Chapter 346

Ever since he had fallen into this world, he had constantly felt this, but

When had he started being treated like a rolling stone?

"Yesung, what are you thinking about so much?"

"I'm not thinking about anything."

"Then stop staring at the door. You're going to bore a hole through it."

He thought, look at Yurik sitting over there.

That guy's predetermined role had been the worldview's strongest villain from the beginning.

Since he had high importance in the story, even if he stayed still, someone would come and readily handle him well, unfold him, scrub him clean, and make him into a proper human.

But why was it that even when he stayed still, people around him came to bother him on their own?

It felt exactly like someone approaching thinking 'Wow, there's a stone here? I absolutely must kick it once and roll it tumbling all the way to the opposite side!'

[Believer strange. Believer, lost mind? Not this kind of believer. Normal? No.]

"Aphoom-Zhah, be quiet too. I have things to think about."

"You just said you weren't thinking about anything."

"I started just now."

The note that arrived to him was from the day before yesterday, placed outside his bedroom windowsill.

The note, which didn't even have written who sent it, was making threats disguised as suggestions to him.

The moment he saw it, his mood soured so much.

He had almost unconsciously tattled everything to Cellinne.

But since he was now the owner of the book, in principle, he should be responsible for retrieving it himself.

However, he didn't know what the person who had obtained his 'lost item' wanted in calling him out.

He had no money, no power, and his body was like paper soaked in rain.

Of course, seeing how they appeared with good timing in the current situation, it didn't seem like they wanted money or anything.

In a state where they had identified that he was the grimoire's owner,

If there was someone trying to lure him out using the grimoire as bait.

...The only likely suspect he could think of was the dead Queen, but was this defaming the deceased?

"Yurik."

"Speak."

"Just asking, but what happened to the Queen? I mean the former Queen Dowager."

"We collected the body. She'll probably be laid to rest beside the late king."

"The culprit who killed the Queen Dowager... it wasn't you by any chance?"

"If you live in the royal castle long enough to become Queen Dowager, you accumulate grudges knowingly or unknowingly. This incident is just the result of that."

"I see."

"Whether it was an assassination attempt by her associates or a third party is still unknown. So you should be careful too, hyung."

Yurik spoke matter-of-factly while turning a page of documents.

In this case, the 'third party' Yurik mentioned could be the culprit who took his book.

But in the current situation, he couldn't even guess the identity of the 'third party,' so how was he supposed to deduce the culprit?

From what Dardin had taught him, no third party forces had appeared.

While absentmindedly scratching blisters that were healing over the bandages, he was suddenly startled when the door opened with a loud sound.

Oh dear, the blister burst!

"Your Highness, I apologize for my rudeness. However, the matter is urgent."

"Dardin."

For Dardin to return to the 3rd Prince's palace when it wasn't even noon yet.

Moreover, his face was pale white, so he could tell something quite serious had happened.

He quickly approached Yurik and whispered something in his ear.

Yurik frowned slightly, then glanced at him and stood up. Dardin called out as if warning.

"Your Highness."

"I'm going to check. Sit and rest for a moment. It seems there will be something to discuss when I return."

Leaving those words, Yurik went out of the bedroom by himself.

He asked Dardin, who was holding his forehead, casually.

"What's wrong? Is it something bad?"

"Well, actually."

Dardin hesitated for a moment.

After muttering 'Ah, His Highness won't like this. He really won't like this,' he finally seemed to make up his mind and asked carefully.

"I'm not suspecting Yesung, but..."

"Yeah."

"Is there any possibility that the black bugs Yesung controls, or such strange things... might tamper with corpses?"

"No?"

"Are you certain?"

When Dardin asked again, Aphoom-Zhah crawled up onto his shoulder.

[Human male. Things believer controls. Corpses, interested? No. Human corpses, no life activity. Muscle and fat. Bone masses. Has magic power. Spinal cord. Brain matter. Blood. Still not interested. Efficiency. Living humans, good. Much magic power. Much blood. Much fresh meat. Good efficiency. Living humans preferred.]

"Thank you for the detailed explanation, Snowman. I was prepared, but hearing it like this is rather disgusting."

"So what is it? What happened?"

"Don't be surprised."

Dardin hesitated before finally conveying in a small voice.

"The Queen Dowager's corpse has disappeared."

"...The corpse? I just heard Yurik say they collected the body?"

"Originally, that's correct. They collected the burned corpse and temporarily placed it in a coffin. But Duke of Ophir is protesting that he can't acknowledge the Queen Dowager's death unless the culprit is produced."

"Duke of Ophir?"

Duke of Ophir. Duke of Ophir.

If he remembered correctly, it was the force that most actively supported the dead Queen Dowager.

And at the same time, he was also the Queen Dowager's biological father. So this meant.

"Ah. So that's why Yurik wrapped me up in bandages and took me before them. Right?"

"At that time, Yesung was under the greatest suspicion. You were originally someone who should have died."

"But I was alive and well. Wait, that means Yurik had no intention of pretending I was dead at that time."

"Yesung being alive is more helpful than being dead."

"That's a grateful statement. So how did the corpse disappear?"

"That's the thing."

Dardin's explanation was as follows.

For whatever reason, corpses that couldn't be given funerals quickly within the royal castle were moved to a temporary morgue.

The Queen Dowager had also been moved to the morgue because of Duke of Ophir's opposition, leaving them no choice.

