Chapter 73

I quickly brought Dad and Oscar into a nearby restaurant before they could cause more trouble. After roughly ordering some food, I glared at Dad and Oscar, who were looking at me with bewildered faces.

“Dad, why are you acting like that? You can’t just spend money like that.”

“Well, the one who has a lot should spend a lot—”

“Tsk.”

“……”

Next, it was Oscar’s turn.

“Oscar, why are you threatening people like that?”

“Because they were getting close to you—”

“Tsk.”

“……”

In an instant, the two of them fell silent. Only then did it seem like things would get better.

‘I should never go out with them again.’

We had only been out for about two hours, but I was already exhausted. It was one thing if it was just one of them, but having both of these uncontrollable people with me was a death sentence. The sound of the restaurant patrons’ conversations occasionally mixed in the quiet.

“Still, isn’t it amazing how things are rolling along?”

“Yeah, I thought the country would fall apart at first.”

‘Huh?’

I lifted my head slightly at the conversation of what seemed to be a group of merchants.

“Putting an innocent baby on the throne is just crazy.”

Indeed, they were talking about me. Dad and Oscar’s expressions turned cold upon hearing this.

“Eidan.”

But Dad recognized Eidan faster. I felt despair but didn’t completely lose hope. Grabbing Dad’s sleeve, I tried to defuse the situation.

“Just a quick stop on the way to get desserts, right, Eidan?”

“Yes.”

Eidan answered, but Esteban’s doubtful expression didn’t fully disappear. Meanwhile, Oscar, sensing the tense atmosphere, went to the owner and handed over some compensation. We needed to end this quickly. Mabel grabbed Dad’s arm and waved at Eidan with a forced smile.

“Eidan, don’t forget to get the desserts!”

“I will not.”

It seemed the situation was winding down, but an unexpected complication arose.

“Master, who are those people?”

Kathy, who had been standing like a screen, couldn’t contain her curiosity.

“……Master?”

Esteban narrowed his eyes and repeated the question. Mabel thought,

‘This is bad……’

It wasn’t just a big deal; it was a disaster. If I didn’t do something, my identity and everything I was doing with Eidan would be exposed right here.

‘Dad would just beat them up and lock me up.’

To prevent that, I had to do something. Mabel suddenly clutched her head and put on a dramatic act.

“Ouch. My head suddenly……!”

“Mabel!”

“My head feels like it’s going to explode!”

“Mabel, are you okay?”

Esteban and Oscar both rushed to Mabel’s side.

“I think it will get better if I lie down in my room!”

“Let’s go, quickly!”

The Huang family, who seemed to be the only ones Mabel could see, hurriedly carried her out of the restaurant.

“……”

In the suddenly quiet restaurant, Kathy asked Eidan again.

“Who is that little girl?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Hmm.”

“Don’t investigate her. She’s not someone you should mess with.”

Kathy smiled slightly in response.

‘The more you say that, the more I want to investigate.’

Two men who didn’t seem ordinary and a small girl who seemed to be the center of their affection. Something was starting to make sense. Even the great Master was pleading with her.

‘Interesting.’

Moreover, from their brief encounter, Kathy had obtained the most crucial clue: Eidan.

‘She definitely called the Master Eidan.’

The Master Kathy knew was named Eidan, and that was all the information she had. She couldn’t track him down because he always sensed and blocked any attempts to follow him. Finally, she might uncover his true identity. The thought of quenching her curiosity about him made Kathy excited.

“I’ll be right back, I need to use the restroom.”

Pretending to leave, Kathy secretly contacted her subordinate, ordering him to follow them. ***

“Damn, what is this? A human?!”

Dean, a member of the information guild Evil and Kathy’s direct subordinate, was extremely flustered. Dean’s stealth skills were among the best in the guild. Even Master Eidan wouldn’t notice him for a few minutes. He had been following the carriage discreetly, as ordered by the Deputy Master.

‘It looks ordinary enough.’

The carriage was large but plain, with no fancy decorations. It headed towards the outskirts of the capital. After chasing the carriage for a while without knowing its destination, Dean suddenly realized how quiet it had become. By the time he felt a chill, it was already too late.

“Move and you die.”

A small hand gripping his neck and a lazy, youthful voice whispering in his ear. It sounded like a boy.

