Chapter 205: Erunt Ducal Family's Secret (3)

Everyone has a secret or two of their own.

The Ducal Family was no exception.

Though we didn't intend to, thanks to Charlotte, we ended up learning one of the Duke's secrets.

The secret that the youngest daughter's fiancé, publicly known to be dead, was alive and hidden in the North Wing.

Doesn't it smell?

The smell of a case, that is.

The Little Detective next door, the anesthesia specialist, would probably find it suspicious too.

Charlotte didn't take an interest for nothing.

However, one question lingered for me personally.

“But how did you know it was the fiancé in the North Wing? I could only figure out that there was a patient.”

“Right, I was curious too.”

Jenny set down her wine glass and chimed in.

The corners of Charlotte's mouth rose subtly at the question.

“Heh heh. Where should I begin explaining?”

“Start with where you noticed it.”

“Very well.”

With a hmph, Charlotte immediately launched into her explanation.

She was someone who enjoyed explaining secrets as much as uncovering them.

Since I also liked that sort of thing, I thought I understood the feeling.

“The first thing that tipped me off was the ‘Loyal Dog of the North Wing.’”

“Loyal dog?”

“Yes. It was a hunting dog raised by the fiancé of the Duke's youngest daughter, and after its master died, it never left the North Wing.”

I'd heard that in passing yesterday as well.

When the servants gave us a guide around the Ducal Family, they said we could see a loyal dog in the North Wing.

“Isn't that just because it's where its master used to live? Stories like that are common.”

“That's true, but its behavior after that was strange. It barked at people entering the North Wing, but not at people leaving.”

“You're saying it didn't bark at people who carried its master's scent?”

“Correct.”

“I get that. But isn't it a leap in logic to conclude from that alone that the fiancé is alive?”

Charlotte snapped her fingers.

with an expression that said, 'You've hit the nail on the head!'

“Of course I didn't reach a conclusion with that alone. That was merely what started my investigation.”

“Aha. Then how did you reach the conclusion, Great Detective? Was it the black mark on the butler's fingers the Professor mentioned?”

“That's evidence the fiancé is a patient, not evidence that the fiancé is alive in the North Wing.”

Charlotte looked at me and quirked an eyebrow.

She was probably telling me to deduce it.

I could glimpse her expectation that it wouldn't be hard for her rival.

But unfortunately, I couldn't meet that expectation.

Because unlike Charlotte, I'm not actually a deduction genius.

My deductions are nothing more than 21st-century forensic investigation, or benchmarking similar cases.

The only things I can figure out are professional skills and how a case unfolds.

Things with no forensic significance—mainly the backstories behind them—are hard for me to know.

So I shook my head.

“Let me repeat, I only figured out that there was a patient living bedridden.”

With those words, I handed over a silver coin.

Charlotte accepted the silver coin with a satisfied smile.

“That's a monumental 5,147 wins and 784 losses.”

“Does counting really mean anything anymore?”

“Every match has meaning.”

If anything, I should call it fortunate.

Even when I said I didn't know, she never seemed disappointed in me.

It seemed the rival image had been firmly lodged since our first impression.

I didn't mind since my true abilities weren't exposed.

“Of course, this isn't a murder case, and it was too disadvantageous for Yulian. You were too busy yesterday to have time to collect clues, weren't you? If you want, I can void this one.”

“No. I'll keep it as my loss.”

“Heh. Very well.”

After putting the silver coin in her dress pocket.

Charlotte resumed the deduction show that had been paused.

“I found out by disguising myself as a servant and going through the laundry. The North Wing was too heavily guarded to infiltrate, but they didn't bother with the laundry. Among the laundry were pajamas that would fit a man about 190cm tall, but none of the men in the Ducal Family had that kind of build. So I let the dog sniff the pajamas, and sure enough, it wagged its tail and greeted them.”

“......That's why you disappeared for a bit last night? No, before that, what kind of rudeness is it to go through the laundry when you've been invited!?”

“If you don't get caught, it isn't rudeness.”

Jenny was at a loss for words at Charlotte's brazen attitude.

“Why do you go around digging into other people's secrets this much......”

“The whole week after leaving the Academy and traveling by train was too peaceful. If I didn't dig into something like this, I couldn't stand it.”

“You went to the Demonic Realm too. Wasn't that enough of a thrill?”

“That's not a case.”

“......”

Jenny closed her eyes.

She pressed her brow with her thumb, then let out a long breath.

It was Lamaze breathing.

It isn't exactly a breathing technique meant for this kind of thing, though.

