If You Are Suited for the Villain's Secretary - Chapter 22

—————

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

—————

If the Villain’s Secretary Suits Me
Chapter 22
Aden arrived at the base of the mountain where the new secretary lived and gazed upward.
The dark mountain path, devoid of even a single lantern let alone streetlights, was so steep and treacherous it hardly deserved to be called a path at all.
Living in a place like this, Aden muttered to himself.
“That’s excessive for a cover.”
Today’s events had made one thing certain: the new secretary was not one of Crimson’s people.
It was because of Kaileb Crimson. He was a man who prioritized his shallow pride over practicality.
Would such a man orchestrate a theatrical defeat to La Mar while sacrificing his own dignity? To ensure the next spy succeeded after Jeremy’s failure?
Kaileb was not the sort of person to do that.
So one possibility had been eliminated.
“However, if she were a noble operative using rivalry with competing merchant guilds to disguise her identity even more cunningly, that would still pose a problem.”
Yet another possibility remained.
And with it, the reason to keep watching Iliana Grecia persisted as well.
As I climbed the mountain, I turned over everything I knew about her.
‘What was that blank letter sent to the place that had been her home?’
I had learned nothing from that letter in the end.
A blank letter with no cipher, no marking.
‘And how had she drawn Luther and Lenox to her side?’
Both Luther and Lenox were seasoned individuals.
People who did not easily trust others or open their hearts. Yet why to Iliana Grecia?
‘What business requires money so desperately that she needs to take side work despite earning double the industry standard salary?’
That information had come from the Employment Agency Director.
Recalling the three million gold transferred to a loan shark, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
Not a single answer emerged.
In other words, what I had been turning over in my mind was not ‘what I knew’ about her.
‘What I didn’t know well. …Or, what I wanted to know.’
Was it curiosity?
Curiosity about that woman who boldly pierced Crimson’s weakness and cleverly evaded my questions, yet smiled innocently as though she harbored no ulterior motives.
Curiosity about someone who constantly defied expectations and resisted easy conclusions. Or perhaps.
Interest.
“…That can’t be.”
I furrowed my brow and shook my head.
Developing curiosity and interest rather than seeking to understand and judge a person—that couldn’t be me.
As I lifted my gaze, a faint light appeared in the distance ahead.
Meeting Iliana Grecia was not part of the plan.
I had intended to observe the structure from outside to check for any basement, bunker, or attic, then leave.
It was just as I was about to continue forward.
Beep—. The communicator chimed.
“Yes. This is Aden.”
-Director? It’s Luther! Remember, you ordered me to investigate the person who mentioned our secretary’s appearance description last time!
Aden briefly considered whether Luther’s call at this particular moment was fortunate or unfortunate.
“And?”
-Well, to get straight to the point, I still haven’t found out who sent the first inquiry about her appearance.
That’s the kind of information that could wait until tomorrow’s report.
Aden, whose eyes had been narrowing faintly, suddenly asked again.
“You said ‘first’? Does that mean there was another inquiry looking for Iliana Grecia?”
-Yes! But unlike the first inquiry, they didn’t openly ask about her appearance. Instead, they impersonated a tax collector and requested information on all the newly relocated residents in bulk! The person was so persistent that they ended up handing over the information!
This was distinctly different from the first inquiry that had casually mentioned her appearance and asked about her whereabouts.
This was a tracking method employed by a professional.
-Our secretary’s name was apparently on the list of people whose information was handed over. I suspect this is…!
“I understand what you’re saying. Since I’m in the area anyway, I’ll check it out.”
-Pardon? The area?
The moment Aden ended the call and resumed walking.
“Aaahhh-!”
A scream loud enough to shake the mountain echoed from the direction of Iliana Grecia’s house.
***
“Today’s side job is done!”
I shrugged my shoulders as I neatly stacked the side job boxes next to my desk.
“People really do have such varied tastes. I can’t believe this actually makes money.”
Still, each job paid 50,000 gold.
With four boxes, I’d earned a whopping 200,000 gold in just one day!
It was a satisfying day all around. I gazed at my jewelry box while eating the late dinner I’d been putting off.
“The truth is, I helped Lenox because his situation didn’t feel like someone else’s problem. Struggling with family issues… it hit a little too close to home for me.”
Speaking to the jewelry box as if it were my mother was an old habit of mine.
Some people talk to portraits or family photos. Since I had neither, I did it with my jewelry box instead.
“I’m glad the job went smoothly.”
The original story had mentioned that the Crimson chairman’s daughter had her eye on the pendant and dress.
That’s why I was able to quickly verify the empty bags loaded in the carriage and devise a strategy.
However, I had no idea how to break the “Blood Contract.” It wasn’t mentioned in the original story.
