Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Merits (2)
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A peaceful night when everyone was asleep.
“Hng... Uuugh...”
The groans reaching his ears woke Lian from his sleep.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Isabel's face, drenched in cold sweat and twisted in agony.
“Isabel? Are you okay? Isabel!”
“Hic...”
He shook her awake urgently.
Isabel stared at Lian's face for a long while with dazed, unfocused eyes, as if her soul had fled.
“L-Lian...?”
“What's wrong? Bad dream?”
“Yeah... A little...”
This wasn't the first time.
Nightmares stemming from the trauma of nearly being assassinated in the past.
Still, he'd thought they had mostly stopped lately, but it seemed they hadn't fully improved.
“Don't worry. There really won't be any more threats trying to harm you now.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Lian pulled Isabel into a tight embrace.
Her body, still trembling faintly from the nightmare's shock, was soaked in sweat.
The rapid thumping of her heartbeat transmitted straight into his chest.
“If you can't calm down, should I make some tea?”
“I'm fine... Just get me a glass of water?”
She probably didn't want to show weakness to the maids.
Lian lightly kissed Isabel's forehead and rose from the bed.
And it was then.
Too focused on Isabel, he belatedly noticed the anomaly he hadn't picked up on earlier.
From the direction of his office.
A very unfamiliar noise was coming from there.
“Lian?”
“Yeah, Isabel?”
“No, you were suddenly staring right through that wall...”
Isabel looked at the blank wall with a slightly frightened expression.
He'd unnecessarily heightened the anxiety of someone already traumatized by a near-assassination.
“Just something from yesterday that I didn't finish nagging at me.”
“You really can't be helped.”
He'd check it later, but right now, reassuring Isabel came first.
Lian played it cool with some banter and fetched her the water.
“Thanks.”
Isabel took slow, deep breaths as she drank.
But she kept fidgeting uncomfortably with her lower abdomen.
A long scar about a handspan in length.
It had happened around ten years ago, she'd said.
Even after such a long time, it hadn't faded—in fact, it was still reddish and swollen.
“That scar... Does it still hurt?”
“No, not like that.”
“Even old wounds can leave lingering effects. Want to see a doctor when day breaks?”
“I'm fine. Really.”
Isabel pulled the blanket up unnecessarily to cover the scar on her stomach.
Still, she seemed quite calmed now, no longer trembling.
“Weren't you ever curious?”
“About what?”
“Whether those bad rumors about me were really true.”
The notoriety that still clung to Isabel like a tail, even if it had quieted a bit after their marriage.
He never imagined she'd bring up the topic herself.
“Honestly, saying I wasn't curious would be a lie.”
“Then why didn't you ever ask?”
“Because it doesn't matter to me.”
“It doesn't matter?”
“So what if you're really some monstrous villainess? That's part of what I liked about you from the start, enough to marry you.”
The first person in his entire life, including his past one, to fully recognize his worth.
How could he not love her for that?
“...You're such a weirdo.”
“That's part of my charm too. You married me knowing that, right?”
“That's true.”
Isabel chuckled softly and lay back down on the bed.
He thought she might drift off again right away.
But her eyes stayed open as she lay there, deep in thought.
“No. Maybe I don't know much about you at all.”
All Isabel knew was the Lian who'd been sold to her.
She didn't know what kind of life he'd lived before that.
Not even the circumstances that led to him being sold to her.
“Then we can get to know each other little by little from now on.”
Lian straightened her blanket and gently stroked her hair.
“For now, get some sleep.”
“What about you?”
“Might as well finish up the remaining work since I'm up early.”
“Take it easy with work. What do we have underlings for?”
“Don't worry. I'm using them plenty.”
But there were things only Lian could do, so it couldn't be helped.
The quiet early dawn.
Lian passed through the corridor illuminated faintly by lantern light.
“Master Lian. Up already?”
The guard on night duty spotted him first and greeted him.
“Yes. Nothing happen overnight?”
“Of course not! We're keeping our eyes peeled so not even a rat can sneak in!”
As expected, the guard was oblivious to the anomaly Lian had sensed.
It wasn't that he'd shirked his duties, so Lian couldn't just reprimand him outright.
“Good. Keep up the good work.”
Lian patted the guard's shoulder in encouragement for his overnight toil and headed straight to his office.
The office, bathed in the dim dawn light, looked fine at a glance.
But on the desk were several documents spread out that he hadn't left there.
“Hmm? Why these?”
Lian set a lantern on the desk and examined the open documents.
Mostly papers related to the northern port business he'd been focusing on lately.
Nothing major even if someone stole a peek.
That didn't excuse sneaking into his office.
Shing—
Lian pointed his sword at the now-clearly close noise.
“Eek...!”
A woman's shrill scream echoed out.
“Who are you?”
“Wh-what?! How did you know I was here...! I should've been invisible!”
“Yeah. You are. Drop the spell while I'm asking nicely.”
The invisible noise ignored him and tried to slip sideways.
But the tip of Lian's sword followed immediately.
“Eek...!”
“No funny business. Next time, I just stab.”
“Got it! I got it!”
Moments later, the air shimmered like heat haze, revealing the hidden intruder's form.
