Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Calling the Information Merchant
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"Yes."
In response to Evelyn's question, Chris replied while holding a warm teacup in both hands.
He had lost his parents in the span of half a year, but he couldn't just wallow in grief. His own life was in danger.
"Thank you for welcoming me even though I showed up out of the blue. But this was the only place I could think of..."
The distance between Harfa Castle and the mansion was close enough to reach by carriage in half a day.
He had lived here as a child, and his maternal family was far away, leaving this as the only place to hide from his uncle.
"No, you've come at the right time."
Henri patted his nephew's back as he replied. Overwhelmed by the comfort, Chris couldn't hold back the tears welling up.
"I want to live. I don't want to die!"
He clung to his uncle Henri like he was pleading for his life. Rachel called out to such a Chris.
"Brother, leaning on others won't solve anything. You are the Baron Emporus now. You have to face it head-on yourself."
"But I don't know much. Uncle knows things my father never told me, and he's using that against me."
"What about Mars, then?"
"Uncle plans to get rid of me and put Mars up front while manipulating him from behind."
The title had already passed to Chris. Even if Chris died, it wouldn't go to Sari Emporus. It would go to Mars Emporus, the second son of Paris Emporus.
Sari Emporus intended to coax his second son Mars into getting rid of Chris and then turn him into a puppet.
"How soon after your eldest brother passed..."
Henri sighed as he looked at his nephew. He couldn't understand his second brother trying to pit the two nephews against each other right after the eldest's death.
"I'll help you as much as I can."
"Thank you."
Rachel rested her chin on her hand for a moment.
'Father can't handle it alone.'
Rachel was certain. Henri couldn't deal with Sari Emporus by himself.
Paris Emporus schemed all sorts of plots behind the scenes but maintained a gentlemanly image in public. Most people fell for that facade.
But Sari Emporus didn't even pretend. He didn't hide that he was a bad, greedy man.
So those who knew nothing saw Sari working under Paris and thought the good brother was giving his younger sibling a job to make a living.
In reality, Paris was sending his brother to handle the dirty work he couldn't show his face for.
In the end, there was no way Henri could handle someone so skilled at dirty work under his brother.
'I need Abyss's help.'
After the 16th round, Rachel hadn't met him in person. But indirectly, she had.
In the previous round, when she sent her first letter to Priestess Peace to communicate with the information merchant Abyss, she enclosed a letter to send to his hideout.
In the letter to Abyss, she wrote that she was a regressor, wanted to take down Paris Emporus, and as proof, that she knew of his abilities.
Rachel revealed she was a regressor but used Enoch and Priestess Peace as intermediaries to avoid exposing her identity.
In the end, it was just buying time. Abyss quickly figured out who she was.
Even so, they exchanged messages through the temple and bought and sold information when needed.
Thanks to that, Rachel knew well how capable Abyss was.
"Brother, I know someone who seems perfect for handling this. Want me to introduce you?"
At Rachel's words, Henri and Evelyn exchanged glances and blinked.
As far as they knew, Rachel had no acquaintances.
No matter how she foresaw an ominous future, knowing specific details about people was odd, so they focused on Rachel.
"You're not thinking of introducing Enoch, are you?"
"Do you think he's the only person I know?"
"He isn't?"
At Evelyn's counterquestion, Rachel let out a shallow sigh.
"No. First, we need to head to the village."
Abyss was in the capital, but that didn't mean she had to go there to meet him.
Rachel planned to do something she had only read about in letters from the previous round but never actually tried.
'I was told to use it when it's urgent. And it is urgent now.'
Evelyn glanced out the window for a moment, as if gauging the sound of the falling rain.
"If we're just going to the village, it shouldn't be dangerous."
After that, Evelyn instructed the servants to prepare for going out.
Once everything was ready, the family boarded the carriage.
Rachel spotted Deyner sitting at the far end of the carriage.
"You're coming too?"
"What, you think you'll leave me behind?"
"It's not like we're going for fun."
"It's family business for your cousin, and I'm not a kid to be left out. Let's go together."
Henri interjected into Rachel and Deyner's conversation. Rachel shot a glance at Henri, who clearly didn't grasp the situation, but he avoided her gaze.
Then Evelyn and Chris boarded the carriage. Chris hesitated as he looked inside.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, no. It's just my first time in such a small carriage."
"The one you arrived in was too flashy. If enemies are targeting you, it'd make you a sitting duck."
"So you deliberately prepared this modest carriage?"
Chris asked as if realizing something new.
Rachel was in a bad mood. The carriage they were in now was the one they usually used.
No matter how wealthy Chris had lived, as someone coming for help, that attitude was inappropriate.
He didn't seem aware of it himself.
'Even if I've lived uneducated, I know what's common sense.'
