Chapter 44

"Sir! Please step on it harder! It's already dusty enough, what will you do if the lye doesn't wash out!"

"..."

In the courtyard of the castle.

Leandros was slowly moving under a huge washtub with a tired face.

Having taken off his shoes and rolled up his pants, he looked exactly like a rural farmer.

Of course, he looked more like a farmer who had just killed someone, but Arndt didn't care and continued to nag from the side.

"Step on it more! Hard! It's a sheet for His Grace's bedroom!"

"...Isn't this originally a job that requires three or four servants together?"

"I guess so, right? Do you think treading laundry is easy?"

"Then why am I doing it alone?"

To Leandros, who asked in confusion, Arndt squared his shoulders and answered proudly.

"If I get sick from doing this, who will take care of His Grace's meals, bedroom cleaning, and all the little things?"

"You get sick from doing this?"

"Ah, indeed! People like you who have been trained wouldn't understand. Do you know how tiring it is to splash around in water all day?"

"So why me."

"You don't get sick easily, do you?"

Leandros was at a loss for words.

Of course, he hadn't had minor illnesses until now.

But to have him tread alone on the laundry filling such a wide tub.

Gradually, more strength entered his feet as he silently trod the laundry.

Only then did Arndt seem satisfied and chuckled contentedly.

"Please bear with it just until the castle returns to normal, Sir. We're already short on people, what can we do? We can't just hire people recklessly, can we?"

"We'll have to bring in at least one manager before departing for the south."

"With no furniture or anything here, a manager? That's manager abuse."

"..."

That was true, actually.

Arndt leaned against the washtub and chattered away.

"First, let's order furniture and clean up to make it presentable. So it's not embarrassing for others to see. After that, my plan is to carefully select and hire people."

"Do as you see fit."

"We should first put two people in the kitchen, and employ about five servants to be able to live normally? Even so, we would have to recruit soldiers, but it seems a bit premature right now? This would require Your Grace's approval."

"I said, do as you see fit."

"Speaking of His Grace, I just have a good feeling. I think he will truly raise the family. I'm not just thinking vaguely, but really."

Leandros agreed with this.

But Leandros lacked the energy to respond.

"When you came all the way to the east, I was honestly moved. I had expected it, but I didn't know Your Grace would come personally. When I saw you there, I honestly thought an angel had come. How did he grow up to be so gentle and merciful? I'm planning to bury my bones in this castle from now on. I will serve His Grace until I die."

"...Do as you please."

"Don't be jealous! It's just my loyalty. I'm not looking for rewards or anything like that. Ah, I think I wouldn't mind even if I had to stay unpaid for life, as long as I could be by His Grace's side."

"Suit yourself."

"I never thought you would become such a person before."

The two fell silent for a moment.

A pleasant breeze brushed past their hair.

Arndt looked up at the castle for a moment and muttered.

"Honestly, before, you were strange and scary. How should I put it, not human, or far from normal."

"..."

"You weren't an ordinary person. You changed suddenly after coming to the castle."

Leandros had to nod at those words.

Suddenly, Leandros looked at Arndt's round head.

Should he tell him the story?

Should he share the task that the former Duchess had secretly entrusted to him?

The event that only he, Arenheit, and the deceased Duchess knew about in that forest?

Perhaps it would be better not to speak.

Even with the former Duchess's last will, such an act was taboo.

Telling Arndt would only damage his respect for Arenheit.

So it was right not to tell him.

As Leandros was organizing his thoughts, a shout was heard from the outdoor corridor on the second floor of the castle, which overlooked the courtyard.

"Arndt!"

It was Arenheit.

He was dangerously leaning his upper body outward, as if he might fall at any moment.

Witnessing this, Arndt was flustered and immediately ran up to him.

"Your Grace, that's dangerous!"

"Did anyone come by while we were gone from here?"

"What? As far as I know, the only visitors were the Baron and his forces yesterday."

"Did they come inside?"

"I suppose they would have searched the castle to see if it was empty...?"

As soon as he heard that answer, Arenheit exclaimed "Ack!" and went back inside.

Arndt and Leandros looked at each other.

