Chapter 134

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

“We meet again, my lady.”

“It has been some time, Marcen.”

Evelyn now found herself face-to-face with the Guildmaster of Hermes, within the very den concealed behind the façade of the Aclo Arts Foundation. She never would have dreamed she had received an urgent letter so early in the morning.

Well, it probably wasn’t a bad sign.

Today, as ever, Marcen wore his black mask, yet his presence felt markedly different from before. Where once he had seemed sharp-edged and almost hostile, there was now something faintly tempered, even softened, about him.

After a long silence, the man lifted a hand to his chin and fixed her with a keen gaze.

“How in the world did you know?”

Evelyn, who had already guessed the reason the guildmaster had summoned her, answered calmly with a question of her own.

“What do you mean?”

With a voice weighted by disbelief, Marcen continued.

“My sister’s coughing has decreased considerably.”

She lifted her teacup and sipped lightly before offering him a bright smile.

“How wonderful that she’s regaining her strength.”

“So there really was another method?”

It seemed the guildmaster still couldn’t shake his doubts that a mere young lady had discovered a treatment no one else had ever found.

Evelyn set her teacup back upon the table and nodded her head lightly. Then, drawing a small pouch from her bag, she offered it to him.

“Do you know what this is?”

“Is this not Verma, a poisonous herb?”

At the man’s bewildered expression, Evelyn replied breezily.

“If you boil the root of this poisonous herb and drink it, it has antibiotic effects.”

“….!”

“For those suffering from the same symptoms as your sister.”

She was careful to stress that this was no permanent cure. She explained that consistent consumption of decocted Verma root would be necessary to see improvement.

Marcen, who had been listening carefully, finally seemed to understand the herb’s efficacy and let out a short sigh.

“I never would have dared to think of using a poisonous herb.”

His reasoning was perfectly natural since most people would never think to use a poisonous herb as medicine.

Evelyn met his gaze with a steady, confident look.

“I told you, I have some measure of confidence in the field of medicine.”

At her spirited reply, a faint curve tugged at Marcen’s firmly set lips. Then, after a slight nod, he handed her a sealed dossier.

“What is this?”

When Evelyn asked, her voice edged with curiosity, the Guildmaster replied casually.

“Documents that may be of use to you, my lady.”

As she drew out the papers and scanned their contents, her pupils widened, then narrowed in sharp surprise.

“This is…!”

What he had given her was none other than information concerning sorcery.

As the Empire’s foremost master of the intelligence guild, he had doubtless already delved into her background, and with it, discerned precisely what kind of information she needed most. Evelyn’s hand trembled faintly as she received the unexpected piece of invaluable information.

‘Is it really alright to hand over forbidden information like this to me?’

Observing her reaction, the Guildmaster spoke at last, his voice weighted with sincerity.

“Compared to what you have done for my sister, this is nothing at all.”

He then added, almost as an afterthought, that it was also a token of goodwill, apart from the original purpose of her visit.

By now, Evelyn was certain that the Guildmaster of Hermes would become a reliable ally. Still dazed by this unexpected boon, she blinked rapidly just as the man, who had been quietly studying her, continued in a tone that seemed filled with respect.

“Will you tell me now?”

“….”

“The true reason you sought me out.”

At Marcen’s probing question, Evelyn composed her thoughts calmly. She had come to the Hermes Intelligence Guild for a very particular purpose. There was someone she had to meet, a character not thoroughly described in the original story.

Even though the world might already have forgotten him by now…

Even the smallest clue would suffice; she was determined to find him no matter what. Soon, her gaze hardened with resolve as she clasped her hands tightly together.

“I dare say, shameless though it may be, I must ask this favor of you.”

“Please speak.”

“I wish to find His Highness the Second Prince.”

In that moment, a heavy silence fell over the Guildmaster’s office.

“What… did you just say?”

“I said I wish to find His Highness the Second Prince.”