Baby Prisoner of the Winter Castle Chapter 121

Weekend, Heiden’s villa. 

 

“I’m sorry, Clarisse.” 

 

Quentin came to Clarisse’s room after returning from the monastery.

 

“Nobody you asked about has entered the second wall within the last month. Oh, what was it… You said it was a man named Luca Mavis, right?”

 

“Yes, he may have come in as a servant.”

 

Clarisse reported to the Duke what happened when she was chasing the Duchess, including the testimony that ‘the carriage carrying her went straight through without even going through the inspection of the castle gate.’

 

At that moment, the Duke murmured quietly, “I should request access to the records of gate access management.” And Clarisse remembered this clearly. 

 

But even so, Clarisse, who was just a prisoner, couldn’t ask to check the access records.

 

So here, Noah’s name was used.

 

Fortunately, he recently received a promise from the Duke that he would help with anything.

 

He willingly wrote a letter and gave it to Clarisse, saying, ‘The Duke won’t refuse even if Girl asks, but this is the wizard’s business.’ 

 

He wants to check if there are any records of Luca Mavis.

 

“So I checked all the servants of each mansion, and there was no such name.” 

 

“Ah…Did I think it was too easy?”

 

When Clarisse asked regretfully, Quentin shook her head. 

 

“People usually don’t change their names just to cross the second wall. The identity tokens used to pass through the second wall aren’t so easily forged.”

 

“That means… it’s not entirely impossible to forge them, right?”

 

Clarisse was a bit cautious about talking about crime, so she lowered her voice. Still, she felt worried for some reason and added: 

 

“T, that doesn’t mean I’m going to do that. Never.”

 

Then Quentin laughed as if it was amusing and tapped the top of Clarisse’s head with his palm. 

 

“I know, I know. If you disguise your identity, it will probably be because of the Duke’s wishes.”

 

“The Duke wouldn’t have me disguise my identity. He’s a fair man. Anyway…”

 

Clarisse looked worriedly at Quentin’s slightly tired face. 

 

“Now please take a rest. And I’m sorry if you’re late coming home from work because of me.”

 

“No, no, it’s fine. Just having a scheduled end to the day is satisfying enough.”

 

“Um… Did the Duke give you a lot of work to do?”

 

“Rather than that, I tend to take on a lot of work on my own initiative. When I’m lying still in my room, various thoughts come to mind.”

 

Actually, if she thinks about it, donating the bell to the museum was something Quentin started doing before reporting to the Duke. 

 

It seemed like he was busy every day, immersed in the work he had done on his own.

 

“Ah, and this is what came to mind while I was lying down this morning.”

 

He started looking for something in the pile of papers he had left in the hallway, as if he had almost forgotten it.

 

“….?”

 

A few papers fell to the floor, so Clarisse quickly picked them up and waited for him to find what he was looking for. 

 

“Ah, it’s here!” 

 

What he pulled out was a memo, with crumpled handwriting listing something in a row.

 

“After tracking down names all day, the name Luca Mavis just couldn’t get out of my mind. I’ve tried something like this.”

 

Clarisse held the documents in her arms and looked down at the paper he held out. 

 

It was an anagram that created a new name by freely changing the positions of the letters that make up Luca Mavis. 

 

luv Macias.

 

Camus vial

 

Caval Lmus

 

Mils Vacua

 

There were more than a hundred things like this.

 

“It turns out I didn’t even notice morning approaching! Looks fun, doesn’t it?”

 

Clarisse wondered if this was really fun, but nodded anyway.

 

“Yes, at first glance it seems like a very different name.”

 

“Of course it’s a very different name. Let’s see, for example…”

 

He pointed to the name Camus Vial on a list he had made.

 

“If you go by this name, there’s a record of entry through the second wall, but no record of exit. And it’s not a resident servant either. Interesting, isn’t it?”

 

“Yes…?” 

 

When Clarisse asked in a daze, he looked back through the records he had organized separately and explained.

 

“In cases like this, inspectors from the gate go out separately to verify the situation. But unfortunately, something very regrettable happened here. Ah, here it is.”

 

What he handed her was the “Non-returnee Investigation Report.”

 

“It was written that he got dragged away by the knights because he touched the owner’s belongings. Isn’t it truly a pitiful incident?”

 

Clarisse opened her eyes wide and looked at the movements of the man named Camus Vial.

