LS2RW 72

Chapter 72……………………

The next day, morning.

The moment I woke up, I could tell.

With my eyes still closed, I asked:

“Guys, is today the full moon?”

Yaaawn… full moon? I think so, yeah.
Kekekeke, then today’s the start of the dogfood rationing.
What the hell, did you stick a rag in your mouth instead of fire? You ignorant fire lizard, what the hell is dogfood rationing supposed to mean?
The contractor’s not saying anything, so why are you losing your shit? Isn’t that right, Gnome?
….
Lian, can’t you cancel your contract with the fire lizard? I’ll introduce you to a proper gentlemanly salamander.
You son of a… come here, you dumb waterhead. I’ll turn you into steam.
Hmph! You think I’m scared of you? You come here, and I’ll snuff out all your flames.

All I did was ask if today was the full moon.

So why are they fighting again?

Water and fire are opposites, sure, but the Undine and the Salamander were especially bad.

And without Sylph around to mediate, the two of them fought like they’d kill each other the moment their eyes met.

“You fought all night yesterday, and now you’re at it again the moment I open my eyes? Keep this up, and you two will grow fond of each other, you know?”

W-w-what did you just say?! Me and that fire lizard? Take it back, Lian! Take it back right now! Ew, disgusting!
Never thought I’d say this to my contractor, but… hey, you. Outside. Let’s fight.

The Undine and Salamander started shouting, bouncing around on both sides.

“Sigh, noisy as ever.”

I sat up, and a faint dizziness hit me. My heart was already beating differently than usual.

“Haa…”

As I held my chest and steadied my breath, Gnome climbed onto my knee and looked up at me with worry.

The Undine and Salamander immediately stopped their racket.

Lian, your complexion looks terrible. Are you okay?

“Probably because of the full moon. I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

No way. Lie down more. There’s nothing urgent today, right?

“I was planning to see Owen.”

What about Sylph? We still need to check that pig’s identity.

“Ah, right… Fine. Let’s stay home today.”

Maybe I should prepare for the lecture while waiting for Sylph.

Even if I got forced into this, I couldn’t just half-ass it.

“Master, may I come in?”

“Come in.”

“Good morning, Master. Let us help you get dressed.”

As always, the maids rushed in, washing, drying, and clothing me.

“Your dressing is complete, Master.”

“Good.”

After finishing, I had a quiet breakfast with Piace.

Past nine, the child left for the academy, and I started preparing my lecture in the study.

About two hours later, Sylph finally returned.

Sylph! Did you find out? What kind of person is he?
His name is Boer Honduras, and his rank is Count. He runs a small jewelry shop—the Honduras Jewelers.
I don’t care about the pig’s background. Anything shady?
I tailed him, but didn’t notice anything suspicious. Oh, except he eats way more than the average human.

So, Count Honduras was just a regular jeweler.

One with an enormous appetite.

Still, something felt off. Why couldn’t I shake this unease?

“Sylph, don’t try to recall oddities. Just explain things in order.”

He left the academy and went straight to a restaurant. He piled up food like a mountain and ate for nearly two hours.

“And then?”

He went to his jewelry shop in the city center. Even in the carriage, he kept eating jerky.

“And after that?”

At the shop, he ate five baskets of fruit and four boxes of cookies—

“Hey, Sylph, maybe skip the eating part?”

Oh… then I won’t have much to say.

“Then describe other things in detail. Like the surroundings, or the people he met.”

Sylph sat cross-legged in midair, chin in hand, thinking.

Hmm… The Count’s shop was quiet. Not many customers at all.

Business must be bad?

Thriving jewelers are always crowded with maids sent by nobles.

‘But his attire wasn’t ordinary at all.’

Not flashier than mine, but he was definitely decked out in wealth.

If his shop was empty, where did all that money come from?

“He didn’t meet anyone?”

Just one man. Nothing special though—the Count handed him a jewel and said, ‘I’ll be counting on you.’ The man just nodded. That was it.

“Really?”

Ah! Now that I think of it, that man barely gave off a presence. Almost like he didn’t exist, even while I was watching him.

A normal person wouldn’t deliberately hide their aura. Was he just weak?

“And then?”

