—So many? You said there was no one like that before.
—So many people came to mind that I lied without realizing it. I'm sorry.
That was a nice lie.
Well, since Malcolm was down, she must have been nervous. I overlooked the lie. Only a maid could understand the feelings of another maid.
—So, who comes to mind?
Lenya looked at Rue, who was sitting by the window, and answered meekly.
—Mainly treasure hunters... er, some spies and aristocrats. But the master just sold some information! Nothing too important, just some blueprints and maps.
—Yes, well, they weren't just ordinary blueprints if he had the Imperial Treasury blueprint.
—However, until now, there has been no threat to the master as his client has been protecting him...
—Have you ever done business with the sword master... no, with the Clone Guild?
—Oh, how did you know?
I ignored her question and asked again.
—Has he sold information about Dian Cecht's relics?
—No, there were requests before, but... he rejected them all.
Leaving Lenya, who was starting to shed tears of distress, alone, I began to slowly organize my complicated thoughts.
The Clone Assassins had infiltrated the mansion to kidnap Malcolm. Clone was an underground organization formed by the sword master. Therefore, Malcolm's kidnapping could not have been planned without the sword master's will.
"Ultimately, what he seeks is Dian Cecht's relic."
At first, I was confused because the sword master hadn't laid his hands on the relic on display in the Jansen exhibition hall. I assumed he was waiting for a good time to strike, but that wasn't the case. The sword master's family was the guardian of the royal treasury. Therefore, he must know that the artifact in the exhibition hall was fake.
"He can't easily touch imperial property, so he probably watched it for now to steal it later."
Furthermore, according to Lenya's words, wasn't Clone protecting Malcolm until now? This sudden change of attitude meant...
—Lenya, the Willow Grove vault. Do Berkley-Gratten knights go in and out of it every day?
—Eh? Yes. Inside there is an independent security system and Berkley-Gratten knights report periodically in rotating shifts.
—When was the last time you think they did it?
Lenya, who was racking her brains, nodded quickly.
—It was yesterday. Well, around dawn this morning, to be exact.
A rough outline of what the Sword Master was planning formed in my head.
—Lenya, these assassins are from Clone.
—C-Clone? T-that can't be true... Clone protects us...
—Not anymore. Clone is the pack of dogs the sword master keeps in his arsenal. And the sword master is after Dian Cecht's relics.
—What?
—Dian Cecht's diary will be stolen in a few hours. Oh, it might also have already reached the Sword Master's house. He must have intended to frame Grandpa Malcolm for the theft. Of course, my presence prevented it.
Malcolm was an Intel merchant who sold confidential blueprints and maps. Therefore, it was natural for them to suspect him if a treasure disappeared from the difficult layers of the Imperial Treasury Vault. Given his close relationship with Clone, it was doubtless that Malcolm would be implicated and used as a scapegoat in this incident, to be discarded.
And in the end, the stolen diary would never be found. That would be the end of the matter. Lenya quickly grasped the cause and effect.
—How despicable...!
Lenya, with her eyes closed tight and breathing heavily, looked at me with an expression of pain. Then, suddenly, she knelt before me and bowed her head.
—Miss Daisy! I beg you! P-please, check if the relic is still in the vault and, if so, retrieve it!
Suddenly?
—Dian Cecht's relics were not meant to circulate this way. That object... My Lord has always longed for the moment of its return...
Well, that was the plan from the beginning.
—If he found out it was stolen, he might faint forever this time! Even in heaven, he would have no face to meet Dian Cecht and would suffer terrible anguish!
"Do you want to meet Dian Cecht? Oh my God."
Finally the time came to delve into the relationship between Malcolm and Dian Cecht.
—Well, Lenya, it seems to me that Dian Cecht and Grandpa Malcolm were acquaintances.
—What? Of course they were. Dian Cecht was the Calepa of our Rogue.
What?
