Chapter 431 – Threatening Letter to the Duke's Family

“…Then… from now on, I’ll call you Mathius… We’ll have you take care of Oscar and Vanessa under the guise of a trial period. This is because you’re close in age to them and can use Life Magic.”

“Understood. I will escort the two of them. Duke, please take this Balor for self-defense. It should be fine if you keep it in your pocket.”

“Oh my. This is quite an interesting Magical Creature.”

With that, I handed Balor over to the Duke. The Duke seemed to be enjoying himself as he made eye contact with the Balor he received. Hmm… He really is Oscar and Vanessa’s father.

With the Duke having Balor and me accompanying Oscar and Vanessa as their escort, Caduceus would be free. This meant he could handle Leslie’s surveillance and escort duties, as well as keeping watch within the mansion.

“I may have the Familiars accompanying the two of them move around inside the mansion as well.”

“Understood. Then I leave the rest to you, Clark.”

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

After discussing future arrangements with Duke Driscoll and Clark, the meeting in the reception room came to an end.

“Then, allow me to show you the way,” Clark said, guiding us to where Oscar and Vanessa were.

“Thank you.”

“Given the nature of the incident, Lord Oscar is protecting Lady Vanessa. This is Lady Vanessa’s idea, I presume.”

…I see. They’re using the attack to their advantage, making it the reason for the two of them to stay in one place. It’s helpful that they’re creating a situation that makes it easier for us to provide escort.

“Lord Clark, I would also feel more at ease if you remained by the Duke’s side as much as possible. Please don’t take any unreasonable risks even if you’re attacked.”

“To think you’d worry about this old body.”

Clark broke into a smile. Well… Clark seems like the type to throw himself in harm’s way to protect his masters in an emergency, and I don’t think he would distance himself from the Duke… but there’s a possibility he might try to act as a shield himself. But that’s my job.

We passed through the carpeted hallway, climbed the mansion’s stairs… and when we arrived at Oscar and Vanessa’s room, Clark knocked on the door.

“Lord Oscar, Lady Vanessa, I’ve brought the servant we discussed earlier.”

“Come in.”

As soon as we called out into the room, Oscar’s reply came.

Entering the room with Clark, I saw Oscar and Vanessa sitting facing each other across a desk placed against the wall. When they recognized me, they stood up and bowed.

Just to be safe, I decided to use a soundproofing Magic.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I got delayed preparing various things.”

“Not at all. You’re Theodore-sama, correct?” Vanessa asked.

“Yes. I’m wearing a disguise Ring, so for now I’m Mathius. Currently, I’m posing as a servant.”

“Underst—no, I understand. Mathius.”

Right. We have to maintain the appearance of nobles and servants.

“Then, I shall take my leave,” Clark said with a bow before leaving the room. Caduceus also left the room with him.

First, I should investigate various things like the mansion’s layout.

“How did the discussion with Father go… um, what was the outcome?”

“We’ve arranged various matters. I’ve left Balor with the Duke, so we can track his movements and protect him even when we’re apart.”

That’s right… These two are sharp, so I should explain various things to them… Meanwhile, I’ll contact everyone about the old castle matter using the Communication Device.

“…I see. In that case, the remaining question is where to make our move,” Vanessa said, nodding thoughtfully with an impressed expression after I explained the arrangements made with the Duke.

This time, it’s better for us to take the initiative rather than wait for an attack. The situation is more urgent if Leslie is the mastermind. So we’ll proceed with that assumption.

I had already informed King Melvin when I stopped by the Royal Castle earlier, and the Duke is cooperating as well. Various conditions have been met.

“That’s already decided. Whether the mastermind’s position is genuine or a disguise, they must send a threatening letter to the Duke to make their intention to attack known.”

“So we can predict their next move based on the nature of their strategy.”

“Correct. Although the perpetrators have been captured, the attack would be meaningless without a separate team. The threatening letter also serves to suggest the existence of such a separate team.”

