episode_0499

“Uh?!”

“… … ?”

“… … .”

“… Sister Lily?”

A quiet mealtime. My voice suddenly burst out.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on me, who had an expression on her face as if she was about to spit out what was inside her at any moment.

“… Sorry, I think I have a cold. I have a little bit of an appetite.”

“I see. Be careful during the changing of seasons, Sister Lily. Always cover your neck with the blanket.”

“… Okay. I’ll be careful next time.”

Miriff said that he had a cold or something like that, but one thing was certain: it wasn’t something like a cold.

I didn’t feel particularly dizzy or anything, didn’t seem to have a fever, and didn’t have any symptoms like a cough or sore throat.

That awful taste I just felt on my tongue… It was a completely different sensation from simply not being able to taste anything because I had a cold.

-Dalgrak.

“… … .”

-Huruk.

“… … !”

I took another sip of the soup as a test, and the disgusting sensation rose from the back of my tongue again.

After struggling to resist that feeling, I was now half-convinced that it was definitely not just a cold or some other illness that was making me feel this way.

… Actually, it’s been almost two months since my last period, so I was expecting it to some extent, even if it wasn’t morning sickness.

‘It really happened… .’

He was a boy in his prime, and his lower body was also very healthy.

Well, at that time, I only had sex a few times, saying it was my last memory, so it might have been strange if I didn’t get pregnant. It was also a dangerous day.

‘If this is the case even though I only used contraception once, it wouldn’t have been strange if I got pregnant at any time if I hadn’t used the clean magic properly in the past.’

“… … .”

-Jiying… .

As I sat blankly at the table with those thoughts in my mind, I felt Mirif’s worried gaze from the side, so I continued eating quietly to pretend that there was no problem.

-Crispy.

“… … !”

Buttered toast… is impossible as is.

-soil.

“… … .”

The fried eggs taste different than usual, but… it’s not to the point where I can’t eat them.

-well.

“… … ?”

The potato salad, which I usually left half because it didn’t have much texture, was surprisingly delicious. It was so delicious that I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what potato salad originally tasted like.

‘Is this what they mean when they say your taste buds change when you’re pregnant?’

First of all, if you leave too much, the senior priestess will give you a little hint, so you have to eat as much as you can.

I managed to escape the restaurant by spreading some decent potato salad on toast.

… Maybe starting tomorrow morning, it will be a little difficult to eat together like this.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Sigh… .”

A group prayer held by priests and believers after breakfast.

As I naturally spent more time alone than in prayer, I carefully considered what to do in the future.

‘It seems like it would be difficult to continue attending church any longer.’

Even if there were frequent times when lunch would be eaten outside due to schedule constraints, it was a basic rule of group life that everyone would gather together for breakfast and dinner.

We all eat the same meal together, but I can’t ask for a special menu because of my morning sickness, and since this is my first time experiencing something like this, I don’t even know what I want to eat.

I only thought about leaving the church because I didn’t like Ermia or because there was a problem in the church, but I never thought I would leave the dorm I was used to because the food didn’t suit my taste. And that was the food I had been eating for a month without any problems.

‘It’s not like I hate Ermia in particular. I have no choice but to tell the priest that I will be living alone from today onwards and then go out.’

You can make excuses like, “I’m starting to save enough money to become independent.”

I’m sure Miriff would be a little disappointed, but it couldn’t be helped.

In the first place, I only go to church and I have no intention of leaving Ermia or anything.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

And then, that afternoon.

“… Ten gold coins a month?”

“Yes. Isn’t it really cheap? There’s no other item available at this price at this time of year, really!”

What the fuck.

I barely managed to hold back the curses that almost burst out of my mouth at the absurd prices of the accommodation.

I’m not looking for a house, just a room at a hotel, so earning ten gold coins a month isn’t a joke.

This is also cheaper because it is a long-term stay, and the basic price is originally 50 silver coins per day. There is a limit to how crazy the prices are.

‘Somehow it seems like there are a lot of adventurers in the Adventurer’s Guild who sleep around from the daytime.’

Now that I look at it, it seems like they are the type of adventurers who get some sleep at the Adventurer’s Guild during the day and go out on expeditions at night.

There’s no way an adventurer below D-class could live in Ermia by paying 50 silver coins per day.

‘If this happens, the plan will go awry… .’

Even if you had a lot of money saved up, spending 10 gold coins a month was an absurd expense. The prices were so ridiculous that you would lose money just by breathing.

It’s not a lie, I was in a situation where I had to leave the village because of morning sickness and money. Or I could have just slept at the adventurer’s guild during the day like other adventurers.

