Living as an Unemployed in Another World

26 – 2. The Path of the Dagger (7)

7.

The count’s residence was a bit far from the port city——East Side, where there was a rumor that the thieves had fled. The Heretic Inquisitor, who had a habit of being suspicious of everything, didn’t even believe the information straight away, but he couldn’t deny that it was comfortable to be by the side of a person in power. Leaving behind a look of regret, the heretic inquisitor got off the carriage and admired the garden with blue flowers of unknown varieties that he had seen elsewhere.

‘It would be nice to set up a flower bed near the cathedral, but I want it because only white flowers bloom every time.’

Just like the horses that pull the wagon, there must be someone who takes care of the flowers that adorn the garden, but there was no room for other types of flowers to bloom in the garden, so it was not very tasty to see. There was a time when I thought that I would like to see not only the flowers favored by the orderly gods, but also the sight of life of different colors blooming in each season. Of course, because he did not spare his words even in such trivial matters, he must be where he is now.

Unlike in the carriage, he crossed the garden with the knight, who was still moving, like a stone statue, although he showed the movement of walking. Well, I don’t know when it will arrive, and I didn’t really want to see a person in power rushing out and welcoming me, but even though I had sent a letter in advance, the absence of an attendant to watch the carriage arrive didn’t mesh well with the majestic appearance of the count’s residence.

‘Am I becoming such a kkondae? sh*t, I need to see the outside and live.’

He rubbed the back of his shaven head as he reached the front door of his mansion. He turns around and sees the cathedral knight staring at the door, still unwilling to take off his helmet. It seems that she doesn’t even know that it’s polite to show her face in the mansion. No, maybe he just simply doesn’t want to take it off. He stopped trying to identify with him again, then curled up his hand and knocked.

Soon, a small attendant opened the door and appeared. Seeing himself——no, the figure of the knight wearing full plate armor, the little boy immediately lowered his head.

“Oh, welcome!”

“Ah——we are from the church of the royal capital. …… A priest.”

“Ah!”

When he added an afterword to prevent misunderstanding, the attendant sighed, saying, “It is indeed so.” Seeing his shoulders tremble, he seemed quite shocked. Well, a knight wearing armor full of flaws deserves to be treated as a ghost.

“I had an appointment in advance to meet the lord…… Can I meet you now?”

“Yes? Lord is now…… Oh no. Check, check. Let’s go to the parlor for now.”

“Yes.”

The attendant nodded and led them down the corridor, still trembling. The Heretic Inquisitor, who was walking around the inside of the magnificent mansion, glared at the knight, saying that first impressions are important, and then suddenly noticed that everyone else walking around the hallway of the mansion had an aura similar to that of the attendants.

Everyone, regardless of gender or age, whether it be a maid or an attendant, is busy moving, and the moment they find them, they hurriedly slow down. Is that all, like an attendant walking ahead, his complexion was pale, and his expression was as if he had witnessed a crisis.

‘What is it? Wasn’t it because of us? It’s not like the thief heard it last night.’

Even though he thought it was a foolish imagination, the Heretic Questioner, on the other hand, did not let go of his doubts. Soon, the two of them were sitting in silence in a drawing room five times larger than the one he was using, when the straight man opened the door and Count Louver appeared behind him.

However, the Heretic Inquisitor, who tried to cross himself with a friendly smile as much as possible, was honestly taken aback when he looked up at his appearance.

Old. No, I don’t mean to belittle.

On paper, Count Louver knew that he was about the same age as himself. However, gray hair and wrinkles around the eyes are already those of an old man in his sixties. It’s not that the face has rusted because people have gone through a lot of hardships, but it’s actually a lot more soggy with time.

For a moment, I thought that someone else had come to this place in place of him, but judging by the attitude of the man called the head butler, that also seemed not to be the case. The Heretic Questioner struggled to raise the corner of his mouth and finished his last name.

“Order and God bless you. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord. hahahaha.”

“Me too. The mansion is in a remote location, so I don’t know if there were any inconveniences on the way there.”

Received the old count’s smile, the voice also matched his age, and the Heretic Questioner felt the direction his gaze was heading. A natural question is whether that madman who doesn’t take off his helmet even in the mansion is also in your company. The Heretic Questioner swallowed a sigh and opened his mouth.

“He is a knight of the same church as me. As a person who worships the same god of order, please understand that I am reserving my words due to circumstances.”

“Ah! It’s the first time I’ve actually met the cathedral knight in person. This is an honor.”

When Count Louver greeted him first, the plaster-like knight also bowed his head in silence. The Heretic Questioner secretly swallowed a sigh and continued.

