Chapter 163

"I n-never imagined."

"I can understand why."

Amelia, who had appropriated clothes from a bound believer, was in a fairly calm state thanks to Verde.

Since they couldn't move right away after Amelia woke up, they decided to camp in the garden.

Verde, who had been tormented all day by heretics and then by unconscious patients, had collapsed beside the campfire.

It was an open secret that Leandros looked at him with contemptuous eyes.

Meanwhile, Amelia gave Arenheit a rough explanation of what had happened in the mansion.

Although she struggled at times, he couldn't help but admire how she prioritized reporting the situation.

Amelia muttered while brushing back her disheveled hair.

"He o-only said he was a c-clergyman to me. I th-thought he was a clergyman from the Valentine t-temple..."

"I would have thought the same. He's remarkably pretty-faced."

No wonder he had been going around capturing the hearts of ducal employees in the previous iteration.

Though Arenheit didn't believe in any deity other than his brother, that face was convincing enough to be called divine mercy.

Amelia smiled faintly, then became serious.

"B-but what's important is w-what happens from now on, isn't it?"

"...That's right. The most important thing first is to find the representative of the royal direct territory or the city lord of Valentine."

"B-but I don't think I s-saw anyone among the imprisoned people except S-Sir Nabilov."

"Sir Nabilov testified the same. Leandros searched the basement too, but couldn't find them."

Strictly speaking, it wasn't that they couldn't be found, but that it was impossible to distinguish who was who.

Amelia murmured, looking into the small campfire.

"Where c-could the two of them have g-gone? If we went into the m-mansion once more to look..."

"It's too dangerous because it's been so heavily damaged. Leandros and the snowman made holes everywhere during their fight. At this point, even people who were alive are likely to have perished."

She looked down and became gloomy.

Arenheit was equally depressed. He simply couldn't see a way forward.

Handing over these heretics and resolving the Valentine incident was a separate issue from supporting Gallo's reconstruction.

While they were silently staring at the campfire, Russel abruptly joined them and sat down.

"Why is the atmosphere like this? And what's wrong with His Grace?"

"Sir Leandros chased me away. Said if I had nothing to do, I should guard His Grace and Miss Amelia."

Russel, who had just woken up, had been tottering like a drugged chicken, but within a few hours, he had started fluttering about energetically.

He didn't listen to Verde's advice to take absolute rest and started following Leandros around, which apparently resulted in him getting a restraining order.

"Leandros doesn't like when others get friendly with him. I'll apologize instead, Sir Nabilov."

"It's not an issue for Your Grace to apologize for. It's my fault for not showing my sincerity to Sir Leandros. But soon I'll win his heart and dedicate my entire being..."

"Don't say such things so casually. You'll be seen as a strange person."

"But I'm sincere. By the way, why are you two so depressed?"

"I-it's nothing, S-Sir shouldn't w-worry about it."

"We were worried because we couldn't find Valentine's city lord and the royal direct territory representative. We need to resolve a fire that happened in another village."

"Y-Your Grace!"

Amelia grabbed his arm.

Her startled eyes were asking, 'Is it okay to tell this to someone we just met today?'

Of course, ordinary people wouldn't tell such things to someone they'd met just hours ago.

But Russel and Arenheit were old acquaintances who had formed a bond in the previous iteration.

Knowing sufficiently that he wasn't the kind of person who would stab him in the back, Arenheit could easily confide in him.

"It's alright, Amelia. Sir Nabilov can be trusted."

"The city lord and the representative? Aren't they both dead?"

"See, he's more straightforward than he looks and doesn't hide anything- ...What did you say?"

What had he just heard?

Amelia was also staring blankly at Russel.

As both of them were buffering while looking at him for a moment, Russel kindly reiterated.

"Aren't they both dead? That woman who was the leader of the heretics was the representative of the royal direct territory, and she killed Valentine's city lord."

"How do you know that?"

"I saw it. And Amelia was there too. Ah, but Amelia was unconscious at that time."

