The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 239 ?Folklorist? Mogers (9) - Pursuit The commotion that had turned the castle town upside down was resolved before the night was over. This was because a wolf corpse with sword-like cuts all over its body was found in an isolated warehouse at the edge of the castle town. Around the wolf's mouth were clinging pieces of cloth and leather that appeared to be Rusdrik's clothing, and there wasn't much blood relative to the size of the wounds. "It seems it fought and defeated Centurion Rusdrik, but couldn't endure the injuries and blood loss it sustained at that time and eventually collapsed dead." At the conclusion reached by the search captain, the castle town's soldiers burst into brief cheers. It was joy at the fact that they had somehow reached a conclusion in just one day, when they might have been running around in circles for days searching for the culprit. "Hey, but isn't this a bit strange?" "What is?" "That bastard Rusdrik may have had a rotten personality, but his swordsmanship was incredible. But he was defeated by just a wolf?" "That's only when he's in good condition. If he's ambushed while drunk, swordsmanship or whatever, he just dies." "No, but the bite marks don't seem to match the size of the wolf's mouth. And how did a wolf get inside the castle town?" "Ah, shut up, you bastard. It's trying to end nicely, so don't stir up trouble for no reason." It wasn't that there were no people who noticed the sense of unease or contradictions, but their voices were soon buried. Rather than stirring things up unnecessarily and making the matter bigger, it was more convenient in many ways to cover it up at this point. The castle town's residents were relieved that the incident had been resolved, but Morana knew it was only temporary comfort. A wolf corpse killed by sword wounds was nothing more than a disguise hastily left behind by the real culprits. Vanya and her group had obtained some kind of 'power', and were planning revenge using that power. This time it was one centurion. Even that was just an impulsive crime, but the next crime would be more meticulous and more daring. With a glance, she looked toward the corner of the room. Luna and Theo, the siblings who had been extremely tense at first, must have been overcome by fatigue as they were now asleep holding each other. "……." Morana fell into thought. If she judged as a soldier of the castle town, she had to report all the facts she had learned to her superiors. If it was treated as nonsense and ignored, that would be the end of it, but if it was taken seriously, a reinvestigation would take place. And in that case, the future of those siblings would become very dark. No, beyond that, the treatment of all Belastok could become worse than before. Then was it right to pretend not to know and cover it up? But what if Vanya's group continued to kill people in the future? If it went beyond ending as a simple incident like this time, and changed into something close to war between Ostern and Belastok? If they were defeated there, then the Belastok people might truly face extinction. "...This is difficult." Morana rubbed her eyelids with both hands. She was poor at making such choices or judgments. Rather than acting according to established rules or given missions, thinking and deciding something on her own was difficult. Especially when it was a matter that concerned not only Morana herself, but the fate of her entire people. It was then that heavy footsteps and a large presence approached from outside the house. Knock. Knock. Knocking sounds that seemed strangely controlled in force, as if worried about breaking down the door. —Is this Morana's house? A voice that had become quite familiar over the past few days came from beyond the door. When she opened the door, the folklorist with a bear-like appearance gave a relieved smile. "Whew. I'm glad I didn't wander around in front of the wrong house. Everyone seems to be on edge right now, so I feel bad about it. May I come in for a moment?" "Yes." With a brief answer, she let Mogers into the house. Mogers briefly looked around the bleak house interior, then twitched his eyebrows upon seeing the siblings sleeping in the corner. Morana caught her breath for a moment. Revealing this information could potentially be dangerous for herself as well. However, she wanted to hear his advice. "Professor. Actually—" *** "...Hmm, I see." After Morana's explanation ended, Mogers stroked his chin and fell into thought. "Let me ask first, but do the Belastok originally have some kind of ability to transform into wolves?" "No." Morana firmly denied it. "We do hear talk about mixed monster blood or being white beasts, but that's just metaphorical expression. At least in all my life, I've never once seen anyone among my people with such abilities." "Then it means they newly acquired that ability through some means." In a way, it was natural. If all Belastok possessed such abilities, their treatment wouldn't have been like it is now. Being able to endure cold well and eating less food may be useful, but they're not abilities that would inspire wariness. So they can be looked down upon and mocked. But transforming into a wolf capable of easily overwhelming a skilled warrior is a different story. If the target of my mockery could transform into a beast and tear me apart at any time, how great would that fear be? Means like isolation and confinement would be relatively benign, and they might have tried to completely wipe out the bloodline. "Hmm, first I should meet those young people and have a conversation." "A conversation?" Perhaps because Mogers' statement was unexpected, Morana