And a little later.
Cloud, who arrived at Byron's residence, politely handed him the report his niece had sent.
Byron, who had been silently reading the document he had handed him, shouted with a look of disbelief.
“...What the hell is this? That woman wants to see me?”
“Yes, my lord. I hear she is very discouraged.”
As Cloud calmly replied, Byron roughly ran his free hand over his face, furious that things weren't going smoothly.
"She's a truly useless woman. She's just as stupid as her father. Otherwise, she wouldn't be whining about killing a newborn baby."
A recent report said that a child who usually didn't get sick was unable to endure the forced march and suffered from body aches. It seemed that it was not a physical problem but a mental problem.
"I wonder if she's so weak-hearted that she's going to kill her own father. Huh, she wants to see me? Does that even make sense?"
Byron burst out laughing at the completely unexpected situation.
He raised her to be a fool who only knew how to use her for revenge, and now this is the side effect. She's so depressed because she misses him.
Byron, who was blaming himself for being so soft on his enemy's daughter, soon changed his mind and turned his anger towards Laura.
"Oh, this is driving me crazy. What on earth is your niece doing? You let this happen to her? You should have been there to comfort her and console her!"
“...This is something neither I nor my lord could have anticipated. I bet that child didn’t know something like this would happen.”
Cloud, who had already anticipated Byron's reaction, defended Laura with a calm expression.
Byron, who was about to get angry and ask if he was defending his niece in this situation, only blushed and snorted because what he said was not wrong.
“What will you do, my lord?”
"What can I do? I can't go see that child while I'm being chased like this. And I can't even ask that child to come. He'll come after me."
Byron shrugged in response to Cloud's question, suggesting it wasn't worth discussing.
“If there is a way, would you be willing to meet that child?”
“...I guess there’s no other way. If that child is to be able to fulfill her usefulness as a sharp blade again, it’s the only way.”
Byron replied in an annoyed voice.
“Then, my lord, why don’t we find a way to communicate from a distance?”
Cloud didn't miss the opportunity and voiced his opinion.
He didn't know what Aila's intentions were, but if she wanted to talk to Byron, he wanted to help her in some way.
“...Conversation from a distance? Is that possible?”
Byron furrowed his brow and asked incredulously. It sounded like a tall tale, like trying to grasp a cloud in the sky.
"Yes, didn't a member of the Tamora Republic's Magic Council send you a bunch of new magical tools? Among them was a communication device capable of long-distance communication."
"Oh, was that so? He worked hard to get in line, but then they kicked him out of the council, so I lost interest."
Byron heard he was caught leaking Tamora Republic secrets to the outside world. Fortunately, his collusion with him went undetected, so he wasn't harmed.
“If I could pass that magical tool on to my niece, wouldn’t we be able to talk to her, too?"
"...That seems like a good idea. Then let's proceed. Sending it by mail is too dangerous, so deliver it in person. And don't forget to be careful, as someone might come back with a tail."
Byron nodded in approval, seeming to like Cloud's suggestion.
If he had to talk to Aila anyway, it would be easier to get it over with as quickly as possible.
“You want to take a vacation?”
At Laura's words, butler Lester asked with a puzzled expression. Laura had always stayed at the mansion, even on holidays.
At first, he thought she was a sincere child, but now that he thinks about it, after hearing the story of her identity from Roderick and Ophelia, it's clear that it was a ploy to get any information out of her.
“Yes, butler. I heard my mother is sick.”
Laura lied with a calm expression.
Even Lester, who knew she was a spy, would be confused as to whether it was true or not. If he had heard it without knowing anything, wouldn't he have believed her without any doubts?
Lester felt resentful of her deceiving him, but he nodded as if nothing had happened at the master's and his wife's order to keep quiet.
“Yes, I understand the situation. I’ll discuss it with the owner first.”
“Yes, butler. Please speak for me.”
Lester sent Laura away with a polite request and went straight to find Ophelia.
He doesn't know what Laura's ulterior motives are for taking a vacation, but if she's up to something, he needs to find out what's going on and come up with a plan.
“Laura, that kid is on vacation?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ophelia tapped her fingers on the table, lost in thought. Like Lester, she naturally didn't believe her mother's excuse of being sick.
"I heard a hawk flew into her bedroom window this morning. Is that why?"
Although Ophelia couldn't find out the details of what was secretly exchanged, it was clear that some kind of instruction had been given.
“Yes, I’ll give her a vacation.”
Ophelia nodded in response. She wasn't sure exactly how things would pan out, but she knew it was all about helping Aila.
A few days ago, Aila had told Laura that she was looking for a way to speak directly with Byron, so she should just pretend not to know what Laura was up to.
“Yes, ma’am. I will convey that.”
After Lester politely greeted her and left, Ophelia hurried to her husband's office.
She had no intention of interfering with her daughter's operation, but she couldn't let Laura waste this opportunity to contact them.
She was thinking of secretly attaching someone to Laura and having them follow her.
“...Good idea, Ophelia.”
Roderick nodded after hearing her story.
"Of course, I can't interfere with Aila's operation, so please make sure to tell them to prioritize avoiding detection. If they seem like they might be discovered, just give up on following her."
