CH 83

9-11 minutes

* * *

“Hmm.”

“Meooow.”

Louis, who left the temple, held Soda in his arms, which were moving back and forth under his feet.

“Meooow.”

Louis sighed embarrassedly at Soda’s playful eyes as if asking why.

“Things don’t seem to be clear, Ethan.”

“…Currently, all of the ingredients for the special ointment are supplied by Count Eragost. However, the time when the supplier changed was a little different from what I knew. It wasn’t 10 years ago. It was much earlier than that. This is the first time I’ve learned about it.”

“And if you look here— From this time on, the ointment supplied to Viscount Waieos was managed separately. But it’s a bit strange, even if you consider the prestige of the viscount.”

“You know, isn’t the temple avoiding partial supply? Well, there’s no way the other nobles would have let this go.”

Louis’s forehead was slightly wrinkled when he recalled the words of the young priest. Seeing Louis’s worried expression, Soda rubbed his head against his palm as if to console him.

“Are you worried about this old man?”

“Meooow.”

Soda, whose bright blue eyes shone brightly, nodded.

“Nothing to worry about, Ethan. This old man is fine. More than that… Count Eragost is involved. It’s going to be tough. Huhu.”

Louis suddenly remembered the black carriage he had encountered at the entrance to the patronage. Given that it was accompanied by an escort, what was inside seemed to be an important item. And, as he guessed, it was likely poisonous plants developed by Genoyer, in other words, magic plants.

I should have checked it myself. Feeling disappointed for missing the opportunity, Louis sighed softly. Just then, Soda lifted his jelly-like paw and patted Louis on the arm.

“Meooow?!”

“You want me to leave it to you? Hohoho. Ethan, all you have to do is stick to your duties. Don’t you want to protect the lady well, just like now?”

“Grrr. Meow!”

Soda, who expressed his dissatisfaction, turned his head. Louis smiled benevolently as he gently brushed Soda’s gray fur.

“Cute boy. By the way, it’s going to be a big deal. The burden on this side will increase.”

Once again, a deep shadow was cast on Louis’s face looking at the temple.

* * *

Tap, tap, tap. Aster tapped the blue bottle on the desk’s surface and sighed briefly.

“…20 years ago?”

“That’s right. The supplier changed 10 years before that fact was known to the outside world?”

“20 years ago would be when Viscountess Waieos was still alive.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand.”

Aster frowned. It was relatively recent that he tried to find out about the special ointment. It was because he had been hit on the cheek by Elusiana the other day and used the special ointment, which reminded him of the past.

The ointment he used 10 years ago definitely had a ‘paralysis poison’ component. A poison that could lead to death if used continuously, even in small amounts. The ointment he used a while ago was left over from that time, so he couldn’t dismiss it as an illusion.

Elusiana had used such ointment since she was young. He wanted to know in more detail about the period when she began to suffer from illness and when it overlapped with the period when the supplier changed. But the time when the supplier changed was 20 years ago, not 10 years ago.

Roll, roll. Aster, rolling the blue bottle across the desk, muttered lowly. “Then the doctor. I shouldn’t have let him go.”

The doctor diagnosed that he was ‘fine’ when his body was stiff. Just by looking at the doctor’s hasty departure to his hometown the very next day, the doctor was a doctor with a dark side. However, Aster at that time was immersed in the warm daily life in Viscount of Waieos and quickly forgot his doubt about it. When he recently searched for that doctor again,

They said he died a long time ago. Perhaps, it was highly likely that the mastermind who ordered him has already ordered the destruction of the evidence. That’s why he couldn’t understand more. Why does a person meticulously invest 20 years to kill just one person?

What would they gain from killing Lusi?

Aster shook his head. Louis, who had been holding his tongue until now, parted his heavy lips.

“20 years ago, it coincided with the sudden deterioration of the disease former Viscount Waieos had.”

“Former Viscountess Waieos?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. In fact, at that time, it was confirmed that a large purchase of ointment was made by the Waieos family.”

“So, what Old Man is saying now is that the death of the former Viscountess has something to do with this special ointment?”

“It cannot be concluded clearly.”

