Chapter 91

“Oh, and the one we drew the portrait of—he confirmed it was him. Kane said the guy was a citizen of the Principality, supposed to help him collect Philoia. His name’s Zen, apparently a merchant.”

“So it really was Efren?”

“Yes, but Kane says they had a falling out partway through. He went into hiding in a village, and only the other man went to Neitzia. We checked the tracks, and there’s evidence he got close, but there’s no sign of him actually entering Neitzia.”

Seeing Estieren’s grim expression as he listened, Ban asked carefully,

“But according to Kane, it seemed like the man was being chased by something in the boundary forest.”

“Chased?”

“Yes. At first, they thought maybe the Duke had caught on and sent an assassin, but when they heard what he said… he claimed it was a ghost.”

“What?”

At Estieren’s incredulous question, Ban felt even more embarrassed. Even he had to admit it sounded ridiculous. Still, he reminded himself that he was just reporting what he had heard.

“So, Kane and the other knights have been sweeping the forest, but it seems they haven’t found anything.”

“Did he describe the child?”

“They estimated the age to be around eight to ten years old. The height came up to the man’s chest, so probably about one hundred and twenty centimeters. Oh, and they said the eyes were light green, and the hair was golden.”

“….”

“And he said they weren’t wearing shoes.”

Estieren’s brow tightened at Ban’s words.

As he mulled over the description of the child, a face surfaced in his mind.

Ardi Aidelis.

What bothered him was how closely the child’s eye and hair color resembled Ardi’s. Even the detail about the child being barefoot lingered in his mind. The fact that the child was wandering through the forest with no shoes likely meant their situation wasn’t very good.

After a brief pause, Estieren, who seemed lost in thought, turned to Ban and spoke.

“If the child wasn’t wearing shoes, it’s likely they were running away from somewhere. That child could also be fleeing from someone.”

“Yes, that was my thought as well, but…”

Ban’s voice trailed off in response to his remark. When Estieren’s gaze silently urged him to continue, after a brief pause, he did.

“Well, apparently there wasn’t a single scratch on the child’s feet. That’s why I’m starting to think the child might be a ghost.”

At Ban’s response, Estieren furrowed his brow and replied.

“Whether it’s a ghost or a person, we’ll know once we find them. For now, send the team out and have them search for any traces of the child.”

“Yes, I’ll take care of it!”

Even as Ban responded quickly, Estieren kept his stern expression.

“And make sure that man’s safety is guaranteed. I’m sure you understand how much more complicated things are going to get.”

“Of course! According to Kane’s report, he mentioned that the man kept asking over and over if his safety would truly be guaranteed.”

As he added that, Estieren’s lips twisted into a slight smile.

“So the Duke’s involvement is confirmed, then.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that?”

“Why do you think he surrendered?”

“Pardon?”

“He didn’t even succeed in harvesting the Philoia, yet he turned himself in and even revealed the identity of the deceased.”

Only then did Ban’s eyes widen in sudden realization. He looked at Estieren with an expression of disbelief.

“C-Could it be that he’s using Elle to shield himself from the Duke?”

“That’s the most likely explanation.”

“…What a shameless bastard.”

Ban clenched his teeth in frustration at Estieren’s words, but Estieren softened his stiff expression and addressed him calmly.

“There’s a lot we can gain from this, so for now, we’ll play along. Let the others know this might turn into a long game.”

“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”

Ban replied with a determined expression.

As Estieren gave a small nod to dismiss him, he suddenly paused, as if something had come to mind, and turned back to ask a question.

“Oh, and there was a message from Lady Perideline. She wanted to know if you’ll be attending the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration.”

At his words, Estieren’s gaze drifted to the jewel box sitting in the corner of his desk. Ban, aware of what was inside, stood silently, waiting for his answer.

After a moment, Estieren spoke, his expression composed.

“If I’m going to attend, I need to take care of this matter first.”

“Understood. I’ll pass that on.”

As Ban stepped out of the tent, Estieren turned and reached for the jewel box sitting on his desk. Inside were the lapis brooch Ardi had given him, along with the Untact Paper he had just placed inside.

He gazed silently at the jewel box, deep in thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Three days.

There were only three days left until the party.