“Then what are you going to do from now on?”
Blanca asked as I pondered in thought.
I turned my gaze toward her, and she continued with a sly smile,
“Now that you’re certain of his identity, aren’t you going to take some action? Like, perhaps, eliminating him?”
“Ah, yes. It’s just as you say. I will kill him,” I replied lightly, nodding.
But a momentary silence followed.
Did I not expect myself to say it so casually?
I shrugged my shoulders and added,
“But not now.”
“Why not?”
Blanca asked urgently.
I almost burst out laughing at her impatient question.
Why not, indeed. It sounded like she was asking if I wanted to go kill him right now.
I turned to Cassion and nearly burst into laughter again.
His dark eyes were burning with intensity. Could he be hoping that I would immediately rush out and strangle Daniel?
I managed to suppress my laughter and replied.
“Because. It’s not the right time now.”
“Why?”
Out came the hurried question again.
I had to hold back my laughter once more.
“How can you keep asking ‘why’ when I’ve already said it’s not the right time now? It’s almost as if you want me to go kill him right this moment.”
I turned my gaze back to Cassion, and a fiery intensity still glimmered in his eyes.
I answered, suppressing my smile.
“Because, in this world, how many people are there who can completely deal with Urien?”
Honestly, the current me, with all my powers unleashed, could probably handle Urien. Even Cassion might be able to deal with him since he had also opened up all his magical abilities.
Perhaps even the Duke Valentine…
In any case, there were very few people who could confront Urien.
That man had the ability to heal himself.
No matter how many times he’d be slashed by a sword, his wounds would quickly heal. And even after prolonged battles where his opponent gasped for breath, Urien didn’t break a sweat.
Of course, his abilities would weaken if he took a critical hit or used too much of his powers, but pushing him to that state was no easy task.
For an opponent who could easily manipulate that many blue monsters during the hunting festival and push so many people into fear, it’s safe to say that he’s not an easy opponent to deal with.
“For us to deal with him in this situation, it’ll have to be either you or I who’ll step forward, Cassion. However, if that happens, not only will we be in danger, but our respective families as well.”
It was plain to see.
Even if we succeeded in killing him right now, we wouldn’t be able to escape from the mark of a sinner from being placed upon us.
People in this world wouldn’t believe us when we say, “There’s a wicked soul inside that person’s body!”
Secretly killing him was impossible from the start. Daniel would surely resist, and keeping such an incident under wraps would be a near-impossible task.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no perfect ending to dealing with him right now.
As for myself, I didn’t mind becoming branded as a criminal, but…
‘If I get incarcerated, my family will also get pulled into it.’
I didn’t want to endanger my family, who I had only recently seen again.
So, I needed the right time.
The right time when we could deal with him confidently.
“Daniel’s side will just keep watching for now. What’s important now is how we can make you into a proper Duke.”
“Leo and that man are working together then?”
I nodded in response to Cassion’s question.
“As expected, the people around me catch on quickly.”
“Actually, at this point, it’s almost funny if they don’t catch on. Leo has gained the most from the hunting festival. And the lizard that’s actually a blue monster also belongs to Leo. Moreover, the incident itself is related to House Carter…”
There was no need for further explanation unless someone was completely oblivious.
Cassion nodded.
It was a small gesture, but his discomfort was quite evident. His face remained expressionless, but that somehow made him appear even more menacing.
“Right, it’s just a façade. They’re having quite the time together, aren’t they? Well, maybe not having fun, but Leo is probably right where Urien wants him.”
The person Urien handled the best was a greedy one. In that sense, Leo was the perfect prey. Oblivious to the fact that he was tangled in Urien’s web and was being played like a puppet, he was probably just happily frolicking around.
I leaned back against the chair and reached for the teacup.
“Well, in any case, there’s no need to rush things right now. An opportunity will come someday.”
As the teacup rattled, I lifted it up. Looking at the pure white teacup, I was suddenly reminded of Katie.
In a way, she was my first trial as Rosetta. Thinking about her trembling body back then as she clung to me over a broken teacup, I couldn’t help but smile.
Yes, I will succeed this time as well.
This time, I will get rid of that bastard forever, right before my eyes.