The great detective's roommate barely managed to continue speaking after suppressing her anger.

“Fine, I won't get mad, so tell me honestly. Other than the laundry, did you search anything else or do anything that might be rude?”

“I learned more while disguised as a servant. For instance, the Head Butler's son is secretly dating the Head Maid's daughter, or there's a new guard who's embezzling public funds because his pay is three months behind. If you're interested, I can tell you more.”

“No. Stop. I want to leave this territory peacefully.”

“What a shame. I'm expecting one of those two might turn into a case before long.”

Jenny kept dry-washing her face.

Then she suddenly reached for the wine bottle.

It seemed she had no confidence she could endure the current situation sober.

“I don't care. I didn't hear anything.”

“What's wrong, Jenny?”

“You don't know what's wrong? It's a Ducal Family secret. Do you think a commoner like me can handle that?”

“But it's exciting.”

“It isn't. Not at all.”

While the two of them were bickering like that.

Freya took up the baton and sorted out the case.

“So, right now the Duke has a secret he wants to hide, and we've discovered it, right, Older Brother?”

“Yeah, that's right.”

“Then what can we do now?”

That's the question.

We ended up touching on the secret because the Duke's expression looked dark.

But that didn't mean we could do anything for him.

“Are you going to treat him now, Older Brother?”

“Well, I'm a bit cautious about that too.”

Treatment?

It would be good if I could.

But the Duke must have had a reason for keeping it a secret.

Even if I went unannounced and said I would treat the patient, whether the Duke would accept was unknown.

“Since treatment requires the consent of the patient and guardian, shouldn't getting consent come first?”

“Then what would you say if you went now?”

“Hmm......”

That was the problem.

How were we supposed to explain how we learned the secret?

We couldn't just go up to the Duke while he was enjoying the banquet,

and say, 'I went through your laundry and know you've hidden someone in the North Wing, so show him to me.'

No matter how much of a saint one is, that would be crossing the line.

Besides, we still didn't know the Duke's circumstances.

He might intentionally be avoiding treatment.

In the end, unable to step forward, I agonized over how to talk with the Duke.

That was when.

Scrape.

With the sound of a chair scraping, Eri stood up.

At first, I thought she was going to the restroom.

But where Eri headed was the opposite of the restroom: the center of the banquet hall.

At the center of the banquet hall stood the Duke, chatting with the faculty.

She pushed into the group and spoke to the Duke.

“Your Grace.”

We had no chance to stop her.

The Duke, who had been talking with the professors, turned his attention to Eri.

“Hm? It's the Lord Saint's party. Your name is......”

“I am Erika Nihilrit.”

Eri greeted him according to etiquette.

Perhaps because she wasn't used to formal manners, her greeting was a bit stiff.

But the Duke didn't point it out.

“What is it, Erika?”

“Why don't you ask for help even when you're struggling?”

Instantly, the banquet hall was wrapped in silence.

The professors surrounding the Duke stopped with their mouths hanging open.

The tray of a passing errand runner tilted.

The Duke who received the question was no less flustered.

“Why are you suddenly saying that to me?”

“Because you need help, but you seem to have given up.”

“......”

The Duke's right eye widened slightly.

His gaze fixed on Eri.

“Help, you say...... You come to me suddenly and say amusing things. Very well, little hero.”

A corner of the Duke's mouth tilted up.

But his eyes weren't smiling.

The professors tried to restrain Eri, unable to hide their anxiety.

“Student Erika. What is the meaning of this......”

“Be still. Are this girl and I not having a conversation right now?”

But the Duke wouldn't allow it.

His attention had already turned to the Red-Haired Girl.

“Let's continue what you were saying. So, I need help? And I've even given up on it? Why do you think that?”

“Because I know how it feels to hesitate in front of the door of someone who might be able to help, and then turn away.”

At some point, the Duke had uncrossed his arms.

“......Continue.”

“A long time ago, there was a girl in Limbus Pit. Everyone pointed fingers at her as the child of a Bloodfiend. That girl was always sick. And she needed someone to heal that sickness.”

For a moment, Eri's gaze turned to me.

Turning her gaze back to the Duke, she spoke.

“Fortunately, the girl got a chance. Word came down that a kind Healer who could cure her illness had come from above. But the girl always turned away from the door of that Healer's clinic.”

“Why was that?”

“Because she was afraid.”

A bitter smile formed on Eri's lips.

“The girl was being pointed at as the child of a Bloodfiend. So she was afraid. What if this wasn't an illness, but pain because she really was a Bloodfiend's child? What if it was an incurable illness......”

