I Thought Your Friend's Sibling Wasn't a Girl? - Chapter 54

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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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Chapter 54
* * *
What was that, just now?
It felt like a dream. Olivia was only just discovering that she was capable of acting that way.
What would have happened if Raven hadn’t appeared? Could something very strange have occurred?
Olivia’s mind flooded with imagination—the kind of vivid, varied scenarios that would have made anyone who saw them doubt their own eyes.
“The lighting is a bit dim, isn’t it? We haven’t replaced it with magical lamps yet.”
“Not at all. It has atmosphere. It’s lovely.”
“Well, it’s such an old inn, and the proprietor has his tastes, you see… He says the place should live up to its name and maintain a good atmosphere. Rather particular of him, really.”
From today onward, Olivia decided to hold the innkeeper of Contemplative Night in high regard. This wasn’t mere eccentricity—it deserved to be called professionalism!
After all, it was precisely because of his care that what had just happened had occurred. Her heart was racing as though she’d run five hundred laps around the Training Ground.
Warmth still lingered on her cheeks.
“Um. Ahem, senior?”
“Ah… yes. Right. Thank you, Raven.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Raven smiled softly as he arranged the bedding. Apparently unused to laying out blankets on the floor, he’d seemed awkward at first, but he’d quickly grown accustomed and finished the task with efficiency.
Now it was nighttime. A moonless night—perfect for concealing oneself in shadow, perfect for eavesdropping.
“Have the mercenaries gathered?”
“Ah, they seem to be assembling now. The Mercenary Captain came in a short while ago.”
“The Mercenary Captain?”
“Yes. The location of the lower rooms and the warehouse are here.”
Raven handed over another slip of paper. A rough sketch of the inn’s layout was drawn on it.
It wasn’t just the basement—the entire building was contained in this bundle of papers.
The drawings were crooked and clearly the work of someone attempting such a thing for the first time, yet everything that needed to be there was rendered perfectly, so it posed no problem.
“This is… exactly what we need.”
“Is it? I’m so glad! I drew it from memory, and I hoped it would be helpful.”
“It will be. Very much so. Thank you truly.”
He was an excellent ally. It was Raven who had informed them of the possibility that Dorothy had disappeared by “other means,” and now here he was helping them again.
“You’ve been working here at the inn for quite some time, it seems.”
“Me? Well, yes. Several years now. The proprietor has come to entrust me with most of the management these days.”
“Was the day you went to see Leon a day off for you?”
“I took leave when I heard guests might be arriving. Since there are hardly any guests these days aside from mercenaries, the proprietor readily approved.”
So that was how it had been.
In any case, it was fortunate that he worked here. Had he not, discovering which room the mercenaries gathered in, and slipping down to the basement unnoticed, would have been considerably more difficult.
A presence stirred beside Olivia, and a large shadow fell across her. It was Aiden.
“I think it best you head back now. Lingering too long might draw suspicion.”
“Right, of course. I’m in the room just beside the counter, so if you need anything at all, please call for me.”
“Did you draw this map yourself?”
“Yes, yes! Is there something wrong with it…?”
“Not at all. It’s clear and well-organized.”
“Thank you. Please, find Dorothy for us. And for Jensen.”
With that, Raven vanished in a flurry. Only after hearing the door close with a thud did Olivia step back from Aiden.
Even then, Aiden’s gaze remained fixed on the door through which Raven had left.
“Senior, why are you looking like that?”
“It’s nothing. For now, let’s prepare quietly. We don’t know when they’ll make their move.”
As he spoke, the light suddenly went out with a click.
Olivia held her breath. With her vision cut off, her other senses came alive and sharp. She could even feel Aiden gently taking her by the shoulder.
Her legs found something soft beneath them almost at once. A bed.
“Senior.”
“You stay here.”
“What about you?”
“I’m staying here too. Besides, the bedding is laid out perfectly.”
He pressed his forehead down firmly against hers, then pulled away quickly, as if he had no intention of hearing any objections. Soon after, rustling sounds came from below.
“I’m your junior, though.”
“Right, right. So that’s what we call a junior—banishing the senior to the floor.”
“That’s why I was saying I should be the one on the floor.”
“You don’t think I understand what you’re saying, is that it?”
Olivia thought he did understand.
Her silence seemed to be answer enough, for a dry laugh drifted up from below. Olivia chose to keep her mouth shut.
“Your boldness has grown quite a bit.”
“Shh. Senior, you need to stay quiet. We’re on a stakeout.”
“Ah.”
“Shh, shh!”
After that deflating laugh, Aiden too fell silent. The familiar quiet returned to the room. Because of it, even their breathing sounded loud.
Breathing, and shifting. The old mattress beneath his body creaking softly with each movement.
As all these sounds became keenly perceptible, Aiden whispered in the faintest of voices.
“Feel what’s happening outside.”
This was Aiden speaking as a senior. Olivia followed his instruction, keeping her lips sealed as she focused her awareness.
Once she held her breath completely and stilled her movements, things that had gone unnoticed before began to register.
Such as the activity and voices emanating from beyond this room.
“-… How does it look?”
“-Quiet. We saw the light go out in there.”
“-Raven did bring bedding earlier. If she was drunk enough to cause a fuss then, she’s probably out cold.”
They were keeping their voices low in their own fashion, but not nearly enough to escape the senses of Knights. Through eyes adjusted to darkness, Olivia could see Aiden’s silhouette as he quietly gripped his sword.
Olivia too reached out and grasped the Defensor she’d laid beside her.
Despite the summer heat, the cool handle fit snugly into her palm.
“-Should we crack the door open and check?”
“-Hold on, hold on. Leave one guard at this door. That’ll do it.”
“-Fine. Makes sense. Tom. You keep watch.”
The bustling presence of activity receded once more. Now only a single presence remained at their door.
This was problematic. Getting out through the door would be difficult.
Olivia was biting her lip and considering alternatives when—
Tap, tap. Aiden tapped her shoulder. She whipped her head toward the sensation, then caught her breath as she found his face far closer than she’d expected.
“Mm.”
“Shh. Wait a moment longer, then we move.”
“Where? There’s a man outside the door.”
The whispered voice reached her from inches away.
Olivia gripped the blanket tightly as she read the presence beyond the room. The sensation of a person still lingered there.
“There’s more than one way out of here.”
Aiden spoke with perfect confidence.
* * *
A breeze whistled through.
Raven loved high places. Places high enough to see everything spread out below.
Of course, high places in this inn were few and far between, so when everyone had gone to sleep, climbing a tree was the only option. It was somewhat disappointing.
‘Though no one in this inn is actually asleep.’
Even a meek, ordinary inn employee like Raven found himself unable to sleep, reduced to climbing trees. His thoughts were quite tangled.
The guests were moving busily in all directions. As a seasoned professional, Raven’s job was to monitor their activities.
One person guarding the new guests’ room, several guests assembling in the basement. He’d need to bring them beer soon.
And… two guests opening a window to slip past their watchers.
Dark silhouettes rapidly exited through the window, then moved down to the lower level by treading carefully along the wall.
A wise choice. There was another stairway leading to the basement down there, which would serve their purposes well.
Were they using the map to navigate? Idle curiosity crossed his mind, only to disperse with his breath and fade away.
Whistle, whistle.
The wind blew again, tousling Raven’s hair. It gleamed darkly, as if devouring the night itself.
He spotted someone looking for him. Raven jumped down from the tree and returned to the counter.
“There you are. A bottle of beer downstairs.”
“I needed a bit of fresh air. Of course—no trouble at all.”
The inn employee Raven smiled quietly and accepted the order.

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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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