Family Feud, and the Meddlers (6)
The mansion’s rear garden was utterly devoid of any human presence. A lone servant walked through the silent grounds with perfectly ordinary steps. Her appearance was unremarkable—neither her clothes nor her demeanor raised any suspicion. She blended into the scenery like she belonged there.
Yet if anyone had witnessed what this seemingly harmless servant did next, they would not have been able to simply look away.
After glancing around to confirm no one was watching, she set down the basket in her hands, grabbed the clump of bushes in the corner of the yard, and yanked it sideways. The shrubs, which should have been firmly rooted, slid aside with unnatural ease. She brushed away the dirt beneath them, revealing a small door leading underground.
The moment she opened the door and prepared to step inside—
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted from the mansion, accompanied by a woman’s piercing scream. The servant’s head snapped toward the sound.
Thud.
Before she could react, Ligret appeared out of nowhere and struck. The servant collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, not even managing a single groan.
“Wow. So hitting the back of the neck to knock someone out actually works.”
“Hit a vital point and their consciousness flies right out. Killed two birds with one stone.”
“...She might be a civilian. You did hold back, right?”
“She’s not dead.”
Why is everyone around me so damn vicious? Chrome thought with a sigh. If others heard him, they’d probably grab him by the collar and demand how he had the nerve to say that.
From the direction of the mansion, the commotion was growing louder. Fiore must have made a proper scene. If they were going to move, now was the time.
They descended the stairs and entered a basement that rivaled the mansion itself in scale. The interior featured multiple branching paths and rooms sealed behind iron doors, making it a pain to search. But both Chrome and Ligret had received a detailed explanation from Fiore beforehand, so their steps never faltered.
The iron door to their destination was, of course, locked. Ligret kicked the handle with pinpoint accuracy. The lock gave way instantly, allowing them entry.
Inside was someone both Chrome and Ligret recognized.
Silver hair that caught the eye. An expression so icy it could rival her master’s. She was Bern Midas’s personal maid.
Chrome’s eyebrows twitched at the sight of her bound in chains.
“...So that’s why she suddenly disappeared from that bastard’s side.”
Ligret asked bluntly, “What now?”
“Hmm.”
Chrome seemed to fall into thought. His gaze stopped at a certain point for a brief moment. Then he spoke as if it were nothing.
“What do you mean, what now? She’s clearly a key to solving this mess. We have to free her.”
With a casual attitude, Chrome approached the bound maid. Ligret opened her mouth to say something but closed it again after seeing the hand signal he made behind his back.
“Now that I think about it, her appearance hasn’t changed at all since the first time I saw her.”
The moment Chrome’s hand reached out while he muttered that absentminded remark—
Clink-clink-clink!
The chains that had appeared to be restraining the maid whipped forward like a weapon, flying straight for Chrome’s throat.
A near-perfect surprise attack. Not even a hint of killing intent preceded it—an assassin’s refined strike.
Clang!
If Ligret hadn’t been on guard and sliced the chains apart, they would have wrapped around his neck and snapped it.
The maid, realizing the attack had failed, drew a knife to throw at Ligret. But Ligret was faster. Instead of the greatsword she used to protect Chrome, she drew a shortsword and swung. A large gash opened on the maid’s shoulder, spraying blood.
Even so, the maid had managed an imperfect dodge. Her skill was commendable, but the tide had already turned.
At that moment, Chrome, having regained his senses, shouted.
“Ligret! Easy on her!”
“I’m not good at restraining people.”
“Just keep her alive!”
The instant Chrome finished speaking, Ligret dove into the maid’s guard. The next moment, she had thrown her to the ground. The maid slammed into the stone floor without even managing a proper break-fall. She gasped for breath, unable to breathe properly. Ligret drove two blades into the floor above her neck in an X-shape, pinning her down.
“This enough?”
“...Normally that would’ve killed someone, but she doesn’t seem normal either. Let’s call it good.”
