Fenrir showed no reaction to Ivan's words.
He just quietly looked at him.
It was Siegfried who showed a reaction.
"Monsters? Then it wasn't the work of beasts?"
"You're still stupidly naive, aren't you?"
Ivan spoke in a tone full of mockery.
"They even used the moonflower, and it's just the work of an ordinary beast? There's a limit to how positive you can be."
"Ha..."
"Great Duke, the efficacy of the moonflower does not work on animals or plants. It only works on monsters and humans."
"So."
Fenrir, who had been listening silently to the story, slowly closed his lips.
"Who do you think the culprit is?"
"It wouldn't be an ordinary person. Ordinary people can't even obtain a moonflower in the first place, and it's difficult for them to get their hands on a monster, whether stuffed or live."
"Then?"
"One who can save both the moonflower and the monster, and who holds a grudge against Noah DeVern—a very great grudge at that."
"..."
"I think we can roughly narrow it down to this point."
"...That is correct. They likely didn't commit the crime with a typical motive."
Siegfried looked at Fenrir and said.
"I saw Noah DeVern's body... his condition was serious."
"..."
"Did you happen to see it, Grand Duke?"
"No."
Fenrir shook his head.
"Because I have a weak stomach."
"That is correct. God especially loved the Knight Commander and even granted him a strong stomach, but there is no reason for us to go out of our way to see such things."
Ivan still chimed in, sneering.
"...Grand Duke, since Lady Presepe mentioned witnessing a suspicious person, I think it would be best to treat that person as a suspect for now and order an investigation."
But even if we did, would it really be of any use?
No one will be able to find Vidar easily,' Fenrir scoffed at Siegfried to himself.
"I will convey this to the Knights as soon as His Majesty grants permission. However, His Majesty..."
"His Majesty is recuperating."
“Recuperating?”
"He seemed to be feeling unwell."
Especially at a time like this.
A look of worry was clearly visible on Siergfried's face.
Fenrir thought it was genuinely ridiculous. Who was worrying about whom right now? After all, both the Emperor and the person worrying about him would end up in the exact same situation as Noah DeVern.
"Since you have entrusted this matter to me, simply relay it to the Knights. After all, His Majesty would have instructed you to do so as well."
“Yes. I understand.”
"The Archmage will finally be free. Because of this incident, the investigation into Prince Attar was also re-conducted."
Since Attar's body had returned to the Tain Empire, all Ivan did was go to the crime scene to look for any possible traces of magic. However, since it wasn't done with magic, there wasn't much to gain.
Of course, it was impossible that Ivan would have liked it just because it didn't require much effort.
"Thank you for acknowledging my hardships, Grand Duke."
"Well then, I’ll be heading back. It seems the conversation is over."
He had no intention of wasting any more time here. He just wanted to return to the mansion where Presepe was waiting.
"Once I catch the culprit and this matter is resolved safely."
However, Ivan's subsequent words held Fenrir back.
"Is Princess Presepe returning to the Imperial Palace?"
"...What?"
"Ah. Since she has been stripped of her title as Princess, should I use the title?"
"I was curious as well. Since she left for safety in any case, I wondered if it was right for her to return once the matter was resolved."
"..."
"...Grand Duke Fenrir?"
"You guys..."
The faces of Ivan and Siegfried were reflected in Fenrir's red eyes, which had darkened in an instant.
"I don't think there is any reason to be curious about such a thing."
"..Yes?"
"And that is especially true now that we don't even know who the culprit is and haven't caught them."
"..."
"Instead of wasting time wondering about useless things, why don't you do some more research?"
"That would be true. I understand what you mean."
As the atmosphere inexplicably turned cold, Siegfried nodded and muttered.
Fenrir neither openly showed his discomfort nor acted like a fool. Moreover, he was utterly expressionless and projected a cold image, so he was no different from usual.
However, it was inexplicable. Why did his reaction feel so ominous...
"If there is any progress in the Knights' investigation, let me know immediately. Right away."
"Understood."
That was the end of their conversation. Without saying a word more, Fenrir turned around and left the Magic Tower without a second thought.
"It seems something unpleasant has happened to him."
As Fenrir left, Siegfried slowly pursed his lips.
"Well, in any case, the Grand Duke is His Majesty's closest confidant... so it is understandable."
"..."
"Anyway, did you say the Forbidden Forest? The place where you can find the Moonflower. Any other information?"
Siegfried, who had been deep in thought, looked at Ivan and asked.
"Why are you asking that?"
"Do I have to explain every single detail like this to you?"
"My cooperation will be crucial for this matter. Do you or the Archbishop know more about magic than I do?"
Siegfried wore a genuinely annoyed expression, but Ivan was right.
Soon, he suppressed his anger, let out a sigh, and continued speaking.
"I plan to go there and investigate first. It’s not like the area is completely uninhabited, so someone might have seen a suspicious person."
"Does that mean you're going west?"
"Then the Forbidden Forest is to the west, so why are you suddenly heading east? You must be so busy showing off that you've lost your mind, wandering around like that?"
"Ignorant fools like you wouldn't know, but it's perfectly possible to do that without even losing your mind. You just have to say things as they are."
Still crazy.
He chattered to himself, but didn't bother to say it out loud.
As Ivan said, cooperation was needed for this matter,
"It would be fun if you came back bitten by a monster, too. I have a weak stomach, but I’ll let it slide this one time just for the sake of the spectacle."
"For a bookworm who's just been holed up in the magic tower, you don't know anything, right. The monsters' tyranny has decreased recently."
"...It’s decreased? Suddenly?"
"Yeah, it’s hard to say. Even long before Ateloia existed, the west was always swarming with monsters."
"..."
They went quiet, as if they had received orders from someone, very much in sync.
...As if they had received an order?
Ivan's face turned subtle.
"That's enough. Get lost."
"What?"
"I'm done for you, so get lost. If you have nothing better to do, go sew Noah DeVern's neck back together. Didn't you say he was a pitiful little goat of God?"
"...You piece of trash."
And it's not God's young goat, but a young lamb.
Siegfried wore a look of utter disgust, but it had no effect on Ivan whatsoever. It was a look he had seen ever since childhood.
Whether you like it or not, I don't care.
"..."
Whether Siegfried looked at him with disgust or not, Ivan frowned and fell into deep thought.
***
He didn't feel well.
Sitting in the carriage on his way back to the mansion, Fenrir's face was stiff and rigid.
[Is Princess Presepe returning to the Imperial Palace?]
He saw the ending, but in this playthrough, Presepe did not encounter either Ivan or Siegfried.
Because it was smuggled out of the imperial palace before that.
However, they were already interested in Presepe, whom they had not even met.
According to the given settings,
'I expected it, but...'
He was very annoyed.
Even though they had mocked, ridiculed, humiliated, destroyed, and ultimately even killed her, only Presepe retained the memories of that moment entirely.
Only Presepe suffered endlessly.
Those terrible moments had never happened to them, but for Presepe, it was a past she had vividly experienced herself.
It certainly won't stop at just showing interest. If they meet Presepe, they will, just as they did before, again...
"..."
The sound of teeth grinding was heard from between Fenrir's tightly closed lips.
"Grand Duke, we have arrived at the mansion."
Meanwhile, the carriage had already arrived in front of the mansion. Fenrir casually swept back his slightly disheveled hair and slowly stepped out of the carriage.
What kind of time were you spending?
As he recalled the image of Presepe looking out the carriage window with childlike joy, Fenrir's stiff face softened slightly.
However, not long after he entered the mansion...
He paused at the unexpected sight ahead and stood still.
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