If You Wish to Have Me - Chapter 112

“There’s a monastery in this area that has formed a sisterhood with our Pavela Monastery.”

Brother Vishius said as he walked toward the mansion that he was currently running an errand for the abbot.

“I’ve already delivered what I was entrusted with, and I was about to return when I suddenly thought of the Duke. I haven’t seen him even once since he left the monastery, so I came here on impulse.”

“I see.”

“Wouldn’t the Duke be very surprised to see me appear without any notice?”

“Well, I wonder how he’d react.”

Since Kisa couldn’t really imagine Seyard looking shocked, she responded vaguely.

‘He seems like someone who knows everything…’

In any case, the young monk displayed the same cheerfulness as before, which improved Kisa’s mood a little.

Moreover, encountering someone from Pavela Monastery at this point was, in a way, a good opportunity.

“But Seyard is currently in a meeting, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”

“That’s fine. I’m an uninvited guest, so I should expect as much. Besides, I’ve already finished my errand, so I have time to spare.”

“Then would you like to go to the reception room?”

“Hmm, could I take a look at the garden first? I’ve never seen such a beautiful garden. Even though it’s winter, it has charm.”

“Of course. Lily and I were just taking a walk, so would you like to join us?”

“It would be my honor.”

And so the three of them strolled through the garden that the Hillan ducal family took pride in.

Kisa barely restrained her lips that were itching to bring up the main topic right away.

She couldn’t afford to arouse suspicion unnecessarily, so she had to draw out the story from Brother Vishius in a roundabout way.

“Finally, my question has been answered.”

After a moment of contemplation, she decided what to say and opened her mouth.

“What question?”

The monk, who had been admiring the elaborate sculptures of the fountain, turned his gaze to Kisa.

“I just realized that the person I glimpsed in the shopping district a few days ago was Brother Vishius.”

“The shopping district?”

After just blinking his eyes, he asked for the exact date and location, and upon hearing Kisa’s answer, he shook his head.

“That wasn’t me. I’ve never been to such a place, and on the day you mentioned, I was staying at the monastery where I had been running an errand. Perhaps you mistook another monk for me?”

“What? But I was certain it was a monk from Pavela Monastery.”

Kisa said this while pointing her index finger at Vishius’s shoulder.

“I couldn’t see the face because of the robe, but there was definitely a dove emblem in this spot.”

The dove was the symbol of Pavela Monastery, and when Kisa had visited there before, she had clearly seen the same emblem embroidered on every monk’s shoulder.

Perhaps to hide his identity, the current Vishius was dressed in civilian clothes, but at that time, he too had carried a dove on his shoulder.

“Are you sure about that?”

As if Kisa’s answer was unexpected, Brother Vishius put his hand to his freckled cheek.

“That’s very strange. Needless to say, it wasn’t me, and I haven’t heard of any other monks from the monastery having business in the capital.”

“…Then are all the other brothers currently in the Bonzmos region?”

“Well, yes. We basically rarely leave the monastery.”

But having said that much, the young monk suddenly exclaimed “Ah!” as if something had occurred to him.

“Come to think of it, about a month ago, Brother Emil did leave for a while. He said he was going to his hometown because of a major family crisis.”

“…….”

“Wait, was his hometown the capital? He didn’t particularly seem like he was from the capital though.”

In front of the monk who was muttering to himself, Kisa lowered her gaze and clenched her fists tightly.

‘This can’t be a coincidence.’

As expected, the man who had appeared with Daniel was indeed Brother Emil, just as he had claimed.

She had suspected as much, but confronting it as actual fact felt different.

As his confession that Seyard was a murderer gained even more credibility, Kisa’s mind grew dizzy.

She barely managed to pull herself together.

No. How could she judge based on this alone?

Apart from the fact that the man she had seen before was Brother Emil, nothing else had been confirmed yet.

“Then as Brother Vishius said, it must have been a simple mistake on my part.”

Having already obtained the answer she wanted, Kisa decided to end this topic.

“Yes, that must be it. Perhaps it wasn’t a dove but another bird. There are other monasteries besides ours that use birds as their symbol.”

Vishius also readily accepted this without any particular reaction, so they resumed their interrupted walk.

But not long after, a strange ripple arose in Kisa’s heart.

‘What is it?’

