Chapter 19
“…Huh?”
For a moment, I doubted my own ears. It was something I had never expected to hear.
Kin slowly lowered the arm holding his sword, studying my stunned expression.
“Do you want to survive here?”
“O–Of course!”
“I see.”
Watching our exchange, Don shouted sharply.
“Stop talking nonsense! If you really want to save this woman, then move—move out of the way right now!”
At that feeble threat, Kin strangely complied and stepped aside without resistance.
“Very well.”
…He’s not fighting?
While I was still reeling, Don pressed on with his demands.
“Get lost over there, and throw your sword on the floor!”
“Understood.”
As instructed, Kin dropped every weapon he had and disarmed himself completely.
Don cautiously backed toward the secret passage, never taking his eyes off Kin.
Please… let it be true.
I followed him, desperately praying that Don would keep his promise.
We were just approaching the stone pillar that concealed the secret passage when—
“If you want to see this woman alive, don’t come looking for me for a whole day!”
“N-No! You said you’d let her go!”
At that tragic declaration, Don was about to throw himself into the passage when someone whispered from behind iron bars beside the pillar.
“Hey, Mr. Ghost. How about coming over here and listening to me for a second?”
That voice…
It was Bernard.
What on earth is that idiot doing?
His impulsive behavior, acting without reading the situation, made irritation flare up inside me.
But what Don did next left me utterly shocked.
“…Alright. Let’s see.”
He suddenly shoved me aside and turned toward Bernard—as if possessed.
There was no time to question it. Getting out of Don’s grasp came first.
Now!
I hurled myself away from him with all my strength.
—Thud!
At the same moment, as if he’d been waiting, Kin lunged at Don.
He reached out and seized the back of Don’s neck.
Where Kin’s hand touched, the skin instantly turned purple.
“Ghk!—Kgh!”
With a strangled scream, blood burst from Don’s throat.
Horrified, I instinctively shrank back, covering my eyes and ears.
“Aaah!”
By the time I managed to calm my pounding heart and open my eyes again, everything was already over.
From a distance, I heard voices—Bernard and Kin talking.
“…Lord of the Castle. This counts as a contribution, right? So you’ll move me out of the prison? Right? Right?”
“I said I understand, so stop pestering me.”
“You promised, didn’t you? You really did, right? Heehee! Hahaha! I finally get to see the sun! I do!”
Bernard rolled around on the floor, cheering.
Nearby, Don lay sprawled in a grotesque position. Foam mixed with blood filled his mouth, his eyes rolled halfway back.
Anyone could tell he’d died instantly.
“E-Everything’s resolved now, right? Th-Thank you for saving me.”
I had no idea how things had unfolded exactly, but one thing was certain—they had saved my life.
When I spoke cautiously, Kin, who had been crouched down searching Don’s body, glanced up at me. His eyes swept over me as he replied.
“You’d better be useful enough to make up for the information this bastard died without giving.”
“Ugh…”
His intent was immediately clear.
Be useful, or I’ll discard you at any time.
Strictly speaking, I wasn’t his subordinate, so I had no obligation to prove my worth.
But he was the master of this Ashen Citadel.
That meant there would be moments when I’d have to prove my life had value.
Like during that hostage situation earlier.
Just as he had chosen to save me instead of Don, who possessed valuable information.
If I hadn’t discovered the secret passage and proven my usefulness, who knew what decision Kin would have made?
At the same time, a sense of dread crept over me.
Now that I’ve caught Kin’s attention, I’ll probably get dragged into castle affairs even more. What if I end up facing danger like this every time?
Please—let my intuition be wrong.
* * *
After that, everything progressed smoothly.
According to rumors, the secret passage beneath the underground prison was completely sealed, and the wraith never appeared again.
Thanks to that, the reputation of “Esmeralda the Mysterious” soared throughout the Ashen Citadel.
There were so many clients looking for me that the line stretched all the way to the castle gates.
So what had I been doing in the meantime?
