Missing Person 2
Liliana, accompanied by Marianne, Gild, and Olga, headed to the mansion in the capital owned by Marianne’s family. The estate was larger and more impressive than the residence owned by Ben Draco, the Vice Director of the Magic Department.
Liliana, accompanied by Marianne, Gild, and Olga, headed to the mansion in the capital owned by Marianne’s family. The estate was larger and more impressive than the residence owned by Ben Draco, the Vice Director of the Magic Department.(As expected of the Kennys Border Barony.)
Liliana was inwardly impressed. The mansion, reflecting a long-established family lineage, was built in a traditional architectural style. However, in line with the Kennys Border Barony’s straightforward and practical nature, it lacked elaborate decorations.
Since Marianne had notified them in advance, Liliana and her party were soon greeted by Marianne’s father and brother in the living room. Liliana was surprised to find the Border Baron himself present, but quickly composed herself, offering a perfect smile and a refined curtsy.
The Border Baron, who appeared to be in his fifties, still maintained a robust physique and a stern face. While his tough appearance might not be appealing to some, it conveyed a solid and reliable character. Despite his intimidating presence, the Border Baron, having presumably heard about Liliana’s reputation from Marianne, greeted her warmly.
“Pleased to meet you, Liliana-sama. I’m grateful for your visit today regarding my son’s situation.”
Liliana quickly wrote a note and passed it to Marianne. Although Marianne was technically Liliana’s maid now, the Baron seemed to understand this and treated her accordingly. Upon seeing Liliana’s elegant and flowing handwriting, the Baron’s eyes widened momentarily, but then he smiled with understanding. When he looked back at Liliana, his expression had softened compared to his initial demeanor.
The Baron’s maid prepared tea for Liliana and her party, stepping back to stand discreetly in the corner.
“This is my son, Billy Kennys. Billy, greet our guest.”
“Yes. I am Billy Kennys. Thank you very much for coming today, Lady Clark.”
Introduced as Billy Kennys, Marianne’s younger brother greeted Liliana with a clear and energetic voice. Billy, the youngest son of the Kennys Border Baron, was fourteen years old this year. Despite his lively manner, his face showed signs of fatigue, likely due to the worry over his missing friend.
Liliana responded with a smile and decided to get straight to the point. Rather than taking up time writing during the meeting, she had prepared a list of questions beforehand. Marianne, quickly understanding Liliana’s intent, took out a sheet of paper from her bag and presented it to the Baron and Billy.
“I have prepared a list of questions that Liliana-sama would like to confirm. Could you please review them?”
The Baron’s eyes widened as he read the questions, clearly taken aback by their nature. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Liliana with a sharp gaze. The earlier warmth in his expression was replaced by the intensity of a seasoned warrior. However, Liliana maintained her smile and calmly met his gaze. The Baron, still looking at Liliana, spoke to his son.
“Billy, as listed here, bring the belongings of the missing child. Marianne, accompany him and—talk about the matters at hand as well.”
“Understood.”
Marianne and Billy nodded quietly at the Baron’s instructions. He then glanced at the two guards standing behind Liliana. Liliana instructed Olga and Gild to leave the room and wait by the door. They frowned at the thought of leaving their mistress alone with the Baron but complied when instructed to leave the door slightly ajar.
Once alone with Liliana, the Baron lowered his voice and asked.
“Are you planning to use curse magic to search for my son’s friend?”
Liliana nodded. Strictly speaking, it involved both curse magic and regular magic, but she chose not to disclose this detail. Maintaining her gracious smile, Liliana listened as the Baron continued.
“I have heard from Marianne that you are unable to speak. Therefore, it’s presumed that you cannot use magic. However, judging by these questions, it seems that the curse magic you intend to use might require magic, doesn’t it?”
Liliana’s expression remained unchanged, but internally she ground her teeth. She had heard that the Baron was a skilled warrior, exceptional in combat rather than in magic, given his role in guarding the border. It was surprising that he could discern the specifics of the curse magic Liliana planned to use, merely from the list of questions.
(Should I say that I can use magic despite not being able to speak, or reveal that I can actually speak?)
After a moment of hesitation, Liliana decided to take a firm stance.
She had a sense that the Kennys Border Baron did not play a major role in the game’s storyline. Moreover, she instinctively felt that this man would not be easily deceived by weak excuses.
Silently, Liliana cast a soundproof barrier. The Baron showed no sign of noticing it—or if he did, he did not let it show.
“—Would you be surprised if I said I can speak after all?”
The Baron did not seem surprised. It appeared he had anticipated that Liliana might be able to speak. However, his sharp gaze remained fixed on Liliana.
“May I ask why you pretended to be mute?”
Marianne and the two guards were unaware of Liliana’s ability to speak, and they would likely have questions about it. Before answering, Liliana made it clear that this information should not be shared. The Baron, maintaining his unchanging demeanor, nodded firmly.
“Of course.”
“Very well. I truly could not speak last year.”
Liliana chose to withhold the full reason. She had regained her voice but pretended to be mute out of a sense of danger. The Baron scrutinized Liliana as if assessing her credibility, but she did not lie.
“I see. By the way, who knows that you can speak?”
“Besides myself, only the two people who helped me regain my voice.”
“Those who helped you, I see.”
A faint smile appeared on the Baron’s lips.
“Who knew you were coming here today?”
“Only those present today. I have not informed anyone else.”
“Those two guards are mercenaries, aren’t they?”
“Yes, I hired them personally.”
Liliana implied that everyone involved was under her control.
Although it was not praised for Liliana to involve herself in this missing person case, she had decided to intervene out of consideration for Marianne’s feelings and a bit of personal interest.
“I assume you have already given orders for a search, but how is it progressing?”
