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Chapter 29.2: Aroth (4)
‘...I didn’t come here to stare at a portrait,’ Eugene reminded himself.
And he hadn’t come here to get all emotional either. No, Eugene was here to see if Sienna had left any clues behind. According to his calculations, Eugene believed that it was definitely Sienna who had placed his necklace in the treasure vault.
‘....Lovellian did say that the memory he read was from a hundred years ago,’ he recalled.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t that mean Sienna was still alive one hundred years ago?
‘No, we can’t say that for sure. It could have been an entirely fabricated memory…. Or perhaps… the one who left it there was actually Vermouth.’
His thoughts were spiraling in circles. Eugene took a deep breath and stroked his necklace. If it wasn’t for the fact that this had caught his eye, he wouldn’t have been left with such complicated thoughts.
‘It can’t just be some kind of surprise gift for me, so what on earth were they trying to do with this? Why did they put the necklace there?’
While forcing down his inner turmoil, Eugene left the portrait and moved on. Although there were many things to see in this spacious mansion, the most remarkable sight of all was the basement that had been entirely transformed into Sienna’s personal study.
Eugene glanced at the bookshelves that were packed with magical texts. Copies of the original texts had been made two hundred years ago and stored here. Although powerful preservation magic had been cast over these books, they were still not allowed to be touched.
‘There should be something that she left behind….’
There was no way that his reincarnation was a coincidence.
His vague suspicions had been confirmed upon finding this necklace from his past life. The necklace hadn’t been registered by the treasure vault’s magic, and a fake memory had even been laid over it.
‘What are the odds that the necklace just happened to be in the treasury, and I just happened to stumble across it once I entered?’
It all sounded impossible. While it was already extremely unlikely for him to have been reincarnated with his memories intact, for him to coincidentally be reunited with a keepsake from his past life?
‘Something is going on. Someone had a hand in my reincarnation. Was it you, Vermouth? Or could it be you, Sienna? It might even be Anise, but there’s no way it could be that idiot, Molon.”
If someone had planned for him to be reincarnated like this, they would definitely have made other arrangements as well.
His soul hadn’t changed at all, despite his reincarnation. Tempest had recognized that Eugene used to be Hamel with only a glance. What if the magic that made use of this fact was cast on the necklace as it lay in the treasure vault? Then wouldn’t it make sense for the necklace to go undiscovered by anyone for hundreds of years, only to reappear in response to Hamel’s ‘soul’?
If the one who had planned for this was Sienna….
‘Then she should have left some other clues behind. But where…?’
Of course, this conclusion was full of holes. The most obvious being, why use such a convoluted method? Wouldn’t it be better if they had just immediately explained the situation to him as soon as he had gotten hold of the necklace? But if they were using such a cumbersome method, there must have been a good reason for it.
However, what on earth could that reason be?
“I can’t fucking figure it out…,” Eugene cursed after wandering through Sienna’s study for quite a while.
He had traversed through the entire maze of bookshelves, scanning through the titles in the tightly-packed bookshelves. However, he hadn’t managed to find anything.
So he left the study and headed upstairs. He took a look in Sienna’s bedroom and the many other rooms as well. But nothing stood out in his sight.
‘I really have no fucking clue.’
As he scratched at his hair in frustration, Eugene stared up at the portrait.
‘So I guess I’ll just have to do things my way. If there was something that you wanted me to do, you should have at least found a way to tell me properly. If you don’t tell me anything, then how the hell am I supposed to know what you want me to do?’
It was frustrating trying to cooperate with some unknown scheme. If there really was some plan in motion, then as long as she hadn’t died yet, they would definitely meet up again someday. Eugene took a quick look around to see if the guards were looking in his direction. Once he confirmed that they weren’t, Eugene raised his middle fingers to Sienna’s portrait.
“If that pisses you off, you can come right at me.”
In the first place, he was the one who had been reincarnated, not Sienna.
“...As long as you’re alive, that is.”
Eugene let out a long sigh and turned around.
The sun was currently setting, and the sky was getting dark. He had been so focussed on his search that he hadn’t realized how much time had passed.
“Did I keep you waiting for too long?” Eugene asked guiltily.
“It’s fine,” the guide replied.
Even though Eugene said he’d be out in an hour or two, the guide, who had been left waiting outside for twice that time, forced a smile.
“It looks like you really enjoyed the tour,” the guide commented.
“Well… it’s just that I ended up spending a long time thinking about various things. And it didn’t help that the inside of the mansion was really spacious,” Eugene tried to excuse himself.
The guide changed the subject, “You saw Lady Sienna’s portrait, right?”
“Yes, it was a really beautiful painting.”
