Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The banquet at the Earl's residence continued late into the night without showing any signs of ending.
Liszt was fortunate to have joined the small circle of Viscount Diego Blare.
A group of men, holding pipes and smoking fine tobacco, engaged in conversation amidst the swirling smoke.
Men, after all, often discuss military and political matters, and at some point, they began debating the recent situation in the Horns Bay.
"The business along the coast is getting increasingly difficult," remarked a gentleman in a top hat, elegantly filling his pipe with tobacco and carefully igniting it over the candle flame, sighing helplessly.
"Oh, Aubrey, do you have any leads? My business has long been driven out by the coastal folks," another replied.
"I'm just barely holding on; I don't know how much longer I can last."
"Hmph!" Viscount Diego Blare snorted. "You can blame the ambitious schemers pulling strings behind the scenes, trying to push our country into the abyss of war."
He raised a glass of bright red wine and downed it in one go.
"I will never allow our nation to fall into disaster."
This statement only made Liszt feel that Viscount Diego Blare's tone was rather grandiose.
Sitting next to him, Kabul whispered, "Don't be deceived by my teacher's status as a mere viscount; his role as the court astrologer means the king values his opinions highly. Our king… well, he's a bit superstitious."
A bit superstitious? Liszt was perplexed; it sounded strange coming from an astrologer. Did they not believe in their own practices?
The gentleman in front continued, "But many of us here are looking forward to a war with the coastal folks; listen to what they say!"
Liszt leaned in, catching a cacophony of rude curses and laughter.
One guest shrugged, "They think that while the coastal folks are dominant at sea, they're just a bunch of lambs on land. As long as our brave warriors charge to their doorstep, we can easily walk in and take away their gold, silk, porcelain, and spices."
Viscount Diego Blare disdainfully remarked, "They're just a bunch of fools who only know how to play war games."
The gentleman smiled and asked him, "I say, Diego, aren't you afraid of offending people with your clear stance against war?"
The viscount shrugged nonchalantly, "I've already offended plenty; the more debts I have, the less I need to worry."
This was indeed an internal conflict among the people of Horns, and Liszt wisely chose to remain a listener. As the banquet drew to a close, having drunk his fill, he decided to take his leave. The host warmly invited him to stay, and after some hesitation, he followed the servant.
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Bang! Bang! Bang!
A rapid knocking on the door startled Liszt from his slumber.
What was happening? He quickly dressed, hurriedly got out of bed, and opened the door.
Outside stood the servant who had brought him in yesterday, his face flushed with panic, breathing heavily as if he had run all the way.
"Sir, please hurry to the front hall; something has happened. I need to notify others, so please go ahead."
And then the servant ran off.
With a sense of unease and battling a hangover, Liszt made his way to the front hall, the same hall where the banquet had taken place the previous night.
Many people were already standing inside, most notably a group of armored knights. Although there were many people, the joyous atmosphere of the banquet was entirely absent, replaced by a heavy, solemn mood.
The host, Earl Bridges, was conversing with one of the knights.
Upon seeing Liszt arrive, the Earl wore an indescribable expression and said, "It's unfortunate, Mr. Liszt; such a thing has happened."
"Unfortunate? What exactly…?"
Earl Bridges spoke gravely, "Viscount Diego Blare has… he has been called by the Lord; it's truly terrible. A perfectly fine man who was laughing and chatting at my banquet just yesterday is now a corpse…"
Diego Blare? Liszt recalled that he was the astrologer from the banquet yesterday, Kabul's mentor.
"It's truly unfortunate…"
He echoed, silently mourning while hoping that the viscount's passing would not affect the vindication of Kabul's mother.
"It's true, Mr. Liszt," the knight began. "We are from the city guard, here to inform you of a matter. The death of Viscount Diego Blare was too sudden; he was not very old, in good health, and had no bad habits, so we suspect it was not a natural death."
"Murder?" Liszt's eyes widened as he blurted out.
"Not certain yet," the knight maintained eye contact with him. "We need to wait for the coroner's examination before making a judgment, but given that you had direct contact with him yesterday, we hope you won't go anywhere in the next few days so we can… ask some questions if necessary."
What else could he say? Liszt could only nod, "I will cooperate."
What a stroke of bad luck to encounter such a situation.
Soon after, a few other guests who had stayed at the Earl's residence arrived, receiving the same notification.
"I'm sorry, guests," Earl Bridges said apologetically, "but Viscount Blare was a court figure, the king's astrologer. His death is a serious matter, and even I cannot leave the city at my leisure these next few days."
After informing the guard of his accommodation, Liszt had prepared for several days of waiting. However, to his surprise, the next day brought developments.
He received word that Viscount Diego Blare had not died of murder; the case was closed, and those involved were free to move about.
TL: Not sus at all...
Relieved, Liszt began his planned investigation of Collins's trade situation.
After a week of wandering, he packed his belongings and left the city, purchasing a horse to ride for speed, also considering the possibility of needing to escape in case of emergency.
His belongings now included a token from Earl Bridges, which might come in handy should he encounter trouble again.
Fortunately, he did not face another extortion incident like before, but along the way, he met someone unexpected.
As he rode leisurely, he heard a rumbling sound growing nearer and couldn't help but look back, seeing a carriage rushing toward him as if it were being chased by some ferocious beast or bandit, even though there was actually no one behind the vehicle.
(End of the Chapter)
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