Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Duke Neftis has been kidnapped by an unknown assailant in your city. This is deemed a matter of security negligence by Integrated Ilam City and the dereliction of duty by Mayor Evan Laef. Should we fail to receive Duke Neftis alive within one week, House Neftis shall hold both Integrated Ilam City and Mayor Evan Laef accountable and bring ruin upon you.

“Thomas. Was the person who brought this by any chance a woman with black hair and dark circles extending down to her jaw?”
“Huh? That’s right! How did you know without even seeing her?!”
How could this man, entrusted with Father’s protection, allow him to be snatched away by an unknown assailant with his own two eyes open?! More importantly, why is Father’s kidnapping my responsibility?!
“He came in secret without any official announcement! Why is this my fault?!”
“What’s wrong with you?”
Reina Letem, who had shown no hesitation in eating the rice she’d never tasted before and was scooping it up with gusto, snatched the paper from my hands and read through it entirely. Then she offered me her sympathies.
“You’ve picked a bad time. They’ve lost their water rights and their eldest daughter is dead, so they’re probably extremely sensitive right now.”
That eldest daughter isn’t actually dead, but I’ll concede that the timing is unfortunate. House Neftis has a genius for shifting their own mistakes onto others.
“If the Duke moved personally without announcing a visit, Evan might have been the target.”
“Ah, that makes sense. With the eldest daughter dead, they’d be desperate to adopt a mage.”
So stop saying the eldest daughter is dead—she’s alive. You’re inviting bad luck with that kind of talk.
“This is quite the predicament. Whether I find him or not, I’ll end up entangled in trouble either way.”
Reina Letem, a member of the upper nobility, made a very aristocratic observation. According to her, if I, as the Mayor of Integrated Ilam, safely find and return the kidnapped Duke, they’ll come clinging to me with talk of repaying favors and adopting me as a daughter—which would be nauseating. But if I fail to find the Duke or if he’s discovered dead, not only would Integrated Ilam be annihilated, but if the Duchess takes action, I might be dragged to House Neftis and exploited until I produce a mage by being bound to their son.
“The latter has serious ethical problems, so that’s not an option.”
“Well, in aristocratic society, that’s not something that works according to one’s wishes, or so they say.”
That person I’d supposedly be bound to is my own brother, for crying out loud. Have they lost their minds?
“When did the disappearance occur?”
“I heard it was around yesterday evening.”
“If he were dead, he’d already be dead by now.”
Father’s disappearance wasn’t something that required urgency. As long as he’s alive, that’s all that matters. If he were dead, it would be serious—Mother would throw a fit. So if Father is dead, I’m as good as dead too, so there’s no need to rush.
“There’s no urgency. Uncle, join us for breakfast.”
“Hey! Duke Neftis has gone missing?!”
“I’ve seen the document, so I’m aware.”
“Ah, this kid really knows how to drive a person up the wall!”
As Thomas thumped his chest, Leri nodded in understanding and grasped the uncle’s shoulder.
“When he acts like that, there’s no helping it, so just have your meal and go, sir.”
“Ugh! If only I weren’t Eleanor!”
When the uncle mentioned our mother’s name, Leri’s face brightened. There’s a certain pleasure in watching someone else’s unrequited love, but when the object of that affection is my mother, it wasn’t quite so enjoyable.
Not that Thomas is a bad person. It’s just that Mother seems completely uninterested, and he’s remarkably oblivious, which breaks my heart. It’s like watching a shoulder-slung bird of paradise spread its feathers wide and leap about with all its might, performing an elaborate courtship dance, while Mother simply praises him for dancing well. That’s what this feels like every day.
“A toast to the uncle who has supplied us with mackerel.”
“What kind of toast is that when there’s no alcohol, you lunatic?”
“Are you a fisherman, sir?”
“M-mackerel tastes delicious, sir!”
We chatted leisurely over our meal, then slowly rose to head to Ilam City Hall. Since Hubert insisted we not waste money at the dining hall and take a packed lunch instead, I securely wrapped a three-tiered lunch box in cloth and slung it over my shoulder as I headed toward Seo Ilram.

