Chapter 22: 22

“What did you say?”

Allen couldn’t understand the news he’d just heard.

“Baron Fern escaped?”

“Yes, sir! That is the news circulating amongst the maids right now.”

Linbelle replied, batting her sparkling purple eyes, comfortable in her bed. Allen looked at Inellia, who silently nodded in agreement. 

There was no reason for them to be lying. Even more so if it was a lie that could be quickly found out.

“No, ha. It can’t be…”

It was said that one was left speechless when overly shocked, and now was proof of that.

Baron Fern’s place of imprisonment was only an annex away from the main building. He was meant to be kept there until tried by Duke Gaielle, his master.

So how?

The crippled Baron Fern, from a solitary cell without sunlight, defeating the soldier guarding the door? In a way where nobody saw it? All while avoiding the attention of all of the servants within the manor?

“He escaped?”

Dumbfounded, Allen burst into a fit of laughter.

Was the level of security at the manor so lax?

Because Inellia and Linbelle hadn’t been properly trained yet, their behavior was awkward, but having them there was still faster than changing his clothes alone.

“I should go to my father.”

Allen took a deep breath. He could guess that his father had had a hand in this. So it would backfire on him to act emotionally. As such, he took a moment to calm down while standing in front of the door to his father’s study and raised his hand.

Knock, knock.

He knocked with a touch of aristocratic grace, incongruent with his impatient intentions. 

“Father, it’s Allen. May I come in?”

With the same stiff tone as usual, Gaielle allowed his visit.

“Come in.”

His father stared at him with his usual cold face.

Struggling to suppress the doubts plaguing him, Allen asked, “Father, have you heard the news of Baron Fern’s escape?”

“Yes, I was told early this morning as well.”

His father’s expression remained unchanged, suggesting that he had indeed already heard the news. Not needing to say anything else, Allen stated his intentions directly.

“I will set up a search party to find him.”

“There’s no need.”

“Father.”

“We’ve already sent a search party after him, so there’s no need.”

His father answered without hesitation, as if he’d expected it. Allen couldn’t understand what it was he wanted.

What the fuck was he thinking? Everything in the manor was under his control. Yet nobody saw Baron Fern escaping?

“…In that case, where is Sorcerer Prindal? If he’s with them, they’ll catch him in no time.”

Was it even possible to safely evade a Rank 5 sorcerer? He was lucky enough to have escaped at all, but he’d surely be caught quickly now. 

Did he not return to the house with Julius at all? Even though I clearly saw Francisca go to meet with him?

“If he were in the manor, there’s no chance he wouldn’t have noticed.”

“Sir Prindal had something urgent come up right after his return. He left together with Miss Francisca.” 

“…Is that so?”

What a coincidence.

The night that Baron Fern escaped, the Rank 5 sorcerer—the one who could detect his escape faster than anyone else—had to leave town for something urgent?

What was Baron Fern’s true identity? What was Gaielle scheming? No, was it even right to call it scheming?

A feeling of discomfort of unknown origin wrapped around Allen’s body, making him feel stuffy, as if walking through a thick fog. This time, too, his black book and his memories from before the regression were of no use.

But what was even the point of knowing the future?

Only the biased information from Allen and Julius’s memories were of value.

However, it was impossible to find information about the distant future from the book, so the frustration returned twofold.

‘There isn’t enough information.’

He took a deep breath.

In any case, his father had no intention of revealing the truth. Wasn’t it clear that this was then the only way to proceed?

‘If I can’t find out anything about Baron Fern…’

“Please swear on mana, Father.”

Gaielle just watched him quietly with his deep eyes.

“I shall graciously pay the price of my disrespect. Please forgive me.”

Their gazes met. His father was always like that. Back then, now, and in the future too.

“Swear on mana that you were not involved in Baron Fern’s escape.”

How long must they have simply stared at each other?

Just after the clock had ticked in that quiet room thirty times, his father began to speak.

“Now, I must know of your disrespect towards me.”

Could his heir even call on him, the duke, to take an oath? Yet he couldn’t help but confirm this.

