Episode 103. The Secret of the Blank Document
Ppuuuu...! Ppuuuu...!
The heavy trumpet sound heard from the palace reverberated throughout Greenhill City.
It was still early in the morning.
However, everyone inside the palace was moving busily.
“I’ve sent a notice to the Vatican,”
said a priest as he entered the Emperor’s office.
“Hmm.”
Maurice nodded and looked around the office with sharp eyes.
The Emperor was dead.
He had shot himself in the head with a pistol.
The body had been moved, but the blood that had dripped from the desk was soaking the carpet.
A half-blood-soaked handwritten will was also found next to it.
It was a reprimand for his incompetence in taking the wolf clan as his confidant without even knowing it.
He also said that he hoped to be forgiven for this death.
He also designated the Grand Duke Rustis as his successor.
The Empress, who had been sobbing in front of the Emperor’s body, returned to the palace as soon as she read the will.
Her maids reported that the Empress was deeply saddened and ill. The Crown Prince, who had barely become a boy, also did not come out of the palace, saying that he was taking care of his mother.
In the bloody office, only Maurice and the priests were present. A few other ministers and servants were just standing outside the door.
Most of them seemed busy welcoming their new master, the Grand Duke Rustis. For example, they were taking out the late Emperor’s belongings that were sitting in the storage room, covered in dust.
“No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange.”
“What do you mean?”
The assistant priest next to Maurice asked.
“He’s not the type to commit suicide out of guilt.”
He had not flinched even at the numerous rumors that he had assassinated the late Emperor and the Duke of Rodwell. No, everyone believed it, except for the lack of evidence, but he did not even explain himself.
“I agree.”
“It was after he met Lady Isabelle yesterday.”
Maurice’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the memory.
“That seems to be the case. I was also curious when the soldiers at the Rodwell House were suddenly withdrawn.”
“Besides, I never thought that the Grand Duke of Rustis would be designated as the successor.”
“One of the two. Either a sign of repentance or a threat.”
“It must have been a threat.”
Maurice, who was searching through the desk drawers in his office, opened the bottom drawer.
At first, the drawer was full of junk, but when he closed it again and opened it, it was empty.
“Is it the priest’s magic?”
“It’s a device that looks like magic. The fact that it was installed like this means that there was something that needed to be hidden here.”
“Since it’s empty now, did Lady Isabelle take it?”
“Well, she couldn’t have come into the Emperor’s office herself and touched the secret drawer. Maybe someone else took it instead.”
“And he threatened the Emperor?”
Maurice was getting up as he closed the drawer again.
“It’s Count Weiss.”
When he turned around at the woman’s voice, he saw Seira standing there with a pitiful expression in black mourning clothes.
Maurice and Seira went to the Emperor’s reception room.
“I wonder why you’re so certain that it’s Count Weiss?”
Maurice asked as soon as he sat down.
“The Count gave his fiancée a pistol as a gift. And the Emperor also committed suicide with a pistol. The pistol is a weapon that has never been officially brought into Kalame.”
“The Count may have given it to the Emperor.”
“Yes, while urging him to commit suicide. Don’t you believe me?”
“I will.”
Even so, Maurice’s mind was spinning quickly.
Stone, who was a brown wolf, had the same gunshot wound as the Emperor on his head.
The Count would have been fighting Stone in his wolf form at that time, so he wouldn’t have been able to use the pistol.
So was the Count’s fiancée there?
Adele Grills.
He heard she was once the Marchioness of the Oswalds.
And now she was wanted together with Count Weiss as his fiancée.
The silver wolf’s mate.
“If you want to catch the Count, catch Adele first.”
Maurice, lost in thought, looked at Seira.
“Why do you think that is necessary?”
“To catch the leader wolf, they usually use the female wolf who is his mate as bait. Then, they can easily catch the leader wolf who has lost his cool. When the female wolf dies, the leader wolf falls into despair and dies with her. Isn’t it the same for the wolf clan?”
“Do you want Adele to die? After all, she was once your adoptive mother?”
Seira was surprised.
She was meeting Maurice as a Princess right now.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I saw the real portrait of the Princess on the Emperor’s desk. The Emperor and his wife must have switched her to hide the fact that the Princess was pregnant.”
Seira trembled as if she were terrified, thinking that she could no longer hide it.
