“There’s a monastery that’s affiliated with our Pavella Abbey in this area,” said Friar Bisius as he walked towards the mansion, explaining that he was currently running an errand for the current abbot.

“I’ve delivered the entrusted item, and was about to return, but suddenly thought of you, Duke. I haven’t seen you at all since you left the monastery, so I impulsively came here.”

“Aha.”

“Wouldn’t you be very surprised to see me show up without a word?”

“Well, I wonder.”

Kisa responded vaguely, unable to imagine Seyerd’s shocked expression.

‘He seems like someone who knows everything…’

Anyway, the young monk boasted the same cheerfulness as before, which made Kisa feel a little better.

Moreover, at this point, running into someone from Pavella Abbey was, in a way, a good opportunity.

“But Seyerd is currently in a meeting, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”

“That’s alright. As an uninvited guest, I have to accept that much. I have some free time anyway, having already finished my errand.”

“In that case, shall we go to the reception room?”

“Hmm, before that, could I take a look at the garden for a moment? I’ve never seen such a beautiful garden before. Even though it’s winter, it has a charm.”

“Of course. Lily and I were just taking a stroll, would you like to join us?”

“It would be an honor.”

And so, the three of them walked through the garden that the Helan ducal family took pride in.

Kisa barely restrained her itching mouth, wanting to get straight to the point.

She had to indirectly draw out the story from Friar Bisius to avoid arousing suspicion.

“The mystery is finally solved,” she said after a moment of contemplation, having decided what to say.

“Mystery?” The monk’s gaze turned to Kisa as he was admiring the intricate sculpture of the fountain.

“A few days ago, I briefly saw someone in the market and just now realized it was you, Friar Bisius.”

“Market?”

Blinking, he asked for the exact date and location, and upon hearing Kisa’s answer, shook his head.

“It wasn’t me. I’ve never been to such a place, and on the day you mentioned, I was staying at the monastery where I was running an errand. Perhaps you mistook another monk for me?”

“What? But I’m sure it looked like a friar from Pavella Abbey.”

Kisa said, pointing her index finger at Bisius’s shoulder.

“I couldn’t see his face because of the robe, but there was definitely a dove emblem in this spot.”

The dove was the symbol of Pavella Abbey, and when Kisa had gone there last time, she had clearly seen the same emblem embroidered on every monk’s shoulder.

Perhaps to conceal his identity, Bisius was currently in civilian clothes, but at that time, he too had a dove on his shoulder.

“Is that true?” Bisius put his hand on his freckled cheek, as if Kisa’s answer was unexpected.

“That’s very strange. Needless to say it wasn’t me, and I haven’t heard of any other friars from the abbey having business in the capital.”

“…Then are all the others in the Bonzmos region?”

“Well, yes. We rarely leave the monastery in the first place.”

But then the young monk suddenly exclaimed “Ah!” as if he had remembered something.

“Come to think of it, about a month ago, Friar Emil did leave his post. He said he was going back to his hometown due to a major family issue.”

“…”

“Wait, was his hometown the capital? He didn’t particularly seem like someone from the capital though.”

In front of the monk muttering to himself, Kisa lowered her gaze and clenched her fists tightly.

‘This can’t be a coincidence.’

As expected, the man who had appeared with Daniel was indeed Friar Emil, as he had said.

She had suspected as much, but encountering it as an actual fact felt different.

As Seyerd’s confession of being a murderer gained more credibility, Kisa felt dizzy.

She somehow managed to pull herself together.

No. How could she judge based solely on this?

Nothing was certain yet except for the fact that the man she had seen before was Friar Emil.

“Then I suppose it was my simple mistake, as you said, Friar Bisius.”

Having already obtained the answer she wanted, Kisa decided to end this topic.

“Yes, probably. Perhaps it was a different bird, not a dove. There are other monasteries that use birds as symbols besides us.”

Since Bisius readily accepted it without any particular indication, they resumed their interrupted stroll.

But not long after, a strange ripple arose in Kisa’s heart.

‘What is it?’

Looking at the side profile of the man immersed in appreciating the garden, she kept getting an inexplicably uneasy feeling for some reason. As if she had missed something important.

