If You Tell a Pickpocket to Save the Male Lead

The people holding weapons flinched at his words. The information merchant bent her waist and took a step forward.

“What do you want? This woman?”

“Yes. I’ve sufficiently identified your forces, so if you safely return the woman, I’ll let the remaining people live.”

At those words, the information merchant laughed with an incredulous expression.

“Agent, how can we believe you who have been full of lies all your life? Is there any truth in your words?”

“I didn’t know you still had the strength to reach out to me.”

Estribal’s body moved so fast that it became invisible.

“What are you doing…Kheuk!”

In Estribal’s hand was the neck of the young man who had been consistently picking a fight with Ciello.

“As you can see, the reason I chose the word ‘negotiation’ is for your shallow pride.”

When Estribal put strength into his hand, veins bulged out from the young man’s neck. The people who saw that turned pale.

“Either give up the woman now, or die here and give up the woman.”

Just before the information merchant opened his mouth with a gloomy face, Ciello quietly raised her hand.

“Um…My opinion?”

Everyone in the place looked at Cielo. The young man held by Estribal struggled and shouted.

“…You, kheuk, you. How did you untie your hands!”

“Are you interested in learning? Escape is basic if you want to pick someone’s pocket.”

Ciello sneered as if it was pathetic and then looked at Estribal.

“You used me as bait to kill the independent forces, didn’t you? Why should I believe and return to the Duke’s side?”

“The order is wrong. The plan was to kill them for your safety.”

“But I could have died while being kidnapped. What would you have done then?”

“Do you look down on me that much? Of course, I had surveillance on you!”

Estribal’s voice rose. Of course, Estribal’s words were correct. But what Ciello was really curious about was not those things.

Ciello suddenly recalled the argument he had with Reposa a while ago. The argument was all about money, money, money.

The money bag that Reposa handed over at that time was definitely enough, but Ciello’s heart was not at all relieved. Because the answer Ciello wanted, the words Ciello really wanted to hear, were not those.

The memory of scolding the children who were bullying Reposa, who was unusually short for a Peregrine native. The black bread they secretly shared in the attic.

It’s not because those memories are not precious that I did what I did. So, apologize, she should have apologized.

The words Ciello wanted to hear from Estribal now were not much different.

Apologize. That alone seemed to be enough.

Ciello licked her lips.

“Duke. Is that all you have to say to me?”

There was a lot in Ciello’s question.

‘You know what I want to hear.’

Ciello’s eyes were saying that.

“Ciello, I…”

Estribal swallowed his words. Numerous words rose to the tip of his tongue. Words that would make Ciello’s cloudy gray eyes as bright as sunlight.

But Estribal was afraid. When sunlight enters Ciello’s eyes, his heart would melt away without a trace.

Even the fact that he pulled out a negotiation card in this situation was an uncontrollable confusion for Ciello.

So Estribal turned his head away from that answer.

“I want you to focus on something more important. For example.”

He spoke without making eye contact with Ciello.

“They can hurt you, and I can’t hurt you.”

‘Ah.’

Ciello bit her lip. Her heart dropped to the floor. He had no intention of answering Ciello’s words.

“Considering the reward I promised you, you should be able to judge where the profit is.”

Reward. Profit. At those words, Ciello quietly closed her mouth. The words of the information merchant that pierced Ciello once again stabbed her heart. [If he has a thought, he will abandon you].

Yes. He definitely was a man with thoughts.

“If there are no more questions, understand that my explanation is sufficient.”

Estribal let go of the young man’s neck he was holding. The young man fell to the floor with a groan.

“Heuk, heuk…”

The young man staggered up. Seeing that, the information merchant quietly gave an order.

“…Let Ciello go.”

The informant cut the rope tied to Ciello’s foot. Ciello slowly got up from the chair.

Without a word, Ciello bowed her head towards the information merchant and moved towards Estribal.

The information merchant opened her mouth, giving a glance at the young man who had fallen.

“Is that enough now, Duke? If there’s anything else you want, say it now.”

“Do you guys have what I want? I didn’t know.”

While the information merchant and Estribal were having a conversation, the young man slipped something into Ciello’s pocket.

“What is this?”

The young man shushed and whispered so as not to be caught.

“It’s a magical tool to come to our hideout. Anyone from Peregrine can use it.”

“Why are you giving this to me…”

“…Hey. You’re also a Peregrine.”

Ciello’s lower lip trembled. She wanted to throw it away as if she didn’t need such a thing, but she couldn’t.

“Then I recommend you to hide for a while. It’s more for you guys than what I want.”

After finishing the conversation, Estribal gestured to Ciello as if to follow him. Ciello silently left the hideout with Estribal.

Throughout the ride back in the carriage, Estribal’s expression was hardened.

‘Did I say too much? But he came to save me.’

Ciello composed her complicated feelings and leaned towards Estribal.