“I couldn’t help it! How could I disobey His Majesty’s orders? Because of Stone, Oswald’s journey is almost over. Sob!”
Seira finally burst into tears, sobbing and looking like an infinitely pitiful woman.
Maurice held out a handkerchief.
“Fine. Let’s pretend we didn’t see this this time.”
Seira took the handkerchief and sobbed even louder, as if she were sad. It was enough to make anyone want to comfort her.
However, Maurice stood up coldly.
“But the wolf story a little while ago was in a book written by Lord Seton. Of course, I thought the same thing.”
Adele Grills.
To catch Count Weiss, we must catch her first!
The golden letters were engraved one by one on the blank document.
“It’s true that my mother wrote it. I can feel my mother’s mana.”
Leana’s eyes moistened as she quietly stroked the letters with her fingers.
It was as if her mother, whose memories were fading away, had returned to her side.
Christine, who was reading the blank document with her, also muttered with a serious face.
“Now I understand. Why did Jan want to get rid of this document so badly?”
“Why?”
Adele asked.
“This blank document is the agreement made with the Wolf Clan ten years ago.”
“A pact with the Wolf Clan?”
“At that time, Jan, who was the Grand Duke of Valencia, tried to seize the throne by joining hands with the Wolf Clan. He even swept away the Vatican and dreamed of conquering the world.”
Adele couldn’t close her mouth at the unimaginable story.
“My goodness. If this document had entered the Vatican...”
“Not only him, but even his family would not have survived. Maybe all of Kalamee would have fallen into chaos.”
That’s why Jan had no choice but to commit suicide when he heard that the blank document had been passed on to Isabelle.
To save his family.
Although he was an ambitious man, he must have truly cared for his family.
Adele, who had been lost in thought for a moment, asked,
“So if this document says so, then the Wolf Clan was not exterminated?”
“Hmm.”
Christine handed her the blank document. It was now densely filled with moving gold letters.
Adele, who was quickly skimming through it, read a passage out loud.
“In exchange for releasing the seal, the Wolf Clan swears allegiance only to Jan Valencia...”
Adele’s eyes widened.
“Chris! If this is true, then the Wolf Clan is sealed somewhere. Is that true?”
Christine showed her an old, brown leather-bound book this time.
“This is my sister’s diary that Joseph found. Read this part.”
Adele opened the diary to the part where the bookmark was.
“You’re both getting off topic.”
“That’s right.”
Then Leana clung to Adele and linked arms with her.
Christine’s eyes grew fierce. No one else could link arms with Adele so readily.
“But isn’t there anything in that diary about my mom and dad?”
He answered sincerely to Leana’s question sincerely.
“I don’t want you to know.”
“Wow. You really treat a brat with sincerity.”
“I thought you said earlier that I wasn’t a brat? And I treat anyone with sincerity.”
“Chris...”
When Adele gave him a warning look, he shrugged his shoulders and quickly returned to the main topic.
“Yes, in summary, there must have been a seal on the Oswald family’s villa in Bluegale. The fire at the villa exposed the seal, and Leana’s mother, a top-level magician, must have noticed it right away. In fact, this agreement was written shortly after the villa fire.”
Adele nodded.
“Leana’s mother and the Emperor were trying to break the seal and call the wolf clan.”
“Yes. Marquis Oswald must have noticed it and tried to stop it.”
“That’s why my mother...”
Leana’s sobbing could be heard.
“Probably.”
Christine, who had been bickering with her just a moment ago, muttered with a pitiful face.
Marquis Oswald killed Leana’s mother to prevent the seal from being broken.
And her husband attacked the Marquis and turned him into a living corpse.
When the matter came to nothing, Jan must have been quietly hiding.
However, since the blank document was gone, it was obvious how much he had been worried.
This document was a weakness that could bring him down in an instant.
And in the end, this document led to his suicide.
At dawn, when the fog was falling,
Leana walked through the garden of the training camp mansion.
There were already diligent knights practicing their swordsmanship in the training hall.
Her gaze, standing on the hill and absentmindedly watching the scene, lingered on one spot.
Even in the thick fog, his silver hair was particularly dazzling whenever he moved. His sword-swinging posture was exactly the same.
If he were alive, he would have been older now.
However, in her memories, her father always lingered on this young appearance.
“It’s already dawning. Why don’t you go inside and get some sleep?”
“She must have loved your Dad a lot.”
