Chapter 52. Imperial Investigation Unit

A considerable amount of time had passed since I received the reward for the investigation.

In the meantime, the lengthy mountain blockade had been lifted, and the seasons had changed twice.

Autumn had turned to winter.

And now, spring had arrived again, a vibrant time of blooming flowers.

“Sir Rain? You’ve been sleeping here often lately, haven’t you?”

I’d been lying down with only my upper body inside the doghouse when I heard the maid’s voice and opened my eyes.

“Ah, the weather’s gotten warmer lately, you see.”

It wasn’t like this in the winter, but I keep falling asleep here these days.

Still, it's the place I slept for over two years, so maybe my eyes just close on their own.

“You’re just the same even after growing up.”

The maid chuckled at my appearance. A familiar face, she'd been here since I first arrived at the mansion.

“...How much have I even grown?”

“You’ve grown a lot. Especially recently, it seems like you’ve lost your baby fat.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! You’ve become even more handsome.”

Handsome, huh…

Well, I guess I do have a healthy glow, maybe thanks to being an Aura User.

Did I get a bit taller too?

Damn, I was already treated as older than my age before, now I’m going to look even older.

Thinking about Sienna being surprised after hearing my age last time, my growth must be pretty fast.

"I should get up now."

Well, I’m awake now. Exiting the doghouse, I see the empty courtyard.

“Where are Whitey and Sienna?”

“They went for a walk a while ago, they should be back soon.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Sienna is still working as a Trainer for the Void Family.

She's stayed quite a while, longer than I expected.

Well, there’s no one as talented as her when it comes to handling Whitey.

Lowell wouldn't have brought her here for nothing in the first place.

I heard Sienna was the most promising talent from a famous tribe in the North.

Maybe Lowell saw her talent and is keeping her here.

“I’m back!”

But she seems satisfied, so it’s probably fine?

In the distance, I see Sienna returning from her walk, all dressed up.

“Oh? You’re awake.”

“Ah, yes… Where’s Whitey?”

“He’s right here!”

Still cheerful as ever, Sienna lifted Whitey, who had been trotting behind her.

Keng…!

Some time has passed since we first brought Whitey here, but he’s still about the size of a small dog.

“Why won’t he grow?”

Looking at Whitey, who still resembled a puppy more than a wolf, I asked.

Weren’t Spiritual Beings supposed to grow fast?

Judging by the wolf presumed to be Whitey’s mother, he should already be about half the size of an adult man.

“Hmm, I think Whitey just likes being this size.”

“Is that so?”

“He'll grow when the time is right.”

“Huh.”

Does that even work that way?

Keng! Keng!

Sienna put him down, and Whitey ran over to me, rubbing his head against me. I stared at him, dumbfounded.

This guy’s got it easy.

If he were in the wild, he’d have grown up in a hurry, but since he’s warm and well-fed, he’s choosing to stay as he is.

“By the way, it's already afternoon.”

“Yeah… But I saw you sleeping over there earlier.”

“Ah, well, I was photosynthesizing and dozed off.”

I've been assigned a nice room since becoming an official Knight of the Void Family, but sometimes I miss this open courtyard.

It was too cold during the winter, but now it’s time to photosynthesize again.

“Ah, photosynthesizing… Whitey does that often too.”

“I saw that the other day. Maybe it’s because the weather is warm?”

I saw him lying down comfortably on his own a few times.

Does he know how good sunlight is because he often photosynthesizes with me?

Well, anyway…

“Are you done with your walk?”

“Yes, it’s Whitey’s free time now!”

“Then how about it? A sparring match?”

Since she seemed finished with her walk, I asked Sienna.

Sienna awakened to her Aura last winter.

So these days, she’s practicing Fleet and Rush, which is why the axes flying at me during our sparring matches are no joke.

Especially the axes she throws with Fleet's instantaneous movements are sometimes chilling, making sparring quite exciting.

“...We already did it this morning.”

“We do it three times a day. You go for walks often, too.”

“How can you two be so similar?”

Sienna looked back and forth between Whitey and me, then shrugged.

“Actually, I don’t mind, but Lowell asked me to call you to his office when you woke up.”

“Oh, really? I should head over then.”

It's been a while since Lowell called for me.

I wonder what it’s about?

He’s not the type to call for no reason, so I immediately headed to Lowell’s office in the mansion.

Knock knock-

[Come in.]

Arriving at the office, I knocked and entered.

There, I saw Lowell, his appearance the same as always.

It’s almost surprising how unchanged he looks compared to when I first met him.

“What’s up? Calling for me and all.”

“I called you because I have something to discuss. By the way, how old are you now?”

“Nineteen.”

“Somehow, you’ve become disturbingly grown up. All grown up, aren’t you?”

“...Is that what you called me for?”

Is this old man starting to lose it?

He seems to be getting crankier lately.

“Have you thought about marriage?”

“Marriage?”

“It’s about time.”

“Ah.”

Marriage at my age… though it is the right age, technically.

In this world, nobles and knights, the privileged class, usually hold their wedding ceremonies around twenty.

Depending on the Family, arranged marriages happen even earlier.

“If you wish, I can arrange a suitable meeting for you.”

“...No thanks. I’m not interested.”

“Isn’t it the time when you should be most interested? Or do you already have someone in mind?”

“It’s nothing like that.”

What’s with this old man today?

I haven’t even considered marriage.

