Chapter 71

Episode 71

We had a visitor.

The door was closed, and young master McLellan stood respectfully beside the attendant with his hands clasped. It seemed he wasn’t visiting but waiting for someone.

“Young master, it’s been a while. How have you been? What brings you here?”

“Sir O’Brien, it’s good to see you again. I accompanied my brother. He’s currently paying his respects to the Lady.”

“I see.”

Judging from his expression, he must have heard about the incident in the capital.

The atmosphere became awkward.

When I first met young master McLellan, I had planned to use him to spread rumors. To portray him as the hero who saved the Lady from danger.

That’s why I had asked the Lady to dance with him at the banquet held at the Caribe villa.

But things went awry. The Lady chose me instead.

Perhaps he had sensed something between us since then.

“Oh, Sir O’Brien.”

Young master Eloan emerged from the room with a smile. It seemed like the meeting went well.

“Did you have a good talk?”

“Yes, your advice was timely. The Lady would have been very disappointed if I had insisted on holding the banquet. Hahaha. Let’s have a drink together next time.”

Eloan left with his brother, his hearty laughter echoing down the hallway.

I knocked and entered the room.

The Lady was about to start reading a book, but she smiled and closed it upon seeing me.

“Welcome back. Is the investigation over?”

“It’s just beginning. I expect to be summoned frequently. It’s a rare occurrence, after all.”

“I heard it was a 1-star demonic beast… Is that rare?”

She was either a brilliant actress or had maxed out her “acting innocent” skill.

“You know about this, my Lady. I heard you read some books when you mentioned the ‘Dark Soul’ before.”

“Ah, I just skimmed through them. I don’t know much about it.”

But I remembered the coldness in her eyes when she said the ‘Dark Soul’ was spreading.

“You said that objects from the demon realm rarely appear without reason. And you said the appearance of the ‘Dark Soul’ could be a sign of a demonic invasion. A 1-star demonic beast seems insignificant in comparison. It doesn’t add up.”

The phrase “sign of a demonic invasion” wasn’t something anyone could casually utter. Even high-ranking knights hesitated to use it.

But the Lady had said it so nonchalantly.

The warm-up was over.

It was time to press her for answers. I was determined to get what I wanted today.

“I apologize. I must have shown you my shortcomings…”

“No, it was my fault. Please forgive me. The appearance of a 1-star demonic beast isn’t that rare. But it’s significant because it happened after the military operation in Caribe. The number of monsters and the frequency of demonic beast appearances are usually proportional.”

“You’ve learned well. I’m sorry you’re going through this because of me. But please cooperate with the church as much as possible. I wouldn’t have returned if it weren’t for the divine protection.”

“No, I disagree, my Lady.”

“Hmm? Disagree?”

I looked up and met her gaze.

“I don’t believe this was a coincidence. And it definitely wasn’t divine protection. In fact… didn’t you orchestrate this entire incident?”

A profound silence descended upon the room, like the stillness before a battle at dawn.

The die was cast.

“As expected, you’re not offended. Everything is going according to my plan.”

“According to… your plan?”

I wanted to confirm the Lady’s true identity, but I also wanted to gain her trust. The Inspection Unit was just the tip of the iceberg.

If I was going to be her left hand, I needed to be involved in her affairs. Dipping only one foot in would make me look like a bat, unsure of where I belonged.

The Lucius Inspection Unit was just a shell.

I wanted to know what lay beneath it.

“I’m a bit confused. Did the church people cast a strange spell on you? Or are you so tired that you can’t distinguish between dreams and reality…?”

“No, I’m perfectly fine. I’m not tired at all.”

“You’re saying I orchestrated this… How can you even think such a ridiculous thing… But I’m not admitting to it. I’m just a bit frustrated and upset.”

“I see. Good.”

Her reaction was also within my expectations. She was behaving like a typical mastermind.

She shouldn’t underestimate me, armed with my knowledge of K-content.

“The burden of proof lies with the one making the claim, so I’ll prove my doubts myself. May I proceed?”

The Lady nodded in agreement.

I wished I could just tell her that I was a transmigrator and knew everything about her.

I calmly began my explanation.

“I had the opportunity to speak with Sir Edouard before.”

Edouard was known as the “Sage of Kalisto” and was also the Lady’s tutor.