Ophelia said in a firm voice that, although parents cannot actively support their daughter's desires, they should not become obstacles.
“Yes, I will do that.”
Roderick nodded with a faint smile, for he too shared his wife's sentiments.
No matter what happened, the most important thing for them right now was to keep Aila safe and support her wishes.
Laura, who left the Duke's residence on the pretext of vacation, immediately rented a carriage and left the capital city of Venator. She was completely unaware that someone was following her from the Duke's residence.
Although she was wary of her surroundings in her own way, it was because her opponent was an expert at moving without making any noise.
The informant, who had been following the carriage in the hopes that he might be able to find out the hideout of the water boss Byron, was disappointed to see that the carriage was headed to a city near the capital, not a place with few people.
Surely the infamous traitor Byron wouldn't be hiding in a place like this.
'...Still, if we tail the person who makes contact with that child, we might be able to find his hiding place.'
The informant swallowed hard and cautiously followed Laura as she exited the carriage. Even that wasn't easy, as Laura kept looking back with a nervous expression.
'That's... an inn.'
Laura, wary of her surroundings, arrived at a shabby inn. The first floor seemed to double as a bar, and everyone who came and went was a drunkard with flushed faces.
The sun had already set while they were moving here, so it seemed like they were planning to rest for the night, but he thought it might be a surprise, so he followed Laura into the inn.
It was fortunate that the room was bustling with drunken guests.
The informant casually ordered a beer and sat among the drunks, observing Laura's behavior.
She told the innkeeper that she really only intended to stay one night and reserved a room.
She didn't specify a specific room, and she didn't seem to be communicating with the innkeeper in any particular way, so it seemed like they weren't acquainted.
He was eager to follow her up, but he had to follow the Duke's orders to make it a top priority not to get caught, so he put down his beer with a bitter smile.
It seemed like he had to stay around the inn all night and then follow Laura again the next morning.
But contrary to his expectations that she would move on to their next destination in the morning, Laura had no intention of leaving her hotel room.
His heart sank, worried that he might have lost sight of Laura while he was asleep.
But he definitely hadn't missed it, as he's seen her rolling around in the room several times through the open windows for ventilation.
A full day passed like that, and the next day, Laura remained motionless in the shabby inn until he returned from his night off, swapping shifts with his colleague.
Sometimes, he thought she was just leaving the room and moving, so he followed her, but she was just going down to the first floor to eat.
He was sighing in despair, wondering if Laura was just going to sleep in her hotel room and then go back.
Laura, who had been indoors the whole time, finally came out of the inn building.
Cloud, who arrived at Byron's residence, politely handed him the report his niece had sent.
Byron, who had been silently reading the document he had handed him, shouted with a look of disbelief.
“...What the hell is this? That woman wants to see me?”
“Yes, my lord. I hear she is very discouraged.”
As Cloud calmly replied, Byron roughly ran his free hand over his face, furious that things weren't going smoothly.
"She's a truly useless woman. She's just as stupid as her father. Otherwise, she wouldn't be whining about killing a newborn baby."
A recent report said that a child who usually didn't get sick was unable to endure the forced march and suffered from body aches. It seemed that it was not a physical problem but a mental problem.
"I wonder if she's so weak-hearted that she's going to kill her own father. Huh, she wants to see me? Does that even make sense?"
Byron burst out laughing at the completely unexpected situation.
He raised her to be a fool who only knew how to use her for revenge, and now this is the side effect. She's so depressed because she misses him.
Byron, who was blaming himself for being so soft on his enemy's daughter, soon changed his mind and turned his anger towards Laura.
"Oh, this is driving me crazy. What on earth is your niece doing? You let this happen to her? You should have been there to comfort her and console her!"
“...This is something neither I nor my lord could have anticipated. I bet that child didn’t know something like this would happen.”
Cloud, who had already anticipated Byron's reaction, defended Laura with a calm expression.
Byron, who was about to get angry and ask if he was defending his niece in this situation, only blushed and snorted because what he said was not wrong.
“What will you do, my lord?”
"What can I do? I can't go see that child while I'm being chased like this. And I can't even ask that child to come. He'll come after me."
Byron shrugged in response to Cloud's question, suggesting it wasn't worth discussing.
“If there is a way, would you be willing to meet that child?”
“...I guess there’s no other way. If that child is to be able to fulfill her usefulness as a sharp blade again, it’s the only way.”
Byron replied in an annoyed voice.
“Then, my lord, why don’t we find a way to communicate from a distance?”
Cloud didn't miss the opportunity and voiced his opinion.
He didn't know what Aila's intentions were, but if she wanted to talk to Byron, he wanted to help her in some way.
“...Conversation from a distance? Is that possible?”
Byron furrowed his brow and asked incredulously. It sounded like a tall tale, like trying to grasp a cloud in the sky.
"Yes, didn't a member of the Tamora Republic's Magic Council send you a bunch of new magical tools? Among them was a communication device capable of long-distance communication."
"Oh, was that so? He worked hard to get in line, but then they kicked him out of the council, so I lost interest."
