Behind me was a rather handsome mansion, which my father had given to the Baron in exchange for leaving me in his care.
Since I didn't have any luggage to pack, it wasn't difficult to leave.
'Dad, I'm sorry.'
I did not abandon the Baron.
'But I'm very smart, so I know this is for the best…'
I let go of the blind despair I held toward my father.
Baron, Juan too, everyone should experience setback at least once.
“From now on, the salary is all mine.”
Today was payday.
As far as I know, the salary was deposited in the afternoon.
‘From this salary, I can never hand it over to the Baron.
From this moment on, I will not hand over even a coin.'
I immediately headed to the Imperial Palace to change my salary account.
I thought endlessly about the things I could do from now on, I mean the things I wanted to do all along.
‘First of all, I need to find a place to live.
Luca is staying at the boarding house, isn't he?
'I can sleep in a hostel today and ask Luca if they have an extra room.'
Any strange house would be more comfortable than Baron Rawabi's house.
At least they won't shamelessly withhold food.
'It's going to start getting cold soon.
Should I buy some clothes?
Oh, the soles of my shoes have been worn out for a long time…'
Of course, there were plenty of things I could do.
But none of them brought me happiness.
Now I can get my full salary and go to restaurants that I couldn't go to before.
I can sleep comfortably in a place where no one will notice me.
'However, I must save my salary.
I can't give up on finding my father.'
I wasn't sure about my father's situation, as up until now I had only listened to what Baron Rawabi said, for fear of causing trouble.
‘A way… I will see a way.
If I think about it carefully, there is definitely another way..’
Despite that confidence, I was worried that I would regret the choice I made.
'Dad, I'm not abandoning you.
I will never give up.
Really.’
The tears continued to fall as she headed to the Imperial Palace.
I muttered, wiping my tears without stopping.
“Dad... where the hell are you?
I miss you...”
✧✧✧✧✧✧
The Ministry of Justice employee had died ten minutes before the Imperial Knights arrived.
The elusive enemy appears to be trying to provoke Kiaros and says, “I already know what you are going to do.”
"The Ministry of Justice employee named Lennon was originally part of the Pass Management Department.
He applied for a transfer 10 years ago claiming maladjustment and was transferred to the Ministry of Justice."
Kiaros thought with a cold face when he heard the report from the palace.
“Clearly the pass management department is involved.”
The Scroll Management Department was a floating organization, so it was easy for enemies to invade.
This suspicion prompted him to infiltrate this department.
“I found some burnt papers on the fireplace, possibly a symbol.
I will search all the houses and find any clues.”
Progress at work wasn't bad.
If they find something there, it's because of the quick response.
It was all thanks to Namya for their ability to respond so quickly...
“Everyone let down their guard, but that lazy, low-ranking civil servant was the only one doing her job.”
Lazy.
It doesn't seem quite right.
He sighed and let the carrier pigeon fly out the window again.
“First, I will ask Namiya Rawabi tomorrow and tell her that I will give her any compensation...”
That was when Kiaros was about to turn around.
He noticed a familiar silver-haired figure with a shaky gait crossing the garden of the Imperial Palace.
'Huh?
That woman...'
He knew immediately who it was.
It was Namiya.
'Didn't she say she was coming home?'
Namiya was heading somewhere with her head down.
Kiaros's eyes widened as he looked at her without realizing it.
Namiya kept wiping her eyes.
She was crying bitterly.
Open the window more.
Then murmurs mixed with sobs were heard.
"Dad... where the hell are you?
I miss you..."
That was while Kiaros was looking at her calmly.
His assistant came in and knocked on the door.
“Your Highness.”
The assistant was carrying a report in a black cover.
“We have collected information about Baron Rawabi.”
Kiaros nodded, motioning for him to go ahead and speak.
The assistant pointed to the report and told a fairly ordinary story.
They were nothing special, falling from the southern nobles who had come to the capital 15 years ago, they were slowly wasting their wealth, and the investments they had recently made through borrowing had completely failed.
“But their behavior for 15 years is a bit strange.”
Then Kiaros's brow furrowed slightly.
“Just before they came to the capital, Miss Namia Rawabi was late added to the family records.
She is Juan Rawabi’s twin sister.”
This is due to the appearance of the name “Namia Rawabi”.
“The strange thing is that Baron Rawabi had a younger brother.
This younger brother and his daughter disappeared that year.
The girl’s name is not found in the birth records.”
In rural areas, it was not uncommon for names to be registered later after births.
“We will have to take more time to find out because he is in the south, but the crows see that the younger brother’s niece is Miss Namiya Rawabi.”
“South…”
“Yes.
It is an area where many crows have already been sent.”
Kiaros fell into thought for a moment at that remark.
“Do we still have no information about that child from the south?”
“Yes, of course.
Since there is so little information, even crows find it difficult...”
The assistant replied with a serious expression.
“We do not know her age or appearance, only that she is a girl who appeared in a library in the southern region a long time ago.”
The librarian who was working at the time only remembered her as “a child who read books quietly, but at some point she stopped coming.”
“Hmm.”
“Wouldn't she have already become a witch and been in the Magic Tower if she had that level of skill at that age?”
This has been the view of the Crows for a long time.
“However, in the Magic Tower, magicians must be over 35 years old before they can reveal their names and communicate with the outside world.
This is also with the tower master’s permission.”
In the “Magic Tower” part, the assistant glanced at Kiaros.
“But now that Your Highness has access to the documents of the Scroll Management Department… The Tower Master will never cooperate with Your Highness in the future.”
“This is really ridiculous.
He usually has no interest in palace affairs.”
"But anyway, he'll think you're encroaching on his territory.
Isn't he the kind of person who thinks about everything in a twisted way?"
Kiaros groaned slightly as if he had a headache.
'If Namiye hadn't cut off the apprentice's authority, things wouldn't have become this complicated…'
However, Kiaros decided not to blame Namiya.
Since she did her job perfectly.
'Even her feelings towards that apprentice were very beautiful.'
He inadvertently discovered her true feelings.
Misunderstanding the apprentice's indifference was truly unfortunate.
Kiaros cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“So, have you sent a report about this to the Magic Tower?
I thought I asked you to receive a written opinion directly from the Magic Tower Master.”
“Yes, but...”
The assistant took out the letter hesitantly.
The symbol of the Magic Tower was engraved, but there was no seal of the Master of the Magic Tower.
From the looks of it, it seemed to have been written by the Assistant Master of the Magic Tower.
Kiaros nervously opened the delivered letter.
{The Magic Tower Master is far away now.
There is no guarantee when he will return.
I will inform him that His Highness the Crown Prince has requested a written opinion on this matter upon his return.
Note: But the report stated that the employee in the Ministry of Scrolls activated 172 scrolls.
I think you wrote 17 incorrectly.
Please review.}