Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 271: Lord Krawford

A few more weeks have passed.

The Royal Academy has finally gone on break, which means the students can finally leave Loria for their respective homes.

If it were in the past, I would have rejoiced.

After all, I wrongly believed that these incidents were isolated to the Academy City.

However, now that I know that this is a kingdom-wide phenomenon, relief is the last thing on my mind. It’s likely that a few of these students will even be abducted on their way home, which makes it even more worrisome.

I wish I could escort all of them to their residences, but the sheer scale of the departing students makes that prospect simply impossible.

It can’t be helped.

What I can do is visit some of the sites of interest marked in the ledger that the Dark Guild gave me. Their investigative reports are interesting for a number of reasons, but the most important one has to do with the marked locations.

’All of these are public places that are sure to have eyewitnesses. Those eyewitnesses would have seen something.’ I clench my fist with determination. ’If I can get their reports and cross-reference, I can identify the culprit or gather sufficient clues that can be helpful.’

Right now, it may seem like I am grasping at straws.

But it’s only temporary.

The Dark Guild has promised to keep up their own investigation, and now that there are more variables to explore, I can only hope that something will turn up at some point.

Rising from behind my study desk, I conclude my work for the semester and Academic Year.

Since I won’t be returning for the Spring Term, this is actually the last time I’ll be occupying this place. However, there is no feeling of nostalgia or bittersweetness in my heart.

I can’t afford to wallow in such emotions.

Instead, my mind is already fixed on what to do after leaving this office.

’I’ll begin my journey through the Randalorion Kingdom tomorrow. I need to check out those areas and strike while the metal is hot.’

There is no need to think about the Royal Academy any longer.

I even stayed out of the Politics.

Although it wasn’t Klein, it was still someone from the Royal Faction who won the election and became the Head of the Academy. This was already a given due to my influence in this Kingdom.

This new Academy Head is rather shrewd.

I took a short time to visit him, and it appears he understands why he was able to secure his seat.

He will fall in line with my wishes.

Back to the topic at hand, though, I am honestly praying for a miracle.

Perhaps some kind of breakthrough.

Once I leave my office and return to my Staff Residence, I check my porch and find a letter waiting for me there.

’What? This is...’ My eyes flicker in recognition.

Perhaps it’s because we used to exchange letters in the past, but I immediately recognize the seal on the envelope.

It’s my Aunt Leila!

Or, more specifically, it is Lord Krawford’s Noble Seal.

’A sudden message? What could it be about?’ I enter my room and immediately open up the envelope to read its contents.

If I don’t do so immediately, I’ll be too caught up with the investigation that I’ll forget.

And thank goodness I read it!

Because I got two pieces of news that can be considered the polar opposite.

One is very grim—Lord Krawford has been abducted. The abduction described in Aunt Leila’s letter shares similarities with the other cases I’ve looked into.

It’s the same Paranormal Abduction.

As worried as I am for her husband, however, the silver lining in the message makes me break into a somewhat excited smile.

I read it aloud with vigor and traces of joy.

"Javier... I think I know the people responsible for this abduction, but I have no way to contact them, and even if I did, they would deny any involvement. They are wealthier and much more powerful than we are. I need your assistance in finding my husband and putting them to justice!"

Finally... a breakthrough!

Aunt Leila is a brilliant Alchemist—a scientist who does not compromise based on bias.

If she holds a suspicion deep enough to be included in this letter, it cannot be unfounded. Even if it turns out to be an incorrect assessment, this is still a worthwhile thing to investigate.

It appears I now have my first place to investigate.

—Duke Krawford’s Manor!

***********

"Thank you so much for coming, Javier."

Aunt Leila frantically approaches me the moment I step out of my carriage, her eyes watery with both relief and deep worry.

She hugs me tightly, squishing me in a violent embrace.

This time, however, I do not mind.

Even as my black long coat is crumpled, and my dark blazer soaks in her tears, I remain silent. My right hand tightly grips the handle of my large suitcase, while I wrap my unoccupied hand around her. The dark gloves I wear prevent me from feeling her skin, but I caress her regardless.

Aunt Leila, as always, is dressed in a rather loose lavender gown, but there is no hint of sexual appeal in her current state.

She appears quite miserable due to her sudden loss.

I can understand what she is feeling at the moment, and the small sobs that leak out of her lips make my heart tremble for her sake.

It’s no secret how much my Aunt loves her husband and how much he loves her.

Their love story is quite popular among the Lesser Noble circles.

Lord Krawford also supported Aunt Leila’s education and eventual career in Alchemy, which resulted in their success as a Lesser Noble couple.

They are among the wealthiest Lesser Nobles in this Kingdom for a reason.

None of this would have been possible if Lord Krawford hadn’t supported his wife and stuck to traditions. Instead, he was a progressive man who actually liked my Aunt’s wild spirit and excessive personality.

In fact, my Aunt is fond of dressing quite lecherously, and he has never complained about it.

Such a calm, gentle man...

’To think he also fell victim.’ I sigh and give Aunt Leila as many words of comfort as I can.

"I’ll help you find him for sure!"

Aunt Leila helped me a lot with my Existential Deficiency, and without her help, I would have suffered immensely. She’s also one of the few living relatives I consider my actual family.

Actually, besides Uncle Damon, she is the only one I keep in contact with.

I am a selfish person.

But in moments like these, I find it difficult not to place the well-being of others first.

More than anything... I want to help this woman.

"Tell me everything you know." Without even taking the chance to rest, I get straight to the matter at hand. "Also, lead me to Lord Krawford’s room, if you don’t mind. We need to investigate as thoroughly as possible."

