Chapter 79.1

Chapter 79.1

Philip’s eyes gleamed with greed as he took in the sight of the glittering gold coins. There were well over a hundred of them at first glance.

‘So many gold coins.’ As expected of one of the leading marquises in the kingdom, Count Van Wert spent lavishly.

“Whoo-hoo!”

Philip hummed pleasantly and shifted in his seat on the rocking carriage.

The carriage had originally been headed for the royal capital, not Polarville, where Philip planned to visit the largest gambling hall with the gold coins and feel grand and exhilarated.

‘However, there’s one thing…’

It was uncomfortable for the knights to escort the carriage, so they decided to escort it only to the border of Reshire. Since it was scheduled to pass through the rough terrain that ran through the Ferragen Mountains, it was better to be escorted properly to be safe.

How much time had passed like that? An hour had passed since the carriage had been moving, but the border of Reshire was still out there. Still, the rugged slopes of the Ferragen Mountains started to be visible from a distance, perhaps quite far away.

Rumble.

The wagon started to shake a little as it moved through the rough road. The winding mountain path leading from the main road was a shortcut to the royal road.

Philip chose that path because he wanted to reach the royal capital as soon as possible. He was already filled with joy and excitement at the thought of how he would show off to the prostitutes, gamblers, and debt collectors who had looked down on him.

However, the carriage that should have been moving as fast as his excited heart slowed down and came to a stop. The carriage wheels weren’t caught on the rocks, and it was quiet, so nothing seemed to be happening, but the carriage didn’t budge.

“What happened?”

Philip couldn’t take it, so he opened the window and poked his head out. The coach didn’t provide him with an answer. Struck by a sudden ominous feeling in the strange stillness, Philip looked around. The two knights who were guarding the front and back of the carriage were expressionless and let go of the reins.

“Didn’t you hear me? I asked you what happened!”

Philip raised his voice overbearingly out the carriage, feeling agitated by the uneasiness. Unlike the coach, the knights who escorted the carriage were higher class aristocrats above him, but that wasn’t a big deal. The countess, who was much higher in status than them, was his niece.

“Don’t you all have ears! I asked you what happened!”

Huffing inwardly, Philip made up his mind to let out an angry roar, but at that moment, there was a rustle in the grass. At the same time, a pleasant low-pitched noise cut through the uneasy air.

“You arrived just in time.”

Philip quickly turned his head in the direction of the voice. He saw two tall men on horseback on a side road that joined the mountain path. Philip’s eyes widened when he spotted a familiar figure.

“Ah!”

Just an hour ago, Count Van Wert and his attendants had seen him off at the Count’s castle. The pale-faced servant, who looked like he could be blown away by the wind, was the one who had handed him the golden pouch of travel expenses a while ago.

Was he the secretary?

They weren’t formally introduced, but he remembered it from the whispers around him. Though he appeared sloppy like a civil servant, his expression resembled his master’s, and he looked fierce and cold.

“Aren’t you the Count! What did you come here for? Oh! Did anything happen to my Emma…”

Philip, who had come out of the carriage, made a fuss but gradually grew silent. Frighteningly calm blue-grey eyes were watching him, and his cold gaze pierced through him like invisible spears. His expressionless face looked cruel.

“Wh-why are you doing this, Count?”

For a moment, Philip felt that something was wrong with him. He involuntarily took a step backwards.

Thud. Count Van Wert patted the nose of the black horse that he was riding, and he landed on the ground lightly. He approached Philip with the leisurely pace of a king while everyone watched.

“Philip Herman.”

“…Yes. Yes, Count.”

Philip bowed his head, feeling intimidated at the voice calling out to him.

“I thought you wouldn’t dare look at Reshire if you had a brain.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

Philip, who had lowered himself in front of the dignified aristocrat, blinked and looked stunned like an innocent worm.

“Otto and Dora. Don’t you know these people?”

“Otto…is my brother’s governess, and Dora is Lady Emma’s nanny.”

“Yes. If you lost contact six months ago, you could have guessed to some extent, right?”

“Contact?”

“If your niece who was supposed to come to Polarville suddenly went missing, shouldn’t you first ask around?”

“What do you mean by that? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

Sweating, Philip exclaimed urgently. Count Van Wert sneered through the corner of his mouth.

“Denying it…is disgusting. You must have conspired or ordered people around in the past.”

“No. I’m innocent!”

Under the terrifying gaze, the nape of Philip’s neck became hot. Gulp. He was unexpectedly caught off guard.

“Laute.”

When Count Van Wert called out his subordinate’s name, the clerk corrected his monocle and stood up.

“What are the results of the investigation?”

“For the past three years, there has been no record of luphenyl being brought into Polarville. There is no apothecary or alchemy ingredient store that handles or holds it. Other than the royal capital, Herman’s was the only apothecary that imported luphenyl in large quantities.”

Then, Count Van Wert glared coldly at Philip and read Laute’s report aloud.

“It looks like you only recovered luphenyl from the carriage you found half a year ago, right? Emma said she was carrying all her belongings to go to your house, including the luphenyl. I didn’t know you had the guts to show up here so brazenly.”