—Dian Cecht's five relics were like a memory he left to his dear disciples to remember him, even if the owner of that diary closed his eyes forever a long time ago...
—Dian Cecht was the Calepa of Rogue?
I felt a tingle in the back of my head, wasn't this... wasn't this a bit suspicious?
—Yes? Oh, yes... —Lenya looked at Rue with concern. She had an anxious expression, as if she had committed a slip of the tongue.
Turning Lenya's face towards me, I asked:
—Lenya, when you say the relics were left to Dian Cecht's disciples, do you mean the former Viscount Weatherwoods was a disciple of Dian Cecht?
—You... didn't you know? I thought, naturally, you would know...
Of course? How could a maid who had started working three months ago know that? I was sure the head maid wasn't aware of it either. After all, she almost fainted when she discovered that the master she strove to follow was a magic tool!
—So, Lenya. —I tried to calm my excitement and asked her—. Who are Dian Cecht's other disciples?
—Ah. The other disciples...
—Stop.
Lenya's complexion turned pale when Rue interrupted her.
"Damn you Calepa, exercising your authority at a time like this."
It would be much easier to find the remaining three relics if only I knew who the other disciples were. I couldn't pass up this opportunity.
—There's no reason to stop. Keep talking.
—Ah, but what Daisy is asking is a secret, I can't divulge it so easily...
—A secret? Why is there a secret between us? Look closer, Lenya. I'm the benefactor who is willing to listen to your master's lifelong wish. Is it such a big secret that you can't reveal it even in front of me?
—I really can't... I can't... I can't!
Lenya's lips, which were about to open, closed tightly as if they were glued.
It was the work of Rue's magic.
—What do you want?
When I stared at him, Rue shrugged indifferently.
—Even as I am, as the Calepa of Rogue, I cannot sit by while church secrets are revealed.
They were words that could leave anyone speechless by how ridiculous they were. I didn't like that he had been watching silently all this time and had only intervened now as if he had been waiting.
—Tell me a bit, will you?
Rue, who had been gently stroking his chin, asked with a slightly serious expression.
—Are you curious?
—Yes.
He smiled happily.
—If you're curious, 500 gold coins.
Was this scammer crazy?
—Where will I get 500 gold coins? Do you think such a large amount can be pulled out of the ground? I won't be able to earn that much even after working 100 years as a maid!
—What a disgrace! Not being able to earn 500 gold coins even after working for 100 years.
I couldn't say anything in response to his genuinely compassionate expression. Looking at me like that, Rue spoke.
—It's one in the morning. Summer mornings fly by. If you don't want to move after the sun comes up, it's better if you act right now. This might be your only chance to get back Dian Cecht's diary. Don't you think so?
Even though he had the ability to sound like a snake with his elusive words, Rue's words were true. Regardless of whether the sword master had made the first move or not, today was the optimal opportunity to steal the relic.
I'll ask about Dian Cecht when I get back.
If we wanted to move, we had to do it now and, naturally, there was no need to think much about it.
—Lenya, lend me clothes that allow me to move with ease. Preferably, dark-colored. It would be better if it were warm, as the forest in the early morning can be cold. Oh, and if you have a scarf, that would be great too.
—I don't know if we have it, but I'll look!
It wasn't a robbery, it was just a recovery. The thieves were the imperial family, not me. The imperial family were the weirdos who kept other people's diaries in their vault. Thieves should be scolded, that's all.
It was when I was in front of the mirror, trying to hide my face and playing with a hat.
"What's that?"
I wondered why Rue was rummaging through his clothes, but then he pulled some gems from his pants pocket. And they weren't ordinary gems.
"...magic artifacts?"
Judging by the strange aura emanating from them, it was clear they weren't common magic tools. Most of them were earring-shaped artifacts, and there were also a couple of ring-shaped artifacts, indicating they were items Rue used personally.
Had you been keeping those precious objects in your pants pockets as if they were loose change?
In a moment of crisis, I looked in Rue's pockets. I got... valuable information.