The Time Has Come For The Girl To Leave

Yes, master," Yao responded after receiving my orders, before leaving the room.

Nora stayed silent for a while, looking at me with her eyes tight and worried. Then she finally decided to speak up.

"Are you going to... investigate her? I told you it's useless. There is nothing wrong with her, so you should drop it."

She really is against it. Clearly, she doesn't like the fact of doing something behind the girl's back, but that reluctance of hers only drives me to find more information.

"Don't worry, it's not about Lynett. It's about our guests," I told her, trying to reassure her.

Not entirely convinced, Nora still let out a relieved sigh.

A few days have passed, and Yao finally managed to find the boy and the man Lynett met that day. Receiving them in my office room, I asked the maids to prepare the tea set before they arrived so that we wouldn't be interrupted.

As the curious child he was, the boy kept looking around him, inspecting the room in awe. It must be the first time that he visits a noble mansion. On the other hand, his father was pale, and cold sweats formed on his face as his body stiffened up each time I said a word. Clearly, he didn't understand the reason why I, the Marquis, summoned them, so he could only apprehend the situation.

"Have a seat," I said, gesturing to two chairs placed in front of my desk.

Nervously, the two of them complied. Imitating them, I sat on my chair opposite of them. Placing my hands with intertwined fingers on the desk, I smiled, trying to reduce their anxiety.

"Don't feel so nervous, you are not in trouble," I said.

"Umh, my lord…" The man spoke, swallowing. "May I know the reason why you asked to see us?"

"Of course. I simply heard that you met my niece a few days ago, and I just wanted to know more about it."

The man furrowed his forehead, while his son tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"Her name is Lynett, a fourteen-year-old girl with golden eyes. Does it ring a bell?"

The boy's eyes widened, as if realizing something. "That's big sis!" He shouted.

"She was... your niece?" His father asked, lowering his gaze.

"That's right, and she went home late that day."

"Heh?" The boy exclaimed, his eyes full of worries. "Did you ground her? You can't, my lord! She was just helping me! It wasn't her fault!"

I curled my lips into a smile, trying to appear as friendly as possible. "Is that so? Don't you mind telling more about it?"

The boy nodded. "At that time, it had been a few days that my dad disappeared in the forest. I submitted a request at the guild to have some adventurers find him, but no one was taking it. Only big sis accepted to help."

I turned my gaze on the man. "Is that so?"

"Yes…" He muttered, after hesitating a bit. "I heard the rumor about a monster terrorizing the citizens, so I went to confirm it…"

"You purposely ventured into the forest just to confirm the rumor?" I asked, squinting my eyes.

"Ah? W-Well, yes! I mean… I used to be a guard so… I guess it's just the old habits! You know, protecting the citizens' safety!"

He kept stuttering and hesitating. Obviously, he was lying and unwilling to say the real reason why he went there. However, since it didn't seem to be relevant to the information I was looking for, I didn't push it any further. I returned my attention to the boy.

"So you asked for Lynett's assistance. Even if you were desperate, doesn't it seem a little crazy to ask the help of a fourteen-year-old girl?"

"At first, I thought so too..." He responded. "But big sis is a mage, and a chosen one on top of that! So I concluded that she must have been really strong, and I was right! It only took her a few hours to find my dad!"

… A mage? Lynett? Since when? What is this child talking about?

"Was she the one to tell you that she was a mage?" I asked, furrowing my forehead.

The boy shook his head. "I asked her. But I saw her using magic! It was a weird spell that prevented people to move, and with one word, she cancelled it!"

That is impossible. Lynett shouldn't be able to use magic. I never hired anyone to teach her, and the only ones who can use magic here are me, Nora, and... Azariah. Could it be her? Could she have been teaching her daughter in secret? It doesn't make any sense. That woman hates magic and never uses it. Then, could Lynett have been learning it by herself? Is it even possible? I know that elves have a higher affinity for magic than humans, but Lynett is a half. Besides, she couldn't possibly have learned any incantation by herself.

