Searching For Marie

After finishing dinner, Kent and Catherine worried about Marie, who had not returned.

“Mother said she would be back by dinner… She’s late. I wonder if something happened.”

Before leaving the house, Marie had apparently told Catherine that she would return by dinner. They had already finished eating dinner, and a fair amount of time had passed, but Marie still had not returned.

“It can’t be helped. The two of us can’t do anything on our own, so let’s go to the shop. It will end up bothering the others, but it seems better to ask for help.”

“Okay.”

To cheer up the depressed Catherine, Kent decided to head to the shop. He did so because he thought Catherine would feel more at ease if there were more people.

“Huh? Master and Catherine, what brings you here at this hour?”

When the two entered the shop, Emily, the shop fairy, stopped cleaning inside the shop and greeted them.

“You were working until this late. Good work.”

“I am only doing this because it calms me the most. Catherine’s complexion does not look good. Did something happen?”

“That’s the thing. Marie-san hasn’t come back. So we came here because I thought we should borrow everyone’s help.”

“I see. Then we cannot take this too slowly. I will go upstairs and call them.”

“Please do.”

Saying that, Emily went up the stairs. Kent thought Rachel and Elnette should be upstairs, so he could consult them about whether they had any good ideas.

“I heard from Emily that Marie-san hasn’t come back?”

Elnette came down with loud footsteps.

“That’s right. Apparently, she said she would be back by dinner before leaving, but…”

“I see… Catherine, be at ease. I will help as much as I can.”

“Thank you. Elnette onee-chan.”

Catherine hugged Elnette. Elnette gently stroked Catherine’s head. Then the loud footsteps of two people could be heard. They probably belonged to Rachel and Emily.

“Big Brother, I heard Marie-san hasn’t come back?”

“Kent-san, is Marie-san all right?”

“Huh? Caro-san, why are you here?”

The ones who came down were Rachel and Caro. Emily also came down after them.

“I came to stay at Rachel’s place today. Then Emily-san said Marie-san hadn’t come back, so I hurried down.”

Rachel’s and Caro’s clothes were slightly disheveled, and Kent thought they had probably hurriedly changed and come down while they were relaxing.

“Sorry, both of you.”

“N-No, not at all. Right now, Marie-san is what matters.”

“T-That’s right. Kent-san, so what is the situation?”

While feeling apologetic toward the two, who were blushing as they spoke, Kent explained the situation.

“If Marie-san hasn’t come back, then I think either she simply hasn’t returned because she has some business, or something happened to her. The other thing that comes to mind would be running away from home, but Big Brother, did you do something to Marie-san?”

“No, I didn’t do anything last night… I can’t think of anything.”

“Marie-san is impressive. She kept the agreement everyone decided on.”

“That’s true. If it were me, I probably would not have been able to endure it.”

“Me neither.”

When Kent said that, Caro and Elnette spoke as if impressed.

“You mean the agreement to let Big Brother rest?”

“That’s right. Marie-san properly kept the agreement and let Kent rest.”

“Could it be that Big Brother was doing it with someone every night?”

Elnette answered Rachel’s question. For some reason, Caro blushed and became speechless.

“Well, that discussion is not important right now. More importantly, right now it is about Marie-san.”

“That’s right.”

Caro hurriedly tried to bring the conversation back. Since it was an emergency, there was no time for idle talk.

“Then, for when Marie-san comes back, it seems better to split into two groups: one group stays here, and the other goes into town to search. Emily-san cannot move from here, so she is decided for the staying group. What about the rest?”

Rachel quickly decided the direction. As a result of their discussion, only Emily stayed at the shop, and the other five went into town to search for Marie.

“I left a letter at the house telling Marie-san to go to Emily in case she comes back, so Emily, contact us if Marie-san returns.”

“Understood.”

Kent left a note at the house and said that to Emily.

“Sniff, sniff… Marie-san’s scent remains… This way.”

Kent had thought they would first go to the Bakers’ Guild and ask around, but with Caro’s sense of smell, they were able to learn Marie’s movements accurately without going to that trouble.

“Big Brother… Caro is amazing. This is just like a d…”

“She’s working hard, so you mustn’t say that.”

“Okaaay.”

After leaving the house, Marie seemed to have headed straight for the Bakers’ Guild office.

“It looks like she went straight to the Bakers’ Guild office.”

Elnette said that as if confirming it.

“The scent becomes a little faint from here. Maybe she was running from around this area.”

“You can’t tell why she was running, right?”

“As expected, I cannot tell that much… I’m sorry.”

Caro looked apologetic because she could not answer Kent’s question.

“It feels like she stayed here for a little while. However, the scent cuts off at this place.”

Caro went to an inconspicuous place in a back alley and said that.

“This is as far as it goes… Caro-san, thank you.”

When Kent said that, Caro shook her head and continued speaking.

“No, this is not the end. The scents of multiple people remain in this place. They seem to have moved together, so if we follow this, we should be able to track them.”

After that, Caro continued tracking them by relying on this scent.

“It seems to be inside here. Well, I somehow knew before we even left, but now it is almost certain.”

“Thank you, Caro-san.”

“Caro, amazing.”

“That is an impressive ability.”

“Mother is in here, right?”

Kent and the others had come in front of a certain noble’s mansion.

“To think the Knight Commander’s son would kidnap someone.”

This mansion was the mansion where Mark, the Knight Commander’s son, lived. Rachel said that with an exasperated expression.

“Should we go back once and have a strategy meeting?”

Kent thought that at present, it would be impossible to enter the Knight Commander’s mansion from the front, and decided that there was nothing they could do.

“That’s true. We can’t just barge in like this.”

“Yes. I will consult Father about whether he can do anything.”

Rachel and Caro agreed with Kent’s opinion.

“I wonder if Mother is all right. I’m worried, but if Kent-san says so, then it can’t be helped.”

Catherine also reluctantly agreed with Kent’s opinion.

“What are you all saying? Rescuing Marie-san comes first, does it not? Between this and Kent being struck, I can no longer endure it.”

Saying that, Elnette went to the gate of the Knight Commander’s mansion and questioned the gatekeeper.

“I have come to have Marie-san returned!”

“Huh? You came here knowing this is the Knight Commander’s mansion, right? I know no person named Marie. If you don’t want to get hurt, hurry up and go home.”

“This is getting nowhere. It cannot be helped. I shall have you let me through, even by force.”

“You bastard, stop, or else.”

The gatekeeper called his companions, secured the gate, and drew his sword.

“If you have pointed a sword at me, then you are prepared, are you not?”

Saying that, Elnette took out not the sword at her waist, but the special baton she had borrowed from Kent before and never returned, swung it once to extend it, and took her stance.