Chapter 193

Chapter 193

"Now I feel more at ease. Thank you, sir." Obell, unaware of Ian’s subdued gaze, said this with a cheerful laugh.

Ian nodded as he let go of Obell’s hand. "Don’t mention it."

"A servant will send the money up shortly."

"I’ll be expecting it. Well then, I’ll head up now."

"Rest well. They’re probably having dinner now. See you in the morning."

As Ian turned to leave, he paused and looked back at Obell.

"Is something happening tomorrow morning?"

"Oh, you’ll find out when you go up, but my father has requested a meeting with you tomorrow morning. It’s not something that happens often. He seems eager to meet the brave warriors who easily took down such a monster, and the esteemed elder elf."

"... In the morning, not the evening?"

Obell shrugged. "He originally wanted dinner, but I have a banquet planned for the evening. Since you’re my guests, my father had to yield. Though the lady accepted my father’s request, she was hesitant about mine."

Ah, so that’s how it was.

Ian nodded, and Obell lowered his voice. "Could you please persuade her? It wouldn’t be right to have a banquet without the guests of honor."

"I’ll talk to her." Ian nodded, keeping to himself that he wasn’t sure if the banquet would happen at all.

Obell smiled contentedly. "If you feel like drinking, come down anytime. The party will go on."

It seemed Obell didn’t expect an answer, as he playfully raised his mug and turned away. He walked off, gulping down his drink.

So he really is the guardian of bread and beer. Maybe his power is to become more cheerful when he drinks.

"A meeting...?" Philip, who hadn’t smiled once, muttered.

Ian laughed dryly and started walking towards the guesthouse.

***

The group came together in Thesaya's room for dinner, just as Obell had said.

"Why are you so late, Ian? Lord Westwood had already come and went." Thesaya spoke with a mouthful of meat sauce around her lips.

Ian nodded as he unbuckled his sword. "I know. I met him downstairs."

"Oh, did you? Then you must have heard everything?"

"Yeah. You accepted the Count’s request?" Ian asked as he sat down and took the drink Mev handed him.

Thesaya nodded. "We couldn’t exactly refuse such a request on the spot. So, here’s the plan."

She smiled, popping another piece of meat into her mouth.

"Let’s leave tomorrow morning. There’s no good reason to get entangled with the Count. We were just discussing what excuse to use, though we haven’t come up with anything solid."

Charlotte, seated across from Thesaya, added as she raised her beer mug.

"So we waited for you, Ian. You're bound to come up with something clever."

"Well..."

Ian exchanged a glance with Philip before replying.

"We might have to meet with the Count."

"Huh...?" Thesaya tilted her head while Charlotte frowned.

Mev, observing Philip’s expression, spoke up. "You’re already aware of the risk of our false identities being exposed... there must be a reason for this."

"That’s right."

"Something happened outside, didn’t it? Where did you go, Ian?" Thesaya asked next.

Ian took a sip of his drink before answering.

"Outside the castle. To the slum."

"The slum...?"

Philip frowned and asked, "Why twenty chances?"

"Because they have twenty fingers and toes."

"Oh, I see... right..."

"If you want, we can make it twenty-three. There are the nose and ears too. Don’t worry, they won’t die before we finish." Charlotte assured with a sinister grin, making Philip pale.

"You might have to save that for another time. The church is in the middle of the city," said Philip.

Mev nodded in agreement and added, "Yes, according to Thesa’s words, they’re probably accumulating the power of the curse. Even if it’s not perfect, it could cause significant harm."

She looked at Thesaya and Charlotte, who both seemed disappointed.

"We need to be careful. The safety of civilians is too important to gamble with. We must approach cautiously and strike swiftly. Avoid conflict at night. The night is their time."

"Strict as always. Well, then..." Thesaya clicked her tongue and fell silent.

Soon, the faint sound of footsteps approached, followed by a knock on the door. It was a servant bringing the gold coins.

Handing the pouch to Charlotte, the servant added, "When you meet the Count tomorrow, please disarm yourselves completely. If you need attire, we can provide it."

"...We’ll comply," Charlotte replied, giving the group a peculiar look. The servant bowed politely and left. Charlotte returned to her seat, holding the pouch of gold, and smiled.

"The Count is quite thorough."

"This is a common precaution, but given the circumstances, it's hard to accept it without concern."

"Why does it matter? We have Ian’s magic." Thesaya remarked, then turned to Ian with a smile as she received the pouch of gold.

"You’ll keep our weapons safe, right, Ian?"

"Of course."

"Well, that’s convenient. First, let's confirm if the Count is corrupt. If things go south, we can just hold a blade to his throat."

Ian chuckled as he finished the last piece of meat on his plate.

"Quite a roundabout way to reach an obvious conclusion."

"...Was that your plan from the start?"

Swallowing the meat, Ian rinsed his mouth with beer before continuing, "There will definitely be a corrupted individual at the meeting with the Count tomorrow. Even if it’s not the Count or Lord Westwood, there will at least be a direct connection to them."

"You seem certain."

"Of course. An elder elf appears in the West, with no apparent ties, at this specific time. They’ll want to know why we’re here and if we pose any threat to their plans. Tomorrow is the perfect opportunity for them to find out."

"...They haven’t considered that it’s also the perfect moment for us to strike. They have no idea that we’re aware," Mev murmured coldly.

Ian nodded and waved his right hand lightly. "Exactly. We have the evidence. Since they’ve set the stage for us, we might as well use it to our advantage."

"If it turns out that Count Westwood and Lord Obell are indeed allied with the corrupted, what will you do then?" Philip asked cautiously.

Ian, bringing his drink to his lips, met Philip’s gaze and replied.

"Well, what would you do?"

"...I’d eliminate them. Even if it means being branded and hunted."

As Ian nodded and finished his drink, Thesaya sighed softly.

"I'm exhausted of being hunted."

"If you don’t want that, then you’d better play your part well tomorrow, pointy ears."

"What? What nonsense..."

Before Thesaya could frown at Charlotte's reprimand, Philip’s eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "That’s right. If Thesa plays her part well, we can interrogate the Count and eliminate the corrupt without blowing our cover."

"No, why is that the conclusion...?"

"Don’t worry. Thesa, you just need to remember your lines. We’ll handle the rest. You’ll help, won’t you?"

Philip’s gaze turned to Charlotte and Mev, who lifted their glasses as if it were a given.

"...." Finally, Thesaya looked at Ian, who also raised his glass. Her mouth hung open in bewilderment.