Leana stubbornly shook her head.
“If she really loved him, she shouldn’t have made such a dangerous agreement. Then our family would have been living well together by now. Dad wouldn’t have been executed so horribly.”
“Do you resent Mom?”
“I’m just a little angry. When I didn’t know anything, all I could do was miss Mom. Why did she do such a reckless thing...?”
“Mom loved Dad, but she probably did it for Leana. She probably wanted to create a world where the wolf clan would no longer be persecuted. Every parent wants their children to live in a better world.”
Leana muttered after a while of silence.
“Adele will be a really good mother.”
“Suddenly?”
“When I’m with Adele and the Count, I feel like I’m with my parents. In fact, I really liked it when the Count patted my head earlier.”
“But why do you keep fighting?”
“I get upset because I think of my father. Maybe I just want to be spoiled.”
“Tell him the truth. He’ll understand.”
Leana frowned, wondering what was on her mind.
“Oh. That’s okay. I feel like cringing just thinking about it.”
Even as she said that, her expression brightened as she stretched.
Ppuuuu...! Ppuuuu...!
The heavy trumpet sound heard from the palace reverberated throughout Greenhill City.
It was still early in the morning.
However, everyone inside the palace was moving busily.
“I’ve sent a notice to the Vatican,”
said a priest as he entered the Emperor’s office.
“Hmm.”
Maurice nodded and looked around the office with sharp eyes.
The Emperor was dead.
He had shot himself in the head with a pistol.
The body had been moved, but the blood that had dripped from the desk was soaking the carpet.
A half-blood-soaked handwritten will was also found next to it.
It was a reprimand for his incompetence in taking the wolf clan as his confidant without even knowing it.
He also said that he hoped to be forgiven for this death.
He also designated the Grand Duke Rustis as his successor.
The Empress, who had been sobbing in front of the Emperor’s body, returned to the palace as soon as she read the will.
Her maids reported that the Empress was deeply saddened and ill. The Crown Prince, who had barely become a boy, also did not come out of the palace, saying that he was taking care of his mother.
In the bloody office, only Maurice and the priests were present. A few other ministers and servants were just standing outside the door.
Most of them seemed busy welcoming their new master, the Grand Duke Rustis. For example, they were taking out the late Emperor’s belongings that were sitting in the storage room, covered in dust.
“No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange.”
“What do you mean?”
The assistant priest next to Maurice asked.
“He’s not the type to commit suicide out of guilt.”
He had not flinched even at the numerous rumors that he had assassinated the late Emperor and the Duke of Rodwell. No, everyone believed it, except for the lack of evidence, but he did not even explain himself.
“I agree.”
“It was after he met Lady Isabelle yesterday.”
Maurice’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the memory.
“That seems to be the case. I was also curious when the soldiers at the Rodwell House were suddenly withdrawn.”
“Besides, I never thought that the Grand Duke of Rustis would be designated as the successor.”
“One of the two. Either a sign of repentance or a threat.”
“It must have been a threat.”
Maurice, who was searching through the desk drawers in his office, opened the bottom drawer.
At first, the drawer was full of junk, but when he closed it again and opened it, it was empty.
“Is it the priest’s magic?”
“It’s a device that looks like magic. The fact that it was installed like this means that there was something that needed to be hidden here.”
“Since it’s empty now, did Lady Isabelle take it?”
“Well, she couldn’t have come into the Emperor’s office herself and touched the secret drawer. Maybe someone else took it instead.”
“And he threatened the Emperor?”
Maurice was getting up as he closed the drawer again.
“It’s Count Weiss.”
When he turned around at the woman’s voice, he saw Seira standing there with a pitiful expression in black mourning clothes.
***
Maurice and Seira went to the Emperor’s reception room.
“I wonder why you’re so certain that it’s Count Weiss?”
Maurice asked as soon as he sat down.
“The Count gave his fiancée a pistol as a gift. And the Emperor also committed suicide with a pistol. The pistol is a weapon that has never been officially brought into Kalame.”
“The Count may have given it to the Emperor.”
“Yes, while urging him to commit suicide. Don’t you believe me?”
“I will.”
Even so, Maurice’s mind was spinning quickly.
Stone, who was a brown wolf, had the same gunshot wound as the Emperor on his head.
The Count would have been fighting Stone in his wolf form at that time, so he wouldn’t have been able to use the pistol.
