26 - Marquis Maron
Episode 26
On the way back to Maron Keep from Grandis, we could see people gathered here and there, murmuring amongst themselves.
It was said that Holt's Margrave was to be put on trial. At first, I thought he had confessed to ordering the poaching, but after listening, the details were a bit different.
"He filed for divorce. His wife did."
"Oh..."
"She was furious, saying she couldn't live with a philanderer who blamed her for everything, even ordering the poaching, asking when she ever asked him to get her smuggled goods."
"Oh..."
"Her family is so powerful that there were rumors that he bought his title with money. It seems the Margrave will be changing soon, and the people of Grandis are saying it serves him right..."
How does our Fatima always manage to pick up on such gossip? When I looked at her with a proud gaze, Fatima chuckled and said,
"There's also a rumor that a demon appeared in the Contaminated Zone, protected a Snowbeast, and disappeared? But it seems no one believes that."
Rango, I guess. It was my doing. Either way, I just wanted to make sure poachers couldn't go up there again.
Good. Well done.
As I was patting myself on the back, Reikart held out his hand.
"Grab on and get in."
We bought a large, sturdy wagon in Grandis. We also bought two robust draft horses to pull the wagon.
Inside the wagon were a Magic Brazier we got in Grandis, various hunting tools, beans and pumpkins, two sacks of flour, dried meat, and so on.
I took Reikart's hand and climbed into the cargo area. Fatima was already sitting on the driver's seat, holding the reins.
"Ha, I'm already full."
"Right? The fairy will praise us a lot when we get back. Let's go quickly, Lord."
"Let's not come out until we've eaten all this. The outside world is too scary."
"I think the outside world will be scared of you, Lord..."
"Quiet."
Loaded with various ingredients and tools to enrich our lives, we returned to Maron Keep.
* * *
Eugene was very displeased that he had missed Hayley in Selbon.
Having only recently become a Cardinal, he was being considerate by letting experienced aides and Holy Knights handle matters on their own, in order to prevent gossip within the Order.
Originally, religious figures who were not obsessed with power, wealth, and authority were the ones who earned the voluntary respect of their subordinates.
But they respected Eugene so much that they held a heresy trial in Selbon without following proper procedures, hoping to help his reputation.
At first, he tried to stop them. They all seemed like simple country folk to him.
But Hayley was there.
With Reikart Winter, too.
It bothered him. It bothered him so much that he couldn't sleep.
Reikart Winter regarded Hayley as his mortal enemy and was a beast who lived only to avenge himself on her.
How could he have become so close to Hayley, like estranged siblings? How could such a thing happen?
It was also unexpected that Hayley could freely manipulate Magical Energy.
The wall of Magical Energy that spread from her body at an invisible speed and stretched out like a curtain. It was a power that even Eugene, who had studied magic and divine power for a long time, had never seen before.
He had only intended to take Hayley in, who had lost her magic and become powerless, and take care of her with all his heart.
"Eugene, an urgent message has arrived from the Holt border in the direction of Nieve."
"The border towards Nieve?"
"Yes. Holt's Margrave reports that the Magical Energy of the Contaminated Zone seems to have spread to the Grandis mountains beyond the border, and he is concerned..."
"Why is a Holt noble reporting a problem within Nieve's territory to us?"
Eugene's voice was cold. He wasn't even looking at the report. The aide was startled and bowed even deeper.
"We encourage them to report matters related to the Contaminated Zone and Magical Energy to the Order first and foremost. They are also asking for help..."
"Listen carefully. Nothing is absolute in this world, and nothing is achieved with mere encouragement."
His amethyst-like eyes were cold. A soft and gentle voice, but without any warmth. In the casual advice, there was not even a shred of expectation for humanity.
Eugene said firmly.
"This report is intentional."
"But..."
A slight confusion settled on the aide's face as he looked at him.
Eugene Widemark.
Was this really the young man who was called an angel to the underprivileged, the marginalized, war orphans, and disaster refugees?
The one who went alone into the most dangerous places and performed so many miracles, the merciful representative of God.
As more and more people praised Eugene, it was said that appointing him as a Cardinal would be more helpful to the Order. People even praised the Order for finally abandoning its long-standing authority and trying to change, with such a young man rising to the position of Cardinal.
Eugene stared down at the aide's face.
"You doubt me."
"No!"
"I will go to Grandis. Prepare."
Not to the Holt Kingdom, but to Grandis in Nieve. Eugene ordered.
'Hayley.'
Even if he waited in Selbon, Hayley would not return.
Eugene reluctantly admitted that fact. He wanted to find out what had happened here, but Hayley's eyes, as she looked back at him when he turned away, were filled with nothing but bitter contempt.
He wanted to say it was a misunderstanding, that he was trying to save her. Why else would he have joined this damned Order and become a Cardinal?
Eugene covered his face with both hands and leaned on the desk.
"I will leave two Holy Knights and twelve soldiers to monitor Selbon. You take care of the rest."
"Yes, sir! I will prepare."
The aide bowed deeply and left the room.
As the aide left Selbon and arrived in Grandis, he realized that all of Eugene's twisted suspicions were correct.
The tragic incident caused by Holt's Margrave ordering poaching. Pretending to worry about Nieve and reporting it to the Order was just a shallow trick to cover up his own sins.
"How could this happen! Poaching is a serious crime. For a Margrave to touch another country's protected animals. If a war breaks out and many people die because of it..."
But Eugene's mind, as he received the report, was filled with other suspicions, not him.
"The expansion of the Contaminated Zone...?"
"Ah, yes. The terrified officials of Grandis have announced that all nearby mountains, including the Snowbeast habitat, are off-limits. Holt's poachers no longer cross the border."
"What happened to those men?"
"The first contaminated man who was discovered tried to attack people as soon as he returned and was killed by soldiers, and the second poacher who came to report him was found dead in his cell the next day."
"Natural causes?"
"No one entered the prison, and the extent of his injuries was not severe, so it is believed that his death was due to contamination..."
"I need to see his body."
"Yes?"
"Announce that the Order will investigate this matter. Put the Margrave who ordered the poaching on trial, and look for any other poachers who may have been involved before."
"Understood."
"Summon the head of the Grandis parish. What do they think of this, if the Contaminated Zone has really expanded, there's no way they wouldn't know."
"Yes, I understand!"
The aide replied vigorously. He blamed himself for not being faithful enough to dare to doubt Eugene.
And as Cardinal Eugene Widemark and the Order's knights set up camp in Grandis, an assassin left the familiar city with a sense of regret.
"Tch, he's quick."
It was the Snowbeast, Rango.
