The Forest of Glass — Chapter 13

AN ADVERTISEMENT WITH SUCH RANDOM CONTENT WAS PUBLISHED IN THE NEWSPAPER THE NOBLES READ.

TWO WALNUT BRANCHES FROM LAMER FOR 45 GOLD.

I CAN'T TELL IF THEY WANT TO BUY TWO WALNUT BRANCHES FOR 45 GOLD OR SELL THEM...

IN OTHER WORDS, THEY ONLY GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SLAVE AUCTION TO THOSE WHO CORRECTLY DECIPHER THE CODE.

...THAT MAKES SENSE.

IT IS ONLY THE NOBLES WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE AUCTIONS, AFTER ALL.

THERE WOULD BE NO REASON TO KEEP PUBLISHING AN ADVERTISEMENT WITH SUCH STRANGE CONTEXT OTHERWISE.

RIGHT, AND FOR AS LONG AS THREE WEEKS AT THAT....

......

SHAWN,

I THINK YOU'RE HAVING THE SAME THOUGHT AS I AM.

...YES.

IT IS DUCHESS WHITAKER WHO MANAGES LAMER PARK.

IF THE DUCHESS IS COLLABORATING WITH COUNT SAWYER...

THEN THE SCALE OF THIS STORY CHANGES.

DOES R... KNOW ABOUT THIS FACT?

IN ANY CASE, WE MUST CONTACT KENNETH RIGHT AWAY...

NO, THERE'S NO NEED FOR THAT.

BECAUSE I'LL BE MOVING PERSONALLY.

YOUNG MASTER...!

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ALREADY?

R MIGHT WISH FOR YOU NOT TO STEP OUT ONTO THE FRONT LINES!

FOR NOW, WE SHOULD INFORM R OF THE CLUE IN THIS MESSAGE

AND THEN WAIT FOR INSTRUCTIONS...

HOW LONG DO YOU THINK THIS METHOD WILL LAST?

TH-THAT'S....

THIS MESSAGE STARTED THREE WEEKS AGO,

SPORT NEWS CIRCUS COMING TO NY TOWN

AND NO SUCH ADVERTISEMENT HAD BEEN PUBLISHED BEFORE THAT.

GOING BACK FURTHER, IT WAS PUBLISHED FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS TWO YEARS AGO.

TWO YEARS AGO...!

THEY SAID THE WORLD HAS ONLY JUST BROKEN THROUGH ITS FIRST SHELL...

IF THAT'S THE CASE,

THEN THIS TIME, IT'S OUR TURN TO SEE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

YOUR TICKET, PLEASE.

H-HERE...

CONFIRMED. PLEASE ENTER.

THANK YOU.

IS HE A YOUNG NOBLE VISITING LAMER FOR THE FIRST TIME?

WITH AN ATTITUDE LIKE THAT, HE'LL BE EATEN ALIVE IN NO TIME...

OH MY! IS HE A NEWCOMER?

IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO BUY THE TICKET FOR LAMER PARK UNDER BARON LENEUR'S NAME.

BARON LENEUR ≪VIRGIN SHELL MEMBER≫

CAPTAIN, THAT'S THE PERSON!

THEY SAY THAT OLD WOMAN SELLS TICKETS FOR LAMER WHILE PRETENDING TO SELL FLOWERS ON THE STREET.

EXCUSE ME... I'D LIKE TO BUY A TICKET.

OH DEAR,

I DON'T GIVE OUT TICKETS TO THOSE WITH UNCERTAIN IDENTITIES.

THAT MUST BE HOW THEY'VE BEEN MANAGING THE NOBLES WHO FREQUENT LAMER.

THERE ARE NO WALNUT TREES IN LAMER PARK.

IF SO, HOW SHOULD THAT MESSAGE BE INTERPRETED?

WALNUT TREE.

WALNUT TREE.

A MAHOGANY CANE...!

TWO WALNUT BRANCHES FOR 45 GOLD.

THIS IS IT...!

WITH THIS, I CAN SAVE THOSE PEOPLE...

AND EXPOSE COUNT SAWYER'S TRUE NATURE FOR ALL TO SEE...!

DOWNTOWN LUSON

MY LADY, YOU KNOW, RIGHT?

THAT THE MARQUIS'S SCHEDULE TODAY ONLY CONSISTS OF THE EVENING BANQUET.

I'LL BE WAITING OUTSIDE WITH THE COACHMAN,

SO YOU MUST FINISH YOUR CONVERSATION AND COME OUT WITHIN 30 MINUTES, OKAY?

YES, I'M WELL AWARE, SO DON'T WORRY TOO...

MY LADY?

ALICIA.

YOU SAID YOU HAD SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT.

WHAT'S THIS ALL OF A SUDDEN?

.....?

ALICIA?

...ARE MEN REALLY ALL THE SAME?

WHAT...?

WHAT ON EARTH... DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

IT'S JUST...

I THOUGHT I SAW LORD LUHAN NEAR LAMER PARK ON MY WAY HERE...

WAS THE MAN I SAW ESTRICHEN?

THAT MAN WHO CAME OUT OF LAMER PARK IN A HURRY.

HIS CLOTHES WERE IN A STYLE I'D NEVER SEEN BEFORE, AND HIS HAIR COLOR WAS DIFFERENT...

BUT HE LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE LUHAN ESTRICHEN...

IT MIGHT JUST BE AN ILLUSION

BECAUSE OF WHAT I HEARD FROM MOTHER TODAY.

HE'LL PROBABLY JUST FIND A WOMAN WHO'S EASY TO HANDLE AND START WANDERING ABOUT EARLIER THAN EXPECTED.

IT MIGHT NOT BE HIM,

AND YET...

WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY?

....

ALEX...?

ALICIA.

JUST A LITTLE...

COULD YOU WAIT FOR ME FOR JUST A LITTLE LONGER?