Chapter 15
The excuse of having lost her memory proved useful in many ways.
Aside from the pitying looks it earned, it allowed her to get by without much suspicion.
What if she got too used to lying like this?
“So you’re saying your memory isn’t completely intact right now?”
“Well, yeah.”
Charmant nodded, avoiding his gaze.
When she handed over the invitation she received from the bearded man and said she had to attend the royal banquet, Ahil’s expression turned strange.
He didn’t seem surprised—more like he was holding back a laugh.
Even Alonso found it odd that Charmant Pepe was attending the banquet.
It seemed like everyone knew Pepe avoided the palace.
“I see. That explains why things felt off.”
Ahil mumbled indifferently, his smile fading.
“Hmm, well, I’m glad the misunderstanding is cleared up, at least.”
Thinking she had successfully deceived him, Charmant let out a small sigh of relief and failed to catch the subtle change in Ahil’s expression.
“Well, in that case, I’ll help. What do you need help with?”
“You’ll help? Just like that?”
“You asked for help, didn’t you?”
He agreed too quickly. Was that really all it took?
Charmant had expected him to want something in return.
A bit flustered, she answered more easily than she expected.
“Just some basic etiquette and protocol stuff.”
“That’s not hard. I have to go anyway, so we can just go together.”
“Together?”
She hadn’t hoped for that much help.
“You said your memory’s gone, right?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. Thanks.”
Charmant couldn’t hide the brightening of her expression.
“No need to thank me.”
Not only did he accept what she thought was a difficult request, but he also smiled contentedly.
She’d thought he was a weirdo, but now she couldn’t tell if he was just overly optimistic and easygoing by nature—or if he had some hidden motive.
‘Even standing right in front of me, I can’t figure him out.’
Charmant cleared her throat.
Still, she didn’t like being in debt, so she decided to help him a bit more too.
“There’s one more thing I should tell you. About Halslake.”
“Go on.”
“Even if you contact them, they won’t hand over the magic amplifier.”
“I know it won’t be easy. I’m prepared to give them whatever they want.”
“Sapphire or diamond mines—even a few of those—won’t even make them blink. No matter how large they are.”
“Cough!”
Ahil looked genuinely startled and began coughing like he’d choked on something.
His expression said, “How do you know that?”
‘Because I know exactly what Elium tried when they approached Halslake.’
But of course, she couldn’t say that.
“Well, it was just a metaphor. I meant their resolve is that strong.”
Ahil cleared his throat and spoke again.
“Of course, I’ve considered other ways too.”
“Even a hundred top-grade magic stones won’t be enough. No, not even a thousand would move them.”
“A thousand isn’t enough?!”
Now Ahil looked like he was about to leap out of his seat.
Top-grade magic stones weren’t just expensive—they were incredibly useful.
One could fuel heating for an entire month during winter.
With just a few, you could cast significant magic without even using spells.
So a thousand was a burdensome amount, even for the Mage Tower.
The mages there would have to work through countless nights to gather that much magical energy.
Charmant had learned that Elium was preparing a stockpile of top-grade stones during her past investigations.
It was Elium’s last resort to obtain the magic amplifier, so it was no surprise Ahil Duff, the Mage Tower master, was shocked.
Halslake not only rejected them, but also treated the stones like trash.
If she told him that part too, he might actually fall into despair and give up entirely.
Charmant shrugged.
“Erm, well, that was just another… metaphor.”
Ahil’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“How do you know all this? I thought you weren’t even interested in this stuff.”
“Well, I was just curious and started looking into it. And come on, there’s nothing I don’t know.”
Charmant spouted nonsense casually.
According to Alonso, Charmant always acted like she knew everything.
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
Ahil blinked blankly, then relaxed and rubbed his neck.
“Then what do they want? I’ll have to think harder. I thought top-grade stones would work…”
Charmant looked at him with a quiet gaze.
Was it guilt for killing him?
Words she hadn’t meant to say came out naturally.
