Noon the next day.
The sun shining over the county was clear. As if to say that there is no darkness here.
Not a few floating clouds are also strangely deflecting the sun today.
Fred, who was leisurely appreciating the gloomy sky on top of the rampart, lowered his gaze as if his eyes were stinging.
'Country of Pelgarin.'
Numerous houses and splendid buildings radiated out from the center of the square, which served as a landmark. Fred quietly looked at it.
Long and far It is vast and planned. The territory that Count Pelgarin had built for a long time could now be called a small country'.
If you ask what's in the middle of the empire, even a child on the periphery will think of the county of Pelgaroin first, so it would be painful to mention the status of the family.
But Fred didn't like that fact. He hated it to the point of irritation that his family belonged to the Empire and that his family had a relationship with the emperor's lord and vassal for generations.
Especially since his older brother, Beneller, a kind-hearted coward who had been forced to lead the conquest army by order of the Emperor, had died miserably.
'Eight years have passed already.'
'It seems like it was yesterday that I cried and cried out over my older brother's death, but it seemed like a lot of time had passed.'
Even so, Fred could not forget the hatred and sadness of that time, even for a single moment.
Compared to Esily, who diluted her hatred for the sake of her family and shook off her sorrow, she was really immature and foolish, but what can he say when he was born this way?
'In the first place, if His Majesty hadn't given an unreasonable order to my brother....'
"Prince Fred…"
A warm, sweet sound from the back breaks my thoughts. When I turned around, I saw Theorad, who was neatly dressed in his clothes and smiling kindly.
"You came up here because you asked to see me. Do you have any other business?"
Fred smiled and nodded his head.
"Then. But it's not business; it's personal business."
"Prince Fred?"
"Haha.. I'm doing my housework, but I'm sorry for calling you out here. But I've heard some strange rumors. I called my brother-in-law like this because I wanted to confirm."
Theorard's shoulders tremble.
' Once from rumors, once from confirmations. He must have been alert to what happened yesterday.'
"I heard that my sister slapped you on the cheek yesterday. According to what I heard, he tried to kiss her by force. It's an outrageous rumor, so I asked the guests at yesterday's party to shut up, but that won't stop the story from spreading. What do you think about this?"
"Ah. That is…"
It feels fresh to see the horse's tail blurring and looking away. Fred didn't hide his smile and wrapped his arms around Theorard's shoulder.
"Good job."
"... Yes?"
"I was a little worried because I thought my brother-in-law was passive. You have been dating since you were young, but since you haven't kissed each other yet, I've had doubts about whether you're on the side of lack of sexual desire. But looking at this case, it seems that is not the case."
Theorard coughed unnaturally.
'Is he ashamed of his true feelings? Even though he acts dignified, when I see him like this, he seems like a naive young man who doesn't know the world, so I want to take care of him.'
Fred savvyly tapped Theorard on the chest.
"Don't worry if it's a rumor. Most of them are responding favorably to you and Esily's love play. It's even said that it's romantic among young ladies."
"Ah. Is that so?"
"Okay. Rather, what happened to Maldon yesterday? Maldon slandered his brother-in-law at breakfast. If Esily, who couldn't stand it, didn't pay attention, it would have become a place for criticism instead of a dinner table."
It's Maldon. Theorard, who was reflecting on what had happened at the ball, replied with a slightly uncomfortable expression.
"It's not something you can't understand. Because I was rude to the young master I wore yesterday."
"Isn't it the other way around?"
How do you know? As Theorad turned around with his doubts, Fred let go of the hand around his shoulder.
"There is something often said between Esily and me. It's not a big deal, but it's like saying, 'Everyone who's been cursed by Maldon is a good person'. He's my brother, but we all know he's nasty. He'll tell me where to go. Surely Maldon must have made a mistake with you first."
"He did try to tamper with my slave."
"Also. Somehow, his words had no cause, only consequences. I apologize to my brother-in-law on Maldon's behalf. Forgive the Pelgarin family for their rudeness."
'Do I need to go to the gate?' Theorad laughed awkwardly and shook his head.
"If I reflect on it, it is also my fault that actions speak louder than words. If you forgive Viscount Deharm's rudeness first, then I will also tolerate a small mistake from Pelgaroin."
Despite the fact that his faults were clear, Theorad lowered his own clan higher than his opponent's, revealing on the surface that they did not deserve each other's sins.
'Is it true that the like father like son? He was so good at dealing with life that the first offender felt better.'
In addition, it makes the other party naturally feel indebted. Fred doesn't know if it was intentional or not, but the patronage of someone with more than enough reputation can sometimes be a useful weapon. Theorard was making good use of that.
"Thank you for saying that."
There were a few more things he wanted to ask, but it wasn't something worth bringing up due to the flow of the conversation. Fred licked his lips and tapped Theorard lightly on the shoulder.
"The conversation I want to have is over. You must be busy, so please go do your work. I'm sorry to waste your time."
"It doesn't matter. Conversations with Prince Fred are always beneficial. Then."
Theorard, bowing his head politely, turned around and walked away. Fred, who had been staring at Theorard's back for a while, turned away with a low laugh.
'He's a strange guy. Theorad Deharm.'
Even though he seemed polite and kind, there was something about him that he couldn't understand.
*
[Theorad POV]
Returning to the count's office, I pulled on the brooch around my neck and let out a deep sigh.
'I thought I was caught.'
