Chapter 11 - Terms Unknown

 "If you're asking about the Captain, he's in his office right now, why?"

The owner of the bowl took a seat beside Marvin and nonchalantly interrupted our conversation.

“Vice-captain!”

It was Eloise, the vice-captain of the Blue Knights. Her hair was disheveled and her face appeared tired, giving the impression that she may not have properly washed her face. Although she seemed different from the last time I saw her, I was able to recognize her upon closer inspection.

She gave a small nod to Marvin at his salute.

“Do you have anything to say to the Captain?”

Eloise took a sip of her soup. It was only the second time we had met, but her demeanor was quite carefree. She seemed accustomed to dealing with strangers.

“Yes, about the case.”

“What case were you involved in again? It wouldn't be an ordinary incident since you were called upon to lodge in the Knight's Templar. If it's a big incident that happened recently... What do you think, Marvin?"

“Oh, come to think of it, what did the Lady say?”

Marvin stared at me with a dumbfounded expression. I didn't bother answering and kept my mouth shut. It seemed to me the reason Eloise bothered to come all the way over here was to interrogate me like this.

'Did you avoid questioning me and asked Marvin instead, on purpose?'

I gazed at Eloise as she sipped her soup. In all honesty, if she had directly asked me, I would have answered truthfully. However, the way she approached the topic caught me off guard.

"Didn't the Captain tell you?"

At my question, Eloise shrugged her shoulders.

“He must have been busy and forgotten."

"Alright."

I shoved a piece of soup-soaked bread into my mouth and jumped up from my seat.

"Lady? Where are you going?"

Marvin inquired while puzzled.

“Since a certain someone is always busy, I cannot miss this opportunity. I will go see the Captain."

Eloise's warm gaze met mine as I grinned, the spoon still in her hand. It seemed she knew I was evading a response.

I proceeded to the third floor and knocked on the door of Amon's office. Despite not having announced my identity, permission to enter was soon granted and I slowly opened the door, taking in the sight of the bookshelves, desks, and sunlight filtering through the windows.

Despite having visited once before, the atmosphere felt unfamiliar. Perhaps it was due to the hurried nature of my intrusion that took place last time.

“Did you sleep well?”

Amon sat with his back to the window, his eyes fixed on the document in front of him. He seemed to be aware of my arrival beforehand.

“Well, so-so.”

I responded awkwardly as I stood by the doorway. His greeting words sounded strange to me, perhaps because the nightmare I had somewhat grown accustomed to lingered in my mind.

Amon continued to focus on the paperwork.

"Didn't you inform the knights what kind of case I am involved in?"

“I don’t have to tell them.”

As expected…

Based on Eloise's attitude, it seems that Amon's words were not entirely truthful. It appeared he was intentionally concealing my involvement in the Bolev case.

Although I did stab him, I was not the true culprit; Perhaps it was due to the unlikelihood of such a coincidence being trusted.

Eloise does not seem particularly loyal to Amon, so it is obvious how she would react if she were to discover that he was still pursuing the culprit from a decades-old incident, especially given his obsession with the faint link.

“Did you come to speak about that?”

Amon sorted some papers on the side and raised his head.

“Please. You invited me to the Knights Templar so we don't have to travel to see each other, but I haven't seen your face for three days.”

Amon rose from his desk and gestured towards the sofa. He deliberately set aside the seat of honor and sat across from me. As I perched on the edge of the leather sofa, he fixed his gaze on me and waited for me to speak.

“Did you deliberately avoid me these three days?”

“I was just occupied with many tasks. I have many things I must prepare for."

"Prepare?"

As I approached the sofa, Amon pushed two stiff and thick sheets of paper towards me. The papers having been placed on the sofa table beforehand suggested that he had been expecting me. At the bottom, I noticed a collection of unfamiliar, yet intriguing stamps.

“This is a contract. The middle is empty.”

"Right."

What Amon pulled forth this time was ink and a quill. He received the papers from me, spread them side by side on the table, and picked up a quill.

“From now on, we will fill this empty space together.”

“You mean we will be writing up a contract? To work together?"

"Precisely. As you can see, this is not just a contract, but an imperial certified warranty.”

So this unusual-looking stamp was the seal of the imperial family.

I couldn't help but wonder why Amon had gone to such lengths to prepare it. But while I questioned the necessity, I understood his perspective— he couldn't trust me easily.

Despite our agreement to draft the contract together, Amon took the liberty of filling it first out without consulting me. Upon reading the contents, I highlighted the contract stipulated that the true culprit responsible for Russell's death must be apprehended together, but the details of the contract must remain confidential. Failure to comply with the terms would result in immediate termination of the contract.

Amon scribbled the same content on both sheets of paper with precise consistency in font and spacing, almost as if he used a ruler.

“Now, both parties must agree on the conditions to be written down, and that would be all."

Amon pointed to the empty space in the middle of the page.

“Erm…”

That meant that I could write any conditions I wanted there.

"I will state my conditions first. Firstly, please inform me promptly if you receive any information related to the incident. Secondly, I kindly request that you do not conceal your location until the case is resolved, and we will try to stay in the same place as much as possible."

Amon seemed anxious about the possibility of me running away. I acknowledged the reasonable condition and inquired.

“What about the last one?”

“Third, if something dangerous is to happen, put your safety first.”

“…Pardon?"

Isn't it too much to call this a contract? As I stared at the completely unexpected condition, Amon added.

"We cannot predict the outcome of the investigation, and it is important to note that you have not received formal training. In the event of any incident, the responsibility will fall on me."

When faced with a dangerous situation, it is important to avoid staying still due to a lack of skills and instead focus on finding a way to escape.

"Great. That's always welcome, so I won't complain.”

"Since I have presented three conditions, it would be fair for you to also present three of your own."

"There's no need. I only require one.”

From the moment Amon mentioned the contract, there was only one clause I wished to include. If one day, by any chance, the day comes when I can share the unbelievable experience that happened to me...

“Please trust me to the end.”

I hoped that Amon, the only person I could rely on in this world, would have faith in me.

'It's meaningless since I would only tell him when I can return to my original world.'

A pair of blue eyes fixed their gaze on me. Amon studied me intently, perhaps searching for a hidden message, before taking up the quill and jotting something down.

He then handed me the two contracts once again, his signature neatly written beneath his three conditions and my own.

“You can sign next to it. On both papers.”

I hesitated as my hand reached for the quill.

"Do you have any concerns?"

“Oh, no.”

The only signature I could execute was the one I used in my original world.

'This is a contract in Julia's name, so it won't be a problem, right?'

The trouble was short-lived as I swiftly signed my name. I had never seen Julia's signature, so that option was thrown out the window.

Amon stared at my signature for a while, then handed me one of the two contracts.

"Please ensure to keep the copy and prevent it from getting lost or viewed by unauthorized individuals."

"Of course."

“Alright.”

Amon then adjusted his posture.

"Now that we have held hands as per your request, let us move on to the next step. The first requirement is to inform me immediately of any relevant information related to the case. Please share all the information you have with me."

“What are you curious about?”

"Well, I do wonder if my reasoning is correct. Can you explain how you were able to determine that someone else had used poison to kill Russell before your stabbing?"

It was unfortunate I couldn't provide him with that information, but I was not startled by Amon's inquiry as I had anticipated it and prepared a response beforehand.

"It's true that I was within the residence of Duke Bolev that day."

Amon's jaw clenched. The anticipation in his eyes prompted me to speak quickly.

“However, I don’t remember who I am or why I was there. I believe this is a case of memory loss.”

The excuse which kept occupying my mind for three days.

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