-No, that can’t be.
A familiar voice coming from the listening device.
It was undoubtedly Luciana’s, whom I had just encountered.
“You were looking for it separately.”
It was a disappointment.
She is a warrior with a strong competitive spirit.
I should have anticipated her tracking the Frost Mane.
“But still, that’s too fast.”
I inadvertently shivered when I heard the opponent’s reasoning crackling through the bug.
The relationship with the sand mole.
Just from that one piece of circumstantial evidence, narrowing down the candidates until pointing directly at me.
Could it be because of the distance?
Although the sound from the bug was muffled, I felt as though I knew who it was.
“Camilla…”
The person who had been with her from the time we parted in the garden until meeting Luciana in the drawing-room.
“What business does the noble lady of the Robèrk dukedom have with her?”
There’s always a purpose behind people’s actions.
Elizabeth, who employed strategies beyond the common sense of a political marriage, had the underlying desire to separate me and Luciana as her very purpose.
But now, I’m not sure.
Why would she, who needs to establish her position in the west, chase a petty thief from the north?
-I’m curious if you’re planning to return to the west?
Just a question thrown out of curiosity?
No.
If that was the real purpose, she wouldn’t have revealed her intentions so openly.
“Let’s start by examining Camilla’s setting one by one.”
If there’s no clear answer, the only choice is to deduce from original knowledge.
First.
In the game, Camilla is depicted as a quite capable noble.
For a noble in the west, performance means catching criminals.
Her being considered capable was backed by a high arrest rate.
And behind that was not just a sense of honor.
-Criminals, regardless of their status, gender, or age, must all receive punishment deserving of their crimes. Anyone.
Second.
Because of Camilla’s character setting as a vengeful spirit.
For her, who lost her mother to a thief, the criminals of the west were entities she couldn’t even associate with.
Moreover, the tip of her vengeance was…
Recalling that, I finally saw her purpose.
“It seems she came to chase the sand mole that her side lost.”
The news that the famous thief of the west appeared in the north’s black market and swept away all the goods would naturally spread not only in the north but also to the nobles of other regions.
“Now I understand.”
Camilla’s attempt to arrest Frost Mane was merely a part of the process.
The real goal was to catch my master, the sand mole.
For her, both personally and familially, arresting Perno was like a long-cherished project.
However.
Luciana, who had clashed with me several times wearing a mask, would inevitably bear grudges against Frost Mane due to the circumstances.
“It’s complicated. Where do I even start to unravel this?”
Luciana’s gaze was as cold as her harsh winter.
As I recalled the betrayal that filled her with anguish, my fingernails dug into the fist I clenched.
In response to my anger, translucent letters flickered before my eyes.
[Quest Initiated!]
[You have discovered that Camilla Robèrk’s meddling has significantly affected the trust between you and Luciana Speda.]
[She is trying to torture Frost Mane to extract information about the Sand Mole and aims to elevate her reputation in the west.]
[Eliminate Camilla Robèrk promptly and overcome the crisis.]
[Reward: Increase in Luciana’s favorability]
[Failure Penalty: Decrease in Luciana’s favorability and increase in corruption level, permanent loss of servant position]
The penalties, written in clinging red letters, seemed to starkly indicate that failure would essentially mean game over.
But.
“Alright. Let’s give this a try. She dares to drive a wedge between me and Luciana, she’ll pay the price.”
Was it the anger towards Camilla that made my head hot?
Fear?
Rather, I was filled with the thought of giving her a taste of her own medicine.
What should I do now?
The decision was quick.
“I should keep my distance from Luciana for now.”
The seed of distrust has already been planted.
Defending myself now would be meaningless.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I plan to stay silent and just bite my tongue.
“I can always borrow someone else’s mouth.”
Since I seem to have gotten closer to Elizabeth, I could use her.
Leave that aspect to a collaborator, while I deal with the very source of all these suspicions, Camilla Robèrk.
I smirked and murmured quietly.
“Camilla, your deduction was brilliant, but you’ll never catch me.”
A noble listed in the directory, albeit from a baronial family.
Moreover, in the north, I have my own honor as a martial arts tournament winner, and I’m nominally engaged to the Frontal count’s family.
For a duke’s daughter, without any evidence, I’m too big a fish to swallow.
“I should give the duke’s daughter a proper lesson in life.”
I acknowledge she cornered me based on circumstantial evidence.
But without physical evidence, it’s all for naught.
Circumstantial evidence becomes worthless if you can overturn the board itself.
Eventually, for her to achieve her goal, she needs solid evidence.
That’s what I’ll wait for.
Plans on how to deal with her meticulously formed in my head.
***
Camilla tended to trust her intuition when it came to catching criminals.
Of course, this intuition didn’t just come out of nowhere.
It was built on comprehensive situational data and circumstantial evidence.
In that sense, this man named Hans Byron was exceedingly suspicious.
“Hmm… seems right.”
The suspicion started from narrowing down the suspects for Frost Mane.
A noble who moved from the west to the north.
Hans Byron matched that description exactly.
And the suspicious points didn’t end there.
[The martial arts tournament winner from the west? How far has the north’s competitiveness fallen?]
Glasses used only when examining evidence.
She carefully scanned the provocative headlines of the article visible beyond them.
He had faced off against a northern noblewoman favored to win and triumphed.
He even used magic, albeit at a low level…
“If he had this kind of ability, he would have become famous in the west a long time ago. Was there a reason he lived hiding his identity?”
The offspring of the Byron baronial family.
Had he revealed this power earlier, he could have aimed for the position of family head in a succession battle, or even sought a knight’s position in the close Robèrk dukedom or Duheim count’s family.
