The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 81

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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 moment my hand was grasped, an alien energy surged toward me.

 

‘I’m being pushed away…!’

 

I squeezed my eyes shut.

 

But my swaying body was blocked by something.

 

‘Huh?’

 

Looking around, there was.

 

“…Are you alright?”

 

Ailren was cushioning me, blocking my fall.

 

He had extended his opposite arm to catch me.

 

Staring at his ocean-blue eyes right before me and his slightly reddened eye area, I said in a daze.

 

“Yes, I’m fine. Oh, but you blocked me, and it seems like the repelling force has weakened compared to last time?”

 

In numerical terms, it seemed to have decreased by about 10%.

 

‘Ailren said he didn’t know why this was happening to him, right? This must also be an effect of mana poisoning.’

 

No, come to think of it, this isn’t the time to be sitting here analyzing.

 

I should greet him first!

 

More precisely.

 

‘Quick, find a mouse hole! A mouse hole!’

 

“Anyway, thank you for granting my request! Thanks to you, the pawnshop is going to be a huge success! Well then, please get home safely!”

 

Perhaps because I was acting so frantically, Ailren silently let go of my hand instead of asking questions.

 

I ran straight to the pawnshop and collapsed under the counter.

 

Sleep poured over me as if it had been waiting.

 

I wasn’t sure if I had succeeded in obtaining mana, or if I was completely drained from doing such embarrassing things.

 

‘Please let it be the former, please.’

 

Otherwise, I’d just be someone who did embarrassing foolish things for nothing…

 

*

 

Ailren stared at the empty spot where Elisha had left for a long while.

 

His hand was still reaching into empty air.

 

Ailren, who had remained frozen as if preserved in that moment when he held Elisha’s hand, slowly turned his hand to look at it.

 

‘The headache is gone.’

 

The irritating headache had been tormenting him again for the past few days.

 

But the moment he held Elisha’s hand.

 

More precisely, the moment he saw her, the headache faded like shadows chased away by sunlight.

 

Ailren, who realized that not only had the pain disappeared but he felt refreshed, looked through Elisha’s files again.

 

Of course, there was no content about meeting someone being helpful for treatment. There couldn’t be such a thing.

 

However.

 

“Like all methods of curing diseases, one must be faithful to the basics.”

 

Just like placing things the patient cherishes and likes near them, if this too was basic.

 

When he saw her, his mood improved.

 

If it was because seeing her brought him joy…

 

‘Then I am…’

 

His body proved it.

 

Ailren closed his eyes and clenched his hand that still held warmth.

 

“Let’s return to the Imperial Palace.”

 

The street scenery flashed by outside the carriage window.

 

There were many things covered with large cloths, perhaps structures for the festival opening tomorrow.

 

The scale was much larger than the Imperial Palace officials had whispered and expected.

 

Ailren remembered every word they had chewed over.

 

He wasn’t interested in rumors or gossip. He wouldn’t be in the future either.

 

Nevertheless, the reason he had paid attention to what people casually said was simply.

 

‘…So even while being so busy, she made this hourglass and gathered materials to give to me.’

 

It was because of the person who would be on those streets.

 

Before long, the carriage arrived at the Imperial Palace.

 

As Ailren got out of the carriage carrying documents and the hourglass, he suddenly sensed a gaze.

 

Looking back, he saw Crodil’s attendant peeking at him from between the bushes, who startled when their eyes met and ran away.

 

Being monitored meant.

 

‘They’re watching my condition. The moment I even touch my forehead, they’ll report to Crodil.’

 

Perhaps they were also monitoring his destinations.

 

Being monitored wasn’t a problem. The headache was gone, after all.

 

But Crodil finding out about his destinations, and furthermore his connection with Elisha, was a different matter.

 

Gritting his teeth, Ailren headed to his office.

 

“Captain!”

 

Just as he was about to enter his office.

 

A knight hurriedly ran over and saluted. It was the one who had been guarding the secret passage.

 

“What is it.”

 

“Do you remember when the mana detector broke down before?”

 

It was when he had guided Elisha through the secret passage for a secret meeting with the Princess.

 

They had used the mana detector as procedure required, but there was something strange.

 

Normally it would shine black when detecting mana, but the detector that examined Elisha glowed pink.

 

At the time, Ailren understood it as interference caused by his mana poisoning that broke the device.

