Chapter 21: Armand Duchy – 08
I began my report to the Duke.
“About that hole we found in this house, it actually connected to the warehouse of Nielsen-dono’s home here—that is, Viscount Dolmat’s Residence. When I emerged into that warehouse, I happened to meet Nielsen-dono.”
“That is quite a surprising story. Are you saying Saltram connected his room here to his own house with a tunnel?”
“Nielsen-dono said he was unaware of the tunnel’s existence, so I believe it’s highly probable his father had it made. Of course, there must be some reason for it. Regarding that point, I imagine Your Excellency the Duke might have some idea…”
“Ordinarily, one would think it was for smuggling something out of the house. Or perhaps, for bringing something undesirable in from the outside. Either way, there’s no doubt Saltram was plotting something.”
At the Duke’s words, young Nielsen hastily spoke up.
“W-Wait a moment, please! It’s impossible that my father would plot anything against Your Excellency the Duke! Ever since I was a child, he always said that serving the Ducal house was an honor!”
“I don’t wish to doubt him either. However, if there was indeed a tunnel in his room without my knowledge, I have no choice but to be suspicious. Besides, Marquis Okuno, that’s not all there is regarding Saltram, is it?”
I nodded to the Duke, then glanced at young Nielsen, who was looking at me, before answering.
“Yes. The fact that his room smelled of the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ leads me to believe there’s an extremely high probability that Nielsen-dono’s esteemed father has already fallen into the hands of the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ and has been turned into one of their puppets.”
“Hold on a minute, what in the world are you talking about?”
Young Nielsen leaned forward.
I gave the young man a full explanation about those mud puppets controlled by the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’.
At first, he looked like he was about to stand up in anger, but halfway through, he shook his head, sat back down, and stared intently at me.
“…So, you’re saying my old man was killed by these ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ people, and now he’s being controlled like a puppet?”
“It must be a harsh truth for you, but it’s most likely correct. We’ve seen several similar cases.”
“There’s no way… I can believe that right away. I’m going to the territory to confirm it immediately—”
As the agitated young man spoke, the Duke addressed him in a remonstrating tone.
“Don’t. If what you’ve just heard is true, it’s too dangerous for you to go alone. The ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ is said to command numerous Rank A Undead.”
“However, that doesn’t mean I can just not go!”
“I understand how you feel, but you mustn’t be rash. Marquis Okuno, how should we respond to this?”
“We shall accompany Nielsen-dono to his territory.”
“May I ask that of you? This is a troublesome matter for our duchy.”
“We have a score to settle with the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’, so we’d rather you entrust this to us.”
When I spoke with a firm tone, the Duke nodded and then turned back to young Nielsen.
“That is the arrangement, Nielsen-dono. Please head to the Viscount Dolmat Territory with Marquis Okuno. Regardless of your father Saltram’s condition, you will be succeeding the Viscount house. You must not forget that.”
“…I understand. I will go to the territory with Marquis Okuno and ascertain my father’s condition.”
Young Nielsen replied thus, looked at my face, and then, as if to suppress his own emotions, he let out a deep sigh.
Late that night, I was summoned to the Duke’s office.
“My apologies for summoning you so late. Something new has come to light, and I wished to inform Marquis Okuno-sama.”
The Duke had me sit in the reception suite and began.
“It’s no problem. Any information you can provide would be helpful to us as well.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Now, about this new development—”
The Duke let out a deep sigh there.
A considerable bitterness was etched on his face, making it clear that something quite unpleasant had occurred.
“Actually, upon investigation, we discovered that about a third of our house’s assets are missing.”
“That… I don’t want to think it, but…”
“Yes, I believe it’s just as Marquis Okuno-sama suspects. Only a limited number of people can open our house’s vault. And Saltram was one of them.”
“Does that mean the purpose of that tunnel was, without a doubt, to smuggle out assets?”
“Most likely. If Saltram is indeed being controlled by the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’, then the whereabouts of that money would also seem clear. What are your thoughts, Marquis Okuno-sama?”
“It is likely just as Your Excellency the Duke thinks. Come to think of it, if the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ is active, they would naturally require funds. Considering where they might have procured them… this current incident starts to make sense.”
“So it seems… In any case, this matter is our house’s failing, so we will handle it. Marquis Okuno, please proceed to the Viscount’s territory tomorrow as planned.”
“Understood. If possible, we will also try to find out where the money went.”
“We would be grateful if you could.”
The Duke said so, leaned his weight back against the chair, and then, as if noticing something, sat upright again.
“By the way, Marquis Okuno, you mentioned you were also looking for the whereabouts of the freed slaves. Could that also be related to the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’?”
“Yes… that’s right. That is what we suspect.”
“I see… I had entrusted their handling almost entirely to Saltram as well. Come to think of it, I had left far too many things to him. If this incident is truly the work of the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’, then they must have exploited my negligence. What with Freynil’s matter and now this, what foolish things I have done…”
Duke Armand covered his face with both hands and hung his head.
Having interacted with him these past few days, he certainly doesn’t seem like a bad person. However, considering his rather scholarly demeanor, perhaps his attention wasn’t focused on things like his family, his house, or his domain.
Regarding that, when I think about my previous life, it wasn’t something I could dismiss as someone else’s problem. I, too, had been so engrossed in work that I neglected my partner, and I ended up facing a fitting retribution.
Thinking about Freynil, I certainly couldn’t sympathize with him, but I couldn’t avoid feeling a certain amount of empathy either.
“Your Excellency the Duke, it may not be my place to say this, but I believe it’s more important to realistically consider what to do from now on, rather than regretting what has passed. We will also do our utmost to resolve this current matter, so I believe Your Excellency has no choice but to do everything in your power to overcome this difficult situation.”
Though I felt it was presumptuous of me to say such things, the Duke nodded repeatedly and then removed his hands from his face.
“Yes, you’re right… Just as Marquis Okuno says. For now, we must focus on bringing the situation under control and uncovering the full picture. As for the money, we know it was transported to Saltram’s residence, so we will also investigate its whereabouts. And regarding the freed slaves, I will have their location investigated once more.”
“I believe that is wise.”
As I replied, it occurred to me that I should probably decide now whether or not to tell the Duke the information about the freed slaves being in the mines.
From our interactions so far, it seems unlikely that the Duke himself is guilty. The problem is whether there are other ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ associates within the Ducal house, but Freynil and Lani have already concluded that this is highly unlikely.
This means it’s probably a good time to fully trust the Duke and request his cooperation.
“By the way, Your Excellency, I’ve heard that there are mines in this duchy. Is that true?”
“Yes, there are. Metals, starting with iron, are important, you see. Maintaining the production capacity for such vital resources is also a lord’s duty.”
“Are those mines, by any chance, Dungeons?”
“No, they are not. This duchy doesn’t have any Dungeons that produce metal. Therefore, we excavate ore and refine it. Preserving metallurgical techniques is also important. It’s not a pleasant topic, but the mines also serve as a place to house criminals.”
“I see… Actually, we have information that there are people who seem to be freed slaves in those mines.”
“What…?”
The Duke frowned at that, then nodded as if in understanding.
“That’s plausible. For a time, Saltram was also involved in personnel matters at the mines. Understood, we will prioritize investigating that.”
“Please do.”
Now, will this resolve that issue?
The problem is, even if the freed slaves are in the mines, the question of why the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ would do such a thing remains.
However, regarding that, I feel like I can somewhat see the reason when I consider the incident with Lani’s father in the Beastmen Village earlier. In any case, it will probably become clear in the Viscount’s territory we’re heading to.
Well, whatever those bastards are thinking, all we have to do is crush them.