Chapter 69: Crucible Street (part six)
It was around noon when we reached the small square in front of Water Palace.
Harold and I went through the gate of the palace from the front.
Inside the palace, there was a tense atmosphere in preparation for the arrival of the Ignitia party tomorrow.
Led by Harold, we went through the corridors where the guest rooms were lining up.
It was a place I saw for the first ti, because it was in the opposite direction from the room I was staying in.
Water Palace owned by Turm family was a huge building with 500 rooms.
Instead of staying at a neighboring nobleman’s cottage, they always had a room prepared for him to stay during events and business negotiations.
Harold explained so.
I gradually beca uncertain about where I was going.
At that ti, Harold finally stopped in front of a white door.
“Is it here?”
“Aah, this is the room they lend to my father.
If he doesn’t stay here, well, I will go and visit the rooms of his business partners one by one.”
Harold knocked on the door quickly, opened the heavy door and imdiately entered the room.
“Tou-san, are you here? There’s sothing I want to talk to you about!”
Earl Nibelheim had a surprised expression on the sudden appearance of his son.
It seed that he was about to go sowhere.
He was wearing impeccable aristocratic clothes, and had a coat and a docunt bag in his hands.
“I’m sorry, Harry. I’m busy right now. I wonder if it’s fine to talk about that matter later.”
“It’s absolutely not fine. It’s a big problem for the Nibelheim family!”
“Ah, I know. It is a big problem.”
“Eh!?”
Earl Nibelheim and Harold were staring at each other.
Unlike yesterday when he was extrely excited and happy, right now he felt withdrawn as he turned quiet and inconspicuous.
I wondered if that happy personality was so kind of acting to throw people off guard, or if it was only sothing alchemy-related that could make him switched into that direction.
Earl Nibelheim turned his gaze towards and nodded while smiling to conceal his internal distress.
Sohow, I could sense deep fatigue from his complexion.
“Thank you for this, Erica-sama. It seems that you are friendly with my son, I am honored.
……I see, Harry also noticed this issue thanks to you.”
“Then, Tou-san noticed it too?”
“Aah, I was talking to the Duke of Aurelia about the mines of Argene territory, but there was sothing strange.”
I see, so the na of Argene territory ca out during the business networking.
I beca concerned about how it was communicated to my father.
“T-then this conversation will be quick. We need to find the fraudster right away—”
“The fraudster, huh……that’s right, of course, we will check it.
But, there are other issues that have to be prioritized. I have important business negotiations.”
“If you wait for too long, the fraudster will escape!”
“Harry, my business was helped by various people.
I can’t be gone from my seat at a mont’s notice, there are etings with so people that cannot be postponed.”
Earl Nibelheim’s reasoning also made sense.
If the related party to the incident was upset and neglected the deal, his reputation would be ruined.
If his unrest was seen to the surface, his surroundings would see that he was soone who couldn’t deal with crisis and took advantage of his weakness.
He needed to look as if business was as usual.
Even after surviving this incident, if he wanted to continue the comrcial transaction with Knot Reed, he needed to maintain his reputation.
But, Harold had his own logical reason.
It was the polar opposite to Earl Nibelheim’s reasoning.
Before my eyes, Harold had an expression that I didn’t know whether he was sad or irritated.
“So you still have the ti to talk to the creditors of each territory, while the fraudster hasn’t been caught!”
“It’s fine, only Duke Aurelia and I know about this incident.
I have been keeping a long relationship with all of the investors in this case.
First of all, I have to speak with so of them, or I cannot advance forward.”
“Aah! Jeez! Fine, you obstinate person!!”
Harold shouted loudly and stopped talking with his father.
He slamd the door open in his irritation and left the room.
I hesitated about what to do.
I had to pursue Harold, but—
“Erica-sama, I apologize this ti for causing you trouble.
But, whatever the outco of this matter is, I will not hurt your honor.”
“Earl……”
“Regarding the matter of fraud, I have already arranged my steward to start investigating.
Please also tell my son that.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you very much, Erica-sama.”
Earn Nibelheim gently lowered his head.
He might be a person who was easily misunderstood by his appearance or words.
