Missing Person 3
Liliana murmured quietly.
“It is concerning that only the ‘Northern Immigrants’ are being targeted.”
“Yes. Although they are immigrants, once they have gone through the proper procedures in our territory, they are our subjects. We have a duty to protect them.”
The Baron nodded. It was clear he genuinely cared about his subjects. Liliana, who had studied knowledge about various territories as part of her education as a Crown princess consort, thought that part of the reason for the Baron’s wealth compared to other territories might be related to this trait.
“If the same is happening in the capital as well as in your territory, it certainly suggests organized crime. Do you have any leads?”
“All we have been able to gather is that a relatively large organization is involved. We came to the capital to get a lead, but it seems the other side is more skilled.”
In other words, they had prepared a decoy but almost missed capturing it. That might explain why the Baron was willing to consider Liliana’s offer while still observing the situation.
Liliana, while trying to gauge the Baron’s true intentions, tilted her head. Before she could ask more questions, the presence of people made her fall silent. As she lifted the soundproof barrier, Marianne and Billy Kennys returned.
The Baron gave permission for Gild and Olga to enter, and the four of them came in one by one. Billy, who took the same seat as before, looked slightly relieved. It seemed that talking to Marianne had lifted his spirits. Marianne also looked brighter and more energetic.
Billy was holding the belongings of the missing Yeori, which Liliana had requested. Items that a person regularly wears or has possessed for a long time tend to retain their magical energy. Liliana aimed to use this residual magic to locate the person through curse magic.
“This is Yeori’s leather belt. He left it behind because it might attract the attention of the guards in the capital, but he always wore it in the Baron's territory.”
Thank you. Liliana said with a smile as she accepted it. The leather belt was simple. While a proper knight might use a wide belt supported by a strap slung diagonally across the shoulder, this belt had no strap and instead had a sling to hang the sheath. The sling was intertwined with a wide, woven fabric with a braided pattern.
If it were a sword, there would be issues, but since it was just a belt, it was highly likely to retain only Yeori’s magical energy. Indeed, upon receiving and examining it, Liliana found the residual magic that seemed to belong to Yeori.
Liliana spread out a piece of paper she had brought, which was inscribed with the pattern of a six-pointed star used for curse magic. She placed the leather belt in the center and cast a recognition inhibition spell on both herself and the paper. This ensured that her use of magic would not be detected. She then placed stones at each point of the six-pointed star: natural stones inscribed with characters for fire, water, wind, earth, light, and darkness. As soon as the stones were placed, magic flowed into the paper, causing the six-pointed star to glow.
“—!”
Everyone around took a sharp breath. The glow of the star was a result of Liliana’s magic activating the spell, but to outsiders, it would appear as if the spell was completed by placing the stones.
The light illuminated up to the ceiling and gradually cleared. What remained was a thin white mist spreading over the six-pointed star and golden letters shimmering within it. Everyone could clearly read the letters.
“Blue roof, weather vane, port, waterwheel.”
Marianne was the first to read them aloud.
“It looks like a code.”
“Yes. Does this suggest that the person is in a location associated with these four words?”
Upon hearing the Baron's words, Marianne tilted her head and looked at Liliana. Liliana nodded firmly. As Marianne pointed out, the four words hinted at the location of the person being searched for. Given that a day and a half had already passed, it was necessary to consider the possibility that they might be outside the capital. However, it would be best to start by expanding the search gradually from the center of the capital.
Billy Kennys, instructed by the Baron, brought out and spread a map of the capital and its surrounding areas on the table. Liliana decided six-pointed star was no longer needed and packed away all the curse magic tools. She also dispelled the recognition inhibition spell.
Unfortunately, Liliana, who rarely ventured outside the capital, was not very helpful. The Baron also seemed unfamiliar with areas outside his usual districts, so he appeared to have no ideas. Billy Kennys, along with Gild, Olga, and Marianne, began to suggest locations and mark them on the map.
“The weather vane is tricky. Buildings with weather vanes are generally churches, and there are no blue-roofed buildings among the churches. So it must be a different type of building—”
“Blue roofs are distinctive. By narrowing it down to blue roofs, it seems that none of the buildings have weather vanes.”
When Marianne murmured, Olga also shook her head. It was difficult to come up with a place that met all the conditions. While the Baron and Liliana observed the discussion from the side, only Gild seemed to be deep in thought. He suddenly looked up and muttered,
“Isn’t a weather vane originally a charm against evil?”
“Ah, yes, that’s right.”
Olga nodded. Liliana looked up at Gild as well. A weather vane serves to indicate the direction of the wind but originally had a purpose as an amulet against evil.
“Then, what about a place that used to be a church?”
Everyone blinked, considering the meaning of Gild's words. Gild’s eyes were sharp with realization.
“Places that were churches in the past but aren’t anymore. So, a weather vane wouldn’t be on the roof. There’s a place I’ve only been to once, but it’s a warehouse where goods transported from the port are stored, and it also holds wheat.”
Upon hearing this, the Baron seemed to have a revelation.
“Antorpo District!”
