NB Chapter 4

Gale called this dagger a keepsake, but precisely, what Zycklint had left behind was a single key.

It was something she had clutched tightly in her hand even at the moment of death, and Magnolia had discovered that the key was to Zycklint's drawer.

Inside that drawer were information about Rosemary Clark and this dagger.

'My dear daughter... you understand what mother means, don't you?'

She understood exactly. So this dagger wouldn't be just a simple keepsake.

"It might be something related to Clark."

Certainly, investigating by going around through an object would have fewer repercussions than blindly following a noble's trail.

Gale, who had carefully put the dagger back in the cloth pouch and handed it over, turned his head to one side.

"Come to think of it, there's a weapon forge near here."

"A weapon forge?"

"It's called Schmidt's Forge. It's a shop that mainly sells swords... Since it's not common to have such delicate craftsmanship on a blade like this, they might know about this dagger."

At those words, Magnolia's eyes lit up.

"Then, if the owner of this sword is Clark."

They might be able to approach under the pretense of returning it to its owner. Magnolia's face brightened with hope at having found a clue.

"What did you say it was called? Schmidt's Forge? Is it far from here?"

"You want to go now?"

"Let's go now!"

Magnolia grabbed Gale's right hand with both hands and pulled.

Gale slowly rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand and checked the sky. The sun was still high overhead.

"Alright. Let's go."

"Wow!"

Magnolia raised both hands in celebration and cheered, then turned to look at him with a bright smile.

"Where is it? Is it very far?"

"A little."

Gale nodded slightly and adjusted the sword at his waist with his left hand. At that, Magnolia naturally extended her hand.

At the white hand placed before his eyes, Gale suddenly flinched and trembled.

"Why?"

Magnolia looked up at him strangely. The white hand, covered in calluses, moved a couple of times, clenching and unclenching as if urging him to hurry and take it.

Watching that, his palm suddenly felt itchy. Gale unconsciously clenched and unclenched his fist a few times in response. Magnolia noticed this and burst into laughter.

"What's wrong? Aren't we going?"

With a slightly dazed expression, Gale shook his head and took Magnolia's hand. The ticklish feeling that had been pooled in his palm seemed to spread throughout his entire body, so he interlaced their fingers and gripped her hand more firmly.

As they walked like that for a while, Magnolia suddenly came close to his side and whispered.

"At least I don't hear voices anymore."

Right after Zycklint's death, Magnolia had often heard voices.

My dear daughter. That longed-for voice kept calling her. Because of this, Magnolia would stare into empty space with a heartbreaking expression, whether she was sleeping, walking, or eating.

Gale had been watching this from beside her, so he knew well.

The auditory hallucinations she started hearing again after killing Rosemary were not normal.

One might say that hearing voices itself isn't normal. But when a precious person dies and someone can't cope with that fact, hearing the dead person's voice is just heartbreaking.

However, Magnolia's behavior in response to the voices after killing Rosemary was quite extreme. Like having nightmares, she would scream and run outside constantly.

When she tried to take his sword away from him in that unstable state, Gale was shocked enough that his liver shrank. Fortunately, those symptoms didn't last more than a few months.

Though it had been quite a while since Magnolia regained her stability, Gale felt anxious whenever they went out if he didn't hold her hand, so he habitually held her hand and walked. Today, he had just let his guard down a little.

Magnolia glanced at Gale's other hand gripping his sword firmly. When they left the south, Magnolia had left behind her own sword and taken Zycklint's sword instead.

So now, all Magnolia had for a weapon was this one small dagger.

Somehow her side felt empty and cold.

"Our daughter!"

Magnolia turned her head almost reflexively.

Across the way, a middle-aged woman was embracing a girl about Magnolia's age. Whether something good had happened, the mother and daughter were hugging each other and laughing. Magnolia stopped walking unconsciously, watching that scene as if enchanted.

Magnolia too had once had someone who looked at her with such loving eyes. Someone who used to cling to her while smiling so brightly.

A spring breeze blew. Though it was a warm wind, it felt exactly like a dry autumn wind.

Two years ago in autumn, when cosmos flowers were in full bloom, Zycklint was murdered.

At the time, Magnolia couldn't accept that fact. Only when the cool wind became cold and bitter could she accept it like frost forming.

After that, Magnolia immediately left the south. And when spring came, she killed Rosemary Clark.

That series of events was both vivid as if it had happened just yesterday, and hazy like a dream as if it had been very long ago.

When summer comes, Magnolia would turn seventeen. That much time had already passed.

She thought she had completely accepted Zycklint's death, but apparently not. She still felt like Zycklint was alive somewhere. As if she would call out 'my dear daughter' at any moment.

