"If I don't come back tonight, tell the Mage Tower and the scavengers immediately that Augusta Olmedo is colluding with the nezumi."

"You're going to go so dangerous?" Francois said with a frown.

"Because that's the way to get answers."

Augusta Olmedo didn't know that Annan knew he was behind the murder - this was Annan's advantage. The nezumi conspiracy in Breez is sabotaged, just in time to observe Augusta Olmedo's reaction.

"Need us with you?" Michael asked, but Annan refused.

After meeting the mage Tatar Lord Agarwal, Annan has a clear and intuitive understanding of power - he has no means to compete with an epic mage.

In the evening, Annan arrived at the Olmedo family mansion.

Standing outside the gate, the meticulously pruned shrubs and branches seem to show the old-fashioned and orderly owner of the manor, which gives Annan a new question—why would an orderly, rigid, and ancient old aristocrat turn to chaos?

A carriage with the Olmedo family emblem drove up in front of Annan, but it wasn't Ormedo who got down.

"Cousin!"

Martin, who was carrying a jeweled sword, jumped out of the carriage and hugged Annan enthusiastically, with the buttons on his chest struggling to support him.

"You're fat."

"You should honor me!"

"What honorific title?"

"You should call me...... Belch...... Call me ......"

Annan's gaze shifted from Martin, who was drooling in thought, to the butler who opened the door.

"Your Excellency Annan, Master Martin, Master and Master Jeffrey are waiting for you in the dining room."

Annan and Martin followed the butler into the mansion and came to the dining room, illuminated by dozens of candles.

Augusta sat in the main seat, and Olmedo sat next to him, and it was hard to relax in the solemn atmosphere of the council room.

Before dinner had even begun, Annan felt tired.

Even when the servant served the food, it didn't disturb the silence of the restaurant, but Martin tried to break the ice by stuffing a whole chicken leg into his mouth and making a humming sound.

Annan remained quiet, not stupid enough to ask Augusta Olmedo what he thought of what happened last night.

"Father, Annan saved the Mage Tower and Breeze City yesterday."

Olmedo spoke in Annan's place.

The old Augusta had no joy or hatred, as if it were none of his business:

"Child, everything in this world is entangled with threads, and everything we do pulls these threads......"

"Do you think I shouldn't have pulled out the nezumi in Breeze?"

"If Colani hadn't bought the pearl, the kingdom wouldn't have fallen." Augusta Olmedo said this.

The allusion comes from the fact that Prince Colani, who was preparing to support the royal capital, passed by a caravan station while on his march, where he stopped to buy a pearl, but as a result, the royal capital fell and the country fell, and the pearl became the culprit, as the story goes.

Annan happened to read this story and had a different opinion: "Prince Colani rushed to the royal capital, and the end may be to be buried with the royal capital." At this point, it would be wise to create a new territory. ”

"What about you? Annan, do you want to have your own territory? ”

“…… I don't understand what you mean. ”

The old man on the throne said, "I can apply to the royal capital for you to be a nobleman and allocate a territory." ”

"When you didn't come, my father told me that you have the potential to become a lord." Olmedo said with a smile: "You have the cheekiness and the head of a cow to become a lord. ”

He's releasing kindness, or forcing himself to leave Breeze City.

"Because only if you become a lord, you won't snatch the position of the city lord." Augusta Olmedo seemed to have guessed Annan's thoughts.

Olmedo's expression became complicated.

"What's so hard about that?"

Martin looked up from his plate at this time, and his mouth was full of grease: "Cousin, you can marry him." ”

Annan fell silent, Olmedo's body stiffened, and Augusta silently picked up a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth.

"I want to find the killer first."

Annan really wanted to have his own territory, but how could Augusta Olmedo, who had destroyed the plot by himself, sincerely give away the territory?

In any case, Martin's gag made the atmosphere of this dinner less heavy.

If Augusta Olmedo's invitation was the first scare tonight, back at the manor, the news that Mentor Irelandzer had come was the second scare.

"The elf said the gift for you was in the room." The head maid said.

Annan hopes that it will not be a gift box that can hold the next person......

Coming to the bedroom with trepidation, Annan didn't find the suspicious gift box, nor did he see the quilt bulging strangely.

After inspecting the patio, under the bed, and in the wardrobe, Annan picked up a note on the dresser that had been casually pressed and did not look like a love letter.

"I'm Dela. Annan, I must confess that I deceived you...... Actually, I'm a rat man. The rat people lurking in the Wincht family, it was an accident to become your guard, and the priest let me continue to lurk after he found out]

[Your actions last night made the priest angry, that guy asked me to kill you, I don't want to do that, but I can't disobey the order, so...... I stole the leaves that the elf left you, and it freed me from the filthy blood of the nezumi. These names are the rat people I know who sneaked into the city, and I know it's not enough to pay off the debt, count me as owing you]

[Goodbye little guy, maybe one day in the future, I will appear in front of you as an elf]

Quietly scanning the words, Annan didn't feel much betrayal, only the sentimentality of his friend's departure—perhaps for a boy, the temptation of eternal life was worse than that of the girl next door.

It's just that Deira stole the Elven Mentor's gift. A "leaf" that turns a nezumi into an elf...... Could it be the leaves of the World Tree?

Annan couldn't think of anything he could compensate the elven mentor. The only things of value he owned were the Omledo rays and the countess's jeweled necklace.

"Dela?"

Annan's call went unanswered, and Deira had indeed left......

……

Early the next morning, Annan told them about Dela's identity and departure.

"How is that possible?!"

Michael couldn't believe it: "Isn't she killing rat people too......"

"So she chose to help me instead of the rat man."

The elven mentor was not there, and Annan took the opportunity to hand Evelyn the gem necklace as a prop to use later.

"Thank you, Jack." Evelyn was pleasantly surprised to hold up the gemstone necklace.

A moment later, the room was lit by warm, ambiguous candlelight.

Red Ghost and Betty stood in the corner, and Evelyn reclined on the sofa in a gauze skirt that outlined her youthful figure, looking shyly but firmly at Annan in front of the drawing board.

Holding a paintbrush and pretending to paint, Annan suddenly noticed that Evelyn's lower abdomen was flashing with a purple pattern. He stared suspiciously, removed the oil lamp from the couch, and looked again.

The lines reflected on Evelyn's lower abdomen disappeared.

(End of chapter)