Chapter 232: Wolf (2)

“It looks like Wolf’s relatives are speeding up the process of liquidating the mansion and other assets. Ever since Mobius died, the atmosphere in the capital has gotten pretty bad. We often hear rumors of nobles being beaten to death, and stones are frequently thrown through the windows of the Hero’s family’s house. It seems like that family will leave sooner than we thought.”

I nodded, resting my head on Isabel’s thigh. If I turned my head slightly, warm sunlight streamed in through the window. It was one of the few moments of rest during the day. I nudged her cheek while she was concentrating and said,

“So, what’s the Planicia family going to do?”

“They seem to want to ask us. They haven’t really said what they plan to do. I guess they don’t want to make the decision themselves.”

“Isabel, what do you want to do?”

Isabel asked, looking down at me with her clear eyes. I caressed the bridge of her nose and said, “Let’s just let them go. Tell them to ensure their safe passage.”

“Okay, Evan. In that case…” Just as Isabel picked up a pen and paper with a smile, a voice called me from beyond the window.

“Evan! It’s training time again! Hurry up and come out!”

It was Petunia Titi’s voice. Having adventured with the Hero, she was helping me train to face him. Squeezing out a little time, fatigue and muscle aches returned to my body, which had been resting. Unlike her clumsy actions and ditzy personality, she was thorough when it came to training.

Isabel looked at me with a disappointed expression. I got up and kissed her. Her soft lips pressed firmly, emitting a faint floral scent. We poked our tongues out, touching the tips, sharing breaths while smiling. I rubbed my flushed cheek against hers once, then jumped out the window, saying,

“I’m coming!”

“You could have just walked out,” Petunia Titi said, exasperated, watching me cling to the railing and climb down like a monkey. Although her face looked stern, a faint smile played on her lips. I said, holding onto the second-floor railing with both arms,

“Since I’m getting lessons from an elf, I should practice climbing trees a bit too.”

“Elves don’t really climb trees like that? We pursue elegance even in the act of climbing trees.”

“Oh? How do you climb?”

Petunia Titi leaped effortlessly onto the railing I had been hanging from. Standing on her toes, she said, “Watch closely. First, standing on your toes is crucial. By standing on your toes, you distribute your weight.”

Like a ballet dancer, she stood on the edge of the railing and lifted one leg. Then, slowly, like the ornament of a cuckoo clock turning when the alarm sounds, she began to rotate her body. I let go of the railing and stared intently at her.

“Wow, amazing. So cool.” Petunia Titi seemed slightly pleased by the praise. She smirked slightly, twitched her ears, and began to lean backward.

“And when you reach such a level of balance and weight distribution…” Her body tilted diagonally, like a flag planted on a balcony railing. Yet, even in that state, her toes remained firmly planted on the edge of the railing, and her tilted body swayed in the wind but showed no sign of falling.

“You can balance your body on a level comparable to tree branches.”

Elena, who had briefly come out to sweep the yard, tilted her head and followed my gaze as I stared blankly at the second floor.

“Whoa, what is that? Is it magic?”

Petunia Titi shook her head at the word ‘magic’, spun around in mid-air, and landed on the ground. There wasn’t a sound as she landed lightly. Petunia Titi looked at Elena and me with a proud expression and said,

“See? Amazing, right?”

“It is amazing. Truly an elite from the Elven Forest.”

Petunia Titi shook her head vigorously at my compliment and said, “That’s right. I’m not someone you can just tease all the time. I’m glad you finally realize that. Shall we start training?”

I nodded, and Elena moved away again to give us space to prepare for training. Just then, Sophia, dragged along by Taffy, whined.

“You just need to get stronger, Master, why do I have to…!”

Taffy, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, said impassively, “Just in case. Training. Is necessary.”

Because Taffy was slightly smaller, Sophia hanging from her looked quite strange. Sophia said, dangling like a bucket on a pulley,

“Master said he would protect me!”

