The story rewinds about half a day.
「Are you really sure about this?」
「I don’t mind.」
「I’m going to buy the super expensive cakes from Blostash, you know?」
「I don’t mind.」
He props his elbows on the desk like some commander and clasps his hands in front of his face.
It is not so much intimidation as it is a show of seriousness.
「Ngh…. You know what that means, right? Not half a cake, I mean a whole one.」
「Fu…. Krea-kun.」
「Yes?」
「Do you know what the person sitting in front of you is called these days?」
「Lately the most common one is 『the worst youngest brother who uses his wife as blackmail material』, I think.」
When did I start getting called such awful things! I’ll go have some “fun” with Noie and find whoever’s saying that!
「I’m the patriarch of the Draguknight family! I’m famous for being filthy rich!」
「……..When you say it yourself like that, it sounds really bad, you know?」
「Quiet. The patriarch of the Draguknight family is hosting the 『We’ve been so busy lately, so let’s eat sweets and forget our fatigue party』! Don’t you dare suggest something pathetic like one or two fancy cakes! Buy enough so everyone can eat their fill!」
Krea, who had shrunk back in fear, instantly revives.
「Augusta-sama? Are you in your right mind?」
「I already got permission from my wife. This is for Noie’s share, so buy extra anyway.」
Today is unusually clear, so she left in high spirits this morning to go dragon hunting.
That is exactly why…. he needs to take care of what must be done now.
「Really okay?! Then I won’t hold back, I’ll shop using Augusta-sama’s money!」
「Go right ahead. Show them the true power of the Draguknight family!」
「Understood!」
Krea skips out of the room with little hops.
That said, today’s participants are…. just me, Noie, Krea, Inel-kun, and Lutte, more or less.
Assuming no one smells the sweets and crashes the party.
….And speak of the devil.
「Excuse me, Augusta-sama.」
「Perfect timing.」
「Yes?」
Inel-kun enters carrying an armful of documents and places the stack on my desk.
「Are these the ones I asked for?」
「Yes. However, access restrictions were applied.」
「I figured as much.」
He respectfully returns the decorative badge that also serves as my identification, which I usually wear at my waist.
It used to be a prince’s credential, after all…. so treating it with deference is only natural.
「By the way, Krea ran off to the shop without taking a note of Noie’s preferences. Could you chase after her with this?」
「Yes.」
「Feel free to take any nearby maids or escort knights with you. Just make sure the cakes are handled properly.」
「Yes.」
Though visibly humbled, Inel-kun also seems somehow restless and fidgety.
Krea is heading to the shop intending to buy sweets they cannot usually afford after all.
Today is a no-formality day, and I have declared that no matter what or how much she buys, I will not get angry.
And all the expenses are on me.
「If it’s only cakes, that might get boring, so if you see any baked goods or something new and interesting, buy those too. If there are leftovers, we can share them with the maids and such.」
「Yes. ….Excuse me.」
Sensing there was no more to say, he gives a quick bow and dashes out of the room.
He probably wants to pick out souvenirs for when he returns to his hometown next time.
Well, that’s fine.
I have been forcing those two to overwork quite a bit lately.
It is difficult to pay anything beyond their base salary in cash, so today’s sweets festival is compensation in a different form.
I call out to the maid waiting outside the room and ask for some drinks…. then I reach for the stack of documents Inel-kun brought.
『Documents Concerning Dangerous Criminals』
I flip open the cover written in plain, businesslike characters and check inside.
The first thing I wanted to see…. was there.
My eyes fall on the entry labeled “Fashi”.
I shift the pile of papers and pull out her file. It is reasonably thick.
『She studied under a retired mage and honed her magical talent. Taking advantage of the chaos caused by a dragon attack within the kingdom, she murdered a large number of citizens.
Her magic was unique to her and impossible to replicate.
Because she created and controlled countless blades of air to slice her victims apart, she came to be feared as the “Blood-Soaked Fashi”.
The royal army was mobilized to capture her, and she was later executed by beheading.
For details on her victims and the crime scenes, refer to the attached documents….』
I scan the summary written on the cover page and lightly confirm the contents.
It is something close to an indiscriminate terrorist attack in Earth terms.
She laughed in a broken way while slaughtering people with magic. But….
After finishing the document, I return it to the pile and exhale the lingering discomfort in my chest as a sigh.
She must have been terrified.
An unknown being called a dragon had come close, right up to her doorstep, and the fear may have broken her mind.
That day, the expression on her face when I saw her through Noie’s eyes was pure “terror”.
Thinking of it that way makes everything fit.
Even so, indiscriminate murder is a crime. She was judged for that crime.
I reach for another document.
Over the past ten years…. or rather, the incidents that exploded ten years ago involved many boys and girls.
And every single one of them caused a major incident.
Why did so many happen around that specific time ten years ago?
Just to test, I try asking “that thing” inside my mind, but as usual it completely ignores my question.
It only contacts me one-way whenever it feels like it!
I take the index and check each entry one by one.
Every one of them was captured and executed.
But…. wait?
I go through them again in order, but still nothing.
Where are the documents for Camieu and Glodia?
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