Capítulo 1275: Chapter 1275: Interrogation and Confusion
Today, Margaret came with Shard to meet Old Hack not just to chat idly with him, but to express her goodwill first. Besides, Shard believed that Margaret definitely wasn’t just relying on Old Hack for the Grand Witch’s apprentice qualification; her preparations were far more extensive than Shard imagined.
And once Margaret finished her matters, Shard didn’t rush forward, but watched as the officers returned to take Old Hack away. Such a dangerous criminal was escorted specially by carriage. After verifying the convict wasn’t switched out, the haggard old man was directly shoved into the carriage reinforced with steel plates.
Yet when Old Hack got into the carriage, he was surprised to see that the one watching him wasn’t the officer from earlier, but rather the Princess Attendant who had just served him tea.
The carriage closed, and the fully enclosed compartment plunged into darkness. But immediately, Shard lit a match to ignite a candle, and the flickering candlelight illuminated their faces:
“Why so surprised? Her Highness Margaret is very cautious. If after she met you, you went missing on the road, she wouldn’t be able to explain anything. I’ll personally ensure you return to prison.”
Shard said, while the old man looked at him suspiciously:
“There’s a feeling it’s not that simple. Though I don’t understand police procedures, how could it be… Sir, you won’t suddenly pull out a gun and tell me you’re not the Royal Guard, but MI6 from Draleon, right?”
Shard blinked:
“Of course not.”
Old Hack immediately grew nervous; his life experience easily revealed the other party’s falsehood, intentionally showing his deceit, causing his heart to race.
Shard chuckled and shook his head:
“No need to be so tense, and don’t overthink it. Just consider me as Princess Attendant. I’m not an assassin; I just want to ask you some questions.”
“Representing whom?”
Old Hack asked warily, looking at Shard’s waist, guessing where he might be hiding a gun.
“Do you really want to know the answer to that question?”
Shard asked in return, prompting the old man to quickly shake his head:
“As long as you’re not here to kill me, feel free to ask anything before we reach the destination. I know your questions definitely include odd ones to confuse your identity. Rest assured, I won’t mention our conversation in the carriage to anyone.”
He suspected he might be involved in a more bizarre and complex political struggle.
“Alright then.”
Shard nodded, relaxedly sitting on the uncomfortable seat in the carriage:
“First question, why is the assassination target William Anjou instead of Margaret Anjou? And your attitude toward the Princess today, why is it so favorable?”
Nervously, Old Hack placed his hands on his legs:
“What sort of question is this? Isn’t it obvious? Even if wanting revenge on the Anjou Royal Family, I wouldn’t harm a vulnerable woman; I’m not that despicable!”
“Good, that’s a good start for the answer. You can relax a bit, just treat it as casual chatting. Second question, have you recently come into contact with suspicious foreigners?”
The old man pondered and slowly shook his head:
“No, if you’re wondering whether my attempt to assassinate the Prince was directed by the Draleon People, the answer is ‘no.’
Shard certainly knew it wasn’t, as Director Anlos himself stated the assassination had nothing to do with MI6, and even the top-secret files within MI6 regarding Stonemason Guild had been reviewed by him.
“However, my neighbor, that Northerner, seems suspicious. He really enjoys bringing prostitutes home; I suspect there might be spies among them.”
Shard waved his hand:
“I have no interest in your neighbor’s privacy spying habits. I see you’re still a bit tense, let’s switch to a relaxed topic; tell me stories circulating about the Stonemason Guild.”
Saying this, he took out his pocket watch and pretended to check it:
“There’s still one hour and twenty minutes till we return to prison. Tell me a little story, then we’ll continue with questions.”
Old Hack nodded immediately:
“What stories would you like to hear?”
“Anything will do… ancient and unknown stories.”
The old man didn’t doubt this in the slightest:
“I have many stories; you probably don’t know the tale of the Stonemason Guild’s genesis. Its establishment wasn’t just people gathering to impress handprints; it required enormous financial strength. Initially, those stonemasons were merely craftsmen, so they sought help from a demon, acquired ancient treasures, and used that money to establish the initial guild.”
“What was the price for this then?”
Shard asked with a smile, while the old man nodded:
“Of course, there’s a price. Every hundred years, the association has to select the finest stonemason to carve the most perfect statue for the demon. If the demon is satisfied, he will take the statue; if not, he will take the craftsman’s soul.”
