The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 42

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

“Since you put it that way, I have no choice. I’ll bring the key, so please wait a moment.”

The key to the 3rd floor was already in my pocket, but I pretended otherwise and headed to the counter.

Seeing what I took out from the safe instead of a key, Alter frowned.

“Is that the ‘preparation’ you mentioned?”

“Yes.”

“You mean to touch their heart by showing them how hard you clean, something like that?”

What I had taken out was a cleaning spray.

To be precise.

“Well, something like that?”

It was a spray filled with holy water.

***

Ailren stared at the woman who had returned.

In one hand of the woman who was waving the key triumphantly, she held two spray bottles.

Magic tools? He narrowed his eyes, but the woman waved her hand dismissively.

“Oh, these are for cleaning.”

“Are those necessary for opening the door?”

“No, they’re not, but, um.”

The woman smiled awkwardly, turned the key, and cleared her throat.

“Excuse me, Sir Knight. Do you really have to see the attic too?”

Unlike when opening the 2nd floor, her attitude was hesitant.

Without thinking, Ailren answered firmly.

“Yes.”

‘This woman definitely has Princess’s pendant.’

He could tell even without the tracking brooch.

The way she answered back as if prepared for interrogation, and how her expression hardened in an instant were all clues, but the most certain clue was.

“Yes, I understand….”

The fact that his headache grew worse the closer he got to this woman who was now mumbling with her lips.

Just like when he had an audience with the Princess who wore the pendant.

Ailren’s headaches had started three months ago.

Since he had never even caught a cold in his entire life, he remembered exactly when the pain began.

It was when he had won first place in the sword tournament hosted by the Regent King.

“I commend Sir Ailen Hugo Radeian’s honor and achievement.”

When Princess Katarina, who sat beside the Regent King with an emerald pendant around her neck and a pale face, patted his shoulder.

A terrible pain flashed through him.

He barely maintained his composure. He couldn’t show his face contorting in pain the moment the Princess touched him.

Especially not in front of the Regent King who was staring directly at him.

Returning to his office, Ailren fell into confusion for the first time in his life.

“What on earth is this….”

Was it poison? A curse?

Ailren, who had been confused, soon came to a conclusion.

He was the captain of the Royal Knights. Most poisons and curses would be neutralized by his holy power.

So this was just a simple headache. He could solve it by training harder and disciplining himself.

Therefore, late at night, he headed to the empty training grounds to train. But.

“Why is, ugh, the holy sword….”

The moment he took the holy sword from the storage, the headache raised its head again.

It was the same when he checked with the holy spear and holy bow. The holy sword, holy spear, holy bow, and the Princess’s pendant. There was only one common factor.

High-purity holy relics.

Ailren had to accept it.

The holy power that had sustained his life until now was now tormenting him.

But Ailren couldn’t investigate to find the cause, seek advice from someone, or request cooperation from the temple.

‘The moment this fact leaks out, the Regent King will try to expel me.’

A captain of the Royal Knights who couldn’t protect himself.

‘He might try to disband us, saying the Royal Knights have no reason to exist. He’ll fill the vacant positions with his own people.’

Moreover.

‘If I were to investigate, I’d have to analyze Princess’s pendant first. But how could I dare as a knight.’

In the imperial palace without the Emperor, his lord was Princess Katarina.

He couldn’t dare put the Princess’s holy relic on the chopping block just to cure his own headache.

Besides, the Regent King was eyeing that pendant. What if the Regent King switched it during the analysis process?

Rather than that, it would be better to.

‘This is my problem. All responsibility lies with me. So I just need to endure and bear it.’

Ailren told no one about his mysterious headaches.

So no one would know. They shouldn’t know. They must not know.

Since he was born to live as a loyal sword, he would close his eyes as a loyal sword until the end.

“I really don’t want to show you, but… I have no choice.”

The woman’s voice cut through his thoughts.

It was when Ailren raised his head.

“The thing is, the attic is quite dirty….”

“….”

“You’re wearing white clothes, this is troublesome. Excuse me, are you going to charge me for dry cleaning?”

The woman was scratching the back of her neck with an embarrassed expression.

So, the reason she kept hesitating was.

“…Are you saying you were reluctant to open the door because you hadn’t cleaned?”

