The troublemakers who aimed to ruin the offering festival in this city supplied their goods to Brian and Concubine Cleo. They were so skilled that they could completely hide their tracks. And, as expected, their relationship with the Kastraine family was not good.
Are there many people like this?
The information network of Hecate’s Tavern is by no means weak. It was even on friendly terms with the prestigious House of Kastraine. But if they were capable of injuring the heir of the Cortez family and trying to take over the entire city, well, wouldn’t they also be able to mess with Hecate’s Tavern?
This was a rather far-fetched speculation.
But, in my estimation, this was the best option. It was better to try and persuade them with a slightly forced theory than to fail, have them remain neutral, and then be completely taken over by the unknown enemies, just like in the original story.
“…”
The woman who had been silently watching me slowly approached. Debi, who had been quietly observing the situation, was about to move her arm in a defensive posture, but I raised my right hand and shook my head to stop her.
The black fabric of her veil and clothes, woven with fine, delicate lines, looked stunning. Concubine Cleo was known for her incomparable alluring beauty, but this person in front of me seemed to be able to rival even Cleo. Rustle. The veil fell away. She showed me her bare face.
“I wondered why young ladies were suddenly acting out.”
“Haha.”
‘Young ladies’…? It seems Vivi did something, after all… I awkwardly tried to avoid her gaze, but then my jaw dropped. She was an incredibly beautiful woman. Her scarlet hair flowed down like rose petals, and her wine-colored eyes shimmered enchantingly.
I had a feeling.
She must be an important character from the original story. Someone with this kind of face couldn’t possibly be an extra. But had a person like this ever appeared in the original story? I couldn’t remember.
“I am Navira, the current general manager of Hecate’s Tavern.”
“Yes, Ms. Navira.”
“Why should we accept your far-fetched request?”
“Because I heard you refused the Cortez family’s request.”
I smiled broadly.
“The heir of a family was almost killed and sustained permanent, irreparable damage. With the Cortez family’s money, they could have paid any price Hecate’s Tavern demanded. But you refused their request, saying you couldn’t find their enemy.”
Navira gave me a meaningful look.
“That was a wise decision, but would a parent who almost lost their child make a rational judgment? Of course, you provided the necessary information for their treatment, but it was incomplete. The temple is so corrupt and didn’t properly deliver the information from the Kastraine family, which is why things ended up this way, right?”
Of course, it was a judgment made with the client’s situation in mind. People thought that when a person who had no prior contact with the Kastraine family ended up in that state, they might not be treated with sincerity but rather be dealt with as a ‘demonic beast! Die!’ The heir of the Cortez family dying at the hands of the Kastraine family? A war would truly break out between the families. This was a conclusion no one wanted.
But my opinion was different.
The House of Kastraine, which had lost the most soldiers, acted so cold towards those contaminated by demonic energy because they couldn’t find a cure. No matter what method they used, it only increased the number of victims without any success. However, if they were to find a way to definitively save people, they would never turn a blind eye.
“If you were going to provide incomplete information anyway, you should have just stayed out of it, saying you didn’t know the cure. They almost lost the offering festival while trying to cure Vice-Count Cortez.”
“We just gave them information that the temple could help the Vice-Count. It was Count Cortez’s choice to try and save his son by stealing a holy artifact! That was a problem with no solution to begin with…!”
Navira’s mouth fell shut. She looked back and forth between the sword and me.
Haha.
And the ‘solution’ is right here, isn’t it?
I smiled broadly, tapping the hilt of the sword for her to see.
-Haha! Thaaat’s right! I’m the solution! I am! Such a capable, cool, and versatile sword! (＾▽＾)!
‘Yes, yes.’
I collected my thoughts as I looked at the silent Navira. My guess that Hecate’s Tavern knew everything but kept quiet was correct after all. Of course, at the time, it was information that Hecate’s Tavern couldn’t have possibly known. But they are an information group. Their paid request was incomplete or false. So they had to take responsibility.
“What do you want?” Navira asked calmly.
I smiled brightly.
“I want to catch the swindlers with a swindle. To be more precise… I want to reel in all the bad guys at once. Will you cooperate?”
Lysianther felt an instinctive, ominous premonition and furrowed his brows.
“The weather is perfect for hunting, isn’t it?”
The man beside him, who smiled and spoke to him in a friendly manner. The place. The weather. Nothing pleased him. The soldiers who just loitered around him, wasting time.
‘I’m here to protect Titania.’
Titania was fearless. In the past, she used to make him angry by saying things like, ‘How dare you ignore this noble body of mine?’ but these days, she acted as if she had forgotten she was of the imperial family. She used to act as if she had never lifted anything heavier than a spoon in her life, so why was she now thrashing about like a fish? She was even carrying a sword without fear, and not a word of complaint even when she got hurt.
Lysianther also acted recklessly, but that was thanks to his image as ‘the second son of the Kastraine family who was too troublesome to handle.’ On the surface, people might have looked down on him, but since they couldn’t ignore the Kastraine family, he was rarely directly threatened. He could easily deal with ignorant young thugs who picked a fight. But the humiliation and danger Titania might face were of a different kind from his.
As the days passed, Lysianther grew more and more worried about Titania. Now, he could even understand the annoying personality of the old ‘Titania’ that he used to fight with every day. Who would have known that she was even ignored in her own palace? Since she always used to say, ‘I’ll tell His Majesty the Emperor to punish you!’ he naturally thought she was the emperor’s precious daughter. If he had known it was all an illusion…
‘I should have been nicer to her.’
Anyway, regret is regret, and the past is the past. Lysianther looked around and snorted.
“Is Sir Gregory busy?”
A sharp voice came out automatically, but the man didn’t care and smiled brightly.
“Oh, yes, he is. It is the offering festival, after all. He said there are many things for him to confirm and decide on as the general manager. Even Priest Kronen is so busy these days that he doesn’t rest day or night.”
“And I had to come out for that?”
“Oh, the offering festival is coming soon. How unseemly it would be for demonic beasts and wild animals to run rampant! If the trustworthy Sir Lysianther takes care of everything today, there will be no problems in the future.”
He didn’t like the nameless priest who was smiling faintly. Gregory was busy? No way. The escort soldiers assigned to Titania didn’t seem to have any intention of truly helping her. This was something he had anticipated. That’s why he had insisted on following her. Even Debi, whom the Kastraine family had assigned to Titania, was far more capable than four or five average knights. But still, who knew what someone might have planned?
‘Her face was pale this morning.’
He remembered her looking sickly and receiving a massage, saying she was going to die. He had come out because the temple had been making a big fuss since morning, saying there were signs of demonic beasts and wild animal packs. But it was taking too long. The distance to the temple was also considerable. Even though the temple was in an open area where you could see who was coming and going… Lysianther, who had been unconsciously checking the temple, widened his eyes.
“…Huh?”
“Haha, Sir Lysianther. Are you bored? How about we go sightseeing while we’re here…”
“No, that, what is that?”
“Haha, I know the best pub in this area… Gasp!”
The man who was trying to entice Lysianther was horrified.
“F-fire, the temple is on fire!”
“Damn it, Titania!”
“Si-Sir Lysianther, you can’t go alone! You must check the surroundings…!”
The entire temple area was blazing, clearly visible from a distance.
