Chapter 25
Nibelia turned toward the drawing room and ran into the woman’s arms.
The woman, with her pale brown hair neatly tied up—its gray strands showing here and there—smiled brightly.
“Della! Della, you’re here!”
“Our Lady Nini, you’ve been well—”
Della’s green eyes suddenly narrowed sharply.
“…Did you cry?”
Tears still lingered at the corners of Nibelia’s eyes.
Della’s composed expression crumpled instantly.
Nibelia’s face turned gloomy again.
“What happened?”
“I almost couldn’t make money.”
“…Money?”
“Yeah. But I just thought of a good idea, so I’m going to tell Mom and Dad. Nini hasn’t failed yet!”
As Nibelia pumped herself up, Della lifted her gaze.
Outside the drawing room stood Aref, watching nervously, and Soles, who seemed to have just remembered where he had seen Della before.
“You’re the employee from the information guild, aren’t you?”
Soles confirmed his memory.
That day, when they went back and forth between the Mage Tower and the information guild to sell poisonous mushrooms—
While waiting for the guild’s owner, “Lady Della,” there had been a cleaning lady exchanging glances with Nibelia.
Soles had witnessed it all.
“…You have a good memory.”
Della smiled warmly, impressed.
“That’s right. I’m Della, who works at the information guild.”
“You have the same name as its owner.”
“Just a coincidence. A coincidence.”
“Della is Nini’s subordinate!”
Nibelia declared proudly.
“A long time ago, when Nini was a cat! She brushed my fur and gave me snacks! So Nini made her a subordinate!”
“Oh my, do you still consider me your subordinate?”
“Of course! Nini never abandons her subordinates!”
“It’s an honor, Lady Nini.”
The absurd conversation flowed naturally.
‘She’s a good person.’
Soles thought, seeing her play along with Nibelia’s imagination.
‘…But why does she call her Nini?’
That nickname was only allowed for family or close people. Normally, Nibelia would ignore or get angry if a stranger used it.
But Soles let it go.
‘If Nini doesn’t mind, then it’s fine.’
Someone else, however, cared very much.
Aref watched the two anxiously.
‘But… I’m the one who’s her subordinate…’
He felt uneasy, as if his role might be taken away.
“Della.”
Nibelia introduced Aref.
“This is Aref. He came back to Nini!”
“Oh, the wolf, is it?”
“Yeah! He lives with Nini. My favorite wolf!”
“Nice to meet you, Aref.”
Della greeted him politely.
Aref froze awkwardly, then blushed in embarrassment. He felt ashamed for having just been jealous.
“H-hello…”
“You have splendid golden hair and red eyes, just like your name. Please take good care of our Lady Nini.”
“Yes…!”
This time, he answered firmly.
Della looked at him with a faint, knowing gaze.
“By the way, weren’t the three of you heading somewhere?”
“We’re going to Mom and Dad.”
“To the Saintess and the Holy Knight?”
“No, to Mom now.”
“Ah…”
Della smiled lightly, as if correcting herself.
“Is it about the flower farm you visited today?”
The children’s eyes widened.
“Don’t forget—I am ‘Della’ from the information guild.”
She explained that was exactly why she had come.
Then she took out a small letter sealed with wax.
“Please give this to your parents.”
“What is it?”
“As thanks for giving me the opportunity to purchase rare poisonous mushrooms…”
Della glanced at Soles and smiled knowingly.
‘Ah…’
Soles became certain—
This woman might truly be the real Lady Della.
“A small gift from the owner of the information guild, ‘Lady Della.’”
“Money?”
“Information, just as valuable as money.”
Della said,
“It’s very fresh information—just analyzed at the Mage Tower yesterday. It will surely be helpful.”
* * *
A few days later—
Monitos, Lubeo’s legal advisor, visited the flower farm.
He had a rough, intimidating appearance, as if he might start cursing if someone brushed past him.
Despite his age, his muscular build stretched his suit tight whenever he moved.
When he arrived, the Plaud couple were so startled they dropped the bottle they were holding.
Glancing at the shattered glass, Monitos handed over his card and introduced himself.
“I’ve brought the contract.”
From a worn leather briefcase, he took out a thick stack of documents.
“As this is a startup investment, the contract will take effect once you apply to withdraw the investment funds from the bank.”
His deep voice continued.
The terms were simple:
The Deiamor family would invest a large sum.
The Plaud couple would use it to establish a research facility and generate profit.
Lubeo would assist in the process.
“The primary contractor is the developer of the liquid fertilizer that preserves flowers—”
“That would be me.”
Mrs. Plaud answered quickly.
“Then please review the contract and sign it.”
“Must we do it right now?”
“As I said, review it first. However, the funds can only be received after submitting a notarized contract to the capital bank.”
“I—I see…”
The couple exchanged glances and immediately signed.
Of course, they did “review” the contract—
More precisely, they carefully examined the massive amount of money listed.
Monitos silently watched as they counted the digits with their fingers.
“W-when can we get it notarized?”
“Fortunately, I am a certified notary myself, so if you wish—”
“Please do it now!”
“We want to establish the research center as soon as possible! We want to give our daughter a proper home and proper treatment…!”
The notarization was completed on the spot.
Monitos finished his business and left.
The Plaud couple saw him off and quickly shut the door.
“……”
Inside the carriage, the lawyer looked back at the farm growing distant.
‘They have the same taste in alcohol as I do.’
A 40-year-old whiskey.
‘Not exactly what parents of a sick child would be drinking.’
* * *
“What a windfall!”
“I can’t believe the contract actually went through!”
That night—
The Plaud couple packed their belongings.
Like people preparing to flee far away.
“Who would’ve thought that orphan girl would be useful?”
“And everything went so smoothly. Maybe living kindly really pays off.”
“Didn’t I say it? Keep her alive and she’d be useful someday—soup or bread or whatever!”
As they praised themselves crudely, they looked out over the farm.
“…What’s happening with her now?”
The husband asked.
“What, you want to go praise her?”
“We should deal with it before leaving. If she’s found alive and talks about us, we’re done for.”
“……”
The wife hesitated, then shook her head.
“That would only make things worse.”
If they fled after killing someone, the Deiamor family would hunt them down.
“And if we kill her, even the Saintess might get involved.”
“The Saintess too?”
“I heard from an old colleague—she’s insane. She’s the one who killed the former emperor and the high priest.”
“Wasn’t that just a rumor?”
“That old man fought as a mercenary 40 years ago. He said he saw her killing people himself.”
Silence fell.
A suffocating, terrifying silence.
“…Yeah. No need to make things bigger.”
The husband forced a laugh.
“If we leave her, she’ll starve anyway.”
“Right. Just leave her.”
“This is mercy. We could kill her, but we’re not.”
“A natural death. Natural death.”
“From now on, let’s live comfortably without doing dangerous things!”
At dawn, they left for the capital.
* * *
Once the old carriage disappeared—
“……”
“……”
Figures emerged from the forest.
Dressed in black, faces covered, they stared at the flower farm.
“Begin.”
At the command, they infiltrated the buildings and began searching.
Among them was one unusual presence.
“…Are you really going in yourself?”
Deter looked uneasily at the old shed.
In his arms was Nibelia.
Wearing a black outfit like the others, with a mask embroidered with cat whiskers, Nibelia nodded.
“It’s Nini’s investment. Nini has to check it.”
“I still can’t believe the Madam and the Elder allowed this.”
“Grandma said experience is important.”
“Still… this is the kind of experience you shouldn’t have…”
“Let’s go!”
Unable to refuse, Deter sighed and stepped into the shed.
