Circumstances suggested that Chernosser and his escort had entered the basement, but there was no way to confirm this.
Because they were not blood relatives of Duke Leopold, nor were they people who had received permission from the Duke.
If he really went into the basement, he would have disappeared without a trace.
So, even if you go into the basement and look, you won't be able to find it, but it's still a good idea to go.
“Call Aldor.”
Before that, I went to see Sir Aldor because there was a place I wanted to check out.
After a while, when Sir Aldor returned, he said to him.
“If you go through the back gate on the east side of the mansion and walk for about five minutes through the bushes on the right, off the path where people walk, there is a side road leading to the volcano.”
It was a hidden back road that even the people who had lived in Leopold's duchy for decades were unaware of.
Although the path was a bit rough, if you went over the volcano, you could leave Leopold's duchy without going through the gate.
“I’ve already searched that place, but there was no trace of anyone having passed through.”
It's clearly a hidden path... How does Sir Aldor know about it?
Sir Aldor of past lives was unaware of the existence of that path.
I found out later in my second life, when I was running away from the Anatome Guard attack with him and we found out by chance.
It would be normal not to know now, but now that I know, I'm a little embarrassed.
As I stared intently, Sir Aldor misinterpreted my gaze and said,
“I’ll look for it again just in case.”
"...Is it so."
I wondered how Sir Aldor knew the way, but I had more important things to do right now, so I sent him away.
And then I headed straight to the office.
Perdes and Harness followed me closely.
As I was picking up the basement key that was in the drawer of my desk in my office, I saw a ring with the seal of the Duke Leopold family next to it and hesitated for a moment about whether or not I should take it.
It's not that heavy, so let's just take it.
When I put the ring on my index finger, the size shrank to fit my finger.
It was possible because it was a magic ring.
If I were really Duke Leopold, I would have stayed this size, but since I'm not yet, if I take it off, it goes back to the size of my father's index finger.
I took my seal ring and left the office, going down to the basement.
The thick iron door was firmly locked.
There were three cases where the door was locked.
The first is that Chernossor and his escort knights did not enter.
The second is...
“It looks like only the Second Prince or one of his knights went inside.”
Perdes said exactly what I thought.
“Or maybe another assistant locked the door again after the two people entered.”
He continued, stroking his chin.
“The latter is unlikely, so it must be the former, right? Then one of the two is still at the Duke’s residence...”
“Why are you so sure that the latter is impossible?”
From earlier, Perdes had been continuously ruling out the possibility of another traitor.
There must be a reason for him to be so confident.
When I asked why, Perdes glanced at Harness and answered.
“We have more pressing matters to attend to right now, so I’ll tell you later.”
“...”
“Don’t worry, it’s not weird. You don’t trust me, do you?”
No, but I don't completely believe it either...
The words rolled around in my mouth and then disappeared.
As Perdes said, finding Chernossor was the priority right now, so I opened the lock.
Crunch, squeak-
The heavy iron door opened with a creaking noise.
The dark interior of the basement was clearly visible.
As I went inside, Perdes naturally tried to follow me.
“You must not follow me.”
“You must not enter, Sir Perdes.”
Harness and I both tried to dissuade Perdes.
Then Perdes looked at us alternately in bewilderment and asked me.
“Why can’t I go in?”
“This is a special place where only those with permission can enter. If Lord Perdes enters, you will disappear without a trace.”
Perdes tilted his head as if he didn't understand what I was saying.
“Does that mean that even if Chernosser or the escort knight entered here, they’ve already disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“But is there a need to go out of your way to look for it?”
“I’m going to go look for it just in case. I might find some clues that show they went in here.”
The chances of finding a clue were extremely slim, but even if there was a small possibility, it was right to check it out.
“So please wait here for a moment. I’ll check and come out shortly.”
“...I suddenly think I understand what Jack was thinking.”
"Yes?"
“It’s nothing.”
Perdes laughed and stepped back.
“Then I’ll wait here until you get back, so have a safe trip.”
I was about to say that there was no need to do that, but I thought it would be better to stop anyone who tried to come in without knowing anything, so I asked Perdes and Harness to act as gatekeepers.
