Ch.200200. How should I express this feeling? Disgust? Discomfort? Anger?

“What do you call Jawil Wilson?”

“Huh? Jawil Wilson calls me ‘Young Master’?”

The cold atmosphere of the reception room.

It was quite a contrast to the warm tea in the cup.

“Young Master, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“I thought you heard everything from Jawil Wilson?”

“….How could you deceive us? Pandera territory is a place where residents from other territories cannot freely enter.”

How should I put this?

Perhaps because Pandera territory doesn’t have a strict class system, Clara only changed how she addressed me after learning I was a noble, but her manner of speaking remained largely the same.

If anything, I felt more respected when I was wearing Jawil Wilson’s transformation leather on my face.

Of course, I had no intention of flaunting my noble status anyway.

I gripped the teacup and spoke.

“That’s right, it was possible because other territory residents can’t enter Pandera territory.”

“….What do you mean?”

“If people from other territories had been coming and going, Chief Loris wouldn’t have gotten any foolish ideas.”

Clara was also one of the people I had many conversations with before coming here.

Realizing the intent behind my words, she bit her thin lips.

“….It’s not certain yet that Chief Loris is the cause of the disappearances, is it?”

“Wortman and Berik said they would investigate secretly while I was away in Lake territory, so nothing is certain yet.”

“Then why are you speaking so definitively, Young Master?”

“You’re a mage too, so you know well. The value of a necklace imbued with magic.”

“That alone isn’t enough evidence to prove Chief Loris made Pandera residents disappear.”

I set the teacup down on the table.

Then I leaned my head toward Clara.

“I may not have evidence, but I have strong suspicions, since Brond tried to kill me… no, Jawil Wilson.”

“That could have been Brond acting alone, unrelated to Chief Loris, couldn’t it?”

“Why would Brond want to kill Jawil Wilson?”

“T-That’s….”

I smirked at Clara, whose face had turned as red as a strawberry.

“Just because you like Jawil Wilson?”

“….Are you saying there’s another reason?”

“Let’s say there could be. But if Brond tried to kill you because you liked Jawil Wilson, where would he get such courage?”

“….Pardon?”

“Didn’t you see the expressions on Brond and his followers?”

Clara tilts her head with her face still flushed.

“….I don’t understand….”

“They were people trying to commit murder. Even excluding you, they tried to kill three people—me, Berik, and Wortman.”

“Y-Yes, they did.”

“But how were their eyes and posture? Did they look like people killing someone for the first time?”

Now understanding my meaning, Clara lets out a small sigh.

“Ah…..”

“They weren’t awkward or nervous at all. Which means, this wasn’t their first time.”

“….But that’s just your suspicion, not evidence….”

Clara’s voice trails off.

She stopped herself from denying it.

Literally, there was no evidence, but the puzzle pieces fit together too perfectly.

I wiggled my eyebrows for the confused Clara.

“No need to overthink this. If our investigation shows Chief Loris isn’t involved, there’s no problem, right?”

“Are you saying you’ll just back off?”

“Of course.”

“….Jawil Wilson told me you needed the magic grass from Pandera territory, but you’re saying you’ll just back off?”

Jawil Wilson…..

This guy told Clara about the magic grass too? I thought he only explained about the transformation leather.

He’s really spilling information to his first love, isn’t he?

I sighed briefly and wiggled my eyebrows.

“But why are you so dissatisfied?”

“….Pardon?”

“After all, I’m the one who saved your mother’s life.”

“T-That’s because you killed Julian—”

“So what you’re trying to say is that I shouldn’t have come to Pandera territory pretending to be Jawil Wilson, right?”

“….”

I continued speaking to Clara, who was keeping her mouth tightly shut.

“Then you would have lived your whole life tormented by Brond. Could you have escaped from him? Every time you tried to leave Pandera territory, he would surely threaten you by holding your mother’s life in his hands.”

“….”

“And yes, I saved you, but don’t misunderstand. If you hadn’t warned me about Brond’s scheme in advance, you would have died by my hand that day too.”

“….”

I pushed a bit too hard, and Clara’s fingers trembled.