Counting on their carelessness was something I was confident in as well.
And.
“Today, both of them…”
They will have let their guard down for sure, thinking they’ve successfully fooled me.
I was certain that they were convinced of deceiving me.
Now, it was my turn to deceive them.
I downed the last of the tea in my cup.
The scent of the jasmine tea wafted through my nose as it passed down my throat.
* * *
“Now, I’ll be going. Alicia must be worried. Thanks for your help today.”
After leaving a brief farewell, Rosetta stood up with Cassion and left.
Blanca and Logan briefly escorted the two of them, then sat back down.
Blanca picked up her pipe.
With skilled hands, she cleaned the pipe, removed the ash, and then filled it with tobacco. As she did so, she suddenly burst into laughter.
Logan’s gaze turned toward her.
Blanca responded as if complying with his statement.
“No matter how much I think about it, isn’t she such an interesting person?”
She took on the role of a maid for herself and let Logan take on Cassion’s role. The real Cassion was disguised as a servant and managed to uncover the real ‘enemy’s identity’ in such a short amount of time.
“So doubly interesting that I might fail to fulfill her requests.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Behind Logan’s characteristic calm voice, there followed a heartfelt sigh.
His verdant gaze was directed at the speaker.
It was unlikely that his master would easily empathize with such words.
However, he couldn’t help but lower his head in response to the woman’s next words.
“Well, in that case, I might as well be entertained to death.”
Right.
Logan let out a short sigh and poured more tea into his empty cup.
In his silence, Blanca laughed again and used her fingertip to light her pipe.
For a moment, the inside of the pipe shone red before fading away. Beyond it, a faint plume of smoke rose.
Still smiling, Blanca stared at it with slightly vacant eyes briefly before shaking her head, as if something vague from her memory had surfaced.
“Why are you like this?”
While closely gauging her mood, Logan asked.
Blanca responded by spreading the smoke with her empty hand.
“No, it’s just that I was about to remember something…”
“Madam, there’s something that you don’t remember?”
“If someone were to hear this, they’d think I’m the empire’s greatest genius for remembering everything.”
She replied with a joking tone, but to Logan, it wasn’t a joke.
At least, there was no one else he knew who could remember people as well as Blanca did.
However, instead of picking up on her comment, he chose to remain silent.
In the midst of their brief silence, the madam’s silver eyes were still fixed on the smoke.
And so, some time passed.
“Ah.”
Blanca’s lips parted, and a brief sigh escaped.
She crossed her legs, and her levitating feet lightly tapped the air.
“I’m talking about Young Duke Freesia,” Blanca said.
“Yes, well. That guy is Urien, so…”
“Yes, that person. Strangely enough, that Young Duke feels familiar.”
“Perhaps you encountered him during an investigation?”
“No, not that… It’s more like…”
It felt almost like they had engaged in a conversation, but what else could it be if it wasn’t about a request to the guild?
However, it was strange.
If he had been her client…
‘There’s no way I would have forgotten him.’
But she did.
And the more she tried to remember, the thicker the fog that settled in her mind.
In the hazy memories, the only clear things she could recall were a man’s smiling lips and his green eyes. His lips curved into a smile, and he closed his mouth.
She couldn’t keep bringing up something she wasn’t sure about, so she couldn’t discuss the matter until she remembered where she had seen him.
“…Well, I’ll probably remember him someday.”
Blanca shrugged and smiled before resting her arm on the table.
Despite her light-hearted tone, beneath the surface, an eerie unease settled deep within her.
* * *
Beneath an unusually dark night sky.
“Huff… huff… haa…”
Only the sound of someone panting filled the quiet darkness.
The woman was barefoot.
Tears had welled up in her large eyes, but they couldn’t overflow. The tears remained trapped in her eyes, forming a quiet sorrow.
She was exhausted, and her knees gave way as she collapsed onto the ground.
The silence and darkness pressed heavily on her shoulders.
She ran with her golden hair fluttering behind her back, and she was barefoot, feeling every inch of the uneven terrain.
The sensation was unusually sharp, and it pricked at her feet.
“…Why is this so vivid… It’s just a dream.”
The woman, Alicia, murmured with a trembling voice.
