Chapter 63

SIDE White-winged Knights Member Rei

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Leaving Takumi behind, Commander Leon and I, began walking in silence.

Even without words, we knew where to go.

A straight walk down the main street leads to a three-story building with white walls and a black roof—the Ritzheim City Hall.

The city hall, bustling as usual, was reached about ten minutes after leaving the store. At the reception, the staff greeted us with friendly smiles.

When one of them noticed us, they quickly handed over their duties to a colleague and came over.

“Leon-sama, is something amiss? Was there anything wrong with the information we provided…?”

“No, your documents were very informative. We appreciate it.”

Commander Leon nobly nodded to the staff, his figure ever graceful.

We, the White-winged Knights, were well aware of our investigation into the recent fraud case. Initially, a few nobles from this city hall reported that “repayment from Baratt Trading Company is being delayed,” and the incident came to light.

Also, we had received various documents that might lead to clues in the case, such as a copy of Baratt Trading Company’s registry in Menonu City.

The person before us was the one who had handled that time. It’s good that this staff member was on duty today; it seems like it will save time.

“We have something to confirm with you today.”

“C-confirm…?”

The staff’s face tightened.

It’s understandable. Suddenly, the commander of the White-winged Knights came and started talking about the incident. It’s not unreasonable to be nervous.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a minor thing. We just want to talk to the person in charge of managing the resident registration here.”

“Resident registration?”

The staff member, who had been quite rigid, relaxed.

His face clearly said, “Thank goodness, it doesn’t seem like the noble is here to make unreasonable demands.”

At his blatant attitude, Commander Leon gave me a wry smile, and I returned it. Although it’s not uncommon to be treated this way, the impression of the former “Ornamental Knight Order” still permeates some Ritzheim citizens. It has been considerably dispelled by the recent defense battle in Menonu City, but…

“If that’s the case, I’ll call the person in charge. Please wait a moment. ——Hey! Someone, call that Kanell guy.”

The staff led us to a partitioned window away from the general reception.

Commander Leon took a seat in front of the reception, and I stood behind him at an angle.

While waiting for the person in charge, I looked around and recalled Takumi’s words from earlier.

Takumi said, “The culprits meticulously planned and collected information in advance.”

Using the actual name of a company in Menonu City, targeting childless or elderly nobles in Ritzheim City, made that clear.

And Takumi didn’t continue his words from there.

He deliberately didn’t say it.

That means, “Consider it in reverse from that point.”

That is to say, how did the criminals get information about the nobles in Ritzheim City?

The woman was suspected of collaborating with the criminals, but upon investigation, it was revealed that despite her noble status, her family had almost no assets left. Even the servants’ wages had been in arrears. 

According to what was heard, after her husband’s death from illness, she became the mistress of the mansion, but squandered her wealth by buying luxuries, traveling everywhere, and eventually being robbed by a lover. 

This situation was likely exploited by the criminal group, leading her to be recruited. But it seemed unlikely that she had thoroughly investigated the victims’ family compositions.

Roughly summarizing what was heard from the servants who remained in the mansion about her character: “She is impulsive, ostentatious, prioritizes immediate gain without thinking ahead,” and “She doesn’t even dream that money will run out if spent.”

Considering how she had squandered her assets, she seemed unlikely to be the careful type who would prepare thoroughly beforehand. Also, information about the targeted nobles would be vital to the core of the crime. If she were in the position of providing this information to the criminal group, she would likely not be assigned a dangerous role like making “face-to-face” visits to the nobles’ houses.

Taking all this into account, what emerged was—someone within the criminal group had provided personal information about the nobles of Ritzheim city. However, if ordinary people collected information about the nobles of Ritzheim city, it would be too conspicuous. Therefore, the “provider” must be someone in a position to easily gather citizen information, and it would not seem unnatural to outsiders. 

That would be—an employee of Ritzheim city’s city hall. 

If it’s an employee here, they can easily obtain Ritzheim citizens’ family registers and resident registration information. Of course, such important personal documents should be protected by magic and cannot be taken outside, but human memory cannot be sealed. Remembering family compositions, addresses, names, and total assets would be easy.

“Rei, I think you already know,” Leon, the commander, spoke directly to me without looking away from his thoughts.

“What should we do?”

“It’s not limited to the staff here being the ‘provider’. First, we need to talk to the person in charge, find out how they manage citizen information, and confirm the protective magic. There may be a chance that someone outside has stolen the information.”

“Understood.”

Even so, the possibility that information was stolen by an outsider is very low.

Commander Leon should know that too.

I shrugged my shoulders and instead asked something else.

“Who is that guy earlier?”

At once, Commander Leon’s shoulders twitched.

“I don’t know. I knew he wasn’t ordinary when I first met him and saw his god-like fighting in Menonu city, but…” 

That word brought back a vivid image in my mind.

The side face of Takumi, who bit a Mad Bear’s fangs into his arm and still fought bravely, swinging his sword. The sight of his sweaty black hair and spilling red blood stood out vividly, and my heart was stirred again.

