Chapter 56

Part 6: The Baron's Family (1)

Though she was young, her words to me, who was even younger, seemed quite inappropriate, so I looked around at the others, only to see that they were all deliberately avoiding eye contact.

What was going on here? It was a continuous series of incomprehensible events.

However, the meal ended peacefully on the surface.

"I've been holding onto the tired ones for too long. We need to finish up since we're leaving tomorrow."

With those incomprehensible but polite words, everyone got up from their seats.

After the meal, as we walked out to the lobby, there were people I hadn't seen before.

They looked like young travelers.

The man bowed to the baron, who had just come out of the dining room.

"Thank you for your hospitality. We will be on our way now."

"Yes, well done."

The baron smiled contentedly as he saw them off.

Everyone stood to one side, and I stood a bit away from them. Just as the two people were passing by me to go out the front door, I overheard something unexpected.

"It would be best to leave this place as soon as possible."

A voice so low that only I could barely hear it.

However, the content was far from something I could easily ignore.

Surprised, I looked up, but the person who had spoken walked out the door without any expression.

Their calm backs made me feel like I might have misheard.

* * *

As they moved away from the mansion, the woman, who had been walking silently, shot a glance at the man.

"Really, why are you acting like this after finishing the job? What if something goes wrong?"

"Ah? You seem quite shocked. It's just a job, after all, a job we're paid for. Once we've done what we're paid to do, that's it. Whether it succeeds or fails, it's none of our business."

The woman's eyes narrowed as he teased her.

"Is that what you should be saying? Even if it's not related to the organization, failing will certainly damage our reputation!"

"Well, it's not like a single word will easily cause failure."

In the end, the woman shook her head and sighed.

"Still, why did you say that?"

"He's the illegitimate son of a duchy. We failed with the Viscount's family, but we still managed to use the illegitimate son there. If he somehow survives, he'll remember my words. Creating even a small connection now might be useful later."

He nodded vigorously, seemingly impressed with his own words.

"Hmm, I'm a great strategist, thinking about the distant future."

The woman facepalmed at his words.

"That's not true. You just like him, don't you?"

"Well, there is that."

He chuckled as he looked at her.

"Remember when we first met? That kid had a rather interesting expression. He didn't look like a worn-out noble's child, nor did he look like an illegitimate son filled with anger. He seemed like someone who would be very interesting to watch."

He glanced back.

"Of course, that's assuming he gets out of this safely."

After they left, I was so distracted that I didn't even realize how I was guided back to my room.

It was because I heard a message floating in front of me, something that hadn't happened in a long time.

I hadn't died, and I hadn't awakened any new abilities.

I had just met someone I didn't know.

* * *

Even though I was still young, the baron's family gave me a fairly large room to use alone.

Late at night.

Sitting on the bed in my room, I was lost in thought.

The strange behavior of the baron and his family, the words left by the stranger I met, and the unexpected appearance of a 'save point.'

Nothing about this was ordinary.

"I've been too comfortable lately."

Since the tomb exploration, I had been enjoying a series of peaceful days.

I hadn't died.

"Ha, to think that not dying would become the benchmark for comfort. Something is definitely wrong here."

I sighed again at my situation and got up from my seat.

There was a problem, and I couldn't just sit around and wait.

"I can't just wait around and die."

Maybe it was a trauma from dying without doing anything when I was young.

Well, now that I have skills beyond my age, I probably won't die easily, but I wasn't going to sit around and take it.

"A midnight stroll, that's a good excuse."

Or, I could say I came out because I needed to use the bathroom.

'Right, I'm still young enough to make excuses, so I'll go with that.'

I got up and drew the mana deeply embedded in my body, spreading it around.

Hum.

There was nothing out of the ordinary. It seemed no one was hiding and watching me.

I checked the dagger hanging from my side.

I had brought a greatsword, but I couldn't bring it into someone else's house, so I left it in the carriage.

Well, this dagger is quite impressive, despite its appearance.

I wrapped my body in the awakened mana, making it lighter, and stepped out into the hallway, minimizing my footsteps.

It was late, so the hallway was dark and quiet.

However, the occasional lanterns made it easy to see.

'But, what should I look for?'

I had come out into the hallway, but deciding where to go next was a bit tricky.

Even if I suspected something was wrong, there was no guarantee I would find anything in one night, and I couldn't be sure that something would happen tonight.

