Chapter 88
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Is That Supposed to Be a Joke? (1)
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I’d done it.
The name had just slipped out.
‘It felt weird saying I was Kang Han-gyeol.’
Lee Eun-hee was from the world outside the Tower.
The thought of her going out and looking for Kang Han-gyeol left a strange, unsettling feeling I couldn't shake.
‘But if I just said I was Yoo Ji-han...’
There was also a small hope that it might help that guy out later.
Whatever was happening outside the Tower, the amount of Contribution Points Yoo Ji-han provided from inside was nothing to scoff at.
Since I couldn't get any other followers, I needed him to do well for me to get stronger.
Whether I was raising a tiger cub that would one day turn on me or not, I wasn't in a position to be picky.
Lee Eun-hee nodded calmly.
“Never heard that name before, but… it’s a pleasure.”
After finishing her dark beer, Lee Eun-hee stood up.
She glanced upwards, signaling for us to go.
Hey, I haven't even had a sip of my beer yet.
I quickly chugged half my beer and followed Lee Eun-hee up to the second floor.
“By the way, what’s your affiliation?”
“Affiliation?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
Lee Eun-hee fell silent and stopped in front of a door at the back.
A mercenary who had been waiting bowed his head and opened the door for us.
“The guild master’s name was….”
“Tercaseon Aegis.”
“Ah, right. That was it.”
Despite summoning us, the man himself had repeatedly avoided us with all sorts of excuses. This was the first time we were seeing him face-to-face.
Lee Eun-hee and I entered the guild master’s office.
Compared to the vice-master Eruel’s office, this one was much larger and more spacious, with a luxurious desk.
The man sitting at the desk stood up.
With long silver hair tied back in a ponytail, he had an elegant appearance more suited to a nobleman’s banquet than a capital city’s guild master.
Of course, contrary to his delicate features, he was a man of considerable skill.
Eruel, who was already there, waved from the sofa where she was seated.
“Welcome.”
“Let’s sit and talk.”
At Aegis’s words, Lee Eun-hee and I sat on the sofa.
“I hear you’ve been in the capital for quite some time. Have you grown accustomed to it?”
“Yes. Though I never intended to stay this long.”
Lee Eun-hee carefully set down her black tea.
I didn't think she'd say something like that to his face, no matter how displeased she was.
She’s got guts.
Aegis chuckled lightly and apologized.
“My apologies. As you can see, I’m a busy man. I just couldn’t find the time recently.”
“I’m sure you were.”
“Hey, come on.”
“What? It’s the truth. Is it normal not to be pissed off when someone summons you and then gives you the runaround? And now he’s talking about being busy? Are you the only busy one? I’m busy too!”
Lee Eun-hee clenched her fists, fuming.
One thing was for sure.
This woman didn't have a very pleasant personality either.
Eruel quickly tried to calm her down.
“Calm down. This time it’s for real.”
“Of course it is. The man himself finally showed up. Are you going to tell me it’s not?”
Uncrossing her legs, Lee Eun-hee downed the hot tea in one go and set the cup down.
It was true that Eruel had kept putting things off with all sorts of excuses.
‘A busy man, he says?’
I couldn't accept that.
A guild master isn't exactly someone with a lot of free time, but it shouldn't be impossible to meet him.
I knew that from watching Park Si-woo.
That guy is ridiculously busy, but you can still meet him if you really want to.
Being busy and being unable to meet are two completely different things.
What if the person you're meeting is incredibly important? It’s only natural to drop everything else and see them.
The reason we hadn't been able to meet Aegis until now was simply because he didn't think Lee Eun-hee and I were worth his time.
It might sound arrogant, but he had clearly been testing our skills through Eruel.
‘I have no idea what this is all about, but…’
It meant that, from their perspective, there was a reason they had to do things this way.
Aegis placed a photograph on the table.
It was clearly an ordinary family photo, taken in the garden of a massive mansion with a lavish spread of food before them.
To be precise, it was a photo of a noble family.
“That’s the Ducal House of Failia.”
“The Failia family… they’re the Emperor’s maternal relatives, aren’t they? One of the three great ducal houses of the Empire, and the only founding noble family that still remains.”
What the, how does she know so much?
I'd heard of the three great ducal houses, but this was the first I was hearing about them being the Emperor's maternal family or a founding noble house.
“The eldest daughter of the Failia family is the current Empress. By any chance, do you know how the nobility maintains its status?”
“Maintains its status?”
“How a noble family remains noble.”
Lee Eun-hee fell silent, admitting she didn't know.
If she was anything like Yoo Ji-han, it was no surprise she had trouble accepting the unique aspects of this world.
“Adoption, I suppose.”
Nobles were Muels with exceptional abilities, chosen from among the many with diverse talents.
A child born to a Muel was not guaranteed to be a Muel themselves.
As long as they could carry on the family name, blood ties were of little importance.
In fact, the people in the photo bore no resemblance to one another, making it hard to believe they were a family.
“Blood ties are not a very important factor for the nobility. You must have heard the rumors that some nobles have recently been breaking the Taboo?”
“Vaguely.”
Lee Eun-hee’s voice, which had been confident when talking about the Failia family, trailed off.
It was obvious she didn't know much about the Taboo or things like it.
For nobles—those with the most esteemed status among Muels—to break the Taboo was an act that deserved severe condemnation in this world.
I had a good guess what Aegis’s request would be.
