I came to find flowers (5)
Jonathan paced around the bedroom and checked the time.
11 o'clock at night.
“When on earth do the people in this house sleep?!”
If it were a normal noble family, it would be time for the banquet to end, but the Astrod family was different.
What's the matter with these people, once they throw a banquet they usually drink until dawn?
It wasn't for nothing that they were called a family of alcoholics.
And yet, they never skip their morning training, which is truly indescribable.
“That’s why the lower classes roam around at night, so undignified!”
As Jonathan waited for the outside to quiet down, he thought back to Millenia, whom he had met at the banquet hall.
“You unlucky woman! Let’s just leave it at that.”
To him, Millennia was nothing more than a blind, inferior being.
Her status as the daughter of a Marquis, her beautiful appearance, and her unique traits as a guardian were all useless in the face of her enormous disability.
If Millenia had not been chosen as a guardian, she would not have been able to walk around with her face held high.
It was amazing how she was able to talk back to the man without any hesitation on such a topic.
“Isn’t it funny that a mere investigation team leader can’t even say a word in front of the Third Prince? Where did you find that woman... Hmm? Wait a minute.”
At the time, he was so excited that he didn't think about it, but looking back, something was bothering him.
Millenia, who seemed to have lost her mind because she loved Oslo, did not even ask about Oslo's letter.
Rumor has it that her eyes are cloudy and grotesquely twisted like rotten fish, but in reality, that wasn't the case.
Even though the direction of view was slightly different, the eyes were clear.
To be honest, if you didn't look closely, you wouldn't even know that she had a disability.
“It’s strange...”
Jonathan muttered, biting his nails, pushing away the ominous thoughts.
Oslo promised a great deal of wealth and high status if he could just get this job done.
Let's just think about that for now.
"... OMG!"
Jonathan dozed off for a bit and when he woke up, it was already past midnight and almost 2 AM.
The constant sounds of the employees outside the bedroom were no longer audible.
“It looks like the bad guys have finally gone to bed.”
Jonathan took a deep breath and took out the bag he had hidden under the bed.
As he unrolled the cloth that had been rolled up to block the smell, a black container was revealed.
He smiled with satisfaction as he smelled the oil flowing out of the barrel.
The moon rose bright white.
The full moon was bright and cloudless, so it was not difficult to get to the warehouse even without a light.
“God helps me.”
Jonathan approached the warehouse, his footsteps muffled.
The surroundings were as quiet as a mouse.
It wasn't normal to not even hear the sound of cicadas in the summer, but Jonathan didn't notice.
When he arrived at the warehouse, he shook the door gently.
The door was locked and couldn't be opened, but that didn't matter. Jonathan had already confirmed during the day that it was full of Montpain.
“Yes, shall we begin?”
After something happens, he'll be suspected of being the culprit, but if he says you were sleeping in the bedroom, that's it.
No one could openly suspect anyone of sneaking out of the banquet, since the Marquis sent him out by hand.
Jonathan took a black can out of his bag, opened the lid, and walked around the warehouse, carefully spraying the oil.
Even though his arms were shaking from lifting the heavy barrel, it wasn't hard. Just imagining the warehouse that would soon burst into flames made him laugh.
Jonathan emptied half of the oil tanks in one warehouse and used the rest in the second warehouse.
Then he took out a wick and flint from his pocket.
Now, if even a small spark spreads, the Montpain inside will turn to pitch-black ash.
Crack!
With just one gesture, a spark flashed from the fine flint and ignited the wick.
Jonathan threw it near the warehouse and quickly stepped back. The flames that had seemed to be dying out for a moment suddenly flared up.
The warehouse was quickly engulfed in flames. Jonathan's eyes gleamed with madness as he watched the fire.
His hair began to burn in the intense heat.
'Should I go back soon?'
Let's go back to the bedroom before the employees all come running out to put out the fire.
It was at that moment that he was thinking about taking a step back.
Bam.
Something blocked his heel. Jonathan looked back absentmindedly and fell to the ground.
“Uh... Uh, how...”
Ian approached him silently and stood behind him like a messenger of death.
Even though Jonathan was just quietly being watched by those golden eyes, his legs started shaking and excuses came out smoothly.
“I, I saw a, bu, bu, fire... and I was going to put it out, put it out, put it out..."
Ian, who had been quietly listening to the ridiculous excuses, sat down low.
Jonathan flinched at the simple gesture.
“Who ordered this?”
“Huh? What, what, what are you talking about? I just thought there was a fire, so I was trying to put it out... Ugh!”
A dagger was thrust deep into his groin, which was open and unsightly as he sat down.
The area between Jonathan's legs began to turn yellow.
“You’d better think carefully before you speak. This time, it won’t hit the ground, but your worthless possessions.”
