Chapter 208: 9:1 (3)

"I'm serious. I... I'm going to let him go," Rena said reluctantly.

I looked up at her. Rena's eyes were steady, filled with unwavering sincerity.

Sharunian's eyes widened, her voice laced with a low feline growl. "What? We went through all that trouble to catch this guy, and you're letting him go just because he shows up in your dreams? You're joking, right?"

"No. You know I'm not joking. Now lift the spell, please."

Naneow uttered, "

Huuuh...

I just don't get it."

Honestly, neither did I. Even though I was the one being released, I couldn't wrap my head around it. Rena's attitude before and after the body search had shifted drastically.

What is Rena thinking?

She'd said she didn't remember anything and that I was just someone who kept appearing in her dreams.

Could a modest Affection of 20 points really be enough to make her release a long-awaited target so easily? Is it truly some kind of bond from the dreams?

I couldn't understand it.

Swoosh.

Sharunian transformed into a white cat.

Something I'd heard before came to mind—when cat-humans were under stress, they reverted to their cat forms.

Now fully transformed, her ears perked up as she glanced to the side. "Founder, what do you think?"

Naneow Tropin had once saved me and Rena, and she now stood ready to slice off my head.

"Our branch director should do as she pleases. She's important, after all," Naneow Tropin replied confidently.

Naneow lowered the long shaft of her scythe. The formless pressure that had been pinning me down finally released.

With a faint smile, Rena turned to Naneow and casually said, "Give me the key."

Her tone indicated everything about how highly she was regarded within T&T. Even in a life-threatening situation, I couldn't help but feel oddly proud.

Naneow handed her the key. "Here."

Clank.

Rena inserted the plain-looking key into a small slot and turned it. Both the shackles and manacles clicked open at once. Now that I looked closely, faint runes glowed inside the cuffs. They'd really gone all out with this restraint gear.

"Release the spell, please," Rena added.

"

Sigh...

I really don't get it. You're just going to let him go?" Sharunian protested.

"Do it, Sharunian."

"

Nnngh...

"

The cat's eyes shimmered with a bluish light.

Tap.

Sharunian tapped my leg with a soft paw. The paralysis that had gripped my legs and then my whole skeleton vanished in an instant. In my previous life, she'd only ever shown visions of prophecy, but now she had powers like this too. She was definitely not a cat to be taken lightly.

Sharunian glared at me, visibly displeased. "

Hmph...

"

I sensed something odd from her.

Jealousy? No, there's no reason she'd feel that toward me. Must be my imagination.

"..."

Rena gave me a gentle push. "You're free to go now."

She's really letting me go?

Something still felt off, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Well then, I guess I'll be on my way."

I hadn't cleared up all my doubts, but it wasn't like I could stop and demand answers either.

Feigning nonchalance, I walked outside. Before the cabin door closed completely, I glanced back.

"..."

Naneow Tropin stood with her arms crossed, staring at me blankly. I recalled that she supposedly replaced all the blood in her body with Lurium, but this wasn't the time to ask about that. For now, I should be content with the fact that they let me go.

***

I took a long, winding path through the alleyways, but I didn't sense anyone tailing me. As unexpected as my abduction had been, my easy release had been even more of a surprise.

Maybe Rena has gotten... softer?

In the past, she probably wouldn't have let me go so easily.

Has her status changed her? Or did her difficult past shift into something else entirely?

Or maybe, just maybe, she was simply trusting her gut, believing that letting me go was the right choice.

[Skill: Stealth Lv. 6 activated.]

[Perk: Trace Erasure (C+) in effect...]

Thud.

I shut the stable door, even though the horse had left the barn. I might've been kidnapped by a monster like Naneow, but I wasn't about to let any other shady folks in Daliac get a read on my trail.

Once I was sure I wasn't being followed, I headed to where Isaac and Rubia were waiting.

Isaac, the crow puppet, clicked his beak irritably. "What in the world were you doing? Not that I was waiting for you."

"Just... got a little sidetracked at the auction," I answered.

"And that took you this long? Do you expect me to believe that?"

"You were gone a while. You didn't meet anyone on the way, did you?" Rubia asked.

"Not exactly."

A twinge of guilt prickled at me, but it wasn't a total lie. Technically, I hadn't met anyone, because I'd been abducted.

"Suspicious little bastard..." Isaac hissed.

Still, there was no reason to tell them about what happened with Rena.

"Even if you don't believe me, I've got nothing further to say."

Isaac slowly scanned me from top to bottom with a sharp look. "

Hmph...

is that so? Fine then."

A faint red glimmer flickered in the crow puppet's black eyes. His stare was suffocating.

I changed the subject quickly. "There's a problem with the auction."

"What kind of problem?"

"I bid twelve seirons for the coordinates of the Lurium, but it looks like there's competition. What do you think we should do?"

"

Hmm

. Give me the full details."

I explained what had happened at the auction house, minus the part about being kidnapped. There was nothing to hide otherwise.

After listening, Isaac scratched a small circle with his beak and shrugged. "Four hundred years ago, they used to call me the god of auctions. Listen up."

"

Oh?

Got something clever in mind?" I asked.

Isaac puffed up smugly, as if he'd been waiting for me to ask. "The key to any auction is understanding your opponent."

Of course, if one party knew what resources and intentions the other party had and how much they were willing to spend, then it was easy to outbid them. Anyone could say that, but Daliac's information broker obviously wasn't going to hand over that kind of data.

When I pointed this out, Isaac shook his head. "

Tsk, tsk.

Of course, the seller won't tell you. That's why we need to find out for ourselves. Where the apostle's blood gathers... when it rains, a white light appears."