So was the Count’s fiancée there?
Adele Grills.
He heard she was once the Marchioness of the Oswalds.
And now she was wanted together with Count Weiss as his fiancée.
The silver wolf’s mate.
“If you want to catch the Count, catch Adele first.”
Maurice, lost in thought, looked at Seira.
“Why do you think that is necessary?”
“To catch the leader wolf, they usually use the female wolf who is his mate as bait. Then, they can easily catch the leader wolf who has lost his cool. When the female wolf dies, the leader wolf falls into despair and dies with her. Isn’t it the same for the wolf clan?”
“Do you want Adele to die? After all, she was once your adoptive mother?”
Seira was surprised.
She was meeting Maurice as a Princess right now.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I saw the real portrait of the Princess on the Emperor’s desk. The Emperor and his wife must have switched her to hide the fact that the Princess was pregnant.”
Seira trembled as if she were terrified, thinking that she could no longer hide it.
“I couldn’t help it! How could I disobey His Majesty’s orders? Because of Stone, Oswald’s journey is almost over. Sob!”
Seira finally burst into tears, sobbing and looking like an infinitely pitiful woman.
Maurice held out a handkerchief.
“Fine. Let’s pretend we didn’t see this this time.”
Seira took the handkerchief and sobbed even louder, as if she were sad. It was enough to make anyone want to comfort her.
However, Maurice stood up coldly.
“But the wolf story a little while ago was in a book written by Lord Seton. Of course, I thought the same thing.”
Adele Grills.
To catch Count Weiss, we must catch her first!
***
The golden letters were engraved one by one on the blank document.
“It’s true that my mother wrote it. I can feel my mother’s mana.”
Leana’s eyes moistened as she quietly stroked the letters with her fingers.
It was as if her mother, whose memories were fading away, had returned to her side.
Christine, who was reading the blank document with her, also muttered with a serious face.
“Now I understand. Why did Jan want to get rid of this document so badly?”
“Why?”
Adele asked.
“This blank document is the agreement made with the Wolf Clan ten years ago.”
“A pact with the Wolf Clan?”
“At that time, Jan, who was the Grand Duke of Valencia, tried to seize the throne by joining hands with the Wolf Clan. He even swept away the Vatican and dreamed of conquering the world.”
Adele couldn’t close her mouth at the unimaginable story.
“My goodness. If this document had entered the Vatican...”
“Not only him, but even his family would not have survived. Maybe all of Kalamee would have fallen into chaos.”
That’s why Jan had no choice but to commit suicide when he heard that the blank document had been passed on to Isabelle.
To save his family.
Although he was an ambitious man, he must have truly cared for his family.
Adele, who had been lost in thought for a moment, asked,
“So if this document says so, then the Wolf Clan was not exterminated?”
“Hmm.”
Christine handed her the blank document. It was now densely filled with moving gold letters.
Adele, who was quickly skimming through it, read a passage out loud.
“In exchange for releasing the seal, the Wolf Clan swears allegiance only to Jan Valencia...”
Adele’s eyes widened.
“Chris! If this is true, then the Wolf Clan is sealed somewhere. Is that true?”
Christine showed her an old, brown leather-bound book this time.
“This is my sister’s diary that Joseph found. Read this part.”
Adele opened the diary to the part where the bookmark was.
Never approach the old well under the blue roof, or your soul may be eaten. The Oswald family's servants used to whisper. The young girl always had nightmares. Her soul was swallowed up in the endlessly deep and dark well. Now that she was an adult, she could not find the blue roof or the well. One day, the nightmare came again and whispered. The well had already swallowed you. The stone seed continues to grow inside your body.
The contents after that were soaked in water, and the ink was smudged, making it unreadable.
"She was the adopted daughter of the Oswald family's butler. Then she married Stone. Thanks to that, she seemed to know a lot about the Oswald family's secrets."
"The blue roof means Bluegale, right?"
"Well, she actually died in a fire at Bluegale's villa. And the well seems to be the place where the wolf clan was sealed."
Leana, who was listening to the conversation between the two, also said something.
"Then what is Stone seed? Since you married a man named Stone, does that mean she is pregnant with his child?"
Her eyes were sparkling with curiosity more than ever. Christine patted her head because she looked so cute and adorable.
“Yeah, you're a smart kid.”
But Leana quickly pushed his hand away and protested.
