The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 13

“The Security Department couldn’t even identify the culprit up until now; what have you been doing? You could have fortified the defenses in time if you had hurried!”

“It’s easy to talk about someone else’s work! Do you think identifying an unknown species that has never been discovered before is simple?”

“Isn’t that the Security Department’s job? Stop making excuses for your incompetence!”

“Ha! In that case, regardless of the intruder’s identity, the Imperial Guard should have easily apprehended him! How does an entire squad get annihilated by just one person? Were you slacking off in training?”

“What? Have you finished talking?”

“You guys started with the insults first!”

“You guys? Did you just say ‘you guys’?!”

In the midst of all this, Camille and I, as the first witnesses, had to give our testimonies numerous times. Although it was just recounting what we saw, meeting with investigative teams from all three imperial forces one after another was exhausting. Balancing this with an overwhelming amount of duties was even more draining.

“Of all the people, why did you have to be the first witness? You unlucky bastard.”

Roil clicked his tongue as he saw me, worn out from another grueling session at the Imperial Guard’s office.

“Why did they call you again today? Haven’t you given your initial statement already? They keep summoning a busy guy like you; it’s ridiculous!”

“It wasn’t much. They were curious why the culprit specifically went through the Security Department before attacking the Imperial Palace. They asked for my opinion, but I couldn’t answer.”

“Well, of course not. How could you know what that lunatic was thinking? And he’s not even human, right? They said it’s the first discovered species. A cannibalistic species—how can that be a person? It’s a monster.”

“Is it already known that much?”

“They say the intestines of the guards who were found dead were all eaten. Word spreads quickly here. Even if they try to keep it quiet, everyone who needs to know already knows. Jeez, why’d that thing have to pass through our side and tire everyone out? Lucky you survived the encounter.”

I agreed. Surviving that day was mostly due to luck. If I hadn’t been with Camille, I wouldn’t have made it out alive. I would’ve been attacked and eaten before I even had a chance to create an opening.

‘What did you just do?’

The memory of those piercing eyes staring directly at me was still vivid. He had figured out immediately that I had caused the tremor. His gaze was unnaturally persistent. If he hadn’t been killed and had escaped instead, he might have come after me again. I didn’t mention this to the investigative team.

“Lord Rouster saved you, right? It’s impressive that he held his ground against such a monster. No wonder he’s a promising talent in the Imperial Guard.”

“Yes, he was really incredible.”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t properly thanked him. On that day, we parted ways immediately to report the situation, and afterward, we were both so busy being summoned here and there that we hadn’t had the chance to meet.

Just then, Camille returned to his seat after giving his testimony, just like me. He noticed my gaze and made eye contact. Sending a signal to meet outside, his eyes widened. When I nodded to confirm it was him I was calling, his eyes widened even further. Soon after, Camille hurried out after me, his face flushed.

“Sei, what’s up?”

“Lord Camille, are you free this evening?”

“Wh-what? This evening? Well, yes, I am…”

“Great. Then let’s have dinner together. My treat.”

He looked bewildered, having been tense for who knows what reason.

“Really? I’d love that. But why all of a sudden?”

“Because you saved me the other day. It’s my way of thanking you.”

“Oh, no need for that. Honestly, I didn’t do much. We were both just lucky.”

“No Lord Camille, if you hadn’t held out until the guards arrived, I wouldn’t have survived. You did save me. So, I’ll take it as a yes for dinner tonight.”

“Okay. But Sei, why the honorifics again? Didn’t we agree to talk like we used to?”

“What do you mean?”

“That day when the intruder attacked, I think I heard you shouting ‘No, Camille!’”

‘….’

It seemed he remembered hearing me call out to him in the heat of the moment. I clicked my tongue inwardly but responded calmly without showing it.

“You must have misheard. I didn’t say that.”

“Hm, really? That’s strange. I distinctly remember it. You even called me just Camille again after that.”

“You were probably so stressed that you misheard things.”

Feigning ignorance until the end, he gave me a peculiar look and then chuckled. His expression indicated he would let it slide, which wasn’t exactly pleasing, but I let it pass. Pursuing this topic further would only disadvantage me.

Dinner was held at a high-end restaurant in the suburbs. Camille, guided to a private room by the staff, looked around curiously.

