Despite my questioning gaze, Elias didn’t falter.

“Narce is coming too!”

‘He’s really dragging everyone along.’

“Hmm… That friend seems a bit uncomfortable with me.”

“Aw~ It’s a bit awkward if I just go alone, right? Need to act like I’m friendly with all the 3rd phase qualifiers.”

“Ah, makes sense~”

“Guys. Why are you deciding without even asking the homeowner?”

Just then, a student from Elias’s team shouted from afar.

“Hey, Elias! Get back here now!”

“Luca! Counting on you~”

Elias shot up from his seat.

I grabbed his arm.

“Huh?”

“Wait. If we’re going together, I have one favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

I whispered in his ear and pushed him towards the training ground.

‘It’s good if we all go together.’

Since Elias and Narce are wary of Ainsidel, if there’s something to find out, it’ll be easier to steer the conversation that way.

Elias hasn’t seen Ainsidel directly since he was only in the Catacombs, but having heard the story from us, he knows what kind of person he is.

Just then, I saw the Class 1 Ainsidel walking in from the end of the hallway.

‘Why so fast.’

Didn’t he just leave?

The moment I thought, *Could he have been rejected?*, Ainsidel smiled and said.

“Lucas. He said okay. At first, he said no, but when I said you were coming, he said it was fine.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

Trying my best to put on a gentle smile, I said.

“But, Heike. Is it okay to bring Elias? He wants to see you.”

“Elias…?”

“Ah, if it’s inconvenient, it’s fine. You know… what might have happened.”

“Hmm, I know. It doesn’t matter if he comes along. I like that friend too.”

I just threw it out there randomly, but this guy knows too.

More importantly…

“Why Elias?”

“Just because.”

Answering like that makes it awkward to ask further.

Well, I clearly understand his reaction towards Elias.

“Can I come too?”

Narce suddenly asked.

Ainsidel just looked at him silently before nodding.

Though his expression is hard to read, I can tell he’s not pleased.

“Hmm…. If you want, you can come. We ended up on the same team anyway. Is it okay with you, Lucas?”

“Me too, well, since we’re on the same team.”

Narce started saying things he didn’t mean with a smiling face.

“Ah, did I butt into an unnecessary place~? Sorry.”

“No. It’s good to have many friends. More fun, right?”

Ainsidel said with a faint smile.

“Then let’s get ready to go. We should be back tomorrow morning, right?”

***

‘He naturally assumes we’ll stay overnight.’

Probably because it’s already almost 6 PM.

We warped to the edge of the Ainsidel estate, then took a carriage sent by the family to the mansion.

Elias, who came wearing his school uniform over pajamas without even a travel bag, smiled and tapped his knee.

“Wow~ This is gonna be fun! Never thought I’d live to visit the ‘Ainsidel’ house~”

“……”

I immediately knew which Ainsidel Elias was talking about.

The Class 1 Ainsidel raised an eyebrow, perhaps questioning the choice of words.

“He’s always kind of like that.”

Ainsidel nodded as if understanding.

The end of the town and the mansion weren’t that far apart.

After about a 10-minute carriage ride, we arrived at the mansion.

From afar, a mansion servant and a nobleman spotted us and approached.

More importantly, what caught my eye was a piece of paper lying on the cobblestone path. It seemed the Class 1 Ainsidel noticed it too.

“What’s this. Wasn’t here earlier.”

The Class 1 Ainsidel pulled it towards him with magic and flipped it over.

[Auszurichtendes Cookies Diebs]

[Auszurichtendes Cookies Diebs]

[Auszurichtendes Cookies Diebs]

“What is… huh.”

As soon as he flipped it, a sentence typed across the entire page became visible.

Elias looked at the letters on the paper, then lifted his head.

Ainsidel also turned to look at me.

“Strange sentence. Isn’t this what you were looking for?”

“……”

‘To be aligned cookie thief.’

This sentence also makes no sense.

Furthermore, cookie is English.

‘Audience too… Didn’t expect Cookies to appear again. Really seems like someone more comfortable with English.’

“…Didn’t expect to see it here.”

“Do you need this?”

“Yeah. I’m collecting strange sentences.”

“Then take it.”

Saying that, Ainsidel handed the paper to me.

He didn’t seem to consider this strange sentence problematic.

‘Well, naturally.’

If it hadn’t appeared in the Catacombs, I would have just ignored it too.

More importantly, what kind of warning is this supposed to be?

A thief aligning cookies? Aligning the cookie thief?

‘Does it mean a thief is coming soon?’

Though I don’t know if it’s okay to interpret it this simply….

“Luca.”

Elias stuck close beside me and muttered.

“Are these appearing wherever you go~?”

“Probably not.”

Didn’t they appear in the Catacombs even though I never set foot there?

If Marianne Baum hadn’t brought them to me, I wouldn’t even have known they were written there.

However, if it’s something ‘related, relating, or will relate’ to me, then it’s a different story.

Of course, there’s something else to consider. Unlike in the Catacombs, if it’s not written on a wall, there’s no reason to report it. Like Ainsidel just now, casually reading and discarding it would be the norm.