Aster clutched the blue ointment bottle that he was rolling. He really didn’t know anything about the former Viscountess Waieos. It was before he entered the Grand Duchy Sestein, and even after entering it, he had been imprisoned for a long time. However, he only heard the story that the strong Viscountess suddenly fell ill one day and died.

If that sudden illness wasn’t a natural death… didn’t that mean…

“If that’s really the case, it’s not a simple matter.”

“And.”

“And what else is left?”

Aster frowned irritably. “It seems that the Viscountess has also been using the ointment from the temple consistently.”

“That means she didn’t die from the aftereffects of childbirth.”

A deep, muffled heart flared up inside Aster’s chest.

“I need to find out more, but… from the circumstances, it seems clear that Count Eragost was involved in the downfall of the Waieos family.”

Aster frowned as if he were bringing up something he knew.

“So you must be careful.”

Louis looked straight into Aster’s eyes.

“The Waieos family fell, and their existence was wiped out almost perfectly and quickly. Now, only a few people remember the Waieos family, who wielded such great prestige. In just ten years. Can you guess what this means?”

“It must mean that the nobles united.”

“Your Excellency must keep in mind not only the nobles but also the temple’s involvement. Just looking at supplying so many special ointments only to Waieos’s family is enough to suspect them. And this is just this old man’s suggestion, but how about looking at Viscount Waieos separately?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know that Viscount Waieos’s changed due to the shock of the consecutive deaths and the young lady’s illness. However, assuming all of this started from a single root, Viscount Waieos’s excessive donations and sponsorship projects seemed quite suspicious. Viscount Waieos, known for his extraordinary love for his family, would never bring misfortune to the lady.”

“If their goal is the downfall of Waieos, then Viscount Waieos cannot be left alone, that is to say.”

Louis nodded.

“Ha. It’s getting worse and worse.”

He thought it was a little annoying, so he just investigated one, but an unexpected big chuck was caught. Looking at the result alone, it was definitely not a bad result. But Aster was rather annoyed.

“And—”

Louis added whether there was still more to say. Aster, who was already struggling with the news, looked at Lewis without hiding his gloomy expression.

“What else?”

Louis replied after a pause. “The source of the materials supplied to the temple… It seems to be coming from the first young master.”

“Genoyer?”

Astor’s face contorted at the name that popped up out of nowhere. He thought the scent of the ointment was familiar. No wonder, it was Genoyer’s work.

“Ha. I’m going crazy.”

Aster swept me roughly down the face. He wondered what else was there, but something more amazing was left.

“Hahaha.”

Laughter came free from his lips. He spent a long time paving a rough road, but then some madman broke in and scattered ashes on it.

“Even in the past, my older brother was like that, and now… he’s beyond help, just a useless piece of trash. He can’t bear to see his younger brother succeed. That’s why he’s anxious.”

Even the fact that they had the same last name was humiliating.

Aster’s red eyes with gold rings gave off an eerie glow. “Should I just kill him?”

“You can’t.”

“No, no, your words won’t always work. Unlike back then.”

Two years ago, Louis, who appeared in front of him, promised that if he became the owner of the Grand Duchy Sestein, he would get what he wanted. Aster only wanted one thing. To be with Elusiana for the rest of his life. To do so, a strong fence was needed.

Louis’s words that appeared just in time were as sweet as the devil’s temptation. He didn’t like being away from her for a while, but he thought he would see her again soon. Aster never imagined it would take two years for him to see her again.

Aster was already at his limit. Every day, every hour, every second, was precarious, like walking on thin ice. He had been waiting so far, so couldn’t he have waited a little longer? That couldn’t be. That’s why he couldn’t stand it anymore.

How bloody it was to face each other daily and remember old memories alone. How pitiful he was for pretending to be at a distance where he could be caught if she touched him. Aster realized it every moment, every day.

However—

“It’s endless.”

There were endless groups of narrow-minded people who tested his patience.

From getting rid of Viscount Milan, who made Elusiana owe a debt to the loan agency. After chasing down the playboy, he ended up only threatening him. On top of that, the playboy had only a single mind and the head of a noble faction that didn’t know where they came from. There was no end to the waves.

And you tell me to be patient?