“You may have received the letter, but we followers of the god of order are currently pursuing a thief who fled after causing a series of major incidents in the capital. There is intelligence that the person has fled to the East Side, so I dare to ask for help from the Count, the owner of the estate.”

“Of course. However…… There was such a thing, but it’s a bit embarrassing to think that you’re bothering the church people with the matter of our estate. Originally, as a worthy servant of the king, it was a matter for me to step in and search.”

“No, because it is closely related to our church. ‘The royal family’ has already delegated this matter to us.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that. Since the aristocrats suffered damage, of course I thought only the hired soldiers or vassals would search for them…… Now that the followers of the order god have stepped forward, it’s only a matter of time before the thief who disrupts the order is caught.”

“Doesn’t that mean that the royal family is also taking this case seriously? Don’t worry, it will happen.”

The heretic questioner let go of the count’s words in one word and let a fishy smile flow inwardly.

‘…… Look at this?’

Considering the influence of the local aristocrats, especially Count Louver, who reigns almost like a king in the periphery, it is difficult to imagine that news of the royal capital would arrive late. Of course, he must have maintained a close relationship with some court nobles. Investigations have already been done on that part.

However, he acted as if he had no idea that most of the nobles who were victimized were being investigated for serving heresy. It is as if he insists that he has nothing to do with them and at the same time emphasizes who the owner of his territory is.

The Heretic Inquisitor gave a sinister smile uncharacteristic of a priest. Let’s throw the bait.

“But…… The mansion was a bit noisy. The complexion of the servants was not very good.”

“Is that so? Butler, you should go out and check what’s going on.”

“Yes. Lord.”

The Count immediately snapped the man guarding his back out of the drawing room. At that point, the Heretic Inquisitor confirmed his suspicion.

‘If you really didn’t know how the servants reacted, you wouldn’t be able to respond so quickly. It’s a situation where I might have committed rudeness in front of an honored guest.’

As he lowered the corner of his mouth, the count first proposed with a smile.

“First of all, you two have come a long way, so why don’t you stay at our mansion and relieve your travel addiction? There are a few rooms left, so there seems to be no shortage.”

“…… We want to do that too.”

The Heretic Questioner deliberately stood up before he could even finish talking. When he rose from his seat, the knights of the cathedral also followed his actions and rose from their seats. Seeing the fully armed knight looking down at him, the Count’s face was filled with a feeling of embarrassment that he could not hide. The Heretic Questioner was grateful to him for the first time.

“I thought it would be busy. I’m sorry I declined the favor, but I’ll try to find a decent lodging on the Eastside before the sun goes down.”

“…… If that’s the case, I’ll contact the captain of the guard in no time. You will be able to pass without bothersome checks.”

“Thank you for the favor.”

The Heretic Inquisitor smiled and quickly crossed out his last name as if shaking off the old Count’s hand, and left the drawing room in a circle. In order to prevent him from calling the head of the house to see them off again, he did not forget to leave the cathedral knight behind and go first.

In the end, the Heretic Inquisitor, who left the mansion without a proper farewell, turned around and asked the cathedral knight following him a little while later. It’s a little awkward when it comes to rank or rank, but it’s okay to say it.

“Hey.”

“…… Yes.”

“You’re surprised, Mistress.”

He shuddered at the sound of a broken voice that sounded deep in the cave. He is somehow startled, even though it is a voice he has heard before. That’s why you don’t want to talk to him. He coughed, ventilated his surroundings, and whispered softly.

“We will head to the East Side as I told the Count, but even if I stay, you will have to quietly get out of town and stay nearby.”

“Yes.”

“…… Why don’t you ask why?”

“… ….”

“Tsk, the count is suspicious. He has that old look and a careless attitude. He also pretends not to know what happened in the capital. However, since there is no evidence, he cannot be blindly accused of heresy. Apparently, while I’m gathering information in the city, you should stay in a village not far away and keep an eye on the count’s movements.”

“…… Are you okay?”

Huh? When the Heretic Questioner asked again, the knight fell silent again. I like the fact that he doesn’t complain about what he’s ordered to do, but he gets angry when he treats himself like an old man in the back room.

“Are you ignoring me because I’m worse than you? Don’t worry, I have the means to protect myself. I’ll report it through magic on my side, so you leave it empty in the evening. Catching the thief is a combination of both, later. Okay?”

The knight silently nodded, and the Heretic Questioner silently boarded the carriage first. Anyway, they say there is nothing easy in the world. He grumbled and looked out the window again. The only regret was the blue flowers that bloomed in the garden.