Chrome shook his head at the crater that had formed where the maid had been slammed down. Before approaching her earlier, he had noticed something on her hand. He forcibly yanked the ring off her finger, then pulled three glass vials from his bag and poured their contents down her throat.
One for healing wounds.
One to counter mental interference.
And the last one for something else entirely.
“So even if someone got suspicious of this gathering and came to investigate, they’d end up dealt with here? They dug a proper trap.”
Ligret asked, still keeping her guard up against the maid.
“You noticed just from the ring?”
“No. The fact that she was captured here at all was unnatural. The one who gathered us here in the first place was my damn father. If she had antagonized him for some reason and been captured, he would’ve kept her somewhere else or simply killed her to silence her.”
In truth, the moment Chrome had seen the maid, he had inwardly concluded this was a bust. He had even thought it would be better to quickly clean up and leave. The reason he had changed his plan and deliberately induced the surprise attack was the ring on her finger.
If the maid had been Bern Midas’s ally from the beginning, there would have been no need to make her wear that.
“Ugh...”
At that moment, the collapsed maid stirred and opened her eyes. She reflexively tried to get up but froze when she noticed the blades crossed over her throat. A low groan escaped her.
“Well, hello there, Miss Maid. Now that I think about it, it’s been a very long time since we last had a proper conversation. Actually, this might be the first time outside of work, huh?”
“......”
“Ah, I know. The current situation must be confusing, and we’re not exactly on friendly terms. Also, here’s some trivial information—I just poured a slow-acting poison down your throat along with the potions. It’ll be dangerous if you don’t take the antidote soon. Would that help move our conversation along?”
The maid’s eyes widened. Even Ligret looked slightly dumbfounded as she stared at Chrome. He remained completely unfazed.
“Why you were here. Why Bern Midas’s appearance changed. And about the ring that was on your finger. Tell me everything you know, and be quick about it.”
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange for her to feel rage or terror. But like master, like servant—the maid was no ordinary person either.
“...If you truly wish to talk, could you remove these from my neck?”
“How can I trust you when you might attack again?”
“You’re as suspicious as your master.”
“Wow, she just threw a jab out of nowhere.”
Chrome frowned deeply, but deciding that stalling would accomplish nothing, he complied with the request. Or perhaps he simply hated being told he resembled Bern that much.
The maid sat up and dropped a bombshell with her first words.
“You said my master’s appearance had changed. In that case, that person is a fake.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because my master was trying to end his own life.”
“Excuse me?”
This time it was Chrome’s turn to be shaken. End his life? Was she saying the man had tried to commit suicide? That venomous snake of a human?
“The one who appeared at that time—”
The moment the maid tried to continue speaking—
— BEEEEEEEEEP! —
Chrome’s communication magic tool emitted a piercing alert tone, ringing violently. It was a unique, sharp sound different from normal calls—an emergency summons that could only be sent between devices with special settings applied beforehand.
There was only one person who would send it now.
Fiore was in danger.
“Let’s go, Ligret! You come with us for now!”
The fact that she had sent an emergency signal meant Fiore’s plan to buy time and draw attention had failed. Information was important, but they no longer had the luxury of leisurely conversation.
The maid was showing a cooperative attitude for now, and since Chrome held the antidote, she wouldn’t run away. Even if she did try to flee, joining up with Fiore came first.
Chrome’s judgment was quick enough, but this time the terrain worked against them. With a heavy, dull rumble, a massive wall began descending to block the path to the exit.
Crunch!
Ligret stomped hard against the ground and shot forward. In her hands was the Ancient Guardian’s Greatsword. Given the wall’s thickness, cutting through it would be difficult, but if she could wedge the absurdly durable blade into the gap, she could stop it from descending any further.
But just before she reached the wall—
Clang!
Something flew in from beyond the wall and blocked Ligret’s path. She knocked it aside despite the sudden attack, but the split second spent defending proved fatally costly in this situation.
The door slammed shut completely, sealing them in. As if mocking the three trapped individuals, the coin that had flown toward Ligret rolled across the floor with a metallic clatter.