Chapter 4: The place where frost stays Part 4

After returning to the manor, Keldric finished his lunch and immediately sought someone out.

“Mariam.”

“Oh! Ke-Keldric, sir.”

At the sound of Keldric’s deep voice, Mariam demurely bowed her head.

Her dark navy hair, neatly braided, swayed gently.

“What is it, sir? Is there something, even a small task, that I can help with…?”

“Shh. It would be better if you lowered your voice a bit.”

“Eep! Y-yes, sir…”

Mariam covered her mouth with her hand, clearly startled.

Keldric’s expression grew complicated.

Is this really the only person I can ask? Even this girl…

Keldric’s most trusted ally, Yakov, was currently away helping Himlor inspect the hunting grounds.

As a result, the only person Keldric could rely on within the manor was Mariam, Yakov’s second daughter.

Although he had some reservations, Mariam wasn’t a particularly unusual or suspicious person.

She had simply earned a reputation as clumsy due to her frequent mishaps.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Keldric lowered his gaze.

Mariam was still looking up at him with her bright, attentive eyes, her head tilted far back to meet his gaze due to the height difference.

Her face was sincere and free of any malice.

“I have something I need to ask you.”

“W-what is it? Please, tell me, and I’ll do my best…”

At the very least, she wasn’t the kind of person who would betray him.

Keldric set aside his doubts, though he wasn’t brimming with confidence either.

“You’ve heard that Joseph arrived in the village?”

“Yes. I heard he arrived earlier, just before lunch.”

“If he happens to come to the manor, could you find out who he’s meeting with?”

“Um… You want me to figure out who he meets with?”

“Yes.”

Mariam was responsible for cleaning windows and tidying bedding in the manor, which meant she had the perfect excuse to wander freely.

No one would question her presence in any room, including those with windows.

“I’m sorry to say this, but isn’t it likely that Joseph will meet with Sir Fritz?”

Mariam timidly shared her opinion.

It was a reasonable assumption, and it aligned with Keldric’s own thoughts.

“Yes. My eldest brother is busy inspecting the hunting grounds.”

Himlor had recently become the head of the Bellaf family, meaning Baron Volpen would likely visit the hunting grounds soon to see Himlor as the new lord.

For nobles, hunting grounds held great significance.

The village’s hunting grounds hadn’t been visited by the Baron for years, and it was possible they had fallen into disrepair.

This was why Himlor was so intent on checking them.

In his absence, Fritz, the second brother, would naturally be the one to greet visitors like Joseph.

I don’t like this.

Keldric couldn’t shake the memory of Fritz’s cryptic expression at their father’s funeral a few days ago, nor could he ignore the instinctual feeling that something was amiss.

“My second brother will probably greet Joseph, but as you know, he’s also busy with preparations to meet the Baron. I’m concerned that he might not handle the guest properly amidst everything.”

“Ah, I see what you mean now! But… hmm…”

Mariam’s face showed a hint of worry, but it quickly faded as she gave a small, timid smile, revealing her rabbit-like front teeth.

“I’ll try…”

“Thank you. Really.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m just worried I might mess up… You’ve entrusted me with such an important task…”

In truth, Keldric didn’t have any solid evidence to support his suspicions.

It was just a gut feeling, spurred by the odd expression Fritz had worn during their father’s funeral.

Still, Keldric didn’t suspect his brother for no reason.

Growing up, Fritz had been the only one in the estate, aside from their father and Keldric, who was skilled enough in combat to pose a challenge.

With natural strength and martial prowess, Fritz had never hesitated to indulge his ambitions and often behaved like a true tyrant.

When Keldric was younger and still growing, Fritz frequently picked fights with him.

After Keldric thoroughly defeated him one day, however, Fritz had seemingly decided to ignore his younger brother’s existence.

Likewise, Keldric hadn’t thought much of Fritz in recent years, assuming that the beating he’d received as a child had kept him in line.

But now, Keldric felt unsettled. His animalistic instincts were issuing a sharp warning.

Something feels off.

If he just lay low and waited to leave the estate, there was a high chance something bad would happen.

Keldric placed a large hand on Mariam’s shoulder.

Her entire body flinched slightly under the weight of his palm, which easily enveloped her entire shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much if things don’t go as planned. Just be careful not to put yourself in danger. My brother might get upset if he notices you.”

“I’ll be careful…!”

Mariam clenched her tiny fists and showed a determined expression before quickly scurrying away. Keldric watched her retreating figure for a long time.

“Ahhh!”

Seeing her stumble over nothing, Keldric felt a slight pang of regret.

Hopefully, she’ll manage.

