CH 134

A voice I should never have heard made me turn around.

The streets were crowded with people shuffling past each other.

Those who carry luggage in shabby clothes and the wealthy people in expensive clothes.

The roar of the crowd dazed me for a moment.

With a confused mind, I looked for a person in the crowd, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

‘Is that an illusion?’

Of course it’s an illusion, because there’s no sign of Richard.

Why on earth would I have such a ridiculous illusion…

Maybe I’ve been suffering too much.

“Where are you looking?”

Argen, who had already picked up my hat, stood by me.

“You’re here already?”

“It won’t take long to pick up the hat.”

The hat was quickly placed on my head. Kindly, he put the hat on himself.

“Where were you looking?”

“… I just watching people.”

“When you look at people, do you usually have a dark expression on your face? What’s wrong?”

“What could have happened in those moments?”

I smiled broadly as if it was true and put my arms around him.

Argen’s eyes fluttered again at the sudden touch, but soon he turned his head away from me.

As I walked down the street with him, I was lost in thought.

Then, at the cafe…

<Did you hear the news? There are a lot of missing people these days.>

<I’m so scared these days. More and more people are turning to demon worshipers than ever before.>

<That’s why they sent people from the temple to the capital….>

I heard women gathering and talking about things like that.

“Marquis, there was news that the temple had dispatched people. Do you know who came?”

The moment he heard those words, Argen’s gaze changed.

“Where did you hear that?”

The cool voice shattered any semblance of playfulness and made me realize just how solid a wall actually stood between him and me.

The joyous feeling subsided.

“I heard the news by chance at a cafe, but seeing your a reaction, it seems there is something.”

“…….”

“Who is coming?”

Argen’s reaction was a sign that the answer was already known. There’s only one guess, but I played dumb.

I wanted to hear it from his mouth.

“Are you…”

The eyes staring intently at me seemed annoyed and anxious.

“If you have a heart for the paladin commander, it would be better to stop it.”

“What?”

What is this all of a sudden?

It was a statement that implicitly revealed that the visitor to the capital this time was Richard, but it was out of context.

“If you meet him again, do you think I will let you go again?”

“… Will you lock me up again?”

“……”

Argen looked at me with a face loss for words.

Why, what.

“Or kill him?”

“Yes.”

“….”

“Because you don’t know what a malicious monster might do if left you alone.”

Seeing him casually killing people made me feel even more distant.

My arm wrapped around his arm was awkward.

He’s completely different from me.

Even if we joked around for a while, I remembered again that this was just a contractual relationship.

****

Argen and I returned to the mansion.

I headed straight to Argen’s bedroom, and seeing me like that, the maids blushed.

Someone said, ‘Even at noon…’ I heard a mumble, but I stubbornly ignored it.

Until I came to the capital, I firmly believed that Argen would be able to arrange for me to meet the Savior through a favor to Empress Evangeline.

But unfortunately, the princess is said to be in the north now.

So I was going to wait for the princess, but…

<I’ll find another way.>

<Without asking the princess?>

At that time, Argen narrowed his brow as if he was displeased.

<You can only say that because you don’t know Princess Evangeline. As you know, there is no such thing as help without a price.>

<I know. So I made a contract with you. So, shouldn’t the Marquis pay the price to the Princess instead of me?>

<Yes.>

Despite my shamelessness, Argen didn’t argue.

<But it’s better not to owe Princess Evangeline as much as possible.>

<……>

<I hope I never have to use that last resort.>

There should be no need to use that last resort if possible.

added Argen.

Since then, he has been looking for a way to meet a savior.

I thought it would be easy as a high-ranking Marquis in the Empire, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t easy at all. The savior was reluctant to reveal itself except for Princess Evangeline.

‘Clearly the savior has something.’

The more the savior tried to hide herself, the more certain I became.

“Now tell me. What information did you get about the savior?”

The long-awaited time has finally come.

Argen, who was sitting opposite the table, nodded.

“There’s a secret club that no one knows about.”

“… Secret club?”

“Yes. The dates and locations of clubs change all the time. The identity of who was in the club was not revealed. It is completely hidden under a veil.”

This didn’t sound like a savior to me.

This is something…

“There’s only one way to get into the club. You have to be ‘chosen’.”

“… Chosen? What should I do to be choose?”

“I don’t know that either.”

The more I listen, the more…

“I can’t get into the club, so I recently planted someone. But do you know what happened?”

“How is it?”

“He didn’t come back.”

“… Why.”

“I don’t know why.”

He also tapped the table in curiosity.

Tock, tock, tock, his fingers move regularly.

The uneasy I felt the more I listened to him, the more I felt now.

“I think it’s fake….”

“I agree.”

There must be something strange going on in the club.

“Do you have to meet the savior?”

Argen looked dissatisfied.

Actually, I don’t know either.

Is the savior something special, or is it a common cult that appears and parasitizes in difficult times?

Still, it was difficult to choose the option of not meeting.

I have to unravel the secrets surrounding me and return home.

“I want to meet the savior first and think about it.”

Argen looked displeased.

He looks at me in a crooked position with his arms crossed and his back on the chair.

So what.

Even if you don’t like it, I have a reason to meet the savior.

“… Hmm, but how am I supposed to get to that club?”

“You don’t even know that, and you keep thinking about going?”

Argen laughed as if it was ridiculous.

“Then how do I know? Is that all the information you have?”

“Of course not.”

Argen. He didn’t disappoint me.

“If the tail is long, it will be caught. On the day the man was planted, there was a man caught by his tail around him.”

“Who is that?”

“Countess Millard.”

My eyes widened at the appearance of a familiar name.

Although I didn’t know her at all, Countess Millard was a famous person.

She was one of the few ‘witches’ in the Empire.

Usually, a witch is associated with a person who wields an evil curse, so their image was not good.

However, Countess Millard had a high reputation for doing many good deeds, such as curing the prince who was suffering from an incurable disease with her own abilities.

‘And one of the people I wanted to meet when I had the chance.’

“Then I should see Countess Millard. If possible, it would be great if I got the ‘chosen’.”

“I suppose you’ll have to, but you’d better be careful.”

“Of course.”

He didn’t like the look on my face for answering so easily.

Argen sighed in disapproval and handed me the invitation.

“It’s an invitation to a party hosted by Countess Millard.”

I hesitantly accepted the invitation.

“I can’t go.”

“… Why?”

“The Countess Millard is very sensitive.”

“What?”

What does that mean all of a sudden?

But Argen kept his mouth shut as if he didn’t want to tell me.

“Okay.”

So the conversation ended.

Time passed, and it was the day of the party.

I didn’t know then.

What terrible things will happen there.

****

Countess Millard’s mansion was very spacious. She put a lot of effort into this party, so the party was held in a big way.

Everyone admired the great party, but I couldn’t.

“I’d like to introduce you to a very special guest I asked to come today.”

I looked blankly at the man standing next to Countess Millard.

A pure white man with fine hair down like a gift.

… Richard, why is he here?