“......Sometimes it is better to leave something as an unreachable hope than to know it can't come true and despair.”

“Yes. That's right.”

She nodded.

“Then, what became of that girl? Did she open the clinic door?”

“No. The girl never asked for help until the end.”

Disappointment settled in the Duke's eyes at those words.

It was because he guessed the ending of this story would be a tragedy.

“Then that girl......”

“But the miracle came to the girl even without her knocking. She learned what her illness was, and received proper treatment.”

“Hm?”

The Duke was taken aback by the unexpected ending.

I could guess why the Duke was taken aback.

Normally, a story like this should end tragically with a moral. A sudden happy ending was bound to fluster anyone.

But Eri didn't seem to see any problem with this story.

The Duke pointed this out.

“Wouldn't it normally end with the girl failing to receive treatment, and the lesson that the miracle was actually close by?”

“Ah, I hadn't thought of that.”

Eri scratched her cheek, abashed.

Moralistic stories didn't seem to suit her.

“Anyway, what I want to tell you is that miracles do exist in this world.”

“......It's different from what I expected, but I understand what you want to say.”

Pfft.

The sound of air leaking came from the Duke's mouth.

The Duke's laughter didn't end with just once.

His shoulders began to shake, and the Duke lowered his head and laughed quietly.

“Heh heh. A moral tale without a moral. Well, I suppose this kind of moral tale can exist too.”

His shoulders kept heaving several times afterward.

At a glance, it looked like he was holding back laughter, but to me it looked like he was holding back sobs.

It was about five minutes later that the Duke, who had been quietly suppressing and pouring out his emotions, regained his composure.

“Haah......”

Steadying his breathing, he set down the glass he'd been holding on the table.

Then he reached that hand toward Eri's head.

When Eri shrank back, the Duke's hand heading for her head hesitated as well.

The two met eyes.

A silent signal passed between them.

With Eri's permission, the Duke placed his hand on her head.

And slowly stroked it.

“......I had a younger sister like you once. She never bottled up anything she wanted to say, and preferred the training ground to tea parties.”

“How is she doing now?”

“She is in a grave. She went to Mother's side at fifteen. It was a time when there were no cures or vaccines.”

“Ah......”

The Duke's hand stroking Eri slowed.

“After that, I no longer wished for miracles...... but perhaps I was the one frozen in those days.”

His hand came down from Erika's head.

Soon he withdrew his hand from above her head.

For a moment, a hint of regret seemed to cross the blunt Duke's face.

The Duke took one deep breath and turned his body.

In that direction was me.

The middle-aged man I had parted with just earlier walked toward me again.

This time wearing a face full of resolve.

“Lord Saint.”

“Yes.”

“I, Arslan Erunt, bear a cowardly secret.”

*

The Duke finally decided to reveal the secret.

However, since it wasn't a story to be broadcasted in the middle of the banquet hall, he decided to change locations.

“Forgive me for interrupting the banquet. Would you come to the reception room?”

The Duke's reception room was past two or three corridors from the banquet hall.

As expected of a castle.

Just going from the banquet hall to the reception room took ages.

The reception room door closed.

With it, the murmur of people that had started in the banquet hall and echoed down the corridor died down.

In the reception room hung a family portrait of the Ducal Family.

In the portrait, the Duke sat solemnly, with his wife and sons visible on either side.

On his lap sat a girl with a youthful face.

That was probably the Duke's youngest daughter.

The Duke, noticing where my gaze had gone, explained the painting.

“It is a family portrait. In the past, I couldn't hang it in the reception room.”

“But it's so pleasant to look at, isn't it?”

“Who knows what curse the Black Sorcerers might cast through this painting.”

Right, that was it.

The nobles of this world adhere to an extreme culture of secrecy.

Because this was a world where, just by identifying a name and those around you, a Death Hex existed.

Even for a Duke, to protect his family, he hid their identities as much as possible.

But it seemed circumstances had changed a bit recently.

“You have the look of wondering why I've hung the painting now.”

“Yes. I was just about to ask.”

“Lord Saint, it is thanks to you. Curses that can be cast with only hair or a name are no longer so threatening. Plague-type curses have become difficult to inflict with fatal damage because of vaccines and antibiotics.”

“What about the Curse of Sudden Death?”

“That curse that stops the heart? Haven't you already made a related medicine?”

Ah, right.

There was nitroglycerin.

In other words, what the Duke wanted to say was this.

“Many in my generation still hide their families out of habit, but the next generation likely will not. Hiding one's family is exceedingly exhausting work.”

