Chapter 210: Just a Guess
“If you’re going to talk, then make it clear. Otherwise, I’ll just think you’re wasting our time.”
Armand was finally back sitting behind his office desk. Carle stood beside him.
They didn’t even let Viscount Scassia sit on the couch. Instead, they brought over a simple chair and made him sit there, looking awkward and uneasy.
“T-That ‘Red Crow’... he…”
Viscount Scassia kept nervously swallowing his saliva, rubbing his fingers together non-stop. With his graying hair, some of it clearly dyed, he looked like a nervous little insect.
“He threatened me. He said I had to do something for him…”
“Is that so.”
Armand sounded impatient. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.
“Then that means you’ve been in contact with the ‘Red Crow.’ I think you know what that means.”
“I-I only did it because of my debts! You know our family keeps losing money—”
As soon as Armand said those words, Viscount Scassia started to panic.
Just mentioning the "Red Crow" meant he had some kind of connection to him. And even though different people described this legendary assassin in different ways, in the eyes of the knights, the Red Crow was enemy number one.
He had committed countless crimes and killed more people than anyone could count. But because the organization behind him was very skilled at covering things up, he had never been caught, and the knight order had no real proof of his actions, or who he worked for. So this assassin kept doing whatever his mysterious master ordered, without consequences.
And now, Viscount Scassia’s words tied him directly to this wanted criminal. Even though he was here asking the knight order for help, he could still end up being arrested.
But arresting a noble was a big deal.
Even though Armand was the captain of the knights, he was still considered a commoner. If he wanted to detain a noble, even a minor one like a viscount, he would have to report it to higher authorities. And unless there was solid evidence, the most he could do was put the viscount under house arrest in his own mansion. That wouldn’t count as a real arrest.
And if Viscount Scassia had actually angered the Red Crow, then even house arrest might be a way to protect him.
—Ha. So that’s what this is.
Thinking this, Armand quickly understood.
This viscount probably thought that even being locked up was better than being hunted down by the Red Crow.
But the Red Crow hadn’t been seen much lately.
Ever since Armand returned from the battlefield, the once-active Red Crow had been much quieter. The last time he’d appeared was during the fireworks festival…
……………………………
Wait…?
Suddenly, something started to feel strange to Armand.
That day at the fireworks festival, when he met someone at the clock tower, was that really the Red Crow?
Armand had fought the Red Crow before, so it made sense that he would feel unsure.
Back then, he didn’t think much about it because he was in a hurry to meet Evelia. But thinking back now, something about that “Red Crow” seemed off.
The fighting style and movements hadn’t changed… but… the way they felt did?
Whether it was the force of a punch or the weight during a throw, it all felt different.
It felt… lighter?
Did those people starve the Red Crow?
Or maybe…
As that thought crossed his mind, Armand suddenly felt nervous.
He had been so busy lately with the issue of "alchemy" that he still didn’t know exactly what kind of alchemy the Second Prince had gotten involved with.
If that person really was the "Red Crow," then… could it be some kind of alchemy that changes the body?
Did the change in weight happen because the Red Crow needed to perform some very difficult move? Was the alchemy some kind of special slimming potion?
Right now, everything was just Armand's guess. But if he kept thinking along those lines, it was very possible that the Second Prince had changed the Red Crow’s body through alchemy. As for what exactly had been changed, he had no idea.
And the Red Crow’s silence during this time might have been because of the side effects from that body modification. Like… needing time to rest and heal?
During that quiet period, the Red Crow only showed up once, during the fireworks festival. Even though Armand thought he had the upper hand in that fight, it was really only because the Red Crow seemed to be in a hurry. It wasn’t a real fight to the death. That guy’s focus wasn’t even on Armand. So that “upper hand” wasn’t exactly solid.
Could it be that the Red Crow was also using some kind of alchemy drug like he was?
Armand himself had one bottle of a special alchemy potion, to be used only in emergencies. It could return his body to its peak condition. But at the same time, it would draw out the poison in his body. It was a drug meant purely for risking his life.
Although after using it, he would only need a few days of rest to recover, the moment the poison hit was painful enough. Even someone like Armand, who considered himself tough, hated the idea of using it unless he had no choice.
As for where he got the potion, it had been provided by the Crown Prince. So if the Second Prince also had access to something similar, it wouldn’t be surprising. After all, they were both members of the royal family, and likely had people from the same group serving them.
If the drug had somehow leaked, it wouldn’t be good, but it also wouldn’t be surprising.
But... is it really that simple?
If the Second Prince’s alchemy was the same type as Armand’s emergency potion, then the Crown Prince should’ve already figured it out. After all, this was something from their own circle. He should’ve been able to trace it easily. But even now, the Crown Prince still didn’t know what kind of alchemy the Second Prince had gotten his hands on.