Maybe it was all a coincidence? Maybe it was his father’s will, or there was someone behind the scenes manipulating it all. If not, what else could’ve been involved?

“I… will take responsibility for my actions.”

He had to know for sure. That was the only reason why Allen had acted out so rudely, something he’d normally never even think of doing. That kind of behavior that he’d detested—unaristocratic behavior. Acting without logic or reason.

He felt uncomfortable, but it couldn’t be helped. There was no other option.

“I shall graciously pay the price of my disrespect. Please forgive me.”

Gaielle stared at Allen for a while before speaking quietly. The words came out slowly.

“I never helped Baron Fern escape. I swear on mana itself.”

Mana rushed and winded around his body.

And…

“Are you satisfied now?”

…Nothing happened.

Gaielle spoke to him with a calm face.

“This time, Allen, I will accept this as a behavioral outlier made in fear that Julius’s successes might be tainted by Baron Fern’s escape.”

Allen knew what he really meant.

“Everyone here knows how you think so much of your brother, so I’m sure they’ll understand this as such.”

It was just an excuse. Gaielle would help him save face so that Allen wouldn’t have to run away.

“So, go relax in your room. Got it?”

“…Yes, I understand.”

At that, Allen firmly nodded. In any case, the actions he just witnessed had decisively proven who had taken the lead and assisted with the escape.

As he walked out of the study, Linbelle—who had been waiting in front of the study—whispered softly, likely worried about Allen who had entered with a much more optimistic expression.

“Are you okay, sir?”

“…Yeah.”

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“Why don’t you take a little break?”

Allen shook his head at her words. He didn’t have enough time to rest in his room. Even if he couldn’t pursue Baron Fern, there was more work to be done.

“I need to go see my mother to introduce you all. And I should greet her after not seeing her for a long time.”

He thought it would be good to get done what he had been planning to do while getting them trained as maids at the same time.

It was upsetting that he wasn’t able to learn anything about Baron Fern, but it was also comforting that he was able to talk with his father and get some information.

Allen led them to the front terrace of the main building where his mother frequented.

 

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Reaper Scans

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She who had glossy purple hair, a youthful appearance unbefitting of her true age, and extraordinary dignity and grace was Eliza, the lady of the house and Allen’s mother.

“Allen. I haven’t seen you at all lately.”

She smiled brightly until Allen had come to her, changing her expression instantly and rolling her eyes in disappointment.

“Haha… I’ll come more often from now on.”

“How many times?”

“What?”

“Shouldn’t you be coming here four, no, just at least three times a week?”

Allen gave a troubled smile and nodded. It was clear to him that his mother and her stubborn personality wouldn’t let him say no.

“…Yes. I’ll certainly come to visit you four times a week.”

At Allen’s reluctant reply, Eliza smiled again and sat opposite him.

“Yes, as you should. You used to follow me around all the time when you were young. Do you know why I’m so upset these days? You and Julius, you’re both always working! It’s so lonely.”

His mother was speaking playfully, but it was clear that her words were sincere. That was just the kind of person she was.

“So you two…”

His mother, who’d been talking about him for quite a while now, looked behind him. Linbelle’s head kept nodding, as if greatly fatigued, and Inellia stood there, quietly trying to wake her up.

“Are you two the new maids I’ve heard of?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“When we suggested you to pick some yourself, you refused. But then you changed your mind all of a sudden.”

“…I suppose. Isn’t it strange to be at this age and not have a maid?”
She laughed softly and asked him if he really meant it.

“I don’t know… I don’t know what the other aristocrats would think. Maybe you’d be laughed at a little for being cheap?”
Allen smiled bitterly at her, using teasing language on purpose. However, she was definitely right.

Why didn’t he have a maid before the regression? Because he didn’t have money? Yes. However, if he really wanted one, wouldn’t the family have surely provided one for him? Whether it was a young girl from a small aristocratic family with no real estate or a thoroughly trained top-tier slave, it would’ve been possible to get it if he really wanted it.

However, he didn’t want one in his previous life.