“That's good to hear.”

“Indeed.”

The Duke's gaze lingered on the portrait for a moment.

He looked away from the portrait and shook his head.

“This private talk has gone on long enough. Sit down. I will tell you what I have been hiding.”

He pointed to the sofa.

Our party, including me, sat on the sofa.

The Head Butler brought out tea and stood behind the Duke.

The Duke began his story without even touching the teacup.

“Darian Vessarion. He was my youngest daughter's fiancé.”

“Ah.”

Freya let out a soft sigh.

Given that she, well-versed in Heroes, reacted this way, he must have been a fairly famous Hero.

“He was the second son of the Viscount Vessarion Family. I hired him as a knight not long after he graduated from the Hero Department.”

There were several routes for a Hero to rise into the nobility.

They could work as freelancers like mercenaries and build military prowess like an errant knight.

Or they could be employed by a particular noble and steadily accumulate achievements.

Most preferred the latter.

Because it is an eternal truth, east or west, past or present, that working under a large enterprise is best for building qualifications.

“His sword alone was among the finest I have ever seen. After a few times on the battlefield together, he pleased me enough that I introduced him to my youngest daughter.”

From the sound of it, that fiancé had been quite active.

“His Great Performance must have been impressive.”

“It was. My youngest daughter, Isolde, could not inherit the family's Secret Technique. So rather than send her into a political marriage with a mediocre noble family, I thought it better to send her to a Hero with a promising future.”

The Duke's gaze left us.

While he drew out past memories, his gaze swam through the empty air.

“The two grew close quickly. In less than a year, every time he left for a subjugation, my daughter would come out to the castle gate and wrap a scarf around her fiancé's neck.”

“They must have been a match made in heaven.”

“It vexes me, but I have no choice but to admit it.”

The Duke covered his left eye.

“Still, I do not regret that decision. Even on the battlefield where I lost this eye, we were able to retreat successfully. It was thanks to him guarding my back.”

A faint smile lingered on the Duke's lips as he told the tale of heroism.

But we couldn't smile along with him.

At a glance, it was a warm and tender romance story.

But we knew this story's ending was a tragedy.

That was the end of Duke Erunt's smile as well.

“That friend suddenly could no longer hold a sword.”

“Suddenly?”

“It was sudden. At first, his fingertips tingled, and before long his legs gave out on the stairs. Half a year later, everything below his neck stopped. And at some point, he could no longer get out of bed.”

Sudden total paralysis below the face.

As soon as I heard the symptoms, one disease came to mind as a candidate.

“What did the Healer diagnose him with? Was it a stroke?”

“They said it was not.”

But it wasn't.

There was no possibility of misdiagnosis.

The methods for diagnosing and treating strokes are already widely known in the field of Healing Arts.

There's no way a man of the Duke's standing would have gone to a quack.

It was reasonable to view it as something more complex than a stroke.

“Did you try Heal?”

“When we had the means, we spent a fortune on Regeneration. But there was no effect.”

“Did it get worse or anything?”

“Nothing like that. At first, the family's Exclusive Healer also suspected Demon Disease and tried Refresh, but it did not worsen.”

The possibility of Demon Disease was also ruled out.

At that moment, countless candidates were erased from my mind.

'What is it?'

It wasn't Demon Disease, yet could there be a disease that doesn't respond to Heal?

My doubts deepened along with it.

“Lord Saint. This is why I did not seek you out. If it were Demon Disease, I would have flown to the Academy Territory at once with hope. But it was not Demon Disease, nor did it seem like a disease that could be helped with Divine Magic.”

I understood.

Some patients will blindly seek out a renowned doctor no matter what,

but others won't go to a renowned doctor about a disease he has never treated.

And some people rationalize that those grapes are sour, and resign themselves.

“Honestly speaking, I secretly hoped you would never face me. If I met you, and even you said you could not cure this disease, I thought I might end up giving up on this friend.”

It seemed he truly didn't want to give up on his son-in-law.

But hearing that naturally raised a question.

“I understand your circumstances. But was there a need to have him declared dead?”

“It was what that friend wanted.”

“Yes?”

The Individual Concerned wanted it?

“He said he didn't want my daughter to spend the rest of her life beside his bed nursing him. Mourning has an end, but nursing has no end.”

“......”

“I cowardly accepted that friend's request. I also did not want my daughter tied to his bedside.”

The Duke raised his head.

“And so, the world came to know that Darian Vessarion had died fiercely in the Demonic Realm.”