So, there might be several others who received strange sentences unrelated to me.

“Elias. Have you ever received something like that?”

“…I might have just thrown it away without realizing. But first off, paper that smells obviously weird like that has never come into my hands.”

While talking, the servant who looked like the head butler approached from afar.

“You’ve arrived. You must be the young master’s friends. I will show you inside.”

Several servants approached and took our hats and bags.

The head butler whispered, unable to hide his awkwardness.

“But, Young Master. You clearly said one person…”

“Ah…. It turned out that way.”

Just then, the nobleman standing beside him greeted us.

“Welcome. You must be Heike’s friends. I am Heinrich Ainsidel.”

Is this person the uncle?

He certainly resembles Heike.

Thinking that was partly due to their identical hair and eye color.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“Yes. His Highness Duke Elias and… the young master Farnese have also come. I only now learned that Heike made such esteemed friends. Had I known earlier that friends were coming, I could have prepared a grander reception; I am ashamed.”

Esteemed….

Now I feel the hierarchy among nobles again.

A family ruling a nation and a family managing a territory within it are bound to be different.

It wasn’t exactly comfortable.

Elias seemed to feel the same, as he vaguely changed the subject.

“Not at all! But I’m hungry~”

“Dinner has been prepared. Please come inside and eat.”

He smiled at the two, then looked at me.

“Please rest comfortably during your stay.”

“Thank you.”

I gave a short greeting.

Talking longer would only lead to talk about my or Elias’s family.

—“That person has no Unique Ability at all.”

Narce muttered using Divine Power.

After that, we had dinner with Heike Ainsidel’s uncle.

As expected, Heinrich Ainsidel asked about our family elders throughout the meal.

“I never thought the day would come when I would meet His Highness the Prince of Anhalt in person. Is His Grace Duke Georg well? The last time I saw him was three years ago.”

“He has become very busy due to Pleroma, but he is as healthy as before.”

Whether a human with that spirit could truly be called healthy, I don’t know.

“I see. I understand the hardship well. Please send him my regards.”

“I will.”

Heinrich Ainsidel now looked at Elias and asked.

“Is His Highness Elias’s father also well? I haven’t seen him since he stepped down from his parliamentary position.”

“He is well. Did you know my father?”

“Of course. Since he stepped down 15 years ago, it’s understandable His Highness the Duke wouldn’t know.”

“I see~ What have you been up to lately, Lord Ainsidel?”

“I am focusing on managing the town. My alma mater offered a professorship, which I am considering, but I don’t know how that will turn out.”

“Wow~ Professor, that’s cool. But do you have a family cemetery here?”

“Keoheok…” (Coughing sound)

I almost spat out what I ate.

‘He says it like that?’

Narce also looked quite taken aback.

Of course, this was the line I ordered him to say.

If Bishop Ainsidel is from this family, the situation splits into two cases.

First, the Pleroma side took the corpse and resurrected it.

Second, Ainsidel joined Pleroma of his own free will.

In the first case, the grave robbing incident must have occurred within the last 10 years or so. Since Pleroma was created about 10 years ago.

‘The intention was to probe Heike about it, didn’t think he’d ask the family head directly…’

But then again, it’s Elias.

Though it’s definitely random talk, perhaps because it’s him saying it, it doesn’t sound *that* strange.

Heinrich Ainsidel tilted his head, looking slightly taken aback by the strange topic.

“…Family cemetery…?”

“The Ainsidel family communal cemetery.”

“Of course, we have one.”

“How’s the security? I heard everyone strengthened security because of Pleroma lately; my father is very worried about graves. He’s wondering how to make them safer.”

Elias said, naturally glancing back and forth between his plate and the man’s face.

Meanwhile, Narce’s eyes fixed on Heinrich Ainsidel.

If someone had stolen skeletal remains from the grave, a reaction would show.

Slightly narrowing his eyes, perhaps, or smacking his lips before starting to speak.

If properly robbed by Pleroma, it’s impossible to hide it completely.

“Multiple layers of barriers have been set up. I am also considering building a structure along the entire cemetery perimeter. Many do that these days~”

“……”

Elias nodded.

—“Nothing particular.”

Means nothing was read.

From my view too, I couldn’t sense any agitation from him.

“I should suggest that to Father.”

“A good idea. His Highness the Duke’s father must be truly pleased to have such a thoughtful descendant.”

“Pleased, I don’t know, but his blood pressure seems to have risen a bit lately…”

“…Hmm…”

“Why… Never mind. But can I see the Ainsidel family photos?”

“……”

I almost choked again, then cleared my throat. Narce was now just watching with amusement.

‘This guy can converse properly but deliberately acts like this.’

But it’s a good stance.

Just in case, I looked at Heike.

He too looked somewhat dumbfounded, but I could feel he was watching the situation with interest.

“Family photos…?”

“Yes. Seeing Heike and his father made me curious. Heike looks really cool, you know.”

To that extent?