“That beautiful appearance along with her unprecedented magical abilities that would even shame a Demon King…. Lady Sienna could truly be called a goddess of magic.”
Eugene felt awkward, “Well, calling her a goddess is a bit….”
And he didn’t think that her abilities had really been strong enough to put a Demon King’s to shame.
“Where would you like to go now?” the guide asked. “This is a popular tourist attraction, so there are plenty of great restaurants nearby.”
Eugene casually pulled out his wallet. The guide’s eyes started sparkling when he saw this.
“Here’s a tip,” Eugene said, handing over some money.
“Thank you so much!” the guide shouted excitedly.
“I’m fine with not going to a restaurant, so let’s head straight to the Red Tower of Magic. Once we arrive there, your work is over for today.”
“Ah….”
At these words from Eugene, the guide’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Yes, sir, please follow me.”
Swallowing his jealousy, the guide continued to act professionally. Unlike that foolish eldest son, at least this adopted son had given him more money than he would have been able to earn after months of working as a guide.
‘...And at least he’s shown that he has true skills,’ the guide argued to himself.
Unlike the eldest son, whose only virtue was being born to the direct line, Eugene had been recognized for his abilities and been adopted into the main family despite being born to a collateral line. The guide took the lead as he used these thoughts to soothe his depressed feelings.
“Is it okay if I ask you something?” Eugene suddenly asked.
“Of course, as long as it's something that I can answer,” the guide proclaimed.
“It’s about Eward Lionheart.” As they were riding an aerial carriage on its way to the Red Tower of Magic, Eugene casually brought up his name, “He’s my elder brother, but have you heard of him?”
“...Among the younger generation of wizards in Pentagon, there are only a few who don’t know that name,” the guide replied while giving Eugene a nervous look.
Noticing his expression, Eugene smiled warmly and said, “There’s no need to be nervous. I just brought it up since we’re heading to the Red Tower, and we’re indebted to them for taking care of him.”
“...Ah… yes.”
“Hasn’t my older brother been staying with them ever since he arrived four years ago? I’m not sure if you know of our family situation, but I wasn’t originally a part of the main family and was instead adopted into it. Just as I was being adopted into the household, Eward left the main estate and headed to Aroth.”
“That’s…. Yes, I’m aware of it. It’s quite the famous story.”
Was it really that famous? Eugene had been living in the main estate for the past few years, so he was in the dark about the rumors spreading outside.
Eugene continued, “Thanks to that, I haven’t been able to meet with my older brother, Eward, even once since I was adopted into the family. That’s why I would like to ask, by any chance, have you heard any rumors concerning my older brother?”
“Ahhh…. Um…,” the guide dithered uncertainly.
“All I’m asking you to do is to tell me any rumors concerning my older brother,” Eugene pressed, his eyes narrowing.
The guide’s Adam's apple bobbed as he felt the subtle pressure coming from Eugene.
“The rumors that I’ve been able to piece together about my brother aren’t very substantial,” Eugene admitted. “But I can roughly tell that there aren’t many good things being said about him. So don’t you think I need to learn a bit more about my brother, just so that I don’t make a mistake when we meet?”
“That’s…. Yes, well…,” the guide still proved hesitant.
“Of course, I won’t feel offended by your words, nor will I punish you for any slander. I won't reveal the source of my information to the main family, especially not to my brother. I can swear all this on my family name.”
Since Eugene had gone so far as to swear a vow, the guide had no choice but to nod in agreement. Eugene’s gaze was far too piercing for him to try and insist that he didn’t know anything. He had heard that Eugene was currently only seventeen, but how could his gaze be so overbearing? If Eugene were to give them this look, even mercenaries who had wandered the battlefields for decades might run away with their tails between their legs.
The guide finally started spilling everything, “...Well… I also don’t know much about him, but….”
“Please, speak freely,” Eugene prompted.
“About Sir Eward…, I’ve heard that he… that he leaves the Tower of Magic every night to indulge himself in certain forms of entertainment.”
“Entertainment?”
How old was Eward again?
‘He was two years older than me, right?’
At nineteen, Eward was at an age where his youthful vitality could keep him up at night.
“By entertainment, do you mean he indulges in alcohol and women? If it’s those sorts of things, isn’t that rather normal for someone his age?” Eugene asked skeptically.
The guide hesitated, “Um, no. It’s not that kind of entertainment. This really is just a rumor, but….”
“If rumors are spreading, there must be a good reason for it. Stop dawdling and spit it out already. What’s this all about?”
“....Su….”
“What?”
“I said, it’s a succubus,” the guide finally revealed, blushing in embarrassment.
“That crazy bastard,” Eugene growled, his eyebrows shooting upwards in surprise.
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