9 – Episode 1. The Way a Vagabond Regains Trust (9)
* @ *
While Abel changed his clothes and took a short break, Forcet was reporting to Houston in his study.
“This is the summary of what happened in Fran.”
“That’s true.”
Houston didn’t show it on the surface, but he was quite surprised to hear from Forst about what had happened in France.
Not only did he manage to track down and punish the devil worshippers hidden in France, but he also secured a girl suspected to be a witch. It was indeed impressive.
Furthermore, he even spared a guy quite cunningly to find out their base.
What Abel had achieved, fulfilling the proposals he made to himself, was truly admirable.
“However, there’s one question that arises.”
“A question?”
“Abel mentioned using tracking magic from the scroll to locate them. To use the scroll’s tracking magic, he would have to be near the devil worshippers. However, hasn’t Abel not gone outside since the start of the academy vacation?”
“Indeed.”
The scroll had a structure with a limited capacity to store mana. Therefore, to properly see the magical effects stored in the scroll, the caster and the target had to be close.
But Abel had never left the mansion during the vacation, and Houston hadn’t seen him use the scroll in the French city they visited today.
So, Forst couldn’t help but have doubts.
“Is there any new report about Abel to His Lordship?”
“None.”
“In that case… It’s difficult to trust Abel completely, as he’s clearly lying for some reason.”
“True. Then do you think Abel will be beneficial to the Duke, no matter the reason for lying?”
“… Today’s actions by Abel were undeniably beneficial to the Duke. But considering he’s lying for some unknown reason, it’s not advisable to fully trust him.”
Houston tapped the table with his index finger as he listened to the conversation.
“Indeed, Abel is hiding information from me. I’ve noticed that since he mentioned meeting someone named Jibira. But if Abel’s actions benefit the Duke, there’s no need to press him for now. Besides…”
While conversing with Abel, he felt a strong sense of purpose. It was as if he had a duty that must be fulfilled.
Therefore, even if she had rejected the proposal, Abel was quietly convinced that she would have moved.
‘If the child Abel brought is really a saint… It’s hard to believe she’s on the same side as the Verall Sect. Saints are mentioned in history as beings in opposition to demons. Mentioning a saint to me and bringing a duke with him, it must be for protection rather than handling.’
Houston, lost in thought and forgetting to respond to Pors, finally cleared his throat after a while. He straightened his back, looked at Pors, who was standing with his hands behind his back, and nodded.
“I understand for now. Your efforts will be duly rewarded. Go back and rest.”
“Thank you.”
Pors put his hand on his chest and bowed.
“Um… Duke.”
“Yes?”
“What are your plans for the child Abel brought? Your order was to deal with witches and cultists of demons, but due to Abel’s intervention, we haven’t been able to handle her yet.”
“I’ll take care of that on my end.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll go and rest.”
“Sure. You’ve worked hard.”
Houston stood up from his seat as soon as Pors closed the office door behind him.
Outside the window, the evening festivities were already in full swing.
‘I never fully believed in Abel from the beginning. But if he can prove that the child he brought is a saint, it wouldn’t hurt to trust him a bit.’
—
[‘Fran City Serial Murder Case #2’ quest has been completed.]
[Now Houston will trust you to some extent. However, complete trust, no matter what you do, is not guaranteed. Houston hopes that you can prove that the child you brought is a saint.]
[Mana Purification Water is awarded.]
Before I could finish reading the sentences that popped up, a white light began to emanate from my hands. Closing my eyes against the intense light, when I opened them again, a small seed was placed in my hand.
“Seeds…?”
Will this grow into a tree if I plant it? But it will take too long for it to grow into a tree.
But I didn’t give it to Clara as food…
As someone who needs to prove myself to Houston right away, this is quite inconvenient. I need something for immediate proof.
[A quest has arrived.]
[Would you like to read it? Y/N]
I looked at the ‘Y’ part with my gaze. And then the quest window expanded.
[Plant the seed and it will grow into a tree!]
Category: Main (Clara, Yan)
Deadline: 24 hours.
“You have successfully obtained the ‘Seed of Magical Purification Water.’ Please plant the seed of Magical Purification Water in the ground. It will immediately grow into a tree with the power of divinity.
The Magical Purification Water tree, once grown, forms a ‘sanctuary’ with the same effect as the ‘relic’ in the Beatra Sect, which can purify all magic within a certain range.
Therefore, summon Clara within the sanctuary and engage in a conversation. Any conversation will be fine. Even throwing trivial jokes will make her grateful and develop a strong liking toward you.
Especially because she has trusted only you, she will be afraid of trusting others. So, tell her that you will stay with her until her anxiety disappears. She will definitely be pleased.”
Reward: Clara’s favor.