“Then what are you going to do from now on?”
Blanca asked as I pondered in thought.
I turned my gaze toward her, and she continued with a sly smile,
“Now that you’re certain of his identity, aren’t you going to take some action? Like, perhaps, eliminating him?”
“Ah, yes. It’s just as you say. I will kill him,” I replied lightly, nodding.
But a momentary silence followed.
Did I not expect myself to say it so casually?
I shrugged my shoulders and added,
“But not now.”
“Why not?”
Blanca asked urgently.
I almost burst out laughing at her impatient question.
Why not, indeed. It sounded like she was asking if I wanted to go kill him right now.
I turned to Cassion and nearly burst into laughter again.
His dark eyes were burning with intensity. Could he be hoping that I would immediately rush out and strangle Daniel?
I managed to suppress my laughter and replied.
“Because. It’s not the right time now.”
“Why?”
Out came the hurried question again.
I had to hold back my laughter once more.
“How can you keep asking ‘why’ when I’ve already said it’s not the right time now? It’s almost as if you want me to go kill him right this moment.”
I turned my gaze back to Cassion, and a fiery intensity still glimmered in his eyes.
I answered, suppressing my smile.
“Because, in this world, how many people are there who can completely deal with Urien?”
Honestly, the current me, with all my powers unleashed, could probably handle Urien. Even Cassion might be able to deal with him since he had also opened up all his magical abilities.
Perhaps even the Duke Valentine…
In any case, there were very few people who could confront Urien.
That man had the ability to heal himself.
No matter how many times he’d be slashed by a sword, his wounds would quickly heal. And even after prolonged battles where his opponent gasped for breath, Urien didn’t break a sweat.
Of course, his abilities would weaken if he took a critical hit or used too much of his powers, but pushing him to that state was no easy task.
For an opponent who could easily manipulate that many blue monsters during the hunting festival and push so many people into fear, it’s safe to say that he’s not an easy opponent to deal with.
“For us to deal with him in this situation, it’ll have to be either you or I who’ll step forward, Cassion. However, if that happens, not only will we be in danger, but our respective families as well.”
It was plain to see.
Even if we succeeded in killing him right now, we wouldn’t be able to escape from the mark of a sinner from being placed upon us.
People in this world wouldn’t believe us when we say, “There’s a wicked soul inside that person’s body!”
Secretly killing him was impossible from the start. Daniel would surely resist, and keeping such an incident under wraps would be a near-impossible task.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no perfect ending to dealing with him right now.
As for myself, I didn’t mind becoming branded as a criminal, but…
‘If I get incarcerated, my family will also get pulled into it.’
I didn’t want to endanger my family, who I had only recently seen again.
So, I needed the right time.
The right time when we could deal with him confidently.
“Daniel’s side will just keep watching for now. What’s important now is how we can make you into a proper Duke.”
“Leo and that man are working together then?”
I nodded in response to Cassion’s question.
“As expected, the people around me catch on quickly.”
“Actually, at this point, it’s almost funny if they don’t catch on. Leo has gained the most from the hunting festival. And the lizard that’s actually a blue monster also belongs to Leo. Moreover, the incident itself is related to House Carter…”
There was no need for further explanation unless someone was completely oblivious.
Cassion nodded.
It was a small gesture, but his discomfort was quite evident. His face remained expressionless, but that somehow made him appear even more menacing.
“Right, it’s just a façade. They’re having quite the time together, aren’t they? Well, maybe not having fun, but Leo is probably right where Urien wants him.”
The person Urien handled the best was a greedy one. In that sense, Leo was the perfect prey. Oblivious to the fact that he was tangled in Urien’s web and was being played like a puppet, he was probably just happily frolicking around.
I leaned back against the chair and reached for the teacup.
“Well, in any case, there’s no need to rush things right now. An opportunity will come someday.”
As the teacup rattled, I lifted it up. Looking at the pure white teacup, I was suddenly reminded of Katie.
In a way, she was my first trial as Rosetta. Thinking about her trembling body back then as she clung to me over a broken teacup, I couldn’t help but smile.
Yes, I will succeed this time as well.
This time, I will get rid of that bastard forever, right before my eyes.