“How is Miss Sienna?”

And then, Lowell said something utterly bizarre.

“Are you serious?”

“Isn’t it about time Miss Sienna got married? If the two of you marry, I’ll even provide a mansion.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

…Sienna *is* pretty, no doubt about it.

She’s already quite popular among the mansion’s servants.

But marriage?

If, hypothetically, he provided a mansion, would Whitey also come to that mansion?

I briefly imagined the three of us living together, then quickly erased the thought.

“I’m not interested.”

“If you don’t want to, then fine. Let’s get down to business.”

“…Yes.”

What a long-winded introduction.

One or two more times and I would’ve walked out.

“The Empire’s second Investigation Team arrived yesterday.”

“Finally?”

“Apparently, there’s been a lot of talk over there as well.”

The Gigant Statue discovered previously caused quite a stir.

Although the mountain range blockade was lifted, the Empire’s first Investigation Team arrived and set up camp in front of it. Access for outsiders is strictly prohibited from the plateau where we pitched tents during the last investigation.

Well, the mercenaries haven't fully returned yet, so there probably aren't any mercenary groups that can even go there.

Where the hell is Jebeon and what's he doing?

Still, since the mountain range blockade has been in place for so long, there’s a surplus of mission requests right now, so mercenaries who catch wind of it will flock here.

“So, what do I need to do?”

“Go and show your face in the name of the Void Family.”

“Just a formality?”

“Yes, just don’t cause any trouble.”

“Understood.”

So, I just have to go there as a figurehead.

I can do that.

“By the way, I’m supposedly representing the Void Family, but is it okay for me to go alone?”

“Yes, well, the outside is glamorous enough. Dress nicely.”

“Ah, yes…”

Glamorous outside?

I didn't bother asking what the inside was like.

He’s been awfully grumpy lately.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Let me remind you once again, don’t cause any trouble.”

“Don’t worry.”

Anyway.

After briefly receiving instructions about the mission, I left the office and headed to my room.

The newly assigned room, not the doghouse in the courtyard, was quite nicely furnished.

I went to the wardrobe and took out the uniform I received at the knighting ceremony.

A luxurious uniform with gold embroidery on a black background.

The official knight uniform of the Void Family, with a black hawk emblem on the shoulders.

I haven’t had a chance to wear it usually, so it’s been stored in the wardrobe, but the maids must have regularly maintained it because it’s in perfect condition.

So.

Dress neatly in the uniform, attach the Dawn Star Medal to my chest, and the attire is complete.

Next….

“Excuse me.”

“Yes…? Oh! You’re dressed up so nicely!”

“Please fix my hair.”

“Huh? Ah…! Alright!”

I stepped outside and grabbed one of the passing maids, saying so.

Then….

“I’ll help too!”

“Are you going on a mission?”

“Oh my, you look so handsome!”

The other maids around also flocked to me and helped me get ready.

It's a fairly familiar sight, so I just sat still and waited for them to finish.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

“Have a safe trip!”

Afterward, I equipped the Garrett Mountain Sword displayed in the corner of my room and left the mansion.

Speaking of the Imperial Investigation Unit.

I was curious because I stayed in the mansion when the first Investigation Team arrived.

What would the Investigation Team from the most prosperous country on this continent look like?

They’ll probably have bodyguards too, and I'd like to meet their Aura Users.

Well, I’ll find out when I get there.

So, I headed towards the Kain Mountains to meet the Imperial Investigation Unit.

I heard it was an unofficial dispatch, so they stayed overnight at an inn and departed today without much fanfare.

Then couldn't they have sent me yesterday… I wondered, but Lowell must have had his reasons for telling me so late.

They’re probably at the Investigation Unit Camp, so I went straight up the mountain range.

It's been a while since I’ve been to the Kain Mountains, but since I've ascended and descended countless times, I climbed the mountain with ease.

Taking care not to dirty my uniform, I climbed the mountain, and the plateau and tents came into view.

The tents here have gotten bigger.

Looking closely, there’s a fence and soldiers patrolling.

“Who are you?”

As I climbed onto the plateau, the soldiers looked at me, bewildered, and asked.

I suppose it would be surprising to see someone dressed in a full uniform, clearly looking like a knight, arrive alone.

“I’m a knight of the Void Family.”

“We’ll, we’ll bring a superior officer!”

After I revealed my affiliation to the soldiers, some of them disappeared and a knight in charge of this plateau came out.

“You are?”

“Ah, it’s been a while.”

The face was quite familiar, so I greeted him warmly.

He was one of the Royal Knights who entered the cave with me.

“It *has* been a long time. By the way, what brings you here?”

“I’ve come to meet the Imperial Investigation Unit.”

“Representing your Family? Or personally?”

“Representing my Family.”

“Then go ahead.”

The name Void Family really carries weight.

They just let me through without any formal procedures, even though I came alone.

“Then, excuse me.”

“Alright, you know where the cave is, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

So, I passed through the plateau and headed towards the inner part of the mountain range.

Specifically, towards the central area where we found the cave, I could see facilities with even tighter security than the plateau.

There are even simple buildings beyond the tents.

…How did they build those things there?

I heard that the first Investigation Team from the Empire built these facilities, but their technology is remarkable.

Anyway.

I can finally see the Investigation Team from the Empire now.

I briefly adjusted my clothes and headed towards the entrance of the Investigation Unit Camp.