After being summoned by Kin’s subordinates, answering a few questions about the “ghost” and Don’s background, and being warned to keep my mouth shut, I shut myself in my room for several days to rest.
Thinking about all the “fees”—no, my precious clients—made me want to get back to work immediately! But mental and physical stability came first.
“Ghost sightings, murder threats… it was exhausting.”
I also needed time alone to整理 my thoughts.
“Breaking into Kin’s office again at dawn… I should probably come up with a better excuse next time. Maybe take another look at the map.”
As I muttered to myself, someone suddenly popped up beside me.
“What did you just say? A map?”
It was Ricky.
I played dumb.
“Oh, the underground prison. I was just glad I found a secret passage that wasn’t on the map.”
Ricky tilted his head suspiciously.
“Really? Felt a bit strange… Anyway, the boss is calling for you.”
He dragged me out the door.
“What’s going on?”
“They’re planning to wrap up the underground prison ghost case today. They’re calling in everyone involved, handing out rewards, and taking care of things.”
“Really?”
My ears perked up.
I did contribute quite a bit—maybe I’ll get a reward?
With barely contained excitement, I entered the meeting room.
Inside were two familiar faces.
One was, of course, Kin.
The other was—
“Bernard?”
A ragged prisoner grinned and waved at me.
“Hello, fortune-teller miss!”
“…You really made it aboveground? C-Congratulations.”
“It’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t stupidly let yourself get captured by a ghost, I wouldn’t have earned this merit.”
“St-Stupidly?! I didn’t have a choice in that situation!”
I was about to snap again, but instead asked the question that had been bothering me.
“But what was that back then?”
When Bernard had called out to Don—
‘Hey, Mr. Ghost. Come over here and listen to me for a second?’
Thinking back, his voice hadn’t been normal. He had clearly used some kind of ability.
Otherwise, there was no way Don would’ve let go of me and wandered toward Bernard in that critical moment.
Bernard winked theatrically.
“A trump card I can only use once a day. Anything more is a secret.”
“An ability that charms a nearby target and forces them to move as commanded.”
Kin explained calmly.
“Ah, my lord! You shouldn’t just reveal it like that! The more hidden an ability is, the more mysterious it seems!”
“You’ll be supervising him from now on. You need to know this much.”
“Well, he already knows about my awakened ability, so my trump card wouldn’t work on him anyway. Couldn’t you let me keep some secrets?”
“How would I know what scheme you might be plotting to escape?”
Their exchange felt strange, and I suddenly cut in.
“W-Wait. Just a second! What did you just say? Me—what? Supervising Bernard?”
Kin replied as if it were obvious.
“He saved your life. So you’re responsible for him.”
“What kind of logic is that?!”
“Right here.”
I was already barely managing as it was—and now I had to supervise a hardened criminal who’d been rotting at the bottom of the underground prison? Wasn’t this excessive?
I deserve a reward, not a punishment!
I wanted to protest fiercely, but Kin’s next words shut my mouth.
“No matter the reason, sneaking into the lord’s office at dawn is normally enough to get your limbs cut off and your corpse hung outside the castle.”
“…In that case, I’d like to express my deepest gratitude for being let off with such a light punishment.”
Being able to feel gratitude at all is a wonderful thing. It means you’re alive.
In the end, I had no choice but to accept becoming Bernard’s supervisor—crying while chewing mustard, so to speak.
“Let’s… get along.”
“Just think of it as taking in a well-behaved servant!”
Bernard beamed, cheering me on regardless of how he was treated.
“Then is that all for today?”
“You may go.”
Kin tapped the table lightly with his finger.
Watching him, I suddenly realized I’d never properly checked his status window.
I did see it when we first met, but…
Maybe because I’d been under pressure from so many terrifying people, I couldn’t remember any details clearly.
Hoping to find some kind of weakness, I glanced at Kin.
“Well? Why aren’t you leaving?”
His ice-blue eyes locked onto me.
It was the perfect opportunity.
Now!
The moment I decided, letters began to appear before my eyes.
