The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 43

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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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The woman who had been observing the frozen Ailren rolled her eyes.

“But how is such a thing even possible…?”

Ailren’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

He took out the tracking brooch with trembling hands.

When he brought it close to the unidentified liquid.

“The fact that the Knight Commander, who uses holy power, suffers from holy water means, ah, surely not.”

The brooch sparkled.

It really was holy water.

To Ailren, that light felt like some kind of verdict.

It wasn’t just his own weakness. It was also a weakness for Presripe, whom he had to protect.

Trouble must be eliminated. It must be erased. It must be buried. There must be no hesitation.

That’s what Ailren had been taught.

But…

‘I can’t do that.’

Ailren had also learned which was more important between his own secret and a citizen’s life.

Because he was a knight.

Because a knight was someone who protected, not someone who cut down, Ailren couldn’t forcibly silence the woman before him.

Ailren squeezed his eyes shut. He waited for the verdict to be delivered.

But then.

“Are you suffering from magical power poisoning?”

Magical power poisoning.

He heard the name of a condition he had never even considered, or couldn’t have considered.

Ailren opened his eyes.

The woman was looking at him with a worried expression.

***

“You said… magical power poisoning?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you… think that?”

“I saw a similar case in an ancient document I received for appraisal. In that document, there was a priestess with magical power poisoning.”

It was actually a story I had heard from Emma, but I said it that way to protect my source of information.

It was also a way to emphasize that since it was an ancient document I received for appraisal, it wasn’t in my possession now.

‘It would be troublesome if he asked to see it. But judging by his reaction, magical power poisoning was indeed a secret.’

I thought that perhaps even Ailren himself might not have known the cause.

While I learned about it through Emma, who was a mage, knights and mages were natural enemies.

He couldn’t have sought advice from others, not knowing where word might leak.

“Do you have any suspicions? Did you encounter magical beasts, or come into contact with magic stones? Or do you have any mages you’re on bad terms with?”

“…I cannot say.”

Right, of course.

It would be ridiculous if he readily answered just because I asked.

But I had a hunch.

‘That’s why I brought two spray bottles.’

I pretended not to know and unfolded the newspaper I was holding as I spoke.

“The priestess in that document, someone had hidden magic stones inside her pillow. That’s how she got magical power poisoning.”

That newspaper had a large article about Ailren from two months ago.

“She got better after changing her pillow, so wouldn’t it be worth trying that kind of solution, Knight?”

Along with a photo taken in his office, probably for promotional purposes.

‘I’m glad I brought the newspapers Grandfather used to read at home instead of throwing them away.’

I had originally brought them to clean windows.

‘I vaguely remembered seeing an article about Ailren over someone’s shoulder, so I looked for it and fortunately found it.’

That’s also why I had pretended to rustle through newspapers for wrapping dried flowers.

To find the article featuring Ailren.

As I carefully examined the photo, I nodded.

‘That was it after all!’

Found it, the magic stone!

My eyes sparkled as I heard Ailren’s deeply sunken voice.

“…But I am the Knight Commander. I wouldn’t be affected by encountering a few magic stones.”

“What if there were very many magic stones?”

“If there were very many, it would be possible. But I couldn’t be unaware of that many magic stones, could I? Then magical power poisoning wouldn’t be the problem. It would be dereliction of duty.”

When someone who had been expressionless showed a complex expression, the contrast felt even greater.

I looked briefly at his sea-colored eyes that showed doubt, wariness, confusion, and a slight hope, then spoke.

“No. Not knowing isn’t a fault.”

Ailren looked at me.

“Knowing but turning away from it. That’s dereliction of duty.”

What I had started was half gamble, but half was done trusting in Ailren’s character as a respected knight.

Seeing him blame himself for something that wasn’t his fault, it seemed my intuition wasn’t wrong.

“If someone deliberately deceives you, you have no choice but to be fooled. You can’t interrogate the victim about why they were deceived, you should go after the one who deceived them, ahem, I mean.”

