Chapter 53

Leonard asked with a puzzled look.

“How do you know this man, my lady?”

“I saw him at the Magic Tower.”

And not just in passing.

The name of the man suspected to be Cleas’s informant—

‘Brown.’

That was the name of the chief researcher under the Master of the Magic Tower. A young mage with more promise in support magic than in ice magic.

When I explained this, Leonard’s face tightened into a frown.

“That means Lord Orsen has managed to hide quite a bit of influence within the Magic Tower.”

‘Yes, anyone would think the same as Leonard if they realized Cleas and Brown were involved together.’

Mages of the Magic Tower weren’t permitted to take on private commissions. They were forbidden from serving any master outside the Magic Tower itself. And yet, the Tower Master’s chief researcher has become entangled with a noble, without the Master of the Magic Tower’s approval?

“If word of this gets out, Cleas will be in serious trouble.”

“Of course. It would mean turning the entire order of mages against him.”

At first, my only concern was to thwart Mikarin’s schemes and prevent her alliance with the Grand Duke. But now, something far more valuable has fallen into my lap.

‘If I can just get my hands on Brown, Cleas’s weakness falls into my hands.’

I smiled quietly to myself.

‘Thank you for your endless ambition, Mikarin.’

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

That night.

I stepped out into the streets, pulling my hood low to conceal my face. Leonard, dressed much the same, scanned our surroundings nervously.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?”

He gripped the sword hidden at his waist.

But would he even stand a chance in a fight…? Emma once said Leonard was a born strategist, the kind who always talked people out of fights rather than into them.

‘If it comes to it, I’ll protect him.’

Since our destination was a tavern, there was a good chance we might run into some drunkards looking for trouble. But I absolutely had to get into this tavern.

‘Brown always shows up at this exact time on this specific day.’

Besides, today was a day Cleas would be occupied.

‘Though, if I had to guess, he’s probably off fawning over Mikarin again under the pretense of work.’

In any case, it meant I had a chance to meet Brown without Cleas finding out.

I cast a sidelong glance at Leonard.

“For now, could you try not to look so wary? People will start thinking we’re up to something.”

“But even the doormen look like that…”

I followed his gaze.

Two burly, shaven-headed men stood guard at the entrance.

“They’re just people who don’t care much for hair, that’s all.”

“I’m not sure my heart cares much for their deltoids, either…”

“They only throw out anyone who looks dangerous. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Leonard still wore an uneasy expression, but lowered his hand from his sword. Then, together, we approached the entrance of the tavern.

‘See, they’re letting us in without any trouble—’

“What are you doing?”

‘—Or maybe not.’

The two doormen blocked our way.

Leonard tensed up again, but I answered calmly.

“We’re just here to have a drink.”

“Heh, a bit curt, aren’t you, miss?”

“You were curt first.”

The doorman with the paunch scowled deeply.

“Cheeky little thing, aren’t you?”

“You’re the one with no hair¹.”

“What did you just say?!”

A spark of anger flashed in the doorman’s eyes.

Leonard turned ghostly pale, whispering urgently.

“Did you come here looking for a fight?”

“I didn’t expect him to get so angry like that.”

“Of course he’s upset, you hit a sore spot…!”

“I thought it was just a style choice.”

I hadn’t realized he might have a tragic story about parting with his hair. The pot-bellied doorman stomped right up to me, huffing with anger.

“Who do you think you are, running your mouth like that, you little runt—?!”

“Come on. Leave it, man.”

“But did you hear the way she talked, brother?!”

“If there’s trouble on a night like this, it’ll be our heads on the block.”

“But still…!”

A night like this?

Leonard and I exchanged glances.

‘Seems we picked the right night after all.’

Apparently, Leonard was thinking the same. He discreetly slipped a gold coin to the pot-bellied doorman.

“Please look the other way. We won’t be staying in the capital for long, so tonight is our only chance.”

The pot-bellied doorman hesitated, clearly tempted by the gold coin.

But the other doorman stepped in.

“You think a single gold coin is worth getting someone killed? I don’t care if you left your ticket at home or boiled it for food. No ticket, no entry.”

‘Ticket?’

Now that I looked more closely, I noticed that everyone going in was wearing something like a paper wristband, tucked discreetly beneath their sleeves so you wouldn’t notice unless you were paying attention.

Leonard tried reasoning with the doormen.

“Is there any way we could speak with the owner? It’s an urgent matter, so let us explain it to him personally.”

If we could just meet the owner, we could find a way in, whether by persuasion or by force, if necessary. However, something was off.

The moment Leonard mentioned the proprietor, the doormen’s faces hardened at once.

“You two with the empire guards or something? Why are you asking for the owner, huh?!”

The even more rotund doorman flew into a rage, while the other one scowled as well.

“If you’re with the guards, show us your badge. If you’re not, then anyone asking for the owner doesn’t leave here unscathed.”

The atmosphere grew tense.

Tension was written all over Leonard’s face, but as my aide, he still stepped forward to shield me.

“We’re—”

Leonard started to say something, but the pot-bellied doorman just snorted in disdain.

“No badge, so you’re clearly not with the guards. That means no one will care if I wring your necks!”

He grabbed the massive iron club he’d been leaning against the doorway.

At that moment—

“They’re with me.”

—A voice called out from behind us.

It was a voice I knew all too well.

I quickly turned my head…

“….”

“….”

Ulysses was staring at me, his expression cold as ice.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

The moment the doormen realized we were with Ulysses, they bowed their heads so low their noses nearly scraped the ground, offering awkward, grinning apologies.

‘Is he some sort of VIP here?’

Without another word, Ulysses strode over and grabbed me roughly, dragging me along. Seeing that, Leonard hurried after us, scrambling to keep up.

I scowled as I was dragged along.

“Let go of me.”

“…Just be quiet and come with me.”

“I said, let go…!”

“Would you just—!!”

He stopped mid-shout and glanced around, then promptly herded me into a nearby alley.

“Go back to Delosif. Now.”

“So, you’re a regular at that tavern. What’s really going on inside?”

Since I’d already been caught, I decided to ask what I was curious about.

“Nothing good will come from poking your nose into dangerous places like that.”

“When have you ever bothered to weigh good or bad when it comes to me?”

“I’m trying to help you before you get yourself into trouble. So just—!”

“Ulysses, every single word you just said is wrong.”

“What?”

I met his wavering gaze head-on and spoke.

“I’m not your friend, I’m just your fool. Even when I thought of you as a friend, you never once saved me from danger.”

“….”

“You used to make bets with your other ‘friends’ about me.”

Those damned adultery five.

“Like, ‘How badly will Nikaearsha get hurt this time?’ You made quite a bit of money off those bets.”

“….”

Ulysses dropped his gaze, unable to say a word.

“…Then why did you keep me as a friend, even though you knew all this?”

“Because I couldn’t let go of the boy you used to be.”

¹ [ The author used a wordplay with the word ‘머리’ (head/manners). The doorman is saying Nike is ‘싹퉁머리 없는’ (literally, ‘no head,’ but figuratively, ‘no manners’), and she shot back that he literally has ‘no hair’ (머리 없는). ] ↩