Then, convulsively, Zycklint's final moments would come to mind. The fact that they could never meet again poured coldly from head to toe. Her chest tightened with that pain.

"Mag."

Gale squeezed Magnolia's hand tightly. Her gaze, which had been watching the mother and daughter, was now floating vacantly in the air.

"...Is that person suffering too?"

Gale, who had been about a step ahead, came close with large strides.

"They should be."

Magnolia whispered. By now the mother and daughter had left her field of vision. But their laughter was still echoing in her head.

"They should be..."

Gale bent his waist close by. Even doing so, her face wasn't visible because of the hat. Since that wasn't why he approached, Gale didn't try to check.

"They will be."

Gale bent his head a bit more and whispered near Magnolia's ear.

"Because we'll make it so."

The corners of Magnolia's eyes, as she looked up at him, had already reddened.

Gale had actually been quite helpful. When they fled to the west after killing Rosemary Clark, shaking off their pursuers, and even now as they were investigating the person who killed Zycklint.

There had been information about Rosemary Clark in Zycklint's drawer. Without that, even killing Rosemary Clark would have been impossible.

However, that information didn't include details about her father, the Clark family, or the count who was the head of the household.

It only stated that Rosemary Clark was preparing for academy admission that year and was living in the mansion with her grandfather, the old Count Clark.

And that old Count Clark had a twin. That was as far as it went.

'That fellow has exactly one daughter, just like me.'

Those words, which were no different from a dying message, were their only clue.

"...Yes."

Magnolia barely managed to take another step. Gale slowly pulled her hand along.

Though they had decided to give up for now, he still felt lingering attachment to Agatha. Since it was the safest and most certain method, he felt that way even more.

There was one easy way to know Agatha's location. Asking Irene, the leader of the Harold Mercenary Company, directly. There was no way the mercenary company leader wouldn't know the location of her subordinate mercenaries.

He didn't want to use that method. But if there was no progress this time either, he would have to consider it.

Irene didn't care whether Gale was interested in mercenary company affairs or not.

Even if Gale went in and out of her study and looked at confidential matters, she didn't particularly mind. Not because he was her son, but because Gale wasn't someone who would act recklessly.

So if he asked about Agatha's whereabouts or whatever, she would have just told him.

If it had been before Zycklint died.

Schmidt Weapon Forge. Or Schmidt Trading Post. The largest and most famous place near the capital, directly managed by the imperial family.

They made contracts with various craftsmen throughout the empire to bring in and sell different types of weapons, and they also introduced craftsmen or took orders to produce weapons in partnership with craftsmen.

Even if they didn't know about this dagger, there was a high possibility they would know the craftsman who made it. The lettering on the blade was shallow and delicate—it would be difficult to engrave without damaging the durability unless one had considerable skill.

Schmidt Weapon Shop was a place that prided itself on knowing all the finest craftsmen in the empire. Once they found the craftsman, finding the noble who ordered this dagger wouldn't be difficult either.

Arriving at the shop, Magnolia was first drawn to the swords displayed from the entrance. Her eyes naturally went to the sharply honed blades and ornate sheaths.

"Welcome! What brings you here?"

As she was looking around to see if there might be a sword similar to Zycklint's, a young man energetically greeted them and came running out.

"Are you here to look at swords?"

The man glanced at the sword at Gale's waist and asked. Gale shook his head and lightly tugged Magnolia's hand before releasing it.

"We came because there's something we'd like to investigate. We were told to check with Schmidt Trading Post for anything weapon-related."

"For weapon-related matters, you've come to the right place!"

Magnolia carefully pulled out the dagger from inside her coat. When she showed the dagger taken from the cloth pouch, the man's eyes widened in surprise.

"Th-this is!"

With his eyes still wide, the man looked back and forth between Magnolia and Gale, then pointed at the dagger with trembling hands.

"M-may I take a closer look?"

After making eye contact with Gale for a moment, Magnolia obediently handed over the dagger. Having drawn the dagger and examined even the engraving on the blade, the man swallowed with an audible gulp. His trembling hands slowly sheathed the dagger. The man's pupils wandered as if there had been an earthquake, then he subtly observed Magnolia.

"Is this the young lady's sword?"

"Why do you ask that?"

Gale spoke to the man in a sharp tone. Magnolia pulled Gale's arm and stepped forward.

"We'd like to find the owner of this sword. It seems you know something about this dagger."

The man seemed to think about something for a moment, then glanced sideways at Gale, who was looking at him coldly.

The sound of swallowing rang out loudly once more. The man spoke to Magnolia.