If their goal is to make us aware of their intention to attack, it’s absolutely necessary. The attackers have been captured, but if they want to proceed with their scheme despite that, they must send a threatening letter and pretend there’s a separate team, otherwise their plan won’t advance.

‘Lord Forset and the others have arrived at the inn. Lavigne, Eclair, and Ambrum are all fine,’ came a message from Grace through the Communication Device.

After Ambrum returned home and conveyed the information, Forset and Sion offered to help, saying it would be better to have more Vanguards. Indeed. Their strength is reliable enough. The situation is becoming clearer, and we’re starting to understand how we should move.

Regarding Grace’s Communication Device, it couldn’t be used in its Released Form due to insufficient durability, so I reviewed the Materials and used structural Enhancement Magic to strengthen it so it can be used even in Released Form.

‘Understood. No abnormalities here either at this time. If the situation changes outside of regular reports, I’ll contact you accordingly.’

After sending my reply… I focused on the Five Senses Link to gather information and observe until something changed.

Oscar and Vanessa seemed to understand that now was a time for waiting, and although they appeared restless, they decided to pass the time by reading books.

…I couldn’t help but notice that this room also had a carbonated drink Magic Tool installed, and the two were pouring it into cups to drink. It seems the Duke really took a liking to it.

—And then… the next development came when it was completely dark outside, after dinner had finished.

Oscar and Vanessa weren’t feeling well, so they had their meal in their room. I also had dinner with them, and just as we were taking a breather, someone knocked on the door.

“This is Clark. A suspicious letter has just arrived at the mansion. The master wishes to speak with everyone present, so he requests that both of you come to the dining hall.”

…So it’s come. We exchanged glances, nodded, and left the room together.

The soldiers watching the garden reported no abnormalities. Leslie wasn’t moving either. The fact that the letter was delivered from outside suggests it might have been prepared in advance.

There might be information to be gained from the threatening letter’s contents as well. First, we should confirm what it says.

Following Clark’s lead to the dining hall, we found the Duke, the Duchess, Leslie, and several servants gathered. Dinner had already been cleared away, and the dining hall was spotless.

“You’re here. Earlier, we received this letter from someone calling themselves Curtis. Since it’s a suspicious letter with no connection to us, I’d like to hear everyone’s opinions.”

The Duke held up the stationery for everyone to see. There was… Curtis’s signature.

So… they’re using the name Curtis themselves. Well, I assume it’s a pseudonym anyway, so let’s refer to the mastermind as Curtis for now.

“What does it say? Or rather, who delivered it?” Oscar asked the Duke.

“I haven’t read the contents yet. It was delivered by a public delivery person. Apparently, there was also a letter addressed to the delivery person, requesting that it be delivered around dinnertime to celebrate a family member’s birthday.”

…When it’s a request involving the Duke’s family, a delivery person can’t exactly refuse.

“Then… I shall read the contents aloud for everyone.”

The Duke, wearing Gloves, carefully took out the stationery and began reading.

“—Forgive the rudeness of disturbing your post-dinner respite. How are you all faring now? If you’re trembling in fear from the attack, then our comrades’ attempt was successful. Or are you feeling relieved after repelling our comrades? If so, that is a mistake. As evidenced by our sending this letter to you now, this is not over yet.”

The Duke paused there and looked around at everyone’s faces. No one’s expression had changed. They seemed to be waiting for the continuation. The Duke continued reading the threatening letter.

“…We shall state our demands directly. It’s nothing difficult. Cease reconciliation with the Grand Duke’s family and strive to maintain the traditional relationship. There is no need to disrupt the balance of the three families of the Kingdom of Verdugal and create new relationships. If this demand is not met, new calamities shall befall the Duke’s house without delay. —Curtis”

…I see. It’s written in such a way that it makes sense regardless of how the situation develops after the attack. The font was also that straight-line style, disguised to prevent handwriting analysis.

And by demanding that the balance of the three families not be disrupted, they’re creating confusion by making opponents of reconciliation, whether from the Grand Duke’s side or the Royal family’s side, potential candidates.