It wasn’t anger.

Her body was simply reacting to the slight killing intent I had shown.

I relaxed my brow and lowered my voice as I continued.

“The people of Pandera territory should be grateful that I impersonated Jawil Wilson.”

“….Why is that?”

Clara raised her head after a long silence.

I couldn’t answer.

I couldn’t just bluntly say I had planned to visit Pandera territory with a dragon, could I?

I smiled casually.

“Never mind that. Be grateful to Jawil Wilson. If it weren’t for him, Pandera territory might already be a sea of flames.”

“Hearing you speak, I can’t understand why I mistook you for Jawil Wilson.”

“The transformation leather must be that perfect.”

I put my arms behind my head and whistled, and Clara muttered quietly.

“No wonder I didn’t feel any excitement.”

…..Huh?

Does she mean Jawil Wilson excites her but I don’t?

While I have zero interest in Jawil Wilson’s first love, this is the most…

How should I describe this feeling? Disgust? Displeasure? Anger?

I’m not sure.

Anyway, it’s not a good feeling.

I took a deep breath, maintaining my composure.

“Anyway, even if the magic grass works, if Chief Loris is an honest person, what you’re worried about won’t happen. I’m not a robber who steals from others.”

“I understand. And thank you.”

“For what?”

“You’re right. If you hadn’t visited Pandera territory, I would have suffered under Brond for the rest of my life.”

I waved my hand dismissively in the air.

“Don’t thank me, thank the person you like.”

“….What?”

“As I said earlier, if it weren’t for Jawil Wilson, I would have just taken the magic grass and left Pandera territory, regardless of what happened to you all.”

Clara scans the reception room with a reddened face, looking around.

After confirming once more that it’s just the two of us, she shrugs her shoulders and lets out a sigh of relief.

“Ha….. Young Master. I know it’s shameless, but I have a favor to ask.”

“What? You want me to keep it a secret that you’ve liked Jawil Wilson since childhood?”

Clara’s face turns crimson, extending down to her neck.

Then, fidgeting with her fingers, she nods.

“Yes, I’d prefer if Jawil Wilson didn’t know…..”

“Why bother? Jawil Wilson probably thinks you hate him, so shouldn’t you clear up that misunderstanding? Now that Brond is dealt with, it doesn’t matter anymore, right?”

Clara’s expression shows a mix of various emotions.

“Back then, I had no choice because Brond spoke up, but now it’s different. You’re not Jawil Wilson.”

“So what I’m saying is, why do you need to hide it?”

“….It’s in the past now.”

I leaned back on the sofa and gave a mischievous smile.

“From what I can see….. you still like Jawil Wilson, don’t you?”

“….WHAT?!”

“You just muttered, ‘No wonder I didn’t feel any excitement.’ That means you felt excited when you saw Jawil Wilson earlier!”

Clara fidgets on the sofa in embarrassment, waving both hands.

“T-That’s not it, it’s just that it happened so long ago that there’s no need to bring it up!”

“Jawil Wilson thinks you hate him, so it’s right to clear up that misunderstanding.”

“But….. after this is over, we’ll never see each other again…..”

“That’s because of you. If you reject a confession while showing extreme dislike, wouldn’t any man make the same choice as Jawil Wilson?”

Clara was speechless, her mouth opening and closing.

The reason she had acted that way toward Jawil Wilson was because she couldn’t bear to see him tormented by Brond anymore.

It was frustrating, but I tried to understand.

At that time, there was no other way out.

But.

Now Brond is gone.

Even if enough time has passed for those excited feelings to fade, the wounds will leave scars for life.

Therefore.

Though it made my stomach ache a little, I wanted to help Jawil Wilson succeed.

Who knows?

This might be the opportunity for Jawil Wilson and Clara to get together.

‘Hmm…..’

According to Berik, Clara and Brond were the most talented mages in Pandera territory.

And now that the knights and mercenaries in Lake territory were running smoothly, all I needed was a mage.

‘If I play this right…..’

I curled my lips into a smile tinged with pretense.

“Clara, would you like me to help?”