who escaped from a prison in the northern labor facility – ‘Albein’?”

Lila finally opened her mouth and asked, impatiently and bluntly.

Merca nodded lightly at Layla’s question and continued talking.

“It’s precisely ‘letting go’. The guards of that prison were asked by someone.”

At those words, Aruru couldn’t help but frown.

It was because Merka’s remarks her were tantamount to ignoring all of her guards her.

“All the soldiers in the northern region must be composed of only those who are highly loyal to the kingdom. Whose request did you ask?”

“Yes, of course he’s your little father. We’ve already got information that Lord Setos visited the prison a few days before the Alban breakout.”

At that, Layla let out a clicking sound of her tongue and rested her chin on it.

“Your uncle?”

When only Aruru heard the story and changed her expression in disbelief, Cleon let out a sigh and opened her mouth.

“Alvein is the illegitimate son of Lord Setos.”

“…”

After hearing Cleon’s words, Aruru looks at Cleon with a face of disbelief.

And Merca, who looks at Cleon and Aruru and smiles happily.

“Did you know? After all, you guys.”

“I knew, but I just didn’t want to reveal it. I’m afraid that if Lord Setos finds out, he’ll take him out.”

“And that worried became a reality. The guards are all followers of Lord Sethos, to the point where they might be able to stab each other if he asked. It’s no big deal to get one prisoner out.”

Hearing her explanation of her, Aruru still had an expression that could n’t escape from her shock her.

“Aruru… Are you okay?”

“…No, to be honest, it’s not that great. … It’s shocking that my uncle had a son- but even more shocking than that. He used his position to free criminals out of personal feelings. That you did.”

As Aruru said that, she looked down at her own hands.

“The powers we have been granted by His Majesty are all for the well-being and peace of the people.”

“I completely agree with you on that point. An honest person like you is better than all the scumbag nobles who forget that point.”

When Merca said that while looking at Aruru with her fists clenched, Aruru stood up from her seat her.

“Where are you going?”

“Of course, it’s Lord Setos’s mansion. I’ll check the appearance of Alvein there, subdue him, and hand him over to you.”

Merca looks at Aruru for a moment and then shakes her head.

“I think it’s impossible. You are definitely the real daughter of Sir Percys, the head of the family. However, the position you have is an ‘academy student’. If you refuse to visit, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Then-“

When Aruru tried to say something else, Merca sighed heavily before talking to Aruru.

“First of all, calm down. It’s not like you, you look so disheveled. I thought I got to know someone who has a good influence because I’ve seen you for the first time in 10 years.

“Ugh…”

When Aruru heard that, she let out her saliva as if she had been punched.

“Aruru. It’s a pity, but it’s just as she says now. You, too, didn’t come to the royal capital without any means or methods, right? If you knew that far-“

“Oh-ho-ho-ho! Of course, magic swordsman Cleon. You, as I’ve heard, are quick to judge the situation!”

Her exaggerated laughter and her smile her with the back of her hand on her mouth were the very pride of an aristocratic young lady.

Seeing that, Cleon began to get confused whether she was a typical aristocratic girl, or a woman with skills and cool-headedness befitting her status.

Even though she was praised for being quick to judge the situation.

“It’s simple, if we can’t get in – just get them out there.”

Merka speaks while raising her index finger with her confident expression.

“Well. That’s logical. So, what are you planning to do?”

“Whoops. Don’t be surprised to hear about the operation to capture the fugitive ‘Albein’ that this special investigator Merca thought of.”

Everyone swallowed their saliva and waited for Merca’s next story.

“If the mansion is set on fire, even if it’s Alvein or Setos, you have to come out of the mansion, right? Then we’ll catch Alvein in the meantime.”

“…”

Everyone was struck by her silence her, watching her speak with her really confident expression and her earnest voice her.

And inevitably, we looked at each other’s expressions.

In the end, Cleon, who had been pinched on the back of her hand by Lyla, quietly raised her hand and asked.

“Um… So, that’s a joke peculiar to investigators. Is that so?`

“…? No. I meant it from the bottom of my heart.”

Then, while looking at her answering with an unwavering expression on her face her, Cleon raised her right hand and massaged it between her brows.

It was because she suddenly had the illusion that her eyes were dark.

“…Wait a minute. It’s going to feel like I’ve been talking nonsense. Is this the quickest and surest way to bring out and catch Alvein?”

“Even so, the method is too violent…”

When Cleon muttered that, Aruru let out an exclamation from her mouth as if he had finally remembered something about her.

“…Come to think of it. I remember. Merca, you… You’ve been like that since childhood. You tried to solve any task with the highest efficiency and in the shortest time…”

Really stupid. As if there was a calculator in my head, I could quickly figure out things like balance calculations and power dynamics.

In the process of reaching a conclusion, what went wrong was to choose a destructive and reckless method that others found difficult to tolerate.

Truly, she is a girl like an invincible tank.

“… Ah. That’s it.”

Only then did Cleon remember how difficult it was for him to judge her earlier.

Actually, she was both human beings.

“Merka. There is a risk that the fire will also damage the surrounding mansions. Let’s try to find a more moderate way.”

“I was going to leave all of that compensation to Setos, but… Well, I get it. Ascalon, if you talk.”

In the meantime, she didn’t say a word, but at the advice of Ascalon, who barely opened her mouth, Merca nodded her head.

“However, if arson doesn’t work, I can’t come to any conclusion right now. I’ll have to think a little more about the means.”

“I don’t know what Setos is thinking … But he won’t let Alvein go outside easily. He’ll probably try to keep it in his hands.”

At Cleon’s words her, Merca looked at him with her eyes twinkling, then opened her mouth.

“Then. I guess you have a bit of time. Okay. I’ll stay in this capital until I catch Alvein, and I’ll try to find a way.”

Merka said that and stood up from her seat.

“Thanks for the delicious tea. Then we’ll go to the inn we booked – Cleon.”

After expressing his gratitude to Sasha, his gaze his moves towards Cleon.

“You are a person who has already made a plan in anticipation of Alvein’s psychology, and has a record of defeating him. I want you to lend me that power this time too. Is that possible?”

Looking at Merca, who was looking at him with a relaxed smile and an expression like, “You can’t say no?”, Cleon slowly nodded her head.

“…Of course. He must be aiming for me too.”

“Okay. Then, Cleon. I’ll appoint you as Merca’s temporary assistant investigator.”

“Yeah… No what? Wait-“

Saying that or not, Askaron, who received something from Merca, approaches Cleon and hands something into his hand her.

It was a metal magic tool in the shape of a triangle.

It was an earring or something similar to what Ascaron was wearing on her ear.

“Keep it with you at all times. When I send a signal, it will ring, so make sure you come to me right away. The earring will give you directions.”

Saying that, Merca recklessly left her earrings and left her mansion her, and her party her could only stare blankly.