That means… aside from drug-based alchemy, the most likely answer was “body modification.”
So then, what was the reason? What was the point of modifying the Red Crow’s body?
Sure, the Red Crow was a fast and agile assassin. But would just changing their weight really make such a big difference? Was this all just an experiment? Was the Red Crow just being used as a test subject?
No… that doesn’t seem right. The Red Crow was like a trusted servant to the Second Prince. Would he really risk using him as the first test subject?
If so, then this alchemy must be very valuable. Valuable enough to risk doing surgery or modifications even on someone that important.
Because of that alchemy cloak, Armand couldn’t clearly see what the Red Crow looked like that day. He couldn’t tell if they were tall or short, skinny or muscular. If the Red Crow hadn’t chosen to fight hand-to-hand, Armand might not even have noticed that the body’s weight had changed.
But besides weight loss, what else could make someone suddenly so much lighter?
If it was a grown man, even a young one, being that light would mean serious malnutrition, right?
Without some muscle, how could anyone even fight?
…Could the person have gotten younger? Turned into a teenager?
Teenage bodies were easier to move around with in some ways. Even Armand, who didn’t think he had much time left in life, sometimes wondered what it would be like to be young again.
But when it came to the Red Crow’s change… Armand really couldn’t figure out the meaning behind it. Why change it?
And if it wasn’t about turning younger… then surely it wasn’t a gender change, right? They didn’t become a girl just to get lighter?
That would make even less sense. Was the Second Prince bored and turned the Red Crow into a woman so she could give birth to little Red Crows?
…Forget it.
He didn’t even know if the person he met at the clock tower that day was really the real Red Crow in the first place…
“Armand.”
“—Ah.”
Armand didn’t know how long he had been lost in thought. When he heard Carle’s voice and came back to his senses, he realized his fingers were sore from tapping them too much.
“Viscount Scassia, is there anything else you want to say? If not, I’ll say this again, please don’t waste our time.”
Right now, Armand's full attention was on the mysterious figure known as the "Red Crow." As for the old man in front of him. Well, if the Red Crow ended up killing him, Armand felt that it would just be a case of one bad person getting rid of another.
Ah—right, he had made plans to attend the lecture with Evelia and Rachel... At this time, they were probably already listening to it. He had no idea whether Evelia could understand the lecture. Although honestly, Armand himself probably wouldn’t understand it either.
“Captain Armand, I’m being threatened by the Red Crow!”
“So what?”
Armand tilted his head, arms crossed, eyes glancing at the clock on the wall.
“So, I'd like to request protection from the knights—”
“Sure,” Armand replied flatly, nodding. “Then show me the proof.”
“Proof...?”
Viscount Scassia clearly froze for a second.
“That’s right. Show me the evidence that the Red Crow is threatening you. How did he threaten you? What did he ask you to do? What exactly did you do? You have to tell me everything, especially how he contacted you. I need proof that you were really threatened.”
Armand deliberately said it in a complicated way. It was clear that he didn’t want to take on Scassia’s case.
If Viscount Scassia had gone to Carle first, Carle might’ve listened and maybe even shared his opinion. But of course, for the sake of his own family, Carle wouldn’t want to get too involved with anything related to the Red Crow either. At most, he’d offer some advice, and whether Scassia listened or not would be up to him.
But Armand clearly had no interest in getting involved at all. From the moment Scassia entered, Armand had shown nothing but hostility toward him. Carle didn’t know why, but since this matter didn’t concern him, he chose not to interfere. He would probably just speak to Armand about it privately after Scassia left.
“Proof... I…” Viscount Scassia stammered, clearly unable to meet Armand’s conditions.
“If you don’t have it, then I’m sorry, we can’t help you.”
To be honest, they could help him, since Scassia himself could serve as a witness. But Armand just didn’t want to get involved.
—Scassia, after all these years… maybe you've lived long enough.
That dark and cruel thought even crossed Armand’s mind.
“But Captain—”
“Vice Captain…! Vice Captain!”
Before Scassia could finish his sentence, the short-haired female knight from earlier rushed in again. This time, she didn’t even bother knocking. She pushed the office door wide open and burst in.
“What is it, Lorin?”
Seeing the usually calm and collected knight so flustered made Carle’s heart skip a beat.
“Vice Captain! Your daughter… something happened to her!”
“—What did you say?!”
Both Carle and Armand widened their eyes in shock.
Meanwhile, Viscount Scassia stayed completely still, quietly sitting in his chair. Under the table, he was rubbing his fingers together, looking much calmer than before.