“They don’t want treasure or gold. They go crazy for research material.”
“Research? Isn’t there plenty of that in Halslake? They said they brought everything from the surface down there.”
“Right. But they want something they’ve never had before.”
“Something they’ve never had…”
Ahil’s eyes showed signs of deep thought.
“For example…”
“For example?”
Ahil prompted her. Charmant wasn’t even looking at him anymore.
“They call her the Dog of Ruintvel, right? Like… the heart of Charmant Noel Kendus or something like that.”
She had no hesitation insulting herself.
“What?”
From his shocked reaction, it was clear this version of Ahil Duff didn’t yet know what Ruintvel planned to offer in exchange for the amplifier.
Apparently, Ruintvel had kept that secret well.
If Elium had known, her heart would’ve been long gone by now.
After all, Halslake was a mysterious zone coveted by the entire continent.
“Apparently, that woman has some kind of mutant heart. Maybe that’s why.”
“A mutant, huh? So her heart’s something special?”
Charmant had been talking smoothly before she realized it.
“Well, I don’t really know. Just rumors. So I think trying to trade with magic stones is a waste of time. Not that I looked into it deeply—it just caught my interest because we have the same name. So don’t misunderstand.”
She tacked on a half-hearted excuse at the end.
She hadn’t meant to give Ahil information. Deep down, she just wanted to confirm whether she truly existed.
If she was here, then where was her real body? Did it still exist?
Charmant watched Ahil’s mouth, waiting to hear what he might say.
He muttered, “The Dog of Ruintvel… Ah, you mean the famous Duke Kendus.”
“She didn’t seem all that great to me…”
Hearing all this talk of fame and importance, she couldn’t help but wonder how she appeared in Ahil’s eyes back then.
Even during their final battle, hadn’t he just made jokes instead of being hostile?
“Well, anyone who didn’t know her might think that way. Personally, I think without her, Ruintvel’s just a hollow shell.”
“….”
Charmant’s fingers, resting on the table for support, curled in and scratched the surface slightly.
Who? Me? Ruintvel?
Maybe it was just her imagination, but Ahil’s gaze as he said that looked… angry.
And it felt like he was asking, Don’t you think so too?
Was that anger directed at Duke Kendus—or at Ruintvel for treating her like a dog?
Either way, his emotions were clearly surging.
Charmant swallowed involuntarily.
Then, Ahil said something unexpected.
“But she can’t be found now, can she?”
“…Can’t be found?”
Charmant snapped her head around to look at him.
“I heard she disappeared quite a while ago. Some say she went missing, others say she died. Ruintvel is trying to hide it, but she was too famous for that.”
“Dead? Missing?”
“Probably. They’re hiding it because it’s bad news.”
“Ah.”
Charmant’s knees buckled, and her body staggered.
She’d suspected it already, but hearing it out loud still shook her.
Ahil quickly grabbed her arm to steady her.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Just twisted my ankle.”
“Good.”
“Do you know when Duke Kendus went missing? Or do you have any idea?”
Charmant almost spoke in her usual tone but quickly corrected herself.
“Hmm, not sure about that. But you’re really interested in this, huh?”
She shook her head.
“No, it’s just… like I said. Same name. It piqued my curiosity.”
Charmant’s tone came out sharper than intended.
But Ahil wasn’t offended in the slightest. He just shrugged.
He said he’d come by every two or three days to help her prepare.
In return, she agreed to share more information about Halslake.
At first, she thought it was too often, even if they were exchanging useful info.
But with the shop only closing after 6 p.m. and less than a month left until the banquet, they might actually be short on time.
Ahil stepped outside to leave.
“I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Charmant stood a little behind him as if to see him off.
Ahil turned around to look at her.
“Charmant.”
“Yeah?”
He wasn’t going to make another request, was he?
Outside, it was already pitch black.
Her eyes instinctively went to the clock. It was almost midnight.
“You don’t have to do anything anymore. There’s no rush now, right?”
“…Huh?”