But, surely he was a fundantally sincere person who wouldn’t depart from his own principle.
Aah, but, this was the source of the trouble from the previous problem.
With this, it was painful for not to say that ‘your death flag will rise’.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable living now.
I also lowered my head and followed Harold.
First of all, I had to solve his misunderstanding and told him that Earl Nibelheim was also investigating the fraud.
I arrived at the exit while becoming dazzled by the white and gold decorations that were scattered in the palace.
At the corner of the square, I found Harold standing upright.
Harold looked at my face and made an apologetic expression.
“Have you been waiting?”
“Sorry……I forgot about you and cast you aside.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I, far from convincing my father, I lost my own temper.”
“It cannot be helped. Let’s go back to the store first.”
Anyway, we had to et up with Gilbert.
I hoped there was a result that would turn this situation around.
Both of us got into a ferryboat and returned to Crucible Street.
On the boat, I told Harold that Earl Nibelheim was investigating the fraud.
Hearing that, Harold seed to regain his calm.
☆
We sneaked into the Wunderkamr of Turm Wand Store from the back door.
Inside the room, Gilbert was talking with Tirnanog.
When we ca back, they noticed us and turned toward us.
“Welco back. Ojou-san, Botchan.”
『I’m surprised, that was quick.』
“Sorry, Tir. I suddenly changed the schedule.”
『No, I have heard the circumstances from this guy. Sothing seems to have changed suddenly.』
First of all, the four of us surrounded the table and we reported the situation in Water Palace briefly.
Harold finished talking and asked Gilbert with anxious expression.
“How was it in Aniki’s side?”
“Ah no, about that. I was talking about it to this mister too……”
“It seems that sothing very bad happened in your side.”
Gilbert nodded with a glum expression.
Sighing, he conveyed the story he had heard in the Notary Guild.
“It seems that the rchant who should have sold the mining rights to Earl Nibelheim is no longer here.
It was only three days ago.
Every family mber and servant of the rchant seems to disappear overnight.
They seed to be in such a hurry, they left in the middle of making soup.
They had set up a store in this town for more than a decade, their assets and credits were also stable.”
It was as though they were abducted by fairies.
I felt sothing really ominous sohow.
No matter how I thought about it, that rchant was……
“The detailed circumstances of this story had yet to spread, but it’s just a matter of ti before the story of the fraud will leak out.”
“No way……”
“However, they have no reason to do this fraud.
There is no way a business partner of 10 years will do such a thing.”
Did Earl Nibelheim get betrayed by a trusted business partner?
Moreover, perhaps even if we tried to find those people, we wouldn’t be able to find them anymore.
And, as three days had passed, it would be difficult to pinpoint the real culprit.
With this, he wouldn’t be able to recover his funds.
This situation already seed to be heading to a rather bad direction.
“It seems that the mining rights docunt of the Argene territory used for the contract was cleverly counterfeited.
Perhaps, a high-skilled mage was involved.”
『So, is Hafan involved behind the scenes?』
“I wonder. If it’s only magic, people of other lands can also learn how to use it.”
『So that can’t be used as a clue, huh……』
“Oops, I have learned of the person Earl Nibelheim borrowed money from.
It was none other than Harlan Lucanrant from Margrave of Urs.”
If we called him according to the northern patronymic customs, it was Harlan Slayson.
Officially, he was a man called Harlan Lucanrant, Margrave of Urs.
When he heard that na, Harold’s face was drained of blood even more.
So, in Lucanrant they follow patronymic customs to na themselves, rather than a last na. Just like in Iceland, which is patronymic, Harlan Slayson ans he is Harlan, the son of Slay. And if my guess is right and Lucanrant is this world’s Iceland, then for the daughters, there will be ‘dottir’ in their na.
Although in this story, since they don’t have a last na, they adopted their country’s na as their official last na, which is Lucanrant. That’s why, even if they seem to have the sa last na ‘Lucanrant’, Harlan and Chloe (the ga’s heroine) may not actually be one family. About Claude (the last capture target)……, well, who knows? XD
Btw, this guy had been ntioned before by Ann in ch 18.
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