“He said you’re incredibly knowledgeable, capable of understanding ten, no, a hundred things from a single lesson. And you’re interested in all fields of study. I pride myself on my intelligence, but you’re on a different level.”

“Hehe. That sounds more like praise than proof. Isn’t that something you can be born with? As a genius.”

The word “genius” was rarely uttered by the modest and humble Lady.

Genius.

This was a sign that things were going well.

“Even geniuses, or perhaps especially geniuses, have flaws. They have at least one distinct weakness.”

I was a prime example.

My weakness was “loneliness.” I had never known my parents and had lived my entire life alone. I chose to be a private investigator because I could work alone.

But the Lady was perfect in every way.

“You’re different, my Lady. You have the experience and composure of someone who has lived multiple lives.”

“That’s because you haven’t known me for long. I’m a very flawed person. You can tell by how much my father worries about me.”

It wasn’t easy.

The Lady skillfully dodged my attack.

“I can’t help but mention your extraordinary ambition. I’m sure you’re aware of it.”

“I remember. You asked me about it during our first mission, didn’t you? You asked if my goal was to become a wise ruler.”

“That’s right.”

“You thought I had ordered the assassination attempt.”

“I intentionally omitted the number of assassins in my report.”

The Lady’s eyes sparkled. I had successfully piqued her interest.

“If I had specified the number of assassins… it would have been circumstantial evidence that I had sent them, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re amazing, Sir Aubrey. To take such a risk against a member of House Kalisto.”

It didn’t sound like a compliment.

But I wouldn’t back down. The damage was already done.

“I had my doubts even before that. You accurately assessed my abilities based solely on my physical skills. Even Lady Selendis couldn’t do that. I doubt Sir Darius or even the Captain of the Imperial Guard could have done it.”

“Sir Aubrey, I assure you it was pure coincidence.”

“I knew you would say that. Let’s continue our conversation about you, my Lady.”

I stared at her intently, ignoring etiquette.

“Why are you so extraordinary?”

“Extraordinary? What do you mean?”

She reacted.

It was working.

“High-ranking noble ladies all enjoy luxury. They spend their time attending salons and engaging in romances. But you’re completely different. You’re indifferent, as if you’ve lived multiple lives. You worry about the people of the Dukedom and even study statecraft, even though you’re not in line for succession.”

“We’ve already discussed this… Perhaps it’s a habit I developed growing up? I love reading.”

“It’s beyond that.”

The Lady’s eyes gleamed.

“Nothing in this world is perfect. Not even the gods.”

“Isn’t that a dangerous thing to say with the church people around?”

It was time to present my concrete evidence.

“There have been many inexplicable incidents since our first mission. I haven’t mentioned this before, but I intentionally orchestrated this demonic beast attack to some extent.”

“Orchestrated? You can summon demonic beasts?”

“No. I formed a hypothesis that you could control monsters and demonic beasts, and I acted accordingly. Sir Romero is interested in me, but he hasn’t made another offer. I thought that if I told you about it, you would summon monsters again, just like you did on our way to the capital. I didn’t expect a demonic beast, though.”

The Lady just stared at me silently. I couldn’t tell if she was admitting it or not.

“Let’s talk about the demonic beast. You might be able to fool others, but you can’t fool me. It definitely recognized your presence. It sniffed you after hearing your scream.”

“I always wear perfume…”

“No, you don’t.”

I firmly cut her off.

Etiquette was less important than maintaining the flow of the conversation.

“Demonic beasts crave the flesh of humans and other races. It’s a well-known fact, even without consulting scholarly research. Yet, you were rescued unharmed. Even with divine protection, that’s impossible. The church’s persistent questioning is based on the same logic.”

“Well, it was a miracle. I thought I was going to die…”

“And there’s also the Lucius Club. You couldn’t have gathered such rare equipment without a vast organization behind you.”

“You’ve been working for our family for a while, but you don’t know much about us. A ducal family in the Empire isn’t that simple.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father knows about the Lucius Club.”

This was unexpected information.

If the Duke knew, it meant it wasn’t a secret organization?

“He sees it as his daughter’s little hobby. You haven’t seen the family’s secret vault, have you? If you had, you would realize that the Lucius Club is nothing.”

The tables had turned. My momentum was broken.

Just then, the Lady stood up.

She began pacing around the room, holding a book in her hand. Slowly.

“I guess I can’t hide it anymore. I don’t want to lose someone precious. The truth is…”