Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 34

When I heard that the monster targeting me was still roaming around the Royal Capital, I momentarily thought of the people participating in the festival.

I know it’s hard enough just to take care of myself, but couldn’t I at least warn people of the danger?

I was just deciding that I should at least report to the Security Forces that a monster was roaming around.

“Ensuring the young lady’s survival is my job. Therefore, dealing with the monster targeting Lady Blanche is also my duty.”

His voice was so calm that I couldn’t tell whether he was saying this to ease my burden, or if he really meant it.

“…I also happened to have some personal business.”

Ah, that last part was definitely added to ease my burden.

When I nodded with a much more comfortable feeling, Sir Penandel immediately stood up from his seat.

“Please rest. This time I won’t be late and will return quickly.”

“Shasheshaye~ Yaebyeon yaen neojyaeyeon gyaek baebyeok deolyaeyaegyeoseong naengdaesi~. My, how reassuring for you, Master.”

Terry was pouting beside me, making sarcastic remarks about something that displeased him.

Even though he wasn’t the one involved, Terry’s protruding mouth was so annoying I wanted to punch it until it caved in.

I watched Sir Penandel’s figure disappear into the darkness outside the window with a heavy heart before returning to my room.

He’s a strong person, so he should return before dawn.

However, contrary to my expectations, Sir Penandel didn’t return even when the next morning came.

* * *

Belinda, who had been watching outside the window with sharp eyes, opened her mouth.

“What time is it?”

“It just became noon.”

“I see.”

Belinda nodded indifferently at Terry’s answer as he poured tea.

Though her expression was no different from usual, Terry and Leo knew she was waiting for Sir Penandel’s return.

Because…

“What time is it?”

“It’s been 5 minutes past noon.”

“I see.”

She’d been looking out the window and only checking the time since earlier.

Unable to watch anymore, Terry added:

“Master, it’s practically impossible to just eliminate the main body of a Shadow Crow. There’s no way to distinguish it. Therefore, to eliminate the main body, you have no choice but to eliminate the entire flock of Shadow Crows.”

“I see.”

“No matter how skilled Sir Penandel is, it’s impossible to eliminate all the Shadow Crows in just half a day. Their reproduction rate is tremendous, so you usually need an entire squad to exterminate them.”

“I see.”

“He’s probably too embarrassed to come back because of the boast he made yesterday… Master?”

“I see.”

She’s not listening.

Terry clicked his tongue. Who would believe that someone was waiting for a person with such a cold expression?

Terry secretly sighed and opened his mouth.

“If nothing happened to his safety, I think I know where he might be.”

Only then did Belinda’s head turn toward Terry.

Terry wondered for a moment if he should say this, but soon rationalized that it was Penandel’s fault for not sending even a single message when he was running late.

“He made a request to the Sewer Rats a while ago. Since he said he’d handle personal business too, I think that matter might be taking longer.”

At Terry’s words, Belinda answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Lead the way.”

The place Terry guided Belinda to was an orphanage located in the slum district.

The alley was too narrow for a carriage to enter, and to make matters worse, it was a passage connected to the slums, so security was at its worst.

Walking through that place, Belinda was able to confirm Terry’s status anew.

The thugs who had been slowly gathering after seeing Belinda, whose gait and bearing were clearly different, checked Terry’s face and immediately turned around and fled without looking back.

One man even shouted in a breathless voice.

“C-crazy dog!”

Terry glanced at Belinda, shrugged his shoulders, and then:

“Grrrrrr. Grrrung, woof! Woof woof!”

He barked viciously at the man.

“Hiiiiek!”

Terry, who had even clicked his teeth at the man running away with his tail between his legs, grinned and put his hands on his waist.

“How about it, Master? Don’t you feel reassured?”

“Don’t bark randomly.”

“Tch. Master always only favors Sir Penandel.”

That’s really how it seemed to Terry.

