episode_0071

Looking at the familiar face, Bella felt the excitement she had been feeling subside without knowing it recently.

“It’s hard to see Tong’s face these days. Has there been a man?”

“… Don’t worry.”

“You’re still as picky as ever.”

At Bella’s sharp reaction, the man burst into laughter.

However, that smile disappeared completely the next moment.

“Search from the top line.”

“… … .”

It was time for that.

I’ve been staying in Aguillem for almost a month without any missions.

There was no way the higher-ups wouldn’t look for her like that.

And that much, Bell had fully expected.

Nevertheless, I did it because I needed to take care of Wade.

“… I was thinking about taking a little vacation.”

“Vacation? Are you?”

The man exaggeratedly widened his eyes at Bell’s answer.

“Surprisingly. That ‘old moon’ is a vacation. People in the industry will be shocked when they hear this.”

Bella couldn’t respond to that sly reply.

Certainly, this would not be an exaggeration.

Since she started working here, she never rested for more than a certain period of time unless she was injured or something.

But now that we’re taking a break, it’s no joke. There will be quite a few people who will be surprised to hear the news.

“… Because I am also human.”

“Well, that’s right. Even the old moon in the world is a person. but… … .”

The man shook his head with a smile.

“It seems like the higher-ups have no intention of allowing that. You know. How many customers are only looking for you?”

“… … .”

Hearing the words that followed, Bella unconsciously bit her lip.

It’s as they say.

She’s quite… in this industry. No, she’s quite famous, and perhaps because of that, people are lining up to entrust a request to her.

In fact, it is safe to say that the group she belongs to is half run by the profits she earns.

There was no way the higher-ups would leave her alone forever.

“What… If you don’t like it, we can’t force it… If that happens, the higher-ups will probably care, right?”

“Sigh,” the man laughed.

“What on earth is causing this change in your attitude?”

“… … .”

Bella gritted her teeth involuntarily.

‘… ‘Did you smell it?’

I smelled it from above.

If they knew the truth, they would have contacted the empire a long time ago, so that’s probably not the case, and so far, they’ve probably just gotten a whiff of it.

However.

If the higher-ups start digging into it in earnest… … .

It becomes dangerous. he.

“Then, I’m waiting for good news.”

After waving his hand with a smiling face, the man was about to leave… It suddenly stopped.

“Oh, indeed.”

Then he quietly left a comment.

“They say ‘him’ is looking for you.”

“… … .”

Bella’s mother frowned.

“Okay then.”

This time, the man left, and Bella just stared at his back with sunken eyes.

***

“I think I will have to leave the house for a while tomorrow.”

During dinner, which had become a routine, Belle suddenly said something like that.

Then he placed an object on the table.

It was a silver necklace with an inconspicuous design.

“This is… ?”

“It’s a necklace with a camouflage magic. It changes the eye and hair color. Just in case, I will always wear this from now on.”

“… Thank you.”

I accepted the necklace without hesitation.

Because I was in no position to decline.

I can’t stay locked in here forever, and someone else might come visit this house.

So, thinking about the future, this necklace was an essential item for me.

“If you just change the eye and hair color, no one will recognize you right away. Still, you’d better be careful.”

While listening to her explanation, I hung the necklace around my neck.

Then, a weak wave of magical power erupted from the necklace and permeated my body.

Although I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I knew the necklace was working properly.

“Hmm. Brown isn’t bad either. Is it because I like the original?”

“… … .”

I lightly ignored her sly joke.

It’s been a while since I’ve been living with her, and I’ve gotten quite used to her antics.

To the point where I can easily let go of a light joke like this.

“Are you ignoring me? At best, people have praised me.”

“Thank you.”

“Hmm… … .”

Seeing my reaction, Belle looked at me with uninterested eyes.

However, that feeling did not last long.

Soon she straightened her expression and spoke.

“And, I think the time away from home will be longer in the future. Maybe you will be away from home every few days.”

I paused for a moment, but then slowly nodded.

“… I see.”

I expected that a day like this would come someday.

She can’t stay here and watch over me forever.

And, I had a rough guess as to why she was away from home.

