Ch.147147. Is This the Price of My Faith!?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Casia Spear.”

What the hell is this meeting…

What kind of situation is this?

Casia Spear, someone I thought I’d never see in my lifetime, has come to Lake Territory….

I narrowed my eyes and silently stared at Dernis.

He said he’d persuade her completely before coming back, so I trusted him and went ahead first, but he brought back trouble.

Is this the reward for my trust!?

Leaving Dernis behind with his eyes tightly shut, I calmly looked at Casia Spear.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. But why have you come to see me?”

“Ah… I wanted to visit the territory that repelled the monster wave. But it seems you know Dernis?”

Dernis was still shaking his head with his eyes tightly shut.

Hiding my bewildered expression, I continued calmly.

“I met Dernis once when he was a wandering mercenary. We have a connection from back then.”

“Is that so? When coming here, I wasn’t told that Dernis had a connection with Lord Selden Alphonse…”

It was a moment that would fluster even someone as perceptive as me.

It seems Dernis didn’t have time to give me a heads-up.

Well, if they came straight from Parsece Territory together, he wouldn’t have had time to send a letter.

A bead of cold sweat ran down my forehead.

I curled up the corners of my mouth with feigned nonchalance.

“That, that must be why. Dernis probably thought I was just a mercenary, not a noble. I was just as surprised to see him!”

Casia tilted her head in confusion, then seemed to realize something as she clapped her hands with an exclamation.

“Ah! So it’s customary for men of the Alphonse family to live as mercenaries alone when they reach a certain age?”

“Well… something like that.”

“That’s amazing. As expected of a family that repelled a monster wave!”

At least she doesn’t seem to have discovered that I’m the same person as Levan…

But why did she suddenly come to Lake Territory?

Is it really because we repelled the monster wave?

Various thoughts crossed my mind, but Casia paid no attention as she adjusted her cute red hairpin.

“You know Elina, right?”

“Do you mean Lady Elina Parsece?”

“Yes, the one who was at war with the Cardrian family recently.”

“…I know about that.”

“I’ve been friends with Elina since childhood, and I’ve heard a lot about Selden Alphonse.”

“Is that so?”

“So, may I ask you for a favor?”

If it had been someone else asking, I would have nodded readily, but something about Casia Spear gave me an inexplicable sense of unease, making me lean back slightly.

“I’ll try my best to accommodate if it’s not an unreasonable request.”

At that, Casia Spear smiled brightly.

“May I stay at this mansion for a few days?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m not used to staying at inns. It’s also dangerous.”

In truth, sparing a room was no big deal.

It was an easier request than I expected, but since the person in question was the unpredictable Casia Spear, I couldn’t readily agree.

However.

It was such a simple request that it would be awkward to refuse.

Moreover, she had emphasized her friendship with “Elina,” making it even more difficult.

“…Alright. I’ll provide two rooms for you and Dernis.”

“Thank you. And if you have time, could you show me around Lake Territory?”

“Well, unfortunately I have a lot of work today, but I’ll show you around Lake Territory tomorrow.”

“You really are as wonderful as Elina said.”

Casia Spear rose with a smile that anyone could see was artificial.

Then she looked at Dernis, who was standing there blankly.

“Dernis, you should catch up with Lord Selden Alphonse since it’s been a while since you’ve met.”

“…Yes, understood.”

It felt like a proper storm had just passed through.

I sat on the sofa, took a deep breath to calm my anger, then beckoned to Dernis with my finger.

“Sit here.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Dernis apologized as soon as he sat on the sofa, bowing his head.

I sighed briefly before speaking.

“Never mind that. Explain everything without omitting anything—why Casia Spear visited Lake Territory.”

“I, I’m truly wronged. I was going to have a conversation with Lady Casia Spear and then head straight to Lake Territory.”

“And then?”

“Suddenly Lady Casia Spear said she was visiting Lake Territory.”

“Without any reason?”

Dernis continued, speaking passionately as if truly aggrieved.

“Yes, even when I asked, she gave the absurd reason that she wanted to see Lake Territory that had repelled the monster wave.”

“Why do you think that’s absurd? She might genuinely want to see Lake Territory that repelled the monster wave.”

“Absolutely not! Lady Casia Spear is someone who has no interest in the world beyond people within her own circle. No matter how impressive repelling a monster wave is, she wouldn’t suddenly take interest in Lake Territory.”

It was only natural that Dernis knew Casia Spear better than I did, having encountered her more times.

I clutched my throbbing head.

“Can you think of any possible motive?”

“I don’t know. I was simply trying to come here as promised when I heard Lady Casia Spear was going to Lake Territory, and she subtly tagged along saying we were heading the same way.”

“Well, you did the right thing there. If you had left first and happened to meet her here by chance, she might have realized that I am Levan.”

Dernis, who had been hanging his head, seemed to recall something and gulped nervously.

“Come to think of it, Lady Casia Spear seemed to have spoken with Lady Elina before heading to Lake Territory.”

“I already know that. She went to chat with her all night, didn’t she? And Elina shouldn’t know that I am Levan, right?”

“I’m not certain either. What’s clear is that after that day, Lady Casia Spear suddenly announced she would visit Lake Territory.”

If my identity had been revealed, Elina would have visited personally.

No matter how much Dernis and I put our heads together, we couldn’t figure out why Casia Spear had come to Lake Territory.

“Haa… Maybe it’s better to just think she simply wanted to see the territory that historically repelled a monster wave?”

“Didn’t I tell you that given Lady Casia Spear’s personality, she’s absolutely not that kind of person…”

“But there’s no other reason!”

“…That’s true.”

“And what are you going to do? If you followed her saying you were going the same way, you can’t stay here indefinitely.”

Dernis and I looked at each other and sighed simultaneously.

“Haa…”

“Huu…”

But.

When I thought about it, I had no reason to be afraid.

Even if my identity as Levan was discovered, not much would change.

If getting involved in the war between the Parsece and Cardrian families was an issue, Casia Spear had also secretly supported Dernis as a mercenary, so we each had leverage over the other.

Of course, being friends with Elina, she wouldn’t blackmail me, which meant there was no possibility of that.

However.

Casia Spear, whom I’d only met twice, was an unpredictable woman, which made me uneasy.

This was especially true given how busy I was with attracting tourists.

I rested my chin on my palm and stared at Dernis.

“I’ve already told Casia Spear that you and I have a past connection, so it wouldn’t be strange for you to stay here for a few days.”

“…I should have come alone cleanly. I have no excuse.”

“It’s fine. There’s nothing that could be used against us, and even if my identity as Levan is revealed, she doesn’t seem like she’d spread rumors.”

Dernis still seemed dejected, his shoulders slumped as he continued.

“So what should I do now?”

“Just unpack your things and rest for now. Since it’s come to this, I’ll show Casia Spear around the territory tomorrow.”

“…Understood.”

I immediately called Padericks and instructed him to guide Dernis to his room, then headed to the training ground.

Leonard was already lying on the floor, completely battered.

Should I say it felt like all the stress I’d been feeling vanished in an instant?

I bent down to look at Leonard lying on the floor.

“Brother, are you alright?”

Ignoring my words, Leonard half-raised his body and glared at Rio standing in the middle of the training ground.

His voice was heated.

“You, do you think you’ll get away with treating me like this? When I become the head of the family, I’ll make sure to fix your attitude first.”

That’s right.

If Leonard is so eager to help relieve my stress, I can’t just stand by as his brother.

Holding a wooden sword, I flashed an artificial smile toward Leonard.

“Then instead of Rio, I’ll be your opponent now.”