This was to minimize factors that would adversely affect corpse preservation,

So that she could appear in the most intact state possible when the funeral was held later.

However, just a few hours ago.

The administrators and guards who visited the morgue to check the corpse's preservation state,

Reportedly found only that the Queen's white coffin was empty.

"The morgue administrator and body preparer last confirmed the Queen Dowager's coffin yesterday late evening. They claim to have locked the morgue door after that."

"Then there would be empty time after today's morgue door was opened until the administrator came. Someone infiltrated targeting that time, right?"

"That's rather strange. The morgue was closed until the administrators and guards came. In other words, they were the first visitors."

"Ah. In that case... that is rather strange."

"How could the corpse disappear so completely like that? Moreover, the lily coffin where the Queen Dowager lay was so heavy that three or four adults would have to work together to barely lift it."

"A threat letter left by the thief, or something like that?"

"None. It's peculiar."

Through firmly locked doors, stealing the Queen Dowager's corpse that didn't even have burial goods.

Moreover, opening the coffin would have required quite a few people going in and out, but no such signs were reported at all.

A culprit who demanded nothing.

Theft carried out with miraculous stealth.

Queen Dowager. Duke of Ophir's family.

A letter placed on the windowsill without anyone knowing.

Contents with no price listed.

Queen Dowager. Culprit. His book.

Eibon's book, the grimoire Pnakotic.

He felt like things were fitting together piece by piece.

Aphoom-Zhah, hanging from his shoulder, looked at him and muttered.

[Believer. Turning head. Sound heard?]

Hey. Be quiet.

* * *

And the next day.

"What... is this supposed to be right now?"

Yurik asked in an incredulous tone.

Since he had two eyes, he should naturally know what he was doing.

He adjusted his veil and took the robe from the servant's hand while replying.

"Preparing to go out."

"At such a late hour? Didn't I clearly warn that the atmosphere in the castle is ominous?"

"Yeah. I heard. But I have to go."

"Where exactly? What business is so important?"

"I'll take Aphoom-Zhah with me."

"Don't talk as if the snowman is a guard dog. So who called you out?"

"That's still a secret for now..."

In the current situation, he couldn't tell him mere speculation.

That Duke of Ophir had his book was just his own conjecture,

And there was no decisive evidence to support that fact.

Of course, he could collect some evidence by running around here and there,

But then the time limit written in the letter would pass.

When he trailed off, Yurik raised one eyebrow.

"I knew this day would come. Just yesterday we were talking about being family, and now you're already making secrets from me? So that was just empty talk after all? Are you planning to deceive me again with such nice words and then not return for another thousand years? I can't stand seeing that. Why don't you just knock me down and go?"

He thought, what was he talking about now? Had Yurik finally gone crazy?

"It's not like that. I'll go find out and tell you accurately when I return. This is unfair, isn't it? Do I look healthy enough right now to go somewhere else and make a living?"

"According to what you say, you're going out with that body? Say something that makes sense."

"Aphoom-Zhah is enough."

"Sure he is."

Yurik glared at him. He also met his gaze without backing down.

Of course, he was the one who first mentioned family, but even so.

Couldn't he go out once as he pleased? It wasn't confinement.

Only the servant who had been attending to him was trapped between Yurik and him, restless and reading the situation.

After a long staring contest, Yurik finally pressed his brow and frowned.

"Return within two hours. Don't go far. Don't get hurt anywhere. Also refrain from being seen by others."

"Three hours. I'll do my best not to get hurt."

"Give your all. Two and a half hours. If you don't return after that, I'll personally come to meet you."

"Awesome!"

"How delighted."

After making one sarcastic remark, Yurik finally stepped aside from the door.

Of course, when he left the bedroom, a gaze full of slight anxiety and dissatisfaction followed persistently,

But so what. He was the one who yielded.

The 3rd Prince's palace annex, the place designated by the person in the letter, wasn't very far.

It was about the distance for a light walk, but as he crossed over to the annex, the surrounding atmosphere quickly changed.

A gloomy atmosphere with no one coming or going.

Though the building was very clean, he could feel it hadn't been much touched by human hands.

While waiting there for a moment, someone cautiously approached from ahead.

Someone wearing a robe like him asked.

"Mage?"

"Who are you?"

"I'll guide you this way."

A young woman's voice.

Following her guidance, he left the 3rd Prince's palace annex and entered a garden path he'd never been to,

Where there was a small back door that seemed like only people in the know would use.

"This way."

When the woman opened the back door, there stood a shabby carriage without even a small lantern in front of it.

So they wouldn't conduct business within the royal castle.

His suspicion increased further, but for now he obediently climbed into the narrow carriage.

The door closed, and the rattling swaying became severe.

He wanted to know where this carriage was going if possible, how far the royal castle was getting,

But determining such things inside a carriage without even windows was nearly impossible.

As he looked around the carriage somewhat anxiously, a white head popped out from his sleeve.

[Believer, anxious? Worry, no. This body, all-weather omnipotent.]

"I'm not anxious. I just hope I can have a peaceful conversation with Duke of Ophir and get my book back."

[Believer's head, flower garden? Humans, cunning. Okay. This body, protects believer. Grimoire, alive? No. But knows. Owner.]

"What do you mean?"

Aphoom-Zhah climbed onto his black-gloved hand.

The 'god' who proudly presented his round body on top of it said.

[Grimoire, has owner. Human, ending not good. Not befitting status. Wisdom. Ruins human.]