“Do, do, what the heck! Do, what the heck, what, what do you want me to say! I was just sleeping and saw a light...”
“I saw you carefully pouring oil into the warehouse and lighting it on fire.”
“...!”
Ian pulled out the dagger, leaving only the handle behind.
At that moment, people finally realized the fire and started running out.
Some knights had attended the dinner mixed in there.
“Fire! There’s a fire in the warehouse!”
“What about Montpain? We have to save it, even if it’s just a little bit!”
“Oh my, this guy! He’s already burned down and disappeared!”
People were screaming in front of the blazing warehouse. The knights of Eldern in particular looked as if they had lost their country.
Jonathan swallowed dryly and shook his head.
If he had been caught by the Astrod family, he would have had a way out, but unfortunately, it was the Duke of Eldern.
'Now that it's come to this, I guess I should give up on trying to evade the issue.'
At least the worst was avoided.
It was discovered sooner than expected, but at this point, the medicinal herb Montpain would have been completely burned.
In any case, Oslo's order was successfully carried out. Since he had already been caught, he should have collected the promised reward to minimize losses.
Ian asked again.
“Who gave the orders?”
“I did this on my own. I’ve always harbored a grudge against the Astrod family.”
Ian nodded and stood up from his seat.
“Then I guess I can execute you.”
“Wa, execution? Ah, even if you are a young Duke, you have no right to get involved in what happened in the Astrod family!”
“I permit it.”
Suddenly, the voice of Marquis Astrod was heard.
He unsheathed his sword and handed it to Ian, briefly handing over the family heirloom and granting him the authority to execute Jonathan.
As Ian drew his sword, the sharp blade gleamed in the moonlight.
Jonathan couldn't believe it.
“I, you really want to cut off my head right here? That’s ridiculous! If you’re just trying to scare me...!”
The sword rose into the air in a smooth curve, reached its peak, and then fell back down.
“Ugh! T-Please save me! Please save me! I didn’t do this alone! I’ll tell you everything, so just spare my life!”
The blade, which had been slashing forward, stopped just above Jonathan's nape.
Swish, Jonathan's hair, cut by the sharp blade, fell to the floor.
The yellow-dyed trouser legs were soaking wet again. He cried and confessed.
“Ugh, I received an order from His Highness the Third Prince. Oh, His Highness Oslo said to burn down the warehouse... The other members of the investigation team already know, so you can check with them.”
At his one word, the color drained from the faces of the four investigators who had been watching from afar.
“Put them all in jail!”
On the orders of Marquis Astrod, the knights captured Jonathan and the members of the investigation team.
Ian watched them being dragged away by the knights and sharpened his sword.
Chevio and Kjer approached him.
They heard the whole story from Marquis Astrod and hid nearby to watch.
Chevio snickered, tapping Ian on the shoulder.
“Man, your acting is crazy. I thought you were going to kill him.”
“Am I you?”
“Fortunately, he was able to breathe, from now on, I’ll cut off his fingers one by one.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Ian calmly responded to Kjer's cold-hearted advice and handed the sword to Marquis Astrod.
"Thank you."
“I will say this. Thanks to you, I have been greatly helped.”
“I received help. I just sat at the table that Young Lady prepared.”
Marquis Astrod was silent for a moment.
After passing out from fasting, Millenia changed completely.
Have you finally come to your senses?
After being so annoying, she is now treating him so well that it's scary. Judging from her expression, it seems like she's thinking about breaking up with the Third Prince.
Thinking about his daughter's changes, the Marquis felt like offering up a prayer of thanks to God, but at the same time, he felt uneasy.
He's worried that his stubbornness might be causing his child to be overworked. He's worried that his expectations might be making things difficult for his child.
“Where is Millenia?”
“The youngest just came in. I think she’s sleepy.”
“It’s only 3 in the morning and she's already sleepy. I think the youngest is too weak.”
“Should I make some medicine? Big one, you figure it out.”
“Yes, father.”
Ian naturally joined the ranks of the Astrod men who genuinely believed that Millennia was weak.
“I’ll ask the ‘Savior’. It’ll be better than regular medicine.”
“Oh! That’s a good idea, isn’t it?”
“No matter how much money it costs, go ahead and do it.”
“Thank you, I’ll ask.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
As the four men headed toward the banquet hall, only then did the people gathered in front of the warehouse begin to disperse to their respective seats.
The knights go to drink the little wine, and the servants go to get the little sleep.
Unlike a moment ago, no one was making a fuss about turning off the lights.
Because the contents of the warehouse had already been replaced with other contraband confiscated from 71st Street instead of Montpain.
The fire that had been burning as if it would engulf everything was left neglected by people and only died down alone in the morning.
