ITMWG 114

Chapter 114…

Catch the spy.

“Report.”

Blan’s expression as he looked at Altair, who gave a short order, was uninterpretable.

This was because on his superior’s face hung an expression he had never seen before.

“… Are you really okay?”

Blan thought Altair might collapse at any moment.

He was even surprised by his own thoughts. He had never thought he would have such thoughts looking at this strong and sturdy man.

But he meant it.

His handsome face, which had always shone in any situation, was so haggard that it almost seemed pitiful.

Altair had been like this ever since Nadia left the Viosques mansion.

And yet, he was curious because he didn’t give orders to find Nadia or a doctor to cure her.

If it had been the usual Altair, he would have run out of the mansion the moment he found out that Nadia had disappeared and found her on his own.

However, Altair ordered a strong investigation into the incident from long ago instead.

It was an investigation into a murder case that had been delayed for a while due to them coming to the capital.

Is this really the right time?

Despite that thought, Blan followed Altair’s orders.

In this situation, he would be more curious about Nadia’s whereabouts than anyone else.

It seemed like he gave this order with a big plan in mind, so instead of needlessly nagging him, Blan chose to get busy.

“I told you to report.”

This time, returning was an order soaked in fatigue, so Blan sighed and began to tell what he had found out.

“…Yes, I will do it right away.”

The direction of the investigation that started in Aylesford was as follows.

The most likely suspects were Balhail and his father.

It was a natural assumption, since if Altair passed away after the previous baron, the title and land would immediately go to their family.

Naturally, they were the most likely suspects.

However, they were just wishing for sudden luck to come to them, and they did not scheme anything in advance.

Considering that they were originally people who did not have the brains to do that, it was not that surprising.

Blan then gradually expanded the scope.

He investigated their activities one by one according to the order of inheritance, but he could not find anything suspicious.

As a result, the investigation lost its direction and the speed of the investigation slowed down for a while just before leaving for the capital.

However, it was only when they arrived at the capital that the existence of the insurance plan was revealed.

At the time, it was unthinkable, but when the circumstances were sorted out, it turned out that the Balhail family had joined hands with the insurance planner and burned the previous Baron couple to death.

Since the Baron family’s assets, including the insurance money that young Altair had not yet realized, ended up in the hands of the Balhail family, their plan was a great success.

However, the reason they were not caught was that they were only acting like puppets according to the plan of the insurance planner they had contacted and did not take any direct action.

In that case, he was getting a little closer to the identity of the culprit who ordered the murder of Leon’s parents.

“In order to safely receive the insurance money, the doctor had to say that ‘fire’ was the cause of death. However, the previous doctor seemed to have realised that was not the case. Anyone who wanted to receive the insurance money had to somehow make him silent.”

“There is no silence that is more certain and easier than death.”

“Yes. The other party chose the certain and easy way.”

“Was that the insurance planner’s plan after all?”

“I found the guy he bribed. A mercenary who had been working near Aylesford suddenly got a lot of money and settled down and opened a store.”

“If he had been near Aylesford, he would have been doing hunting for demons, but there weren’t many requests that suddenly brought in a lot of money.”

It was for hunting for demons that Aylesford was poor to begin with.

Even for mercenaries, hunting for demons wasn’t a very lucrative request.

“Yes. The timing was also subtle, so I was unsure, but when I followed the traces, I confirmed that the money was found in a promissory note issued by the Capital Gallery.”

Altair’s tired eyes sparked dangerously.

A promissory note issued by the Capital Gallery?

If he didn’t know about insurance planning, he wouldn’t have noticed the connection between the deaths of the former Baron and his wife and this promissory note.

The vicious murderer was able to hide his identity for a long time and live in peace because an important link was meticulously hidden, but not anymore.

“When he found out that the insurance planning was causing trouble in the Capital, he hurriedly organised his assets and prepared to flee. Ironically, he must have had a good reputation in the village he settled in, so everyone was sad to see him leave. They didn’t even know that he was a vicious murderer.”

“The villain has an unexpectedly ordinary neighbourly face. That’s not surprising.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“So, where is he now?”

“I brought him here first. I thought you might be curious about his face.”

Altair’s mouth corner went up a little at the sight of Blan smiling proudly and getting up from his seat.

“I don’t care about his face. What I care about is the truth that comes out of his mouth.”

He could only face Nadia if he had that truth.

Blan’s eyes widened at the sight of Altair looking like he was going to burst out at any moment.

“You want to interrogate him yourself?”

“Yes.”

“You have other things to do, so you can just leave it to me.”

“No. I’ll do it. This is the most important thing.”

