Chapter 34

“She was the one who started it.”

There was no need to provoke her. Since I was still in the dark, I figured it was best to avoid any probing questions for the Countess.

“I knew the two of you didn’t get along, but I didn’t realize you wanted her dead.”

…I think you’re the one who wants me dead more, My Lady. After all, your dislike for me is a full thirty points lower than Sera’s. And if we’re being technical, I wasn’t actually trying to kill Sera. I just threw her in the dungeon while babbling something about Belita’s revenge.

‘I only did it because I thought locking up the real culprit might reveal something new.’

I swear, I never imagined Sera would end up like that during the interrogation.

“Well, just don’t get in the way. Just pretend to help with the rescue. You know the drill.”

The Countess paused as she reached for the doorknob, turning back to me with a slightly softened voice.

“On a personal level, I can’t stand the sight of you, but you do have your uses…”

Click!

As the sound of the knob turning echoed, a flurry of thoughts clouded my mind. However, the conclusion was surprisingly clear. It meant Belita had been on the Countess’s side all along. She wasn’t just some ordinary Extra A who had been framed and killed.

“Sigh…”

Once the Countess left, I collapsed onto the bed. This was an environment where I couldn’t help but sigh, even if I didn’t want to.

‘I need to get a proper handle on the situation.’

One wrong move and I’m dead. Even if the Countess isn’t showing immediate hostility, her affection is at -110, explicitly labeled as “Hatred” in the parentheses. In this game, once affection—whether positive or negative—passes the 100 mark, big changes occur.

‘An emotion label appears next to the affection value.’

It was a system that defined the exact sentiment someone held toward me. Positive values triggered positive emotions, while negative ones triggered the opposite.

‘This is bad.’

The Countess knew Belita’s true identity, something even I wasn’t sure of. If she let slip even a single word, my current party would turn into enemies in an instant. The protagonist was the biggest problem. Back at the mansion, the circumstances made it look like Sera had framed an innocent Belita.

‘But that wasn’t it.’

Sera’s true goal was eliminating a rival. Or perhaps she was trying to get rid of a bothersome colleague. Sera killing Robert probably wasn’t her own idea, either. She must have been following orders.

There was an even more chilling fact. One of the revelations from the Garain County event was that the Rubel Ducal House was involved in the Countess’s affairs. That meant there was a high probability the mastermind behind Robert’s murder was a member of the Rubel family.

‘And that mastermind is likely the current Duke, Jeffrey Rubel.’

It wasn’t certain yet, but if the protagonist found out, the quest would go up in flames.

“…Crazy.”

I couldn’t even vent my frustrations properly because the chat window had just activated. That meant it was morning.

In a gloomy room where the thick demonic energy made it impossible to tell if the sun had risen, we met in secret without even lighting a lamp.

“I had a dream last night.”

In reality, I hadn’t slept a wink, so I hadn’t seen so much as a glimpse of a dream. Yet, the party members lit up with joy, looking like detectives who had finally found a lead in a dead-end case.

“No way…”

“Ooh! Did you actually see something!?”

-Ooooooh

-Tell us quick

I nodded and began my explanation.

“I saw the Countess walking down a flight of stairs. She arrived at a very secret, gloomy basement. She walked through it as if she were familiar with the place. And that basement was littered with the corpses of magic beasts…”

When I finished, the party members tilted their heads in confusion.

“A basement?”

“And with magic beast corpses? What on earth…”

“We must find that basement first. The key to solving this demonic energy contamination might be there.”

“Sir Hereis, do you think the Mother is in that basement?”

“I’m not sure yet, but wouldn’t searching the mansion be faster than wandering aimlessly through this vast county? If it’s not in the basement, we can head outside after.”

“Since this came from the Saintess’s dream… searching there first does seem right.”

It seemed that witnessing the mansion exactly as I had described yesterday had made a huge impact on them. Unlike the day before yesterday, when they followed me with a hint of suspicion, they were now quite proactive.

‘Well, it’s good that I’ve built some trust.’

Feeling emboldened, I kept talking.

“If all five of us start prowling around the mansion trying to find a basement, the Countess will find it suspicious.”

“We just have to hide well…”

“Umm. I know you’re all skilled, but wouldn’t it be hard to stay hidden? From the Countess’s perspective, we’re unwelcome intruders. If it were me, I’d definitely have us under constant surveillance!”

Kalat actually said something helpful for once. Arianne conceded immediately.

“You’re right. I was being reckless.”

“Then what should we do?”

At Ilian’s question, I offered my opinion as if I’d been waiting for it.

“I have an idea. Didn’t we agree to head out for the rescue tomorrow? We’ll trick them into thinking all of us are going.”

“But in reality, a few will stay behind to search the basement?”

Kalat was being surprisingly sharp, and I almost found him endearing. At any rate, this would allow us to shake off any surveillance for a while. We could buy enough time to search the basement comfortably.

“As expected of the Saintess! It’s a simple but wise method!”

“I suppose it’s fine.”

I was basically just telling them to lie, though. Perhaps because that didn’t sit well with our righteous Imperial Knights, their affection didn’t go up.

“And I have a feeling the basement should be searched by digging from the outside, not from within the mansion. Specifically, the land to the east and west of the estate.”

