Chapter 264
Chapter 264
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.59 – Knights Fear People More Than Ghosts (1)
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Leira Winter was a person like sunshine.
A bit clumsy and prone to making mistakes, but those flaws felt trivial compared to her innocent, warm, and positive energy.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a human vitamin in old-fashioned terms, and even in the royal palace—where even the lowliest servants were caught up in power struggles—many people liked her for it.
Though the palace was rife with constant scheming, Leira Winter was the rare one oblivious to it all, treating even the other maids without suspicion. Calling her a human capybara wouldn't be far off.
Thanks to that, she was loved regardless of gender, and even the most wary people relaxed around her.
Just like now—
"Leira! It's been forever!"
"Hehe, we saw each other just a little while ago."
"That was three months ago already! Sigh, the scent of sunshine after so long..."
"Huh? Do I smell?"
"Yeah, it's this incredibly comforting scent."
"What kind of scent is that?"
She had been away from the palace on a temporary assignment, and her fellow maids welcomed her back warmly.
Was the warm spring sunlight like this? Or perhaps being in a rose garden with a cool breeze?
Just being near her made one's heart feel cozy, endlessly soothed and healed.
"Leira, how long does the assignment last?"
"Nothing big going on, right?"
"Everything's okay?"
"Yup, nothing at all."
"That's a relief."
"The palace is really..."
As the saying goes, daytime words are heard by birds, nighttime words by rats. Common sense dictated keeping quiet about palace matters.
Especially gossiping about palace affairs could get your head chopped off without surprise.
Yet the maids freely shared their inner thoughts with Leira.
They trusted she wouldn't blab to outsiders.
...Or maybe they trusted her scatterbrained memory.
In fact.
"Huh? When did the head maid retire? Wasn't it someone else?"
"...She hasn't retired."
"It's the same person."
"Aha! Got it!"
"You really haven't changed at all..."
Her memory—or rather, her brain—was still as scatterbrained as ever, and they reaffirmed their trust anew.
That was why.
"Oh, right. I have something I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
"What's Modred?"
"...Leira, you're a Pendragon citizen, right?"
"??"
"How do you not know House Modred?"
"Oh, Modred is a house?"
"...Unbelievable."
Should they be shocked she didn't know Modred, or that she didn't know it was a house...?
Either way, it was exasperating, but the maids boasted their knowledge to their clueless colleague.
"Modred is one of the kingdom's great noble houses."
"High prestige, and a long history too."
"And that's not all. When it comes to Modred..."
People have an innate desire to show off, not just with fancy jewels or bags, but with knowledge too, deriving great pleasure from it.
Proving the point, the maids freely rattled off Modred's history, current status, and key figures.
They never would have done this in front of others, but with Leira, it was fine.
Before long, truly confidential info slipped out.
"My cousin works for House Modred, and I heard their third son caused another ruckus recently."
"I know a senior who works there and hears things sometimes. Apparently, the youngest daughter is getting bullied pretty badly..."
"Oh, I know that story too. It matches what a knight from our house who studied there mentioned..."
Most royal maids came from noble families.
Noble society was small, full of insiders who knew intimate details of other houses.
Even without Leira asking, info poured out endlessly, while she just smiled brightly.
About an hour later, the maids wrapped up their chatter and parted with Leira regretfully.
Not forgetting to say they'd meet again.
"Take care!"
Leira saw them off with unwavering cheer, waving until they were gone.
"~♪."
Once alone, she quickened her steps back to the water elder tree where they'd talked, leaning against it.
Thud!
She plopped down at its base without hesitation.
Even if the southern winter was mild as autumn, wasn't sitting so unguardedly too much? And to her...
"—Don't sit like that, miss maid. It's chilly out."
Swish.
The water elder tree spoke—no, the man camouflaged as it draped his cloak over her.
"I'm not cold, Sir Knight."
"It worries me. At least use it as a cushion."
"Don't do that. Go home. I like resting at home more!"
"...Yes, let's go home."
Whoosh.
Lee Han naturally turned his back, and she climbed on without hesitation.
"Hold on tight."
"Yup!"
Whoosh!
With a light kick off the ground, Lee Han scaled the 30-meter wall in one go.
