Chapter 50 : The Fugitive(1)

The Piteos mansion, which the two rude Imperial Family members had swept through, was disastrous, as if a typhoon had passed through.

Traces of the unseen disaster could be found in Tollin and the Little Duke, who sat facing each other on the office sofa in silence.

Pale, who had been at a loss seeing the Little Duke's heavy, sunken expression, left the room glancing back like a puppy needing to relieve itself, upon Tollin's order to bring a simple dessert without tea.

Tollin stared at the Little Duke, who was fixing his gaze on his chest with a heavy expression, and spoke first.

“……Today, you did very well.”

The words, which came out even more awkwardly than intended, also failed to be much of a comfort to the Little Duke in their content.

At his words, the Little Duke's expression darkened further.

“No, there's no need to say that. I also know how big of a mistake I made today.”

Tollin, unable to bring himself to deny it, firmly shut his mouth.

Yes, he had to admit it.

Putting everything else aside, the Little Duke siding with the dead Duke Piteos in front of Prince Dito was a fatal mistake.

And perhaps the Little Duke might end up following a similar path as Duke Piteos.

A deathly pale face, limbs flailing in agony, and fading gray eyes.

And the moment he turned his head to focus on the Little Duke before him, Tollin, the protagonist of the nightmare, soon changed to the small child.

Tollin tried to even his quickening breath.

He had already learned through painful loss that struggling in anguish changed nothing.

“Little Duke, you must listen carefully to me from now on.”

“What is it……”

“I do not know what Prince Dito's exact objective is. But one thing is certain…… the probability that the Piteos ducal family will disappear into history is quite high.”

At the conclusive words, for Tollin, the Little Duke's face turned pale.

“Is it because of my mistake……?”

“No, it is not. This was just the determined course from the beginning. No matter what answer you had given today, Little Duke, the result would not have changed. Prince Dito would have found fault with you, Little Duke, using whatever means necessary.”

Tollin was confident.

That this was something decided long before Duke Piteos disappeared below the cliff.

At the very least, 'something' the Imperial Family wanted must have already begun from a past whose starting point he could not pinpoint.

I don't know what the objective is, but if what they want is the Little Duke…….

If that is what the Imperial Family wants, he would have to be given up.

Humans cannot go against God, and that was the duty of those living in Abalan.

If God commands, one obeys.

It was a cruelly simple matter.

He lost Duke Piteos that way, and he bowed his head before the prince who killed him.

He hid and hid to be deprived of even a little less, but this was the result.

Now, the one remaining thing is being taken away.

If the Little Duke was taken, he didn't know what would become of the Piteos ducal family that Agoni Piteos left behind, either.

Would its lineage be able to continue, or would it disappear into history, leaving behind 1000 years of tradition?

Could I endure that?

While Tollin habitually frowned and pushed up his glasses to calm his heart, which was pounding as if it would burst, the Little Duke, whom he worried about so, spoke with a resolute expression, as if he had firmed his mind about something.

“If that's the case, Tollin, you're fired as of today.”

“Yes?”

At the sudden notice of termination, Tollin forgot the seriousness of the situation and asked back dumbly, and immediately realized what the Little Duke had thought of with that small head.

“Step down from the Acting Head of Family position right now, and return to the Crisa family.”

“……Little Duke.”

“It's the same for the other people in the house. Quickly settle the remaining assets and send the people away.”

“……Little Duke!”

“I'd like to say a final goodbye to Jack or Pale, but that would be difficult, right? No, starting today, it's best I hide and stay in my room. There will be nothing good from contacting me……”

“Flinn!”

Tollin, unable to bear the rampaging Little Duke any longer, raised his voice.

The Little Duke, Flinn Piteos, finally shut his mouth.

Tollin's gaze went to the trembling hands.

……You foolish person.

Why is he worrying about other people when he is so scared?

Looking at his face, white with tension, he felt ashamed of himself for worrying just moments ago about the sense of loss and sadness he would feel after losing the Little Duke.

At the same time, he felt strangely at ease.

His head, which had been full of worries, also became a bit clearer.

“……Little Duke, fortunately, we still have one card left unturned.”

“An unturned card?”

“That we do not know His Majesty, the Emperor's will.”

Tollin, finished speaking, narrowed his eyes and fiddled with his glasses frames.

Yes, come to think of it, the one who was strangely quiet was the Emperor.

Perhaps there's no way he doesn't know what his two sons are doing in the capital, so seeing him quiet…… it might be a situation less positive than what he spat out at the Little Duke.

Nevertheless, the fact that the Emperor was not taking any action was, for Tollin, the minimal hope.

If the Emperor knew what the two princes were plotting, it would be an unwinnable fight, but if the two princes were hiding something from the Emperor…….

But what could there be that the 1st Prince, who would become Emperor even if he did nothing, and his close younger brother would need to accomplish, even to the point of avoiding the Emperor's eyes?

The important thing is that it is better for the secret to be revealed to a greater existence than to leave it to the princes' wishes.

Of course, he would have to take responsibility for that, too.

“Little Duke, you will be a little busy from now on.”

The Little Duke looked quizzically at Tollin, who was speaking like a prophet with a much more relaxed expression.

“Because you will be entering the Academy this year.”

“The Academy, didn't you just say. That the Piteos family might disappear. At a time like this, what suddenly……”

It might be sudden news to the Little Duke, but for Tollin, it was by no means an impulsive decision.