Anyway, if Ainsidel joined Pleroma voluntarily, even stretching it, he must have lived in this family 10 years ago, so there should be at least one photo remaining. Since photography has been around for quite some time.

Even if Pleroma killed Ainsidel and took the body without even letting it be buried, he should remain in photos.

“There’s no reason why not. His Highness the Duke is very curious.”

“Thank you! I’ll look at them with Heike later!”

“Please do.”

‘He obtained permission this easily?’

Definitely glad I brought him.

After that, thankfully, Elias took over all conversation, so there was no particular need to talk with the family head.

Finishing the meal, we could finally go to where Heike Ainsidel stayed.

Before going up the stairs, Elias’s eyes sparkled seeing cookies being baked in the kitchen.

“I want cookies!”

“Hey, you bastard…”

“…Aha~!”

Elias shook his head and quickly backed away.

He sure gets over things quickly after just seeing that sentence about cookies.

Heike Ainsidel, seemingly having completely erased that sentence from his mind, tossed out casually.

“Eat if you want. They’re baking them because you guys came.”

“Really? No~ Heike, you eat a lot.”

“They’re delicious.”

Saying that, Heike picked up a thick album and led us to the room.

He placed the album on the table and said.

“Here, you can look. But are you going to look at this right away?”

“Hm? Then what else is there to do?”

Hitting Elias’s mouth, I said with a smile.

“Heike, is there something you want to do? Let’s do that first.”

Thankfully, light began to return to Heike’s eyes.

“Let’s drink first.”

***

‘Drank yesterday, and drinking again today…’

Maybe one or two glasses of wine during dinner, but still.

Watching his beer glass being continuously refilled, I let out a dry laugh.

Since Heike started preaching his own philosophy that games must be played while drinking, I just accepted it.

“Fold.”

“Again?”

“Bad hand…”

Elias threw his cards down, slumping over the table.

Then, withdrawing from the game, he opened the album.

After carefully scrutinizing the photos, he closed the album and pushed it towards Heike.

“Looked well~ Everyone looks like you!”

“……”

I exchanged glances with Elias.

He slightly shook his head.

Heike, already tipsy, started talking about something else.

“Normally, uncle barely receives guests. Today is surprising.”

“Why?”

“Because it interferes with work.”

Ainsidel quickly came to his senses and added an explanation.

“Ah, I don’t mean you guys are interfering.”

“I know~ Your uncle must say that every time.”

Ainsidel smiled at Elias’s words.

Then he said softly.

“Interesting.”

“We haven’t really done anything proper yet…?”

Heike tilted his head at my words.

“We drank and played card games.”

“Ah, right~ It’s fun! Do you play games often?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Nobody to play with.”

Silence fell.

He says this out loud…? Wouldn’t one normally try not to say such things in this situation?

Seems like it’s because he’s drunk.

Elias glanced around, then clapped his hands.

“Now you can play with us! Right?”

“Yeah.”

Ainsidel answered with a light smile.

Like that, we just kept playing games until midnight.

Which also meant alcohol was continuously poured naturally until midnight.

“It’s late. I’m going to sleep now.”

The guy stood up from his seat, looking not at all drunk.

Far from tired, he looked even more cheerful.

“You can sleep in the room next door. The servants probably prepared it.”

“Got it.”

Dragging Elias, I went outside.

Elias, immediately understanding what I wanted, cast sound-proofing magic and said.

“No one with light hair. Narce was also watching from the front the whole time, said there’s no one who looks like that.”

No one?

Since photography became popular even among commoners after its invention, it’s impossible that a Junker overflowing with money didn’t take photos.

Even if he personally disliked it, there should at least be one identification photo for records.

‘…Hmm…’

Aside from being Unconquerable, this in itself is also strange.

But it was already too late to investigate further, so I cleaned everything up and went into the room.

After washing up, Elias suddenly popped out of his room, cast sound-proofing magic, and exclaimed.

“Don’t sleep! Have something to say about Primrose.”

“Alright.”

Now is not the time for me to sleep either.

Definitely related by blood, yet such a person isn’t in this house?

And, earlier, I opened Heinrich Ainsidel’s status window. His Favorability window plainly stated ‘Conquerable.’

Even within the same family, there must be a clear reason why only Heike is unconquerable.

And considering the strange sentence was here too, it’s even more a situation where I can’t sleep.

Thinking that, I turned off the lights and lay down on the bed.

‘Just gotta keep my eyes closed.’

About an hour passed like that, when I heard something rustling outside the door.

‘Why so late?’

Thought they’d come after about 30 minutes.

Thinking that far, I lifted my head.

‘…No.’

Someone is pacing back and forth in front.

Checking the watch I had left untangled on the bedside table, I lay back down.

About another 10 minutes passed, then the doorknob began to turn.

Click— Squeak—

“……”

Someone approached beside the bed.

I felt a cool presence nearing my hand.

I immediately sat up and grabbed the guy’s clothes. He flinched in surprise and stepped back.

“…!”

“Heike.”

“……”

“Why?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep