Chapter 237 – #236 Traces of the Crime

After hearing my story, the Marquis Pamonteau burst into laughter.

“Haha. Is it that story again?”

“That story. What do you mean?”

“It’s you. That man, Belius, always refused to be repatriated as a prisoner and made excuses like that. All you have to do is just say that he was killed while stealing information from our country.”

In other words, the Marquis Pamonteau believed that Belius tortured the prisoners to extract information and then disposed of it.

“That’s why they asked for 4 and a half Hanil this time. Every year, when they ask for the return of prisoners, they refuse to do so and pay for it with money. But they won’t be able to do that this time.”

It seems that the reason they negotiated for 0.5 and a half Hanil last year and raised the amount eight times this year was based on that.

Prisoner repatriation incidents occurred every year. However, the prisoners never returned.

If those two are telling the truth…

Suddenly, a possibility crossed my mind. It was a type of experience gained from spending a long time on the battlefield.

“Marquis Pamonteau. It seems that there is a third force between the two countries.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know about last year or the year before, but it is clear that the Empire repatriated prisoners this year.”

“If you mix lies in moderation…”

“That may be true, but the Empire always repatriated prisoners through the ‘bridge’. Many soldiers watched it. But on this side, they never came back.”

Marquis Pamonteau’s eyes sank.

“You mean, what happened on the bridge…?”

Even though I was a bit confused when I gave my opinion, that was the most likely answer for now.

“It may be speculation, but that’s what I think. The empire is currently in a situation where it can’t go to war with Icecrown. It’s barely holding back the Argentine Empire’s offensive.”

“It means that we cannot make unreasonable provocations in a situation where the country could be destroyed.”

“Yes. Commander Belius is not stupid enough to do the same thing more than once. He is not that shameless. If he had been, he would have been having fun in the capital, not in a place like this.”

“Of course… He is a soldier. You can see it in his disciplined troops and his own actions.”

We were silent and lost in thought.

Prisoners suddenly disappeared from the bridge.

Upstream of the river Ainterra, which flows between the two countries, lies a distant snowy mountain. Not only was the chill coming from there, but the terrain itself was very humid, so much so that the center of the bridge was always shrouded in fog.

A place where the current is strong and blocks sound, and the fog blocks vision.

Therefore, if something happens on the 1 km wide bridge, it will be able to avoid the attention of both countries.

“If you are going to instigate a fight between the two countries, you should also consider the possibility of the Argentine Empire.”

“Surprisingly, they may be completely different people. Although they all have one thing in common: wanting war.”

“I know what you mean, but for now it’s just…”

“Yes. It’s all just speculation.”

However, the reason I expressed this doubt was not simply speculation.

If it was just a guess, I wouldn’t even say it out loud. I opened my mouth because I had some sense of it.

It would be even better if I could get help here.

That help…

“I will personally look into this matter when I return to the Empire. So, even if negotiations have not progressed by then, please prevent the people here from making any hasty moves.”

“How long does it take?”

“Whether there is any result or not, I will come back in three days.”

“If that’s the case… I understand. I’ll try to fix it somehow.”

It was good. This bought time.

No matter how well I tried to solve the problem, if I rushed to say that negotiations were not progressing here or led the people to go south again, the atmosphere in Halstenberg, which had improved at best, could be ruined.

Then, the nobles would go crazy again, and it was clear that a huge amount of time, money, and manpower would be consumed to straighten out the disturbed atmosphere.

‘I will finish it in a month and leave here.’

I will finish my work as soon as possible and return to the capital.

After I finished talking, I got up straight away because there was no reason to be here anymore. Freyr came next to me and crossed my arms.

Hoo. Marquis Pamonteau looks at this with interest. I tried to free Freyr’s arms, asking what I was doing, but she was so strong that I couldn’t help her.

“Freyr?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Marquis Pamonteau is my uncle, so he already knows my gender.”

“Ah… This is my uncle…”

I can’t believe I got to meet the family’s elders so unexpectedly…

I bowed my head to the Marquis Pamonteau. He looked at us with a happy smile.

“Then I’ll see you next time.”

Leave Marquis Pamonto’s mansion and return to the empire.

On a frozen river covered in hazy fog. The two women who were trying to prank me in the air with sinister smiles gave up on their prank when they saw my expression.

“Aslan, what are you thinking?”

“Ah. The culprit of this incident.”

“… Can you find it?”

“Well, if he hasn’t run away yet, we can probably find him. Surprisingly, he wasn’t able to erase all traces of the crime and left them behind.”

“No, I mean, not the criminals, but the people who disappeared.”

I looked back at Freyr. Red eyes were staring at me.

… These are people who disappeared rather than criminals.

Hehe. I will become a great king in the future.

I nodded.

“You can find it. But.”

“Just?”

“I’m not sure if I live or die.”

“… It’s okay. That’s enough.”

Freyr lowered his head slightly.

“Yes. That should be enough… So where is it that the criminal was unable to erase his traces?”