...I was saved by Takumi for the second time yesterday.

But he didn’t act as if he had done me a favor; instead, he spoke to me with a friendly attitude.

Honestly, I couldn’t fathom what Takumi was thinking. My family is that of a viscount, and I have two older brothers and two older sisters, so I’ll never inherit. If you want to get close to a noble, there must be someone far more suitable than me.

Well, Takumi doesn’t seem like the type to be obsessed with status or honor…

“…It’s because Takumi considered our feelings that he didn’t outright say ‘investigate the city hall’, isn’t it?” He subtly urged us to go to the city hall after hearing about the incident.

Commander Leon and I were distracted by the visible information, such as victim testimonials, damages, and the sketches of the criminals, and had not considered the sophistication of the criminals. Takumi indirectly pointed that out to us.

“Yes. He’s been like that since I first met him,” Leon answered, his voice conveying a mix of joy and a touch of sadness.

“If he had clearly said that the office staff were suspicious, it would have put us in his debt. So he deliberately kept it vague.”

I could clearly sense from his words that Commander Leon was in love with Takumi.

Rather, if there’s anyone who doesn’t notice Commander Leon’s obvious love, that person would be more insensitive than a golem. Finding it somewhat uninteresting, I fell silent, and the staff member who had guided us here earlier returned.

“I apologize! Thank you for waiting so patiently.”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, bowing his head repeatedly in deep apology.

However, it seemed he was alone. Earlier, he had mentioned bringing the person in charge here…

“I’m terribly sorry to have kept the you fellow knights waiting. Unfortunately, the person in charge is currently absent… We’re calling someone who can help instead, so could you please wait just a little longer?”

At those words, Commander Leon and I exchanged a quick glance.

“I understand. But what do you mean the person in charge isn’t here? Was today that person’s regular day off?”

“No… He was definitely here earlier today. Other staff said that they were working together just a while ago. But he seemed to have gone out shortly after you two arrived, and we can’t find him right now… No, I think he’ll be back soon.” The staff member answered, his voice faltering, sweat pouring from his brow.

The moment he heard that answer, Commander Leon leaped to his feet. The staff member gave a small scream and stepped back, as if expecting to be hit.

“What kind of person is the one in charge?”

“W-what kind do you mean… H-his name is Kanell, a forty-year-old man with tawny hair and yellow eyes.”

“Understood. Rei, head towards the carriage stop at the end of the main street. If he plans to escape from Ritzheim City, that’s the most likely place.”

“Understood!”

“I’ll stay here and talk to this man. Oh, could you send a messenger to the White-winged Knights right away?”

“Y-yes, but what has Kanell…?”

Ignoring the staff member’s trembling voice filled with fear, I left the room and began to run.

Several people stared at me, their faces shocked. Among them was a man who yelled, “Watch out, you fool!” but I had no time to pay attention to that.

Damn it!

Could that person in charge be the “provider”?!

He must have panicked and run away when he heard that we were coming… Damn it! Should I have been more careful?

If we lose him now, I’ll have no face to show to them…!

I burst through the open doors of the city hall and into the plaza outside.

Just as I was about to run back the way I had come, towards the carriage stop, something stopped me.

“Huh?”

The plaza in front of the city hall, usually filled with children playing and the chatter of women and old people, was eerily quiet.

Everyone in the plaza was staring, their breath held, at a single man.

Looking closer, I saw someone lying at the man’s feet. A well-built man with tawny hair, probably in his late thirties to forties.

The man, looking down at him with cold eyes, suddenly raised his head and smiled at me. A smile so gentle it seemed out of place in this setting.

“Hey, Rei-an. It’s been a while. You came at just the right time.”

“:::Heh.”

I smiled dryly, gazing at the throngs of people on the main street.

***

…What to do? I’m completely lost…

No, what was really wrong was thinking, “Ah, are Rei and Leon over there?” and taking some strange side road. That’s what led me off the main road. And it was a case of mistaken identity to boot! “Huh? Is that…”

Shuffling along, I spotted a building I recognized. That three-story building with white walls and a chic black roof... it’s the Ritzheim City Hall! I’m saved! I can get back to the main street from City Hall!

Suppressing the urge to skip, I continued down the street towards City Hall.

I emerged from the narrow alley into an area neatly paved with cobblestones, like a small plaza. In the square, children were playing catch and tag, and women and elders, seated on benches, were chatting away happily.

Watching the scene with amusement, I saw a man come running around the right side of the city hall building. In his late thirties, perhaps? A sturdy man with auburn hair and yellow eyes, he wore an expression of desperation. What could be causing him such panic? As I tilted my head in wonder, I noticed a child in the man’s path. It was the boy who had been playing catch earlier. 

The boy lost his balance as he tried to catch the thrown ball, dropping it from his hand. Chasing after the fallen ball, he jumped out in front of the man. 

“Ah…!” 

In a split second, I ran towards the two of them. Embracing the boy as if to protect him, I placed myself between them. At the same time, the man collided with me hard. 

