Chapter 113

A Detective… And Their Name is
We finally made it back to Westland.
I've been living a life of nothing but reading at the mansion in the royal capital—because the pressure from those around me telling me not to go anywhere was intense.
My stay was extended because the paperwork for the new business took time, but it ended up being a good period for me.
Well, Father looked completely worn out though... Thank you for your hard work.

“You're late.”

As soon as I got back, Alraune caught me and started complaining.

“You're still here?” I snapped back, annoyed.

“How was I supposed to get back riding on Ciel if Ciel went with you guys?”

Ah, that’s true. Sorry. That was my bad. I apologize honestly.

“Well, it’s fine. Mama gave me cookies and cake and other sweet treats, and I even got some magic water from the captain.”

She enjoyed herself after all. My apology was wasted.

Looking closely, I noticed butterfly embroidery on the skirt part of the one-piece dress Alraune was wearing.

“The clothes you’re wearing—you made them yourself, huh?”

“That’s right. I finished one while waiting for you and the others to return.”

“One? How many are you planning to make?”

“Two more. Mama said I could make more, but there’s nowhere to store them. But she also said she’d make me a wardrobe? to put the dresses in.”

The next day, Alraune rode Ciel back to the World Tree but he returned again carrying another Alraune.
I’ll just leave everything to Mother when it comes to the Alraune.

When I woke up in the morning, Luan's face was right in front of mine and I jumped up in shock.
He's cute, but that sudden close-up was too much for my heart.
It's still pounding.

Luan and Lucia, the Pulchees really live up to their nickname “The Stealths”—you can't even tell if they're around or not.
Apparently, they take their meals and tea with Mother morning, noon, and night, but we only see them when we eat together with her.

Sometimes I sense their presence, and when I turn around, one of them briefly appears and says, “You caught me,” before disappearing again.
It feels like they’re testing how much I can sense their presence.
But for the Pulchee mom and daughter to show up in my room early in the morning—what’s going on?

When I asked Atre, he said they’re saying, “There’s a spy among the employees. What should we do?”

“A spy?!”

Apparently, someone is snooping around trying to learn the ingredients and recipe for the curry powder. They're also digging into things about the beastkin.
Raul and the others are still at the knights’ dormitory practicing magic.
We’ll need to consult Father and the others.

I had Georges contact the family right away to gather them.
Father, Mother, and Brother Gerald came to my room.

“What’s going on so early in the morning, Hardt?” Father asked.

I told them what I’d heard from Pulchees.

“Sigh... So they finally showed up. It’s either they were tempted by money or someone took their family hostage.”

“If someone’s family is being held, we need to find out fast.”

“But how do we identify the mastermind? That’ll take time.”

I see... If it’s just about money, then it’s their own fault, but if someone’s family is being threatened, that’s a different story.
We have to catch the one doing the threatening, or this will just keep happening.
What should we do...

Atre came to tell me that Luan followed the spy, so she knows what building they were talking in and who they spoke to.
What are you doing, Luan? That’s dangerous if you get caught.
“I wouldn’t make such a mistake,” she said.

Well, sometimes Mother and I can sense their presence, that’s why I am worried.
“That’s Lucia, not me,” Luan replied.

“Then Hardt and Gerald, go identify the building. Go with Luan and the others and try to spot it from inside the carriage. Also, Luan, can you identify the employee?” Father asked.

Luan said she recognized the face but didn’t know the name.

We decided to prioritize identifying the building and headed out with Luan and the others.

But just riding around the domain’s capital in a carriage doing nothing would be suspicious, so we planned to visit Carlo and the others at the glass workshop, and Mr. Bogartz’s place while we searched.

When we got to Carlo's glass workshop, the number of employees had increased.
When I congratulated Carlo, he said that once the workers mastered the basics of glass accessories and glass pens, some of them left right away, so he didn’t teach them much about design.

Even if they pay the patent fee and get the process manual, the finer techniques can’t be learned without actually seeing them, so they come to the workshop.
But there are still plenty of orders, and craftsmen who can handle glass learn quickly, so he's made peace with it.
For now, it seems no one has tried to threaten them.

As I was about to leave after telling them to stay cautious—
“Young master Reinhardt, Raziel told me not to get too into the glass pens because there’s a new product in development. When will you be able to teach us about it?”

Oh right, I did ask Raziel to talk to Carlo about that.

“The parts we need for the new product aren’t ready yet, so I’d like you to wait a little longer. I promise to let you know as soon as they’re finished.”

They said they’d be waiting.
I’ll need to go check in with Maria about the status of that.

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