Then I walked slowly through the darkness, unable to see even an inch ahead.
Creak, as the door I had entered closed and complete darkness fell, a flame rose on the bare wall, illuminating the way.
Still, the atmosphere was gloomy and creepy.
Not only was the end of the road not visible, but the cold air surrounding it made it even more eerie.
Besides, it seemed to smell strangely like blood.
I understand it's cold in the basement, but why does it smell like blood?
I looked around, stroking my goosebump-covered arm, but all I could see were walls.
There was nothing in sight that could smell like blood.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
The exhaled breath spread whitely into the air.
If I had known this would happen, I would have come wearing a thick coat.
I wanted to go back even now, but it was a shame to come all the way here.
After walking for what felt like about twenty minutes, I arrived in front of another door.
A large sun was carved into the door.
This was a space where only special people who were not blood relatives but had received permission from Duke Leopold could come.
The place beyond this gate was only accessible to the blood relatives of Duke Leopold.
In the first place, anyone who was not a blood relative could not open this door.
So, it's unlikely that Chernossor or his escort knight went inside... but it's still a good idea to check.
This was my third time going to the place beyond this gate, so I was a little nervous.
The first time was when I was very young, I came in holding my father's hand.
The second time, he was captured by Chernosser and dragged like a cow to the slaughterhouse.
I didn't even want to recall the second memory, so I erased it from my mind early.
I opened the door slightly, remembering the first time I came in holding my father's hand.
Unlike the iron door at the basement entrance, this door opened easily with just a little force.
As I entered the dark room, a flame burst into flames on the wall again, this time without a candle.
A faint scent of blood wafted over the musty, dry smell of paper.
I can smell blood here too.
Have I ever smelled blood before?
I tried to recall my memories, but it was so long ago that I couldn't remember.
This was my third visit, and the second time I was in my right mind, so I stood in front of the door for a moment and looked around the room.
Even though it was a room that had been left unattended for a long time, not a speck of dust could be seen.
I swept the nearest pile of books with my hand, but there was no accumulated dust.
Still, I shook my hand for no reason and looked around the room again.
Everyone was curious about the basement of Duke Leopold's house, which was a secret space.
There were quite a few people who, half seriously and half-jokingly, whispered that there must be mountains of treasures there more precious than those in the imperial treasury.
But contrary to their expectations, there were only books here.
The bookshelves were lined up in five rows like in a library, and each shelf was tightly packed with books.
And on one side there was a soft sofa and a large, square table, on which were also piled books and old parchments in a disorderly manner.
I picked out the most notable book and read its title.
“The Secret of the Red Dragon.”
[Do dragons really exist?]
[Dragon Myth]
And so on.
The titles of the other books piled on the table were similar.
My father had been very interested in dragons and the myths of the Leopold family while he was alive.
If there was a book or document about dragons, he would buy it even if it meant paying a lot of money.
They were gathered at this table.
Even though my father was interested, I was not, so I ignored it and slowly looked around the room.
I searched through the curtains hanging meaninglessly, under the sofa, and everywhere else, but Chernosser and his escort were nowhere to be found.
There's no way I could have come here.
I'm sure they disappeared before they even made it halfway from the entrance to here.
“I wasted my time.”
As I was taking a deep breath and trying to go out again, the books piled high on one side of the room strangely caught my eye.
I walked closer and picked up the top book.
[Blessing and curse are only a hair's breadth apart.]
The title itself was meaningful. It caught my attention even though it was a topic I wasn't particularly interested in.
[How to break the curse.]
[The Aesthetics of Curse.]
[No curse in the world cannot be lifted.]
And so on, the titles of other books were also meaningful and caught my eye.
In addition, this place was used by successive Dukes of Leopold to store important documents and books related to the Duke of Leopold.
Some people, like my father, sometimes use it as a space for their own hobbies, but in any case, my father's hobbies were also deeply connected to the Leopold family.
But since it wasn't a curse, I wondered who had brought these books there.
If I check inside, I wonder if there's something there.
The moment I was about to open the book I had picked up.