“Yes, as you can see.”

He felt completely deflated.

But the headache, evidence that holy relics were present, remained.

‘She must be lying.’

Ailren didn’t answer and moved into the attic filled with miscellaneous items and dried flowers.

Then the woman followed him.

“I hate to ask this, but could I clean and organize a bit? I’ll do it quietly so I won’t disturb you.”

“Do as you please, but only in areas I’ve finished searching.”

“I hate to ask this, but could you please be careful with those flowers?”

“That would be difficult.”

She says “I hate to ask this” but speaks quite freely.

The woman took out newspapers stacked in the corner, crumpled them, then sprayed them with the spray.

Then she wrapped the dried flower clusters that Ailren had scattered with the newspaper, making bundles.

Glancing over, he saw the woman shrug her shoulders.

“These flowers aren’t mine.”

“Are they purchased items?”

“No, you could say they were the hobby of the original owner.”

“…Aren’t you the original owner?”

Ailren recalled the rough-looking man who had been leaning against the wall.

His face and manner of speaking seemed familiar somehow, but he couldn’t quite remember where he had seen him.

Whether it was his imagination or because of his headache remained unclear.

“Ah, the original owner is my grandfather. He’s currently traveling after passing the shop down to me.”

“Then who is that gray-eyed man outside?”

The woman tilted her head at the mention of gray eyes, then answered nonchalantly.

“Hmm, well. What should I call him… A surprisingly kind neighborhood acquaintance?”

Spritz. The woman sprayed again.

Suddenly, the throbbing pain that seemed to tear through his mind became sharper.

“I understand that you’re looking for a holy relic, but you won’t tell me exactly what you’re searching for until the end?”

“…Ugh, it’s against regulations.”

“If I knew what you were looking for, I could help you.”

How did this woman come to possess Princess Katarina’s pendant? Was it stolen goods trafficking?

In any case, the headache was proof of holy power. Holy relics that emit such holy power aren’t common.

The pendant is somewhere in this place. It means she hasn’t sold it off yet.

‘This woman seems unaware of whose pendant it is.’

Since an investigation has already begun, she wouldn’t dare sell it hastily knowing she might get caught.

Then there would be no need to provoke her by giving information, Ailren thought.

And perhaps.

‘A prolonged investigation might actually help Princess.’

The person who ordered the search was Crodil. Not the Princess.

Rather than Crodil pressuring the Princess to hand over the pendant, it might be better for him to harass and pressure himself instead.

Though it was painful that the Princess’s holy relic was in such a shabby pawnshop.

“…If you were concealing stolen goods, you would know what I’m looking for without me having to say, and if you’re innocent, you have no need to know, so there’s even less reason to tell you.”

That’s when it happened.

A scoffing laugh was heard.

“We don’t deal in stolen goods.”

“Then are you claiming to be innocent?”

“Yes.”

“Then how can you explain that nervous expression just now? If you’re innocent, there’s no reason to be afraid.”

The woman who had been staring at Ailren closed the door that had been open.

Then she let out a small sigh and muttered.

“Ah. You’ve never lived as a commoner, have you.”

Ailren paused.

“When you lack power, lack connections, and experience having your livelihood threatened by someone’s small whims, wondering whether your business will close or not…”

The woman was talking about Crodil’s permit.

“You become afraid even when you’re innocent.”

Her quiet words pierced straight into Ailren’s ears.

It was just as he was mulling this over.

Spritz. As the woman sprayed again, another wave of headache rushed in.

‘That spray, is it really a magical tool…!’

It was during the previous inspection when the woman had touched him.

He had felt pain incomparable to usual. It was exactly the same feeling as then.

Without time to think, Ailren drew his dagger.

Crack.

The spray bottle shattered and an unidentifiable liquid spilled out.

Ailren, clutching his head, asked in a strained voice.

“Do you still intend to claim innocence?”

But the woman, frozen with a newspaper in one hand, simply looked puzzled.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Didn’t you use a magical tool that causes pain for the purpose of stopping the search!”

“What? A magical tool? This is holy water.”

The woman watching him asked cautiously.

“You’re a Knight, but… holy water causes you pain?”

Ailren froze completely.

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