MSDH CH 09

Chapter – 09

“Alright. I’ll understand once I see it.”

In his golden eyes, there was a portrait of a small, round figure that looked like a herbivorous animal.

It had a pure white face—like a rabbit running through snow—or maybe a timid deer.

“It doesn’t look like that at all. Well, if you only go by appearance, no one would ever think she’d scam me. And also… a handsome face.”

Kailus traced his lips again.

Could it be that she approached him even targeting his face?

“It would be nice if she could cook. And it would also be good if she could make time for at least one small date a week. Hah, she really is picky.”

The subordinate who had been listening couldn’t take it anymore and scratched his ear.

“Does a man like that even exist in this world?”

“There is.”

“Pardon? Where?”

“Right here.”

“Where exactly…?”

Sid’s nose flared slightly, his face twisting as if he had swallowed salt water.

But when he thought about it, none of it was completely wrong, so he couldn’t refute it.

And even if such a man existed, he was scared it might actually be true.

“Your Grace…”

“What.”

“Your personality… might not be suitable, don’t you think?”

Sid carefully added the words with a bit of courage.

“Why? Acting kind isn’t that hard.”

“Yes, of course.”

Sid nodded quickly.

“Yes, if it’s just acting, it should be fine. But… have you ever cooked before? You’ve never even touched a kitchen…”

“There’s nothing I can’t do. Something like that, I just need to try it a couple times.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Sid smiled brightly, rubbing his hands like a fly.

“Yes, you’re absolutely right! But Your Grace is busy, aren’t you?”

“If I treat it as work, there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Yes, well… if you say so. But are you really going to act personally? Wouldn’t it be better to just send people and get rid of her?”

“Is that why every group I sent failed due to illusion magic?”

“……”

Sid swallowed nervously and shut his mouth.

So there was no choice but to go himself.

He needed to find out exactly how much this bold, shameless woman knew about him—and how she obtained it.

A week later, Kailus departed for Ferrarium.

So it had already been a year.

Kailus placed the document back.

The Hazel he had seen over the past year was different from what he had expected, but she was more capable than he thought.

Still, there was no answer yet on how she had obtained his information or funds.

But one thing was certain—Hazel was already in his grasp.

Moreover, she was completely infatuated with him and couldn’t escape.

There was no reason to worry.

Sometimes, because her face was so pale, he had the strange illusion of a white rabbit hopping around wearing a red hairpin.

It was… rather cute.

“Cute? Hah.”

He laughed to himself.

Yes, she was somewhat cute—but that was all.

She was the one drowning in love and obsession, not him.

She was merely a troublesome woman who would soon need to be dealt with.

There was no reason to drag this out for a year.

He had simply enjoyed it too much, that was all.

Time to finish this.

He glanced at the clock.

“Ah, pumpkin pie.”

She had mentioned that again.

It made sense. She had eaten two slices at once that day, clearly enjoying it.

Hazel liked food, but she didn’t eat much.

She always wanted more but couldn’t, and her eyebrows would curve sadly in an “八” shape.

It made him laugh.

And when he took the plate away to stop her from overeating, her eyes would follow it like a puppy.

That was another thing he enjoyed.

If she ate two slices in one go, it meant she truly liked it.

He should prepare it now so it could cool overnight.

She liked it crispy, so he needed to start with that.

She also liked vanilla ice cream on top—but giving her something cold in the morning might upset her stomach.

“Maybe I should prepare the cream in advance.”

Of course, this was all part of the plan.

Kailus quickly left the office.

I opened my eyes wide.

While I had dozed off for a moment, Noah had disappeared.

He must have gone back to work again.

Perfect timing.

I quickly got up, wrapped my robe loosely, and slipped out into the hallway.

Then I rushed straight to my office.

I had a friend who believed faith, loyalty, and love all came from money.

Well… “friend” might be a stretch, but he was someone who would never betray me when money was involved.

Because I had money!

To contact him, I had to go through Dylan Banker, but it couldn’t be helped.

I grabbed pen and paper and wrote quickly.

“Hello, Dylan Banker.

It’s been a while. Hope you’re well.

It’s Hazel.

I actually need Annie’s help.

Can you do me a favor?

Also, how are you doing?

Please!

H. LV”

I signed it the way I used to on reports.

Just in case, I added something only Dylan would recognize.

Then I slipped a gold coin into the letter.

Annie always worked for money.

Depending on the request, I would show the payment in advance.

Copper coins were easy tasks.

Silver coins were harder.

Gold coins were difficult or troublesome jobs.

Even though she already knew me, the gold coin was a silent urgency signal.

I opened the window and checked if any servants were outside.

There were communication devices, but they left traces, so I avoided them.

If Noah ever found out I contacted Dylan… just imagining it was terrifying.

So I chose the old-fashioned method.

I blew softly into the air.

A small blue bird appeared, glowing faintly.

It was a magical messenger created from my mana.

It couldn’t be tracked, and no one but me could identify it.

I handed over the letter.

“Go on.”

At my command, the translucent bird flew away quickly.

Since it came from my mana, it wouldn’t get lost.

Unless Dylan Banker had moved far away or left his post, it would reach him.

I closed the window once the blue glow disappeared completely.

Then I went back to bed as if nothing had happened.

A Few Days Later

A reply arrived from Dylan Banker.

He sent it using the same method.

I had been worried I might have to go find him myself, so I was relieved.

“Hazel Love.

Yeah, it’s been a while.

You little jerk! Only contacting me when you need something? Seriously?

I’ll send Annie soon.

I want to come myself, but I’m busy.

Monsters are causing chaos near the capital outskirts.

I’ll come see you before autumn.

Until then, stay healthy.

From your annoyed friend,

— Dylan Banker”

I let out a small laugh.

Honestly, I hadn’t known Dylan Banker for that long.

He wasn’t really my friend—he was Hazel Love’s colleague.

And I had left the knight order soon after regaining my senses.

But during that brief overlap, we had worked together and surprisingly matched well.

That connection had continued until now.

Dylan was friendly with everyone and acted like an older brother or helper to anyone.

He even helped when Jed was struggling with paperwork.

Of course, he also tried to stop me from leaving until I insisted I needed a break.

“I should really thank him next time.”

After burning the letter, I opened the safe and set aside some gold coins and bullion.

“…Ah.”

Monsters near the capital outskirts?

Dylan had mentioned it.

Monsters were appearing here too, and spreading near the capital.

Soon they would spread nationwide.

I often checked guild requests across regions to track trends.

And monster-related requests were clearly increasing.

Even if there were none here yet, there was no guarantee it would stay that way.

From a business perspective, it was good news.

But knowing the original story, it wasn’t something to celebrate.

That’s why I had settled in Ferrarium—to avoid all of this.

There were no followers yet, but things were moving faster than expected.

As if something was being actively searched for.

Eliminating the final evil was supposed to be the protagonists’ job.

That’s probably why Dylan was so busy too.

“….”

I pressed my hands against my forehead.

Even though the protagonists would handle the final villain and everything would end happily… why did I feel uneasy?

Whenever I had this feeling, something troublesome always followed.