Shard made no comment on the story. Whether true or not, it had nothing to do with the clues he was looking for today:
“This story tells us that everything humans do comes with a cost. Now it’s my turn to ask a question: you just offered Princess Margaret a price, saying that 60,000 kronor could make the Anjou Family pay for the costs of these years. So, how did you come up with this figure? I’ve looked into you—I mean, Her Highness has looked into you—your education level isn’t high, yet you could immediately come up with this number. I don’t believe that, as a regular stonemason in the association, you would normally calculate such things… Who told you this price?”
The old man suddenly widened his eyes, trembling as he struggled to speak.
Shard continued in a relaxed tone:
“Your social relationships are very simple; it wouldn’t be difficult for me to investigate on my own.”
“It was… Mr. Jon, the association’s accountant. He complained to me… If we had this money, it would be acceptable even without an apology.”
Though hatred brewed, not everyone in the Stonemason Guild insisted on an apology. The “Mr. Jon” mentioned by Old Hack was evidently someone who, if compensated enough, could even forgo an apology. Shard wouldn’t comment on this pragmatic approach, but perhaps Margaret could leverage this person for some matters.
“You see, isn’t our Q&A quite nice like this?”
He took out a glass bottle with an oak stopper from his pocket, containing white sugar cubes. He took out two pieces, gestured for Old Hack to choose one, and then ate the other himself:
“Then let’s continue with another story.”
Shard said again as the old man savored the sweetness in his mouth, already understanding that he couldn’t guess who the other party was representing:
“A story, let me think… Yes, the most famous story of the Stonemason Guild must be the living statue. I saw it once when I was young, but no one believed it. Many stories about it circulate in the city, but I bet no one knows as much as I do. Among the founders of the association was a very low-key Mr. Fleming, who was the best craftsman among the original founders, but due to his unexpected disappearance, he did not participate in the major events of the association later on, which is why not many people know about him now. But his name has not been lost in history, you know, the association holds an original contract signed by the founders that still has Mr. Fleming’s name on it.”
He had many stories about “Mr. Fleming,” speaking for a full ten minutes before stopping. This information was much more than the one provided by the middle-aged stonemason hours ago, clearly indicating that the middle-aged stonemason’s story also originated from him.
During the rest of the journey, Shard conversed with Old Hack about many things. When the carriage finally stopped, he made a gesture for silence:
“This journey was pleasant, and I’ve understood the main things. Mr. Hack, I think this won’t be our last meeting.”
“Will you come to find me again?”
The old man asked with some terror; he was truly somewhat afraid of this man who excelled in interrogation.
“It’s hard to say, but I think our next meeting will be very interesting.”
Saying this, he jumped off the carriage with the door opened and, after completing the criminal handover procedures, boarded another carriage parked on the roadside.
Margaret sat inside the carriage, holding a teacup waiting for him:
“So, any gains?”
“I gained something. You can start with these people. The Stonemason Guild is not a monolith; there are people inside who might help you.”
He said while handing over the notebook with the recent conversation to Her Highness the Princess:
“No, no, I mean, did you gain anything for your matter?”
The golden-haired girl flipped through the notebook and asked, prompting Shard to think:
“There might indeed be very ancient evil here; Old Hack also knows the Ston Osenfort family and told me Ston Osenfort once studied stone carving skills at the Stonemason Guild; one of the guild’s initial founders, Mr. Fleming, might also be problematic. Tomorrow, I’ll need your help; I want to see the original contract signed by the initial founders of the Stonemason Guild.”
Margaret thought for a moment:
“I’m afraid we won’t be able to see it tomorrow. Although I’m a princess, I don’t have the authority to command everyone. Give me some time; the Stonemason Guild is not very friendly toward me.”
“Oh, it’s actually okay if we don’t see it.”
Shard also realized the difficulty of this request:
“As long as I know the location, I can sneak in and see it myself.”
Margaret shook her head with a smile:
“Although I know you’re not a criminal, every time you say such things, it feels very dangerous… and exciting. Knight, do you have any plans for the evening? How about joining me for dinner? A candlelight dinner, then go to Wilder Opera House for an opera.”
Shard regretfully shook his head:
“Sorry, I have to meet up with a friend later.”
This referred to the playwright investigating at the Stonemason Guild.
“In the evening, I have some matters to attend to with Luviya as well.”
He planned to visit the Stonemason Guild tonight. Even if he couldn’t see the moving stone statue, he might at least find the original Stonemason Contract. He’s experienced in sneaking into places, and since Luviya was also around, bringing along Miss Diviner would likely make the operation go more smoothly.