Even if she did, since when was she able to use magic? How long has she been hiding it? Wait… Nora. Does she know about this? Her sudden change of behavior, her fear toward the child… Could it be, ever since she arrived here? No. It doesn't make any sense. I am thinking too much.

"And do you know anything about a foreign couple?" I interrogated the boy. "A human male and a demi-human female. Both with golden eyes."

"Yes, I saw them!" He exclaimed, a wave of excitement sweeping through his body. "Her party members, right? It's so cool to have a party with only blessed people! If they had registered at the Guild, I'm sure they would have become famous!"

"Do you know where they are from?"

He shrugged. "I don't. I thought big sis was going to find my dad alone, but she came back with them, so I guess she must have met them just before going?"

So he doesn't know either. In that case…

"Mister? Since you were there, you should know what happened in the forest, right?" I asked, turning my gaze on the man.

He immediately flinched, playing with his nails, clearly nervous. "I'm not sure…" He answered. "I was just lost somewhere when the young lady found me. A-At that time, she was already accompanied by… her friends."

That's a lie. He obviously knows something, yet he won't tell. He is exactly like Nora, stuttering, hesitating, and looking away. He has a reason to fear her. I can understand that Nora would lie to me, but this man? As a commoner, he should understand the power and the authority that my family possesses, yet he dares to lie. This can only mean one thing: he fears the girl more than he fears me.

That is enough. There is no point in interrogating them any further; I don't think I will get any more information than this. I smiled at the boy and his father.

"Well, thank you very much for your cooperation! I was able to learn some very interesting facts!"

The boy looked up at me. "Uh, my lord? You won't punish her, right? She was only helping me. Big sis wasn't at fault…"

"Of course not. Because you told me what happened, I no longer have any reason to ground her, do I?"

A bright smile appeared on his face. On the other hand, his father was as pale as a ghost. Sending them back, I stayed in my office, thinking about what I had learned.

"Did you call me?" Nora asked, entering the room.

After reflecting upon the situation and the options I had all day, I summoned my sister into my office room. Even without being asked to, she casually took a seat in front of me.

"I just had a talk with the people Lynett met the same day she brought her friends for the first time," I said with an indifferent voice.

At my sudden revelation, Nora flinched, her eyes widened in surprise. I could see a glimpse of fear in her expression. She quickly averted her gaze, looking at the wall.

"Is that so…? Did they say anything?" She asked, her voice slightly shaking.

"Did you know that Lynett could use magic?" I inquired, going straight to the point.

Nora's face immediately lost its colors, as a chill made her skin crawl. "I-I didn't! Why would I? How was I supposed to know that a child was able to use magic?!" She shouted, clearly panicking.

She knew. My expression unwavering, I fixed her with a cold stare.

"I'm telling the truth," she tried to convince me, seeing my face.

"Sure," I said with a dull voice, crossing my arms in front of me.

We stared at each other for a while, without saying anything. I was expecting – hoping - that she would eventually confess something, but she didn't.

"… So what are you going to do about it?" Nora asked, breaking the silence.

Understanding that she wasn't going to say anything else, I let out a heavy sigh. Opening the drawer of my desk, I pulled out a letter that was carefully shoved in, before presenting it to Nora, in front of me. Her eyes immediately widened as she saw the seal on the letter.

"It wasn't easy, and I had to use a lot of contacts, putting pressure and using a lot of favors across the kingdom," I explained.

After hesitating a bit, Nora took the letter and carefully opened it. As she read its content, her face washed blank, and every muscle of her body froze. She blinked several times, making sure she didn't see it wrong, before looking up at me.

"Is it…?"

"That's right," I said. "The time has come for the girl to leave.

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Note from Ozen_Ice: the mass release has been completed and I will be heading to the exam center in a few days. I can feel it,the tides of the exam are charging towards me, the war is about to begin ᕙ[･۝･]ᕗ

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