“I'm smart, but I'm not a kid.”
“Most kids talk like you.”
“What? Does that mean you’re an old man?'
When Christine’s gaze grew fierce, Adele quickly stopped them both.
“You’re both getting off topic.”
“That’s right.”
Then Leana clung to Adele and linked arms with her.
Christine’s eyes grew fierce. No one else could link arms with Adele so readily.
“But isn’t there anything in that diary about my mom and dad?”
He answered sincerely to Leana’s question sincerely.
“I don’t want you to know.”
“Wow. You really treat a brat with sincerity.”
“I thought you said earlier that I wasn’t a brat? And I treat anyone with sincerity.”
“Chris...”
When Adele gave him a warning look, he shrugged his shoulders and quickly returned to the main topic.
“Yes, in summary, there must have been a seal on the Oswald family’s villa in Bluegale. The fire at the villa exposed the seal, and Leana’s mother, a top-level magician, must have noticed it right away. In fact, this agreement was written shortly after the villa fire.”
Adele nodded.
“Leana’s mother and the Emperor were trying to break the seal and call the wolf clan.”
“Yes. Marquis Oswald must have noticed it and tried to stop it.”
“That’s why my mother...”
Leana’s sobbing could be heard.
“Probably.”
Christine, who had been bickering with her just a moment ago, muttered with a pitiful face.
Marquis Oswald killed Leana’s mother to prevent the seal from being broken.
And her husband attacked the Marquis and turned him into a living corpse.
When the matter came to nothing, Jan must have been quietly hiding.
However, since the blank document was gone, it was obvious how much he had been worried.
This document was a weakness that could bring him down in an instant.
And in the end, this document led to his suicide.
***
At dawn, when the fog was falling,
Leana walked through the garden of the training camp mansion.
There were already diligent knights practicing their swordsmanship in the training hall.
Her gaze, standing on the hill and absentmindedly watching the scene, lingered on one spot.
Even in the thick fog, his silver hair was particularly dazzling whenever he moved. His sword-swinging posture was exactly the same.
If he were alive, he would have been older now.
However, in her memories, her father always lingered on this young appearance.
“It’s already dawning. Why don’t you go inside and get some sleep?”
She turned around at Adele’s voice.
She was wearing pants and boots like a soldier. She had a pistol and a sword at her waist.
“What are you doing, Adele? Are you going to the battlefield?”
Adele chuckled, looking down at her own attire.
“Is that a bit ridiculous? I can’t sleep, so I’m going to train.”
“I think the Count would protect you enough?”
“I want to protect him, too. I hope I can be of some help when he’s having a hard time.”
Leana’s eyes wavered.
“My mother said the same thing... Dad was a strong warrior, but Mom wanted to become a stronger magician for Dad.”
She was wearing pants and boots like a soldier. She had a pistol and a sword at her waist.
“What are you doing, Adele? Are you going to the battlefield?”
Adele chuckled, looking down at her own attire.
“Is that a bit ridiculous? I can’t sleep, so I’m going to train.”
“I think the Count would protect you enough?”
“I want to protect him, too. I hope I can be of some help when he’s having a hard time.”
Leana’s eyes wavered.
“My mother said the same thing... Dad was a strong warrior, but Mom wanted to become a stronger magician for Dad.”
“She must have loved your Dad a lot.”
Leana stubbornly shook her head.
“If she really loved him, she shouldn’t have made such a dangerous agreement. Then our family would have been living well together by now. Dad wouldn’t have been executed so horribly.”
“Do you resent Mom?”
“I’m just a little angry. When I didn’t know anything, all I could do was miss Mom. Why did she do such a reckless thing...?”
“Mom loved Dad, but she probably did it for Leana. She probably wanted to create a world where the wolf clan would no longer be persecuted. Every parent wants their children to live in a better world.”
Leana muttered after a while of silence.
“Adele will be a really good mother.”
“Suddenly?”
“When I’m with Adele and the Count, I feel like I’m with my parents. In fact, I really liked it when the Count patted my head earlier.”
“But why do you keep fighting?”
“I get upset because I think of my father. Maybe I just want to be spoiled.”
“Tell him the truth. He’ll understand.”
Leana frowned, wondering what was on her mind.
“Oh. That’s okay. I feel like cringing just thinking about it.”
Even as she said that, her expression brightened as she stretched.
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