He had always held the resolution in his heart to send the Little Duke to a safer place, even if just a little.

He was just sorry to have brought it up in this way, at this time.

“A student who has entered the Academy cannot be touched carelessly, even by the Imperial Family. This is a tradition that even the Imperial Family cannot ignore.”

Like the tradition that had allowed Duke Piteos to defy the Imperial Family just once, there was an unwritten rule at the Academy.

That no one inside the Academy can become a criminal.

In other words, no one can be punished inside the Academy.

It was said to be a rule established when Great Emperor Sierra first founded the Academy.

That no one should shed blood within the precious space he himself had created.

This rule was quite absolute, so while the buildings inside the Academy were rebuilt several times, that regulation made by Great Emperor Sierra has been strictly observed.

In the first place, the Academy was not a space where criminals could enter.

In that place where only the children of high-ranking nobles could enter, there were no servants whose identities were uncertain.

It meant that if only the Little Duke entered the Academy, he could buy time somehow.

If there was a problem…….

“I don't want to. I won't run away by myself. Besides, I'm not even qualified to enter since I haven't even gone through the ritual yet.”

That this small child was as stubborn as his father, and the fact that, as he said, he had not yet performed the Tinas ritual.

Fortunately, the second problem was on a level that could be resolved somehow.

“The Tinas ritual is just one week away. It's already too late to call a priest from the temple!”

Flinn raised his voice, unlike him, but Tollin was unshaken.

“No, Little Duke. In any case, the Tinas ritual might be the last chance to save us all.”

“What does that……”

“If you, Little Duke, possess Manis like the former Duke Piteos, that in itself is a matter that could buy the Piteos ducal family even a little more time.”

“……”

“If, Little Duke, you are a Manis wielder, and if you have as much power as the former Duke Piteos, there is a probability that you currently possess the greatest power, excluding the Imperial Family. Now that Duke Piteos has passed away……, the one with the highest possibility of becoming the strongest sword is you, Little Duke. Then your, Little Duke’s safety will not be a problem that can end at the princes' level. His Majesty, the Emperor, will have no choice but to intervene. Do you understand?”

“……It means we can buy time.”

Tollin smiled faintly.

“But, I might not take after my father. I might not have any power at all.”

“We'll have to think of another way then. But you understand that this isn't a situation where you can refuse the Tinas ritual, right?”

The Little Duke firmly shut his mouth at Tollin's resolute answer.

Tollin swallowed a bitter smile as he looked at the Little Duke.

It didn't matter whether the child had power or not.

If only he could push him into the Academy, even by force, so the child could live.

Because the rest of the responsibility would be his to bear.

“It's a shame. I wanted to prepare the Tinas ritual for next year as grandly and meticulously as possible……, I didn't know we would end up handling the once-in-a-lifetime ritual in such a rush.”

“Even if it's the shabbiest in the world, even if it's not some grand gesture, I don't care. I don't want someone to leave again this time.”

When Tollin spoke as if he were genuinely sad, the Little Duke mumbled.

Tollin, who was at a loss for words and swallowed his words for a moment, soon spoke brightly.

“You're whining, unlike yourself, so this Tollin is anxious. When you enter the Academy, I won't be able to look after you anymore.”

They were words said as if teasing a child who generally didn't require much care, but the Little Duke's eyes darkened further.

“See, you're already speaking on the premise of parting.”

“……”

Knock knock.

Fortunately for Tollin, who was at a loss for words again, a weak knocking sound that broke the silence between the two rang through the room.

“……Little Duke, Tollin, it's Jack.”

At Jack's voice, which sounded somewhat urgent, Tollin sighed inwardly and asked the Little Duke for his leave.

He, who received permission to enter and came inside, hurriedly saluted the two.

Tollin had to retract the relief and good fortune he had felt at someone intervening between the Little Duke and himself.

Jack's flushed-red face was too serious for that.

Of course, his appearance, not even having changed his clothes properly, also played a part in fueling the anxiety.

“Yes, it seems you had some harvest today? Seeing as you came in such a hurry, not even managing your clothes.”

Tollin asked Jack, who was still in the attire of a commoner, wearing a dirty robe.

Jack bit his lip once.

“There is one piece of good news and one piece of bad news, Tollin.”

“What is it? Don't waste time with strange talk and report them both quickly.”

Tollin urged Jack at his report, which seemed to be dragging on, unlike him.

Jack looked at Tollin with anxious eyes and opened his mouth.

“First, the good news is that we were able to catch one of the children I mentioned.”

“That's good news.”

It really was.

Seeing the situation so far, it seemed highly probable that the children were living while helping each other to survive on the streets.

It was possible he knew the child named Seya that the Little Duke was looking for, and other children.

Tollin's expression brightened at the thought that he could finally deliver good news to the Little Duke.

The Little Duke hadn't fully regained his spirits even at Tollin's words, but this might be a little different.

“So, what's the bad news?”

Jack wet his parched lips at Tollin's straightforward question, whose expression had softened a little.

“That is……”

At the sight of Jack rarely dragging out his words, the space between Tollin's brows tried to narrow again.

“What is it?”

Jack, who had been hesitating, finally squeezed his eyes shut and confessed.

“……The child has disappeared.”

“What?”

Jack quickly added to Tollin's disbelieving question.

“It is certain that he is still inside the ducal mansion.”

That's so very fortunate.

Jack avoided Tollin's gaze at the look of pity revealed on his face.