Jonathan paced around the bedroom and checked the time.
11 o'clock at night.
“When on earth do the people in this house sleep?!”
If it were a normal noble family, it would be time for the banquet to end, but the Astrod family was different.
What's the matter with these people, once they throw a banquet they usually drink until dawn?
It wasn't for nothing that they were called a family of alcoholics.
And yet, they never skip their morning training, which is truly indescribable.
“That’s why the lower classes roam around at night, so undignified!”
As Jonathan waited for the outside to quiet down, he thought back to Millenia, whom he had met at the banquet hall.
“You unlucky woman! Let’s just leave it at that.”
To him, Millennia was nothing more than a blind, inferior being.
Her status as the daughter of a Marquis, her beautiful appearance, and her unique traits as a guardian were all useless in the face of her enormous disability.
If Millenia had not been chosen as a guardian, she would not have been able to walk around with her face held high.
It was amazing how she was able to talk back to the man without any hesitation on such a topic.
“Isn’t it funny that a mere investigation team leader can’t even say a word in front of the Third Prince? Where did you find that woman... Hmm? Wait a minute.”
At the time, he was so excited that he didn't think about it, but looking back, something was bothering him.
Millenia, who seemed to have lost her mind because she loved Oslo, did not even ask about Oslo's letter.
Rumor has it that her eyes are cloudy and grotesquely twisted like rotten fish, but in reality, that wasn't the case.
Even though the direction of view was slightly different, the eyes were clear.
To be honest, if you didn't look closely, you wouldn't even know that she had a disability.
“It’s strange...”
Jonathan muttered, biting his nails, pushing away the ominous thoughts.
Oslo promised a great deal of wealth and high status if he could just get this job done.
Let's just think about that for now.
"... OMG!"
Jonathan dozed off for a bit and when he woke up, it was already past midnight and almost 2 AM.
The constant sounds of the employees outside the bedroom were no longer audible.
“It looks like the bad guys have finally gone to bed.”
Jonathan took a deep breath and took out the bag he had hidden under the bed.
As he unrolled the cloth that had been rolled up to block the smell, a black container was revealed.
He smiled with satisfaction as he smelled the oil flowing out of the barrel.
***
The moon rose bright white.
The full moon was bright and cloudless, so it was not difficult to get to the warehouse even without a light.
“God helps me.”
Jonathan approached the warehouse, his footsteps muffled.
The surroundings were as quiet as a mouse.
It wasn't normal to not even hear the sound of cicadas in the summer, but Jonathan didn't notice.
When he arrived at the warehouse, he shook the door gently.
The door was locked and couldn't be opened, but that didn't matter. Jonathan had already confirmed during the day that it was full of Montpain.
“Yes, shall we begin?”
After something happens, he'll be suspected of being the culprit, but if he says you were sleeping in the bedroom, that's it.
No one could openly suspect anyone of sneaking out of the banquet, since the Marquis sent him out by hand.
Jonathan took a black can out of his bag, opened the lid, and walked around the warehouse, carefully spraying the oil.
Even though his arms were shaking from lifting the heavy barrel, it wasn't hard. Just imagining the warehouse that would soon burst into flames made him laugh.
Jonathan emptied half of the oil tanks in one warehouse and used the rest in the second warehouse.
Then he took out a wick and flint from his pocket.
Now, if even a small spark spreads, the Montpain inside will turn to pitch-black ash.
Crack!
With just one gesture, a spark flashed from the fine flint and ignited the wick.
Jonathan threw it near the warehouse and quickly stepped back. The flames that had seemed to be dying out for a moment suddenly flared up.
The warehouse was quickly engulfed in flames. Jonathan's eyes gleamed with madness as he watched the fire.
His hair began to burn in the intense heat.
'Should I go back soon?'
Let's go back to the bedroom before the employees all come running out to put out the fire.
It was at that moment that he was thinking about taking a step back.
Bam.
Something blocked his heel. Jonathan looked back absentmindedly and fell to the ground.
“Uh... Uh, how...”
Ian approached him silently and stood behind him like a messenger of death.
Even though Jonathan was just quietly being watched by those golden eyes, his legs started shaking and excuses came out smoothly.
“I, I saw a, bu, bu, fire... and I was going to put it out, put it out, put it out..."
Ian, who had been quietly listening to the ridiculous excuses, sat down low.
Jonathan flinched at the simple gesture.
“Who ordered this?”
“Huh? What, what, what are you talking about? I just thought there was a fire, so I was trying to put it out... Ugh!”
A dagger was thrust deep into his groin, which was open and unsightly as he sat down.
The area between Jonathan's legs began to turn yellow.
“You’d better think carefully before you speak. This time, it won’t hit the ground, but your worthless possessions.”