Considering they carried out the attack in the western harbor district and the quality of those perpetrators, they might have anticipated that the perpetrators would be captured and that some information would leak from them.

After all, even the contents of that letter would have eventually come to light through Magical Inquisition, sooner or later, if the perpetrators were captured.

Normally, we should probably pursue information from previous disputes involving the perpetrators and what efforts were made for their release… but if we follow the methods Curtis expects, we might even end up with false information.

I observed the family members’ reactions, and everyone seemed to have similar responses. Oscar and Vanessa had anticipated the threatening letter, so they were probably feigning ignorance, but Leslie also wore a surprised expression. I can’t tell if it’s acting or not.

Probably, even if we directly confronted Curtis with the letter found from the attackers, it wouldn’t cause him to panic.

…In other words, we shouldn’t fight on this guy’s chosen battlefield.

The contents are impossible to verify as true or false, so discussing them would be pointless.

We need to close in on him using methods he wouldn’t expect. And—the preparations for that… the discussions and groundwork have already been done.

“Master. Couldn’t we use that new method we heard about from His Majesty?”

“Ah, yes. I had it prepared for later experiments, but I never thought it would prove useful in a place like this.”

The two exchanged such dialogue. From the perspective of the one who set this up, it feels rather transparent, but as expected of a great noble and his servant, they can play their parts well.

Of course, this too is part of the flow we arranged earlier in the reception room.

While the other family members tilted their heads in confusion, Clark brought dried seaweed from the kitchen next to the dining hall. This was… what I had everyone buy for me at the Market.

Clark placed it on the table and left the dining hall again.

“Seaweed…? What are you planning to do?”

They probably thought we were still discussing the threatening letter, but suddenly the conversation took a different turn, making the development unpredictable. To Leslie, who was tilting his head in confusion, the Duke responded calmly.

“Well—just watch for a while. Make sure not to touch the letter.”

Clark returned shortly after leaving. This time, he was carrying laboratory equipment like glass bottles and beakers that Rosemary had prepared.

“Mathius. You can use Life Magic, correct? I’ll teach you the procedure, so please demonstrate it for us.”

“Y-yes.”

Suddenly called upon by the Duke, I stepped forward while pretending to be flustered.

The method involved burning the seaweed—then separating iodine from the ashes or solutions boiled from the ashes by adding chemical agents like acid.

Needless to say, this was knowledge from Kirishima Kagehisa—my previous life. Well… it’s from my middle school memories. Something my chemistry teacher went off-topic to teach us during class.

The Duke recited the procedure I had taught him back to me. Following the Duke’s instructions, I chopped the seaweed into ashes—and proceeded with the work.

“I’ve heard the rising steam is toxic. Be careful not to inhale it.”

“Let’s open the window,” said Clark.

“With Wind Magic… I think we can contain it.”

Playing the complete novice, I chanted with a serious expression and clumsy delivery, then used Fire Magic, Wind Magic, Water Magic, etc., to evaporate the moisture and separate the components. By containing and solidifying the generated odor, then cooling it… iodine crystals were produced.

“Is this satisfactory, Master?”

“Indeed. Place these crystals in a glass tube and roast them with fire, then direct the rising steam toward the letter.”

This would cause the sweat components attached to the paper to react, coloring the fingerprints and making them detectable.

When I directed the rising iodine vapor toward the letter, fingerprints clearly emerged from various places on the paper.

“This is…!”

Leslie’s expression… changed. His eyes widened in shock.

That’s right. Using fingerprints for investigations, or detecting fingerprints from paper—such things aren’t known in this world.

Just like how criminals wouldn’t take measures to avoid leaving evidence like hair if they didn’t know about DNA analysis, if they don’t know that fingerprints remain on threatening letters, they can’t take countermeasures.

“I must admit this is surprising… but does something like this constitute evidence? We can see the marks of the fingers that touched it, but what does that accomplish?”

Then Leslie questioned the evidentiary value of the fingerprints themselves.