“… It’s strangely refreshing, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t think Mr. Bell could stay here like this forever. I thought a day like this might come someday.”

“Aha. But that’s not what you’re talking about? I’m saying this because you don’t seem to feel the slightest bit of regret.”

“Ah.”

“Do you think it was that good that I was away from home? I’m sad. I thought we had gotten a lot closer… … .”

Saying that, Belle looked like she was really sad and cried.

“… Of course, I’m sad”

“Really? It doesn’t look like that at all… … .”

“No. I’m sad. many. Really.”

I hastily made an excuse.

To be honest, I wasn’t that upset, but I could easily have predicted what would happen if I kept saying it like that.

That’s why I defended myself with all my enthusiasm.

“… Hmm, really?”

Belle, who looked like she was about to burst into tears, quickly wiped away her tears and a smile appeared on her face.

“Are you that sad that I’m not by your side? Hmm~ I didn’t know Mr. Wade would think that.”

“… … .”

“I’m sorry. Still, I can’t help it. Even though I’m lonely, can you please bear with me?”

Belle starts teasing me with a smile on her face.

I was expecting this to be the trend.

However, I couldn’t help it.

Even if you know it’s an act, you can’t ignore Belle’s crying expression.

Really, it’s a face that looks like it’s going to burst into tears at any moment.

Although I felt a bit of resentment that things had turned out like this.

‘… This is it.’

okay. This is it.

Even if it’s really unlikely, it’s much better for me to be made fun of than for her to be sad.

So this is it.

I muttered that to myself.

***

“Then I will come back.”

“Please come back.”

After receiving a greeting from Wade, Bella left the house.

The smile that had been on her face until then had already disappeared without a trace as she took a few steps away from the house.

With that expressionless expression.

She walked aimlessly through the streets of Aguilem.

She left the residential area where her house was and entered the commercial area, the center of Aguilem, but her steps did not stop.

She passed by grandiose buildings, countless people and carriages walking up and down the main street, and even passed by a long commercial district.

Eventually, she entered the entertainment area.

The entertainment area, where all the buildings and even the roads were brightly decorated, was not yet compared to the crowds in the commercial area as it was still midnight, but there were still quite a few customers who came to gamble, so there were a significant number of people there.

Bella passed by the excited people and entered the entertainment area.

In, keep in.

Past the most extravagant buildings, to a place with even more extravagant buildings.

Eventually, the place where her steps stopped was the largest and most ornate building in the entertainment district of Aguillem, which can easily be described as the most luxurious street on this continent.

A huge building that can be seen at a glance, located in the innermost part of the Aguillem entertainment district.

In that building, an uncountable number of people were coming in and out of the crowd.

It was worth it.

The identity of this building is the best casino in Aguillem, and the best casino on the continent.

Mixing in with the crowd of people engulfed in heat, Bella entered the building.

It can be safely described as a river of people, but even though there were so many people inside, the inside of the building was spacious, perhaps because it was so large.

Entering there, there were magic tools made for gambling, tables with dealers standing, and there were probably dozens of different types of gambling.

Meanwhile, Bella walked quietly.

Eventually, I went inside and climbed the stairs.

There were still a lot of people on the second and third floors.

There were different types of gambling and games lined up there than on the first floor.

And Bella passed even that.

As we climbed up the floors, the number of people began to decrease little by little, and at some point, regular customers were no longer visible at all.

From then on, staff were waiting at the entrance to the floor, but none of them stopped Bella.

After climbing the stairs for a long time.

Finally, Bella reached the top floor of the building.

What I saw as soon as I got to the top floor was a door that was so huge and extravagantly decorated that it seemed like something out of an imperial palace.

The door was so grand that anyone would admire it, but Bella just walked toward the door, looking at it with inorganic eyes.

Soon Bella reached the door and pushed it.

Kuung─

The huge door opened, making a grand sound befitting its size.

and.

Inside it.

That vast space that could easily fit a house.

At first glance, I was greeted by Chabella, who was lounging on a golden chair that looked like a male emperor wearing expensive clothes and accessories.

“Oh, there you are.”

The ‘king’ of this city.