Upon entering Freyr’s quarters, the lord’s official residence, Naiad’s clones nod and disappear. Because it was late in the evening, there was hardly any sign of popularity in the residence.

I nodded to Freyr.

“Here.”

“Huh?”

“Yes?”

Riel and Freyr opened their eyes and looked at me. You probably don’t understand what I’m talking about.

I led the two people out of the room. When we opened the door, the drivers waiting on both sides looked at us and bowed.

“Meet His Highness Freyr.”

“Do you have somewhere to go this late at night?”

“Uh, that’s…”

Now, Freyr and Riel had just returned here and were wearing street clothes.

I walked ahead and motioned to Freyr, who was wondering what to make an excuse in such a sudden situation, to follow.

Freyr blinked and followed closely behind me, and the knights also sent a signal to summon other knights. Two of them guarded the room and four knights followed us.

‘Four knights. This is enough for the eyes to see.’

I created a sphere of light with magic, floated it in the air, and walked around the corner of the building’s hallway.

A driver approached me and carefully asked me a question, as if I was suspicious of him suddenly wandering around the mansion in the middle of the night.

“Count Cranberry. Where are you going now?”

“How did you feel when you first stepped into this building?”

The driver who asked first looked puzzled by my unexpected words. However, he soon adjusted his expression and answered.

“I felt very reluctant… And eerie. I don’t know why.”

Okay. As the article said, the first feeling I had when I came here was that it was unpleasant and depressing.

Also, if I felt it closely, I even felt uncomfortable.

“It’s not an abandoned building, it’s the mansion of the lord who rules Halstenberg, but isn’t it strange to feel that way?”

“That’s it… Isn’t it because there’s war clouds over here?”

“That may be true. However, the emotions one can feel just before a war breaks out are a little different. It can be said to be closer to sharp tension, madness, and anger. It is not this dirty feeling.”

The knights who heard me looked at each other and nodded.

“Definitely… It’s a bit like that.”

“Huh. To be honest, this is my first time seeing such an unpleasant building. It certainly looks fine on the outside… But would you say there’s something that makes me cringe instinctively?”

“Especially the bathroom. I heard that every now, and then I heard a sound coming from inside the building while I was running errands.”

“Hey. That’s a bit rude.”

“It’s not Oba.”

“Yes?”

I stopped walking and turned my body to the side. The knights followed me and tilted their heads.

“This is…”

“Toilet?”

I went into the bathroom and started searching around.

Even though the knights couldn’t understand my actions, they sensed something when they saw my expression and immediately rolled up their sleeves and asked me.

“Is there anything we can help you with?”

“There must be a secret passage somewhere.”

“So there’s going to be an empty space beyond the wall.”

The drivers who saw me pounding on the wall with their fists also started pounding all over the bathroom.

I stopped Freyr and Riel from joining in and looked around.

“No one uses this place except you, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

Okay. This bathroom is for nobles only.

This is a restroom that employees cannot use.

However, nobles all have bathrooms in their lodgings.

Therefore, the restroom on the first floor of this annex was exclusively for the use of the knights who guarded this place, and it could be said to be one of the least crowded places on a normal day unless the annex was receiving guests.

Smart. Knock.

I knocked on the walls mainly in places where I felt suspicious.

I thought it was a restroom exclusively for nobles. Even though it was a separate building, the size of this bathroom was close to 50 pyeong.

But soon I was able to find a sound different from before in my ears.

“Here it is.”

As I stepped out of the way, the knights came over and knocked to check.

“It’s true.”

“I heard there’s a pretty big hole?”

“Can I destroy it?”

A knight placed his hand on the handle of his sword. As I nodded and walked away with the others, he quietly took his position.
Seup. The blade is released at the same time as a short breath is exhaled.

The sword is shining.

A thin solid line is engraved on the wall.

Coo coo coo.

The bricks collapsed, creating a passage through which two adult men could enter. When a sphere of light was created and shined inside, a crypt leading underground appeared.

A knight stuck his head inside the passage and looked beyond.

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong?”

A man holding his nose and shaking his head from side to side.

“I feel like I’m going to throw up. The smell is no joke.”

“What smell?”

“This is it. I’m sure. It’s the smell of a rotting corpse.”

A secret passage that appeared out of nowhere.

And the smell of a rotting corpse coming from within.

Unlike the knights, Freyr and Riel’s eyes widened when they heard the reason for coming here in advance. We were obviously looking for the missing prisoners and their culprit.

“Well, then… Are the Icecrown prisoners being held in there now?”

“I don’t know that yet. I’ll know for sure once I get in.”

“What do you mean? Icecrown’s prisoners?”

The knights widen their eyes in surprise.

Since they are also nobles, I have already heard about what was discussed during the negotiations.

Ice Crown even requested the repatriation of prisoners.

“Does that mean that Marquis Barnos did not repatriate the prisoners, but instead took them and imprisoned them here?”

“The story could go on like that. Of course, it’s still only a matter of possibility. I don’t yet know what lies beyond this.”

“… I will wake up all the escort troops.”

