The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 89

Naz picked up the crumpled paper and carefully unfolded it, staring at it for a long while. Though he couldn’t decipher the words, he began to piece together the information in his mind:

{ Svitsha Village, Red Light District, Largest Tavern, Informant, Scholar and Mercenary, Apothecary <Elixir of Life>, Apothecary, Young Mother }

“Svitsha Village is the most bustling place near the abandoned great temple. There’s quite a large red-light district there, a place like an ant nest,” Naz said.

Ilya listened intently to Naz.

“I understand the largest tavern in the red-light district, but what about the informant?” Ilya asked.

“I think Rene’s acquaintance runs a pretty big tavern there,” Naz replied.

“Oh! Stas mentioned something about that during our last meeting,” Ilya remembered.

They began to piece together Navaron’s cryptic message.

“The owner of the largest tavern in the red-light district is Rene’s informant, and the two are undercover there,” Ilya concluded.

Naz smiled brightly at Ilya’s words. “It seems they’re staying there under disguised identities. Louis must be the scholar, and Navaron is disguised as the mercenary.”

They both burst into laughter. With his fragile and vague demeanor, Louis was the scholar, while Navaron, a burly and rough-looking man, played the role of the mercenary Louis had hired. No one would suspect them.

Naz continued, “<Elixir of Life> is the oldest and largest apothecary in the Countess Edith’s territory. But what about the apothecary and the young mother?”

“Maybe the apothecary there is a young mother?” Ilya suggested, chuckling at the thought.

“Count Edith directly operates the <Elixir of Life>. It was established at the site where Countess Glenn set up a tent for relief efforts after the great temple explosion,” Naz explained.

“Your Highness, are there many female apothecaries? A young mother would be relatively young. There may be many apothecaries working at the <Elixir of Life>, but with such a distinctive feature, it shouldn’t be hard to find her,” Ilya speculated.

A sharp knock sounded at the door, and Naz rose. “That sounds like Rene’s footsteps…”

Before he could finish speaking, the door swung open, and Rene strode into the office, her long black hair flowing behind her. She plopped down next to Naz, grumbling.

“I went to the Prince’s office this morning and found it empty.”

“Why were you looking for me so urgently?” Naz asked.

“A carrier pigeon arrived from our informant in Svitsha Village,” Rene replied.

Ilya and Naz’s expressions turned serious. Ilya asked, “Is that informant the tavern owner where Navaron and Louis are staying?”

“How did you guess? Ah, Navaron must have sent a message first,” Rene said, handing a piece of paper to Ilya. Unlike Navaron’s cryptic message, the letter from Rene’s informant was written in complete sentences. Ilya marveled at the obviousness of it.

{ A strange woman frequented this place until a few days ago. She was temporarily employed as an apothecary at <Elixir of Life> and actively participated in Count Edith’s volunteer work. Due to the rarity of female apothecaries, she mainly visited the red-light district. Suddenly, she appeared to have no husband or other family, often bringing her child to work. She always had a vacant expression, so we called her Noah, derived from “Noanimus,” meaning “one without a soul.” She vanished a few days ago. This is just an ordinary disappearance in this area, but Rene ordered us to report any such incidents, so I am letting you know. }

Ilya placed the paper on the table and asked, “Why would Count Edith send an apothecary there?”

“Probably to show goodwill and maintain control. The women working there are indeed exposed to all sorts of dangerous diseases,” Naz replied.

A place exposed to dangerous diseases with frequent comings and goings. As a lord, Count Edith couldn’t simply ignore such a location.

“Rene, have there been any other movements detected there?” Naz asked.

“Nothing much so far. We’re still looking into the medicine Lady Luten mentioned, but there’s no news yet,” Rene said with a shrug.

“Then we’ll just have to wait for Louis and Navaron to get back to us,” Ilya remarked.

Rene tilted her head, puzzled. “Has Count Edith contacted you directly? I’ve noticed that Selis has been acting up again. When Countess Edith was at the Grand Duchy, she seemed quite down.”

Ilya recalled something Countess Glenn had said earlier. “I have a feeling something’s coming soon.”

Both Ilya and Naz grimaced at the prospect of more trouble.

“Oh? If anything happens there, I want to come along!” Rene exclaimed, her excitement akin to that of a child expecting a gift. Ilya and Naz felt even more exhausted at the thought.

Evelyn, who had returned late from the Tower of Repentance the previous night, woke up late and was having breakfast when she received an unexpected visitor. She sighed inwardly as she looked across the table at Yuli.