Of course, it would be impossible for a woman to do such a thing because it would be too risky and would also be too much luggage. In addition, it would be impossible to always carry around a bag of gold coins containing over 300 gold coins.

“… If you are concerned about the price, you can rent accommodation at a low interest rate. Just sign the magic contract here… .”

“No need.”

“Ah, I see! Eight gold coins a month… Oh, no, just seven… Wait a minute, sir… !!”

He hurried out of the room, leaving the innkeeper behind as he tried to sign the slave contract known as the Godfather Contract.

Renting a house in a city like this would obviously cost more than twice as much as staying in a hotel, and living there would be even less sense, so I’ll pass.

In the first place, if the cost of lodging at a hotel was like that, it was highly likely that even if you spent all your gold, you wouldn’t be able to find a decent house. In a neighborhood where a motel room costs 1.5 million won per day, that means you’re trying to find a house for just 1 billion won.

When I was wandering the streets without a destination, worried and unable to tell the priest that I was going to leave the church, I was at a loss.

“… So, you said you saw a girl named ‘Assassin Lily’?”

‘……huh?’

A familiar voice that should never be heard came from across the alley.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

A week ago, Iron Horde Adventurer’s Guild.

“… So, it’s been over a month since Release… No, ‘Assassin Lily’ didn’t show up?”

“That’s right, Prince Blackwood… . We, we don’t know where they went, and we can’t monitor every single action of the adventurers in the first place… .”

“… … Phew.”

After running for two days and nights, I finally got from Blackwood to Ironhorde.

Ethan’s head was pounding as if it would explode at any moment at the absurd answer from the returning Adventurer’s Guild Master.

‘Release… .’

You sent me a message telling me to come see you and then ran away?

Or did you just want to see me make a fool of myself from the beginning?

Ethan, whose anger had grown so great that he momentarily felt hostile toward Lilith, soon realized that he was mistaken and shook his head.

‘No, no. There’s nothing wrong with the release.’

How could anyone trust and follow the Adventurer’s Guild that had already pushed him into the cave with the Goblin King once?

Besides, if you just listen to the story, the guild leader spent 40 gold coins, including the ten gold coins that were given to him, so it seems like he might send out a dangerous mission that doesn’t fit his rank in order to retaliate in anger.

It would have been the right choice to break up with this adventurer’s guild a long time ago. He’s probably living in another town with an adventurer’s guild by now.

… Yeah. These guys are the ones who are wrong. These guys didn’t behave properly, so Lilith left the Iron Horde.

-Sreung.

“Eek! Calm down, Your Majesty! We, we will release people all over the town to catch that woman who impersonated the Blackwood family… .”

“You dare do that to Lilith? Then before you do that, I’ll make sure to take your head off today.”

“… Ah, ahhh!! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!! Go, seeing His Majesty getting angry, I thought that Miss ‘Assassin Lily’ was angry because she was an imposter, so my words came out incoherently…!!”

“… … .”

I would have liked to cut off this man’s head right then and there and hang it at the entrance to the guild, but doing something like that now would bring shame on the Blackwood family.

If he did something like that and the person called ‘Assassin Lily’ was really just an imposter pretending to be the Duke of Blackwood, then his own evaluation would be that he was just a spoiled brat who killed people on the spur of the moment.

And since Ironhorde is an area that belongs to a local count’s family, not the Blackwood estate or a branch family’s estate, there may be cases in the future where the family has to pay compensation to other nobles.

Also, the other adventurers in the Adventurer’s Guild who didn’t know the inside story of the incident would probably not leave him alone after he decapitated the guild leader. After all, the guild itself was their bread and butter, so they would definitely be furious at the guild leader’s death.

-Slurp.

“… Phew, phew.”

Ethan quietly put away his sword, and the Iron Horde guild leader barely managed to breathe a sigh of relief at Ethan’s actions.

“You’d better hope he’s an impersonator.”

“… … Yes?”

“If that ‘Assassin Lily’ is really the woman I’m looking for, then you guys would be daring to risk your life against the ‘fiancee’ of the Blackwood family.”

“… Hey, you’re my fiancée… . Oh, you seem so elegant… .”

“Instead of talking nonsense, just cooperate quietly. If you help me find her, I’ll consider reducing the punishment a bit.”

“Oh, I’ll be happy to help! Tell me anything!”

Although he would not feel satisfied even if he were to cut off the head of the man in front of him, there was something more important to Ethan right now than venting his anger in such a petty way.

“Bring me the records of the last two weeks that you guys were talking about. ‘Assassin Lily’s’ adventures. Every single one of them.”

Slowly, Ethan narrowed down the search for the release.