To give up that position and leave for another land to serve as a servant?
Is it an unfounded suspicion to guess that his departure from the west was to commit crimes?
Especially, on the day Luciana met Frost Mane at the auction.
This servant had taken a leave under the pretext of a holiday a week prior to leaving the mansion and, quite coincidentally, returned not long after the incident.
With such perfect circumstances.
Maintaining neutrality for lack of solid evidence seemed foolish.
Do criminals ever openly reveal their true identities?
Assuming every suspect is a criminal is necessary to prevent potential further harm.
At this moment, Hans Byron was the prime suspect.
“If coincidence upon coincidence stacks up, it’s simply the truth.”
-Crunch.
The moment that quiet sound leaked from Camilla’s mouth,
She chastised herself while pressing her forehead.
“…I let my personal feelings get involved without realizing.”
She had acted rashly, swayed by emotions for a moment. Had anyone seen, they would have thought it unbecoming of a duke’s daughter.
Anyway, if he was the culprit, what she had to do was decided.
However.
“There’s no evidence.”
The truth seemed already out there, yet it all came back to investigation and inquiry.
She wanted to forcefully arrest him by wielding the duke family’s authority, but…
He wasn’t just any noble’s offspring.
Luciana, harboring suspicions, hadn’t been able to decisively turn him away due to their past trust.
The Duke of Speda seemed to think well of him too,
Receiving protection from the duke’s family, of course.
And he was even engaged to the Frontal count’s family, which held the financial reins of the north.
Conclusive evidence.
Finding clear evidence that Hans Byron was Frost Mane was necessary for a legitimate reason to arrest him.
Camilla’s eyes widened.
“Evidence is always to be found in the suspect’s residence.”
There was no reason to hesitate.
She arrived at the room assigned to Hans Byron in the duke’s manor and knocked forcefully.
“Hans Byron, are you in there?”
“Lady Robèrk? What brings you here?”
‘How inconvenient, if there had been no answer, I would have broken down the door right away. Pity.’
Conducting an overt investigation in front of the party involved could risk destroying the evidence.
“Sir Hans, I have something to ask you.”
“Ask away.”
“I came here to celebrate Lady Luciana’s birthday, but I realize I don’t actually know what she likes.”
If a frontal assault won’t work, then circumvent.
She hid her true feelings behind a smile.
“I’ve piled up a bunch of gift candidates in the drawing room. Could you help me choose an appropriate one?”
All she needed was for the person to leave the room.
Then she would have her way.
“The joy of the master is the joy of the servant. I will gladly accompany you.”
Without showing any sign of suspicion, he took the lead.
“…Rise.”
Camilla whispered secretly behind Hans.
Simultaneously, the exquisite golden sand from the west spilled onto the white floor of the ducal mansion.
-Squeak.
The sand coalesced on its own into the shape of a mouse, a familiar that could share its sight and take simple commands.
This magic was incredibly useful for conducting investigations unnoticed.
Soon, they reached Camilla’s room, where a pile of gifts was indeed gathered on a table.
Hans Byron picked up a smooth gem exuding a purple glow and marveled.
“Oh. This is a high-quality mana stone.”
“Being from the west yourself, you’d know how valuable this is. I wonder if Luciana would like it.”
While responding vaguely to Hans, Camilla began to move the hidden mouse.
This was the drawback of the magic.
Managing everything in detail made it difficult to multitask.
Following the path they came, the mouse’s overlapped vision showed his room.
As the familiar was connected to her consciousness, it was easy to slightly open and enter through the ajar door.
‘Wasn’t his symbol a flamboyant ceremonial sword decorated with a golden mask and jewels?’
Bed, wardrobe, drawers…
After searching with the familiar, she finally saw his work desk.
“…What’s the matter? You seem pleased.”
“Of course, I am.”
What the familiar saw was a strange golden mask, clearly matching the description given by Luciana.
Placed conspicuously on the desk, it was undeniable evidence that the man before her was Frost Mane.
“Hans Byron, are you aware of the unique authority granted by the great Emperor Manhet to the Robèrk ducal family?”
“I’m also from the west. I’m well aware of the provisional trial system.”
Provisional trial.
The right to arrest suspects and conduct trials on the spot, even outside the west.
“Good. Then this will be quick. Hans Byron, I’m arresting you on charges of special theft and lèse-majesté.”
“…What? What are you talking about?”
There’s a limit to shamelessness.
She suppressed the rising disgust for the criminal and continued.
“Hans Byron, it seems you’ve quite enjoyed deceiving your master.”
-Snap!
Camilla pulled out a whip hidden within her clothes and swiftly wrapped it around his leg.
He must not escape from this place.
“Huh. This is so absurd it leaves me speechless. Do you have any evidence?”
Camilla smiled at the phrase she had heard too often in her life.
-Evidence! Where is the evidence that I committed a crime!
Just before being thrown into a mana stone mine, all the cornered criminals said the same.
Unfortunately for him, Camilla always silenced them.
Presenting clear evidence and interrogating with it was her most cherished and enjoyable hobby.
‘It’s over.’
Just proceed to detain and interrogate.
Camilla had already dismissed her interest in the captured Frost Mane.
She imagined what followed:
A villain tarnishing the family name, the arrest of the Sand Mole, and the support of the Lady of the Speda ducal family.
‘This should solidify my standing in the succession contest.’
However, blinded by distant goals, Camilla failed to properly see the person right in front of her.
Though Hans’s voice was panicked, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, as if he couldn’t help but smirk.
Cliche Novel 