The two knights quickly went outside and started waking up the people.

People gathered quickly. It was decided that four soldiers and knights would stand guard outside, and the remaining knights and I would go inside to investigate.

“I will go too.”

“No, Prince Freyr. You must stay for your own safety.”

“It is the work of my people. I will go too!”

“I am currently in charge of the guard. I also think it would be better for the prince to stay here and move once safety is secured.”

Former Escort general manager Aaron waved his hand saying no, and current general manager Corman also nailed it, saying that his opinion was appropriate.

Freyr looked at me and asked for help.

“Kale.”

“I’m sorry. Wouldn’t it be better to stay here?”

– Heh. Children should follow adults once they have ensured safety.

“…”

However, Freyr’s stubbornness could not be broken with words. Freyr suddenly lowered his voice and pulled out his trump card.

“Veres. If you let me take you with me, I will later choose 100 pretty girls from our country and let you fuck their butts.”

– Hut.

I heard Perez’s whining noise, and his subtle tone persuaded me.

– Aslan. This is not because of my personal desires, but you should think about it carefully. Rolling around with ice-crown beauties. And that’s with Freire’s legal permission!

“…”

Looking at my excited co-worker, I could clearly see that even if I tried to persuade him for a hundred days, it would not work.

I sighed briefly and accepted the offer.

“Okay. Instead, just stay calm between me and Riel.”

“Count Cranberry!”

“Lord Corman, don’t worry too much. Those going down here now are all imperial knights, said to be the strongest in the empire. No matter what enemies there are below, it is impossible to break through them.”

For safety’s sake, it is best to wait here. Aaron and Corman’s opinions were reasonable enough.

However, these are knights united by pride and self-esteem rather than rationality.

“Hmm.”

“Well, maybe it would be safer for you to stay with us.”

The knights immediately changed their stance at my words. In addition to shrugging their shoulders, there were quite a few people wiping their noses and lifting their chins.

– Okay. Aslan too! This is solved in one go.

“Then let’s just go downstairs.”

The smell was quite unpleasant, so we covered our mouths and noses with a cloth and went downstairs. A sphere of light engraved with letter magic floated above each person’s head and illuminated the darkness.

“The floor… Is unpleasantly sticky.”

The bottom of the stairs in the long crypt was sticky due to some substance.

When I lowered the sphere of light and looked at it, I saw a dark red substance sticking to the sole of my shoe and hanging down.

“…”

After looking at it for a while, I returned the orb of light. Freyr asked a question from behind.

“Did you find out what it is?”

“No. I don’t know.”

“Is there something the wizard doesn’t know?”

“Well, that’s right.”

Isn’t that the case just by looking at our relationship right now?

It’s good that he signed a contract with me, but he ended up being possessed by Bereth. Freyr recognizes my reincarnated soul and longs for love even though we are over 50 years older than him.

Choi Yoo-jeong, an alien who shares my body and dreams of another love with me, and Riel, who refused to fuck me while talking about royal laws, and now rubs her breasts whenever she gets the chance.

This damn world is full of things that you can’t understand with your head.

I burst out laughing.

“There are surprisingly many things even wizards don’t know. No, there may be more they don’t know than they know.”

“But how did you know? That there would be something like this here?”

I answered softly to Freyr’s question, pointing to the crypt.

“It’s a persimmon.”

“Feeling…?”

Okay. And that’s a feeling built up over many years on the battlefield.

The faint scent of blood, a terrible rotten smell, and a certain dirty sensation that came from somewhere in the building awakened my senses that I had forgotten.

“This kind of unpleasant feeling can never be formed easily. There must be a reason why you feel this way.”

So, I secretly hoped that my guess was wrong.

Because if my intuition is right…

“We’ve reached the bottom.”

Send out the sphere of light first. A huge space revealed like that.

Ugh. The knights were gagging.

Since ‘what was a human’ was hanging everywhere, it was an action that could be easily understood by those who had no experience in that area.

All kinds of horrible instruments and pieces of blood and flesh stuck to them.

I was the only one here, looking around in a normal state.

Since then, I have seen with my own eyes numerous torture studios on the battlefield against Argentina.

The battlefield with Argentina was a very large area, with many castles and villages within it, and cases of capture or loss were very common, but there was always something to do after taking control.

The task was to find the torture chamber and rescue or dispose of our allies.

‘That’s why. I suspected this place and was able to find it right away.’

It’s an odd feeling, but even if it was a coincidence, the sudden disappearance of prisoners of war in recent years hit me right away the moment I heard about it.

My senses, having been on the battlefield for nearly 30 years, told me that there was a torture chamber in the basement of this annex.

‘But no matter how much I did, I didn’t expect this.’

I created a dozen spheres of light and illuminated the entire space. One by one, people followed me, looking at the floor and widening their eyes.

“What the hell is this…”

“There’s something engraved on the floor?”

A strange pattern even at a glance.

A huge circle with various formulas engraved on it and traces of blood sprinkled on it.

‘… Is it a demon summoning circle?’