No wonder.
I should’ve realized it the moment she asked if I’d recently moved here. Human intuition really was something else.
That was way too close.
Ugh. This one was my mistake.
Hadn’t Gilbert warned me about this too? Not to open the door carelessly. Now I understood exactly what he meant.
I need to be more careful from now on.
I’d known this was the underworld district, but if I were honest, I hadn’t truly been on guard.
I never once imagined something like this would actually happen to me.
A part of me had even thought lightly, If danger comes, I can just defend myself with magic, right?
But look at what had happened today.
Even if I can protect myself, I can’t afford to let my guard down.
It wasn’t as if I had enough combat experience to defend myself perfectly the instant danger appeared. In the end, the only thing I could do was stay cautious.
“Um…”
“What is it.”
At some point, the old man had taken a seat across from me and was casually rotating his wrist. After sneaking a glance at him, I quietly lowered my head.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For helping me earlier.”
If he hadn’t stepped in, I would’ve taken that woman’s attack head-on.
“She was pathetic. You said you’re a mage too, so you could’ve handled her.”
“Even so, you stopped an unnecessary fight.”
The old man’s shoulders twitched faintly.
Maybe I imagined it.
Tilting my head, I continued anyway.
“Thank you.”
Sure, the old man was suspicious as hell, but he had helped me.
At my words, he furrowed his brow.
“Ahem. Think of it as repayment for saving my life.”
“Yes, yes.”
The old man awkwardly averted his gaze. His stiff expression looked like he had no idea what face he was supposed to make.
Watching him, I suddenly remembered what we’d been talking about before.
I was grateful he’d saved me, but I couldn’t let him stay here forever.
“If you leave some way to contact you, I’ll tell my brother to reach out later.”
Of course, I had absolutely no intention of doing that.
“Hm.”
The old man let out a slow breath, seeming to ponder my words.
As I waited for his answer, I straightened up.
Ah, I want to rest.
Too much had happened today. I wanted to dive straight into bed and sleep immediately—
“Then how about this.”
My hazy thoughts snapped back instantly.
Startled, I flinched.
The old man added quietly,
“Hire me.”
…?
“Excuse me?”
“This is the place, Young Duke.”
The carriage of the Kazlyden family departed from the Raymond Guild and entered a narrow street.
After moving into a quieter area, the carriage came to a silent stop.
At Meital’s words, Felix closed the book he had been reading. The carriage door opened shortly after, and he stepped down onto the ground, scanning the surroundings.
Though slightly removed from the main district, the street was still fairly lively.
What a pain.
The more people there were, the more traces overlapped. Finding one specific person among them wasn’t easy.
“Where shall we begin searching?”
“Who knows.”
Lowering his gaze, Felix muttered irritably,
“Guess we start looking now.”
His fingers brushed against the sword at his waist.
Honestly, he wanted to use magic, but…
I can’t end up looking pathetic like last time.
Who knew what kind of nagging he’d get afterward?
With a self-mocking smile, Felix surveyed the area again.
At times like this, he was grateful his instincts were sharp.
Even if he couldn’t use magic.
“Ghk…!”
Because swinging a sword was faster. Easier too.
“Your Highness!”
“You slow idiot. What were you doing?”
Felix wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. Thick liquid smeared across his skin.
Not his blood.
“Ha. I knew it.”
After roughly wiping the blood onto his clothes, he turned around.
“I’ve been in a foul mood for a while now.”
Hire him?
Did I hear that right?
As I sat there blinking blankly, the old man clicked his tongue.
“What? Don’t trust my skills?”
“N-No, of course not.”
You’re obviously insanely skilled.
I shook my head vigorously. That wasn’t the part I was reacting to.
“A bodyguard…”
Sure, I’d been careless this time, but hiring someone I’d just met felt excessive.
I refused firmly.
“It’s okay.”
“Haa…”
A strange sigh slipped from the old man’s mouth.
Looking directly at me, he snapped his fingers.
At the same time, dark crimson lights clung to various spots around the house.
Startled, I looked around.
“See those marks?”
“W-What is all this?”
My lips parted unconsciously.
The magic spread across the ceiling, walls, and floor looked bizarre beyond words. At this rate, I was going to develop trypophobia.
As I stared speechlessly, the old man explained,
“It’s the magic those bastards left behind.”
“Those bastards?”
“The ones who barged into your house earlier.”
“Ah.”
It wasn’t hard to understand who he meant.
But still—
I tilted my head back in disbelief.
“How is this even…”
possible?
You could use magic to identify something like this too?
Isn’t that cheating?
My eyes followed the traces the old man had revealed.
But after the initial amazement faded, another question surfaced.
Why was he showing me this?
“People who move in groups always have companions.”
There was weight behind those words.
Groups. Companions.
I looked at him for an explanation.
“What do you mean?”
“What else would I mean?”
The old man withdrew the magic. The house instantly returned to normal, as though everything I’d just seen had been an illusion.
“It means your house could become dangerous.”
“D-Dangerous…?”
“Do you know the habits of the Hayentu?”
Hayentu.
A species of hornet that lived deep within forests.
I had a feeling I understood what he was implying, so instead of answering, I clenched my fists.
“Depends on the species, but when one of them gets trapped or senses danger, the rest come swarming immediately.”
The old man leaned back against the sofa.
I slowly moved my lips.
“But why our house…”
“You said your brother isn’t home. So who’s left living here?”
“…Just me.”
The old man nodded.
“A young girl living alone. Big house. Close to the marketplace. Both you and this place have everything anyone would covet. That assassin and that woman earlier were probably working together too.”
“……”
“Proud is that kind of place. If there’s something to extort or gain, even enemies will join hands.”
At those words, I clenched my fists tightly.
“So you’re saying they’ll all come after our house now?”
“Well.”
The old man trailed off.
“That said, you don’t need to panic too much. Idiots who leave traces that obvious are usually just low-level trash. They’re desperate because they’re trying to survive.”
He lifted his chin slightly.
“But the real group behind them might be troublesome.”
“!”
“And it’s not like you’re going to stay locked inside this house forever. As long as they keep watching this place, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to end up dead overnight.”