“Guh, ugh!” 

The man who collided with me fell on his bottom with a thump. 

The boy, not understanding what had happened, looked on in surprise. I told him to be careful, then approached the man who was still sitting on the ground. 

“Can you stand? Sorry about that.” 

“Shut up, don’t bother with me!” 

“Huh!?” 

My extended hand was forcefully slapped away, leaving me a bit shocked. 

However, he must be confused by the sudden event. 

Regaining my composure, I took the hand of the man still seated on the cobblestone.

“Are you okay? If you’re injured, let’s take you to the hospital.”

“I told you not to touch me!”

But my hand was shaken off once again. Additionally, the man glanced at my uniform and glared at me with a bitter look. 

“You’re from the Black-winged Knights, huh…!” 

“Yes, indeed. I am a member of the Black-winged Knights.” 

Could it be that he plans to complain to the Black-winged Knights about this incident? No, please, let me explain! If I hadn’t intervened, you would have sent that boy flying!

However, the words the man spoke next defied my expectations. 

“…Damn! So you’re working with the White-winged Knights to capture me, huh!” 

“Eh?” 

Capture… me capturing this man? Why? 

“Damn it! I won’t be caught!” 

“Hey, calm down…” 

The agitated man swung his arms around, trying to grab me. I hurriedly reached out to calm him down—but at that moment, I felt the ground tilt beneath me. 

Looking down, I saw the ball the boy had been playing with rolling at my feet. Stepping on it and losing my balance, my outstretched arm swung down—and, incredibly, my fist landed a clean hit on the man’s solar plexus! 

“Ah, ugh…!” 

The man let out a faint moan and staggered back two or three steps before falling on his bottom with a thud. Then he slowly collapsed onto the cobblestone. 

…Oh, sir? Eh, what? Sir!? 

I quickly knelt beside him and peered into his face. 

Fearful I might have killed him, I felt the blood drain from my face, but the man was breathing. Since he was snorting through his nose, it seemed he had only passed out. 

What should I do? Should I lay him down on a bench or something? 

While I was in turmoil, a surprised voice suddenly said, “Eh?” 

I reflexively looked in that direction. There stood a member of the White-winged Knights—Rei, whom I had just parted with. 

“Rei, hey there. Good to see you again. Perfect timing.” 

Rei, I’m really glad you came! 

This must be what they mean by ‘a savior in hell’! 

“What are you doing here…?” 

A bewildered Rei approached me.

Yeah. From Rei’s point of view, it must be hard to understand. After all, I just parted ways with him, and now I’m here.

“No, actually, I didn’t intend to come here… But can you help me carry this person to the bench over there?”

“We’ve come here because we realized that we lost him?”

Huh? 

“Lost him?”

“Despite your advice, we almost lost this guy. You probably came here because even that was expected, right?”

Sorry, Rei, what are you talking about now? Letting this person escape? Come to think of it, he was saying something about the White-winged Knights and how he’d never get caught… Maybe this old man is an important reference person in a fraud case?

And according to Rei, I came here to catch that key person… No way, that can’t be true! Although I’m saying it myself, I’m just lost! “You’re overthinking it, Rei. I really came here by chance.” 

But Rei just keeps looking at me as if he’s figured me out.

Think about it, Rei! If I were so competent as to come here with some sort of predictive intuition, I wouldn’t have struggled so much until now! 

 “Takumi?” 

With those feelings, I picked up Rei’s disheartened hand, grasped it tightly with both hands, and said, “I trust Rei and Leon.”

“What!?”

“So I don’t think you two will lose him, and I never thought that. Rei, you came here intending to catch this guy right now, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“Right? So relax. This time, I just happened to meet this man first, by coincidence.”

“Okay… let go of my hand…”

Upon being told this by a blushing Rei, I obediently let go of his hand.

I’ve been thinking, Rei’s face turns red easily when he’s with me. It’s really fresh because there’s no one like that in our Black-winged Knights. 

“Rei turns red so easily.”

Oops, I said it out loud. 

“Is that weird? Even if it is, it’s your fault.”

“It’s not weird. I just thought you have a surprisingly cute side.”

“What!?”

When I said that, Rei’s face turned even redder, and he opened and closed his mouth.

Was it wrong to call someone of the same generation cute? But since the Black-winged Knights, including Gazelle, are bold and tough, compared to everyone else, Rei’s reaction seems fresh and cute.

“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”

“No, no, not at all. Probably.”

“Hey!”

Rei glared at me resentfully.

But I still found him cute and laugh, and Rei got flustered, his face red all the way to his neck. 

Later, the late-arriving Leon was very surprised to see me. After thanking me for lunch and talking, it turned out that the man I had knocked out was part of a fraud group that Leon’s White-winged Knights were chasing. It’s surprising that he was the culprit, not just an important reference person.

But both of them are amazing! They were still interviewing victims when I met them at the shop earlier, so it’s incredible that they caught one of the culprits so quickly. How did they figure out that the criminal might be working at City Hall? I never would have thought of that.