Failure: Death.
Is death really necessary in quests?
I can’t shake off the feeling that it’s trying to force my actions.
Do I even need to increase Clara’s favor? This isn’t some dating game world.
I’d rather have a more useful item.
“Hmm….”
Knock knock.
I heard a sound from the door just as I was venting my frustration while looking at the quest window.
“Abel, it’s Dana. May I come in?”
“Please come in.”
I replied as I put seeds into my pocket. Dana opened the door and entered, bowing her head.
“As you instructed, I washed and dressed the child I brought.”
As soon as Dana finished speaking, Clara entered the room slowly.
“Oh….”
I exclaimed in admiration as soon as I saw Clara entering the room.
Clara, completely stripped of dirt and grime, was even more beautiful than what I had imagined.
Her brilliant snow-white hair and dazzling blue eyes illuminated her features in a way that couldn’t be matched by any ordinary being.
Although her attire was a simple dress, just standing there somewhat modestly had the power to captivate and mesmerize.
“You’re beautiful, Clara.”
“What?! Me?!”
She exclaimed in surprise at my honest comment.
Her already large eyes widened even more as her mouth hung open. After hesitating a few times, she bit her lip.
Was she not accustomed to receiving compliments? Her face turned red as she slightly lowered her head. Was she feeling shy?
“Ahem! Well then… I will leave so that you two can have a good time.”
Dana cleared her throat and made a pointless remark.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Looks like they think I brought Clara here to devour her.
It would be awkward if they see me just like Abel.
“Yes? S-so, you don’t mean to suggest that we should be together…?”
Why does the interpretation turn out like that?
My head is throbbing. It feels like a sudden onset of a headache.
If I don’t lay a sweet night on Dana’s head soon, it might turn into a chronic headache.
“…No. Now I’ll report to father about what happened in France. Clara will come with me, and Dana, you go finish your task.”
“Can I go too, with them?”
“Yeah. I have to persuade them to accept you into this house like a maid.”
Since I can’t treat the saint like a servant, it wouldn’t hurt to make her my personal servant and provide as much convenience as possible.
There’s still a lot I don’t know about her.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
“You did well today.”
As soon as we entered the study, Houston praised me.
What’s this? Did Fores speak highly of me?
The young master who dislikes Abel wouldn’t have spoken well of me, would he?
“They say there were fifteen cultists infiltrating the city of Frang. Among them, you killed fourteen and left one alive.”
“Yes. As you might have already heard from Fores, it was to find out the hideout, just as I reported to father.”
“Sure. If it were me, I would have acted the same way. It was a good strategy. It would have been even better if you hadn’t lied.”
When the word ‘lie’ came out of his mouth, I flinched involuntarily.
“A lie… did you say a lie?”
I replied, suppressing any signs of unease. My tongue trembled slightly, and cold sweat began to form.
What lie did he catch me in? I thought I had convincingly explained it to Force.
“I’m talking about the story of using the scroll. No matter how much I think about it, it’s hard to believe that you cast a tracking spell on the devil worshippers.”
Was I too careless?
But besides that, there was no way to defend myself.
There are no CCTV cameras in this world, and there is no reasonable explanation other than a tracking spell to reveal the location of humans whose whereabouts are unknown.
“If you really put a tracking spell on the followers, there was no need to meet someone like Givira. Even for the sake of trust, it would have been better to immediately reveal the positions of the devil worshippers. Don’t you think so?”
Did following the quest process actually create a contradiction? I didn’t notice that.
“I won’t ask about how you found the devil worshippers. You kept your promise.”
“I see.”
“Well then… now is the time to fulfill the last condition you proposed in exchange for borrowing my nameplate. Prove in this place that the girl is not a witch.”
Houston’s gaze shifted towards Clara.
Clara, flinching at Houston’s sharp eyes, moved closer to me, fidgeting with her hands. I lightly patted Clara’s back twice, signaling that everything was fine, and searched my pocket.
“I’ll use this.”
I said, taking out the seed of the magical purification water I received from the quest.
“What is that…?”
He narrowed his eyes and looked at it, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, poking me with a finger.
“Where did you get that thing?!”
Can’t you just say that you found it?
“I purchased it from a merchant nearby—”
“Don’t talk nonsense, tell me straight!”
Houston’s voice reverberates through the office.
I calmly explained the details related to Magi Jung Hwa-su, despite feeling flustered. In response, Houston mumbled with a serious expression.
“How… is it possible that a fragment of the World Tree is here?”
“A fragment of the World Tree?”
Isn’t that Magi Jung Hwa-su?
Didn’t the quest mention it?
“So you’ve formed a connection with that elf? No, did you steal it?”
“…Yes?”
It seems like I’ve been deceived by the quest. Damn it.