Around evening, the Count left the shop and returned home. After stuffing himself again, he went into a certain place.

“Where?”

A space protected by a magical barrier. He stayed there for a while before coming back out.

“You didn’t go in, right?”

No. If I break through, it leaves traces.

“Good job.”

Ugh, such a waste though.
Damn it, if it were me, I would’ve gone in.

“It’s a jeweler’s, so it’s probably a vault for gems.”

Even retracing everything, nothing seemed suspicious.

‘Then why does it still feel so wrong?’

Whenever I had this feeling, something bad always happened. But I couldn’t put my finger on what.

Hmm, then why’d he give you that note? Such a confusing way too.
Maybe he just wanted Lian’s attention and scribbled something random?
Honestly, the note itself wasn’t as suspicious as the delivery. He slipped it like an assassin. What’s with that?

“…!”

The moment Salamander said that, a past conversation with Leonhart resurfaced.

“Of course, it’s annoying dealing with the assassins you send after me. But I don’t hate you for something so petty.”

Lightning struck in my head.

“Guys… what if that Count isn’t a jeweler, but an assassin in disguise?”

The spirits went silent—then burst out laughing.

Kyahaha! Oh, Lian, your imagination’s wild. With that body, who could he possibly assassinate?
He couldn’t even walk for long without panting. Even while eating, he was gasping.

“What if the Count isn’t the assassin, but the broker?”

The laughter stopped instantly.

H-huh? That… kind of makes sense.
If he’s the broker… then was that presence-less man the assassin?

“The Count probably summoned him to take a job. That jewel they exchanged was the down payment.”

Oh my, oh my! He seemed so dull and incompetent, but he was actually an assassination broker?!
Never saw that coming. His looks fooled me completely.
That’s because you all judge humans by appearances. Me? I look deeper. I knew from the start he reeked of something shady. Right, Gnome? Am I cool or what?
(nods)

The spirits gathered in a circle, chattering excitedly about Count Honduras’ true identity.

They seemed in high spirits now that their curiosity was satisfied.

Wait, so that means Adrian hired the Count to order an assassination, right?
The note said, ‘This time, I’ll definitely succeed,’ so it wasn’t his first time. Who could Adrian want dead so badly?
Who cares? Not our problem anymore, right, contractor?

“…”

I stayed silent.

Salamander blinked his bulging eyes slowly, then asked again.

It is our problem, isn’t it?

“…Seems so.”

Who’s the target?

“Leonhart…”

What?! Adrian tried to have Leonhart assassinated? Why?!

Because he was a strong candidate for crown prince.

…At least, that’s what Leonhart would think. But I had a slightly different idea.

‘If I can’t have you, then I’ll kill you. That’s probably it.’

Otherwise, there was no need to kill him.

There were countless ways to ruin someone politically without bloodshed.

Adrian surely knew that too.

While Leonhart was away on the Demon King expedition, Adrian must have waited.

‘How dare you reject my proposal and run? Die to the Demon King if you must. And if you come back alive, I’ll kill you myself!’

He must’ve cursed like that every day, grinding his teeth. I didn’t even need to see it to know.

But I couldn’t tell the spirits the truth.

Even if it wasn’t my doing, just the thought was too chilling.

“He ordered the assassination because Leonhart’s chances at the throne grew strong. To benefit the First Prince. Adrian supports him unofficially.”

Ugh, my head hurts. Why are humans so obsessed with power?
They really seem to love authority. Isn’t that why they created hierarchies—to rule over others?
Demons have ranks too, but those are decided at birth. Like lions and rabbits. But humans? They’re all the same, yet still scramble for position. Even though they barely live a hundred years.

The spirits fired off sharp criticisms at humanity.

Strange—how come they never complained like this before if they felt so strongly?

“Sorry for desiring power despite not even living a century. On behalf of humanity, I apologize.”

They froze, then glanced at me nervously.

Lian, are you mad? Don’t beee mad. You know how much we love you, right?
We hate humans, not you. But still, sorry if that offended you.
Don’t sulk over something so small. Makes you look so pathe—ow! Okay, okay! You’re not pathetic, contractor! Gnome, don’t bite my tail!

I left the flustered spirits buzzing around and stood up.

“Enough. Let’s head out before it gets late.”