As she watched the profile of the man absorbed in viewing the garden, she somehow kept feeling uneasy. As if she had missed something important.

Kisa pondered the reason for a while and eventually discovered the answer.

‘The third person!’

Previously, Brother Emil had said that besides Cobi, there was another person involved in Seyard’s conspiracy.

He didn’t know the identity of that person either, but Seyard had definitely implied their existence.

This was a disaster. Because the content about Seyard being a murderer was so shocking, the story about the third person had been pushed to the back of her mind.

Goosebumps gradually rose on Kisa’s arms.

‘Could it be…’

The atmosphere, which had been relatively calm until just a moment ago, seemed to freeze instantly.

Kisa tried not to look suspiciously at the person next to her while continuing her thoughts.

There was no clear evidence anywhere that the third person Brother Emil mentioned was Brother Vishius.

However, examining things one by one, there were several characteristics that could help identify that person.

‘Without a doubt, they would have been close to Seyard.’

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been involved in killing his own brother, the great Duke of Hillan.

Moreover, with high probability, like Cobi, they would be someone from inside the monastery.

An outsider would have limitations in becoming close to Seyard, it would be difficult to exchange opinions, and most importantly, being seen together would be very conspicuous.

‘But there were said to be many monks who held grudges against Seyard.’

For those devout and conservative enough to walk the path of spiritual practice, it was natural that they would view Seyard unfavorably, as he frequently broke monastery rules and lived as he pleased.

Except for a very few exceptions.

‘For instance…’

Like Brother Vishius.

[Well, you’d judge much more objectively than someone like you who’s received so much from Brother Hillan.]

She recalled a remark that Brother Besano had made in passing a few months ago during a conversation about Brother Makkio, Seyard’s teacher.

That had been a conversation with Brother Vishius.

[What do you mean I received so much? That’s unfair.]

[You did plenty of snacking with money that came from Brother Hillan’s pocket.]

At the time, she had only thought that Brother Vishius was on friendly terms with Seyard.

But thinking about it again, it was quite meaningful.

He had received various things with Seyard’s money?

Would Seyard have really opened his purse for Brother Vishius merely for the purpose of friendship?

‘If there was an intention, then that would be…’

At that moment, Lily’s voice awakened Kisa’s mind, which was about to fall into deeper contemplation.

“Miss, over there.”

Kisa’s mouth opened slightly when she looked in the direction Lily pointed.

Vishius also turned his head to look that way, and soon a broad smile spread across his face.

“It’s been a long time!”

Standing there was the reason he had come here and the person who had once been close to him as a colleague.

It was Seyard.

The reddish-brown eyes that confirmed Brother Vishius’s presence widened slightly in surprise.

Approaching the two of them, he looked back and forth between Kisa and Vishius and spoke.

“Kisa, I heard you were here and came to see…”

Vishius answered as if on Kisa’s behalf.

“You’re surprised that I’m here, aren’t you? Brother Hillan, or rather, Duke Hillan.”

Then Seyard looked at him and smiled back.

“Of course. But what brings you here? I haven’t received any news from the monastery.”

“I came to this area on an errand for the abbot and secretly dropped by. I intended to surprise you, Duke, but you only say you’re surprised without actually looking very surprised.”

“No, I was very surprised. Really.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Well, thinking about it, you’re not the type to jump up and down in surprise, Duke.”

Kisa silently observed the two men conversing with keen attention.

If her speculation from earlier was correct, these two were the mastermind and accomplice.

Thinking this way, she found it hard to completely trust Vishius’s words about dropping by while he was in the area.

[You’re always welcome, so please come again! I hope Brother Hillan will come with you next time. Please tell him I’d like to see his face after such a long time.]

The last words Brother Vishius had given her before she left Pavela Monastery came back to life.

Perhaps he had had reasons to continue meeting with Seyard from that time.

What could it be? Post-crime discussions? Or compensation for cooperating with Seyard’s plan?

‘Could it be about the disappearance of Cobi, who was another collaborator?’

While various possibilities made Kisa’s head spin, Brother Vishius asked his former colleague if he could impose on him for a night.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve run out of money. The capital really is expensive. Even modest inn rooms charge such high rates for lodging…”

Seyard smiled and answered.

“No need to ask. You’re always welcome.”