 

“I remember. What about it?”

 

However, after Elisha left, when they tested with other detectors, there were no problems.

 

It wasn’t because of mana poisoning.

 

Then what?

 

Retracing his memories, Ailren recalled the man with ashen eyes giving Elisha something, telling her to ‘protect herself.’

 

If it had been a normal magical tool, it would have been detected long ago. But if it caused the mana detector to malfunction?

 

‘Did he cast a concealment spell? Or was he trying to bring in illegal magical tools?’

 

He didn’t think Elisha would have knowingly brought it in.

 

How dare he use an innocent person!

 

Just as Ailren clenched his fist.

 

“Well, it seems the circuits were paralyzed from detecting strong divine power momentarily.”

 

“…Did you say divine power?”

 

“Yes, Captain. We had it confirmed by the Temple. But it’s a detector sturdy enough for us knights to use, so why it broke down at that moment…”

 

Ailren dismissed the knight who trailed off and sat down.

 

If it was divine power, could it have been because of the emerald pendant, the Princess’s sacred relic that Elisha had brought?

 

They wouldn’t dare use a mana detector on the Princess, so they hadn’t known until now.

 

Thinking that way, it wasn’t incomprehensible.

 

But his knight’s instinct for catching inconsistencies flashed.

 

“…”

 

Ailren’s blue eyes gleamed coldly as he placed the hourglass on his desk.

 

*

 

“What kind of festival is this? I just want to read books, Hanna…”

 

Hanna’s colleague, scribe Tilly, complained.

 

It was a rare day off and he wanted to hole up in the study and read books!

 

However, Tilly, famous for being weak, couldn’t stop Hanna who suddenly visited early in the morning and excitedly dragged him somewhere.

 

As the carriage drew closer to their destination, Tilly’s groaning grew worse.

 

“Hanna, you hate this kind of thing too, right? It’s not too late even now. Let’s turn the carriage around to the library, okay?”

 

“Of course I hate festivals too! But this festival is different. Just trust me.”

 

Hanna spoke with confidence.

 

‘Well, wasn’t Hanna in charge of approving festival plans? She would know the details.’

 

But what could be so different about it?

 

Tilly, who had only heard the palace administrators complaining, spoke sullenly.

 

“These street festivals are all the same. At most they’ll sell some food at street stalls and hand out a few balloons, and that’s it.”

 

Tilly’s face crumpled further as he recalled other festivals his parents had dragged him to before.

 

“Is that all? They’ll be soliciting customers so aggressively just to make their own shops stand out! There’ll be ugly promotional flyers and banners scattered messily everywhere, just thinking about it hurts my eyes and feels chaotic…”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Look there, look at that! That shop at the entrance of the street! I’m right, aren’t I, Hanna!”

 

[…Special event, appraisal prices at half discount! A ‘real’ pawnshop is different!…]

 

The shop where someone in a costume was handing out flyers appeared to be a pawnshop.

 

It was exactly as expected. Tilly frowned at the banner with large, eye-straining letters that were flashing.

 

So what, are there fake pawnshops too?

 

Tilly, whose expectations had completely disappeared, rummaged through his bag.

 

He had secretly brought a book, so he was thinking he should find some street corner to hide from Hanna’s eyes and read it instead.

 

“That shop isn’t part of Ashen Street, Tilly.”

 

“So what?”

 

Hanna giggled and grabbed Tilly’s hand as they got off.

 

The entrance was bustling with crowds, so Tilly squeezed his eyes shut.

 

Surely people will bump into me as they pass, merchants soliciting customers will grab my body and try to forcibly drag me along…

 

But.

 

‘…Huh? It’s surprisingly orderly…?’

 

Tilly, who opened his eyes slightly, was surprised by the people in ‘Safety Personnel’ uniforms stationed throughout the area.

 

Thanks to them efficiently organizing lines, the packed crowds were able to enter quickly.

 

Of course, there was no aggressive soliciting that he had worried about either.

 

The merchants greeting visitors with bright smiles only handed out a single thick pamphlet.

 

“Have a wonderful time!”

 

Tilly’s eyes widened as he received the pamphlet in a dazed mood and entered the street.

 

“Hanna, this is…?”

 

Hanna smiled brightly.

 

“I told you it would be different, didn’t I?”

 

Hanna was right.

 

Tilly moved his steps as if enchanted.

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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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