WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Natty
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Regressor and the Blind Saintess ◈
Chapter 90: Imperial Palace
──────
The sphere settled onto a corpse’s chest.
No one here was foolish enough not to understand what that meant.
Dusk was a tracking Spell Formula. Its targets were the missing people.
...Which meant those corpses were the missing people.
Vera recalled Rohan’s murmur from moments ago and asked,
“...Do you know that face?”
“I do. No, do I? Should I say I know her?”
Rohan wiped his face with a trembling hand and took a deep breath.
It was certainly a face he knew. How could he forget it? She had been one of the most beautiful women he had ever met.
Her faintly pink hair, her drooping eyes framed by long lashes, her high nose, and her lips with their upturned corners.
Every detail remained vivid in Rohan’s mind.
“...Why?”
Why did every one of these corpses have that face above its neck? And why was Dusk pointing at them?
He was too confused. Nothing could be inferred from the clues before them.
As Rohan’s eyes shook intensely...
“Hmm...”
Albrecht stepped forward. Pure Blood was already in his hand.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
The prince raised his sword high.
Then, with a rip, he split open the corpse’s chest.
“What are you...!”
“Look.”
Albrecht’s eyes darkened. Rohan had been about to cry out at his sudden action, but after looking where Albrecht pointed, he sucked in a breath.
The chest cavity was empty. Every organ had been removed, leaving only bones and skin.
“It felt different when I cut them. It clearly felt like I was cutting through people, but something about it felt strange. Now I understand. Their insides were empty...”
Rene flinched at his words.
“...Vera?”
“It’s all right.”
Vera covered Rene’s trembling hand with his own, calming her.
Meanwhile, Albrecht continued.
“There is something else strange. Until we entered this place, none of us noticed they were inside. Even after we entered, it was the same. I only noticed them because they threw daggers.”
Vera stopped moving.
Albrecht was right. Before entering, he had not sensed a single presence.
Considering the corpses’ fighting ability, it made no sense that they could have hidden from everyone here.
“The Apostle of Guidance seems to know that face, so I would like to leave first and hear the full story. What do you think? I do not believe anything good will come of remaining here.”
“...All right.”
Vera glanced at the corpses in their miserable state, then turned around.
“Let us go, Saintess.”
“Ah, yes...”
As Vera led Rene outside, he realized something.
This was not a simple disappearance case. Something deeper and more sinister was involved.
* * *
Back at the count’s estate, the group sat in a circle in the drawing room and listened to Rohan, whose expression was still confused.
“So... it was eight years ago. I had come to deliver Mari’s letter to the count, and since it was festival season, I thought I would stay and look around. I remained in the Empire for a month or two.”
“So you loafed around?”
“Come on, Sister! That’s not the important part!”
Mari clicked her tongue at Rohan’s startled reply.
“Fine, we can talk about that later. Hurry up and continue.”
“Whew... Anyway, Anna was a woman I met at the festival. I was drinking alone at an outdoor tavern in the night market when she approached me.”
Rohan continued as he searched through his memories.
“Well, it was a festival, the mood was good... What else was I supposed to do? I spent the rest of the festival with her. That was all. I never received any more contact or news from her afterward. But...”
What had he seen in the Gutter?
Unable to find an answer, Rohan’s expression grew even darker.
Albrecht listened, his brow furrowed in thought before he made a suggestion.
“If those corpses were already in the Empire at the time, could it be that the Apostle met one that was active then...?”
“No. I am certain that was not it.”
“Hmm?”
Rohan hesitated, his expression turning awkward before he finally let out a heavy sigh.
“...Anna definitely had all her organs inside her then.”
“How do you know that?”
Rohan’s mouth shut tightly. The serious look on his face slowly gave way to embarrassment.
Mari scowled and clicked her tongue.
“You came, didn’t you?”
“...Sister, your choice of words.”
“You filthy brat. You go around spilling your seed all over the place, and it’s a wonder you haven’t fathered a child yet!”
Rohan shrank beneath Mari’s scolding. Albrecht’s face turned red, though curiosity also filled his eyes. The count covered his eyes with a hand.
The room fell quiet.
Rene, who had been quietly listening, continued thinking for a while before finally realizing what Mari and Rohan’s conversation meant. Her face turned bright red.
“Ah, th-that...”
“...Saintess, please compose yourself.”
“Y-yes, yes...!”
The somber mood flipped in an instant. An oddly awkward atmosphere filled the room.
Mari crossed her arms and looked around before giving a small snort.
“I only said it because you all looked so gloomy. This is when we need to get a grip and talk things through! Husband, does anything come to mind?”
“Hmm...”
Count Vaischur stroked his beard as he thought.
“At least I know no noble is responsible. As far as I know, none of the nobles in the capital can perform that kind of sorcery.”