How anxious I was, knowing that some kind of conspiracy with Esily had been discovered. At least, Fred was not drawn into the elf's clutches.
'There are so many people I know, so there's nothing good about it.'
If someone touched the playful fun of the elf, who is obsessed with slavery, while sharing information, it would be ruined. The elf whose true identity is revealed will kill me, destroy the family, and leave in search of a new master.
I don't want such a bleak future. So, for now, only Esily and I had to find a way to share information.
But before that, it was better to clear the darkness from the county. I sat down in front of my desk and looked over the materials Marhan had brought me.
I had a montage depicting the criminals' facial expressions, a map showing the places where the crimes had occurred, and documents that recorded the testimonies of the villagers as the count's enlisted men and knights roamed the county.
It wasn't easy to pinpoint the location of their next crime.
'The testimonies overlap.'
There was no unity in the testimonies of the residents. For example, if there is a testimony that the culprit was seen in the 21st block of Mill Street, there is a testimony that the culprit was seen in the 17th block of Jackdaw Street, located directly opposite at the same time.
It was written that both had seen all ten criminals, so even if they wanted to trace their movements, they couldn't.
'I think there is an accomplice.'
All I could think was that some of the villagers who claimed to be eyewitnesses were cooperating with the 'Ten Bandits'. Then....
Smart-
As I was rolling my head vigorously, I heard a knock. I sighed and put down the quill I was holding.
"Come in."
Fuck another trouble....
An elf is seen beyond the helplessly open door. It felt creepy for a moment, but now I'm quite used to it. As I stared at her in silence, the elf crept in.
"Master... I'm here to confess because I made a small mistake."
'Little mistake? Curious, but not now.'
"Go away. Right now, I'm not in a relaxed enough situation to punish you for such a small mistake."
"Ah! Now, I said it wrong! It's a big mistake, so you have to punish me right now!!"
"Stupid bitch!! It seems like you can't even hear my words. Didn't I say I was busy?"
The elf's eyebrows twitch. I understand she is impatient because she hasn't been punished or fucked for a few days, but I haven't really had time for her sexual play."
.
'There's not much time left to stay in the castle, and I wanted to wipe out all these robbers by then. So, I wanted to prove my usefulness to the count.'
"Aha. Master is busy."
Why is he so busy? The elf muttered a little and looked over the montage spread out on the desk. Then she nodded and stepped back.
"Then I'll see you later, Master."
'Something is wrong. She was surprised and quick to agree. It's strange, but it was fortunate for me.'
After confirming that the elf had closed the door and left, I read the data again.
*
Dark night. Hamber, a man with a cunning impression at the Mortar Inn, climbed the stairs.
'You said you wanted to get information from me.'
It was when the sun had set and the world had become quite dark. He was preparing to go home after work when suddenly a beautiful woman wearing a hooded robe came up to him and asked if she knew anything about the 'Ten Enemies'.
At first, she pretended to be shy, but after persistently asking, Hamber eventually replied that he knew. Then she said that we should talk about women and that she would wait for him at the Mortar Inn.
Hamber nodded his head at the insidious thought of being alone in an inn room with a beautiful woman. That is why he has now arrived at the Mortar Inn.
'She said it was Room 206.'
Hamber, who checked the signboard while walking down the hallway, grabbed the doorknob of Room 206 and turned it.
'It's open!'
It seemed that she was not lying when she said she would wait. What kind of windfall is this? Excited inside, Hamber opened the door and went inside. The woman he had seen before was sitting on the bed.
The woman checked his body up and down and pursed her charming lips.
"Tell me where the culprit is. Because I've been looking for them everywhere."
It's absurd to talk about the purpose first. Hamber quietly locked the door and approached the woman, licking his lips with his tongue.
"Why would you do this? If you want information, you have to pay."
"Cost?"
"Okay. You have a pretty good appearance, but if you spend one night with me, I will give you the information you want."
Of course, he doesn't intend to hand over information just because she's giving her a night's sleep. He intended to make a small amount of money by fucking her moderately first, drugging her to make her unconscious, and then selling her to the slave market.
"Also."
However, the woman did not know that she was in danger, so she took off her hood with a detached complexion. Pointed ears are exposed beneath her lustrous silver hair.
"Short-lived species cross the line if treated kindly."
"Wait a minute. You elf-"
Hamber's body went up in the air and crashed into the wall.
Bang!! Bang!!
His body hits the wall, bounces off, and rolls on the floor. Hamber groaned with his mouth wide open as debris from the ceiling fell from the intense impact.
"Please have mercy..."
In the spirit of fainting, he sees the elf getting up from her seat. The elf, who walked arrogantly, looked down at Hamber coldly and opened her words.
"Where are the criminals?"
"I don't know."
Hamber's body rises into the air, then crashes into the ground at the speed of light. Thud! With a dull impact sound, it felt like every bone in his body was being shattered. He couldn't even groan anymore, and as he was biting into his crab foam, the elf lifted her foot and trampled on Hamber's head.
"Where are the criminals?"
Only then could Hamber understand himself. These elf do not treat humans as life. If he doesn't know, she'll kill him, and if he is lying that he doesn't know, she will kill him out of shame.
The only way to survive is to vomit out all the information he knows. Hamber let out a desperate cry at her, feeling extreme terror at the elf crushing his own head.
"No, I will tell you!
I will tell you, Where are the Ten Bandits hiding..Please spare me!!"