Rachel leaned against the carriage wall and crossed her arms.
Seeing Deyner's puffed cheeks across from her, he didn't like his cousin much either.
'Still, this is just to get information and keep Sari in check.'
The carriage raced through the rain and arrived at the village. The streets were deserted due to the heavy downpour.
"Take us to the tavern with the sausage sign."
"Rachel?"
Everyone narrowed their eyes at Rachel, who wasn't even an adult yet, asking to go to a tavern.
Rachel shrugged her shoulders.
"There's someone here who can help Brother."
To be precise, there wasn't yet, but he was about to appear.
The carriage stopped in front of a place that served as both restaurant and tavern in the village. The sign featured three sausages and a beer mug.
Chris and Henri got out and looked around warily. Evelyn, on the other hand, descended calmly.
'That's the leisure of the strong.'
She could sense presences without visually scanning. Rachel stood by the carriage door next.
"Why aren't you getting down?"
Deyner urged from behind. Rachel habitually waited for a hand extended from below the carriage.
'Enoch gave me a bad habit!'
It wasn't a carriage, but whenever she dismounted a horse, Enoch would help her down easily from below.
Because of that, whenever descending from high to low, Rachel unconsciously expected a helping hand.
Rachel hopped down from the carriage right away.
Muddy water splashed her shoes and skirt hem, but she strode toward the tavern entrance without a care.
She opened the door. The interior was spacious, but many tables were empty.
At the counter, the burly-muscled owner was wiping a glass. The beer mug in his hand looked like a shot glass next to Rachel's face.
Rachel swallowed involuntarily.
'Wow, just from his presence, he looks boss-level.'
If that man had been at the mansion in the original story, he could've smashed all the monsters.
But they couldn't hire him.
Rachel sat on a chair with regret.
"I saw the whisper of the wind in the windless sea."
At Rachel's words, everyone wore puzzled expressions.
A windless sea meant exactly that—a sea with no wind. There couldn't be wind there. And whispers couldn't be seen with the eyes.
It was a completely nonsensical phrase, but the man at the counter stopped wiping the glass and looked down at Rachel.
"And what did you see?"
"Lies floated away on the wind, while only the truth sank into the sea."
This was a code. The code to summon Abyss. This was the first time Rachel was using it for real.
She didn't know how Abyss in the capital would get there in this magic-less era, but in the previous round, he had told her to come here in urgent times, say this code, and he would come.
"Please wait a moment."
"Then, while we wait, a cup of warmly heated milk! With a spoonful of honey."
At Rachel's order, the man looked at her family standing behind her and Chris.
"And for the others?"
"We came to a tavern, so how about some beer? One beer. You?"
"Me too."
"Then two beers. And warm milk for the rest."
Deyner and Chris immediately grimaced. Chris tried to change his drink, but Rachel looked at him and said,
"We're about to have an important talk. You want to face it drunk? Brother, drink milk too."
"Got it."
The owner went through the door behind the counter. Everyone sat in the chairs at the table where Rachel was.
"Is there really someone here to help me?"
"Even if there is? Just wait calmly for now."
Then Evelyn suddenly stood up.
"A presence appeared out of nowhere."
She sensed a presence beyond the wall and went on alert.
Rachel felt her stomach churn too.
'What, did I eat something bad?'
The odd feeling passed quickly.
Soon, the door the owner had entered opened, and the owner came out with a hooded man.
His face was hidden, but seeing his build, Rachel knew who he was.
'It's been a while, Abyss.'
Abyss approached their table holding a tray with the drinks.
"Your ordered drinks."
A strand of indigo hair peeked out from the hood. Rachel picked up the glass placed on the table with both hands.
"I've been waiting. Information merchant Abyss."
At Rachel's words, the customers at the other tables suddenly stood up. Evelyn lifted her dress skirt and drew the dagger strapped to her thigh.
The people at the tables weren't real customers—they were disguised as such.
It was a tense moment on the verge of a fight. Abyss raised his hand in a gesture as if to call off the fight.
'That's the signal to stand by for now.'
But it also meant to respond immediately if a problem arose.
Rachel slowly walked behind Evelyn, massaged her shoulders, and said,
"Mother, seems like there's a misunderstanding. Calm down for now."
If Evelyn went wild here, there'd be no talking. Rachel couldn't let the opportunity slip away like that.
"How did a first-time customer figure out how to summon me?"
"Abyss, you told me yourself."
Rachel was certain the hidden face was showing surprise.
Anyone else would think she was lying in this situation, but he could detect lies.
And he knew better than anyone that what she said wasn't a lie.
"Shall we talk first?"
Rachel spoke as she sat Evelyn and Abyss down, feeling like she was handling a bomb.
Only then did Abyss pull a chair from the table behind and sit in front of them.
"Let's hear what this talk is about."