“They may have hired a spellcaster.”
“Impossible. As long as the Mage Tower watches over the skies above the capital, every spell cast there would be caught by the detection array...”
The count’s body jolted. The others reacted the same way.
Albrecht gave a short, hollow laugh and spoke.
“Come to think of it, the Mage Tower is positioned directly above the Gutter, is it not?”
At those words, the room froze.
Albrecht looked over the group as their faces grew serious, then said,
“I should discuss this with my brother.”
“You mean the Crown Prince?”
“Yes. The Saintess is scheduled to visit the imperial palace in two days, is she not?”
Albrecht smiled, his white teeth gleaming.
“The timing is perfect. Let us discuss this again in two days.”
Vera asked Rene for her opinion.
“Would that be acceptable?”
“Yes, let’s do that. It’s not as though we have any clear answer right now.”
At Rene’s approval, Albrecht nodded.
“Good. Then the imperial family will send a carriage that day. It has grown late. I will take my leave now. Everyone has worked hard for a long time, so please rest well.”
Albrecht left, and Count Vaischur went to see him off.
Only the four Apostles remained.
The moment the Mage Tower had been mentioned, something had crossed Rene’s mind.
“...Come to think of it, Trevo was from the Mage Tower, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. It was over twenty years ago, but he was a promising mage who was even considered as a candidate for the next Mage Tower Master.”
“Should we ask him for advice? If we send an express courier, we should receive a reply within ten days.”
“Oh! That guy! I had completely forgotten about him since we have not seen him in so long!”
Mari responded enthusiastically, followed by Rohan.
“Then I’ll send the letter. Ah, should I bring back some paladin support as well?”
“That would not be possible. Sending troops into another nation’s capital could become a diplomatic issue.”
“Huh? Even when they are the ones asking us for help?”
“Not those guys, but the imperial family. And the imperial family is weak at the moment.”
“What are you talking about? Then why are we all right?”
“There are only a few of us, and we have justification for being here. No one can pick a fight over that. Keep that in mind and only send the letter. Saintess, shall we retire? It is very late.”
“Ah, yes.”
Rene took Vera’s hand and rose from her seat.
Even as she left the drawing room, the same thought continued lingering in her mind.
‘Hmm...’
Something about the presence of the corpses they had faced in the Gutter felt familiar.
* * *
Two days later, outside the imperial palace.
Rene stepped down from the carriage with exhaustion already clear on her face, then let out a deep sigh.
The reason went without saying. It was because of the ceremonial vestments she wore. The attendants had dressed her up since early morning, leaving her completely drained.
Wondering if she could safely meet the Crown Prince and return today, Rene took Vera’s hand and stepped down from the carriage.
“You have worked hard.”
“No. More importantly, do my clothes look all right? They must not be rumpled from sitting.”
“Yes. You look truly befitting of a Saintess, so there is no need to worry in the slightest.”
“That is a relief.”
Rene began walking, setting down her cane with a tap.
“What is the imperial palace like?”
“Like the library we visited before, white is the dominant color. Four broad avenues extend from the central imperial palace, with other buildings standing between them. Hmm, the landscaping is worthy of the imperial palace as well. White, green, and flowers planted here and there create a great variety of colors.”
Vera continued describing it, but he felt somewhat troubled.
The imperial palace complex was far too large, and the buildings within it were just as numerous.
How was he supposed to explain all this?
As difficulty appeared on Vera’s face, Rene sensed it and quietly laughed.
“You do not have to tell me everything. I can picture it roughly from what you have described so far.”
“...Yes.”
A peaceful atmosphere surrounded them as they walked hand in hand.
After walking for some time while enjoying that rare feeling of peace, a loud voice rang out ahead.
“Welcome!”
It was Albrecht’s voice. More than a dozen attendants stood behind him.
Albrecht narrowed his golden eyes, sparkling beneath the sunlight, into a smile, showing his white teeth as he continued.
“Welcome to the Empire’s imperial court! I am Albrecht van Frihi, the Second Imperial Prince! It is an honor to meet the Saintess and the Apostle!”
At his formal greeting, Rene finally realized that this was her first official meeting with Albrecht and bowed her head.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
Seeing Rene treat him with such courtesy, something stirred within Albrecht’s chest.
That was right! This was how it should be! He was the Second Imperial Prince, so had the way they treated him until now not been far too much?
A small sense of indignation rose in him, deepening his emotion.
Albrecht’s body began trembling slightly, and Vera’s face twisted into a frown.
The sound of heels entered the space.
Albrecht and Vera both turned toward its source. Once they saw the person there, their expressions hardened.
A young woman with sharp features walked out from inside, her curly red hair flying around her.
“...Mage Tower Master.”
The owner of the Mage Tower, suspected of being behind the disappearances, was approaching them.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