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The City Hall, converted from the Lord’s Castle. As I entered the Mayor’s reception room, a familiar woman attempted a salute with stiff, formal posture.
There was no reason for Duke Neftis’s aide to salute a mere provincial mayor. Therefore, this greeting was not directed at Evan Laef. By nature, she wasn’t the type to show deference to the heirs of Letem or Brandenburg either. As the Information Chief, she would have recognized both of them, but she was the sort who would only point it out later with an “Oh, was that so? My apologies, hehe.” The conclusion was singular and inescapable.
She had recognized me as Mitchell Neftis and intended to greet me with something like “It’s been a while, Miss.” I said what I ought to say.
“Shut up.”
If you call me Mitchell, I’ll kill you. With that intention burning in my eyes, the woman approached me with a startled expression and whispered in my ear.
“Your temperament has become much gentler.”
In the old days, my fist would have flown first, but because she kept muttering rapid-fire about how our young lady had become a proper person, I swung my fist anyway.
“Ow.”
“Why did you let this happen?”
Coming in civilian clothes instead of uniform, arriving in secret without official notice, showing up with just one escort like Father on a casual visit—why did things come to this? If you came as an escort, shouldn’t you fulfill your duty to protect? The woman waved her hand dismissively with a sly smile at my question laden with implications.
“Well, I’m not a combat operative, am I?”
“If you came as an escort, shouldn’t you be prepared to sacrifice your life to evacuate the Duke?”
“It’s a secret from the Duke, but I don’t earn a salary worth dying for.”
Maybe if I just drag her to Mother, she’ll handle it herself? No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem like my responsibility.
“Isn’t this Evan’s responsibility? I think we could just send this woman to the Duchess.”
When Reina Letem, thinking the same thing as me, spoke those words, Eugene and Kanna agreed as well. But the Information Chief remained unmoved.
“Come on, Mayor Evan Laef, you know the Duchess Neftis’s temperament.”
A gaze that seemed to ask ‘How do you know the Duchess’s temperament?’ pierced down, and simultaneously I swung my fist once more. This time I threw it with genuine intent, and my knuckles connected squarely with the woman’s jaw.
“Let’s talk this through, please! What a terrible personality!”
If you had that old temperament, you’d already be dead, wouldn’t you? Aware of this, the woman tapped her chin and changed the subject.
“In any case, if things continue like this, the Duchess won’t stay quiet. I was hoping you might cooperate.”
That’s true enough. If anything happens to Father, that woman won’t just destroy Integrated Ilam City—she’ll revoke her promise to wait until I come of age and then capture me and kill me. Not just kill me, either; she’ll peel flesh from my fingertips bit by bit as she does it. She decided to marry Father while caring nothing for money or honor, seeing only his appearance.
They really are a perfect match, those two.
“Miss! Miss, what is this about! The Duke has been kidnapped!”
This news has already reached Eleanor, Mother?
Since this was the first time I’d seen Mother’s face after the break began, I turned my head with joy, but at the end of my gaze stood a woman of peculiar appearance. To call her a noblewoman seemed… her attire was somewhat lacking in refinement. A lottery winner? Someone who hit the jackpot overnight? I asked Mother, who was dressed in designer dresses and fur coats that seemed excessive, with rings on all ten fingers.
“Mother, what is that getup?”
“Oh, this? Ever since you became Mayor, Titi keeps bringing me things.”
As Mother answered that Titi was bringing her jewelry and dresses every day like a magpie repaying a debt, I raised my voice to its fullest.
“Secretary’s Office!”
Investigate immediately how and by what means this bastard Titi embezzled these things!
As I fumed and raged, the Information Chief found it so amusing she clutched her belly laughing, while Eugene and Reina comforted me, saying that money and power work that way when you have them, and greeted Mother.
“Hello, I’m Reina, Evan’s friend.”
“I’m Eugene Brandenburg.”
“I-I’m Kanna. It’s good to see you again, ma’am.”
“My goodness, my goodness, Miss has made so many friends!”
Don’t cry here, Mother—it’s embarrassing. It’ll make it seem like I’ve lived my whole life as a reclusive loner.
As Mother wept, saying how I’d made so many friends and truly become a proper person, even the Information Chief, who had been laughing just moments before, wiped her tears with a sniffle. I wish that woman would either cry or laugh—just pick one.
“I wish they’d at least left a clue. Which bastards kidnapped Duke Neftis?”
“Ah, well, I’ve conducted my own investigation into that matter.”
The Information Chief lived up to her title—the woman had clearly looked into various details since the Duke’s abduction. Given that they hadn’t made direct contact with House Neftis to negotiate, it seemed unlikely they knew Father’s true identity.
In that sense, these criminals were most likely simply trying to shake down some wealthy old man for ransom. What mattered was that a vessel flying a black flag had been spotted near the cliffs around Seo Ilram.
“A black flag? Isn’t that pirates?!”
Before I could even answer that it probably was, Eleanor grabbed Thomas by the collar and hoisted him up.
“You said the culprits are pirates! Come clean, you wretch!”
“No, no! It’s been ages since I washed my hands of that life!”
Thomas sputtered indignantly at the accusation. It seemed the man had indeed been a pirate in his younger days.

While Mother cooled down, I had a secretary bring Thomas a cup of tea. He took a sip, coughed, and then stuffed pastries into his mouth frantically. I was beginning to understand where Titi had learned to embezzle funds.
“I’m really wronged here, Evan! It’s been over ten years since I quit that business!”
So you were a pirate once upon a time, then. When I narrowed my eyes at him, Thomas hurriedly revealed the names of his former crew members.
“You know the regular crew from my old ship! Alban and Reng’s gang! They all sailed with me back then! You know how good-hearted those guys are!”
So everyone who’d posed for photographs with me and Thomas was a pirate. Some of them even had families. If I were to reveal this dark history to their loved ones, they’d scramble desperately to cover it up. I’d just discovered excellent blackmail material.
“So you have no connections to pirates now? If you knew any active pirates, it might help us find Duke Neftis.”
“Well… it’s not quite that simple.”

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