"You mean a white rainbow," Rubia interjected.

"Exactly. We'll use that as bait to lure our rival out."

Rubia explained, "If they're after the Lurium, there's no way they'd sit still after hearing that."

"Quick to understand. Good."

It would've been nice if I understood just as quickly.

Why isn't there a stat to make my brain work faster?

No matter how high I raised my Wisdom, it only affected skill potency or duration. It never actually made me smarter. Maybe that was the real curse I could never escape, no matter how strong my stats got.

"What, you don't get it?" Issac teased.

"Why are you being so rude? We're not even sure if our theory will work," Rubia reasoned.

"Blindly taking his side..." Issac mumbled.

Rubia gently grabbed my hand. "It's nothing complicated. If a white rainbow appears where the Lurium is located, then we spread a rumor that someone saw it. That should draw someone in, most likely whoever's competing with us."

"Not a single thing to worry about when the person taking the lead knows exactly what she's doing. Unlike some people, I might add."

I finally understood. "Wait... are you saying that Rubia should be the one to do it?"

Rubia gave a small nod. "That's right. I'm the only one who can do it. Neither of you is exactly well-suited for blending into human cities, are you?"

Her expression was firm, full of resolve.

"..."

Isaac said to me, "If you're that worried, then go follow her. Don't you have stealth abilities? You're plenty strong. What's there to be afraid of?"

"Am I... really that strong?"

"

Heh...

What do you think you are? You alone are more powerful than an entire imperial knight order. You think I took an interest in you for nothing?"

Now that I thought about it, Issac wasn't wrong. Sure, my confidence had taken a hit after how easily I'd been overwhelmed earlier, but that was just because the opponent was far too powerful.

Naneow Tropin.

She was a legend—someone I'd expect to read about in ancient texts. She was the founder of T&T, active behind the scenes for over four hundred years. With people like her, Isaac, and the swordmasters of the Empire constantly in my orbit, I'd started to believe I was weak by comparison.

The figures I encountered were so absurdly powerful that my strength scale had become completely warped.

Isaac flapped his wings, snapping me out of it. "And I'll be following, too. As long as the Empire's Four Swordmasters don't come to assassinate Rubia, nothing will happen."

"Did you have to put it like that?" I complained.

"What, you want me to sugarcoat it?"

"Why'd you have to bring up the Empire's Swordmasters like that? Even if it's just a hypothetical, you shouldn't say things like that."

My chest felt tight just remembering that grotesque duke or the marquis who had hounded me.

"Words have power, you know," I muttered.

"Keh keh keh..."

Isaac let out a derisive laugh, practically mocking me. "You lunatic. Only a full-blown paranoid would come up with something like that."

Rubia gave a small bow. "

Uh...

Thank you, but I think you might be worrying a little too much."

"You think the Empire's Four Swordmasters have nothing better to do than come all the way here to assassinate one girl? They're probably out slaying monsters or solving problems that come with lavish rewards."

"Maybe..."

"Enough with your mental illness. Just follow quietly. Even if it's not a swordmaster, some street thug might show up."

After being scolded, I sheepishly activated my Stealth skill and slipped in behind Rubia.

***

"

Phew...

"

Rubia stretched, took a deep breath, and then strode confidently into a fabric shop near Daliac.

The shopkeeper greeted Rubia. "May I help you?"

The shop was run by a middle-aged woman with a relaxed, gentle aura. To me, the store didn't look like anything special. I leaned against a wall in my stealth state while Isaac took up position near the window.

"Hey. Don't be so tense. You're literally invisible," Issac whispered.

I didn't reply.

Regardless of whether she knew what I was thinking, Rubia naturally struck up a conversation with the shopkeeper. "The mistletoe wreath on the door was just so lovely... I found myself walking in without even realizing it!"

The woman's expression instantly softened. I hadn't noticed it before, but she must've been quite proud of the decoration.

"I made it myself, actually. You're the first customer to say something like that."

"It's just so beautiful!

Ah

, now that I'm here, could you show me some fabric? I was just thinking..."

Five minutes later, Rubia had already gotten close enough to the shopkeeper to know how many forks she owned.

"

Oh

, by the way... this fabric reminds me of a white rainbow I saw recently. I just can't get it out of my head."

There hadn't even been a drop of rain, let alone a rainbow. And yet Rubia said it so smoothly, without batting an eye. Maybe she had a real knack for lying.

The shopkeeper's eyes widened with curiosity, thrilled to have some fresh gossip to spice up her day. "A white rainbow?"

"Yes! I'd never seen anything like it. It looked like it was surrounded by mist... and it formed this perfect arc in the most unexpected place. It was mesmerizing."

***

Rubia stepped outside, cheeks red as apples. "How was that? I did well, didn't I?"

I complimented her. "I never would've imagined it."

"

Hehe

, I'm just glad I could be useful."

"Okay, that's enough."

"The shopkeeper really seemed into it. Did you help out a little too, Sir Isaac?"

"

Hmph

. I cast a minor charm. That woman's definitely going to go around blabbing about it now. All you need to do is keep being the spark. On to the next spot."

By the next day, Rubia had visited all sorts of shops and carried out her role effortlessly, without missing a beat.

"I think that should be enough."

"The rumor's bound to spread now. Maybe it already has?"

After stopping by a flower shop, a clothing store, a shoemaker, and finally a bakery, we were walking down the street together again. Despite the cold winter air, a little boy wearing only a single layer was curled up in a corner.

"

Oh,

no... poor thing," Rubia whined.

Just as Rubia reached out to offer him the freshly baked bread, a voice I recognized spoke out behind us.

"Sympathy without understanding doesn't actually help anyone."