The Baron's Estate (1)
The Baron's Estate (1)
Even though she was young herself, the way she spoke to me—who was even younger—felt so out of place that I glanced at the others, only to find them all doing their best to look away.
What on earth was going on now? It was one incomprehensible thing after another.
Still, the meal ended in a way that seemed peaceful, at least on the surface.
"I have kept you all for too long. Since we must depart tomorrow, let us bring this to a close."
With those utterly baffling words of politeness, everyone rose from their seats.
When we finished the meal and stepped into the lobby, I saw people I had never seen before standing there.
They were a young man and woman who looked like travelers.
The man bowed his head toward the Baron, who had just emerged from the dining room.
"Thank you for your hospitality. We shall be on our way now."
"Yes, good work."
The Baron saw them off with a satisfied smile.
Everyone else stood to one side, while I stood a little apart from them. The two happened to pass right by me on their way to the entrance.
They were quite a handsome pair.
Though they wore plain clothes, neither their gait nor their faces seemed ordinary.
Still, since they had nothing to do with me, I gave them a slight nod and turned my attention away.
But things did not end as I expected.
The moment he brushed past me, I heard an unexpected whisper.
"It would be best for you to leave this place as quickly as possible."
His voice was so quiet that I could barely make out the words.
Yet what he said was not something I could simply brush off.
Startled, I looked up, but the person who had spoken walked out the door without changing his expression.
As I watched the two of them depart in such a peaceful manner, I almost felt as though I had misheard.
Once they were far from the mansion, the woman, who had been walking in silence, glared at the man.
"I mean, you finished the job perfectly, so why on earth did you do that? What if things go wrong because of you?"
"Oh? You seem really surprised. It's a contract—or rather, a job we get paid for. Once we're paid well and do what we're supposed to, that's the end of it. Whether the job succeeds or fails has nothing to do with us."
At his teasing reply, the corners of the woman's eyes lifted.
"Is that something you should say? Even if it has nothing to do with the Organization, our credibility will obviously plummet if the job fails!"
"Well, it's not like a single word will make it fail that easily."
In the end, the woman shook her head and sighed.
"Sigh, but why did you say that to him?"
"He's the illegitimate son of the Duke's household. Although we failed back at the Hierro Marquisate, we managed to coax the illegitimate son there and make good use of him. If this kid somehow makes it out alive, he'll remember my words. If I establish a connection like this, however small, we can make use of it later."
He nodded vigorously, seemingly impressed by his own reasoning.
"Mhm, as expected, I'm a brilliant strategist who thinks of the distant future."
At his words, the woman pressed a hand to her forehead.
"There's no way. Didn't you just take a liking to him again?"
"Well, there is that too."
He grinned at the woman.
"Remember when we first met him? That kid had a pretty interesting look on his face, too. He didn't look like a jaded noble brat, nor did he look like a typical illegitimate child harboring deep resentment. He seemed like he'd be very interesting to watch."
He glanced back over his shoulder.
"Well, of course, that's only if he manages to escape safely."
After the two of them left, I was so dazed that I barely even registered being guided back to my room.
It was because, upon hearing the man's voice, a system message had appeared before my eyes for the first time in a long while.
[An event has occurred. A new 'Save Point' has been set.]
I certainly hadn't died, nor had I awakened any new abilities.
I had simply met a stranger.
Despite my young age, the Baron's household had given me a fairly spacious room all to myself.
Late at night.
After being shown to my room, I sat on the bed, lost in thought.
The strange behavior of the Baron and his family, the words the stranger had left me with, and the 'Save Point' appearing at such an unexpected moment.
Not a single thing was normal.
"I suppose things have been a bit too peaceful lately."
Ever since exploring the tomb, I'd enjoyed one comfortable day after another.
And I hadn't even died.
"Sigh, something is seriously wrong when not dying becomes my baseline for a peaceful life."
Sighing once more at my predicament, I stood up.
There was clearly a problem, and I couldn't just sit idly by and wait.
"I can't just wait around and end up dead."
Perhaps my childhood experience of dying while completely helpless had left me traumatized.
Well, now I possessed skills that far exceeded what was normal for my age, so I didn't think I would die easily. But I still had no intention of sitting back and taking it.
"I'll just make up an excuse about taking a walk under the moonlight."
Or maybe I could say I had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
'Yes, I'm still just barely young enough to get away with that excuse, so let's go with that.'
I rose from my seat, drawing up the mana stored deep within my body and spreading it around me.
Hum.
I sensed nothing. At the very least, there didn't seem to be anyone hiding and spying on me.
I checked the dagger hanging at my hip.
I had brought my greatsword as well, but since I couldn't take it inside someone else's house, I'd left it in the carriage.
Well, this dagger was also quite a remarkable blade, despite its appearance.
I wrapped my awakened mana around my body to make myself lighter, then stepped into the hallway, muffling my footsteps.
Perhaps because it was late, the hallway was dark and silent.
Still, the lanterns hanging here and there made it easy enough to look around.
'But what exactly should I look for?'
I had made it into the hallway, but deciding where to go next was a little tricky.