Kisa pondered the reason for a while and eventually found the answer.

‘The third person!’

Some time ago, Friar Emil had said that besides Coby, there was another person involved in Seyerd’s plot.

Although his identity was unknown, Seyerd had certainly hinted at his existence.

It was a blunder. The revelation that Seyerd was a murderer had been so shocking that the story about the third person had been pushed to the back of her mind.

Goosebumps slowly rose on Kisa’s arms.

‘Could it be…’

Until just a moment ago, the relatively calm atmosphere froze in an instant.

Kisa tried not to suspiciously look at the person next to her and continued her thought.

There was no clear evidence anywhere that the third person Friar Emil had mentioned was Friar Bisius.

But considering one by one, there were several characteristics that could narrow down his identity.

‘In all likelihood, he must have been close to Seyerd.’

Otherwise, there was no way he would have been involved in the murder of Seyerd’s own brother, the Duke of Helan.

Moreover, there was a high probability that he was an insider of the monastery, like Coby.

Outsiders had limitations in becoming close to Seyerd, and it was difficult to exchange opinions, and above all, being seen together would attract a lot of attention.

‘But I heard many of the monks were dissatisfied with Seyerd.’

For those faithful and conservative enough to walk the path of a practitioner, it was natural to find it difficult to view Seyerd favorably, as he frequently broke the rules of the monastery and lived as he pleased.

With the exception of a very few, that is.

‘For example…’

Like Friar Bisius.

“Well, he’ll judge much more objectively than you who have received this and that from Friar Helan.”

A few months ago, during a conversation about Seyerd’s mentor, Friar Machio, a remark made by Friar Besano in passing came to mind.

It was a conversation with Friar Bisius.

“No, what have I received so much that you say that? You’re making me feel wronged.”

“You ate a lot of snacks with money from Friar Helan’s pocket, didn’t you?”

At that time, she only had the impression that Friar Bisius was on friendly terms with Seyerd.

But recalling it now, it was quite meaningful.

He had received this and that with Seyerd’s money?

Did Seyerd really open his wallet for Friar Bisius just for the purpose of friendship?

‘If there was an intention, that was…’

Just then, Lily’s voice awakened Kisa’s mind that was about to fall into deeper contemplation.

“Young lady, over there.”

Kisa’s mouth opened slightly as she looked in the direction she pointed.

Bisius also turned his head to look that way, and soon a broad smile hung on his face.

“It’s been a while!”

The person standing there was the reason he had come here and the one with whom he had been close as a former colleague.

It was none other than Seyerd.

The reddish-brown eyes that confirmed Friar Bisius’s appearance widened a little in surprise.

Approaching the two, he opened his mouth, alternately looking at Kisa and Bisius.

“Kisa, I heard you were here and came to see, but…”

Bisius answered instead of Kisa.

“You’re surprised that I’m here, aren’t you? Friar Helan, no, Duke Helan.”

At that, Seyerd smiled back at him.

“Of course. But what brings you here? I haven’t received any news from the monastery.”

“I secretly stopped by while I was in the area on an errand for the abbot. I intended to surprise you, Duke, but you only say you’re surprised without actually being very surprised.”

“No, I was very surprised. Really.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Come to think of it, you’re not the type to be startled and jump up and down even if you’re surprised, Duke.”

Kisa silently observed the two conversing.

If her conjecture from a little while ago was correct, these two were the mastermind and the accomplice.

Thinking that way, it was hard to fully trust Bisius’s casual remark that he had stopped by on the side.

“You’re always welcome, so please come again! Next time, I hope Friar Helan will come with you. Tell him I’d like to see him again after a long time.”

The last words Friar Bisius had said to her before she left Pavella Abbey were revived.

Perhaps he had a reason to keep meeting Seyerd since then.

What could it be? Post-incident discussions related to the crime? Or compensation for cooperating with Seyerd’s plan?

‘It could also be about the disappearance of Coby, who was another collaborator.’

While Kisa’s mind was spinning with various possibilities, Friar Bisius asked his old colleague if he could stay the night.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve run out of money. As expected, prices are high in the capital. The room rates at decent inns were so high…”

Seyerd replied with a smile.

“You don’t even have to ask. You’re always welcome.”