Yes. That’s how it would be. Since it’s a new method, it’s meaningless unless the validity of the technique is proven. But this kind of discussion is within my expectations.

The Duke closed his eyes, removed his Gloves, touched a glass bottle to leave his fingerprints, and then said:

“Like this… when you touch glass or other surfaces, traces remain, correct? I’ve heard these spiral patterns have distinct characteristics for each individual, even between parents and children. If we analyze them in detail, we should be able to tell who touched what. The Otherworld Ambassador proposed this to His Majesty. His Majesty Melvin is quite enthusiastic about newly incorporating this method into criminal investigations, saying that with enough samples collected and examined, the validity would naturally be proven. After all… if we can make them appear from paper like this, the range of applications should be broad.”

The words the Duke spoke… were exactly what King Melvin had said to me when I proposed using this method to shake things up. I had already proposed this to King Melvin when I returned to the Royal Castle, and the groundwork was laid.

In moving the procedure forward, I made use of the Duke’s inquisitive nature. Even without my interference, the conversation would progress.

While the evidential value of fingerprints still requires verification… that’s merely a matter of time. From Curtis’s perspective, this must feel like having a fire lit under him.

To put it more bluntly, for me, the accuracy of fingerprints is already beyond debate. If I have information that brings me to certainty about the culprit’s identity, that’s sufficient.

“The perpetrator who planned this attack… or their accomplice, may be among the Duke’s household. Using this pattern as reference, find those who match and identify them. The captured attackers probably received instructions as well? If discovered, their finger patterns should similarly be detectable.”

The Duke declared this before everyone. So simply disposing of this threatening letter wouldn’t be the end of it.

“I’ll cooperate too. If my innocence is proven, we won’t have to remain suspicious of each other.”

“Same as my brother.”

Oscar and Vanessa agreed in turn, touching the glass bottle to leave their fingerprints. The Duchess and Clark followed suit. Leslie… remained motionless from a slight distance. His complexion seemed somewhat pale.

When even the Duke and his children were cooperating with fingerprint collection… he couldn’t possibly refuse. Would he sit and await death, or move before they reached him?

Leslie was looking down.

I didn’t miss a single movement. Especially the flow of magical power. With the monocle, I could detect the precursors of chantless attack magic too.

“Fu—fufu…”

That was… laughter. His shoulders trembling slightly.

“Leslie. What’s so amusing?”

The Duke frowned as he asked.

“No, this is surprising. I wonder how the Otherworld Ambassador discovered such a method. Or did you obtain it from some text? Either way, it seems my knowledge still has room to grow.”

Leslie’s head alone shook unnaturally. Then—he looked up. I could tell Vanessa had gasped. A hatefully distorted expression was plastered across his face. Was this the expression she had seen?

And an abnormal reaction in magical power. This—!?

“Get back!”

Instinctively stepping before everyone, I deployed a large Shield. However, Leslie’s action differed from my expectations. He leaped backward dramatically, pressing his back against the corner of the grand dining hall’s ceiling.

His eyes. Neither those eyes nor their movements were human. Horizontal pupils like a goat’s gleamed brilliantly. A Demon? No… that didn’t seem quite right either.

“Though I had various preparations in place. They’ve become useless now. Well, no matter. I’ve been gradually synchronizing and finally gained freedom of movement. Such brute force methods dampen my enthusiasm but… even from here, I must show you that I, who can sway dreams and reality, can overturn this situation.”

…This thing. Was it possessing Leslie?

Just now, I definitely saw… an unfathomable magical power, unlike anything human, gush from Leslie’s chest area and coil around his limbs like chains.

“…Who are you?”

I asked the laughing Leslie clinging to the ceiling. Leslie… no, whatever was borrowing Leslie’s body, its eyes gleaming brilliantly, spoke with an expression of delight.

“—Nightmare Glazheim. In Wagner=Driscoll’s era, I was also called the Great Demon of Dream Infiltration. This is… revenge upon Wagner’s descendants, boy.”