Judging that the Baron’s questions were done, Liliana inquired. The Baron raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“—Did Marianne tell you that?”
“No, she said that your men could not be spared for the search.”
“Then why do you think a search has been initiated?”
“Is there another reason for your presence in the capital at this time, outside the social season?”
Given that the Kennys Border Baron rarely appeared even during the social season, there should be few reasons for his visit to the capital. The Baron chuckled quietly.
“Your phrasing suggests that you believe I came to the capital because I knew about my son’s friend’s disappearance.”
“It would take at least a week for news to travel from the Kennys Border Barony to the capital, even by fast horse.”
Liliana implicitly agreed with the Baron’s statement. She did not avert her gaze, instinctively sensing that if she did, the Baron’s interest might wane.
The Baron maintained his intense gaze on Liliana and asked in a low voice.
“Do you suspect that I am involved in the disappearance?”
“Not at all. I merely inferred that you might have anticipated it.”
“Anticipated, you say.”
The Baron scoffed at Liliana’s words, but Liliana remained unshaken. Despite the age gap that was like that of a grandfather and grandchild, the two were probing each other’s intentions without any pretense, as if dragons and tigers were glaring at each other.
However, Liliana was confident. Even though the two fourteen-year-old boys were friends, it would be unthinkable for them to tour the capital alone without some form of guardianship or escort. Surely, there would be a protector or attendant with them. One of them was an apprentice knight from the Baron’s family; it was impossible for them to be without protection.
Liliana suspected that the Baron had knowingly sent his son and his friend to the capital, despite the risk of them going missing. In other words, Billy Kennys’s friend was an accomplice in the kidnapping case.
The Baron stared at Liliana for a while but eventually smiled as if he found the situation amusing.
“So you were a candidate for the Prince’s fiancée. It seems the other candidates pale in comparison.”
“I am still far from worthy. However, I appreciate your kind words.”
Liliana, wanting to avoid making the Baron think of her as a suitable candidate, feigned modesty. The Baron, however, grinned fiercely.
“No, no—this is the first time I’ve met a seven-year-old who can challenge me head-on.”
For a moment, Liliana’s cheeks twitched. Surrounded by adults and interacting mainly with the Crown Prince Riley and Duke Austin, she had forgotten how a typical seven-year-old might behave. Usually, her pretense of being mute prevented any issues, but in this case, solving the incident was the primary goal, and she had momentarily forgotten this detail.
But she could not back down now. Liliana spoke up.
“Well, you are the only one who gives me such excessive praise.”
“Does your family not appreciate you?”
“No, I doubt they know.”
Not “might not know,” but definitely do not know. Liliana had no intention of informing them.
The Baron would likely pick up on the implication. Liliana’s judgment proved correct. The Baron, smiling slightly, acknowledged this with, “That is an honor.”
He then clasped his hands and leaned forward slightly.
“So, what made you decide to get involved in this matter?”
“It is because Marianne was distressed.”
It seemed the preliminary questioning was over, and the Baron was now assessing how much he should acknowledge Liliana’s involvement. Liliana inwardly felt relieved that she appeared to have met the Baron’s approval.
As she answered the Baron’s question, Liliana harbored doubts about whether she could convince him. Although it was not a lie, it was not entirely true either. Considering that Billy Kennys’s friend was an accomplice in the kidnapping, it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. Yet Liliana’s involvement was not solely due to concern for Marianne.
However, the Baron seemed satisfied with her “age-appropriate” reason. His eyes blinked with interest as he stroked his chin.
“I see. I’m relieved that the reason was age-appropriate, Lady Clark.”
“Yes. Moreover, it is better to resolve anxieties quickly to prevent both the kidnapped and those waiting from suffering psychological damage.”
Not everyone is resilient to psychological stress, especially in the case of a kidnapping, which could cause stress disorders. The Baron nodded, acknowledging this point.
“It is true that our people are facing some difficulties. Your cooperation, with discretion, would be greatly appreciated.”
The Baron seemed to have readily accepted Liliana’s assistance. Liliana was quite surprised by this. Her eyes widened. The Baron’s expression softened, and he looked at Liliana with a gentler demeanor than before.
“Surprised?”
“Yes—honestly, yes. I thought you might have doubts about my abilities in curse magic.”
“Curse magic skills—well, yes, that’s true, but…”
The Baron found Liliana’s response amusing and chuckled softly. When Liliana tilted her head in curiosity, the Baron replied with a lingering smile in his voice.
“Usually, people would be surprised simply by accepting assistance or being trusted. Those who overestimate their own abilities might not question this, but you are different. You are confident in your negotiating skills but rationally judge that it is unlikely for someone with no track record in curse magic to be fully trusted. You are indeed not an ordinary young lady.”
To the Baron, every action and word from Liliana seemed to be a measure of her qualities and nature. Though Liliana was also assessing her counterpart, she refocused her attention.
Still observing Liliana with evident interest, the Baron said, “If you are willing to keep this matter to yourself, then I will share the details.” Liliana had no objections. Seeing her nod, the Baron continued.
“The one who has been kidnapped is a boy named Yeori. He is about fourteen or fifteen years old. He has been an apprentice in our knight order since last year. He is one of the ‘Northern Immigrants.’”
Liliana blinked in surprise. The term “Northern Immigrants” referred to people who had come from countries located in the northern part of the Slibegrad Kingdom. In recent years, their numbers had been gradually increasing. These countries, separated by towering mountains, had no diplomatic relations with Slibegrad, so detailed information about them was scarce.
However, immigrants entered Slibegrad through the eastern Yunatian Empire or across the western seas.
“In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of missing ‘Northern Immigrants’ in our territory. We are investigating whether this is part of an organized human trafficking scheme.”
At the Baron's words, Liliana pressed her lips together.
Chapter 59
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