Ch.3434. You Know, That Naive and Pushover Princess.

“Jawill Wilson, are you alright?”

“Y-you didn’t have to come to such a humble place… I’m fine.”

“What’s the current state of your leg?”

“I sprained it and won’t be able to move for a while. I’m sorry, especially with the expedition ahead.”

Jawill Wilson lay in bed, not knowing what to do.

Everything was ready to depart, but he couldn’t help but sigh.

“Hah… I was supposed to leave today. I should have taken better care of myself.”

“I’m deeply ashamed.”

“Why did you suddenly spar with Luna?”

“At first I refused, but she kept begging for just one match…”

Still.

Is Luna already capable of overwhelming Jawill Wilson?

He may be foolish, but he’s been training quite diligently lately.

The protagonist’s companion buff must be quite substantial.

“How impressive, losing a sparring match to a novice who hasn’t even been learning swordsmanship for a few months.”

“I-I didn’t lose. I suddenly tripped over a rock and had an accident.”

“A rock? How poorly is the training ground maintained to have rocks lying around?”

“I don’t know either. The floor wasn’t even cracked… Anyway, while falling and trying to dodge Luna’s sword, I think I twisted my ankle.”

“What an achievement. Luck is also a skill, so it’s as good as losing.”

“…I apologize.”

Jawill Wilson shook his head while lying in bed, seemingly embarrassed by his own excuses.

I need someone to accompany me, but should I take Rio instead?

This expedition was meant not only to hunt new magical beasts for stat increases but also to build up Jawill Wilson’s experience and skills.

The sudden situation was extremely troublesome.

“Nothing to be done. Just rest for now.”

“Yes, or perhaps if you wait a few days, I could go with—”

“That’s enough. I’ll be back soon anyway.”

“I understand…”

Clutching my throbbing head, I turned toward the study.

As soon as I sat in the chair, I let out another deep sigh.

“Hah… I need to leave right away, but who should I go with?”

I put my feet up on the table and leaned back in the chair.

With this headache coming on, I just wanted to be comfortable.

Knock-knock!

“Come in.”

Still in my relaxed position, I stared at the door as Luna Brillhart entered after knocking.

Seeming to know she’d done something wrong, she fidgeted with her fingers.

“Young master, I’m sorry. Because of me, you can’t go with Sir Jawill Wilson…”

“Well, it’s partly Jawill Wilson’s fault for letting his guard down.”

“While I was attacking, Sir Jawill Wilson slipped and then…”

“It’s fine. It’s not like you did it on purpose.”

At my words, Luna’s body suddenly tensed.

“R-right?”

An uneasy feeling washed over me, familiar from Luna.

Could it be that she deliberately injured his leg to replace him as my companion?

‘…Am I overthinking this?’

No, it’s entirely possible.

Now that I think about it, Luna Brillhart is exactly the type of person who would do anything to accompany me.

I recalled my conversation with Jawill Wilson again.

Isn’t it strange that there was a rock on the training ground floor when it wasn’t even cracked?

‘Eye of Insight!’

Checking with my Eye of Insight, Luna’s affection deficiency score is 80.

Although I’ve been giving her attention periodically, she wasn’t satisfied and has already reached the “danger” level.

Hah…

With Jawill Wilson injured, if I try to go with Rio or other knights, there’s a good chance her “Bloody Massacre” might activate.

The lack of options gave me another headache.

‘So this is my only choice?’

I let out a short sigh.

When I raised my head, Luna was looking at me with an expression full of anticipation.

Even though I was still reluctant, what could I do?

I forced my unwilling lips to move.

“Luna, get ready to leave.”

*

“Those decrepit old council members!”

Baron Ricardo Cardrian’s trembling hand struck the table hard.

BANG!

Tras Cardrian had suffered enormous losses after using family funds to purchase Peil fruits.

His father, Baron Ricardo, had been under pressure from the council elders because of this incident.

Therefore.

For a while, he had expelled his son Tras from the family to appease the elders’ anger, but the losses were so severe that the atmosphere showed no signs of calming.

In response to Baron Ricardo’s outburst, Alex, the Cardrian family butler, adjusted his glasses and spoke.

“We’re securing funds by raising taxes, so things should stabilize soon.”