Boom, roll-
Suddenly I heard the sound of something rolling.
Because they were not blood relatives of Duke Leopold, nor were they people who had received permission from the Duke.
If he really went into the basement, he would have disappeared without a trace.
So, even if you go into the basement and look, you won't be able to find it, but it's still a good idea to go.
“Call Aldor.”
Before that, I went to see Sir Aldor because there was a place I wanted to check out.
After a while, when Sir Aldor returned, he said to him.
“If you go through the back gate on the east side of the mansion and walk for about five minutes through the bushes on the right, off the path where people walk, there is a side road leading to the volcano.”
It was a hidden back road that even the people who had lived in Leopold's duchy for decades were unaware of.
Although the path was a bit rough, if you went over the volcano, you could leave Leopold's duchy without going through the gate.
“I’ve already searched that place, but there was no trace of anyone having passed through.”
It's clearly a hidden path... How does Sir Aldor know about it?
Sir Aldor of past lives was unaware of the existence of that path.
I found out later in my second life, when I was running away from the Anatome Guard attack with him and we found out by chance.
It would be normal not to know now, but now that I know, I'm a little embarrassed.
As I stared intently, Sir Aldor misinterpreted my gaze and said,
“I’ll look for it again just in case.”
"...Is it so."
I wondered how Sir Aldor knew the way, but I had more important things to do right now, so I sent him away.
And then I headed straight to the office.
Perdes and Harness followed me closely.
As I was picking up the basement key that was in the drawer of my desk in my office, I saw a ring with the seal of the Duke Leopold family next to it and hesitated for a moment about whether or not I should take it.
It's not that heavy, so let's just take it.
When I put the ring on my index finger, the size shrank to fit my finger.
It was possible because it was a magic ring.
If I were really Duke Leopold, I would have stayed this size, but since I'm not yet, if I take it off, it goes back to the size of my father's index finger.
I took my seal ring and left the office, going down to the basement.
The thick iron door was firmly locked.
There were three cases where the door was locked.
The first is that Chernossor and his escort knights did not enter.
The second is...
“It looks like only the Second Prince or one of his knights went inside.”
Perdes said exactly what I thought.
“Or maybe another assistant locked the door again after the two people entered.”
He continued, stroking his chin.
“The latter is unlikely, so it must be the former, right? Then one of the two is still at the Duke’s residence...”
“Why are you so sure that the latter is impossible?”
From earlier, Perdes had been continuously ruling out the possibility of another traitor.
There must be a reason for him to be so confident.
When I asked why, Perdes glanced at Harness and answered.
“We have more pressing matters to attend to right now, so I’ll tell you later.”
“...”
“Don’t worry, it’s not weird. You don’t trust me, do you?”
No, but I don't completely believe it either...
The words rolled around in my mouth and then disappeared.
As Perdes said, finding Chernossor was the priority right now, so I opened the lock.
Crunch, squeak-
The heavy iron door opened with a creaking noise.
The dark interior of the basement was clearly visible.
As I went inside, Perdes naturally tried to follow me.
“You must not follow me.”
“You must not enter, Sir Perdes.”
Harness and I both tried to dissuade Perdes.
Then Perdes looked at us alternately in bewilderment and asked me.
“Why can’t I go in?”
“This is a special place where only those with permission can enter. If Lord Perdes enters, you will disappear without a trace.”
Perdes tilted his head as if he didn't understand what I was saying.
“Does that mean that even if Chernosser or the escort knight entered here, they’ve already disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“But is there a need to go out of your way to look for it?”
“I’m going to go look for it just in case. I might find some clues that show they went in here.”
The chances of finding a clue were extremely slim, but even if there was a small possibility, it was right to check it out.
“So please wait here for a moment. I’ll check and come out shortly.”
“...I suddenly think I understand what Jack was thinking.”
"Yes?"
“It’s nothing.”
Perdes laughed and stepped back.
“Then I’ll wait here until you get back, so have a safe trip.”
I was about to say that there was no need to do that, but I thought it would be better to stop anyone who tried to come in without knowing anything, so I asked Perdes and Harness to act as gatekeepers.