Counting on their carelessness was something I was confident in as well.
And.
“Today, both of them…”
They will have let their guard down for sure, thinking they’ve successfully fooled me.
I was certain that they were convinced of deceiving me.
Now, it was my turn to deceive them.
I downed the last of the tea in my cup.
The scent of the jasmine tea wafted through my nose as it passed down my throat.
* * *
“Now, I’ll be going. Alicia must be worried. Thanks for your help today.”
After leaving a brief farewell, Rosetta stood up with Cassion and left.
Blanca and Logan briefly escorted the two of them, then sat back down.
Blanca picked up her pipe.
With skilled hands, she cleaned the pipe, removed the ash, and then filled it with tobacco. As she did so, she suddenly burst into laughter.
Logan’s gaze turned toward her.
Blanca responded as if complying with his statement.
“No matter how much I think about it, isn’t she such an interesting person?”
She took on the role of a maid for herself and let Logan take on Cassion’s role. The real Cassion was disguised as a servant and managed to uncover the real ‘enemy’s identity’ in such a short amount of time.
“So doubly interesting that I might fail to fulfill her requests.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Behind Logan’s characteristic calm voice, there followed a heartfelt sigh.
His verdant gaze was directed at the speaker.
It was unlikely that his master would easily empathize with such words.
However, he couldn’t help but lower his head in response to the woman’s next words.
“Well, in that case, I might as well be entertained to death.”
Right.
Logan let out a short sigh and poured more tea into his empty cup.
In his silence, Blanca laughed again and used her fingertip to light her pipe.
For a moment, the inside of the pipe shone red before fading away. Beyond it, a faint plume of smoke rose.
Still smiling, Blanca stared at it with slightly vacant eyes briefly before shaking her head, as if something vague from her memory had surfaced.
“Why are you like this?”
While closely gauging her mood, Logan asked.
Blanca responded by spreading the smoke with her empty hand.
“No, it’s just that I was about to remember something…”
“Madam, there’s something that you don’t remember?”
“If someone were to hear this, they’d think I’m the empire’s greatest genius for remembering everything.”
She replied with a joking tone, but to Logan, it wasn’t a joke.
At least, there was no one else he knew who could remember people as well as Blanca did.
However, instead of picking up on her comment, he chose to remain silent.
In the midst of their brief silence, the madam’s silver eyes were still fixed on the smoke.
And so, some time passed.
“Ah.”
Blanca’s lips parted, and a brief sigh escaped.
She crossed her legs, and her levitating feet lightly tapped the air.
“I’m talking about Young Duke Freesia,” Blanca said.
“Yes, well. That guy is Urien, so…”
“Yes, that person. Strangely enough, that Young Duke feels familiar.”
“Perhaps you encountered him during an investigation?”
“No, not that… It’s more like…”
It felt almost like they had engaged in a conversation, but what else could it be if it wasn’t about a request to the guild?
However, it was strange.
If he had been her client…
‘There’s no way I would have forgotten him.’
But she did.
And the more she tried to remember, the thicker the fog that settled in her mind.
In the hazy memories, the only clear things she could recall were a man’s smiling lips and his green eyes. His lips curved into a smile, and he closed his mouth.
She couldn’t keep bringing up something she wasn’t sure about, so she couldn’t discuss the matter until she remembered where she had seen him.
“…Well, I’ll probably remember him someday.”
Blanca shrugged and smiled before resting her arm on the table.
Despite her light-hearted tone, beneath the surface, an eerie unease settled deep within her.
* * *
Beneath an unusually dark night sky.
“Huff… huff… haa…”
Only the sound of someone panting filled the quiet darkness.
The woman was barefoot.
Tears had welled up in her large eyes, but they couldn’t overflow. The tears remained trapped in her eyes, forming a quiet sorrow.
She was exhausted, and her knees gave way as she collapsed onto the ground.
The silence and darkness pressed heavily on her shoulders.
She ran with her golden hair fluttering behind her back, and she was barefoot, feeling every inch of the uneven terrain.
The sensation was unusually sharp, and it pricked at her feet.
“…Why is this so vivid… It’s just a dream.”
The woman, Alicia, murmured with a trembling voice.
