Chapter 51

"I will report a few things that have been clarified so far."

Matthew returned to Jill's mansion once again.

Today, he did not bring any threads or fabrics as usual.

What Matthew brought today was a stack of documents and Carol.

"Umm, hello. So... you want to know about Richie...?"

Carol asked with a somewhat vague expression.

"Yes, as much detail as possible."

"Y-yes... I'll help you in any way I can... I inherited letters between the owner and Richie, so..."

"Thank you, that will be very helpful."

Jill expressed her gratitude.

Then Matthew cleared his throat and got to the point.

"Richie Andromarius. He was the brother of the owner, Roger Andromarius, and died seven years ago in the war with the neighboring country, Orkus. By the way, do you know how the owner died?"

"Umm, he tried to cover up Richie's embezzlement, which led to financial ruin, right?"

"Yes. Although Richie, who was a knight, was not stripped of his honor thanks to the owner's efforts, he later rejoined another knight order... but his whereabouts after that are unclear."

"Is that so..."

"I read the letters between Mr. Roger and Mr. Richie, and it seems Richie himself was unclear about his affiliation."

"Huh?"

Jill looked puzzled at the vague answer.

Carol then interjected.

"Umm, there were letters between the owner and Richie... Richie was suspected of embezzlement, so he was underutilized in his new order. He was loaned out to another knight order, and then to another... His affiliation and duties were completely mismatched..."

"That... must have been tough."

"And then, in a vague and unclear state, he went to war with the neighboring country and died. I don't know much more than what's in the letters."

Carol bowed her head apologetically.

"No, no, it's fine. It was my selfish request to ask you to investigate."

"Is it... okay? Is it related to what I gave you the other day...?"

"No, it's not related at all. It's fine."

Jill lied a little.

She knew Richie was the previous owner of the demon creation manual, so it was hard to say it was unrelated.

However, explaining this would mean revealing the true value of the book to Carol.

Jill judged that knowing the secret would only increase the danger and decided to keep quiet.

"That's good... I'm glad."

"By the way, I have a question. What kind of person was Richie?"

"Umm... The last time I saw him was almost fifteen years ago..."

Carol frowned, twisting her neck, looking unsure and hesitant.

"Did he seem like someone who would embezzle?"

"No, he seemed serious. He looked serious, almost a bit scary."

"He was tall."

"Ah, yes."

"Black hair, thin eyebrows... a stern presence."

"Yes... Did I say that...?"

"He disliked wasteful spending."

"That's right... Oh, I remember. He was scary when he got angry... But surprisingly gentle. When he was happy or embarrassed, he would..."

"Stroke his chin."

"......W-Why do you know that?"

Carol asked in a trembling voice.

But Jill ignored her and turned to Matthew.

"Matthew, how do you think we should go about investigating a dead person deeply?"

"...What you want to know is around the time his whereabouts became unclear, right? Exactly which knight order he was in."

"Yes. And... how he died. Also, there are a few other names I want to investigate."

"That... is about the people you saw in your dream, right? Are they that important to you?"

"Probably, the owner's brother is the Richie in my dream. In the dream, he was writing in a calendar. It was a date from seven years ago, probably just before he died. And..."

Jill paused, speaking cautiously.

"Uncle... Conrad also died in the same year. I feel like my dream, Richie's death, and Uncle's death are all connected."

"What!?"

Matthew's face changed.

Carol, unable to follow the conversation, looked back and forth between Jill and Matthew.

"Knowing what happened seven years ago won't change anything now. In fact, running the general store is a higher priority. But I don't want to leave it unresolved."

"That's one of your good qualities, Jill."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Of course it is."

Matthew smiled and brushed off Jill's question.

Jill sighed, thinking, "Well, that's just how it is."

"However, there are many things we can't know while we're in Shelland... It might be a good opportunity."

"Good opportunity?"

"I was thinking of heading to the capital soon. Every year, from summer to autumn, I go to the capital to stock up on various items."

"Oh, right."

Matthew didn't have his own store.

He was a traveling merchant who moved from town to town.

"Usually, I would have already left by now, but this year, I felt unusually comfortable."

"S-Sorry, I've been causing you so much trouble."

"Not at all. On the contrary, I've been enjoying the work and feeling fulfilled. But I have customers in the capital and other towns waiting for me. So, while I'm there, I'll try to investigate what I can."

"That's..."

Jill wanted to say "Thank you" but was at a loss for words.

"By the time I return, the branch store might be thriving. I'm looking forward to it."

At this point, Jill finally realized she would have to run the business without Matthew.

She also remembered how much he had helped her.

Looking back, Jill had been helped by many people.

She met Ionia and Karappa during her solo journey and eventually reached the forest mansion. After arriving in Shelland, she met many more people.

Among them, Matthew's presence was significant. If Matthew hadn't noticed the items Jill made, it was questionable whether her dream of opening a general store would have come true. Even if she had reached the same point, it would have taken at least twice as long. Now, Matthew was leaving the town.

She felt lonely.

But she also thought it wasn't right to hold him back.

After all, she was the one making unreasonable requests.

Instead, she felt she should show the results of what she had learned.

In business, Jill held Matthew in high regard, almost like a mentor. While he could be impulsive when it came to clothes and accessories, he always supported Jill with his calm judgment.

Matthew said, "I'm looking forward to it." Jill felt no anxiety about running the store without Matthew. So, she decided to go beyond just feeling reassured and surprise him.

"Yes! Leave it to me!"

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