asked in a questioning tone. People had transformed into wolves, killed others, and devoured their corpses. An ordinary person would either not believe it as a child's absurd story, or it wouldn't be strange if they showed revulsion. But Mogers' attitude was far too calm. "Well, of course. Killing people isn't the right thing to do. But in this case, that human called Rusdrik was the problem from the start." If Vanya's group hadn't intervened, the Theo siblings would have suffered terrible things. Couldn't it have been resolved with words? Would that human scum who drew his sword just because a little girl fell in front of him have listened to such words? "Right now, it could still pass as slightly excessive self-defense. However, if those friends begin full-scale bloody revenge, that won't be possible anymore." "Do you think revenge against the castle town residents is wrong?" "That's not for me to judge. How could I dare discuss right and wrong when I don't know the pain of the discrimination and abuse you've endured? Well, if I were the ruler of this land, I would have reached some conclusion, but it's not right for a mere scholar to do so." Mogers asked Morana. "What do you think, Morana?" "...I don't really know." There was just a slight hint of sulkiness and disappointment mixed in her voice. Perhaps she had hoped that Mogers would give her a clear conclusion. Then there would have been no need to worry. Having noticed this, Mogers gave a bitter smile. "It's a problem for you to think about and decide on your own... I could pass it off with those words, but well, as an elder I should at least give some advice." Mogers placed his hand on Morana's head. His large, rough hand gently stroked Morana's silver hair. "Just move in the direction that leaves a less bad aftertaste." "Aftertaste?" "Yes. Don't do actions that would leave you feeling uneasy afterward, and conversely, try actions that you'd regret not doing now. Don't think about the future unnecessarily, base it on right now." "Isn't that too simple?" "Isn't it good because it's easy to understand? Sometimes you need to live simply in this world." After thinking for a moment, Morana nodded. The fact that the judgment criteria were her own emotions rather than clear regulations was still ambiguous, but it was still better than before. "Then let's move early tomorrow. First, I should sleep and conserve my stamina... Hmm." Mogers briefly looked around the interior of Morana's house. Her house was among the better ones in the residential area, but even so, its area was smaller than a guard post waiting room. Moreover, with the two siblings currently occupying one side, sleeping separately with proper distance as usual would be impossible. "I should find a separate room. I'll come here as soon as I wake up tomorrow—" "No, just sleep here." "Huh?" Morana said firmly. "Since we don't know when Vanya's group might act again, individual action carries risks. Also, financially speaking, it's more rational to use this place than to find new lodging." "It will be cramped." "I'm fine with it." Mogers scratched his cheek for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh. "Yes, it's good that you express your opinion so clearly. Let's do that then." *** After lying side by side and spending the night, the two immediately went outside the castle town. They told the siblings they could continue using the house. Since the truth of the Rusdrik incident had been buried, the siblings also had a low risk of being pursued further, and they had briefly explained the situation to Bart next door and asked him to look after them, so there shouldn't be any major problems. Tracking Vanya's group who had hidden outside the castle town seemed like it would be quite difficult, but this too was resolved more easily than expected. This was because Morana's ability to act as if she could see clearly through snow-covered terrain was exceptional even as a tracker. "I know Vanya's physical characteristics. If we know that she's with multiple people of similar age, and that they moved at night avoiding people, tracking footprints isn't that difficult." Originally, it would have been an impossible task. How could one track footprints that had been covered by continuously falling snow? However, Morana proceeded without hesitation, and Mogers also did not doubt her. After walking for about an hour like this. Morana stopped walking for the first time. There was a massive cliff in front of her, and Morana paced around it several times before frowning. "This is strange. The footprints end here." Even when she looked around wondering if they had detoured elsewhere, no particular traces were visible. But to say they had climbed the wall, the cliff itself had an overhang structure where the upper part protruded more than the lower part, making it impossible to cross. "...I'm sorry. It seems I made a mistake." When Morana lowered her head in disappointment, Mogers, who had been touching and tapping the wall surface here and there, spoke. "Well, it's still too early to confirm whether it was a mistake or not." "What?" "Could you tell me where and at what angle the footprints in front of this cliff were made?" Morana was puzzled but did as Mogers requested, and Mogers moved as if groping along those footprints, then soon smiled. "Good. This is also the art of exploration." Before Morana could ask what he meant, Mogers pushed hard against a certain point on the cliff with his palm. Immediately after, part of the cliff trembled and moved, soon revealing a cave entrance large enough for two adults to walk side by side. "It seems your friends have gotten their hands on quite a nice hideout."