Chapter 401
The culprit who threw the stone was caught
Mr. Ekenhart seemed to be hesitant. I suppose that he did not like the idea of being chased by Leo…
Even though he was used to her now, it was a different matter when Leo was barking and chasing after him.
But Tilura, Sherry, and Liza were there. And since I wasn’t scared by a barking Leo…I would run in the front then.
And so we all took our positions and started running as part of our training.
…I had thought that I wouldn’t be scared, but Leo was so big, that it was a little intimidating when she barked…
Especially when she was behind you.
It was no wonder that Mr. Ekenhart was hesitant.
“Mr. Takumi, do you have a moment?”
“Hah… Yes. What is it?”
After we had finished our running, I trained with Mr. Ekenhart and Tilura. And while I was catching my breath, Sebastian came to the garden and approached me.
Was it almost dinner time…? No, it was too early.
“We have visitors from Ractos.”
“From Ractos? Is it Nick?”
“No… It is guards, and the person who was arrested. The incident with Lady Liza…”
“Ah… They caught him already?”
“Yes. Your Grace, please don’t go just yet.”
Sebastian had lowered his voice a little and told me that it was related to Liza.
It had only happened yesterday, but they had already caught the culprit… That was fast.
Well, there were a lot of witnesses, and they knew he was from the slums.
In any case, Sebastian then had to stop Mr. Ekenhart, who was about to run off.
“Well… You are talking about the person who threw the stone, aren’t you. Then I must go.”
“It would be for Mr. Takumi to go first and settle things.”
“…Hmm. Very well. She is your daughter, after all.”
Well, I had decided to take care of her, and she called me papa. So I could not deny it…
Though, it felt strange, since I wasn’t even married.
In any case, I then followed Sebatian to the place where the guards were waiting.
Leo, Sherry, Liza, and Tilura stayed in the garden.
I didn’t know how things would play out, but this was the person who had thrown the rock at Liza… And so I felt uncomfortable about talking to the person directly.
Regardless, it must be done.
Tilura could watch Liza…and Leo and Sherry.
…Sherry had run so much that she couldn’t move anymore… I had not expected her to run this much.
Was she alright…? Well, Ms. Lyra was looking after them, so it should be fine.
“Outside?”
“Yes. The guards would be one thing, but they have the culprit with them as well. They are not guests, and so they were not let inside…”
“I see. Very well.”
Apparently, the guards and the arrested person were outside.
Well, I suppose they didn’t want to let a criminal inside of the duke’s house.
It wasn’t due to any ideas of class, but just because of how they viewed crime.
And so I stepped out of the front door and went outside.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Aye! We have brought the person that we were searching for!”
“Hmm. This is the person?”
“Aye. Step forward.”
“Hey! Let go of me!”
After stepping out of the door, Sebastian led us to the front gate.
There were two armored men standing there, as well as a short young man who had his hands tied…no, he was a boy.
When Sebastian called out to them, the guards bowed and pushed the boy forward.
Behind them, the two guards were watching him closely in case he did anything suspicious.
The boy glared at us while standing between the two soldiers.
Well, he hadn’t changed much since the last time I saw him.
He had unevenly trimmed hair, and his clothes and face were dirty.
He seemed to be around fifteen…?
And there was still a youthfulness in his face. But I wasn’t completely sure about his age. He seemed like he could be in highschool.
However, his hands were tied, and he was shaking a little. So he likely knew that he was going to be punished.
“Mr. Takumi.”
“Yes, I understand. Uh… So, what is your name?”
“…”
“Apparently, his name is Mark.”
“…Thank you.”
Mr. Ekenhart urged me, and so I took a step forward and spoke to the boy.
I wasn’t really sure what to say, and so I asked what his name was.
However, he just glared at me and did not reply.
But when I turned to the guard questioningly, he answered for him.
“Uh, Mark. Do you understand why you are here?”
“…”
“Answer his question!”
“…Because I threw the rock… Obviously.”
“Yes, that is right. You threw a rock at an innocent girl.”
He required a little prodding from the guards before he answered me.
…I really wasn’t used to this kind of thing.
Still, I continued to question him.