“What a disgrace because of that damned eldest son…”

“Actually, the young master’s plan wasn’t bad. If only the Parseche family hadn’t supplied Peil fruits to nearby houses at cheaper prices.”

“That’s just hindsight… What’s the current situation with the Parseche family?”

“They’ve almost recovered from their financial difficulties thanks to the Peil fruits.”

Baron Ricardo pressed his temples with a sigh.

“Ha, one Peil fruit making some families laugh and others cry.”

“I apologize. I should have monitored the young master’s dealings more carefully…”

“Water under the bridge now. By the way, what about the news of Tras that I asked you to look into last time?”

“There was a witness who saw the young master leading his subordinates into Lake territory.”

At Alex’s words, Baron Ricardo blinked as if remembering something.

“Lake… isn’t that the Alphonse family’s territory?”

“Yes, it’s the family from whom Young Master Tras purchased large quantities of Peil fruits.”

“And?”

“But after crossing over, his whereabouts became unclear. I sent someone to Lake territory to investigate, but strangely, no one there had seen Young Master Tras.”

“Someone witnessed him entering, but he’s not in the territory?”

“Yes, I found that odd as well, so I’ve been continuing the investigation.”

Although he had expelled Tras from the family due to pressure from the elders, Tras was still the eldest son of the Cardrian family.

The plan was to naturally reinstate him once their financial situation improved, but he had vanished without a trace.

“And you’re just reporting this now?!”

Looking at the furious Baron Ricardo, Alex wiped away cold sweat from his forehead.

“He was accompanied by three elite knights and a mage, so the young master should be fine.”

“It’s been months without contact, and you think he’s fine?”

“There have been no reports of high-level magical beasts in Lake territory.”

At Alex’s words, Baron Ricardo raised one eyebrow.

“Is there a possibility of friction with the Alphonse family?”

“Currently, Lake territory is the exile location for Selden Alphonse, the youngest son of the Alphonse family, and there are only two elite knights stationed there.”

“So even if friction occurred, it would have been a situation that could be easily resolved.”

“Correct. However, I recently received intelligence that the Alphonse and Familia families conducted a joint magical beast hunt in Lake territory.”

Joint magical beast hunts are primarily for fostering goodwill, but they’re also occasions to demonstrate a family’s strength.

Therefore, they would have mobilized all their elite knights.

What if Tras had caused friction in that situation?

The puzzle pieces regarding his disappearance without a trace were starting to fit together.

“Hah… Although Tras has his reckless moments, he’s not that irresponsible, is he? Besides, the Alphonse and Familia families have no reason to antagonize us.”

“I also think that possibility is low. However, according to intelligence, an earthquake suddenly occurred during the joint hunt.”

“Earthquake…?”

“Yes, they reportedly terminated the joint hunt plan urgently because of it.”

After pondering deeply, Baron Ricardo furrowed his wrinkled brow and spoke.

“So, by bad luck, Tras and his party were all caught in the earthquake? That seems more likely than them causing friction.”

“I believe the young master is fine, but it’s certainly worth investigating.”

“Instead of waiting quietly for the right time, he causes trouble even after being expelled, really… Make an official request to the Alphonse family to investigate Lake territory.”

“Understood.”

“And send Seyde to the Familia territory to investigate secretly.”

At Baron Ricardo’s words, Alex flinched in surprise.

“S-Seyde, you say?”

“Yes, although it seems unlikely, we can’t rule out the possibility that Tras caused friction.”

“But sending Seyde means…”

“If they killed Tras, do you think they’d tell us the truth? When else would we use Seyde if not now?”

Alex swallowed hard.

It made sense.

Seyde was the Cardrian family’s secret weapon, skilled in kidnapping and torture.

Playing this card meant authorizing any crime necessary for the investigation.

“So while we officially request to investigate Lake territory regarding Young Master Tras’s disappearance in the earthquake…”

“Yes, while we officially investigate Lake territory, Seyde will kidnap someone from the Familia family and interrogate them about Tras’s situation.”

“Even if he doesn’t get caught, the knights’ skills are considerable, so abducting one will be difficult.”

“Who said anything about kidnapping a knight?”

“Then who exactly…”

In response to Alex’s question, Baron Ricardo revealed his white teeth and spoke.

“There’s that naive, vulnerable princess, Seri Familia.”