Even if there was a problem and I had my suspicions, there was no guarantee I'd find anything in a single night. Nor could I be certain that something would definitely happen today.
'Well, I can always just treat it as a genuine midnight stroll.'
Since my awakening, skipping a single night of sleep had barely put any strain on my body. And if nothing happened while I left my room empty, that wouldn't be a bad thing in its own right.
With my mind at ease, I walked down the empty hallway.
A silent corridor where even my footsteps could not be heard, shrouded in mana.
Only the flickering lanterns dimly illuminated the ornate hallway.
I was strolling leisurely down the corridor when—
"...Do we really, absolutely have to do this?"
A faint sound caught my ear.
It would have been completely inaudible if I hadn't enhanced my hearing with mana.
It was the disgruntled voice of a young girl.
A sigh escaped me before I could stop it.
As expected, there was no way things would end quietly.
I headed toward the source of the voice.
Passing the guest quarters, I made my way toward the inner chambers where the Baron's family resided.
As expected, the voice belonged to the Baron's daughter, and it was coming from her room.
I pressed myself against a corner of the hallway a little way from the door and listened closely.
"You said I just had to act friendly, get close, and tie his feet down. Wouldn't it be enough to just break his arms and legs or injure him badly? Even if he's just an illegitimate son, there's no way we'll get away with it if he dies!"
Listening to the daughter's protest, I let my mana seep into the room.
I pushed through a strange, gritty resistance, and my mana permeated the room.
There were two people inside.
One of them would be the Baron's daughter.
"I will take care of that, so there is no need for you to worry. You just do as you are told."
Judging by the voice, the other person was the Baron.
Could they be talking about me? Was a father ordering his daughter to kill me?
"Sigh, why was I even born into a family like this? Seriously, I have no idea what you're thinking."
At the daughter's pathetic grumbling, her father replied bluntly.
"If you remembered the trouble I went through cleaning up after the messes you've made, you wouldn't dare say such a thing. If not for me, you would have been executed long ago."
"Hmph, that was when I was young and didn't know any better. I don't do things like that anymore."
Click.
The moment her words ended, the closed door swung open.
Huh? There was definitely no one near the door, though.
"See? Even while we're talking about this, I'm keeping a close eye on our surroundings. I can immediately spot a rat eavesdropping."
'Damn it, did they spot me?'
I didn't know how I'd been detected, but I needed to retreat immediately.
I circulated my mana and kicked off the ground.
Squelch!
Huh? The foot I pushed off with sank deep into the floor.
It was definitely a stone floor, wasn't it? As I pulled my leg free, startled, the hallway and ceiling began to ripple as well.
From where I stood all the way to the far end of the corridor, the walls and floor began to move as if they were alive.
Was it an illusion? No—I could feel something physically there.
This was definitely the opponent's ability.
There were no windows in this hallway, and whether it was an illusion or not, the risk of running blindly down this corridor was far too high.
'Damn it, I really hate this, but there's no other choice.'
In the end, the only option left was a frontal breakthrough.
I pushed off the undulating floor and walls and lunged through the open doorway.
Beyond the door was a reception room adjoining the bedroom.
It was an incredibly large and luxurious reception room for a Baron's daughter. Unlike the hallway, it had retained its original form.
Inside the reception room, just as I had sensed with my mana, were two people.
The Baron and his daughter. At this late hour, the two of them were sitting opposite each other in outdoor attire.
She widened her eyes when she saw me burst into the room.
"My, my~ Look who it is. Your sister was really startled."
Her tone was completely different from before.
Yet even in the lantern light, her wide-eyed expression looked quite pretty. In a few years, she would undoubtedly become a renowned young lady at noble banquets.
The Baron also turned his head to look at me, wearing a strange expression. It was almost as if he found the situation somewhat absurd.
What should I do? Fight? But the situation felt too uncertain for me to strike first.
No, the moment I even thought of attacking, a warning rang deep within my body.
I quickly changed my expression.
"The hallway outside was moving! I woke up because I couldn't sleep, and I got lost while walking down the corridor. But just now, the floor and walls seemed to come alive and move. Could there be a ghost here?"
With a terrified look on my face, I babbled a torrent of nonsense.
"Oh! My, were you startled? It seems the Young Lord must have seen things in his sleep."
She rose from her seat with a look of pity.
The Baron frowned as he watched her.
"Come with me. I will take you back to your room."
"Would you? Thank you."
Though we exchanged smiles and words, my sense of danger only grew stronger as she drew closer.
"Here, take my hand."
The moment she approached and raised her hand—
I swung the sword at my waist with all my might and threw myself toward the window.
Bang!
The sword I swung did not reach her.
Her body slid far backward as the stone floor shot upward to block my blade.
The stone was sliced through, but that was all.
As expected, her entire demeanor had been an act.
"Hohoho, you didn't fall for it after all. Besides, your acting was quite superb too. I almost wanted to give you a hug."
Her laughter echoed from behind the rising wall, but I kept running toward the window.
I wrapped my entire body in mana and threw myself toward the window with all my might.