#Episode 94
To think she would feel lonely over something this minor.
Vasha let out a laugh.
“That can’t be. Even Oliver makes mistakes sometimes. You always act like you’re stating absolute truths.”
Despite Vasha’s teasing, Oliver remained unfazed.
“I do not always state the absolute truth; I simply do not speak incorrect words in the first place.”
“So, you’re saying you’re not wrong? Why do you think I would feel lonely?”
“Because young master Todd is not here.”
“Todd?”
Vasha frowned.
She had indeed been preoccupied with concerns about sending Todd outside the [Domain], but that was all.
Todd practically lived in the training grounds and was never particularly noisy. There was hardly any difference now compared to before. Vasha had spent most of her time alone since arriving in Noctiluca, so the absence of Todd was not enough to make her feel lonely.
“Todd was never around me that often. I usually spend my time alone.”
“Still, whenever you wanted to talk to someone or meddle, he was always somewhere you could go to.”
“……….”
Vasha suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
She silently stared at the freshly filled teacup before her. The moonlight streaming through the window reflected off the red liquid in her hand.
Oliver continued in his usual calm manner.
“When something that has always been by your side disappears, that’s when you realize its value. The greater its importance, the sooner you notice its absence.”
“So you’re saying Todd is that important to me? That I would feel lonely after just a few hours apart?”
Vasha scoffed as if mocking the idea.
Oliver didn’t respond. Instead, he simply gazed at Vasha with an unreadable expression, as if to say, You already know the answer.
That alone was enough of a response.
Vasha opened her mouth slightly, as if to speak, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to say, Todd doesn’t matter. I’m not lonely.
“Then…”
Vasha asked something else instead.
“Are you lonely too?”
Only then did Oliver smile—a rare expression for someone usually so stoic. That smile alone made it clear whom he was thinking of, and it answered the question without words.
Reflecting on the past, Oliver murmured,
“I used to be like you, lady Vasha.”
As an orphan wandering the slums, working as an assassin, he thought he was more familiar with loneliness than anyone else.
When he came to serve Laurus, he believed he had escaped that loneliness. But whenever he had to be apart from Laurus, the emptiness felt even greater—more overwhelming than the solitude he had known as an assassin.
“Still, even if I’ve become more vulnerable to loneliness now, I prefer this life with lord Laurus over the past when I was numb to it. What about you, lady Vasha?”
Vasha said nothing, only gazing down at the tea in her cup.
Why had she wanted a familiar so badly? Why had she been so desperate to regain her lost memories?
If she had truly been used to loneliness, she wouldn’t have spent so much effort chasing after something that remained out of reach…
It felt as if Oliver had uncovered thoughts Vasha herself hadn’t even realized. Sighing, Vasha exhaled, causing the reflection of the moon in her tea to ripple and distort.
At that moment, a wave of darkness spread through the room, as if the moonlight had been erased.
Vasha immediately lifted her head and looked out the window. The sudden darkness was due to thick clouds that had silently gathered, obscuring the moon.
“The weather is unusually gloomy tonight. It would be troublesome if autumn rain started falling.”
Oliver clicked his tongue as he followed Vasha’s gaze to the window.
He had ensured Laurus was dressed warmly enough to keep out the cold, but given Laurus’ age, getting caught in the rain wouldn’t be good for him. Oliver’s expression darkened with concern.
Vasha’s face also twisted in discomfort.
“I had a bad feeling about this…”
She set down her teacup and stood up. Her gaze remained fixed on a single point, unwavering.
As if she were watching something in the distance.
Oliver, puzzled by Vasha’s sudden strange behavior, asked,
“Lady Vasha?”
“We have a guest.”
“A guest…? At this hour?”
Oliver’s face hardened.
Vasha, who used this villa as a hideout, would never say such things lightly. That could only mean one thing—someone had infiltrated the mansion, evading even Oliver’s sharp senses.
And there were very few who possessed such skill.
Tap, tap.
Right on cue, the rain began to fall. Beyond the sound of raindrops tapping against the stone pavement like a melody, a faint, deliberate knocking echoed through Vasha’s hideout—an intruder’s discourteous greeting.
An unpleasant sensation crawled over Vasha’s body.
A presence so unsettling it felt like touching it would burn.
“So, it’s you…”
It was the presence of Lamphas, the one who wished to reduce her hideout to ashes.
“Our little firestarter has come to visit.”
***
The auction had begun.
The first items were mostly trivial trinkets. However, Todd remained focused, his gaze sharp and meticulous as he scrutinized each piece.
Laurus, noticing Todd’s intense concentration, made a quiet suggestion.
“Using opera glasses might help you see better.”
“Glass allows magic to pass through fairly well, but it still filters some of it, causing minor losses. When it comes to detecting the faintest magical traces, the naked eye is the most effective.”
Todd answered without taking his eyes off the auction stage.
Only after confirming that the current item had no trace of magic did he turn to Laurus with a shrug.
“Besides, I can see just fine from this distance without opera glasses.”
“Is that so? At my age, most people’s eyesight would have long since faded.”
Laurus chuckled.
The auction continued, with items being presented and sold one after another. As time passed, the energy in the room intensified.
Then, a rather exquisite ruby ring was brought out.
For the first time, Todd, who had been silent, suddenly raised his paddle.
Seeing him make a bid, others followed suit, lifting their paddles one by one. The auctioneer enthusiastically encouraged the competition.
As the price climbed, some bidders began to drop out, and eventually, the ring was sold to Todd.
Laurus, surprised by Todd’s persistence in acquiring the ring, cautiously asked,
“Could it be that this item is…?”
“No, it has nothing to do with what we’re looking for.”
Todd leaned his chin on his hand and responded indifferently.
“We need to mix in some random purchases to avoid suspicion. If we only buy a single item, people will start digging into what the great Laurus took home.”
If anyone discovered that they had acquired something linked to Van Drake, it would only cause unnecessary trouble.
Todd’s reasoning was sound.
However, Laurus’s expression only grew more amused.
Feeling the intense gaze directed at him, Todd, clearly uncomfortable, shot Laurus an annoyed look and grumbled,
“What? Are you upset about the money? You said I could spend as much as I wanted.”
“You may purchase as much as you like. I was simply wondering… if you had someone in mind to give that ring to. It just so happens that I know someone it would suit quite well.”
“W-what nonsense are you spouting?!”
Todd snapped, his face turning red.
He shuddered as if he had goosebumps and muttered in frustration,
“This is why I can’t deal with old folks. You’re always saying unnecessary things.”
But even as he continued grumbling, he never once denied the idea of giving the ring to Vasha.
Laurus simply smiled at him in that calm, knowing way.
Feeling even more flustered, Todd impulsively raised his paddle to bid on more items—far more than he had originally intended.
He was clearly wasting money on completely useless things, but Laurus showed no signs of concern.
That only made Todd more annoyed.
