Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Karl and the Abyss Shop
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Rachel folded the dishrag thickly and grabbed the pot handle at the man's request. Then she lifted it off the fire.
"A bit burnt."
The contents had boiled over and spilled outside the pot, slightly scorching the exterior. Fortunately, the stew itself was fine.
Rachel wiped off the outside of the pot with the dishrag and nodded to the man.
"Put it back up, please."
The man obediently took the dishrag and set the pot back on.
"Stir it well so it doesn't boil over."
The man picked up the ladle and began stirring the contents.
"Making me work like this..."
"Don't say it's your first time with a woman like this."
At Rachel's words, the man shut his mouth.
After a series of ups and downs, the stew was finally complete.
The man found a ladle and scooped the stew into two bowls.
"Come on, let's eat quick. Don't be surprised by how delicious it is!"
The man said confidently. Rachel picked up her spoon. When she pressed down on the large chunks of meat by standing the spoon upright, they split smoothly. It was proof that the meat was fully cooked.
Rachel took a bite of the meat along with some broth. Her eyes widened round. The ingredients were similar, yet it tasted different from the stew she'd eaten at the mansion—and delicious.
"How is it?"
The man looked at Rachel with expectant eyes. For some reason, she didn't want to be honest, but Rachel spoke frankly anyway.
"It's delicious."
"I knew it!"
The man said that and began eating his stew.
"Even though I made it myself, it's delicious."
"So, what about that half-finished self-introduction from earlier?"
Rachel grew curious about what the man did for a living. She had already realized he wasn't a cook from his actions earlier.
When looking for the ladle or bowls, he had opened several cabinets before finally finding them. Anyone familiar with this kitchen would have located them immediately.
"Call me Karl. You?"
"I'm Rachel. But I heard everyone went to the royal castle?"
The residents of Flora House all worked at the royal castle. With everyone summoned away, he was freely wandering the place. His vibe didn't make him seem like castle staff.
In other words, Rachel was asking why an apparent outsider like him was here. The man blinked and replied.
"I came 'cause I was hungry."
"What's that, some kind of riddle?"
"It's true. I know someone here, so I borrowed the kitchen. They didn't feed me today, so I starved all day."
Saying so, he scooped another ladleful of stew into his now-empty bowl.
"So Karl doesn't live here?"
"Nope. Got my own place."
'No wonder.'
He must have dropped by temporarily to see an acquaintance staying here. Though that acquaintance wasn't around right now.
"It must've been awkward arriving to find your contact gone? I heard a summons came down from the royal castle."
"Probably."
"Karl seems like he knows something?"
"You bet. But I can't tell."
Karl waggled his left index finger side to side while whispering that it was a secret, but Rachel scoffed and said.
"I know too, you know? The crown prince is dead."
"How'd you find out?"
His eyes, tinged with a reddish glow, widened round at Rachel's answer.
"My father's working at the royal castle."
"Then do you know why he died?"
"Not that much."
"Poison."
Karl spoke in a serious tone for the first time. It was different from what Rachel remembered.
'It used to just be a sudden death?'
While Rachel cocked her head, Karl kept going.
"That's why everything's in an uproar. Ah, it hasn't even been announced yet—was I not supposed to say?"
Having let classified info slip absentmindedly, Karl ruffled his own hair wildly before looking at Rachel. Sensing his gaze, Rachel gave him the response he wanted.
"I won't tell a soul."
"Good girl! Eat up."
Karl said that and ladled more stew into Rachel's bowl. As he did, he winked his left eye like he'd never been serious at all, but Rachel missed it, lost in her own thoughts.
'The royals are deliberately suppressing the info. That's why it's different from the last round!'
She had been fretting over the crown prince's death happening at a different time, but it was simply the castle delaying the announcement. While hiding that it was poison.
He resumed eating his stew. His claim of starving all day didn't seem like a lie—he devoured it.
'He eats so fast, but his manners are impeccable.'
Rachel inwardly admired how Karl ate voraciously yet neatly. In the blink of an eye, he emptied his bowl and stood.
"Well, belly's full. Time for me to head out. Catch you later if the chance comes!"
Karl headed not for the door, but the window. Then he vaulted right out.
It all happened before Rachel could even say goodbye. By the time she reached the window, he was already gone.
"What a whirlwind."
Thinking they really would meet again as he'd said, she returned to the table and finished off the remaining stew in her bowl.
***
Day broke. Henri hadn't returned to Flora House the night before. Nor had anyone else.
"Probably to prevent leaks..."
Henri might not come back for days, maybe.
Rachel got out of bed. Even without Henri, she still had to track down Abyss.
But she was flat broke. Henri had rushed off to the castle without leaving her any money.
"It'll work out somehow."
Rachel got dressed, reheated the leftover stew from yesterday, ate it, and headed out.
She planned to head to the market street and ask around about the Abyss trading company.
Flora House was near the royal castle, which meant a long walk to the market district. Recalling the scenery she'd glimpsed from the carriage the day before, Rachel followed the road.
