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Chapter 484.1: The One Missing (1)

Along the road leading to the Rosa Merchant Confederacy, Roel rested under a tree while gazing at the starry summer night sky. Not too far away, a group of armored guards was busy setting up a camp.

It had been three days since he left Saint Freya Academy to chase after Charlotte.

He could hardly rest when his heart was gripped with anxiety. Their group relentlessly advanced without rest, but surprisingly, they still hadn’t managed to catch up with the Diamond Rivière.

While Charlotte did have a two days lead ahead of him, Roel should have been able to catch up with them by this morning, considering that his group was traveling light on horseback. Yet, Charlotte’s convoy was still nowhere to be seen even after sunset.

Roel knew of the Diamond Rivière’s capabilities, having personally spent many days in there. The mobile mansion constructed out of spatial magic was primarily focused on comfort, resulting in its pace being much slower than ordinary carriages.

Unless there was a sudden major technology breakthrough over the last few years, there could only be one reason why the Diamond Rivière was still not within sight.

Is Charlotte in a rush just like us?

That brought a frown to Roel’s face.

If his worries about Charlotte were previously just a baseless conjecture, this was a important piece of evidence that backed his deduction.

Nora had to rush back to the Theocracy due to the urgent matters she had to attend to following the International Crisis Management Symposium, but the Rosa Merchant Confederacy shouldn’t have any urgent business that required such haste from Charlotte.

Instead, it looked more as if Charlotte was fleeing from something.

Is there an enemy pursuing her?

No, that’s unlikely. We’re traveling on the main path in the Country of Scholars. No one would be so foolish as to make a move here. Even the fallen treant, Orked, resorted to luring us to a remote border town in the Austine Empire before making a move.

If it’s not an enemy, what could have put Charlotte in such a rush? Could it be that… she’s avoiding me?

The possibility looked increasingly plausible the more Roel considered it. His mind started filling up with doubts.

Why is she avoiding me? Is there a problem in our relationship I am unaware of? But avoidance wouldn’t solve the problem. Is she trying to hide something from me?

The ominous feeling only expanded with time, prompting Roel to tightly clench his fists out of agitation. He subconsciously glanced at the heretic army, who was busy setting up their camp, but he quickly shook his head and took deep breaths to compose himself.

No, they aren’t in any condition to continue traveling right away. We have already advanced three days without any rest. I should take this time to carefully think things through instead.

Assuming that something has really happened to Charlotte, what could it be? She has Grace and her guards with her, so it’s unlikely for there to be any threat to her safety. Meaning to say, it’s likely to be an internal matter?

The Ascart Fiefdom and the Rosa Merchant Confederacy has deepened their economic and military ties over the last few years, and that has greatly elevated Charlotte’s position in the country. On top of that, she has the backing of both Grandpa Ugin and Uncle Bruce, so it’s hard to imagine anyone shaking her position in the…

Wait a moment! Bruce!

Roel widened his eyes as he recalled the impetus behind his meeting with Charlotte—the oil lamp he had sold to the Sorofyas. It was a request made by Bruce Sorofya to alleviate the mysterious affliction that caused his body to gradually undergo undead reanimation.

Most of the goods sold in the System were unfortunately one-time-off, and he hadn’t found anything that possessed similar effects to the oil lamp. It was a huge relief that the purification effects of the oil lamp lingered on even after its oil was used up.

Uncle Bruce has been able to hold on due to the effects of the oil lamp, but his condition has been steadily worsening over time. Could Charlotte’s anomaly have something to do with that?

Roel heaved a sigh of relief, feeling much more composed upon realizing that Charlotte might not be the one in danger. Bruce’s death would also bring about major repercussions to the Ascart Fiefdom, but at this moment, his personal feelings outweighed his sense of responsibility.

Shaking his head at his own selfishness, he looked at the stars above and allowed his thoughts to drift away.

…

“Young miss, you can’t continue on like that!”

Inside the Diamond Rivière, Grace cried out to Charlotte with an anguished look on her face.

It was just yesterday that Charlotte’s condition seemed to have improved, but an attack from her affliction earlier in the morning set her back and she had been languishing ever since.

These attacks had no warnings to them and they couldn’t be stopped either. The only thing they could do was suppress the relapse using the Golden Soul, but its effectiveness was limited. It was almost as if Charlotte was plagued by an intangible specter that she couldn’t shake off.

The sight of Charlotte having her health robbed from her within mere minutes made Grace lose all patience.

“Young miss, please forgive me. I’ll be informing Lord Roel of this matter regardless of your objections.”

“Grace! I told you that…” Charlotte uttered feebly.

“Young miss, I am your personal guard as much as your maid. It’s my job to ensure your safety. I don’t think I am capable of protecting you on my own anymore, so it’s my responsibility to seek reinforcements. Please don’t be stubborn about this anymore,” Grace sharply interjected into Charlotte’s words, determinedly expressing her stance.

Charlotte was taken aback by the grim look on Grace’s face. She took a moment to ponder before attempting to persuade the latter with a gentle voice.

“Grace, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. My condition isn’t as bad as it seems. The affliction hits harder at night, causing me to look worse the following morning. That was the case for my father. You should be aware of that.”

“…”

Unfortunately, Charlotte’s persuasion was useless before Grace.

“Indeed, I have heard about how Lord Bruce’s complexion worsens in the morning. But young miss, I’m not oblivious to how the frequency and intensity of your attacks have increased over the past year.”

“…”

Charlotte couldn’t argue against that.

Just as Grace had said, her affliction started out as a slight feeling of discomfort that lasted for seconds, occurring once every fifteen days. It was so mild that it could have been mistaken as a sign of exhaustion. But before long she knew, the attacks lengthened into minutes, and their intervals shortened to once every few days.

It hadn’t grown so severe as to endanger Charlotte’s life yet, but as seen in Bruce’s case, it was only a matter of time before it developed into a fatal disease.

Grace doubled down on her stance and insisted on contacting Roel, but the obstinate Charlotte refused to budge on her decision. In the midst of their confrontation, someone suddenly knocked on the carriage doors.

“Come in. What’s the matter?”

“Young miss, we discovered a group of mounted soldiers behind us. Their leader is the proxy fief lord of the Ascart Fiefdom, Lord Roel. What should…”

“What?!”

Charlotte immediately sat upward upon hearing her guard’s words, her emerald eyes narrowing sharply. Meanwhile, Roel was swiftly closing the distance between them.