TMHMFMIS-09

CHAPTER 9

“Fine. I suppose I’ll know once I see it.”

A portrait with large, golden eyes and a round face appeared before him, looking almost like a small herbivore.

With her incredibly pale face, she looked like a rabbit hopping through a snowy field, or perhaps a timid deer.

“She doesn’t look like that at all.”

“Then again, if I judged her solely by her appearance, she wouldn’t have tried to swindle me out of my money.”

“And…”

“A handsome face, too.”

Kailus ran his finger across his lips again.

“Surely she didn’t approach me because she wanted my face as well.”

“It would be nice if he were good at cooking.”

“And if he could make time for at least one simple date a week.”

“Ha, she’s demanding.”

The subordinate who had been listening for quite some time finally seemed unable to take it anymore and scratched his ear.

“Does such a man even exist in this world?”

“He does.”

“Yes?”

“Where?”

“Right here.”

“That’s why I asked where…”

Sid’s nostrils flared slightly, and his face looked as though someone had poured an entire basin of salt water over it.

But when he thought about it again, it wasn’t entirely wrong, so he couldn’t find anything to argue with.

Even if such a man did exist, he was afraid of what would happen if he happened to be the one.

“Your Excellency…”

“What?”

“Your personality…”

“Wouldn’t quite fit, would it?”

Sid gathered a little courage and barely managed to add another word.

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“How hard is it to pretend to be kind?”

“Yes, of course.”

Sid nodded.

“If you’re only pretending, I suppose that should be fine.”

“But have you ever cooked?”

“You haven’t even touched a kitchen…”

“Is there anything I can’t do?”

“I can try something like that once or twice and figure it out.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Of course.”

Sid smiled broadly, moving his hands as though he might rub them together like a fly at any moment.

“Yes, you’re absolutely right!”

“But aren’t you busy, Your Excellency?”

“If I think of it as work, there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Yes, well, if that’s the case.”

“But are you really going to move personally?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to simply have the others take care of her?”

“Is that why every one of them I sent failed after falling victim to her illusions?”

“……”

Sid swallowed hard, almost hiccupping, and firmly shut his mouth.

That was why Kailus had no choice but to handle it himself.

He absolutely had to find out how this fearless and cunning woman had obtained and stolen his information, and exactly how much she knew.

Kailus left for Ferrarium exactly one week later.

—

Had it really already been a year?

Kailus put the documents away again.

The Hazel he had observed over the past year was completely different from the person he had expected, but she was more capable than he had anticipated.

He still hadn’t discovered how she had learned about his information and his money, or what route she had used to obtain them.

Nevertheless, he had succeeded in getting Hazel into the palm of his hand.

Moreover, she was completely infatuated with him and couldn’t escape from him, so there was nothing to worry about.

Perhaps because her complexion was so pale, there were times when he almost imagined a white rabbit with a red hairpin hopping around right before his eyes.

But that was rather cute.

“Cute?”

“Ha.”

He chuckled to himself at the thought.

Well, she was somewhat cute, but that was all.

She was the one drowning helplessly in love, not him.

She was still the woman he had found irritating and intended to deal with soon.

There had been absolutely no reason for him to drag things out for an entire year.

He had simply enjoyed himself a little, and somehow it had taken this long.

It was about time he wrapped things up.

He casually raised his head and glanced at the clock.

“Ah, pumpkin pie.”

She had said she was thinking about it again.

It was understandable that she would remember it.

That day, she had eaten two pieces in a row as soon as he served it, enjoying it so much that she devoured them by herself.

Hazel did like food, but she wasn’t actually a particularly big eater.

She desperately wanted to eat more, but once her stomach was full, she couldn’t manage another bite, and whenever her eyebrows curved sadly because she was disappointed, it even made him laugh.

One of the things Kailus enjoyed was how her eyes would obediently follow his hand when he removed her plate because he was worried she might get sick.

If she had eaten two pieces right there, it meant the pie had suited Hazel’s taste exceptionally well.

If he made it now and left it to cool overnight, it should be at the perfect temperature for Hazel to eat tomorrow morning.

She preferred her pie crispy, so he needed to prepare that first.

Hazel liked having it covered with plenty of pure-white vanilla ice cream, but he couldn’t have her eating something cold first thing in the morning and ending up with an upset stomach.

“Should I prepare the cream in advance, too?”

Of course, all of this was merely part of his plan.

Unlike his leisurely movements until moments ago, Kailus hurried slightly as he left his study.

—

I opened my eyes wide.

Noah had disappeared while I had dozed off for a short while.

He had definitely gone to take care of some work again.