Altair replied calmly, gesturing Blan to tell him where he had placed the bastard.

Altair had been holding back his anger ever since he found out the secret behind his parents’ deaths.

It was because he had no way to take revenge on the guys who had done this.

The disposal of the insurance planner Dwinhofer and the first prince was already out of his hands, and Balhail’s father, who had sided with them, had already passed away.

Balhail had entered Balstead with the charge of treason in Altair’s scheme, but if he had known that he was deeply involved in the death of his parents, he would not have gotten rid of him in such an easy way.

In the meantime, the chance in which a person who could be dealt with entirely by his own hands had appeared, so he could not just let it go quietly.

Realising that Altair’s intentions were firm, Blan shrugged and began walking ahead, praying for the soul of the mercenary.

It might be strange to pray for the soul of someone who was still alive, but Blan did not think so.

If Altair interrogated him directly, he would experience a horror greater than death, so shouldn’t he pray for his soul?

I’d rather beg for death if I were him.

Blan was already feeling a chill down his spine. He thought of how lucky he was to be on the same side as Altair.

❈❈❈

Why are medicines that are good for the body always bitter and tasteless?

“Ugh…”

Nadia felt like she was going to faint as she finished all the medicine, and Marie handed her a sweet candy, which she quickly put in her mouth.

Leon, who was watching, clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Is it that bitter?”

“I don’t usually eat bitter things. How much detoxification left do I have to take?”

“I increased the dosage to the maximum…”

Nadia looked at Leon with her eyes sparkling with anticipation, and he quickly averted her gaze, feeling somewhat burdened.

“…If you continue to take the medicine like this, you will be able to remove all the poison within three days.”

“Three days?!”

“Well, that’s what it is in terms of calculations, and we’ll have to check it again then. It also depends on whether you’ve rested well and adjusted your condition well.”

“Well, though I didn’t expect it, since the situation has come to this, I might as well take a rest.”

As she happily chewed the candy, Leon let out a deep sigh.

“Is it that good?”

“Of course it is.”

“Taking the antidote isn’t what all there is to it. Since your body is so weak, you have to be careful throughout your pregnancy. Even a small shock can cause a miscarriage. Giving birth isn’t easy either. I’ve seen many people die during childbirth…”

Leon, who had been saying ominous things, shut his mouth tightly when he saw her face suddenly darkening.

Marie also poked Leon’s side hard with her elbow as if asking why he did that.

Nadia shook her head, trying to smile faintly.

“Don’t be so harsh, Marie. I know it’s not easy. Leon was just saying what he was worried about as a doctor. That’s the truth. But it gives me strength seeing how there are so many people who can help. Marie, Leon, and…”

Altair too.

She swallowed the name of the person she was missing.

But for some reason, strangely enough, a genuine smile spread across her lips.

If she had thought that she had to handle everything by herself… she would not have had the strength to overcome this burden.

Nadia felt much better when she thought that Altair would firmly support her throughout the entire process.

“I think I am lucky in that sense.”

When she smiled at Leon, he frowned and sighed deeply.

“No matter what you do, you tremble with worry, but you are optimistic at the strangest times. Well, it is still better than trembling I guess…”

While he was observing me as if he was looking at a strange creature, the door swung open.

“Madame!”

The owner of the voice was Cain.

Marie gave Cain a look full of reproach for rushing in without asking permission, but he approached Nadia without paying any attention.

Cain hadn’t opened his mouth yet, but just from the fact that he rushed in so urgently, she could tell what had happened.

Someone came to see Melissa!

And her guess was right.

“A guest came secretly. To that woman’s room. I let my guard down as much as possible to avoid being noticed, and he didn’t miss that opportunity.”

“As expected. Did you figure out who it was?”

“Not yet. He covered his face. They are talking in that woman’s room right now, so I intended to raid the scene, but I came in a hurry to ask for your permission first.”

“A raid…Isn’t that too dangerous?”

They needed to hold on more firmly, because they didn’t know what the cornered opponent would do.

“Then, after they finish talking and leave, should I follow him then?”

“What if you miss him?”

“I miss him?”

Cain’s eyes widened as if he had heard something really absurd, and he soon let out a chuckle.

“Madame, I don’t miss anyone. You do know whose back I always follow, right?”

Cain was always after Altair.

If he was good enough to keep up with Altair, he could probably follow this target with his eyes closed.

At that, Nadia nodded with suddenly-found confidence.

“Good. Then, Cain, wait for him to leave and follow him.”

“Yes. I will. I will definitely catch him.”

“And I…I think I should talk to Melissa.”

“Huh? Talk to that woman?”

Cain jumped up, his face crumpled.