Chapter 76:

Chapter 76:

Philip and his companions were immediately guided to the Lord’s residence in the city of Sorondo, which was half a day’s journey away. As befitting the owner of a fairly large city, Sorondo was prosperous, and its lord, Marquis Veronche, was no different.

Among the group, only Philip, Castler, and his wife Cynthia had the privilege of meeting the Marquis officially. Janice was too young, and Lisriel and Lua, not being nobles, were never considered.

However, Marquis extended an invitation to the entire group except for mercenaries and porters.

“Your Grace, Marquis.”

Castler Morrela, the eldest, stepped forward to greet him.

“It’s been a while. Is your father doing well?”

In response to the Marquis’ question, Castler nodded.

“It’s been about a year since he immersed himself in research, so he must be doing well, I presume?”

Thinking of Hellsian Morrela, who was both his father and a great philosopher, the Marquis chuckled.

“Still the same as ever.”

“Well, he once said if he ever has to die, he’d die experimenting with magic.”

“That’s the kind of person he is. Yes. Philip Oswald. How is your father these days?”

Since Philip had no news from his home, he answered honestly.

“I haven’t seen him in a while, so I’m not sure. Sometimes, isn’t no news a good news?”

Quoting a familiar proverb, Philip raised an eyebrow as Marquis looked at him with a spark in his eyes.

‘Why are you reacting like that?’

Meanwhile, having sensed a certain degree of understanding and composure in Philip’s response, the Marquis became certain that there had been a change in Philip’s mindset despite being known as a ne’er-do-well in his youth.

{TN:- “Ne’er-do-well” is an informal term that refers to a person who is lazy, irresponsible, or unsuccessful in their endeavors. It’s often used to describe someone who avoids work or behaves in a careless or unreliable manner.}

He too, having heard the rumor that Philip was a wastrel in his younger days, understood that men needed some time for wandering.

Therefore, he didn’t dislike Philip much.

“Could you introduce those lovely young ladies over there to me?”

After being introduced to the group by Philip and Castler, the Marquis got straight to the point.

“Truth be told, my honor was preserved thanks to you all. How embarrassing it would have been for a lord to be played by a mere merchant. If Philip and his group hadn’t been there, I would have been ridiculed even in my afterlife.”

Lisriel’s expression hardened as she heard those words. The ‘mere merchant’ mentioned by Marquis seemed to be her cousin, so it wouldn’t have been strange if the Marquis held a grudge against her.

“That merchant woman should receive appropriate punishment. That’s why I’ve invited you here, thinking you could help with that.”

“How can we assist you?”

“It’s not a big deal. It’s about finding evidence to hang Deluan Joseph on the gallows. Since you have some connection with the Joseph Association, you could probably do better than my knights. Of course, there will be proper compensation, and that Joseph lady should help if she has any sense of shame.”

“You’re right, Your Grace. We should help.”

With a bitter expression, Lisriel nodded her head. Deluan Joseph wasn’t just a merchant affiliated with the association; she was a direct blood relative of the association head and held the right of succession. Therefore, her actions were the association’s responsibility.

“Before we delve into such serious matters, would it be possible to send the children elsewhere?”

Philip, who had been listening quietly, asked the Marquis. The Marquis narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Philip, and Philip didn’t avoid his gaze.

Debating whether to get angry, the Marquis soon recalled that Philip was a Instructor and nodded his head. It didn’t seem like an impolite request.

“That sounds like a good idea. My son and daughter can keep the children company. Since they’re fifteen and twelve, they might become friends.”

After calling the steward to send Lua and Janice to his son and daughter, the Marquis continued the conversation.

“... To be honest, with my temperament, I’d like to set fire to Deluan Joseph’s Sorondo Branch right now. If I were ten years younger, I surely would have. But as I’ve grown older, the hassle of dealing with the aftermath has become quite bothersome. However, if I can’t hang that woman on the gallows, I might truly set fire to it.”

It was a thinly veiled threat. Lisriel couldn’t maintain her composure. Her lips trembled, and Castler stepped forward.

“No one has been hurt or killed? There doesn’t seem to be a need to go so far as the gallows.”

The Marquis shook his head.

“What did His Grace say...?”

Castler looked at Deluan with cold eyes, not providing a direct answer. Deluan Joseph clearly seemed agitated. She couldn’t hide her confusion and was busy trying to gauge Castler’s mood.

“I came because I heard you attempted to manipulate and exploit the organized punitive force under His Grace’s orders for the succession competition.”

“That, that’s a misunderstanding. Your Grace is gravely mistaken. How could a mere merchant like me engage in such an act?”

“According to His Grace’s messenger, Sethian, one of the members of the punitive force, has already confessed.”

Cynthia interjected Castler’s words.

“I heard it too. Deluan. I wanted to befriend you, but did you approach us to use us?”

Deluan Joseph forced a smile.

“Really? Actually, I didn’t know what was going on either, so I was trying my best to uncover the truth. This is a trap set up by someone to frame me. Are you two the kind of people who would do that?”

Castler was quite the skilled actor. He displayed a level of acting that even impressed Philip.

Although he didn’t have immediate plans, his attitude suggested he wouldn’t dismiss the suspicion.

“... Since we don’t possess the magical ability to read people’s minds, it’s safe to assume we don’t know what you were thinking with that smile on your face.”

Deluan, who was growing desperate, began to implore Castler with solemn words.

“I swear on everything, I never concocted such a plan. You have to trust me. Please don’t turn away from me, considering the effort and sincerity I’ve dedicated to the Morrela Family until now.”

Deluan, too, was an adept actress. At twenty-nine years old, she looked younger for her age, possessing a slightly cold but delicate appearance.

“Ahem...”

As she pleaded earnestly, Castler feigned a partial loosening of his heart, and let out a sigh. Cynthia’s expression seemed to suppress something as tears welled up in her eyes.

It was clear that something was laughter.

Philip, who observed the changing atmosphere, asked Castler, “Master, do you think the story will become lengthy?”

“It seems likely, Oliver. You should head back ahead of time. I’ll return before dinner.”

“Yes, understood.”

Politely responding, Philip exited the reception room. By now, Deluan would be fully focused on persuading Castler and wouldn’t have other thoughts.

Immediately after leaving the guild, he started climbing the wall towards the rooftop. He had roughly discerned the location of Deluan’s office from the sound of her footsteps.

‘... You’re doing all sorts of odd jobs, Master.’

Clinging to the wall, Philip frowned as he heard Neria click her tongue.

“Quiet. What are you going to do if we get caught?”

‘If we get caught, the owner probably won’t realize it’s us.’

“.....”

Philip stealthily climbed the wall like a spider. Since there were few people walking above, even though it was still daytime, it seemed like no one had seen him.

The window of the room supposed to be Deluan’s office was locked. Phillip conjured aura on his fingers to cut through the locks and step in.

“... Who, who are you?”

One of the maids who was just cleaning up opened her eyes wide and tried to scream. Philip hurriedly approached her and clamped her mouth shut.

“Shh. Be quiet for a moment. I’ll just do my business and leave right away.”

The maid nodded her head hastily, but the rest of her face went white in horror. She was a young maid who looked to be about Lua’s age.

With his free hand, Philip lifted the robe’s hat to reveal his face. As soon as she saw Philip’s face, the maid’s vigilance was reduced by less than half.

“I will never do anything to hurt you. Give me a nod if you can promise to be quiet.”

Nod. Nod.

The maid nodded her head vigorously.