“Um, Duke. Earlier, I…”

“Don’t come close.”

His voice was sharper than before.

“You’re not saying that because I’ve made contact with the client, are you? This is the Duke’s…”

“Enough. I don’t want to talk.”

At the clear distancing, Ciello looked at him with a disappointed face.

‘But shouldn’t you have not used me as bait without saying anything in the first place?’

Fortunately, before the awkward silence got longer, the carriage stopped in front of the mansion. The two got off the carriage and entered the mansion.

Neither of them said anything until they passed through the dark corridor and climbed the stairs.

The Duke stopped in front of his room door. At that moment, Ciello saw a bloodstain on Estribal’s waist.

‘This is it.’

Ciello quickly grabbed the hem of his turning clothes.

“Duke. If you’re hurt, I can help you!”

The Duke froze like a statue. The moment Ciello’s fingertips touched his waist,

“Stop!”

The Duke slapped Ciello’s hand away. Ciello sat down in the hall with a startled face. But the Duke didn’t look back.

Too much had already been shaken. He had to correct the past for the future. He endured and swallowed the present for that plan.

“Duke…?”

His shoulders flinched at the faint voice.

‘If she chooses the present where she is. If she lives now, which has color and scent…’

No. There is no other way. The execution of the plan. That was the only answer Estribal had found. And that was also the way for Ciello.

“…You can’t help me.”

Estribal spoke as if pressing down and went inside the room. He leaned against the door and said,

“…Come out.”

The blind servant came out from the wall.

“Your breathing is not steady. Are you seriously injured?”

The servant supported the Duke. When the blood soaked into the hand that supported the Duke’s waist, the servant’s mouth hardened in surprise.

“Please wait a moment. I will bring a blind healer.”

“There’s no need…for such a fuss.”

Despite the Duke’s words, the servant sat the Duke in a chair and quickly disappeared into the wall. He sighed softly as he looked at the wall. His pain began to slowly subside, perhaps because he was separated from Ciello.

A moment later, the servant appeared with a blind healer.

“Duke, please excuse me for a moment.”

Estribal calmed his breath and sat down in the chair and took off his top. A solid body different from his calm and intellectual face was revealed.

The muscles placed in the right places were stronger than ordinary men, but the natural bone structure made it feel beautiful rather than rough.

However, the scars covering his body would make anyone with a weak stomach frown.

Underneath the fast and accidental wounds that could have been caused in battle, slow and deep traces were engraved as if someone had intentionally burned or cut them. With a little inspection, it was easy to guess that the wound was due to torture.

The most horrifying thing was the thorny vine tightly wrapped around his neck. From that restraint made of magic, a sinister color of curse was overflowing. Any ordinary person would have suffocated from its malice just by touching it.

“He has a deep cut on his waist. Probably more than a foot deep…”

The healer, who was seriously examining his body, made a puzzled expression.

“Hmm…? But now…”

Contrary to the servant’s explanation, the Duke’s wound had already healed considerably. Of course, even if it was healed, it was a wound that would have made an ordinary person lose consciousness, but this was not a serious wound for their master.

“See? I told you I’m fine.”

The voice that had been in pain was also calm as if nothing had happened.

“But why earlier…”

“Did you have a problem with your healing power? How about checking it a little more?”

The servant spoke with a flustered face, but the Duke shook his head.

“No. I know myself best. So rather than me…”

The Duke hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“Go to her. Report immediately if there is anything unusual.”

The servants bowed their heads. The Duke threw a word over their loyal backs.

“Never say that I told you to.”

“Ha, yes Duke…”

The servants raised their heads. But they couldn’t see the Duke’s expression.

“Now, leave.”

The Duke turned his body away from them completely. The servants helplessly backed away.

“…We will obey.”

After the servants disappeared, Estribal closed his eyes for a moment.

At first, he thought he could only see the color. Until it approached as a scent, a taste, he thought it wasn’t bad. A play of long life. He was able to rationalize it that way.

But he realized the moment he felt pain. Ciello was not simply returning his senses to him.

“How dare you…try to make me…human.”

Estribal scoffed. That shouldn’t be. He couldn’t be an ordinary human.

Estribal got up from the chair and went to the bookshelf. He took out a book from the bookshelf, a blank space was created, and then felt the top with his hand.

With a thud, the bookshelf opened, revealing a secret library hidden behind it.

The library was packed with books and documents about the summoning of spirits. Estribal glared at everything with bloodshot eyes.

[The spirit Serpiente originally belonged to Peregrine, not the Atuna Empire…]

[The Emperor of the Empire plundered it and made it his power.]

[Everything…can be restored to its original state…]

“Damn it…!”

Estribal, who had been standing there for a while, shouted and hit the desk roughly. Papers and books fell to the floor.

“…It must be returned. Then…”

Estribal brought his hand to the thorny vine that was wrapped around his neck. Flames sparked from his palm.

“I too can go back.”