“East and west… Understood.”

“Perfect. Then we should divide the team into those staying and those heading out.”

“The Saintess is a must since she has the barrier…”

“It’s too dangerous for her to go alone, so she’ll need at least one person to accompany her.”

“…”

Silence fell instantly. A subtle tension gripped the room.

“Saintess! Whom shall you take with you?”

‘Is that even a question?’

Obviously, it had to be the protagonist. However, picking him without a second thought would surely tank the affection points of the other three. To avoid hurting their feelings, I needed to explain my reasoning logically, step by step.

I cast a subtle glance toward Kalat before speaking.

“First, I’d like it to be someone capable of being an escort.”

“Ah!”

“Also, I hope for someone with a heart warm enough to treat the poor employees with kindness.”

“Ah…”

“Ahem.”

The scrawny Kalat was the first to be filtered out, while Ilian and Arianne failed the personality test. That left only one person…

-It’s Hereis lol

-The protagonist got picked just for being nice lol

“Then it’s me. Thank you for your trust, Saintess.”

“Sir Hereis again…”

“Well, I don’t really have anything to say to that. The Vice-Commander is the perfect fit.”

And so, it was settled: Arianne and the other two would handle the basement search, while the protagonist and I took charge of the survivor rescue. After getting ready, we decided to attend the breakfast the Countess had invited us to.

Just then, Arianne, who was about to leave the room, paused as if she’d forgotten something and turned back to me.

“Oh, by the way, I thought I saw the Countess visiting your room last night. What did she say?”

…So she wasn’t sleeping after all. I answered with confidence.

“She was prying into how we managed to withstand the demonic energy. I just brushed it off, saying I wasn’t sure.”

“Why specifically you, Saintess?”

Ilian voiced his suspicion.

“Perhaps I looked like the easiest target? Compared to dealing with a priest or knights.”

“I see. You did well!”

Fortunately, the party seemed to believe me. The protagonist nodded in agreement.

“That makes sense.”

“I didn’t bother asking since it seemed she left quickly.”

So the protagonist and Ilian knew too. The chilling thought that they might have heard the conversation crossed my mind, but I quickly shook it off.

‘If they had, a sword would’ve been at my throat by now.’

The Countess and I had spoken in near whispers, and the soundproofing in the Garain mansion was excellent.

“Is everyone such a light sleeper? Or did you all just not sleep at all?”

Kalat, whose skin was glowing and vibrant as if he alone had enjoyed a deep slumber, asked in shock.

“I take it Priest Kalat had an absolutely wonderful night’s sleep, then?”

“Huh? O-Oh, no. I had trouble sleeping too… The mansion felt a bit eerie…”

After his timid, defensive reply, Kalat thought for a moment and then got worked up.

“Wait a minute, did none of you manage your condition despite having such an important task ahead?”

“Knights of our caliber are fine even if we don’t sleep for a week.”

“Surely you haven’t been awake for a whole week?”

“Who do you think has been standing watch all this time?”

So they didn’t sleep.

“Gosh, no wonder everyone looks like a mess! Condition management is also a knight’s duty—mph!”

Just then, Ilian frowned and covered the grumbling Kalat’s mouth. Immediately after, someone knocked on the door.

“Arianne. It’s you, right? It’s me, Rosette!”

“Rosette?”

While Arianne went to quietly open the door, Ilian and the protagonist, as if they had rehearsed it, each grabbed Kalat and me and leapt out the window. Kalat let out a scream, but fortunately, it was muffled by Ilian’s palm. And…

‘Making eye contact with the ground is a bit intense.’

-Look at the protagonist sneaking in some skinship

-It’s a back hug, a back hug!

-Isn’t she just a piece of luggage?

-Lololol

…I was definitely closer to a piece of luggage. The protagonist was holding me with one hand while gripping the window frame with the other.

‘This isn’t exactly a lovey-dovey situation.’

With a strange feeling that was disappointing yet somehow not, I desperately tried to keep my eyes looking up. We were only five stories up, but looking out a window versus dangling in mid-air triggered a whole different level of terror.

Checking next to me, I saw Kalat, paralyzed with fear and unable to even scream, clinging to Ilian’s lower body like a cicada. Seeing someone in a worse state than me made me feel a bit more at ease.

-Look at Ilian lol

-I feel bad for him T_T

-His pants are gonna get pulled down

Regardless, voices drifted through the window. Conveniently, the perspective on the screen shifted to Arianne. This would be a good chance to eavesdrop. Time to focus.

“Ari! I had no idea you were part of the investigation team. I’m so happy to see you!”

“Have you been well?”

“How could I not be! But I heard you’re starting the rescue today!”

-Oh… another Arianne monologue

-Rosette is cute, she’s so tiny

-I think she looks smaller because Arianne is so tall?

“Yes. We’ll leave as soon as breakfast is over.”

“I mean, I’m working here as the Treasurer! But then suddenly things went crazy outside, and they said demonic energy was spreading!”

“It must have been hard for you.”

“Hard doesn’t even cover it! But I’m so glad the rescue team finally arrived! I can finally leave this crazy place! Sob. I miss clean air so much!”

-Oh no

-T_T