‘Because I didn’t find any maids suitable to serve the duke.’

The Reinhart family was in decline, but it was still a large estate ruling the duchery. How could he keep an average maid around?

That was what he had thought then…

“Do we really have to care about what others think?”

…But not anymore.

“Hm? Allen, I didn’t expect that from you. You must’ve gone through a lot in Hibelle, huh?”

“Well, yes. Not so much as to change my values, though. But it gave me an opportunity to change my behavior.”

Because Julius was more important to him than other people’s opinions.

It was an opportunity to recruit talented people who have potential to become one of the top eight on the continent in the future, as well as those who displayed exceptional strength, if even for a moment.

Did the opinions of others matter?

“That’s great. I always wanted you to have a maid, but…”

His mother put her finger on her lips, as if she’d seen something entertaining, and then poked her finger into Linbelle’s smooth cheek.

“Ack!”

She raised her head in surprise, saw Eliza, and stopped in her tracks. The lady, still fiddling with Linbelle’s soft cheeks, began to speak.

“She’s cute. She hasn’t lost her baby fat yet.”

Linbelle stayed still while being played around with.

“There’s a reason why you chose her. She’s pure. Haha.”

Inellia watched Linbelle with anxious eyes since the first moment Eliza had been touching her. Allen, eventually unable to resist her desperate eyes, opened his mouth to speak.

“Mother, why don’t you stop. Aren’t you a little tired?”
“She’s my son’s maid. She has to listen. That’s how it is. So…”
His mother, who’d been fiddling with Linbelle’s cheeks for so long, finally returned to her seat and narrowed her eyes.

“What is your real reason for coming here?”

“I wanted to see you, of course…”

“Are you here to ask that they get trained?”
She turned to Linbelle and Inellia as if she knew everything.

“No…”
“No, I don’t think you’re going to be lying to your mother, Allen.”

How many years had she raised him? Eliza ignored Allen’s awkward smile and looked away. And the atmosphere changed in an instant. 

“We are of different walks of life, and you’re writing off the work of being a maid. They can’t even understand their master’s intentions properly. You just thought you were Allen’s plaything at first, didn’t you?”

Eliza laughed cynically. She opened and squinted her eyes, carefully examining them.

Linbelle remained stiff, realizing her mistake, while Inellia had become uneased with a troubled look on her face.

‘‘Even while being put down, they don’t show any resistance, and they don’t hide their feelings. This is an advantage, but…”

Eliza slowly continued analyzing and evaluating them.

‘Her skin is so elastic, you wouldn’t believe she was a commoner. Could she be of mixed race? She doesn’t seem to be too unmannered either, but…’

She launched a few more questions at them before coming to her final conclusion. Allen wasn’t too upset by her actions, since he was used to having her as a mother. But it was inevitable for a certain question to come to mind.

‘Did such a thorough mother really not notice that Julius had changed?’

Truthfully, the most unbelievable thing was that his mother had changed even more than his father, indulging in luxury far more than she had before. 

And Julius had been helping his father with some of his administrative work, so shouldn’t it have been apparent to him that he’d changed so suddenly?

“…I suppose they’re both pretty alright. They aren’t bad kids.”

After finishing her examination of the two, she smiled brightly again, and Linbelle and Inellia sighed with relief. 

“However, I’ll have you both trained for a few days since you don’t quite seem to have the hang of it yet. After all, that’s why you came, right?”

Eliza smiled at him with a knowing look. Hearing this, Allen nodded. 

“Yes, you’re right. But it is true that I was worried about you after hearing that you’d been lonely.”

“Hm? Of course, I know.”

As she nodded as if it were obvious, she continued, “Be careful. You tend to strain your jaw when you’re telling the truth.”

Allen smiled bitterly as the girls’ jaws dropped in surprise.

“Well, thank you.”

“Of course! Don’t forget to come visit four times a week!”
“Yes.”

Allen turned away from Linbelle’s gaze and started back towards the house.

There was somewhere he needed to go.

While being trained, they needed to be ready to get ‘that’.

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