Around afternoon, I went out with Genia.
The purpose was to find a house to live independently, but in the end, we couldn’t make a contract.
It wasn’t because there weren’t any houses we liked.
It was because the real estate agent who initially showed us the house changed their words when they recognized who I was.
“By any chance… Are you Lady Astel Luteous?”
“And what if I am?”
“Oh, oh no! What do I do now? It seems like it will be difficult to make a contract.”
“All of a sudden?”
“Well, you see! It’s a house that already had a contract, but I forgot about it.”
“You showed me a house that was already contracted?”
“I, I guess my memory gets a bit fuzzy as I get older… I’m, I’m sorry.”
Was this the third time or something?
I turned away from the real estate agent who was sweating cold sweat without further questioning.
Genia asked cautiously.
“I don’t understand why the real estate agents are acting like that today. They change their words as if something is wrong as soon as we try to make a contract… Should we find another real estate agent?”
“It’ll be the same no matter who we find.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m a crazy lady. Who would want to rent a house to a crazy person?”
“But you’re a hunter, Lady. Wouldn’t that make it safer?”
“Do you think they would consider me more dangerous because I’m a hunter? They would see a crazy person wielding a sword.”
“No, who would have such rude thoughts…!”
Genia was furious as if the sky had fallen, but I didn’t care.
I already heard enough about how the nobles think of me during the funeral.
The problem is that most of the vacant houses in the capital belong to the nobles.
‘It would be better to meet the landlords directly and talk to them rather than going through a real estate agent. But to do that, we need to know which noble is a wealthy landowner… Should we visit the Information Guild?’
Perhaps because the party was low, I had no motivation.
As we headed towards the carriage, Genia, who had been sulking alone, quickly ran over.
“So, Lady, what are you going to do now?”
“Well, first I need to eat something.”
“Come to think of it, you skipped dessert today, didn’t you? Shall we find a nearby dessert shop?”
“Hmm, let’s go to Jean Blanc’s Royal Desserts.”
“Oh! It’s close by here. We’ll get there quickly by carriage.”
Jean Blanc’s Royal Desserts was located just one block away.
I thought it was just an ordinary dessert shop, but there was a long line in front of the store.
“Is it famous here?”
“Yes! It’s a dessert cafe set up by none other than the royal pastry chef.”
“Oh, really?”
To receive two vouchers from such a famous shop.
‘It seems like the Holy See doesn’t just give them out to anyone.’
I watched people in a daze.
“It’s peaceful. There was chaos at the funeral.”
“It’s because we know that as long as we avoid the gates, it’s not dangerous. That’s how we adapt and move forward. People who survived have to keep on living.”
It was the same in my past lives.
Even in a world on the brink of destruction, people went to work and bought coffee as usual.
They quickly adapted and accepted the destruction as part of their daily lives.
‘I was the one who adapted the fastest. I even used monster corpses to make money.’
I stood in front of the cashier, chuckling at the old memories. The employee smiled and gestured towards the line.
“Sorry, but you’ll have to wait in line.”
“I know that. I just wanted to ask something.”
“While you wait for your turn, you can choose your dessert. Just so you know, the cakes are sold out.”
“If the cakes are sold out, can’t I use the voucher?”
“Huh? Voucher?”
I showed her the voucher I took out from the locker, and the employee’s eyes widened.
“Just a moment!”
She hurriedly ran inside with the voucher and returned after a while with a surprised expression on her face.
“The pastry chef has made it just now. Are you going to eat it here?”
“No, for takeout.”
“Please come this way. I’ll guide you to a seat.”
“Do I not have to wait in line?”
“If you have a voucher, you’re an exception. We’ll prepare the tea first. Please enjoy it while waiting.”
‘What is this voucher that allows me to skip the line?’
I thought it was just a simple cake voucher, but the reaction was unusual.
As I sat in the seat guided by the employee, people started murmuring.
Everyone didn’t seem happy.
“Who is that? How did they enter the store without waiting in line?”
“Don’t even nobles have to wait in line?”
“Who on earth are they? How did they get the voucher?”
“They don’t sell these kinds of vouchers here, right?”
I was currently wearing a hood, with the family crest hidden, and the carriage with the emblem was parked far away.
So, in their eyes, an unidentified person occupied a table without waiting in line.
And on top of that, Jean Blanc himself made the cakes that were sold out.
‘I guess I won’t look dignified either.’
Ignoring the stares directed at me, I sat at the table.
After a while, the employee set up the tea set on the table.
