Chapter 125
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125
Evangeline clearly had no intention of giving a proper explanation. Her attitude made it plain that Rico would have to hear the details from Mavka herself once the child woke up.
“If you know what Mavka went through, please tell me.”
At Rico’s earnest plea, Evangeline hesitated for a moment, as if weighing her options, before finally speaking.
The story she told made Rico’s head throb, as if her skull were being squeezed in an iron vise.
Mavka had nearly fallen into grave danger while Rico was preoccupied with the Duke’s affairs. Her heart sank at the thought. She had wondered why Mavka had cried so bitterly, and now she knew—the poor girl had run into Nigella in the kitchen. Rico herself had been terrified enough to vomit; how much more horrifying must it have been for a child? She looked down at the soundly sleeping Mavka with pity, overwhelmed with relief that her daughter was safe.
Dealing with Nigella was already a massive headache, but there were problems outside the mansion as well. It seemed the Temple had set its sights on House Hosaquin.
She hadn't expected the priests to go so far as to approach a young child for information.
Telling Mavka to reveal that her mother was the butler of House Hosaquin if she ever got into trouble—a measure intended to protect her—had backfired spectacularly. Those words had caught a priest’s attention, and her daughter had ended up being used to leak information.
If they had extended their claws to a child, they must have tried to contact the other servants as well.
The Temple already had a history of burning entire families and their retainers to death. If the priests discovered that the Duchess had used sorcery, no one would be safe—not Rico, and certainly not Mavka.
Disposing of what the Duchess had summoned before the Temple found out was the absolute top priority.
Rico had never felt so utterly helpless. She had no choice but to ask Evangeline for help.
* * *
The explanation of what Mavka had been through was over. Rico stood there in stunned silence, struggling to comprehend the sheer scale of trouble her daughter had gotten into. Acting as a spy for the Temple, finding the demon hiding in the mansion—her track record was truly spectacular.
Rico seemed to struggle with what to say for a long time before finally thanking me for taking care of Mavka.
“I know Mavka is safe thanks to you, Lady Rohanson. Thank you.”
Look at this! She’s actually thanking me!
“I will also do my absolute best to help you catch ‘the Rat,’ Lady Rohanson.”
Even her pledge of allegiance was perfect. Reading the room, I applauded wildly in my mind. I knew it! Helping the daughter was the fastest way to rack up favorability points. I had definitely chosen the right route. At this rate, Rico’s route was completely cleared. She was a total ally now.
Rico had been the biggest obstacle to playing out a ‘family regret’ storyline in House Hosaquin, so getting her full support just by finding her daughter once was a massive win.
As I was looking at Rico with satisfaction, I heard someone outside desperately calling out, “Mavka!”
“They’re still looking for her.”
Wasn’t Rico going to tell them Mavka had been found? At this rate, they would be searching all night. They were still pouring their hearts into a wild goose chase.
Hurry up and announce that you found your daughter, I thought. And while you’re at it, it would be great if you told them I helped. That way, my good deed will spread far and wide across the estate, and I can finally rehabilitate my image.
“We shouldn’t leave them like that,” I said aloud. “It’s late and noisy. We should take care of it quickly.”
“You will, Lady Rohanson?”
No. Why would I do that? I shook my head vigorously.
Was there some special rule here where the person who found the child had to announce it? I was a guest. No matter how I thought about it, it made more sense for Rico to handle it. I planned on staying right by Mavka’s side to protect her, so I wished she would just go, but Rico remained frozen in place.
Fine, we’ll see who wins this. I was determined not to move an inch. As I sat there with my mouth shut, Pudding suddenly broke the silence, popping into existence via teleportation.
Pudding! You should check if there are people around before using magic!
“A cat? No, where did he suddenly…?”
“I brought him,” I said smoothly.
You might not have noticed, but he was with us from the beginning. He was invisible, but he was with us!
“Ah. It’s Lady Rohanson’s cat…”
Rico just nodded and let it go. Was she pretending not to know? She must have been out of her mind searching for her daughter, so she was probably too distracted to notice whether Pudding had been there or not. Since I said he had been with us all along, she just accepted it.
I wondered why he had suddenly appeared, but it seemed Pudding had gone hunting for rats while I was talking to Rico. He then spat a rat out right in front of me.
Did he seriously go catch a rat just because I told him to relieve some stress by hunting?
“Good boy, Pudding.”
Aw, so obedient and cute! I scratched his chin mercilessly, and Pudding purred in delight. Just watching him made me happy.
A cat bringing its owner prey was a sign of showing off. The rat, still breathing, was a bit gross, but I suppose my immunity had been boosted after seeing them piled up in the water tank. I could tolerate a single one.
Of course, that was before it started speaking.
“Mavka. Must find Mavka.”
I thought I had misheard. The rat Pudding had caught was speaking in a human voice instead of squeaking. It even called out Mavka’s name, its voice eerily similar to the one I had just heard outside.
I felt a sense of cognitive dissonance, as if I were watching a poorly dubbed film. The voice shifted in an instant, from an old man’s to a young man’s, but the only name it chanted was “Mavka.”
“It’s… calling for Mavka…”
Rico must have heard it too. She gasped and covered her mouth in horror. It was a miracle she didn’t faint right then and there.
So the one calling Mavka’s name all this time wasn’t a person, but this rat? If Bishop Marik had been here, she would have already set fire to the entire estate, declaring it a household possessed by demons. I shuddered involuntarily.
Ah. That’s why Rico looked so terrified when I told her to go deal with the search party outside. It all made sense. No wonder something felt off! After all, if people had been searching, they would have announced they’d found her long ago.
“Aren’t you hungry? There’s something delicious here.”
