TFJB 41

Chapter 41

Is this what it feels like when all the blood drains from your body?

I’m done for! I’ve been completely caught! My life is seriously over now!

My hands and feet went numb, and my heart started pounding violently.

Is there… is there any way at all to survive this somehow?

And in this situation, there was only one method that came to mind. That method was—

“A-Ash! Ash said she wants to speak with you immediately, Lord of the Castle!”

A pitiful excuse, using the girl “Ash,” whom Kin believed to be dead, as a shield.

“Then she should have formally requested a meeting with me. Why approach me in such a way?”

A logical rebuttal came back.

But I had a non-logical, invincible countermeasure.

“Ash kept insisting that since there was a faster way to reach you, there was no reason to use such a complicated method…”

They say you shouldn’t casually borrow the will of the dead, but this is my name and my will, so it’s completely justified.

Because that Ash will soon be this Ash.

“So that faster method was using this hidden passage?”

“Yes.”

“And why should I believe that?”

“Do you think I’m crazy enough to try to escape by crawling into a place that connects directly to your private quarters, Lord of the Castle?”

That crazy person would be me.

Good heavens, God. Even if things go wrong, how do they get tangled up this badly?

As the thick steam settled, Kin’s once-vague silhouette became clear.

His upper body, soaked in sweat and water, looked solid, but it was covered in scars—traces of a rough life.

Kin crossed his arms and gestured toward me with his chin.

“Fine. I’ve heard enough of your explanation about your suspicious appearance. Next, there’s something else I need to hear.”

“Uh… about that…”

He was probably referring to the sleeping incense.

“It wasn’t a strong sleeping incense. It was a sleep-inducing scent—an inducing scent! It just helps calm the mind and ease tension, so I lit it to help with rest. You can look it up—it’s not toxic and not dangerous. Really.”

I rattled off excuse after excuse. I desperately wanted to prove my competence. The pressure was huge, because it felt like I’d die if I made a mistake. I even dragged in an extremely low-class argument that only a criminal would make—something like, but wasn’t it nice for you too, since you got to sleep?

As Kin watched me babble on, he rubbed his chin.

“Are you done?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean your excuses. Are you finished?”

“Yes…”

I lowered my head deeply. It seemed like it was time to hear the final verdict.

After a moment of silence, Kin spoke.

“It was your ability that put me to sleep.”

At those unbelievable words, I snapped my head up.

“…What?”

“Because of my awakened ability, neither poison nor medicine works on me. Sleeping pills and sleeping incense have no effect.”

What was that supposed to mean? Because of his poison-related ability, neither poison nor medicine affects his body?

Then what on earth did I use to put that man to sleep?

I barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping.

But I don’t have any miraculous power that puts people to sleep…

Kin continued.

“It seems my expectations were quite a burden for you. Enough that you even hoped for a stroke of luck.”

“I-I suppose you could say that?”

I didn’t understand what was going on, but I could think about that later. If I could just get through this situation, I’d be grateful for anything.

“Esmeralda. If you want trust, you must not rely on luck.”

For some reason, Kin’s voice seemed a little softer. Was that just my imagination?

“Helping Ricky, and now this—you seem to have grown rather attached to this place.”

It wasn’t my imagination. This was real. By this point, I couldn’t tell whether the sweat pouring down my back was from the bathroom steam or from my embarrassment.

Even his gaze seemed a bit gentler.

Trying to hide my confusion, I answered clumsily.

“W-well, sort of. I guess. Everyone’s nice here. And the people here have deep pockets, so they pay well for consultations. So… it’s nice. Probably…?”

That said, I didn’t actually want to keep living in a place where criminals from all over the continent hid.

Kin went on.

“But I dislike dishonesty. I don’t expect abilities beyond your limits, so if there’s something you can’t do, say that you can’t.”

“Yes—yes.”

“You’ve effectively become one of my people as well, so I’ll let this go once. But I won’t overlook it again.”

“Yes, I underst—stand?”

It was a bewildering conclusion, but as an ending, it wasn’t bad. I hadn’t died. I let out a breath of relief.

I survived.

I really thought I was going to die today, but somehow I’d barely saved my life.

Hin, you were right. I’m strong against bad luck. I cling stubbornly to life.

The strength left my legs on its own.

—Thud.

As I collapsed onto the spot, Kin let out a light sigh.

“You must have been tense.”

I put a hand to my forehead.

“O-of course I was. Who wouldn’t be nervous in front of the Lord of the Castle?”

“Is that so? After you got furious in the fields last time and kept ignoring me, I thought you were the type of astrologer who fears nothing in this world except the stars in the sky.”

That was ridiculous. I muttered in disbelief.

“My goodness? Me ignoring you, Lord of the Castle? What are you talking about? If anything, you were angry and ignoring me…”

“No. Even after receiving the gift, you were the same, so I was watching to see how far you’d go.”

What? A gift? My ears perked up.

“You mean that dagger, right?”

I shuddered and cautiously voiced my complaint. You should push when you can.

“If you found me annoying, you could have just said so. Did you really have to send a knife? I was so scared when I received it that my heart was racing, and I couldn’t sleep properly for days…”

The part about sleep was a lie, but exaggeration only makes things more dramatic.

The moment he heard that, Kin’s expression changed strangely.

“Your heart raced because you were scared…? What do you mean by that?”

“You sent a dagger as a threat. I know exactly what that means—‘If you don’t behave yourself, you’re dead.’”

Thinking of the gleaming dagger and Oval’s cold expression when he handed it over gave me chills again.

As I shivered, I heard a faint pfft, like air leaking out.

It wasn’t a sound from me, so it had to be from Kin.

No, seriously. Why is that man laughing? Is threatening people fun? Huh?

Sure enough, a crooked smile was hanging on Kin’s lips.

“…I’m a bit taken aback that you interpreted a gesture of reconciliation as a threat.”

I stared at him with wide eyes at the unexpected statement.

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know what kind of life you lived in San Pedro, but normally, expensive gifts like that are often used as a sign of goodwill—to get along better.”

“Ugh… ugh…!”

Hearing Kin talk about common sense—what on earth was this?

“I heard you liked flowers and jewels, so I sent something that had both…”

“Yes?”

“…Since you took it in a completely different way, it seems it was a failed approach.”

So all the emotional suffering I’d gone through these past few days had been completely pointless.

All my strength drained away at once.

So there was never any need to visit Kin today in the first place, and none of this chaos needed to happen.

As I slumped my shoulders, a large hand suddenly extended in front of me.

“Get up. No matter how startled you were, sitting on a cold floor for too long isn’t good. It would be troublesome if you developed a fever when you’re supposed to pass on Ash’s words.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Dazed, I grabbed Kin’s large hand and struggled to my feet.

“Did you roll around in a dust pit? You’re a mess.”

After helping me up, Kin looked me over from head to toe and frowned.

“You should wash first. I’ll step out, so brush off the dust and come out.”

“I-I’m fine—”

“Put on any shirt and pants you find there.”

“Lord of the Castle?”

“I won’t listen to any more objections.”

With that, Kin turned around and swiftly left the room.

Left alone in the large bathroom, I muttered to myself.

“To end up washing myself in another man’s bath—what kind of indecent situation is this?”

Isn’t way too much happening today, no matter how you look at it?