~Chapter 21~
She thought she understood now why he was so eager to send her away.
He clearly didn’t want to talk for long—after all, his double life was being watched from just behind him.
When Esther grinned, the guild master flinched and took a step back.
Oh? A pushover just showed up!
Time to throw a rope and catch him!
“Shiphon.”
“Yes?”
“Go wait outside! I’ve got something secret to say.”
At Esther’s words, Shiphon’s eyes widened, then her eyebrows pulled together sharply.
“But…”
“It’s fine. I’m strong.”
Esther smiled, answering Shiphon’s worried face. Plus, with Shiphon around, he wouldn’t dare kill her.
“…Understood. I’ll be outside. Call if anything happens.”
“Okay!”
As soon as Shiphon left, Esther bounced onto the soft sofa in the middle of the room and kicked her legs innocently.
Just as planned—once Shiphon was gone, she looked at Rio Argos’s head. The white exclamation mark had vanished.
Glancing at Ros, the squirrel quickly understood and opened the parchment.
[Grace Progress: 2.8%]
Wow, that’s stingy. White ones must hardly count as help.
At the same time, another [!] appeared above Rio Argos’s head—this one was red.
**[Full of hate, resentment, and longing.]
Rio Argos was born with the rare disease ‘albinism.’
Because of this, his parents were interrogated by inquisitors, and others always gave them judgmental looks.
They searched desperately for a cure but found no answers.
They lost their noble title and couldn’t settle anywhere peacefully.
Eventually, Rio wore robes and hoods all the time and kept his head down.
He’s smart and has the potential to lead a dark guild, but his illness holds him back.
He’s been researching albinism for 10 years but it’s been hard.
He would pay any price to be cured.
He just wants to see the hateful sun—just once.**
After reading that, Esther came up with a solution.
Albinism was indeed a rare disease.
For someone like him, living in the dark underground and running an information guild actually made sense.
“To someone who lived over a thousand years like me, this is easy.”
Well, technically more than a thousand.
She remembered someone who cured albinism centuries ago.
By mixing rare poisonous herbs with a certain grass and taking it for 100 days, one could regain some pigmentation. Hair turned golden-blond, red pupils lightened, and irises became bluish-grey.
She wasn’t sure if that herb still existed, but… it was a strong bargaining chip.
“Ah, I’m hungry. Bring me some tasty cookies.”
Having finished her thoughts, Esther spoke in a naturally cheeky tone.
“…Aren’t we done here?”
“Nope, I’ve still got business! Rio Argo—mmph!”
Just as she raised her voice, Rio moved almost instantly and covered her mouth with his dry hand.
“You…”
Esther gently pushed his hand away and grinned.
“There are tasty cookies, right?”
“….”
Rio was silent for a moment, then called softly into the air.
“Rotten.”
From somewhere, a middle-aged man appeared.
‘He’s pretty skilled.’
He had been completely hidden—high-level stealth.
Looking closely, he was the same man who had guided them earlier. Definitely not ordinary.
He looked like an average man you’d see on the street, but wore a crisp tuxedo and smiled kindly.
He soon returned with snacks.
“Cocoa with marshmallows and cookies from a famous bakery.”
His voice was so polite, anyone who didn’t know better would let their guard down.
But Esther wasn’t fooled.
Even though he smiled, his sharp eyes scanned her intently.
His clean steps, posture, and tight presence screamed: “I have a second job you shouldn’t ask about.”
Not her concern.
“Mashimelo?”
“Yes.”
Esther brought the cup close to her face.
A large white thing floated in the drink, slowly melting away.
Before it disappeared, Esther quickly drank it down.
“Mmm…!”
As the sweet taste filled her mouth, she looked up—two people were staring holes into her.
She had a mustache of cocoa on her lip and wiped it off with her sleeve before smiling brightly.
“Oh, and starting today, you’re my subordinate.”
“…What? Why would I be some brat’s—”
Esther smiled and took a deep breath.
“SHIPHON!!! RIO IS—mmph…!”
“You…!”
Rio Argos blocked her mouth again.
“You don’t want to get found out, huh?”
Esther smirked at her new… slave—no, subordinate.
His eyes narrowed.
“You’re laughing at me now, but I could kill you easily, kid.”
Rio’s hand gripped Esther’s neck lightly.
Esther rolled her eyes toward the hand, then slowly looked up.
The moment he met her gaze, Rio froze.
Her eyes were void of all emotion.
No anger. No fear. No annoyance. Nothing at all—like an emotionless assassin.
“You’re strangling me?”
“Yeah. I could kill you right now.”
He answered quickly, putting force in his voice.
Esther let out a little laugh.
“Go ahead and try.”
“…What?”
“Do it. What are you gonna tell Shiphon? You think you can kill me?”
Her golden eyes slowly turned red.
Her pupils narrowed into slits, and an ominous energy flowed around her.
“Rio, step back.”
The middle-aged man who’d been watching finally intervened.
Rio released her neck and stepped back blankly.
“I hate people who don’t know their place.”
“…Just who are you?”
Esther slowly raised her head. Rio swallowed hard.
He wasn’t the strongest boss around. He wasn’t fast. Didn’t use a sword.
But he was smart and had good instincts.
He could sense danger faster than anyone.
Right now, he was afraid. Deeply afraid.
He wanted to run.
“I’m…”
Esther opened her mouth very slowly.
Everyone watched her lips, holding their breath.
“A genius!”
After what felt like minutes of tension, her words dropped like feathers.
Even the assistant and Rio were stunned into silence, jaws dropped.
Her red eyes returned to gold.
“…What?”
“I’m the genius of the century!”
Her wide, beaming smile looked so innocent, they started to question if the scary moment earlier had even happened.
“…What the hell…”
Rio let out an exhausted breath.