Thinking of Hugo and Rosaline as I spoke, my tone naturally became harsh.

I cleared my throat and continued.

“Anyway… I think I can figure out what the magic stone is. If there’s a magic stone captured in this photo.”

Ailren’s words had given me a hint.

Regardless of his character, he didn’t know much about commoners’ lives.

He probably had never been to a pawnshop. He must have vaguely thought of it as a shop that exploited others.

‘That’s why when he first came, he was suspicious from the start, asking what kind of magical tools I used. Same with mentioning stolen goods.’

So he probably didn’t know what tools pawnshops used to do their work.

In that case?

‘I’ll need to put on a bit of a show.’

I just needed to pretend there was a mysterious magical tool that could read magical power from photos.

Then I could prevent Ailren’s death without revealing that I knew the future.

It was when I picked up the second spray bottle.

“That’s not necessary.”

Did I hear wrong?

But Ailren’s tone was firm.

I asked back in a somewhat dumbfounded tone.

“Why…?”

Was he worried I’d ask him to pay after mentioning cleaning fees?

‘No, more than that.’

I had seen Ailren’s pained expression.

And I had seen it all, even the expression that held slight hope.

He must be desperate. Even if he didn’t know about his miserable end, his physical condition wouldn’t be the same as before.

But why was he saying it wasn’t necessary?

“…What you’ve discovered is my weakness. However.”

“However?”

“Just because my weakness has been exposed, I have absolutely no intention of ending the investigation.”

Ah, so…

“You’re worried I might say to overlook illegal activities in exchange for knowing about your magical power poisoning?”

I let out a hollow laugh.

Ailren quietly observed me laughing.

“I have no such intention. I also have no intention of spreading it around.”

“…Why is that?”

“Because I’m innocent. And besides, I don’t think that’s a weakness of yours, Sir Knight.”

I said with emphasis.

“You’re in pain. Why would being in pain be a weakness?”

Ailren, who was about to say something, hesitated.

“It’s not hard to offer a glass of water to someone rolling around in pain. I’m just offering you a glass of water right now. I don’t know if it’ll work, but… still. I couldn’t just pass by.”

I remembered that strange apology notice about planning to do more rude things, so postponing the apology.

I grinned at Ailren, who was staring at me blankly, and added playfully.

“You know the things you need to apologize to me for keep piling up, right? Anyway, let me try this first.”

Pretending to unfold the newspaper with a rustling sound, I pressed my pinky finger onto the paper.

The finger with special ink used for telegraphs pointed toward.

‘The hourglass.’

It was an hourglass filled with black sand, sitting on the desk in the photograph.

‘Everything fits together. The black sand and glass fragments I saw at the knight’s place in my previous life, and the number of magic stones Emma mentioned.’

The newspaper article that said black sand and glass fragments were scattered at the scene.

Emma’s words that it was an everyday object but would contain many stones.

What if all that black sand filling the hourglass were magic stones reduced in size?

Frowning at the malice that felt disgusting, I picked up the special spray for telegraphs and sprayed it.

“If there’s a suspicious item, the color should change.”

It worked!

The hourglass gradually became stained with color.

“I think it’s this one. You’d better get rid of it quickly. Or have someone trustworthy examine it.”

As I proudly lifted my head, I was flustered to see that Ailren’s gaze was still fixed on me.

Was he shocked? Why is he staring at me like that?

“Excuse me?”

It was when I moved my hand to gently shake his arm.

Ailren’s eyes, which had been looking at me, suddenly narrowed.

“Wait…!”

It was before Ailren could finish his words.

He clutched his head, and I was pushed by something and slammed into the door.

‘Uh oh, why am I so dizzy…’

It was the moment when the door gave way and I was about to fall down the stairs, unable to keep my balance.

Something warm and solid caught me.

“You…!”

It was Alter.

Alter, who had caught me in his arms, shouted at Ailren.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing right now!”

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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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