“You chose this place just for me, didn’t you? You didn’t have to go this far.”

“Since I’m treating you as a thanks, it should be somewhere nice. Besides, the places I usually go to don’t have food that you’d enjoy, Lord Camille.”

“I eat anything.”

“So you know how to lie now.”

“Hm? Lie?”

“Beef must be veal under six months old. Wine must be first-grade Lavant vintage. Vegetables freshly picked and not wilting. Seasonings and spices only from the Kingdom of Leto in Southland. You wouldn’t touch anything else, and if you force yourself, you’d get an upset stomach immediately, didn’t you?”

“…You remember all that?”

“We lived together for years.”

Especially the Leto spices Camille insisted on, which were produced in limited quantities. The butler paid particular attention to managing their stock. There was even a servant dedicated to monitoring the spice inventory and placing orders. Camille’s face turned a bit red.

“I was a bit particular when I was younger. But I’m not like that anymore. I improved my eating habits a lot while at the academy. As long as it’s not extremely dirty, I can eat almost anything.”

“Speaking of which, it was surprising to me that you enrolled in the academy. Was that your uncle’s directive?”

“No, I requested it.”

“Why? You could have received a high-level education at home.”

In fact, the upper class often prefers private tutoring. Sometimes, they send their children to academies to build networks, but for the Duke of Rouster’s family, that wasn’t necessary.

“Are you asking because you don’t know? It’s because of you, of course!”

“…Me? Because of me?”

“You were not just my sibling but my rival. Do you know how much studying with you motivated and stimulated me? But then you suddenly left. Studying alone just wasn’t fun anymore. So, I decided to enroll in the academy. I wanted to compete with a wider variety of people.”

“It seems you managed to get the Duke’s permission after all.”

“Don’t even mention it. I spent three whole nights persuading him. But I still think it was the right decision. I learned a lot and made many friends.”

“One of them being Officer Lucen?”

“What?”

Oh, realizing who I meant, Camille nodded lightly with a nonchalant look.

“You mean Adol Lucen, right? We did share a lot of mutual gatherings, but we weren’t personally close.”

“Inviting him to the mansion means you were quite friendly, doesn’t it?”

“That was because I invited all the committee members. Also, my mother was very curious about my social circle, so I had no choice.”

I smirked, thinking that their friendship was probably one-sided from Adol’s perspective. The image of him keeping a low profile these days flashed in my mind.

After that, we spent time conversing about everyday matters while eating. We inquired about each other’s family (only to get chided for asking too quickly) and discussed our work challenges. Then, feeling a peculiar gaze, I looked up to see Camille staring at me with an unusually bright expression.

“…What?”

“Nothing. It’s just that talking like this makes me really happy. It feels like we’ve gone back to the old days.”

“…”

It seemed like it was about time for the main topic to come up. I emptied my glass of water to prepare myself. When arranging a meeting like this, I had expected this conversation to follow. Since it was already out in the open, I couldn’t avoid it forever. Camille appeared more composed as well.

“Actually, after hearing what you said, I’ve been thinking a lot.”

“I’m sure. It’s only natural.”

“So I did some investigating. But there are a few things that don’t add up, and I need to confirm them.”

“What kind of confirmation?”

“Sei, your birthday is at the end of June, right? I understand there’s about a three-month difference from Dewey Lavant’s. Is that correct?”

I had planned to give vague answers to whatever he asked, but this wasn’t really a secret. I nodded calmly, and Camille’s forehead creased.

“The dates don’t match.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said aunt married while pregnant. From what I know, it takes at least four weeks to definitively diagnose a pregnancy. But when I checked aunt’s wedding date, it was in the spring.”

“…It was in the spring?”

“Yes, early April to be exact. Since a baby is born about nine to ten months after conception, if you were conceived then, you should have been born no later than early next year. How can your birthday be at the end of June?”

This was news to me. I had never thought about my mother’s wedding date. My parents never celebrated anniversaries, and I wasn’t curious about such details.

“That’s not all. The Count of Lavant didn’t break up with his former lover even after marrying your mother. When they conceived a child, he hurriedly took her as a concubine. That happened in the summer. Do you understand what this means?”

“What does that…”

“It means Dewey Lavant was conceived even later than you.”

For a moment, my mind went blank.