"Was there any theft?"

"I'll, I'll check."

Whether before or now, he was the same in causing incomprehensible events.

Leandros thought as he got out of the washtub.

He should check what was going on.

* * *

He had thought there had been many times in his life when he felt disgusted.

Missing a bus right in front of him, a department head subtly passing work onto him, having his achievements taken by someone else.

But at this moment, he corrected himself.

The truly disgusting feeling was having his belongings taken right before his eyes.

"You said a book was stolen?"

"To be precise, the Duchess's... no, my mother's book."

The place he arrived at after crossing the painting was a small room.

A space with no light at all, with only minimal finishing to prevent moisture.

In the middle of the room was a reading stand where one could stand and read.

There was nothing on the reading stand.

Except for the crumpled and torn pages fallen on the floor.

The handwriting that someone had written directly was very faded.

The moment he saw that page, he had to revise his future plans.

The book to which the page had been attached.

The missing book had that much value and risk.

"Has either of you ever entered my mother's study?"

Leandros nodded.

"I have entered, but what part concerns you?"

"The curtain on the wall... the dark navy curtain. Have you seen it?"

"Yes, I remember. It was always covering the wall."

"And the painting beyond it?"

He had hoped a little, but this time Leandros shook his head.

"The former Duchess never drew back the curtain. I just learned that a painting was hanging there because Your Grace mentioned it."

If so, it was highly likely that the one who damaged the painting was also the culprit who took the book.

After all, when he first entered the room, he didn't know there was a painting there.

Unless one knew the location of the painting and its role, they wouldn't have noticed.

Logically, it wasn't Baron Arnold.

A person raging with anger wouldn't likely be meticulous enough to search a room and discover a secret door.

Then there was only one culprit.

"Yurik, that fucking bastard."

He felt urgent.

He couldn't imagine how Yurik would use it.

But he couldn't run to the royal palace now and demand it back either.

The east, the royal palace, the south.

He hadn't wanted to go to the east but had to because of Arndt, and now to the royal palace with his own feet?

He didn't want to diligently follow the route of the previous round by himself.

How could he retrieve the book?

As he was pulling his hair, Leandros asked.

"If it's an urgent matter, how about hurrying to the south?"

"What?"

Quickly go to the place where he would die?

Looking at Leandros with eyes like he was seeing a crazy person, he raised one eyebrow.

He seemed to know clearly what he was thinking.

"Didn't you say the Crown Prince and the stolen item were connected? Since he has a task for you, there's a way to create a point of contact to meet the Crown Prince by going to the south."

"Ah!"

"Without Your Grace necessarily going to the royal palace, there might be a reason for him to come to the south. The Crown Prince isn't one with a heavy behind."

He was the protagonist! This was the intelligence of a protagonist!

Focused on the immediate issue, he hadn't thought of this method.

Moreover, Yurik had told him that he himself would go to the south.

Why hadn't he thought of it earlier?

He sprang up from his seat.

"Then without delay, let's go to the south right now..."

-Drop.

The gazes of the two men turned to his face.

A lukewarm liquid flowing down his philtrum and chin.

When he wiped it, the back of his hand was all red.

Leandros, without a word, seated him and made him tilt his head back, applying pressure to the bridge of his nose.

He murmured in a low voice.

"Sufficient measures will be needed before going to the south."

Why did it burst at such a timing?

Damn it.

Dragged to the bedroom, he spent a lot of time lying down.

Arndt had been making nutritious food all along, but there was no way he could eat it.

In the end, it was a continuous cycle of eating a little, then secretly vomiting.

While he was fighting his own battle, the two prepared for the journey to the south.

This time, they had enough money, so preparations seemed to be going smoothly.

Additionally, they had prepared a small carriage for him.

From what he had seen, it had two wheels, had a roof but was open at the front, making it look like a sightseeing carriage.

The coachman's seat was located at the rear upper part of the carriage.

The carriage was sturdily built and properly painted.

Seeing that, he inadvertently said, "Wow, I really look like a nobleman," which made Arndt say with a crushed expression.