'Well, I can just say I'm taking a midnight stroll.'

After my awakening, staying up all night wasn't too much of a strain, and if nothing happened, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

With that in mind, I walked down the empty hallway.

The hallway was silent, my footsteps muffled by the mana.

The flickering lanterns faintly illuminated the ornate hallway.

As I walked leisurely down the hallway, I heard a small voice.

"…Really, do we have to do this?"

A voice I wouldn't have heard without my mana-enhanced hearing.

It was a young woman's voice, filled with complaint.

Sigh, I couldn't help but sigh.

Sure enough, this wasn't going to end easily.

I moved towards the source of the voice.

Passing the guest rooms, I reached the inner chambers where the baron's family stayed.

The voice, as expected, belonged to the baron's daughter, coming from her room.

I pressed myself against the corner of the hallway, a bit away from the door, and listened.

"Just pretend to be friendly and tie him up, right? Breaking his limbs or causing serious injury should be enough, right? If an illegitimate son dies, it won't just be overlooked!"

As I listened to her protest, I let my mana flow into the room.

The mana penetrated the strange resistance and seeped into the room.

There were two people inside.

One was the baron's daughter.

"The rest is up to me, so you don't need to worry. Just do as you're told."

The other voice belonged to the baron.

Could this be about me? Is the father asking his daughter to kill me?

"Ha, why was I born into such a family? I really don't understand what you're thinking."

The daughter complained, sounding disappointed, and the father replied sternly.

"Remember all the trouble I went through to clean up your messes? If it weren't for me, you would have been executed long ago."

"Hmph, that was when I was young and didn't know any better. There's nothing like that now."

Click.

The moment she finished speaking, the door, which had been closed, opened.

Huh? I was sure no one was next to the door.

"See? Even while talking, you're still keeping a close watch. You even found a mouse listening in."

'Damn, did they notice?'

I didn't know how they noticed, but I needed to retreat quickly.

I pushed off the ground with my mana.

Thud!

What? The foot I used to push off sank deep into the floor.

It was clearly a stone floor. As I tried to pull my leg out, the hallway and ceiling began to ripple.

The walls and floor started moving as if they were alive, from where I stood all the way to the end of the hallway.

Was this an illusion? No, I could feel the physical presence.

This was clearly the other party's ability.

There were no windows in the hallway, and whether it was an illusion or not, running down the hallway was too risky.

'Damn, I really don't like this, but there's no other choice.'

The only option left was a frontal assault.

I leaped into the room through the open door, stepping on the undulating floor and walls.

Inside the room was a sitting room attached to the bedroom.

It was a very large and luxurious sitting room for the baron's daughter. Unlike the hallway, the sitting room was in its original state.

There were two people inside, as I had sensed with my mana.

The baron and his daughter. They were sitting across from each other, dressed for going out, even at this late hour.

She looked at me, who had jumped into the room, with wide eyes.

"Wow~ Who's this? You really surprised me, sister."

Her tone was different from before.

But even in the dim light of the lanterns, her wide-eyed expression was quite beautiful. She would surely become a famous noble lady at parties in a few years.

The baron, who had turned to look at me, had a strange expression, as if he found the situation somewhat absurd.

What should I do? Should I fight? But the atmosphere was too ambiguous to make the first move.

No, as soon as I thought about attacking, a warning sounded deep within me.

I quickly changed my expression.

"The hallway outside was just moving. I couldn't sleep, so I got up and got lost in the hallway. Then, the floor and walls started moving as if they were alive. Could there be ghosts?"

I rambled on, feigning a shocked expression.

"Oh! You must have been very scared? It seems you saw things in your sleep, young master."

She got up with a sympathetic look.

The baron frowned at her.

"Come with me. I'll take you back to your room."

"Would you? Thank you."

As I smiled and spoke to her, the sense of danger grew stronger as she approached.

"Here, take my hand."

The moment she extended her hand towards me.

I swung the sword at my waist with all my might and launched myself towards the window.

Bang!

The sword I swung didn't reach her.

Her body was pushed back, and the stone floor rose to block my sword.

The stone was cut, but that was all.

As expected, her appearance was just an act.

"Hehehe, you didn't fall for it. And your acting was excellent. I wanted to hug you."

Her laughter came from behind the rising wall, but I ran towards the window.

I enveloped my body in mana and threw myself at the window with all my strength.