Byron heard he was caught leaking Tamora Republic secrets to the outside world. Fortunately, his collusion with him went undetected, so he wasn't harmed.
“If I could pass that magical tool on to my niece, wouldn’t we be able to talk to her, too?"
"...That seems like a good idea. Then let's proceed. Sending it by mail is too dangerous, so deliver it in person. And don't forget to be careful, as someone might come back with a tail."
Byron nodded in approval, seeming to like Cloud's suggestion.
If he had to talk to Aila anyway, it would be easier to get it over with as quickly as possible.
***
“You want to take a vacation?”
At Laura's words, butler Lester asked with a puzzled expression. Laura had always stayed at the mansion, even on holidays.
At first, he thought she was a sincere child, but now that he thinks about it, after hearing the story of her identity from Roderick and Ophelia, it's clear that it was a ploy to get any information out of her.
“Yes, butler. I heard my mother is sick.”
Laura lied with a calm expression.
Even Lester, who knew she was a spy, would be confused as to whether it was true or not. If he had heard it without knowing anything, wouldn't he have believed her without any doubts?
Lester felt resentful of her deceiving him, but he nodded as if nothing had happened at the master's and his wife's order to keep quiet.
“Yes, I understand the situation. I’ll discuss it with the owner first.”
“Yes, butler. Please speak for me.”
Lester sent Laura away with a polite request and went straight to find Ophelia.
He doesn't know what Laura's ulterior motives are for taking a vacation, but if she's up to something, he needs to find out what's going on and come up with a plan.
“Laura, that kid is on vacation?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ophelia tapped her fingers on the table, lost in thought. Like Lester, she naturally didn't believe her mother's excuse of being sick.
"I heard a hawk flew into her bedroom window this morning. Is that why?"
Although Ophelia couldn't find out the details of what was secretly exchanged, it was clear that some kind of instruction had been given.
“Yes, I’ll give her a vacation.”
Ophelia nodded in response. She wasn't sure exactly how things would pan out, but she knew it was all about helping Aila.
A few days ago, Aila had told Laura that she was looking for a way to speak directly with Byron, so she should just pretend not to know what Laura was up to.
“Yes, ma’am. I will convey that.”
After Lester politely greeted her and left, Ophelia hurried to her husband's office.
She had no intention of interfering with her daughter's operation, but she couldn't let Laura waste this opportunity to contact them.
She was thinking of secretly attaching someone to Laura and having them follow her.
“...Good idea, Ophelia.”
Roderick nodded after hearing her story.
"Of course, I can't interfere with Aila's operation, so please make sure to tell them to prioritize avoiding detection. If they seem like they might be discovered, just give up on following her."
Ophelia said in a firm voice that, although parents cannot actively support their daughter's desires, they should not become obstacles.
“Yes, I will do that.”
Roderick nodded with a faint smile, for he too shared his wife's sentiments.
No matter what happened, the most important thing for them right now was to keep Aila safe and support her wishes.
***
Laura, who left the Duke's residence on the pretext of vacation, immediately rented a carriage and left the capital city of Venator. She was completely unaware that someone was following her from the Duke's residence.
Although she was wary of her surroundings in her own way, it was because her opponent was an expert at moving without making any noise.
The informant, who had been following the carriage in the hopes that he might be able to find out the hideout of the water boss Byron, was disappointed to see that the carriage was headed to a city near the capital, not a place with few people.
Surely the infamous traitor Byron wouldn't be hiding in a place like this.
'...Still, if we tail the person who makes contact with that child, we might be able to find his hiding place.'
The informant swallowed hard and cautiously followed Laura as she exited the carriage. Even that wasn't easy, as Laura kept looking back with a nervous expression.
'That's... an inn.'
Laura, wary of her surroundings, arrived at a shabby inn. The first floor seemed to double as a bar, and everyone who came and went was a drunkard with flushed faces.
The sun had already set while they were moving here, so it seemed like they were planning to rest for the night, but he thought it might be a surprise, so he followed Laura into the inn.
It was fortunate that the room was bustling with drunken guests.
The informant casually ordered a beer and sat among the drunks, observing Laura's behavior.
She told the innkeeper that she really only intended to stay one night and reserved a room.
She didn't specify a specific room, and she didn't seem to be communicating with the innkeeper in any particular way, so it seemed like they weren't acquainted.
He was eager to follow her up, but he had to follow the Duke's orders to make it a top priority not to get caught, so he put down his beer with a bitter smile.
It seemed like he had to stay around the inn all night and then follow Laura again the next morning.
But contrary to his expectations that she would move on to their next destination in the morning, Laura had no intention of leaving her hotel room.
His heart sank, worried that he might have lost sight of Laura while he was asleep.
But he definitely hadn't missed it, as he's seen her rolling around in the room several times through the open windows for ventilation.
A full day passed like that, and the next day, Laura remained motionless in the shabby inn until he returned from his night off, swapping shifts with his colleague.
Sometimes, he thought she was just leaving the room and moving, so he followed her, but she was just going down to the first floor to eat.
He was sighing in despair, wondering if Laura was just going to sleep in her hotel room and then go back.
Laura, who had been indoors the whole time, finally came out of the inn building.
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