It was when the rich aroma of the black tea filled the air that I couldn’t help but smile.
Familiar names entered my ears.
“By any chance, did you hear the news? His Majesty has summoned Lord Kael. What could be going on?”
“Isn’t it the first time His Majesty has invited a commoner to the royal palace?”
They were noble young ladies who had already taken their seats inside the store.
‘Has the news of Kael entering the palace already spread? Rumors spread quickly.’
I focused on the conversation while sipping my tea.
“They’re holding a party for the hunters. Given the current situation, it’s something that can’t be helped.”
“But can we really see Lord Kael as a commoner? He’s the owner of the Magic Tower, and his hunter ranking is high. Who would dare to disrespect him by calling him a commoner?”
“To be honest, he’s not someone who can be easily ignored just based on his looks. He’s on par with Holy Knight Johann and Crown Prince Dante, isn’t he?”
“Well, you can’t leave out Young lord Alex either based on looks alone. Unlike other nobles, he has a rough manner of speaking and acts without hesitation, but doesn’t that make him more charming?”
“Oh my, do you have a thing for bad boys?”
The noble young ladies laughed, covering their mouths with fans.
Their voices were so loud that you could hear them without even trying to listen.
‘They say Alex is their favourite. I don’t know whose daughter they are, but their parents must be worried.’
I silently rolled my eyes and took a sip of my tea.
‘Ah, this is pure happiness.’
The lukewarm black tea had a richer taste and aroma. It had a unique, slightly bitter taste that wrapped around my tongue and gave me a satisfying feeling.
‘I could probably drink this instead of water.‘
“If we’re talking about bad guys, then it’s definitely Dante. And on top of that, he’s the youngest Swordmaster ever. I’m sorry, but Alex can’t compare to him in terms of looks and skills, right?”
“Isn’t Dante more of a harmful guy than a bad guy? Just being around him makes you feel like your lifespan is decreasing.”
“Well, as long as you can be by his side, even if your lifespan decreases, it’s okay, right?”
“Oh my! The young lady is right!”
Laughter spread through the store.
After hearing their conversation, naturally, Dante’s face came to mind.
His pitch-black eyes without a trace of warmth. A smile that was as beautiful as it was eerie.
“I never wanted to be with him… I’d prefer Johann over Dante or Kael. He may have a beastly body, but his face is angelic, and his personality is pure.”
I remembered the time when I was close to Johann.
Back then, Johann’s hands trembled like someone with a nervous disorder…
‘He was so cute.’
It was almost like being on a mission.
While sipping my tea, I thought I should donate half of the mission amount to Johann’s temple.
“But how high is Dante ranked, anyway? I was so curious that I couldn’t sleep at night.”
“I heard he’s ranked number one.”
“Me too! They say he’s SSS-class. I wonder how strong he is.”
“I also heard that he’s the only one in the world with a multi-attribute.”
“They say Dante even defeated the boss. Sigh, I wish I had seen that… I regret not attending the funeral.”
Despite the emperor banning discussions about rankings, I knew too many details.
And they were mixed with a convincing blend of truth and lies.
It felt like someone deliberately spreading false information to create confusion.
“Lady Elaine, could you give us a hint, please?”
“Yes, we’re all dying to know.”
I turned my head slightly to see the faces of the noble young ladies.
One of them looked familiar among the five.
It was the daughter of Count Rome, who asked me if I was hiding because I was scared.
Elaine Rome, ranked 71st in the Hunter rankings.
‘Is she spreading nonsense?’
But Elaine, whether conscious of leaking secrets or something else, didn’t answer the young ladies’ questions.
She just wore a meaningful smile.
It was up to the young ladies to interpret that smile in their own way.
“Of course, Dante is ranked number one, right? I knew it.”
“To be honest, if it’s not Dante, who else could be number one? It was a question that didn’t need to be asked to Elaine.”
“Actually, I heard something strange. So, I wanted to confirm it with Elaine.”
“What did you hear?”
“That the crazy lady is ranked number one. At first, it seemed ridiculous, so I laughed it off, but now I think it’s a bit strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“How did such a rumor spread? It doesn’t make sense for a crazy person to be ranked number one.”
“Could it be a rumor that originated from the Luteous Mansion?”
“But the Duke Luteous wouldn’t go against His Majesty’s orders and spread false rumors, would he?”
“Most likely, it’s just ignorant servants making up stories. Elaine, what do you think of my guess?”
Elaine shook her head and set down her teacup.
The young ladies paid attention to her every word.