Then I walked slowly through the darkness, unable to see even an inch ahead.
Creak, as the door I had entered closed and complete darkness fell, a flame rose on the bare wall, illuminating the way.
Still, the atmosphere was gloomy and creepy.
Not only was the end of the road not visible, but the cold air surrounding it made it even more eerie.
Besides, it seemed to smell strangely like blood.
I understand it's cold in the basement, but why does it smell like blood?
I looked around, stroking my goosebump-covered arm, but all I could see were walls.
There was nothing in sight that could smell like blood.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
The exhaled breath spread whitely into the air.
If I had known this would happen, I would have come wearing a thick coat.
I wanted to go back even now, but it was a shame to come all the way here.
After walking for what felt like about twenty minutes, I arrived in front of another door.
A large sun was carved into the door.
This was a space where only special people who were not blood relatives but had received permission from Duke Leopold could come.
The place beyond this gate was only accessible to the blood relatives of Duke Leopold.
In the first place, anyone who was not a blood relative could not open this door.
So, it's unlikely that Chernossor or his escort knight went inside... but it's still a good idea to check.
This was my third time going to the place beyond this gate, so I was a little nervous.
The first time was when I was very young, I came in holding my father's hand.
The second time, he was captured by Chernosser and dragged like a cow to the slaughterhouse.
I didn't even want to recall the second memory, so I erased it from my mind early.
I opened the door slightly, remembering the first time I came in holding my father's hand.
Unlike the iron door at the basement entrance, this door opened easily with just a little force.
As I entered the dark room, a flame burst into flames on the wall again, this time without a candle.
A faint scent of blood wafted over the musty, dry smell of paper.
I can smell blood here too.
Have I ever smelled blood before?
I tried to recall my memories, but it was so long ago that I couldn't remember.
This was my third visit, and the second time I was in my right mind, so I stood in front of the door for a moment and looked around the room.
Even though it was a room that had been left unattended for a long time, not a speck of dust could be seen.
I swept the nearest pile of books with my hand, but there was no accumulated dust.
Still, I shook my hand for no reason and looked around the room again.
Everyone was curious about the basement of Duke Leopold's house, which was a secret space.
There were quite a few people who, half seriously and half-jokingly, whispered that there must be mountains of treasures there more precious than those in the imperial treasury.
But contrary to their expectations, there were only books here.
The bookshelves were lined up in five rows like in a library, and each shelf was tightly packed with books.
And on one side there was a soft sofa and a large, square table, on which were also piled books and old parchments in a disorderly manner.
I picked out the most notable book and read its title.
“The Secret of the Red Dragon.”
[Do dragons really exist?]
[Dragon Myth]
And so on.
The titles of the other books piled on the table were similar.
My father had been very interested in dragons and the myths of the Leopold family while he was alive.
If there was a book or document about dragons, he would buy it even if it meant paying a lot of money.
They were gathered at this table.
Even though my father was interested, I was not, so I ignored it and slowly looked around the room.
I searched through the curtains hanging meaninglessly, under the sofa, and everywhere else, but Chernosser and his escort were nowhere to be found.
There's no way I could have come here.
I'm sure they disappeared before they even made it halfway from the entrance to here.
“I wasted my time.”
As I was taking a deep breath and trying to go out again, the books piled high on one side of the room strangely caught my eye.
I walked closer and picked up the top book.
[Blessing and curse are only a hair's breadth apart.]
The title itself was meaningful. It caught my attention even though it was a topic I wasn't particularly interested in.
[How to break the curse.]
[The Aesthetics of Curse.]
[No curse in the world cannot be lifted.]
And so on, the titles of other books were also meaningful and caught my eye.
In addition, this place was used by successive Dukes of Leopold to store important documents and books related to the Duke of Leopold.
Some people, like my father, sometimes use it as a space for their own hobbies, but in any case, my father's hobbies were also deeply connected to the Leopold family.
But since it wasn't a curse, I wondered who had brought these books there.
If I check inside, I wonder if there's something there.
The moment I was about to open the book I had picked up.
Boom, roll-
Suddenly I heard the sound of something rolling.
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