The Daughter of Evil - Volume 3 - Chapter 1.22

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Chapter 1, Section 2-Chance Meeting of a Sworn Friend; Scene 2
Praeludium of Red, page 38-42

♣ Yukina ~In the Beelzenian Empire, “The Conchita Estate”~

Having trodden upon this old ruin made of stone built among the mountains in the southern portion of Rucolebeni, once again I was faced with disappointment.

I hadn’t found anything that seemed to be related to the vessels of deadly sin. I hadn’t thought I’d suddenly be able to hit upon some big prize, but still.

I’d found nothing like a vessel here earlier.

It was all completely empty.

I had searched, thinking there might be some hidden staircase somewhere, but I wasn’t able to catch sight of anything like that.

Of course, it would be a mistake to hope for something in a mansion that hadn’t been lived in for close to two hundred years, but nevertheless the emptiness was too much.

I took out a memo pad and made notes on the state of things inside the ruin. But I was done almost immediately. There honestly wasn’t much to write.

“This isn’t very dramatic, is it…” I murmured to myself without thinking.

What I could see now was the scenery from a third floor window. I was able to survey the peaceful line of buildings in Rucolebeni and vast Trauben fields.

I decided to return to town after enjoying the sights a little bit more. The day would be out soon, and I’d have to look for an inn.

Come to think of it, hadn’t Lily told me that Beelzenia was sheltering a criminal, and that might re-ignite a war soon?

A criminal–were they someone targeted by the “Witch Hunt Order” after all?

The “Witch Hunt Order” was originally given to arrest the bellwether of the revolution, Germaine Avadonia. The official version of events was that she was plotting to start another rebellion, harboring discontent with how she’d been treated after the revolution was over.

But I’d obtained some information regarding that that was different from the official story. Germaine committed a “sin” in order to jump start the revolution. Apparently it was something that invited King Kyle’s own personal enmity. It never went beyond rumors, so I didn’t know if that was true or not.

Currently the aim of the “Witch Hunt Order” had broadened, and anyone who opposed the Marlon royal family were gradually being designated under it.

There were two people among my associates who had become targets of the “Witch Hunt Order”.

Elluka and Gumillia. I wonder where they are right now?

Elluka, who was one of the Three Heroes of Lucifenia, and her apprentice Gumillia, had lived at the Freezis estate for several months during the Lucifenian Revolution five years ago.

I didn’t recall too clearly what they looked like, but I remembered they were both beautiful women. Elluka hadn’t looked after me much, but I played with Gumillia a lot. She was a taciturn and slightly unusual person who always demanded I use polite speech.

Once everything had settled down, they left the mansion, saying they were heading to a country in the east.

A country in the east…They weren’t in Asmodean. Did they head even farther east than that?

I had heard their names again a year after then.

They were among the targets of the “Witch Hunt Order” that King Kyle of Marlon had issued.

That in itself wasn’t particularly strange. Elluka had been a close associate of Lucifenia’s “Daughter of Evil”, Princess Riliane, who had been executed during the revolution. But then, why only search for them after a year had already passed since then?

And this Elluka Clockworker written in Will Jaakko’s book had the same name as her. Was that just a coincidence?

Elluka had her name appear in a book written over a hundred years ago. I didn’t know if it was the same person, but if, say, she was part of a family line that inherited the same name each generation, then perhaps she had been told something regarding the vessels of deadly sin.

Aside from that, I also had an interest in the “Daughter of Evil” that the two of them had once served. There were several baffling mysteries about that revolution. There was no doubting that if I were able to ask someone who had been close to Princess Riliane, it would be extremely valuable data, historically.

Not that I had much inclination to be a historian, but it would be good material for a novel.

After idly gazing outside for a short while, caught up in my thoughts, I started to hear the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs behind me.

Looks like there’s someone other than myself visiting a place like this with nothing in it.

The person who had come up was a young woman. She was wearing glasses, and had short green hair.

“I am sure that I told the border guard, to instruct you to come to the imperial castle first, when you got to Rucolebeni,” the green-haired woman said.

Ah, so she had some connection to the Beelzenian imperial family, or the military. When I didn’t come to the emperor’s castle she must have come here looking for me.

Even so, she found me awfully fast. How did she know about such a deserted ruin as this?

I thought up an excuse to smooth the situation over for the time being.

“Oh dear, this won’t do. I must have come to the wrong castle by mistake.”

Even I thought that was a barefaced lie.

“…I think it better, that you don’t make Keel worry so.”

“…! How ‘bout you mind your own business? I don’t need to stand here getting lectured.”

I lost my temper when she said my father’s name, and ended up talking to her more rudely. It was a habit of mine to get flustered in my speech when I was agitated. Seemed I still had quite a bit of training to do before I could call myself a lady.

But she had called my father “Keel”, just now. Was she some close relation of my father’s?

“You are as ever, Yukina. And…I am, older than you. Speak politely, with your elders.”

I’d heard that phrase somewhere before.

I frantically wracked my memory. Maybe I had suddenly hit upon some big prize here in Beelzenia after all.