That night, on the same day Denis left the mansion, a letter arrived from the Mage Association. It stated that the bereaved family had given permission to inspect the scene early the next morning. The letter also conveyed their request to catch the culprit without fail, for the sake of the deceased victim.
Jared had no intention of leaving a murderer at large. He himself had taken lives, but most of those instances involved situations where his own life was in danger, or the target was irredeemable and had to be eliminated. He had never taken a life by choice. He believed that taking a life, regardless of the reason, was an unforgivable and shameful act. Though Jared didn’t regret his past actions, he sometimes wondered if there had been another way.
The next day. Jared headed towards the mansion of Kevin Harrington, a Court Mage Candidate who had died the previous morning. Olivier, still unhappy about him going alone and not having guards, puffed out her cheeks, while Yeny and others saw him off with worried expressions.
“Why are you here, Pfeil?”
“I’m on guard duty.”
“I told you I didn’t need one. Besides, why are you my guard?”
“Olivier Alway asked me to. She seems to think that since I can fight you as an equal, even after your previous victory, I’ll put your mind at ease.”
“Olivier is one thing for asking, but you’re something else for accepting.”
Jared knew Olivier wasn’t pleased with him acting independently, but he never imagined she would ask Pfeil to be his guard. However, he figured Pfeil was a much better option than some stranger the Mage Association might send.
“I owe a debt not only to Hanne but also to Olivier Alway. If they ask me, I have no reason to refuse.”
“…You.”
The debt he was referring to was no doubt for the attempt on Hannelore and Olivier’s lives. Even though it was on Waalthe’s orders, and he had protected their mansion afterwards, it seemed to weigh on Pfeil as a debt to them. Jared didn’t know what he was thinking to come to that decision, but he didn’t pry further.
“If you’re okay with it, I have no complaints.”
“I’d appreciate that. By the way, I heard you’re heading to the mansion of the Court Mage Candidate who was murdered yesterday morning?”
“Yeah. Apparently, his family provided him this mansion solely for his magic research. I don’t know if he was easily infiltrated because he wasn’t living with his family, or if the attacker was considerably powerful, but I want to gather any information I can at the scene.”
The Harrington family was a Count Family, and Kevin Harrington, the Court Mage Candidate, was their second son. However, if he succeeded in becoming a Court Mage, he had a chance of inheriting the family estate over his older brother. It was unclear whether his older brother was pleased about this, but someone who was originally set to inherit the estate likely wouldn’t be happy about his position being threatened, even if his younger brother was talented.
Magicians were favored and compensated based on their abilities. Simply possessing magic power made one sought after, even commoners, let alone within the noble society. Last night, Duke Alway had provided some information upon hearing about the murder of the Court Mage Candidate, but it wasn’t enough to track down the culprit. Normally, one would suspect the older brother, but it was strange for him to also murder the other two candidates. It was possible he took advantage of the situation to kill his brother, but that also felt off. Kevin Harrington was a magician with a rare dual attribute, just like Jared. He specialized in fire and earth attributes, and was particularly skilled in offense. Even if his own brother attacked him by surprise, he should have been able to do something. He wouldn’t have become a Court Mage Candidate if he wasn’t capable of that.
“This must be it. It’s quite large for a private residence…”
While he was lost in thought, Jared and Pfeil had arrived at their destination. Kevin’s mansion was located on the outskirts of the Capital City, far from the districts where other nobles resided. Whatever magic research he was conducting, it was a somewhat suitable location for research and experiments within the Capital City.
“Hey, wait.”
“…I know. Someone’s here.”
Although it was still early in the morning, the surrounding residents were going about their daily lives. However, the area where a murder had occurred yesterday was enveloped in silence. Amidst this quiet, they could faintly hear a noise coming from Kevin Harrington’s mansion. It was a small sound that most would miss, but both Jared and Pfeil clearly detected it.
“Are you going in?”
“Obviously?”
They exchanged a nod and leaped over the wall surrounding the mansion. The source of the noise was in the back of the mansion. Moving stealthily, they approached, crawling low to the ground, and spotted a figure. There was only one person initially, but as they drew closer, they sensed two presences. One was outside the building, seemingly on guard, and the other was inside.
“Don’t kill anyone.”
Jared warned Pfeil, then drew a knife from his waist, moved silently behind the figure, and pressed the blade against their neck.
“—Huh?”
“Don’t make a sound. If you yell, or try to call for help from the person inside, I’ll kill you. Blink twice if you understand.”
While he had no intention of killing or harming the person, surprising them was necessary to gain the upper hand. Since the person’s motives were unknown, Jared acted decisively. Pfeil had gone inside the building, so he wasn’t there. Judging by the silence, Jared assumed he had also subdued whoever was inside. Jared noticed that the figure was a girl, about his age. However, Kevin had no young female relatives. As he wondered who it could be and leaned in to get a better look, he recognized her.
“…Bertha Bartram?”
“You’re… Jared Murphy?”
The girl, pale from the knife at her throat, was Bertha Bartram, a classmate from the academy. She was supposed to be Laurentz Herring’s attendant and guard. If she was here, and there was someone inside the building, then it must be—
“Hey, Pfeil! Don’t hurt her, no matter what!”
Jared yelled in alarm, and a nearby door slowly opened. Laurentz appeared, his neck also restrained by a knife held by Pfeil, much like Bertha.
“Jared!?”
Laurentz couldn’t hide his surprise.
“What can I say, I’m sorry,” was all Jared could offer.
