It was around noon when we reached the small square in front of Water Palace.
Harold and I went through the gate of the palace from the front.
Inside the palace, there was a tense atmosphere in preparation for the arrival of the Ignitia party tomorrow.
Led by Harold, we went through the corridors where the guest rooms were lining up.
It was a place I saw for the first time, because it was in the opposite direction from the room I was staying in.
Water Palace owned by Turm family was a huge building with 500 rooms.
Instead of staying at a neighboring nobleman’s cottage, they always had a room prepared for him to stay during events and business negotiations.
Harold explained so.
I gradually became uncertain about where I was going.
At that time, Harold finally stopped in front of a white door.
“Is it here?”
“Aah, this is the room they lend to my father.
If he doesn’t stay here, well, I will go and visit the rooms of his business partners one by one.”
Harold knocked on the door quickly, opened the heavy door and immediately entered the room.
“Tou-san, are you here? There’s something I want to talk to you about!”
Earl Nibelheim had a surprised expression on the sudden appearance of his son.
It seemed that he was about to go somewhere.
He was wearing impeccable aristocratic clothes, and had a coat and a document bag in his hands.
“I’m sorry, Harry. I’m busy right now. I wonder if it’s fine to talk about that matter later.”
“It’s absolutely not fine. It’s a big problem for the Nibelheim family!”
“Ah, I know. It is a big problem.”
“Eh!?”
Earl Nibelheim and Harold were staring at each other.
Unlike yesterday when he was extremely excited and happy, right now he felt withdrawn as he turned quiet and inconspicuous.
I wondered if that happy personality was some kind of acting to throw people off guard, or if it was only something alchemy-related that could make him switched into that direction.
Earl Nibelheim turned his gaze towards me and nodded while smiling to conceal his internal distress.
Somehow, I could sense deep fatigue from his complexion.
“Thank you for this, Erica-sama. It seems that you are friendly with my son, I am honored.
……I see, Harry also noticed this issue thanks to you.”
“Then, Tou-san noticed it too?”
“Aah, I was talking to the Duke of Aurelia about the mines of Argene territory, but there was something strange.”
I see, so the name of Argene territory came out during the business networking.
I became concerned about how it was communicated to my father.
“T-then this conversation will be quick. We need to find the fraudster right away—”
“The fraudster, huh……that’s right, of course, we will check it.
But, there are other issues that have to be prioritized. I have important business negotiations.”
“If you wait for too long, the fraudster will escape!”
“Harry, my business was helped by various people.
I can’t be gone from my seat at a moment’s notice, there are meetings with some people that cannot be postponed.”
Earl Nibelheim’s reasoning also made sense.
If the related party to the incident was upset and neglected the deal, his reputation would be ruined.
If his unrest was seen to the surface, his surroundings would see that he was someone who couldn’t deal with crisis and took advantage of his weakness.
He needed to look as if business was as usual.
Even after surviving this incident, if he wanted to continue the commercial transaction with Knot Reed, he needed to maintain his reputation.
But, Harold had his own logical reason.
It was the polar opposite to Earl Nibelheim’s reasoning.
Before my eyes, Harold had an expression that I didn’t know whether he was sad or irritated.
“So you still have the time to talk to the creditors of each territory, while the fraudster hasn’t been caught!”
“It’s fine, only Duke Aurelia and I know about this incident.
I have been keeping a long relationship with all of the investors in this case.
First of all, I have to speak with some of them, or I cannot advance forward.”
“Aah! Jeez! Fine, you obstinate person!!”
Harold shouted loudly and stopped talking with his father.
He slammed the door open in his irritation and left the room.
I hesitated about what to do.
I had to pursue Harold, but—
“Erica-sama, I apologize this time for causing you trouble.
But, whatever the outcome of this matter is, I will not hurt your honor.”
“Earl……”
“Regarding the matter of fraud, I have already arranged my steward to start investigating.
Please also tell my son that.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you very much, Erica-sama.”
Earn Nibelheim gently lowered his head.
He might be a person who was easily misunderstood by his appearance or words.
