Upon arriving in Ludawan, I immediately headed to the residence of the Marquis of Deer Grafful. Since I was on the border of Ludawan, I was prepared for some fighting, but somehow I didnāt see any military forces.
I expected to see a garrison at the marquisās mansion, but I didnāt see a single soldier there either. I had a bad feeling. If the Marquis Deer Grafful were here, this state of security would not be possible.
I tried to check the house but I didnāt see anyone coming in or out, not even a servant and just when I was about to assume that the house might be unoccupied, I saw a figure coming and going from the back door.
The figure got into a horse-drawn carriage parked in the back of the house and was going somewhere.
It was a bit impulsive, but since there was no way to move without knowing what was going on, I decided to take the plunge and talk to the person in the carriage. I took my Garuda and went around in the direction the carriage was going and stood in front of it.
Since a magicraft suddenly appeared in front of him the person riding in the carriage was startled and with a look of fear tried to escape by jumping down from the carriage but I stopped him.
āPlease wait. I just want to ask you a few questions.ā
I tried to speak to him as politely as possible, but the person in the carriage seemed to feel only fear and I wasnāt even sure he was listening to me.
I didnāt give up and slowly talked to him so he calmed down a little and I asked him a brief question.
āThe owner of the house, the Marquis Deer Grafful, doesnāt seem to be here.ā
āNo, thereās no one in the house anymoreā¦ā¦.Theyāve all fled, scared by the Elysian Empire.ā
āDid the Marquis Deer Grafful escape too?ā
āThe Marquis and his family were the first to leave. The servants and guards remained until a little while ago, but when they heard that the Elysian Empire was approaching, they couldnāt wait to get away. I didnāt know what they would do to me if I stayed in the Minister of Warās mansion.ā
It seems that the leadership of the country is already crumbling. This may have something to do with the fact that there were no troops on the border.
Apparently, this person did not have any information on the whereabouts of the Marquis Deer Grafful. Since there was nothing more I could find from him, I decided to let him go and move on.
This is my home country, after all. I have an acquaintance or two. I remembered that an aunt that lived nearby and headed over to get some information.
The lady, who lives in a small compound deep in the mountains, welcomed my visit. I asked her if I had been harmed by the country in any way as a result of my escape, but she only smiled and said it was all right. Based on this response, she may have been harassed in some way. I feel sorry for my aunt.
āIām glad Farma is safe. Now Iām going to prepare a hot meal for you.ā
She was my motherās sister and one of the few people who treated me kindly even though I looked like this so I explained to her why I was here.
āNo way, Marquis Deer Grafful had Mr. Belfastā¦ā¦.ā
But then she started talking as if she had some idea what was going on.
āI never told you this because Mr. Belfast stopped me, but I suspect that your mother, my sister Ibelma, was murdered by Marquis Deer Graffulā¦ā¦.ā
My heart almost stopped when I heard that.
I could see my motherās smile in my mind. My heart ached so much that it felt as if it was about to burst, and I felt an indescribable emotion.