Yuli carefully tore soft bread into bite-sized pieces and slathered them with butter and jam. Evelyn found her unusually thoughtful expression amusing.

“Hehe, I should have my meals here from now on. Evelyn never minds how much I eat.”

“Who would mind you eating a lot, Yuli?”

“My mother doesn’t like it when I eat a lot. She says a lady shouldn’t gain weight,” Yuli murmured, looking crestfallen. Evelyn couldn’t help but give her a quick once-over. Yuli was tall and lean, with hardly an ounce of unnecessary fat on her muscular frame.

“It’s probably your height that bothers Countess Glenn. You’re taller than most men. It’s quite impressive. I don’t see why she dislikes it.”

“Evelyn, did you know my mother is hosting a tea party?” Yuli asked suddenly.

Evelyn paused in buttering her bread. “Yes, I heard. It’s already the talk of the town.”

“She wants to invite you,” Yuli said, glancing awkwardly at her maid standing at the entrance to the dining room. Evelyn smiled at Yuli.

“It looks like your maid has the invitation.”

When Yuli nodded, Evelyn continued, “Give me the invitation after breakfast. If my aunt is inviting me, I should certainly attend.”

“There will be a lot of people, and there’s supposed to be a play as well. It should be fun,” Yuli said, her spirits lifting as she spoke.

“Oh! Lady Luten will be there too. My mother sent her the last invitation,” Yuli added excitedly.

Evelyn felt relieved. “That’s good to hear. I don’t know many people in the Grand Duchy and was worried I might be alone.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve got me and Lady Luten. You won’t be alone at all,” Yuli reassured her.

“Thank you for saying that, Yuli,” Evelyn replied, meeting Yuli’s eyes and giving her a gentle smile. As she watched Yuli’s cheerful expression, her thoughts drifted back to the Tower of Repentance. She couldn’t fathom what Yuli was searching for. Unable to ask directly, Evelyn felt a growing sense of unease.

The two continued their meal in silence. After finishing their main course, the maids placed dessert in front of them. The white pudding was adorned with delicate antler-shaped cookies. Evelyn admired the intricate decoration.

“Yuli, this looks too pretty to eat…” she began, but her words trailed off as she noticed Yuli’s eyes widening. Yuli seemed almost ready to dive into the pudding dish. Evelyn asked with concern, “Is something wrong?”

Yuli picked up the antler-shaped cookie, her hands now sticky with pudding, but she didn’t seem to care. “Have you ever seen antlers like these before?”

The seemingly random question left Evelyn puzzled. She thought carefully before answering earnestly, “I’ve seen ram’s horns in the Prince’s office. I’m not sure if they were ram’s horns exactly, but they were some sort of antlers.”

She shuddered at the memory of the enormous mounted horns. Unsatisfied with the answer, Yuli pressed on, “Not in the Duke’s office, but in the Tower of Repentance.”

“The Tower of Repentance?” Evelyn echoed, perplexed. ‘Could it be that Yuli was searching for animal horns at the Tower?’ Evelyn scrutinized Yuli, who was still holding the antler-shaped cookie.

“Do you remember the room on the middle floor we visited together?” Yuli asked.

“Yes, but there were no antlers there,” Evelyn replied.

After a brief pause, she continued, “I’ve also been to the top of the tower with the Prince, but there were no antlers there either. Have you been anywhere else in the tower, Yuli?”

“I haven’t been, but I’ve heard about the basement…” Yuli trailed off.

Yuli, muttering to herself, suddenly fell silent. Seeing her distressed expression, Evelyn cheered inwardly. It seemed Yuli was searching for something in the underground storage she had visited with Ilya the previous day.

‘Animal horns…’ Evelyn thought. She couldn’t recall seeing any horns there, but she suddenly remembered the neatly stacked wooden crates in the corner of the storage. They were said to contain mandrakes, but perhaps Yuli’s desired item was hidden within them.

“Evelyn, I have a stomachache,” Yuli said, rubbing her belly and glancing nervously at Evelyn. Evelyn stood and walked over to her.

“Is it bad? You should go back to your room and call for the physician,” she said gently, helping Yuli to her feet.

“Let’s talk tomorrow. For now, you should go rest,” Evelyn added.

“Evelyn, did you, by any chance, hear…” Yuli hesitated.

“Hear what?” Evelyn asked, pretending not to understand.

“Never mind, it’s nothing,” Yuli replied, shaking her head. As the waiting maid approached, Evelyn stepped back.

Once Yuli was out of sight, Evelyn left the dining room with a light step. She had a plan to investigate the crates in the underground storage further.