If someone from a founding ducal house, one of the three great ones, broke the Taboo, the repercussions would be immense.
But that was a hasty assumption, both on my part and on Aegis’s, who was making the request.
“Recently, there have been a series of incidents at the Failia estate where employees have gone missing.”
“Missing?”
“They claim to have sent them to work in other territories, but upon investigation, we couldn't find the missing employees in any of the territories they mentioned.”
“That’s suspicious, but isn’t that enough evidence to pressure them?”
“Are you an idiot? The Failia estate employs over a thousand people.”
“What? Who are you calling an idiot, you chili-head!”
“Wh-What head? And being an idiot has nothing to do with it! Anyway, we’re talking about the Ducal House of Failia. Dozens of new employees come and go from there every month. Do you know what that means?”
“Nope.”
Eruel sighed at Lee Eun-hee’s shameless attitude.
It seemed less like she genuinely didn't know and more like she was just being sarcastic.
‘She must be really fed up.’
Then again, even if it was a test, they had undeniably worked her to the bone, from escorting caravans to doing this and that.
Ignoring Lee Eun-hee, Eruel pressed on.
“It means they wouldn’t bat an eye if one or two employees disappeared without a trace.”
They could say they ran away, or make up excuses about how it’s impossible to keep track of everyone.
The fact that the employees’ traces vanished doesn't prove that someone within the Failia family was responsible.
“The problem is the missing employees. They all have one thing in common: they were all Muels.”
Aegis crossed his arms, tapping his fingers lightly.
Not all Muels were treated the same.
Their treatment varied depending on their abilities and which family they were adopted into.
Muels who didn’t become nobles usually took on special roles for the aristocracy.
Positions like escort knights, personal maids, or butlers.
These were positions higher than regular employees, and if they were lucky, they might catch the eye of another noble and be adopted.
“That is definitely suspicious.”
“As you might have guessed, the request is simple. I want you to infiltrate the Failia estate, investigate the disappearance of the employees, and confirm whether the Duke of Failia has truly broken the Taboo. As you know, this matter is….”
“I won’t tell anyone. Besides, I have no one to tell.”
Lee Eun-hee drew a line, telling him not to worry.
The mere rumor that the Ducal House of Failia was suspected of breaking the Taboo could cause chaos.
“I’ll arrange a separate method for you to report. Now, as for infiltration, do you have any ideas?”
Wait a minute.
Did I hear that right?
Doesn't that question sound a little strange?
He tells us to infiltrate, then asks us, the ones doing the infiltrating, if we have a plan? What are we supposed to do?
“Are you kidding me?”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re supposed to tell us how to get in.”
“So, should I go to the Duke’s estate and ask, ‘The guild would like to plant a spy, would you be so kind as to hire one?’”
“You’re not seriously trying to pass that off as a joke, are you?”
With all the information they had, there was no way they didn’t have a contact inside the Failia estate.
Eruel shook her head.
“This mission is classified as top secret within the guild.”
“To deceive the enemy, one must first deceive one’s allies, no? I’m afraid you can’t use our informants within the guild.”
“In other words, you’re giving us the job but washing your hands of it?”
Aegis and Eruel coughed and averted their gazes.
What the hell is wrong with these people?
Lee Eun-hee remained silent, lost in thought.
Is this really something to be thinking seriously about?
“So, as long as we get inside the Failia estate as employees, it doesn’t matter how we do it, and it has to be unrelated to the guild, right?”
“Yes.”
“If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
What is this feeling of betrayal?
Now what does that make me, the one who just got angry?
Lee Eun-hee poured the remaining tea into her cup and took a sip.
“The last request I completed happened to be for Count Lirent. He said he’d help me if I ever needed a favor, so I think he’ll do at least this much.”
“Um, what about me….”
“Figure it out yourself.”
“We’re partners, aren’t we?”
I tried to persuade her, nudging her in the side, but she paid me no mind.
“Partners? We haven’t even known each other for three hours. And I’m not joking, I really can’t help you.”
“Why?”
“Count Lirent despises men. The request even specified that he needed a female mercenary.”
After finishing her tea, Lee Eun-hee looked me up and down.
I could sense something strange in her gaze.
“You’re rather pretty.”
“……What?”
“Want to try cross-dressing?”
I couldn’t believe it. She’d really say anything.
What?
Cross-dre…ssing?
Cross-dressing, my ass!
“Just kill me now.”
“Suit yourself.”
Lee Eun-hee turned her head away primly.
I scratched my head and sighed.
I turned to the other two, who were watching as if this had nothing to do with them.
“I get that it has to be unrelated to the guild, but you must have some sort of backup plan, right?”
“We do have one. Though I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“What is it?”
Whatever it was, it had to be better than cross-dressing.
Eruel glanced at Aegis before cautiously opening her mouth.
“The Duke of Failia has a hobby of buying male slaves and making them fight.”
“So that’s why they were buying so many fourth-class citizens.”
The noble caravan I’d escorted on the 5th Floor had belonged to the Failia family.
I didn't know they were one of the three great ducal houses, but I remembered that much.
“He sometimes dines with the fourth-class citizens who please him in the fights.”
“And?”
As I narrowed my eyes, Eruel broke into a cold sweat.
“There is a… a way to hide your magic and receive a slave’s brand….”
“I’d rather chew on a sword!”
That would be easier!
Cross-dressing and now a slave!
These people are unbelievable!
Is there not a single normal way to do this?