“A kid? No, a gnome?”
“Grr! Don't call me that! It's rude!”
“It's the dead of night while everyone's asleep. Keep your voice down.”
In this world, "gnome" was a nickname for half-elves born to elf men and dwarf women.
Like this petite intruder before him, they generally had elven features but were short like dwarves.
As an aside, the reverse pairing produced gray-skinned half-elves.
In other words, dark elves.
“So, mage. What are you doing in my office in the dead of night?”
“Firka! That's my name!”
“Didn't ask.”
“Eek! Put that sword away now! Can't you see this?”
Firka spread wide the cloak she wore, showing off the embroidery clearly.
Two golden eagles stitched in gold thread.
The royal crest, which Lian knew well.
He'd already suspected she was a mage.
“Master Lian! Is something—?! Whoa! An intruder? When did...?!”
Just then, a guard rushed in at the commotion and reached for his sword in shock.
“It's nothing. Don't worry about it.”
“Pardon? But you're pointing your sword at her...”
“That's why it's fine. I'll call if anything happens, so no worries.”
The strangely convincing words left the guard rolling his eyes.
“Understood. I'll stand by nearby then.”
The guard retreated, glaring at Firka with a rather fierce look.
His report of "all clear" felt embarrassing now because of this one tiny intruder, so he was probably mortified and offended.
“Judging by the royal crest, a mage from the Royal Mage Corps?”
“That's right! Now put the sword away!”
“Refused.”
“What?! Why!”
“Your status doesn't excuse trespassing.”
“Tr-trespassing?! I'm on official duty!”
He wanted to ask if she had a warrant, but unfortunately, the legal system here didn't go that far.
“Want me to put this away? Answer my first question then.”
“I just did! Official duty! Here to investigate the recent magical disaster.”
“If you think I'm the culprit or accomplice, you're way off base.”
“Hmph! We'll see if you say that after I show what I found!”
At her confident words, Lian glanced at the desk.
He'd wondered why she'd been snooping through those, but he could guess her line of thinking now.
She'd probably slipped into suspecting him while tracing the culprit's motives for the magical disaster.
“I gained the most from this incident, so I must be the culprit? Brilliant deduction.”
“Hng. Flattery won't save you.”
“Don't get cocky. Don't you know sarcasm?”
Her triumphant face quickly soured again.
She didn't just look childish; he was starting to suspect she actually was one.
“Fine, say my motive makes sense. What about Delico Matron? Would you team up with someone crazy enough to cut off their own arm?”
“Uh...? Well... Complicated adult circumstances...”
“You just think whatever's convenient.”
Firka's pointed ears turned bright red, her pride clearly stung.
“Right! Your wife!”
“What about Isabel?”
“I looked into everything! That human mage has a grudge against your wife, right?”
“So?”
“If your wife dies, you get all her fortune. Perfect alignment of interests!”
Royal Mage Corps or not, should he just stab her?
Lian was starting to feel a vein throbbing in his temple.
“Am I right? If it wasn't about money, why marry some old hag like—”
“Shut it. What nonsense from someone whose parents are a lustful elf and a dwarf.”
“Wha-wha-what?! You said it all?!”
“You're the rude one. I'm a pure romantic.”
“Uwaaa! Don't point that sword! Bl-blood! I hate blood!”
That grumpy old mage too.
Were all mages just incapable of listening by default?
This wasn't getting anywhere productive.
“Safe behind that painting. Key's between the books in the second drawer of my desk. Open it.”
“What? What's your game?”
“Just do it. Do anything else, and your arm's next.”
“Eek...!”
Firka glanced around warily but obeyed Lian's order.
There was a minor fiasco since the hidden safe was too high for her height.
But she managed to open it safely.
Inside the safe was just one vial filled with a glistening amber liquid.
“What's this?”
“Delico Matron's sap. The substance causing this disaster.”
“I knew it! Hiding decisive evidence like—”
At that moment, the sword tip aimed at Firka's neck slid into her mouth.
“Don't jump ahead. Listen quietly. One more word, and I cut your tongue first.”
“Hngh...!”
“This incident was an accident from Leon trying to use it to make nobles follow him. If your brain works, start your investigation from there, and you'll get answers fast. Got it?”
Firka blinked her large, teary eyes desperately to signal agreement.
Only then did Lian sheathe his sword.
If she kept spouting nonsense even after he spoon-fed her the truth, it said plenty about the royal standards.
In that case, seriously considering leaving the country was in order.
“You! You! How did you detect my magic?! Even the capital knights couldn't!”
“Instinct.”
“Instinct?! That makes no sense!”
“It does.”
He could hear magic as sound, so it wasn't entirely wrong.
But this stubborn civil servant mage wouldn't buy it easily.
“Weird. You don't look old enough to have learned magic... A shaman?”
“Shaman?”
“No, no half-baked types could detect my magic...”
Still, she had no clue about Lian's ability.
In stark contrast to the old mage who'd figured it out instantly.
Apparently, Lian's ability wasn't common knowledge even among mages.
“Got it! You're an elf pretending to be human after cutting your ears! No wonder you're so damn handsome!”
“You. Never deduce anything again.”
As expected, Lian's prejudices against mages were only growing.