"Until now, we didn't have money... I'm sorry, Your Grace. From now on, please don't worry about anything. We will truly serve you well."

That somehow sounded like a child raised by parents who worked hard despite a tight household, who entered a large law firm and bought lots of gifts for their parents with their first salary.

After seeing Arndt wiping away tears, he decided to be more careful with his comments in the future.

They say you can't even drink water freely in front of a child, and it really was like that.

More than ten days passed like that.

From dawn on the day of departure for the south, Arndt was busy.

He carried boiled water directly to the bathtub, and even added bundles of herbs with a medicinal smell, from who knows where.

His lower abdomen had healed cleanly without even a scar.

After washing, he put on new clothes.

A shirt that fit his body perfectly, a waistband, a vest, a long and thick cloak and comfortable pants, new shoes, and a pair of white gloves.

Everything felt light and had a good texture, clearly showing that money had been spent.

"I told you to decorate the castle, but you've just bought a lot of clothes for me. Don't white gloves get dirty easily?"

"Your Grace, I'm bringing five pairs of those gloves."

"And other clothes too...?"

"Of course! I even bought a clothes box exclusively for Your Grace."

"That many?"

He wasn't sure what was what, but he could tell that Arndt was somehow managing his stress well.

Arndt was also neatly dressed in the clothes he had worn when visiting the baronial family in the capital.

"You look good."

At those words, Arndt grinned.

He politely opened the door for him who had finished dressing, and outside, Leandros was standing in a neat appearance, wearing armor.

"Preparations are complete, Your Grace."

What was it like when they first left the castle in his past life?

Everyone was hungry, confused, and on edge.

While the desolate interior of the castle remained the same, wearing different clothes gave him a fresh feeling.

He thought about this as he descended the stairs.

Would he be able to return to this crumbling castle?

Since Arndt had boasted confidently, he could expect to see it well-decorated.

Would he be able to see that...

In front of the wide-open castle gate, a horse and a black carriage were waiting.

A brown horse was attached to the carriage.

It seemed to have been assigned to pull the carriage due to its gentle temperament.

"The carriage is light, so one horse should be enough. The black horse will likely pull the luggage. I will be the coachman, and Sir Leandros will ride the black horse."

If it was Leandros's opinion, there would be no problem.

He took Leandros's hand and boarded the carriage.

But as he stepped onto the stairs, Arndt's surprised voice was heard from behind.

"You rascal! Stay still!"

-Neeeeigh!

The black horse was prancing about.

It was kicking its hind legs fiercely, avoiding Arndt who was trying to attach the luggage cart, and threateningly clicked its teeth.

Then it approached the brown horse standing quietly and even punched it with its muzzle.

-Snort.

Everyone could only watch in astonishment at the sight of it proudly showing off.

"Why is it doing that?"

"I don't know, Your Grace. It was docile until just now. Does it not like something?"

Thanks to the black horse pushing the brown horse with its whole body, as if trying to take its place, avoiding its front legs, the luggage fell from the cart with a thud.

Arndt screamed.

"Aaaah! Your Grace, I think it's gone crazy! Should we sell it in a nearby town?"

"No, wait a moment."

As he approached the black horse that was doing all sorts of things, the horse stomped its feet, clicking a few times, and then suddenly extended its muzzle towards him.

-Snort.

As he stroked the mane of the creature that was rubbing its nose and head against him, making a silent appeal, he asked.

"Why not switch the horses' positions?"

"But that horse seems to dislike me, Your Grace. I don't know what kind of trouble might occur if I sit in the coachman's seat."

Arndt glanced at the horse that had almost torn off his head.

The horse was innocently blinking its red eyes, but he had to agree with Arndt.

There was no need to inflict the tragedy of the bald guard from the capital gate on Arndt.

In the end, they had to readjust the overall positions.

Leandros would take the coachman's seat, and Arndt would ride the luggage horse.

After switching the horses' positions, the black horse became frighteningly well-behaved, as if it had never been otherwise.

It really was a clever creature.

Just like how it had promptly run to Leandros in the east.

"We're departing, Your Grace."

The carriage moved slowly.

The journey to the south, where the future was uncertain, was beginning.