I couldn’t let such a perfect opportunity pass me by.

I quickly got up, hastily fastening my sleeping robe before stepping into the hallway.

Then I hurried toward my own study as fast as lightning.

I had a friend who lived by the brilliant motto that faith, loyalty, and love all came from money.

Calling him a friend was a little questionable, but since he was someone who would never betray me when money was involved, I could trust him.

Because I had money!

To get in touch with this guy, I had to go through Dylan Banker, but there was nothing I could do about that.

I took out a pen and paper and quickly scribbled a message.

「Hello, Dylan Banker.

It’s been a while.

You’ve been well, right?

It’s me, Hazel.

Actually, I need Annie’s help.

Could you do me a favor?

And how have you been?

Please!

H. LV」

At the end, I hurriedly scrawled my signature the same way I used to sign reports and quickly folded the paper.

There was no one who would impersonate me, but just in case, I added something that Dylan Banker would definitely recognize.

Then I took out a gold coin and placed it inside the letter.

Annie always moved for money, so depending on the difficulty of the request, I would sometimes show her the payment in advance.

A bronze coin meant something relatively easy.

A silver coin meant something a little more difficult.

A gold coin meant something difficult or troublesome.

I had worked with Annie before, so I didn’t really need to send a gold coin, but it was also a silent way of emphasizing that I was in a hurry.

Then I opened the window and checked to make sure none of the estate’s employees were outside.

I could use a communication orb to make a call or send a letter, but the downside was that a record of the correspondence would remain and could be checked.

If anyone discovered that I had sent something to Dylan, just thinking about it made me break into a cold sweat.

So, just in case, I decided to use the old-fashioned method.

I blew gently into the air, and a small blue-glowing bird appeared, proudly displaying its feathers.

It was a personal carrier bird created from mana.

Unlike a communication orb, I couldn’t confirm its arrival immediately, but there was no danger of being discovered along the way, no one besides me knew about it, and it left no trace.

When I held out the letter, the translucent bird gave a soft chirp and took it in its beak.

“Go quickly.”

The moment I finished speaking, the bird flew rapidly into the air.

Since it had been created from my own mind, there was no chance of it getting lost.

That is, unless Dylan Banker had moved somewhere far away from the capital or had left the Knights.

For now, all I could do was wait.

Only after the blue glow had completely disappeared did I close the window.

Then, as though nothing had happened, I left the study with sleepy eyes and headed back toward the bedroom.

A few days later.

News arrived from Dylan Banker.

Dylan had sent me a letter directly using the exact same method I had used.

I had been worried that I might have to go find him myself if I couldn’t get in touch with him, so I was relieved.

「Hazel Love.

Yes, it’s been a while.

You rotten thing!

You only contact me first when you need something.

Isn’t that a little too much?

I’ll send Annie over soon.

I’d like to go myself, but your big brother is extremely busy.

The area outside the capital is in chaos because of the monsters.

I’ll come see you once before autumn arrives.

Stay healthy until then.

To my ungrateful friend.

—Dylan Banker」

I chuckled.

To be honest, I hadn’t known Dylan Banker for very long.

He had originally been Hazel Love’s colleague, not my friend.

And I had quit the Knights as soon as I came to my senses.

Before leaving the Knights, we had worked together and clashed briefly, and we had discovered that we actually got along quite well despite the short time we spent together.

That connection had continued until now.

Dylan Banker was also friendly with colleagues from all walks of life, so he wasn’t the difficult-to-befriend type.

He had a personality that made him everyone’s older brother and friend, always volunteering to help whenever someone needed him.

He was even the one who helped me when I was struggling because Jed wouldn’t process my resignation.

Of course, Dylan had also tried to stop me, practically clinging to my trouser leg, until I told him that I was genuinely exhausted and wanted to rest.

“I really need to thank him next time.”

As soon as I burned the letter, I opened the safe and set aside a small amount of gold bars and gold coins.

“Ah…”

Had he said the area outside the capital was in chaos because of monsters?

Dylan Banker had said exactly that in the letter I had just burned.

Monsters had appeared here as well, and outside the capital, they were already beginning to stir.

Soon, they would be increasing throughout the entire country.

I regularly checked the number and types of requests being received by mercenary guilds in other regions to keep track of industry trends.

And sure enough, requests to deal with monsters were increasing simultaneously everywhere.

There hadn’t been any such requests here yet, but now that even one monster had appeared, there was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be more.

From a business perspective, it was welcome news, but as someone who knew the original story, I couldn’t exactly celebrate it.

After all, I had settled in Ferrarium specifically to avoid all of that, so I wanted this place to remain safe.