What was this? It was a setting he hadn't even considered.

In his confusion, his words began to come out tangled.

"Why, why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

"Was it an important issue? I thought you already knew."

"You should have said that first!"

When Arenheit shrieked, Russel's eyes grew round.

He might look pitiful as he fumbled around not knowing what he'd done wrong, but what was important to Arenheit right now wasn't that.

"How did you know the heretic leader was the representative? Did you hear it? Or did you see it?"

"She said it herself with her own mouth."

"And the city lord? What happened to the city lord? How did he die? Who killed him?"

"It seems the representative, I mean, the heretic leader killed Valentine's city lord..."

"I'm not asking for speculation. Did you see it with your own eyes? Are you certain?"

When Arenheit interrogated him as if he would strangle him if necessary, Russel nodded his head vigorously.

He didn't seem to understand why they were acting so sensitively.

Amelia, who had been holding her head with both hands, murmured.

"D-do you think the r-royal family knew when they appointed the r-representative?"

"Isn't that more likely? Think about what we heard in Gallo. Everything started from the banquet celebrating the representative's appointment. If it hadn't been prepared in advance, it would be harder for things to fit together so perfectly."

"Then the l-letter we received in G-Gallo too?"

"It seems there was a reason we had to come here."

Strictly speaking, it wasn't "we" but "Leandros" who had to come, but.

However, he deliberately didn't mention that.

Amelia buried her face in her raised knees for a moment, then lifted her head.

"N-no one will believe us."

"..."

"Y-Your Grace, th-think about it. The r-representative appointed by the royal family w-was a heretic? And they ruined an entire c-city and village? Such a r-ridiculous story won't be accepted anywhere."

"Amelia."

"Hartmann sh-shouldn't have been here. The r-royal family will deny everything. To p-people, it's more plausible that Hartmann h-harbored a grudge against lost territories and r-released heretics than that the royal family c-colluded with heretics!"

Amelia was right.

Hartmann was insular, and the former duchess could freely command demonic beasts.

Far from going to the temple to prove their faith, the duchess's study had a painting depicting the deity she believed in.

Long ago, they had been an evil rebellious family that tried to overthrow the royal family, and after the new duke ascended, they even snatched away the project the royal family was conducting in the Eastern Wasteland.

...Looked at from any angle, it was a course of action that could only be seen as having a grudge against the royal family.

Arenheit reached out and wrapped his arm around Amelia's shoulders.

"It's alright."

"Wh-what do you mean, it's alright?"

"Because we won't repeat the mistakes of the past."

"Y-Your Grace!"

"I mean it."

How could he calm Amelia down a bit?

After thinking for a moment, he leaned his head slightly against hers, as he would with a friend.

"I... I once fled with Arndt and Leandros. So I know how hard it is to endure such situations."

"Your G-Grace."

"Unintentionally, I even caused harm to the retainers who remained at home. This time, I won't let that happen. If necessary, I can even take you to the temple and make you swear. Well, the former duchess wouldn't like it much, but what can we do."

"I d-don't want to swear oaths."

"Then there's no helping it. Amelia, try to trust me like you trusted my mother. Though I'm young and a bit inexperienced in the world, I'm still a duke. I'm the only one who can take responsibility for you and the others."

And he was also a regressor and someone who had been transmigrated into this book.

His goal was to see the ending of this novel.

Like the prophecy the former duchess received in her dream, he would eventually stand against the villain Yurik and save the world of this horror novel.

Though he terribly hated the idea of dying at Yurik's hands... surely he could endure it a few more times.

It was an unreasonable wish to want to accomplish the great feat of saving the world without any cost.

But if that cost could be paid with his own karma, perhaps it was acceptable.

Since they had no sin other than existing, they didn't need to pay any price.

Everything had happened because of him.

As he closed his eyes, Amelia's trembling body gradually calmed.

She hesitated, then leaned her body slightly against him.

Amelia must have a great sense of guilt too. She was reluctant to burden him with anything more, thinking that he didn't know what she had done.

