Weiss And Leopin (8)

The kitchen where Weiss and Leopin were was inside Weiss’s mansion.

Moreover, in order to cultivate his independence, Weiss had been given an entire mansion to use as his room.

Because of that, he was free to do whatever he wanted inside the mansion, and the servants working there also treated Weiss as their master.

Weiss ordered those servants to turn one of the guest rooms into an “Investigation Headquarters.”

While making the sign to hang in front of the room, Weiss asked Leopin.

“Come to think of it, I have not heard the name of the kidnapped Saint. What is it?”

“Huh? It’s…”

Leopin hesitated.

That was because, until now, he had consciously avoided saying the girl’s name in front of Weiss.

Weiss was his best friend, someone he could tell anything, but only this had been kept secret.

The reason was… because he had been afraid that the girl might be taken away by Weiss.

However, Weiss did not notice those feelings of Leopin’s.

“What is it? Don’t tell me you don’t know her name.”

“O-of course I do. Her name is Kanoko…”

Weiss put his hand to his chin with a “Hmm,” making a gesture as though searching his memory.

“You are truly certain that is her name?”

Asked something unexpected, Leopin’s heart jumped as though his feelings had been seen through.

But he soon nodded back and said, “Y… yeah, that’s definitely her name.”

“But why are you asking that?”

“If she is in the Saint Department, there is a very high possibility that she comes from a distinguished Saint family. All the distinguished Saint families in this country are in my head, but… There is not a single Saint named Kanoko.”

“Huh? That can’t be…”

“Indeed. This gives us two possible explanations. Either Kanoko-san is not a Saint from a distinguished family… Or she is a Saint from a distinguished family, but may be using an alias.”

Leopin immediately snapped at him.

“Kanoko isn’t the kind of girl who would lie…!”

“I expect not. But it is common for Saints from distinguished families to use aliases. If their identities become known through their names, they may be exposed to danger. For a Saint who goes incognito to a chapel in the slums, there would be nothing strange about using an alias.”

“I-is that how it is…”

“However, this time, that alias may have exposed her to danger. If they had known she was a Saint from a distinguished family, the Saint hunters likely would not have touched her. If it became known that a Saint from a distinguished family had disappeared, not only the guards, but even the knights might come out.”

“Then shouldn’t we tell Kanoko’s family that she was kidnapped? If they can arrange for the knights…!”

“Does Leopin know which family Kanoko-san is a Saint of?”

“Ugh…!” Leopin was at a loss for words.

Of course he had no way of knowing. After all, their relationship was one in which she had even used an alias.

“If Kanoko-san does not return home, I am sure her family will file a report. It may take time, but at the very least, the guards should move.”

“Then are you saying we should wait until then?”

“That is not what I am saying. We will conduct our own independent search and determine Kanoko-san’s location.”

“But how…?”

“Leopin, do you know the basics of a search?”

Leopin shook his head from side to side.

Weiss said, “This,” while shaking his crossed legs.

After that, Weiss and Leopin went out into town and visited every chapel one by one.

They thought that if there were chapels that had suffered from the Saint hunters, they might be able to grasp some clue.

In reality, there were several chapels that had suffered from the Saint hunters.

Everywhere seemed to have begun defending itself, but they were unable to obtain any useful information about the kidnapped Saints.

“There is a saying: ‘the scene a hundred times.’ Let us investigate the chapel where Kanoko-san was kidnapped as well, just in case.”

At the slum chapel they headed to at Weiss’s suggestion, an elderly Holy Mother and Corone, who had narrowly escaped harm, were living all alone.

The other Saints had apparently been taken away by the Saint hunters, just like Kanoko.

Weiss and Leopin thoroughly searched the inside of the chapel, the courtyard, and the surrounding roads.

They had hoped something that might serve as a clue had fallen there, but…

“Hmm, there is nothing. If only even wheel tracks had remained… We should have preserved the scene sooner.”

Weiss regretted it.

Leopin was even more depressed than that.

“Damn it…! If only my memory were clear…! Why do I barely remember anything from that time…!?”

Corone, the apprentice Saint, anxiously peered at Leopin as he sat down in the chapel courtyard.

“…Big Brother Leopin, are you all right…?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Corone.”

Leopin made a smile and patted Corone’s head.

“Did the mushroom the kidnappers made you eat upset your stomach…?”

The first to react to those words was Weiss.

“What? Corone-san, what did you just say?”

When Corone was stared at by Weiss’s sharp eyes, she darted behind Leopin’s shadow.

“Hey, Weiss, don’t make such a scary face at a child.”

“Ah… no, I did not mean to…”

“When you talk to a child, you have to smile more. Crouch down and meet her at eye level.”

After being warned by Leopin, Weiss crouched in front of Corone with a stiff smile.

“C-Corone-san, there is no need to be so frightened. I do not intend to harm you…”

“U… uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

“Hey, Weiss! I told you not to scare her!”

“I-I did not do anything…! I-I am sorry, Corone-san! Th… three point one four one five nine two six…!”

“What the hell are you saying!?”

“Th-that is strange…!? My younger brother stopped crying when I did this…!?”

Weiss seemed to be bad not only at cooking, but also at talking to ordinary children.

After a while, with Leopin acting as an intermediary, Weiss was finally able to talk with Corone.