“Whining. Is not good.” Taffy said firmly, and Sophia’s face turned pale as she looked at the floor and said,

“Ah, yes…”

I asked Sophia and Taffy, “Where’s Milia?”

“Magic. She’s teaching it. To Sylvia,” Sophia said, shaking her head. “It seems she’s teaching her advanced subjects that the spinster mages of the magic tower couldn’t teach. I thought that once her studies were finished, I’d need to properly sort out my relationship with Milia. Although it was implicitly decided who was superior, undefined relationships always lead to uncomfortable variables.”

“Then I’ll have to talk with her later. Milia isn’t doing anything else besides that, right?”

Sophia shook her head and said, “No. She’s gone down to the basement a few times, saying she has something to experiment with.”

“Experiment?”

“She said it wasn’t dangerous for us and that it was something good. I don’t really know what it is.” She was truly an inscrutable woman. No matter what I asked, she’d repeat that she forgot or didn’t know, like a politician. She always had a smile on her face, but if teased a little too much, she’d get sulky instantly. What did she want to do? What did she want from me? Could we remain partners?

Thinking thus, I nodded to Taffy, who gestured for Sophia to take her position.

“Alright, so today, continuing from last time, we’ll work on moving while maintaining body balance…” Taffy’s words carried pleasantly on the wind. On the second floor, Isabel had deliberately pulled a table outside and was watching us while writing a letter. Looking at the sky, it seemed like it would stay clear for a while.

The Planicia family was using all its resources to help the members of the Hero’s family liquidate their assets. Regarding this heartless family trying to flee overseas at the Hero’s most dangerous moment, the members seemed to have much to say individually, but they all kept silent.

“Night talk is heard by mice, and day talk is heard by birds.” Everyone knew what could happen if they spoke carelessly.

And everyone knew what kind of reward a little silence could bring.

The Planicia head was uncomfortable with the fact that the reward for the family’s loyalty belonged to Planicia Isabel. It was because, somehow, he had ended up becoming Isabel’s subordinate, taking orders from her. The other members were busy watching each other, eyeing the family’s shifting leadership.

“Aigoo…” But even so, there wasn’t much of a brilliant strategy. If we didn’t join hands with Isabel here, the outcome was one of only two possibilities: either die with the Hero, or die at the hands of the Hero after joining forces with a bunch of idiots. The Hero was growing weaker day by day, but he was still not someone a single noble family’s forces could contend with. Half-baked plots and presumptuous vanguard actions were merely elements that reminded one of the futility of fate.

“Securing a reliable backer and staying in the shadow of success.” This was the value and goal the Planicia family had pursued their entire lives. The Planicia head believed that Isabel’s backer had the highest chance of seizing power. And he thought that when that entity gained power, he could become their closest confidant.

“Once this is over, I’ll push that bitch Isabel aside. I don’t know who that backer is, but they’ll realize I’m more capable and better than that bitch,” the Planicia head muttered to himself. There was no one to answer him. The Planicia head didn’t like revealing such dangerous thoughts. He stood alone at the pier, watching the huge ship prepared there, puffing on his cigarette.

It was the ship the Hero’s family would use to leave with their gold and jewels, but the family’s own treasures were still in the warehouse.

Depending on what kind of letter Isabel sent today, it would determine whether stones or gold and jewels would be loaded into the boxes. The head saw a messenger running from afar, panting heavily. He thrust the letter that had arrived at the mansion into the head’s hand, and the head tossed him a silver coin and patted his back.

“Let’s see…” The head began reading the letter with a face full of anticipation.

“[Message received. Please ensure the cargo is handled comfortably.]” It was a short reply sent out of concern that the cargo might be stolen by someone. But that was enough. The head laughed heartily, tore up the letter, and threw it into the sea. Then he called out to those far away.

“Is anyone there!”

Large laborers stood up and answered, “Yes, Master!” The head said, “Ensure it is handled… very comfortably!”

“Yes!”