The Antorpo District is located in the western part of the capital, where goods from the port town in the western part of the kingdom are temporarily stored. There were warehouses with blue roofs, and wheat is processed using a waterwheel.
Everyone seemed convinced, but Liliana remained silently seated, unable to fully accept it.
(Would they really describe wheat specifically as being associated with a waterwheel?)
At first glance, Gild’s reasoning seemed plausible. Liliana could have voiced her doubts but decided to let the matter proceed, sensing a peculiar determination in Gild’s profile.
With no other candidates in mind, it was concluded that the Baron would send his own men to the mentioned district. Liliana maintained a smile and thanked the Baron.
“Thank you very much for your generosity, despite the unexpected intrusion and request for assistance. I am truly grateful.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you. It feels like a ray of light has appeared. Of course, I will keep the assistance you provided confidential, but I would be grateful if this could be the beginning of a continued good relationship.”
“You are too kind. I also hope for continued favor from you.”
With graceful politeness, Liliana took her leave from the Baron’s residence. As soon as she boarded the carriage, Liliana took out several small pieces of paper from her pocket, shaped like birds.
(【Tracking】)
With Liliana’s magic, the paper transformed into transparent birds that fluttered into the sky. Except for one, the birds flew back to the Baron’s residence and attached themselves to the Baron’s shadow, who would be involved in searching for Yeori.
****
Liliana and her companions returned to the residence from Baron Kennys’s mansion. Since there were no scheduled plans for that day, Liliana prepared for bed after having dinner. After Marianne left the room, Liliana stayed up reading a book.
After a while, past midnight, Liliana looked up from her book as if she had noticed something.
“Oh dear.”
As if pondering what to do, Liliana quickly changed from her nightwear into an outdoor outfit. Although she called it outdoor wear, it was a simple linen dress similar to those worn by servants, not the fine clothes she usually wore. Then, she displayed the surroundings of the person she was tracking.
Liliana had been monitoring not only the Baron but also Gild using transparent birds. It seemed that Gild was preparing to leave under the cover of darkness from the rear of the mansion on horseback. Given his nature, he was likely not trying to escape—although it could end up that way, he probably wasn’t thinking of it at this point.
(Joining him at his destination would be the best course of action.)
Liliana grinned mischievously. Noticing that she was excited and her cheeks were relaxing, she quickly pressed her hands to her face.
Liliana had a good guess about what Gild was up to. Though she didn’t know the exact reason, his actions provided enough clues for her to form a general idea. She intended to assist him, knowing that if her assumptions were correct, Gild would be facing an opponent beyond what he could handle alone. At the very least, this situation wouldn’t be a long-term solution.
(The Baron's shadow also seems to be moving tonight. I’ll leave that to them.)
While keeping an eye on the situation with the transparent birds, Liliana’s main interest was in Gild’s destination. After waiting for about thirty minutes, Gild stopped moving. He dismounted from his horse, tied it to a nearby tree, and proceeded on foot. It seemed that he was near the lower district of the eastern part of the capital. Traveling there by horse would be dangerous, as horses are valuable and could be stolen or killed, as Liliana had heard from Olga.
(The lower district...?)
Liliana wondered what Gild might be seeking in such a place. However, Gild seemed confident. After observing for a while, Liliana saw Gild arrive at the rear of a dilapidated church. There was a weather vane on the spire, but it was not a blue roof.
(This seems like the right time.)
Liliana decided it was the right moment, made herself invisible just in case, and teleported to Gild’s location. The scenery changed, and the air was filled with a musty and ammonia-like odor. Unable to endure the stench, Liliana used a purification spell to cleanse the area around her. She then made her appearance, carefully avoiding being detected.
Gild, sensing her presence, reached for the sword at his waist and stared at Liliana in shock.
“Wha—!”
Gild, momentarily speechless, quickly regained his composure and approached Liliana in a hushed voice.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
His normally formal speech had deteriorated, but Liliana did not reprimand him. She simply smiled and looked at him pleasantly. Gild, visibly flustered, scanned the surroundings anxiously.
“Hey, you’re not alone, are you?”
“Oh, but you’re here, aren’t you?”
Liliana answered with a sweet smile. At this point, pretending she couldn’t speak would be a disadvantage. It would be better for others to know that she could speak but chose not to, rather than have them believe she couldn’t use magic without speaking. Liliana’s unique ability to use magic without incantations would certainly become a trump card for her in the future.
Gild stared at Liliana with a strange expression, clearly finding it hard to believe what she had said. He then sighed deeply, scratched his head irritably, and cast a resentful glance at Liliana.
“So, you weren’t really mute?”
“It’s true that I lost my voice last year. However, while I regained my ability to speak, I chose to remain mute for self-protection.”
“For protection?”
“Yes.”
Hearing Liliana’s casual explanation, Gild frowned. However, Liliana had no intention of going into further detail.
“Only Petra and her superior know about this, so please keep it to yourself.”
“Petra—ah, that mage?”
It seemed that Gild remembered Petra. Despite his surprise, Liliana decided to steer the conversation back to the current topic.
“More importantly, about why you’re here…”
Chapter 60
Join our patreon to get ad-free content and early access of the chapters.