Chapter 266

Putting the letter aside for now, Tatsuro delved into reading about "significant events that occurred in this country," while Ai investigated "the current status of the people involved."

Soon enough, they stumbled upon something intriguing.

"The territory of Lyadas originally consisted of Obsul, Mimils, Tofas, and Lyadas itself, but due to the achievement of establishing Artificial Magic Stone production, Tergeni has apparently been added as a territory."

"Huh. But doesn’t that mean Lyusiten’s territory got reduced? Was that okay with them?"

"It seems fine. The previous lord of Lyusiten didn’t directly participate in Moritz’s shady dealings, but he turned a blind eye to a lot of it. When that came to light, one of his territories was confiscated as punishment. And that territory was given to Lyadas, its neighbor."

"So, no real issues then? Though I bet the lord of Lyusiten isn’t thrilled about it."

It was the consequence of his own actions, so neither Tatsuro nor Ai felt any sympathy for him. In fact, they were delighted to hear that Lyadas, where many of their acquaintances resided, was steadily prospering.

"Yeah. Also, Lyadas’s territory used to extend only to the outskirts of Obsul, the salt town, and the salt lake was technically outside its borders. But because of the Artificial Magic Stone matter, the lake is now included in their territory."

"…Hmm? Does that actually mean anything?"

To Ai, it didn’t seem like a big deal since the salt industry was already thriving, even if it wasn’t part of the territory. But apparently, there was significance to it.

"It seems Obsul’s salt industry is quite profitable, but it’s on the opposite side of Lyusiten. The lord of Toronos, which lies across the Amneri Great Forest, kept complaining that it wasn’t fair for Lyadas to benefit from the salt lake, which is near the border but not in his territory."

"If he’s got complaints, why not just—oh, never mind, that wouldn’t work."

The border is marked by the treacherous Amneri Great Forest, so expecting mere salt workers to cross it is unreasonable. Still, out of frustration, the lord of Toronos kept picking fights with Lyadas’s lord.

"But now that the lake is officially part of Lyadas’s territory, he’s got no grounds to complain anymore."

"Kinda petty, huh? But Lyadas is getting some serious preferential treatment from the country."

"Well, in our world, it’d be like figuring out how to artificially grow petroleum from moss. Securing energy resources is a big deal for any nation."

"Got it. So, they’re rewarding them and encouraging them to keep it up. Makes sense."

Other news included the passing of the previous king and new laws enacted in various territories. To Tatsuro and Ai, these were just "oh, okay" kinds of stories, but since they were significant to the people of this country, they skimmed through them for general knowledge.

Meanwhile, Ai found some interesting information too.

"Right now, in Lyadas’s town, Ennio and Yorn are being treated as honorary citizens! They’re practically heroes, super popular with the townsfolk!"

"As expected of our soul brothers. Joking aside, how’d that happen? Even if Marikka pushed for it, I doubt she could just declare them honorary citizens."

"Well, according to this—"

According to Ai’s documents, twenty-two years ago, in the year 1006 of the Heldamdo calendar, a massive monster outbreak near Lyadas caused widespread panic in the town. Under Marikka’s leadership, Yorn and Ennio played a major role, defeating monsters left and right and racing through the town to save people. Their heroic actions transformed their once-feared reputation into that of town heroes.

As a result, at the townsfolk’s urging, the two were granted treatment equivalent to humans, but only within Lyadas’s territory. They were also officially recognized as Marikka’s brothers, taking on the surname Shurjaniemi—Yorn Shurjaniemi as the eldest and Ennio Shurjaniemi as the second son. This allowed them to roam the town freely, even without Marikka, and they were so popular that crowds gathered just to catch a glimpse of them. Their fame even led to merchandise like dolls being sold all over town.

"That’s amazing. But it’s reassuring to know they’re doing well. Once we’re settled back in our world, should we go visit them?"

"Yeah! I want to see Ennio too!"

Though over thirty years had passed, they worried whether they’d be remembered but decided to visit Marikka with some Dragon Meat someday.

"Also, Marikka’s still the town mayor of Lyadas, and she’s apparently super popular—historically so!"

"She’s Ennio and Yorn’s big sister, so that’s only natural. If I lived in Lyadas, I’d support Marikka too."

"Me too!"

Next, Ai talked about Reginald and Gillian Mac Dermott. (T/N: The author referred to Gillian as a woman here while he was written as a male character. I will leave it like this but have it at the back of your mind that Gillian is a male human in this novel. Check chapter 100)

"Mac Dermott has passed the family headship to Gillian, so she’s the one managing the business now."

