Episode 5
“M-Monsters.”
The duke stayed silent, clearly waiting for her to continue.
“I’ve heard that burrowing monsters like shiny minerals that sparkle like gemstones. If they’re showing up in the mine all the time, then maybe there’s some kind of valuable gem there, even if it isn’t silver. That’s why I thought it was a waste.”
Burrowing monsters looked like giant rats, about the size of large dogs.
They loved shiny things so much that they sometimes raided villages just to steal them.
After speaking, Marin lowered her head nervously.
She’d squeezed every excuse she could out of her brain, but she had no idea if the duke would accept it.
“What date was this report submitted?”
The duke turned toward Olive.
“Three months ago.”
“Didn’t it say it was urgent?”
“There were more urgent matters, so it was pushed back.”
Olive lowered his head guiltily.
“Delay the mine closure. Send knights to investigate further.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After giving the order, the duke stepped closer to Marin.
Already terrified, Marin instinctively stepped backward.
But her feet tangled together.
Ah! I’m going to fall!
Just as she was about to crash onto the floor, the duke grabbed her wrist and pulled her upright.
“…A tree branch?”
Marin blinked in shock.
She decided to pretend she hadn’t heard that.
Surely he wasn’t talking about her, right?
Also…
Wasn’t he blind?
How had he reacted so fast?
After calming her racing heart, she bowed.
“Thank you.”
“Your name?”
“M-Marin.”
“A commoner?”
“Y-Yes…”
Her voice shook.
Lying made her heart start pounding all over again.
The duke tilted his head slightly toward her, almost as if he were listening to something.
Marin became restless.
Should she have said more?
And…
When was he going to let go of her wrist?
“A commoner who can read, write, and even analyze reports?”
Marin’s eyes widened.
Her heart practically fell out of her chest.
How had her random excuse suddenly become “report analysis”?
How?
“Are you a spy?”
“What?!”
Her heart jumped right back into place and started flopping around like a fish out of water.
“Was that a confession?”
“N-No! Absolutely not! I’m definitely not a spy! You don’t have to hire me. I was foolish to apply. I’ll just leave now!”
Marin immediately turned around to escape.
But she couldn’t move.
She had forgotten he was still holding her wrist.
“Olive.”
“Yes.”
“Draw up an employment contract.”
“Understood.”
Olive answered instantly, smiling.
“Temporary.”
“…Temporary. Understood.”
Olive’s face visibly fell.
“Thank you!”
Meanwhile, Marin looked like she’d won the lottery.
She bowed deeply.
Temporary or not, as long as it paid money, she didn’t care.
“Feed her.”
“…What?”
“…What?”
Both Marin and Olive spoke at the same time.
The duke ignored them.
“She’s like a tree branch.”
He lifted her wrist once before letting go.
Ah.
She hadn’t misheard him earlier.
Though honestly, she wasn’t that skinny.
Marin pouted and rubbed her wrist.
She’d been grateful a moment ago for saving her from falling.
That gratitude disappeared very quickly.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
For some reason, Olive was smiling again.
The duke turned away as though he’d already lost interest in the conversation and walked back toward his desk.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
“Your Grace, we’ll take our leave.”
“Um… thank you again.”
After hesitating briefly, Marin hurried after Olive and left the office.
The room became silent again.
From the hallway, Gerald could hear their footsteps.
Olive’s steps.
His left foot was slightly heavier than his right.
And the woman’s footsteps.
Light enough to seem like she could float away on the wind.
After holding her wrist, he understood why.
He’d called her a tree branch.
But honestly, she might have been thinner than that.
A strange woman.
When she read reports aloud, her voice sounded like nature itself.
For the first time since losing his sight, listening to a report hadn’t been painful.
The information flowed naturally into his mind.
It had been so long since he’d been able to think about the contents of a report.
Now he understood why Olive had been so desperate for them to meet.
After losing his sight, all of his other senses had become abnormally sharp.
Especially his hearing.
Every sound felt like noise.
The headaches never stopped.
The Vines family carried a secret bloodline that was passed down only to the eldest direct heir.
Their bodies were larger than those of ordinary people.
All five senses were enhanced.
Sight
They could distinguish the eye color of birds flying through the sky.
Hearing
They could identify every sound within fifty meters.
Taste
They never forgot the flavor.
Especially poisons.
Smell
They could distinguish any scent.
Touch
Even the smallest contact felt incredibly sensitive.
By Gerald von Vines…
Among all the heirs throughout history, his senses were among the strongest.
When all five senses worked together, it wasn’t a problem.
He could control them.
Strengthen them when necessary.
Suppress them when he wished.
Those powerful senses had helped him defeat monsters and protect the western region countless times.
The saying everyone knew was:
“The Vines Grand Ducal House Protects.”
That reputation only grew stronger during Gerald’s generation.
But nothing lasts forever.
One year ago, a monster attack took his sight.
Everything changed.
As if trying to compensate for the loss of vision, his other four senses became even stronger.
That was when the suffering began.
The hypersensitive senses caused constant agony.
Especially his hearing.
Even the sound of a bug crawling felt like thunder inside his head.
As his senses spiraled out of control, his mental state deteriorated, too.
Being blind was painful.
But the torment caused by his remaining senses was even worse.
Yet today, for the first time, another person’s voice hadn’t hurt him.
Even if she really was a spy…
He felt like he should keep her close anyway.
Just from hearing her heartbeat, he could tell how terrified she was of him.
He could tell she was lying.
“K.”
As Gerald whispered the name, a dark shadow landed silently before him.
The figure was dressed entirely in black.
This was K.
Without speaking, K waited for orders.
“Investigate her.”
The shadow vanished as quietly as it had appeared.
Gerald leaned back in his chair and focused on suppressing his overwhelming senses once more.
Marin returned to the waiting room with a dazed expression.
She had done it.
She’d gotten a job at the duke’s castle.
Her lies had worked.
Still unable to believe it, she sat heavily on the sofa.
Olive handed her a thick book.
“What’s this?”
It was the same book she’d left outside the duke’s office.
In all the excitement, she’d completely forgotten about it.
Apparently, you, Olive, had picked it up.
“You seemed to like it.”
“But it isn’t mine.”
“Books about monsters aren’t supposed to stay in the castle. It was going to be thrown away anyway.”
“Oh! Then please throw it away for me.”
Marin immediately grabbed it.
Jackpot.
How much would a book like this be worth?
“Then it’s yours.”
Olive smiled.
“I need to prepare a few things. Please wait here.”
“Okay.”
Once he left, all the tension drained from her body.
She collapsed back into the sofa.
Only then did she finally notice the title.
[Where Do Monsters Come From?]
For someone who knew the world’s hidden story, it was fascinating.
She flipped through it.
There wasn’t even an author’s name.
Why had such an expensive hardcover book been sitting in a servants’ waiting room?
Books like this sold for a fortune.
Maybe a servant had intended to throw it away, but couldn’t bear to part with it.
Someone else’s hidden treasure had become her lucky charm.
Everyone in the West knew about the duke’s accident.
But nobody dared mention it aloud.
She had brought it up anyway.
If she hadn’t read that book earlier…
The knights might have dragged her out of the castle.
The thought made her shiver.
“Are you cold? Should I bring a blanket?”
Olive had returned.
“No, I’m fine.”
Marin quickly waved both hands and sat up straight.
Olive smiled warmly.
“Take a look at this.”
He handed her a document.
“It’s your temporary employment contract.”
Marin immediately skipped to the salary section.
One gold coin per week.
Her eyes nearly popped out.
One gold coin was enough to support a family of four for an entire month.