“Do, do, what the heck! Do, what the heck, what, what do you want me to say! I was just sleeping and saw a light...”
“I saw you carefully pouring oil into the warehouse and lighting it on fire.”
“...!”
Ian pulled out the dagger, leaving only the handle behind.
At that moment, people finally realized the fire and started running out.
Some knights had attended the dinner mixed in there.
“Fire! There’s a fire in the warehouse!”
“What about Montpain? We have to save it, even if it’s just a little bit!”
“Oh my, this guy! He’s already burned down and disappeared!”
People were screaming in front of the blazing warehouse. The knights of Eldern in particular looked as if they had lost their country.
Jonathan swallowed dryly and shook his head.
If he had been caught by the Astrod family, he would have had a way out, but unfortunately, it was the Duke of Eldern.
'Now that it's come to this, I guess I should give up on trying to evade the issue.'
At least the worst was avoided.
It was discovered sooner than expected, but at this point, the medicinal herb Montpain would have been completely burned.
In any case, Oslo's order was successfully carried out. Since he had already been caught, he should have collected the promised reward to minimize losses.
Ian asked again.
“Who gave the orders?”
“I did this on my own. I’ve always harbored a grudge against the Astrod family.”
Ian nodded and stood up from his seat.
“Then I guess I can execute you.”
“Wa, execution? Ah, even if you are a young Duke, you have no right to get involved in what happened in the Astrod family!”
“I permit it.”
Suddenly, the voice of Marquis Astrod was heard.
He unsheathed his sword and handed it to Ian, briefly handing over the family heirloom and granting him the authority to execute Jonathan.
As Ian drew his sword, the sharp blade gleamed in the moonlight.
Jonathan couldn't believe it.
“I, you really want to cut off my head right here? That’s ridiculous! If you’re just trying to scare me...!”
The sword rose into the air in a smooth curve, reached its peak, and then fell back down.
“Ugh! T-Please save me! Please save me! I didn’t do this alone! I’ll tell you everything, so just spare my life!”
The blade, which had been slashing forward, stopped just above Jonathan's nape.
Swish, Jonathan's hair, cut by the sharp blade, fell to the floor.
The yellow-dyed trouser legs were soaking wet again. He cried and confessed.
“Ugh, I received an order from His Highness the Third Prince. Oh, His Highness Oslo said to burn down the warehouse... The other members of the investigation team already know, so you can check with them.”
At his one word, the color drained from the faces of the four investigators who had been watching from afar.
“Put them all in jail!”
On the orders of Marquis Astrod, the knights captured Jonathan and the members of the investigation team.
Ian watched them being dragged away by the knights and sharpened his sword.
Chevio and Kjer approached him.
They heard the whole story from Marquis Astrod and hid nearby to watch.
Chevio snickered, tapping Ian on the shoulder.
“Man, your acting is crazy. I thought you were going to kill him.”
“Am I you?”
“Fortunately, he was able to breathe, from now on, I’ll cut off his fingers one by one.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Ian calmly responded to Kjer's cold-hearted advice and handed the sword to Marquis Astrod.
"Thank you."
“I will say this. Thanks to you, I have been greatly helped.”
“I received help. I just sat at the table that Young Lady prepared.”
Marquis Astrod was silent for a moment.
After passing out from fasting, Millenia changed completely.
Have you finally come to your senses?
After being so annoying, she is now treating him so well that it's scary. Judging from her expression, it seems like she's thinking about breaking up with the Third Prince.
Thinking about his daughter's changes, the Marquis felt like offering up a prayer of thanks to God, but at the same time, he felt uneasy.
He's worried that his stubbornness might be causing his child to be overworked. He's worried that his expectations might be making things difficult for his child.
“Where is Millenia?”
“The youngest just came in. I think she’s sleepy.”
“It’s only 3 in the morning and she's already sleepy. I think the youngest is too weak.”
“Should I make some medicine? Big one, you figure it out.”
“Yes, father.”
Ian naturally joined the ranks of the Astrod men who genuinely believed that Millennia was weak.
“I’ll ask the ‘Savior’. It’ll be better than regular medicine.”
“Oh! That’s a good idea, isn’t it?”
“No matter how much money it costs, go ahead and do it.”
“Thank you, I’ll ask.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
As the four men headed toward the banquet hall, only then did the people gathered in front of the warehouse begin to disperse to their respective seats.
The knights go to drink the little wine, and the servants go to get the little sleep.
Unlike a moment ago, no one was making a fuss about turning off the lights.
Because the contents of the warehouse had already been replaced with other contraband confiscated from 71st Street instead of Montpain.
The fire that had been burning as if it would engulf everything was left neglected by people and only died down alone in the morning.
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