"O-okay..."

Aunt Leila nods and leads me into the residence without any formality or resistance.

Besides her naturally carefree nature, her worries have also made her unable to critically assess my requests. She is panicking, and I understand that emotion.

I can only hope to ease her worries soon.

"This is our room. This is his study. This is our private library. This is..."

Aunt Leila gives me a quick tour of all the areas within her house, handing over the master key for me to use as I see fit. While showing me around, she also explains her perception of the situation more clearly than she did in the letter.

"This group... they approached us for business. I don’t know much about them, since it’s my husband who did business with them. But they’re all powerful. They made an absurd down payment for our Potions and even made us their retainers. They bragged about being connected to many High Nobles and also having assets in other Kingdoms. I honestly don’t know too much, except for the fact that my husband told me a few months ago that he planned on terminating our contract with them. It seems like he found something shady about their business. He didn’t want to get me involved. He said it was dangerous. I... I shouldn’t have stayed out of it as he wanted, but I did as he said and didn’t ask questions. So... he went for his business trip, and... and he didn’t return for days. I was growing worried and would have started a search for him, but he eventually returned. He told me it wasn’t easy, but after negotiating, he managed to resolve the matter and cut all ties with them. We slept peacefully that night, and I noticed him leaving the room for a while. I secretly followed him and saw him enter his study...."

"Then what happened?" I ask, deeply interested in the story.

"N-nothing...." Aunt Leila sobs even louder. "That was the last I saw of him. He never came out of that study. When I entered to get him out, I noticed he was gone. I tried my best to investigate, using all kinds of Potions and Armaments, but all I could detect were minute Trace Elements. I used up a huge fee to seek out a Diviner, but found nothing. There were no intruders in our house that night, too... so I don’t know how this could have happened."

I sigh at this point.

This rings very similarly to the other cases.

Eerily so.

The pattern has repeated itself much too often, but it’s especially bizarre in this case.

Why?

Because Lord Krawford and Aunt Leila have a relationship with a mysterious group that could be the culprit in this matter.

"I suppose we need to start with investigating his study." I nod at her, and together we make it to the entrance of the dark mahogany door.

Aunt Leila stands outside while I enter the room.

It appears a great deal of her fears are associated with the room, and she would rather not relive her terrible experience.

I can understand this.

Upon entering the room, other than it being abandoned, it appears very similar to every Noble’s study. Lord Krawford often went on business trips, so it’s no surprise that most of these books appear untouched.

When it comes to Lesser Nobles, he is quite an anomaly.

Because he was so busy.

Most Lords would remain in their territory and leave the money-making to their stewards. They already gained enough money from tributes and taxes given by the residents of their territory.

Only a few engaged in serious business beyond their ordinary duties.

Among them, Lord Krawford was especially talented and proactive in this field.

He managed his wife’s business and expanded it to the point of being very lucrative. He is a man with immense commercial acumen, but he still manages to balance his domestic life.

A perfect gentleman.

I barely ever met him in his residence in my past life, so most of what I know are words told to me by his wife and the Lesser Nobles who know him well.

However, even from the many portraits of himself and his wife in his study, I can see just how happy they look. His polished black hair, his thin and delicate frame, and the minimalist outfits he wears that contrast the flamboyant display of his wife already give him a colorful atmosphere.

Based on these pictures, he uses a walking stick to support his tall frame and also correct his posture. It seems he prefers to wear a shirt and trousers rather than suits and coats, and his perfect violet eyes are resplendent.

I can see how he charmed my Aunt, who is also a beauty herself.

Other than these pictures and the perfect arrangement of the books within the library, there doesn’t seem to be any unique trait within this place.

But I can’t be so easily fooled.

I am a Leviathan.

I possess abilities that most people cannot comprehend, one of which is the ability to easily detect Trace Elements and also special properties through Existential Resonance.

In essence, anything with a Mystical Characteristic is laid bare to me.

’Let’s give it a try...’

Using Existential Resonance, the view around me begins to change drastically.

I can see the Temporal Layers of Existence around every object present, like ripples in a vast sea.

Threads of Aego swirl all around, connecting everything in the world to each other to form a tapestry of intricacy. I witness the Existence of all things around me.

Most of them have very little definition.

They are vague, at best.

But then, I can see certain items—books, vials, and pieces of furniture looking more ’concrete’.

Their Existence is more defined.

This means they are either Armaments, Potions, Special Resources, or pretty much anything with Mystical Characteristics.

’Those are the things I need to investigate...’

After narrowing my search greatly, I began to look into the pieces of furniture, the patches on the walls, and every other thing of interest.

To improve my search, I activate Clairvoyance to investigate multiple places at once.

My exposed right eye sees what is in front of me, while my left eye, which is covered by the eyepatch, has mystical connections with my 6th Sense. The Clairvoyance that lets me witness the present world through the Aego.

Multitasking like this isn’t very draining, since everything is confined to the same Study.

After about an hour of thorough investigation, I finally put everything together.

And by everything, I mean this... a Journal.

’Lord Krawford, you were quite meticulous in keeping this hidden.’ I smile, looking at the large, weathered book in my grasp.

’What kinds of secrets would make a man like you go out of his way to hide?’

Lord Krawford is a perfect gentleman by many standards.

But I know the truth about humans.

No one is truly perfect.

As a Leviathan, I have also come to see the true nature of the world around me.

Nothing is ever as it seems. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

It appears Lord Krawford had some things he had to keep a secret, no matter what, thus he used many methods to keep this journal hidden.

Now that it is in my hands, those mysteries will be unraveled.

’I only hope this sheds some light on his abduction.’