"It's okay. Everything will be alright."

"...Yes."

Amelia looked tired. It must be hard to serve a young duke.

While he was smiling bitterly to himself,

Russel, who had been watching them for a while, suddenly asked with a serious expression.

"I know it's truly impertinent, but perhaps the two of you..."

"If you know it's impertinent, shouldn't you keep quiet?"

"...Yes! I'm sorry!"

* * *

The next day, they dismantled the temporary camp they had set up in the garden.

After roughly finishing the cleanup, he gathered his companions.

Verde, Amelia, Leandros, Russel, and the small avatar of Aphoom-Zhah.

He could really feel how much the number of people had increased in such a short time.

"I've gathered you all to discuss our journey. We've already passed two villages and one city. As you all know, many suspicious things have been happening since the Hartmann ducal territory was changed to a royal direct territory. So I think it would be good to split up the group here."

Of course, it would be fun and feel like a journey if they continued traveling together like this, but now wasn't the time to enjoy such things.

"Miss Amelia, Sir Leandros, Sir Nabilov, Verde. You will continue this journey."

Leandros asked.

"Will we continue to adhere to the basic policy we've maintained so far?"

"Yes. Officially, it's a journey to persuade the public sentiment to fulfill the condition set by the Crown Prince. But at the same time, I want to secure witnesses and evidence that the Crown Prince has colluded with heretics."

"Would there be evidence left?"

"There's a high possibility they've meticulously removed the evidence. But they won't be perfect. Let's exchange letters periodically."

He needed to return to the ducal residence and understand the political situation and public opinion well.

He also needed to figure out what Yurik was plotting.

While Amelia was the expert in such matters, she needed to cultivate local public sentiment with Leandros.

"Sir Nabilov, though we haven't known each other long, I believe you'll be a strength to Sir Leandros."

"Just trust me, Your Grace! I will respectfully serve Sir Leandros as my senior!"

Nabilov said robustly, hitting his chest.

Since he had shown excellent combat skills in the previous iteration, there was probably nothing to worry about.

As Arenheit was nodding his head contentedly, Amelia, who had been quiet, cautiously asked.

"Y-Your Grace. Are you g-going to the ducal residence alone, w-without any escort?"

"Hm? Is there a problem?"

"Y-you've been injured. So I th-think at least one person should a-accompany you."

"I have the snowman, don't I? If necessary, won't the snowman protect me?"

"I'm w-worried, take Verde with you. He's a p-physician, so he can watch over Your G-Grace's condition. In dangerous situations, you c-could use him as a shield if n-necessary. Wouldn't that be u-useful?"

"...I'll pretend I didn't hear that last part."

Verde's pupils trembled mercilessly at Amelia's ruthless words.

Oh dear.

Arenheit couldn't bear to abandon Verde, as it was clear what kind of mistreatment he would receive if sent with Amelia.

In the end, Verde, Arenheit, and the snowman headed to the ducal residence, while the rest headed to the next travel destination.

Riding the horse and patient cart that had been tied outside Valentine's city walls, they were able to reach the ducal residence more peacefully than expected, but,

The moment they entered the front yard of the castle, a sense of foreboding came over Arenheit as he saw Arndt rushing out, gasping for breath.

"Your Grace! What on earth happened? There's not a single uninjured part on your body! And who is this vagrant?"

"Arndt... He's not a vagrant, he's a physician. More importantly, you look terrible too. What happened while I was away from the castle?"

Arndt helped Arenheit up from the cart where he had been lying.

His face, which would normally have been fine, had dark circles under his eyes, making him look like he might collapse at any moment.

Arndt anxiously wrung his hands and whispered into Arenheit's ear.

"A message came from the royal family. I couldn't postpone it any longer, but it's so fortunate that Your Grace has come back."

Just at this timing, a message had come.

When Arenheit burst into laughter, Arndt and Verde called out to him in confusion.

"Your Grace?"

"It's nothing. I just found it a bit funny."

Crown Prince Yurik.

Was he thinking along similar lines?