 

He happened to pass the second wall on the day she went to visit Marquis Curno. It was around that time when he encountered Noah while holding a letter.

 

“What, what happened to this person?! After being dragged away?”

 

“Hmm… First of all, he has to stand trial, but it seems he was taken to prison without any proceedings about what he stole. Moreover, to the underground prison of the second wall.”

 

He added, ‘That’s where only the worst sinners go.’

 

“T, they only stole something, right? Of course, that’s bad too, but…” 

 

“It’s a bit too harsh. Did they see him stealing? There’s no separate report of damages, so I don’t know. Anyway, this person won’t be able to work as a servant anymore.”

 

“Then is it possible that he is out of prison now?”

 

“You really like this kind of thing too?”

 

He grinned and adjusted his glasses, happy to see his comrade. 

 

“Other people tell me I like useless things.” 

 

“I, I don’t think it’s useless. So, what happened?”

 

“Since he went to prison, there haven’t been any documents available for me to review.”

 

“Ah…” 

 

When Clarisse expressed regret, he smiled in remorse. 

 

“…So I used my connections and looked into it. This is a secret, okay?” 

 

Connection was a wonderful word that was only used in the adult world. 

 

“Uncle Quentin is really amazing!” 

 

“Oh, come on, it’s nothing. It’s just possible because of the trust people have in me.” 

 

“That’s right, I also want to tell Uncle Quentin everything. So, what happened?” 

 

“He’s still in prison. Without even having a trial, you know? Strange, isn’t it?”

 

“Still?” 

 

“Yeah. After all, you shouldn’t touch other people’s things. Do you understand, Clarisse? This person seems to be the same age as you, but I’m worried about how he will live in the future.”

 

Clarisse remembered that the gray-robed wizard was a boy of the same age as her.

 

Although there was no confirmation that Camus Vial was Luca Mavis, the possibility at least seemed very high.

 

“Of course, I don’t covet other people’s things, Uncle. But…” 

 

“Hmm? Do you still have any questions?” 

 

“Was there a record of which family the boy named Camus was a servant of?”

 

“Ah, the family that almost got robbed? of course. You won’t be able to prove your employment relationship without a badge provided by the family.” 

 

“Is it alright… if I ask which family it is?” 

 

“No way. That family didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t be surprised, it’s the Marquis of Lennox.” 

 

That somehow felt familiar… as if heard somewhere before. But she couldn’t quite recall which family it belonged to. 

 

Quentin grinned and quickly gave the answer.

 

“If you want to become a great 18-year-old, it’s a good idea to use your wits by memorizing influential families. Moreover, knowing about the Lenoxes is a must! Aren’t they His Majesty’s maternal family?”

 

“Yes?” 

 

“Also, they are related to Prince Valentine, who is close to you.”

 

That’s right.

 

This means that Her Majesty Great Queen’s royal family put Camus Vial in prison. 

 

‘If Camus Vial is really that wizard…?’

 

Clarisse thought she should quickly return to the monastery and tell Noah about this. 

 

* * *

 

Rather than wait for Valentine to pick her up, Clarisse returned to the monastery a day early with Sir Benson’s help. 

 

Of course, it was to talk about Camus Vial to Noah. 

 

“We must first confirm who he is. Why don’t we send Mallang to the prison and ask him to find out what’s going on?” 

 

As expected, Noah opposed the idea that Clarisse quickly added to her explanation. 

 

“You can’t show him the girl’s golem.”

 

“I just have to be careful not to get caught. Even if he sees Mallang, he won’t be able to confirm me as the golem master.” 

 

“That’s right. Because he has almost no ability to judge his opponent based on his remaining magical power. However, it is dangerous for him to know that the Golem Master exists.”

 

“There is no other way.”

 

Seeing Clarisse’s distressed expression, Noah let out a deep sigh.

 

“When will Girl realize that I am a wizard?” 

 

“…I always knew?”

 

“It hurts my heart to feel like I’m being treated as useless at times like this.”

 

“I, it’s not like that! I’m… just.” 

 

Perhaps because he knew Clarisse was in trouble, he smiled and lowered his waist a little to make eye contact. 

 

“Girl, I hope you rely on me sometimes too.”

 

“…Mhm. “

 

“I will definitely become someone who lives up to your expectations.”

 

As he said that, a small white light bloomed from his hand.

 

It was the same light that once illuminated her when she rode in the carriage with Valentine.