But, surely he was a fundamentally sincere person who wouldn’t depart from his own principle.
Aah, but, this was the source of the trouble from the previous problem.
With this, it was painful for me not to say that ‘your death flag will rise’.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable living now.
I also lowered my head and followed Harold.
First of all, I had to solve his misunderstanding and told him that Earl Nibelheim was also investigating the fraud.
I arrived at the exit while becoming dazzled by the white and gold decorations that were scattered in the palace.
At the corner of the square, I found Harold standing upright.
Harold looked at my face and made an apologetic expression.
“Have you been waiting?”
“Sorry……I forgot about you and cast you aside.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I, far from convincing my father, I lost my own temper.”
“It cannot be helped. Let’s go back to the store first.”
Anyway, we had to meet up with Gilbert.
I hoped there was a result that would turn this situation around.
Both of us got into a ferryboat and returned to Crucible Street.
On the boat, I told Harold that Earl Nibelheim was investigating the fraud.
Hearing that, Harold seemed to regain his calm.
☆
We sneaked into the Wunderkammer of Turm Wand Store from the back door.
Inside the room, Gilbert was talking with Tirnanog.
When we came back, they noticed us and turned toward us.
“Welcome back. Ojou-san, Botchan.”
『I’m surprised, that was quick.』
“Sorry, Tir. I suddenly changed the schedule.”
『No, I have heard the circumstances from this guy. Something seems to have changed suddenly.』
First of all, the four of us surrounded the table and we reported the situation in Water Palace briefly.
Harold finished talking and asked Gilbert with anxious expression.
“How was it in Aniki’s side?”
“Ah no, about that. I was talking about it to this mister too……”
“It seems that something very bad happened in your side.”
Gilbert nodded with a glum expression.
Sighing, he conveyed the story he had heard in the Notary Guild.
“It seems that the merchant who should have sold the mining rights to Earl Nibelheim is no longer here.
It was only three days ago.
Every family member and servant of the merchant seems to disappear overnight.
They seemed to be in such a hurry, they left in the middle of making soup.
They had set up a store in this town for more than a decade, their assets and credits were also stable.”
It was as though they were abducted by fairies.
I felt something really ominous somehow.
No matter how I thought about it, that merchant was……
“The detailed circumstances of this story had yet to spread, but it’s just a matter of time before the story of the fraud will leak out.”
“No way……”
“However, they have no reason to do this fraud.
There is no way a business partner of 10 years will do such a thing.”
Did Earl Nibelheim get betrayed by a trusted business partner?
Moreover, perhaps even if we tried to find those people, we wouldn’t be able to find them anymore.
And, as three days had passed, it would be difficult to pinpoint the real culprit.
With this, he wouldn’t be able to recover his funds.
This situation already seemed to be heading to a rather bad direction.
“It seems that the mining rights document of the Argene territory used for the contract was cleverly counterfeited.
Perhaps, a high-skilled mage was involved.”
『So, is Hafan involved behind the scenes?』
“I wonder. If it’s only magic, people of other lands can also learn how to use it.”
『So that can’t be used as a clue, huh……』
“Oops, I have learned of the person Earl Nibelheim borrowed money from.
It was none other than Harlan Lucanrant from Margrave of Urs.”
If we called him according to the northern patronymic customs, it was Harlan Slayson.
Officially, he was a man called Harlan Lucanrant, Margrave of Urs.
When he heard that name, Harold’s face was drained of blood even more.
So, in Lucanrant they follow patronymic customs to name themselves, rather than a last name. Just like in Iceland, which is patronymic, Harlan Slayson means he is Harlan, the son of Slay. And if my guess is right and Lucanrant is this world’s Iceland, then for the daughters, there will be ‘dottir’ in their name.
Although in this story, since they don’t have a last name, they adopted their country’s name as their official last name, which is Lucanrant. That’s why, even if they seem to have the same last name ‘Lucanrant’, Harlan and Chloe (the game’s heroine) may not actually be one family. About Claude (the last capture target)……, well, who knows? XD
Btw, this guy had been mentioned before by Ann in ch 18.
