My Death Flag Shows No Sign Of Ending

Episode 19

The evening of the day on which Harold and Tasuku confirmed their cooperative relationship.
The veil of darkness had descended and within the darkness where moonlight didn't reach the ground due to heavy clouds, as though to run away from that darkness there was a single room within which a bright light was burning.
In that room, starting with Tasuku in the chief seat, his wife Koyomi and daughter Erika, personal attendant Kiryuu, and with the cooking outfit, on which there was not the least bit of dirt, as her trademark, Juno, were all silently sitting.
As though to loosen the tension, the head of the mansion, Tasuku, started talking.

「Well then, It seems like you have some report. Juno?」

「Yes. There's something that I have to inform Master and also Erika-sama about」

Although she spoke in a calm voice, it wasn't in her usual slow manner of speaking.

「Even Erika?」

「Indeed. Since I was moving under the orders of Erika-sama」

With those words, all gazes other than Juno's gathered on Erika. Receiving that, she lowered her head deeply.

「I'm sorry for mobilizing them on my own, Father. But there was something that I absolutely needed to confirm so I ended up borrowing Juno's strength」

「Something you absolutely needed to confirm, means something regarding Harold-kun?」

「That's right. Father, are you aware of the rumor that Harold-sama killed a servant and her daughter?」

「Yes, a report that some rumors like that were floating around the streets of the Stokes territory did come」

Even the scouts, who had disguised themselves as traders and travelers to infiltrate into the Stokes territory, had heard about the matter of how the mother and daughter were killed. Maybe because, since before there was hatred towards the Stokes family among the populace it was quite widespread.

「..........The possibility that it was untrue came up」

「False? In other words, the 2 who were killed in the rumors are still alive?」

「To ascertain the truth, I had Juno and the others cooperate with me」

And now, Juno was here to report the results of the investigation.
This time, everybody's eyes were on Juno. All of them were waiting for her next words.
Towards that, Juno didn't try to put on any airs and started talking.

「Regarding this time's affair, the rumors being circulated are wrong. The servant Clara and her daughter Colette who should have been killed are still alive」

To that report, Tasuku narrowed his eyes and Erika bent her head down and strongly clenched her fists, which were on top of her knees. She was attacked by feelings of guilt.
While looking at her as though she was worried about her, Juno continued her report.

「Currently, the 2 of them are living in a small village called Brosch village which is under the jurisdiction of Viscount Ballack. Although it was quite difficult, I was able to obtain testimony from the person herself」

「What do you mean by difficult?」

「Since they hadn't changed their names, it was easy to find them from asking the villagers, but she stubbornly refused to talk about what had happened during that time」

Receiving that report from her colleagues who had gone there before her, Juno headed towards the village herself. When she personally tried talking to Clara, it wasn't to the extent of turning her away at the door, but it seemed as though Clara had no intention to talk about the real situation.
But it also wasn't as though Juno could simply back away with 「Then it can't be helped ～」. And while exchanging words with Clara, she realized about a certain thing.