There was only a brief mention that it was similar to a slave contract, but no specific conditions or activation mechanism were detailed.
So I chose the direct approach—trying every method that seemed remotely possible.
“I had no choice but to list every scenario I could think of and keep confirming the conditions with Delilah.”
There was only one method that satisfied all those conditions while minimizing Lenox’s risk of loss.
A dual contract.
It was the easiest and fastest way to create a dispute with the existing contract.
“Will Lenox repay my help? Surely he won’t get so moved by my assistance that he stands up to the director saying ‘I won’t investigate Iliana’s background!’ or anything like that, right? I just need him to be grateful enough to leak some information to me.”
Still, it was worth staying up for several nights and racking my brain to come up with a solution.
Not only did I gain Lenox’s favor, but I also built good connections with Delilah, who agreed to infuse the contract with mana once a month, as well as Walton.
“They’re both talented enough to become an Archmage and a candidate for the next Imperial Bank Director respectively. It’s good to maintain these relationships.”
I muttered to myself, my brow furrowing as I pieced together the puzzle.
“Come to think of it, the fact that Lenox didn’t tell me the budget had changed is suspicious.”
I’d sensed something off about how quickly he’d seemed reassured earlier.
I’d only learned the budget was 1.8 billion gold because of what Walton had said.
“Thanks to you all, we’ve managed to save 300 million gold in the difference, so naturally that money should be reinvested into La Mar! Absolutely!”
“…300 million gold?”
“That is to say…”
Lenox, visibly flustered, reluctantly confessed the truth, but I wasn’t actually displeased.
If anything, I was delighted.
“This confirms I’m still under suspicion! He’ll definitely start a background investigation on me soon.”
In the original story, Aden would first comb through documents and accounts, then send people for field investigations.
So naturally, I’d assumed he was still in the information-gathering stage through paperwork.
“But there’s nothing particularly worth seeing in Sirena. Though I might run into debt collectors. Would that speed things up?”
I’d sent a letter of regards to Mason while also sending an empty letter to Sirena’s house.
It was to notify the debtor of my relocation—using the return address on the envelope.
‘If I’d known their hideout, I would’ve sent it there, but they never told me. Since they came by the house every month to collect and threaten, they’ll understand the situation once they see the letter.’
In truth, if I paid the money regularly, there was no legal obligation to notify them of my new address.
‘But the loan sharks I’m entangled with aren’t the type to care about the law. If they cause trouble over nothing, it’ll just be a headache for me.’
I was shaking my head and about to clear the dishes when—
Crash!
That familiar sound of someone kicking the door open… surely not…
“Damn it. What’s with all these bugs!”
It was exactly what I’d feared.
“Did you think we wouldn’t find you hiding in a dump like this? People who borrow money and run always go to the same places.”
The man who’d kicked the door open and strode in while brushing off his clothes was a debt collector from Fang, the loan shark organization.
I’d known he’d come eventually, but I hadn’t expected it to be today.
‘Besides, this is a rented house—the door’s cracked now!’
Normally they came in pairs, so why was only one here today?
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the collector I’d dealt with before who at least communicated somewhat reasonably—it was a different one, and he’d come alone.
I squeezed my eyes shut before answering.
“I didn’t run away.”
“Ha, why do all you fugitives give the same answer? You were hiding in the mountains, so what’s your excuse?”
The collector poked my head repeatedly with his fingers.
“You didn’t run away? I went through hell searching for you all over the Capital City.”
“I wasn’t hiding. I definitely sent you a letter—to notify you of my new address. I sent it as soon as I found a place a week ago, so it should have arrived at least four days ago…”
“If I’d received that letter, would I be tearing apart the Capital City looking for you in the middle of the night? Huh?”
What?
Did the letter really go missing?
As I pondered this, the force of his pushing grew stronger and stronger.
Even as I braced myself with my hands clasped behind my back, my body swayed from the impact.
“How did you scrape together another five million gold? I don’t understand obsessive creatures like you. It would be easier for both of us if you’d just give up.”
The debt collector’s mocking voice drew steadily closer.
“Even if you manage to find money this month, what about next month? And the month after that? You’ve got nothing left to sell except your mother’s keepsakes. But that would be rather pitiful, so….”
The debt collector cleared his throat deliberately.
“You’ve turned twenty now, haven’t you? So I thought I’d make you a proposal, old man to young woman.”
[Marriage Agreement]
A sheet of paper bearing only a title, its contents blank, was thrust before my eyes.
“A certain nobleman in the Southern Region is desperately seeking a wife. What do you say? Settle your debt in one stroke with marriage—two hundred million gold.”

—————

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

—————