<Chapter 18>

*  *  *

At the same time, Temenos was receiving a report about the carriage accident near Winstein Castle.

“It seems there was a minor dispute between two nobles on their way to Winstein to attend the wedding.”

“What kind of dispute?”

“Well, it wasn’t much of a dispute, really. Neither wanted to yield, insisting on going first.”

From a bystander’s perspective, it was an utterly pointless quarrel. But to the two nobles involved, it was a matter of pride.

Count Curtis and Count Maynard.

The two were already business rivals, and fatefully, they ran into each other on the road to Winstein.

If one of them had clearly held a higher title, the matter might have resolved itself naturally.

However, both were counts, and neither was willing to back down. As a result…

“The road was just barely wide enough for two carriages to run side by side.”

“And the accident site was a mountain road, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”

The western part of the Empire was completely blocked by the massive Whaleback Mountain Range.

Extending from this daunting range was a series of smaller mountains, one of which reached northward to Winstein.

The first Duke of Winstein had successfully driven the northern beasts beyond this ridge, constructing barriers and gates.

To the south of Winstein, there was a gentler slope—a mountain path that served as the sole entry to Winstein.

Although it wasn’t as steep as the northern range and had been well-paved, it was still a mountain road.

A misstep could easily send one tumbling down the slope.

The thought that these two would risk such a path for petty pride was almost unbelievable to Temenos.

“They’re lucky it only ended in a collision. The wedding’s still two weeks away—why were they even coming so early?”

“They likely wanted to arrive early, network with the gathered nobles, and expand their business ventures…”

As a result of the accident, Count Curtis had a broken arm, and Count Maynard suffered a broken leg.

The severity of their injuries was unclear, but attending the wedding in their current state seemed questionable.

“Tsk. Once they arrive in Winstein, have their remaining uninjured limbs fully bandaged and keep them inside until the wedding is over.”

In other words, keep them under strict surveillance to prevent any further incidents. David nodded in agreement.

“Understood. Then—”

Knock, knock, knock!

“Your Grace! Urgent news!”

“What is it?”

The person knocking was a messenger from Winstein, bringing news directly from the accident site.

“There’s been a landslide at the carriage accident site!”

“A landslide?”

“Yes! The scale was larger than expected, and the knights and medics who were dispatched to the scene have been buried under the debris!”

“What?!”

David’s eyes widened in shock, and Temenos sprang to his feet.

“What’s the current status?”

“We’ve only received an initial report, so the details are unclear. But including the nobles and their servants who were originally in the accident, there are over thirty injured. There may even be casualties…”

“Summon all available knights and medics immediately.”

But that wasn’t the end of Temenos’ orders.

“I’ll go there myself.”

“Your Grace, personally?”

Temenos nodded, his gaze falling to his left arm. David immediately understood why his lord had decided to act.

‘Still, with the wedding approaching, rumors could spread…’

Temenos, however, never hesitated to reveal his abnormality when his power was needed.

Those inspired by his resolve had pledged their loyalty to him, but others ridiculed him, calling him the “Monster Duke” or a “Criminal’s Bloodline.”

‘I’ll make sure those nobles stay in their beds, wrapped in bandages, the moment they set foot in Winstein.’

David could only grumble to himself, knowing it was futile to try to stop Temenos.

At that moment, someone approached.

“Your Grace, where are you headed?”

Cesare, walking through the hallway, saluted upon spotting Temenos leaving his office.

Temenos frowned at the sight of him.

“Why are you here?”

“The Prospective Duchess wished to meet with you. She’s on her way here now…”

It didn’t take long for Cesare to notice the tense atmosphere around Temenos, David, and the messenger.

“Is something wrong?”

“Why does she want to see me?”

At the question, Cesare hesitated.

“I’m not sure. She was praying in the chapel when she suddenly expressed a desire to see you.”

“The chapel? …Ah.”

Temenos immediately understood.

‘She must have decided it was time to personally express her gratitude after seeing the confessional under repair.’

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

With a slight downturn of his lips, Temenos instructed Cesare: “There’s no time. Tell her I’ll visit her personally later.”

“Yes, understood.”

Since he was heading outside anyway, Cesare accompanied Temenos to the first floor.

Cesare tilted his head in confusion as they passed through the main building and into the gardens.

“They said they’d follow shortly, so I thought we’d meet them by now…”

“They must have turned back after hearing about the accident.”

While the carriage crash could have been dismissed as an unfortunate incident, the landslide that buried the knights and medics was a disaster that shook Winstein to its core.

The castle’s atmosphere was tense and noisy, evidenced by the heightened murmurs reaching Temenos’ left ear.

As they crossed the garden toward the stables, the clamor grew louder.

“Will it really be okay?”

“What if something goes wrong…”

“Oh! Y-your Grace!”

The stable hands, gathered and chatting nervously, immediately bowed upon seeing Temenos approach.

Temenos passed them without a word, his presence alone silencing their chatter.

“Prepare my horse. I’m heading to the accident site…”

Suddenly, Temenos’ gaze halted on someone amidst the crowd.

“…You?”

Startled, the group exchanged confused looks until Alice, caught in the Duke’s line of sight, quickly fell to her knees.

“Y-Your Grace!”

“You’re assigned to the annex, aren’t you? What are you doing here?”

The fact that the Duke remembered the assignment of a mere maid was astonishing.

But those who knew Alice had just been with Inosensia thought it was only natural.

Alice, guessing the reason Temenos was aware of her, quickly mentioned Inosensia.

“Th-The Prospective Duchess left for the accident site with Sir Kei just moments ago.”

“…What?”

“She said we must act quickly to save those buried in the landslide; otherwise, they might die…”

Temenos’ expression hardened.

The stable hands, trembling under his overwhelming presence, stammered.

“We, w-we tried to stop her! But the Prospective Duchess was insistent…”

Before they could finish, Temenos stormed into the stable, saddled his horse himself, and rode off without another word.

*  *  *

‘Does she have no sense of fear?!’

Temenos took the situation seriously because landslide sites often risked secondary and tertiary collapses.

‘What does she think she can do there? The ground must be unstable. What if she slips and falls?’

Horrific scenarios flashed through his mind, but Temenos shook his head, trying to dismiss the image of Inosensia trapped under debris or tumbling down a mountain slope.

In the end, the only thought left in his mind was: ‘She’d better be safe.’

Clenching his teeth, Temenos spurred his horse faster.

When he finally reached the accident site, what greeted him was the sound of wailing.

“Sob, sob, waaah…!”

For a moment, his heart sank.

Amid the dirt and rocks blocking the mountain path, through the crowd of people sprawled on the ground, he saw a familiar head of hair.

As he dismounted in one swift motion, his lips parted involuntarily.

“Inosensia!”
 

<To be continued>

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