“Then does your daughter know the truth?”

The Duke shook his head.

“The only ones who know are myself, the Head Butler, and the eldest son who will succeed the family. We promised to take responsibility for his remaining life, at least until his time came to an end, as a reward for that friend letting go of my daughter.”

Only then did I think I understood why the Duke cherished his son-in-law so much.

This was a bond of loyalty between men who cherished the same woman,

and a reward for the Hero who had released the Ducal Family's precious daughter.

“Still, I did not want to leave that friend lying in bed forever. So I searched for every possible method in the name of the Ducal Family.”

“The result...... wasn't very good, was it.”

“Haaah...... As you can see. There was no progress even after ten years.”

The Duke brought both hands together in front of his face and blew out a sigh.

Ten years.

It was more than enough time for mountains and rivers to change.

I couldn't imagine how much those years had worn down this middle-aged man.

The Duke, having let out all his sigh, rubbed his hands anxiously.

“But despite that friend's sacrifice, my daughter did not find a new life.”

“Could it be......”

“I thought only nursing had no end. But mourning also has no end.”

The Duke and the Hero sacrificed themselves for the girl's happiness.

But the girl did not move as the two intended.

“That child turned down every marriage proposal after that. And so she missed her marriageable age.”

The Duke slowly exhaled.

“That child has been like that since she was young. Once she becomes stubborn, even I cannot stop her. Perhaps it is because I gave her everything she wanted......”

Deep fatigue seeped from the Duke's voice as he spoke.

A son-in-law's illness with no hope in sight.

A youngest daughter who would not find a new life.

The Duke caught between two people moving in opposite directions.

As a human being, he was bound to be exhausted.

“This is the whole story.”

He placed his rubbing hands on his knees as he spoke.

“Lord Saint. It may be a mysterious disease. It may be an unnamed illness, and you may tell me there is no cure. I want to end this endless war of attrition now.”

“Understood. I'll take a look.”

I accepted for now.

Because I couldn't tell what the disease was just by listening here.

However, there was something to confirm before examining him.

“Will you not tell your daughter?”

“I would like to. I do not want that child to go through the experience of losing a loved one twice.”

Of course.

There is nothing more cruel than giving hope and then taking it away.

Rather than showing the truth that he couldn't be cured, it might not be bad to leave her thinking he was dead.

But,

“......I would like to. But what I regret most is that we did not give our daughter a choice back then.”

The Duke made a different choice.

“At first, I believed our choice was right. But every time I saw my daughter crying at the grave on each death anniversary, I felt uncomfortable.”

“So you intend to reveal the secret now?”

“I intend to.”

The Duke wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand and barely spoke.

“I should have revealed it sooner. I foolishly kept putting it off. The habit of hiding my mistakes as a child did not fix itself even when I became an adult.”

I could empathize a hundred times over.

I thought that when I became an adult, I would straightforwardly talk about my faults and clear up misunderstandings.

But that wasn't the case.

In fact, adults are often more foolish than children.

If that were as easy as it sounded, the word misunderstanding wouldn't have been created in the first place.

“Lord Saint, please tell me without feeling burdened. Whether you can cure that friend's illness, or whether he must live out his remaining days as he is. Even if you cannot cure him, I will not resent you. I swear on the name of the Erunt Ducal Family.”

“Understood.”

After receiving the Duke's assurance that he wouldn't resent me, I immediately headed to the North Wing where the patient was.

And I was quickly able to determine what had made him this way.

“Your Grace. I've figured out Patient Darian's illness.”

“What is it?”

“The patient's neck is currently severed inside. It's a kind of...... no different from having been beheaded.”

The Duke bit his lip.

“Then that means there is no hope.”

“...... Hic.”

Isolde, the Duke's youngest daughter, who had accompanied us, collapsed beside him.

A wet voice leaked from beyond her palm.

“Th-Then...... then. There's no hope, is there. If his neck is severed, how can a person...... how can that......”

“......Um, Duke's Daughter? I haven't finished explaining yet.”

“I'm sorry, Lord Saint. Please give me a moment to collect myself......”

“No, what I was trying to say is, since his neck is severed, we can just reattach it.”

“......Yes?”

Her crying stopped.

The Duke also looked at me as if he had misheard.

Even the patient lying in the bed was looking at me with an expression that said, what in the world is he talking about?

And I found those gazes mixed with distrust and perplexity......

'Yeah. Sometimes I need to see reactions like this to enjoy showing off a bit. Lately, everyone just blindly believes because I'm called a saint, so there's been no fun in overturning expectations.'