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His back shivered as if he had been scratched with a rake. Haa, haa, as he took short breaths, he slowly approached and knelt in front of the body. He hesitated to reach out.
He wasn’t used to having his hands tremble the way they did. His trembling pupils slowly scanned the body from head to toe before his fingertips touched the body’s cheeks. As his hand rubbed the corpse’s cheek, he could feel scorched, coarse skin.
In fact, there wasn’t much skin left on the body, so it was impossible to confirm who the person was.
But why? Kyle could tell as soon as he touched the body– this wasn’t Aelle.
To alleviate his anxiety, he told himself that the body was a little smaller than hers and the fingers shorter. So, it definitely wasn’t her.
He felt his breath stop when he checked the body. Far from discouraged, he was relieved that it wasn’t her. As he rubbed his nape, he gritted his teeth and frowned.
If she’s not in the inn, she must be in town. If not inside the village, then outside. Anywhere else, she must be alive. Please let her be alive.
Kyle’s gaze fell on his thigh, and his expression softened.
‘Kyle.’
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That was the only time she had said his name with such ridicule, but he’d rather she call him just like she did.*
It wasn’t her name that came out of his mouth if he couldn’t reach her. It was just a word, and it would only be meaningful if it reached her. He had to reach her to quell his anxiety and fear.
Thud–. The hand on his neck fell, and he stayed still for a long time.
“Aelle,” calling out her name, Kyle wanted to beg the woman he couldn’t reach.
He wanted to find her, not her body. Don’t die. I want you to stay alive. Don’t leave me.
Just let me say your name properly. If she were alive, he would give her what she wanted. Nothing was out of the question if only she were alive.
Closing his eyes tight, Kyle swallowed and exhaled, struggling like someone who had forgotten how to breathe. His hair swayed like ripples in his heavy breathing.
Standing at the inn’s entrance, the unsettled commander stared at Kyle’s back. His master, kneeling in front of the corpse, looked like he was about to collapse.
‘Is that really Madam’s body?’
Despite seeing his master’s gloomy expression, the commander called out, “Your Grace.”
“…”
As if expecting he wouldn’t receive an answer, the commander continued, “The knight sent to the Harden mansion a while ago has arrived at Tigra. According to his report, the name the Countess repeated over and over was ‘Carje.’ The investigation results have not been released yet, but based on the statements, it is believed that he was the one who ran the church in this inn.”
The commander continued to speak even though he knew they were cruel. As long as he was involved in this case, his master had to solve it. Above all, the death of the Duchess was involved, so they couldn’t hand over the investigation to anyone else.
“Quetray forest is just a forest inhabited by relatively gentle monsters that exist in any country, and the possibility of an hourglass existing is slim.” The commander took a deep breath and continued. “Your Grace, the remnants are still being searched, but there is only one girl who can tell you the details of the incident. I think it would be better for you to hear what they say in person than for me to report it to you.”
No matter how long he waited, he didn’t receive an answer. Finally, the commander sighed and refrained from speaking again.
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A while later, Kyle slowly rose from his spot. When he stood, he looked as expressionless as usual, as if his emotions had slipped away. He turned and walked out of the inn without a fuss.
The scorching sun drenched his hair. The perpetrators gathered together and sat on their knees before the knights.
“Your Grace, I’ll leave the body to the knights.”
“Why?” Kyle answered without looking back.
The decisive response bewildered the commander. He hesitated for a moment, then with a remorseful expression, said, “… It’s Madam’s body, mph–!”
Before he could finish speaking, Kyle covered the commander’s mouth with a large hand. The commander stared at the hand covering his mouth before slowly raising his gaze.
His gray eyes gleamed and had a dark red tint. Kyle let out a harsh breath, and the commander shuddered.
“Since when have you been the type to be light-mouthed? Have I been wrong about you?”
“Hngh, Y-Your Grace…!” The commander grabbed Kyle’s wrist with both hands as he struggled.
His tone full of warning, Kyle said, “I’ll ask you again. Am I wrong?”
The commander shook his head with all his might, but all he could muster was a weak shake. As time passed, he felt immense pain crushing his bones with the grip that continued to tighten.
“She’s not dead, so stop talking nonsense. Her body was never found,” Kyle, who rarely showed such raging emotion, continued.
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The commander was worried about his own state, but on the other hand, his head cooled down because his master’s hand that had been covering his mouth was trembling. The Duke’s face, broken by the string of reason, also played a part.
With a thud, Kyle slapped the commander’s face away, frowned, and turned around. He couldn’t waste any more time.
Kyle looked at the report coolly, trying to calm his nerves, but the sound of his fingers tapping the table continuously revealed his feelings.
Carje, the descendent of the one who claimed Quetray forest’s existence, was the leader of a group that was created through the sporadically increasing number of people who believe in the forest’s existence over the past years. The group extorted from the believers, sold them on the black market, or got it for cash.
Those who disobeyed his will were thrown as prey to the monsters or given illegal psychedelic drugs to cloud their minds. Hallucinogens. Now, the answer to Hari’s delirium became clear–she was drugged with hallucinogens.
Haa, Kyle scowled and gripped the now wrinkled report in his hand. As he threw the crumpled-up paper, it landed on someone’s head.
The man, who had his head bowed on the cold marble floor, raised his head and looked up. His whole body shaking, he looked into Kyle’s eyes.
There were groups of people who were dragged by their families regardless of their will, but there were others who willingly aided in murder and contributed to the extortion. One of them was kneeling at the Duke’s feet.
Kyle had been running after Aelle, looking for remnants and filtering out the herd they had caught according to the girl’s statement, but he still couldn’t find her. The more he chased after her, the farther away he became, and the more time passed, the more impatient he became. He knew his leads were running out.
What if he never found her whereabouts?
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When Kyle gritted his teeth, the man shrank. “P-please believe me. Even if you ask me a hundred times, I have no choice but to give the same answer. R-really, that’s all I know! I only saw who came out the window, not where they went…”
Kyle tilted his head and stared nervously at the man with his head back down to the floor. What he said wouldn’t have been a lie, considering that he hid in a cave under a cliff the whole time and trembled in fear as soon as he was pulled out.
Kyle’s time to sit still and speak or listen became increasingly useless. He wanted to run out of there immediately and find Aelle.
He let out an anxious sigh and rubbed his face. At that moment, the commander opened the door, came in, and whispered in Kyle’s ear, “Sir, I’ve been following the tracks of Takan and the Duchess, and I’ve found a strange person and brought them here.”
Kyle raised his head, and at his stare, the commander answered, “The blacksmith is Rin. In terms of weapon crafting skills, within the Empire–”
Snap–!
Then, Kyle heard the sound of metal clanking, and someone held by a knight was dragged in.