‘When did he……?!”

Dean was shocked. He thought he had been following them undetected, but he was wrong. Moreover, he had given his back to the boy. The boy pressed a cold dagger to Dean’s throat.

“Who sent you to follow us?”

“……”

“Answer or die.”

“……”

“Really? You want to die?”

The voice was annoying, but it was a powerful threat. Dean, tense, shouted.

“I’ll tell you!”

Since Evil wasn’t an assassination guild, there was no need to risk his life to protect his identity. There was no such rule in the guild.

“I’m from the information guild.”

“Information guild?”

“Yes. Have you heard of Evil?”

“I have.”

No one knew the name of the rapidly rising Evil better than the boy.

“A request came in. To follow the carriage.”

It was a request, even if it was an order from the Deputy Master.

“It’s true. I have no intention of harming anyone.”

Dean sniffled, trying to sound pitiful. He hoped the boy would feel some sympathy, but it didn’t work.

“Who’s the client?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Not even if I say you’ll die if you don’t?”

Not wanting to die, Dean quickly thought.

“There is a way……”

“What is it?”

“By placing a request with the guild.”

“You want me to place a request to find out who placed the request to follow the carriage?”

“Yes.”

“A roundabout way.”

The boy loosened his grip. As the tight hold on his neck released, Dean hurriedly moved forward. Instinctively, he turned to look at the boy. In the sunlight, the boy’s beautiful face was visible. Shiny silver hair and cold green eyes. The boy, with a chilly expression, asked in a calm tone.

“Are you going to follow us more?”

“No!”

And Dean ran away. *** A short while later, the carriage door opened, and Oscar came in. He sat next to Mabel and exchanged a glance with Esteban.

“Oscar, where did you go?”

Oscar smiled affectionately and stroked Mabel’s hair.

“Yes. There were bugs outside.”

“Ugh, I hate bugs.”

“It’s okay. I got rid of them.”

“Good job, Oscar!”

While receiving Mabel’s praise, Oscar fell into thought.

‘Evil…… They’re quite bothersome.’

He thought they might influence Mabel negatively, so he felt the need to deal with them. *** Kathy grilled Dean, who had returned.

“So you just ran away?”

“What else could I do? I was about to die. He didn’t seem human!”

“Is that boy really that strong?”

“Yes. I couldn’t sense him at all.”

“Really?”

Kathy knew Dean’s abilities best. If Dean was saying this, the boy must be incredibly skilled.

‘I thought our Master was the only one with such abilities at his age.’

‘Eidan’ was strong.

“I understand.”

It was unclear how the boy and the Master knew each other.

‘What is the Master’s true identity? And who is the real Master?’

Kathy was determined to uncover these secrets. *** That night, I called Eidan to my bedroom. There was a lot to discuss.

“We almost got into trouble, didn’t we?”

Eidan bowed his head in response to my question.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? It was just a coincidence.”

“I’ll be more careful next time.”

I laughed weakly at Eidan’s words.

“There won’t be a next time……”

If I go out with those people again, I’ll be locked up in the castle. I was so stressed today that I was already feeling sleepy. Putting aside the sad thoughts, I got straight to the point.

“More importantly, how was the investigation this time?”

Eidan had been away for a while, not just for a guild mission but also to spy on Devlin. It was a dangerous task, crossing the border to survey the overall situation in Devlin.

“Veron has been moving around the palace more frequently than before.”

“It seems he’s up to something.”

For four years, we hadn’t let our guard down against Devlin. We used all our abilities to investigate Devlin.

‘He won’t stay idle forever.’

With a purpose, he would definitely move. After all, he had already attacked the royal procession with spies. I had heard Eidan’s report on Veron’s goals. They were realistic yet absurd. The first goal was to take revenge on Dad for cutting off one of his arms during the war. The second goal was ridiculous—

“Immortality.”

To gain the power of eternal life. Eidan didn’t know the details, so that was all I knew. After hearing the report on Devlin, I moved on to the next topic.

“How about the Duke of Javier?”

“He’s secretly inviting and meeting with nobles who might help him.”

“Which families?”

I memorized the names of the families Eidan mentioned. It was all for a purpose.

‘I’ll take care of them.’

Because I would take care of them.