Of course, their first meeting wasn’t very pleasant, but Belinda had a strangely soft spot for Sir Penandel.

If she had entrusted me with dealing with the Shadow Crows yesterday, I could have quickly eliminated them by deploying the Sewer Rats.

Belinda rolled her eyes to observe Terry grumbling, then spoke in a slightly softer tone.

“Answer.”

“Woof.”

“The answer is short.”

“Woof, sir. Tch.”

To Terry, who was pouting while guiding the way, Belinda continued to ask:

“Sir Penandel is looking for a child?”

“Yes, he was secretly searching for some boy.”

Anyway, a client is a client, so Terry only said that much and closed his mouth.

Then he recalled the day Sir Penandel personally came to make the request.

“A 9-year-old boy who came to the Royal Capital about 4 years ago. If you just tell me his name, I can find him quickly.”

The portrait he brought was extremely crude and didn’t seem like it would be much help, but it wasn’t a difficult task.

However, Sir Penandel had a talent for making even easy tasks extremely difficult.

“The name is… it might be Endymion, or it might not be.”

“So is it Endymion or not?”

“I can’t be certain. However, if the child remembers that name, he would react to it.”

The name was uncertain, and he couldn’t be sure about the eye color either. Dead or alive didn’t matter, and the only accurate information was that he was 9 years old and had black hair.

This was really clinging to futile hope, wasn’t it?

Just as he was wondering how to answer if Belinda asked for details, fortunately their destination came into view at good timing.

“Here it is.”

A bleak and old single-story building.

Children who seemed to not be receiving proper care were huddled together, hanging laundry with their small hands like fern fronds.

Among them was one child familiar to Belinda.

“Can’t you hurry up? Really, you’re all like slugs!”

While everyone was struggling with the laundry, that one child was bossing around the other children without getting a single drop of water on his hands – a very familiar sight.

“Little pig Heiron.”

“Hiik!”

Heiron’s neck, who had been acting arrogant, suddenly shrank like a turtle under surprise attack.

‘The fact that this child is here means…’

“He’s the son of the Orphanage Director.”

Belinda soon realized that this was the orphanage where Leo had lived.

She left Terry at the entrance and carefully stepped inside.

The building, with poor lighting and low ceilings, was an utterly inadequate environment for children to live in.

All orphanages in the kingdom receive subsidies from the Royal Court and are exempt from considerable taxes.

Belinda narrowed her eyes as she examined the interior, where not a trace of those subsidies being used could be found.

Then, the moment she entered a fairly spacious hall, sunlight suddenly poured in through a large window.

Bathed in the golden cascading light, the man stood there.

If there were an ice sculpture that would never melt even under the sun, it might look like this.

Only when she saw his thick chest rising and falling with each breath beneath his thin shirt did Belinda realize the man was not a sculpture.

Her gaze, which had been slowly taking in his tall height, broad shoulders, and thick Adam’s apple before examining his black hair, became fixed on the man’s face.

And just like that, her gaze was captivated as if enchanted, and their eyes met.

His features, so pure and somehow giving off an ascetic atmosphere, didn’t even register in her vision.

Just those eyes.

The man’s pupils were a piercing blue, like the winter sky seen through a birch forest where ice crystals sparkled.

As if touching them would leave ice fragments instead of tears.

“….”

“….”

Belinda and the man faced each other without saying a word for a moment.

Then, just as Belinda’s lips parted.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but the child you’re looking for has already been adopted to a good place….”

A middle-aged man who had been rushing out from inside while speaking discovered Belinda and quietly lowered his voice.

Somehow the atmosphere was strange.

He looked back and forth between Belinda and the man before carefully asking.

“Ah, are you perhaps together?”

The answer came from the man’s side.

He quickly opened his mouth, then coughed several times and answered in an awkward voice that seemed to scratch his throat.

“No. I’ll come back later.”

The man passed by Belinda and left the hall.

Belinda thought the faint scent that wafted from the man as he passed was very familiar.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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