"So, Reginald’s retired? I thought he’d be the ‘work-till-I-die’ type."

"Nope. Apparently, he’s now the head of the Lyusiten merchants’ guild. He’s done a lot to clean up the mess Moritz made."

"How old is that guy now? Back then, Gillian looked at least 25, so even if he had her at 20, he’d have been 45. It’s been 36 years since then, so he’s at least 81. Talk about spry!"

Still, compared to Earth’s modern medicine, this world’s magic-based healing—Life Magic and Dispel Magic—likely extended people’s healthy lifespans, which Tatsuro figured explained it.

"Also, Gillian got married at 41 and has a son and a daughter."

"Wow, that’s great news. No idea how old she is now, but going by that math, probably around 61?"

"So, her kids might actually be older than us. That’s kinda weird."

They mused that if the legend of Urashima Taro were real, this must be the strange feeling he experienced, then moved on to the next acquaintance.

"Heathcoat College—probably the Doctor, right?"

"Yeah, most likely. My documents mention that name as the person who developed the special moss cultivation method."

"Oh, nice! Get this—he got married at 29!"

"No way! He seemed like the last guy to care about that kind of thing. Wonder what his wife’s like."

"No clue. The documents don’t say."

Heathcoat had always struck them as a research-obsessed loner, so Tatsuro couldn’t even imagine him chatting happily with a woman.

"He’s moved to Lyadas now, where he’s been given a proper research facility. He’s working on more efficient moss cultivation methods and other projects. Oh, and he’s got—five kids!"

"Five?! Man, he went all out. That’s a big family!"

"Yeah, his wife must have her hands full. Oh, by the way, I’d like two kids—a girl and a boy."

"…Uh, yeah. W-Well… when the time comes… I’ll do my best…"

Giggling, Ai wrapped her arms around Tatsuro’s neck, showering his face with kisses. He let her, but when a kiss landed near his mouth, he grabbed her and returned the favor, their lips meeting. Things escalated from there, and after going all the way, they showered and got back to work.

Their circle of acquaintances wasn’t that large, so they thought they were done, but one unexpected name popped up.

"Huh? Leela Tristra’s name is here."

"Weren’t the people we met before Lyadas supposed to be left out?"

"Yeah, but apparently, about two years ago, she was wandering around Lyusiten looking for us. Seems she caught the attention of someone named Fornacis."

Leela Tristra was supposed to be working as a staff member at Obsul’s adventurer’s guild. They wondered why she was looking for them, but the documents didn’t say, only noting that she moved to another territory afterward. She had quit her guild job and returned to being an adventurer.

"She quit the guild to go back to adventuring? Maybe she was just casually looking for us, like, ‘Wonder if they’re around.’"

"Yeah, we did mention we’d be around here. It makes sense she’d check for familiar faces."

Having gathered most of the information they wanted, Tatsuro finally picked up the letter as if just remembering it.

"Ooh, finally opening it?"

"Yeah. It seems like I should read it first, so I’ll go through it quickly."

"Okay! Let me know what’s in it when you’re done!"

"No secrets here," Tatsuro replied lightly, breaking the seal and pulling out the paper. He started reading with a casual attitude, but as he went on, his expression grew grim.

"…They expect me to tell her this?"

In short, the letter detailed the fate of Leah Schleiermacher’s family:

• Father, Hagen Schleiermacher.
• Mother, Costa Schleiermacher.
• Younger brother, Petz Schleiermacher.
• Younger sister, Helga Schleiermacher.

All were bludgeoned to death by Moritz Holbein. There was overwhelming evidence for these four murders, leading to a death sentence for Moritz. However, on the day of his execution, he vanished.

Additionally, Leah’s paternal and maternal grandparents and other relatives were all killed by an unknown party, likely at Moritz’s behest, though there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him for those crimes.

Tatsuro hesitated for a moment about whether to tell Ai but decided there was no point in hiding it. He relayed the contents exactly as they were.

"That’s… heavy," Ai said.

"Yeah. Even if her parents sold her, to hear her little brother and sister, whom she never met, were killed… and not by accident or illness, but murdered…"

"But hiding it doesn’t feel right either. We’re already set on visiting her hometown, so she’d probably find out sooner or later."

"Yeah… I’m thinking of bringing it up at the end of tomorrow’s report meeting. That okay?"

"Yup. I’ll help you explain, so let’s do this together."

With heavy hearts, they went to bed well past midnight, slipping under the covers to rest their weary minds.