Episode 23
Perhaps alerted by the maid, the man was not surprised to see me.
On the contrary, it was I who was surprised.
Because the man’s face was familiar.
“It’s surprising that such a beautiful lady does such dangerous work”
Plop.
The man, holding a bag dripping with black liquid, smiled.
It was a chillingly bright and radiant smile.
As I faced that smile, an unforgettable memory came to mind.
‘You shouldn’t steal other people’s things.’
It was the ‘shark’ who kidnapped Damon at Lauford Harbour.
Surprise Mission Triggered!
The boss of the ‘shark’ suspects that you are the thief he met at Lauford Harbour
Finish the conversation without revealing your identity!
Reward: 1000 cash, ‘Tolerant Indifference’ effect
Failure Penalty: ‘Inviting the Shark’s Intense Interest.’
Hold up, the boss of the shark?
‘I knew I said he gave off an unusual vibe, but this guy was the boss?’
And what the hell was this ‘intense interest’ listed as a penalty?
If wanting to kill someone counts as interest, then I guess it was interest…
It was bad enough I was already being suspected of being a thief even though I hadn’t done anything like it, and now the overall situation was even more of a mess.
While I was panicking by myself, the man slowly walked towards me.
“I’ve heard the rumors. You’ve settled Lord Grayden’s request as well, haven’t you? He’s known for being meticulous beyond words. You must be greatly skilled”
As the maid said, he was a handsome man full of grace and kindness.
However, it was this very man who had snatched and almost broke my arm, admonishing me about not stealing ‘other people’s things’.
…If something went wrong, I’d die.
I was not speaking figuratively or lightly; my life was genuinely in danger.
To meet an S-rank villain while I was at work, one I never wanted to get involved with again…
Moreover, I already bit this man’s hand and ran off with Damon, didn’t I?
It wouldn’t turn out well.
“You flatter me.”
I answered in the most casual voice I could muster.
I was too tense to know what kind of expression I was making.
How could I wrap up this conversation quickly without acting fishy? …It was possible, right?
Even if it wasn’t, I had to do it.
“I apologize for the late introduction.”
The man, who had suddenly come very close to me, said with a voice full of laughter.
“I am Kassell of the Orlé County. You can call me Kasha”
As expected, he was indeed the Count Orlé who helped Karl with his monster core collection.
Of course, Karl probably didn’t know that he was the terrifying ‘boss of the shark.’
‘To tell me to call him Kasha so easily?’
Was he asking me to call the young master of a county by a nickname?
What kind of commoner would dare to do such a thing that could make their head roll?
I vowed to be meticulously polite and call him ‘Young Master Orlé’ for the rest of my life.
“My name is Celia Wolf. I am a detective, as you said. It’s an honor to meet you.”
I greeted him politely with a business smile.
“….”
Kasha stroked his chin and stared at the top of my head.
It was an action that seemed to be measuring something.
What was he checking?
My hair color? My height? Or whether I washed my hair today?
Warning! Your opponent’s suspicion has increased!
You might get caught if you make a mistake!
Current danger level: S
No, what did I do?! I just greeted him.
And he was the one who initiated it first.
I felt so wronged that I could cry.
I had no idea which part raised his suspicion.
How could he suspect my identity just because we held hands for a second in a fog where you couldn’t see a step ahead?
Ignoring my awkward stance, Kasha walked leisurely towards the desk.
Plop. Plop.
Following his footsteps, black liquid dripped from the bag he was holding.
“Oh, it’s leaking a bit.”
Kasha sighed without any surprise on his face.
I wondered if he would have reacted the same way if it had been blood instead of black liquid.
“I don’t know if you know, but I run a small business.”
Placing the bag on the floor, he brought up something I was not at all curious about.
“I also deal in monster parts. Usually, people stay away because of the magic in them, but Lord Karl doesn’t seem to care much about. He’s truly a born soldier.”
Why aren’t you afraid then?
Why are you carrying a bag dripping with suspicious liquid so casually?
“Are you a fearless person too, detective? You entered an office filled with monster cores.”
“No, I was too scared to look closely.”
“You’re an interesting person.”
Kasha burst into a small laughter when I answered honestly.
It didn’t matter if I was being laughed at for being a cowardly detective – it was better than a bold thief.
If I accidentally identified myself …
In my mind, a scene from a horror movie played where the heroine was bitten by a shark.
Sharks tear people apart.
Absolutely not. This was my second life.
No matter what, I had to succeed in the mission to secure the reward of ‘indifference.’
‘I’m glad I left Damon behind.’
At least I didn’t get caught directly with Damon.
Good, he should stay out of this crisis and live well.
“I heard from the maid that Lord Karl commissioned you this time. What exactly are you investigating?”
“That is…”
Can I say it? There was no instruction to keep it a secret, so it should be fine, right?
“I’m looking for Miss Elisa Liev, Lord Karl fiancée.”
“…Did she not disappear not long ago?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Kasha raised an eyebrow upon hearing Elisa’s name.
“Is that so? Will you be able to find her, I wonder.”
Then, he suddenly muttered something that sounded like a curse or something.
Just tell me you think I can’t find her, you villain.
He fiddled his lips in thought.
“Do you need my help with that matter? I heard you wanted to talk to me.”
“Ah……”
It seems the maid said more than she needed to.
I didn’t need this kind of kindness.
“If there’s anything you want to know, feel free to ask. I was just going to drop off the item and leave, but I quite like you.”
Don’t lie! If you liked me, why did the danger level go up to S?
He spouted such smooth words without changing his expression the least bit. To be honest, I wanted to leave this place right away, forget talking with him.
What I was curious about had already been resolved while reading the diary.
‘But if I leave now without saying anything, I’ll look odd and he’ll suspect me more.’
I glanced down at the bag the man was holding.
It was true that I was indeed curious about the ‘monster cores’ that Karl was collecting.
Since it was said not many people dealt with them, it was a good opportunity…
“You seem curious but hesitant to ask.”
“Yes.”
You know that exactly, don’t you?
Kasha laughed in a low tone.
It was so low that it was hard to tell if he was laughing or a beast growling softly.
“Is what’s inside this bag that scary? It’s dead now, so you don’t need to worry.”
As he answered, Kasha suddenly opened the bag without any warning.
Then he put his hand in and rummaged around inside the bag for a while.
Each time he did, black liquid dripped down.
“Ah, don’t worry about it. I cut it sort of weirdly because I was afraid the magic might leak out if I separated it completely. It takes some time to detach the core inside.”
…What is he detaching from what?
No, let’s not be curious about unnecessary stuff.
The squelching sounds coming from inside the bag were already creepy enough, and knowing more details would probably keep me awake at night.
After rummaging for a while, Kash picked up a bottle coated with something unique and put something inside it.
“Do you want to see?”
I don’t want to, but I had to, right?
After hesitating for a moment, I cautiously approached him.
Inside the bottle, something like a red egg was glowing.
Was this the monster core?
I could see a faint light flickering from inside.
“Can you see the remaining magic flowing out?”
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“This much is okay. It’s not the kind that poses a threat.”
Kasha raised the bottle above his eyes to examine it closely.
“It’s more of a signal, to be exact.”
“A signal..?”
I apologize for the slow updates, a lot’s been going on irl but my winter break is going to start soon so stay tuned, ya’ll! Sorry for the inconvenience.