Well, precisely.
Thud!
It was like walking on air.
"Waaah...!"
She reacted like a child, eyes sparkling with uncontainable excitement.
The sunset view from a knight's back was beautiful, and seeing it from the sky made it even more special.
Leira was endlessly happy, cherishing the moment.
Then.
"...Sorry for the weird request."
"What for?"
His sudden apology made her tilt her head.
And understandably so.
"When have you ever made a weird request, Sir Knight?"
As far as she knew, he never had.
"I just talked with your friends and came back, right?"
"......"
"Hehe, you're acting weird, Sir Knight."
"...Am I?"
Leira buried her face in his back with a bright smile, and his shoulders twitched.
Feeling his careful, precious care, her eyes gradually closed.
The cool breeze and warm, sturdy back naturally lulled her into peace.
"...Sleep well, miss maid."
She wanted to reply "Yes," but she was already asleep.
With a happy, smiling gaze—
Lee Han looked at his team and made a confident judgment.
"—It's confirmed thanks to the maid."
Thud!
"Modred—these bastards are the most suspicious."
The moment he grabbed one of the papers laid out like choices, people swallowed hard.
"Of all houses, it had to be that great one..."
"Are you really sure? Not just a hunch?"
Immediate backlash erupted.
And understandably.
It wasn't just any house—the name of a prestigious great house in Pendragon had come up.
"No chance it's Conrad or Beatrice? They have nasty rumors too."
"Those are just your typical dysfunctional families."
The two houses Simon mentioned weren't great houses but still notable noble ones.
Lately, illegitimate children popping up left and right from the family head's affairs had made them quite the spectacle...
Classic soap opera messes from philandering husbands.
But to nobles, bastards from affairs were hardly a blemish.
Many saw having a few as par for the course.
Thus...
"We should focus not on messy households, but where 'strange things' are happening."
In that sense.
Tap tap.
"Modred ticks every box."
"………."
"Ever heard of 'no turning back'?"
"...Sigh, first time, but I get the gist."
Simon rubbed his dry face, wondering how it came to this.
'Why did I ever get fired up with that stupid sense of justice...?'
He regretted it deeply.
Four days ago—when Lee Han couldn't understand the twins' language, Simon had interpreted perfectly.
- The young master and lady mean this: the legendary mysterious vampire race is still hiding in the capital.
- You get that?
- I visit the guild-run orphanage often to play, and you pick up tricks like this. But vampires... who knew the legends were real? Shocking.
- You're the shocking one. Makes you wonder if you really won the guild master seat fair and square.
- Not guild master of the Hao Sect—Guild Master.
They heard a lot.
The heretical cult stirring up the capital, and the legendary vampire seeming tied to them.
But most shocking: vampires hiding right in the capital.
...Incredibly hard to believe.
But.
- We have to believe it.
Simon had to.
If it were anyone else, maybe not—but it was Lee Han.
Not close enough for deep trust, but Simon was certain this man didn't lie.
He'd experienced his path, if only through records.
...Also.
- Back out now if you want. The deeper we go, the riskier it gets.
- …….
- It's not just you. Your whole guild could be in danger. What we're up against is that dangerous.
- ...How can I back out when you say that?
- Huh?
The knight's sincere worry and urging to withdraw solidified his resolve.
Backing out now meant he couldn't face the knight proudly later.
Their connection ended here.
And that.
'No way...!'
Simon steeled himself for the gamble of a lifetime.
- Screw it, let's fight.
- Simon?!
- Can't be villains forever, right? Sometimes we gotta play heroes! It's all image building!
- ...Where do you get that nonsense?
- Right here!
Simon's resolute decision, and his secretary(?) went along willingly.
For the next four days, the guild poured all resources into intel, narrowing suspects using the twins' help...!!
"...We're screwed."
"See now?"
...Staring at the glaring great house, they shed tears.
Regret always comes too late.
"Uncle, why are big bro and sis like that?"
"Like what?"
"...They're moved."
"Moved?"
"Why cry if moved?"
"...You'll get it when you grow up."
"?"
"...It's complicated."
"……."
Lee Han stopped talking and just patted the kids' heads.