The weather was splendid. Vibrant flowers bloomed colorfully all around, and birds chirped in the trees. The capital had sprouted up haphazardly amid crowds of people, but after several rounds of redevelopment, it had formed beautiful streets.
After trudging a good distance through quiet, nature-flanked roads with few people, she finally reached a crowded thoroughfare. A whole kingdom's crown prince had died, but the street teemed with oblivious folk bustling about, looking as cheerful as ever, untouched by gloom.
'And yet in just one year, it'll all turn grim.'
Those ignorant of the future cling to the belief that things will stay good forever. But peace crumbles in a single rainy season and civil war, slipping forever out of reach.
In the previous round, Rachel's own situation had been relatively good.
The mansion—once the old lord's residence—was backed by mountains to fend off invaders, walled off in front, and isolated from any village.
That meant they had grain stockpiled in the warehouses, so starvation wasn't an issue.
'Later on, the baron helped too.'
Paris Emporus, who became a count, apparently didn't want his sacrificial offering to starve to death, so he'd visit regularly and hand over grain.
'Maybe I hid more curse mediums back then?'
Vowing not to let Paris Emporus get the better of her this time, Rachel slapped her own cheeks. They stung, but it sharpened her focus.
"Now, time to buck up and find Abyss!"
Rachel approached a nearby woman with a kindly face and greeted her.
"Hello. Excuse me, but how do I get to the market?"
"Which shop are you looking for? There are three shopping districts, so it depends on the place."
"Do you happen to know Abyss?"
"It's famous around these parts, but..."
The woman looked Rachel up and down. She wore a troubled expression.
But Rachel, having expected it to be hard to find only to get a lead right away, failed to notice the woman's face. Eyes sparkling, she seized the woman's hand.
"How do I get there?"
"Hmm, you're going yourself?"
"Yes!"
"You know what kind of place it is?"
"It's just a shop, right?"
"It is a shop, but... not really a place for a little lady like you..."
The woman scratched her cheek, avoiding Rachel's eyes. But Rachel dug in her heels.
"I need to find someone there. It's really important!"
"You're looking for someone, huh. Well, in that case. Keep straight down this main road till you hit the fountain square, then take the right path. Go two more blocks, and you'll see a narrow alley on the left—the second door you see is Abyss's shop."
Rachel committed the directions to memory.
"Thank you."
"Uh, um, good luck getting there."
Even after the thanks, the woman looked uneasy as she continued on her way.
"Fountain square, two blocks, left alley, second door!"
Rachel chanted it like a spell as she walked.
Straight down the main road, and sure enough, the shopping district appeared. She didn't stop, pressing on until the fountain square came into view, just as described.
Rachel took the right fork of the three roads branching from the fountain and ducked into the alley on the left.
The narrow alley got no sunlight, so it was dark.
"Do people actually come to a place like this? What do they even sell, tucked away in a corner like that?"
Figuring business must suck, Rachel searched for the shop. She passed a storefront with a wooden sign and spotted the second door.
It was just a plain wooden door with no sign at all—easy to mistake for something else. Without the woman's directions, she'd never have found it.
Rachel slowly pushed the door open. The wooden door gave way easily. The moment it opened, a sweet fragrance wafted over her.
No goods in sight—just a hooded figure sitting at the counter.
"Welcome. Abyss General Store, where we make love."
A woman's voice rang through the shop. But she greeted without looking at Rachel, head bowed.
"Hello. Are you Mr. Abyss?"
Only then did the clerk raise her head at Rachel's question. Thick, high-prescription iron-rimmed glasses covered half her face.
"A kid?"
The woman muttered, sounding a bit puzzled.
Rachel's lips twitched. At fifteen, yeah, she was a kid. She could admit that, but why point it out?
"Lost? No idea how you wandered in here, but this isn't a place for young customers like you."
"I came looking for Mr. Abyss. You won't believe it, but I have precognition abilities. I'll make you a fortune—want to team up with me?"
The woman snorted in derision at Rachel's pitch.
"Pfft, that's what she says?"
She spoke toward the back. Past the counter, in the direction she turned, was a door with a hole in it.
"Boss, this little miss claims she sees the future! But if she really does, shouldn't she know I'm not the boss?"
A hand poked out through the hole in the door and flipped her off with the middle finger.
Seeing it, the woman drew her arm back into her embrace. Then suddenly thrust it forward.
Puk!
"Eh?"
A searing pain bloomed in her chest. Rachel couldn't process the situation. All she could think, as blood welled up in her throat, was that she was done for.
Rachel's body toppled toward the counter. The door behind the woman swung open, and an indigo-haired young man stepped out. With her vision fading, Rachel burned his face into her memory.
'That's the real Abyss.'
Rachel's eyes slid shut.
"Almost dropped my guard for real this time. How'd Paris, that bastard, send me a girl right up my alley?"
As her vision went black, the woman's voice echoed faintly from afar. Rachel felt her slumped body on the counter being manhandled, but she had no strength left.
"This kid's got no weap—"
With those words, Rachel lost consciousness.