This thing isn’t a beastkin too, is it?
I eyed it suspiciously, but it didn’t seem like one. It felt completely different from Pudding or Jelly. I never felt this disgusted looking at my kids. Besides, the rat’s voice didn’t even match its mouth movements, just like bad dubbing. The oral structure was completely different. A beastkin speaking human words in animal form was already a logical error, but this was a fantasy world, so I’d let it slide.
In any case, it looked no different from the rats submerged in the water tank. This talking rat also seemed to be a product of sorcery. And it was inviting me to eat it. Truly disgusting…
I could see why sorcery was so reviled. It was just plain evil. Hearing those words reminded me of the scene Mavka described—of Nigella eating a rat. The rat must have suggested it to Nigella first. I really didn’t want to know that.
“Pudding, can you make it quiet?”
I couldn’t bring myself to say “kill it,” so I beat around the bush. At my request, Pudding shut the rat’s mouth. I thought he would throw a kitty punch like he does to Jelly, but he just pressed down firmly on its muzzle.
The rat fell silent. I should have been praying for its soul, but for a moment, I looked at it with jealousy. I want to get kneaded, too.
I picked up the rat, which Pudding had delivered the final blow to, and wrapped it in a handkerchief.
“Lady Rohanson? What are you going to do with that…?” Rico asked, clearly wondering why I was keeping it.
“I have to burn it. Can you give me the greenhouse key?”
Of course, refusal was not an option. Since we were on the same side now, I might as well start asking for her help.
No matter how I tried to forget it, the shock of seeing that water tank hadn't faded. It was absolutely horrible. For the sake of my mental health, I had to deal with it as soon as possible. Since the Duke told me to handle the rats, I planned to burn them all, including the one in my hand. I couldn’t understand why they were piling up dead rats in a water tank in the first place.
This rat seemed to be a product of sorcery, so did they think its magic would cause harm? Then they should have just burned it from the start. It’s not like Bishop Marik sets heretics on fire at the stake just for fun. It was an inhumane act, but there had to be a reason for it.
I took the key from Rico and went to the greenhouse. As expected, the door was tightly locked, but thanks to my newly acquired master key, I trespassed with ease. It would have been a bit creepy to come here alone.
I pulled back the covering tarp. The sight of rat carcasses in the water tank was just as unpleasant as before. Rico seemed to agree, her brow furrowed in a deep frown as she glared at the tank.
So, how was I supposed to get all of this out and burn it? Looking again, the quantity was massive. I couldn’t risk playing with fire inside the greenhouse and burning all the plants, so I started by moving the water tank outside.
Watching me, Rico seemed to make a big decision and offered to help, only to stagger as she tried to lift it. Is this thing heavy? Rico needs to work out a bit.
Then, like opening a bag of chips, I tipped the tank over and poured its entire contents onto the ground. Since Rico clearly had no strength, I just left her standing there to watch.
Rico, your role is to be a fear-prevention totem. You’re doing your job just by standing there, so don’t move.
Out of Rico’s sight, Pudding used telekinesis to help me. What a praiseworthy cat!
After emptying the last tank, the pile of rat carcasses was quite substantial.
“I’m going to light it, so step back.”
By which I meant Pudding would light it. I didn’t have any matches, but pretending I had come prepared, I mimed striking one. In the dark, Rico wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
Sure enough, Pudding was sensible enough to ignite the pile as soon as he heard my words.
I’d thought the holy water would make it difficult to burn, but thanks to Pudding, it flared up in an instant. Applying science to a fantasy novel is a losing game, so I decided not to think too deeply about it. I just assumed holy water was colorless and odorless but acted like oil. With a relaxed mind, I watched the fire with Pudding.
It wasn’t like we were on a school trip, but I felt like an instructor was about to give a tear-jerking speech about home. I missed home, too. I wondered if Jelly and Canna were doing well… I miss you guys. When am I ever going home?
Ah, I should burn the one Pudding brought earlier. I tossed the handkerchief-wrapped carcass into the flames. I thought I heard a pained scream, but it must have been my imagination.
It was burning well. As I spaced out, watching it like a campfire, the carcasses quickly turned to nothing. Only ashes remained. Determined to leave no trace, I cleaned up the ashes as well.
Rico stood beside me, staring blankly at the flames. She was still staring even after the fire went out. Her expression was so serious that I couldn’t bring myself to ask her to help, so I finished the cleanup all by myself.
I really don’t know who the master is here, hmph.
Anyway, now I just needed to report to the Duke, have a meal, and get an update on the situation.
But the Duke was really strange, too. Why was he collecting rat carcasses like some kind of collector instead of just burning them?
Was this all part of some grand plan to summon me here and put me to work?
* * *
‘The Rat’ was born to grant the wish of Agera Hosaquin.
It was born on a day a daughter killed her father. Dark clouds gathered, a storm raged, and the eyes of the Sun Goddess were coincidentally obscured. That was the birthday of ‘the Rat.’
When ‘the Rat’ was first born, its appearance was shabby and scorched. This was because the painting of the burnt angel was deeply engraved in Agera’s mind. Thus, ‘the Rat’ was born looking just as it was in her memory: charred and burnt.
Before even a day had passed, ‘the Rat’s’ body was torn. Unlike its mother, who was fully prepared to love it, its father did not welcome his child.
The father tried to kill ‘the Rat,’ but because it was a being born from its mother’s wish, it could not easily die.
The mother wished for Amaranth to be reborn, to live by her side, and to never die. Her love became a tenacious life force that bound ‘the Rat’ to the world.
The only way for ‘the Rat’ to die was to be engulfed in the same flames that created it, mirroring the scene from the painting forever seared into its mother’s mind.