At the very least, doing something was better than doing nothing.

Letting a loose cannon like Fritz roam around unchecked would cause more trouble in the long run.

In small villages like Carlton, traveling merchants were valuable because they stimulated the local economy.

They allowed residents to purchase essential goods that were otherwise hard to come by.

Therefore, even a noble from the hereditary knight class wouldn’t ignore a visiting merchant.

It wasn’t a problem for Fritz to host Joseph in Himlor’s absence.

However, there was a difference between Fritz welcoming Joseph and Joseph secretly seeking out Fritz.

Two days after Keldric asked Mariam for help, he was able to learn several things.

“Did you exchange something with him?”

“Last night, I secretly followed Mr. Joseph as he headed east of the lord’s manor… No, I happened to go to clean the windows, you see.”

“Uh…”

Joseph visiting the lord’s manor? That was possible.

Joseph simply having a conversation with Fritz? That also made sense.

However, the idea of Joseph secretly meeting with Fritz at night to exchange something felt a bit suspicious.

There was a strong possibility that Fritz had ordered something from Joseph.

But as Keldric continued to listen to Mariam’s account, it became clear that this wasn’t the case.

“There was… a jingling sound. It was too dark to see well, but it looked like a leather pouch.”

“A leather pouch.”

“Yes. It was roughly the size of a fist.”

A leather pouch containing money.

Fritz had handed it to Joseph.

“But Mr. Joseph didn’t give anything to Sir Fritz.”

“Are you sure? Was it just that Joseph handed over something that looked like a leather pouch to my brother?”

“It seemed that way to me.”

However, Joseph had not given Fritz anything.

For a merchant to order goods typically involves a transaction where money is exchanged for the items.

Yet, it was strange to give only money without receiving anything in return.

Keldric fell deep into thought.

What items could be traded where I pay the full price but don’t receive them directly?

Even if Fritz was academically challenged, he wasn’t completely foolish; he wouldn’t just hand over money for nothing.

Then, was he giving a reward to someone under him for their hard work?

After pondering for a moment, Keldric shook his head.

The Fritz he knew wasn’t that kind of person.

If anything, he would rather extort money.

Hmm?

As Keldric continued to think, the image of Joseph he had encountered during the day suddenly flashed through his mind.

Joseph, as usual, appeared with three or four carts.

Unlike usual, he seemed to have an unusually large number of mercenaries with him.

Coincidentally, the rock troll that had been spotted at this time was particularly troubling.

For regular villagers, a rock troll is a calamity.

With skin as tough as stone, even scratching it with farming tools wouldn’t leave a mark, and to hunt it, skilled warriors would need to strike it down with clubs.

The powerful rock troll had set up camp near the territory’s largest source of income, the mine, and Baron Volpen, the lord, wouldn’t just sit idly by watching.

If the rock troll truly existed, a formal notice would have been issued to each village to gather hunting parties.

Yes.

If the rock troll truly existed, that is.

What if Joseph was lying?

Was there any reason for him to lie about the appearance of the rock troll?

And then, another thought.

Keldric continued his train of thought.

Using the appearance of the rock troll as an excuse, he brings more mercenaries than usual.

The cost of mercenaries is quite high.

Joseph must have incurred significant expenses hiring twice as many mercenaries as usual.

What could be the reason for needing to hire mercenaries to such an extent?

Because someone ordered it.

If someone ordered it, who would that be?

The person who handed over the money… my second brother.

Fritz, who temporarily occupied the family position in place of Himlor.

If he added extra money on top of hiring mercenaries, then for the merchant Joseph, there would be no loss.

Why did Fritz hire the mercenaries?

“…Ah, damn it.”

Keldric repeatedly splashed his face with cold water.

His actions, demeanor, and gaze hinted at a sense of agitation.

Mariam, who didn’t understand the situation, could only blink her bright eyes at Keldric.

“Mariam, I have one more thing to ask you.”

“Yes! Just leave it to me!”

“For the next few days, you absolutely must not, under any circumstances, go outside after dinner. Do you understand?”

Mariam thought Keldric’s request was strange.

It wasn’t asking her to do some errand; it was simply a request to limit one of her actions.

With her head tilted, Mariam asked Keldric, “Um… But tonight, I have to clean the basement…”

“You don’t have to. Find another servant or maid to handle it. You can even mention my name if needed, but make sure they follow my orders. Got it?”

“Yes, yes…”

It was an unreliable answer.

However, Keldric didn’t mind.

“Okay, I trust you.”

He simply patted Mariam on the shoulder a couple of times and hurriedly moved away.

This time, he seemed genuinely trusting.

No, he had to trust her.