“What the heck are you doing?!”
“I’m sorry! It’s just that I spilled a cup of water! If it’s warm water, can’t I just ask the attendant to bring me more?”
“……I see. I overreacted to something trivial.”
Lawrence’s face turned red for a moment.
He soon had an attendant bring more warm water.
A steaming cup of water is presented in front of me again.
As colorless and odorless as always, but different from usual.
Someone like Lawrence, meticulous to the core, would definitely poison it himself.
This time, it’s really just water.
“……”
As I sip the water and look up, I lock eyes with the mercenary sitting across from me.
He too remains silent, not taking his gaze off me.
‘No way, does he know this is poison…?’
Absurd possibilities flash in my mind.
Could that mercenary have figured out my situation?
Could he have noticed the poison and deliberately spilled it?
‘No way.’
It can’t be.
I crush any unnecessary expectations before they bloom.
He’s just a mercenary of unclear origin.
Finding meaning in him suddenly kicking the table would be foolish.
It was merely a coincidence.
I decided to think that way.
That seemed to ease my mind.
“Looks like quite an expensive sword.”
“It’s a mass-produced item. I just stuck a mana stone into the handle.”
“Mid-grade mana stone…? Or is it a high-grade mana stone?”
“Haha. You’ve got an eye for it.”
A peaceful dinner continued.
Lawrence and the mercenary chattered nonstop.
I quietly chimed in and smiled along.
It was a little awkward, but I liked this time the most.
Because it was when Lawrence had to act like a good husband.
A time when I didn’t have to worry about him suddenly kicking me or yelling.
“By the way, I feel like I’ve heard the name Cornelia somewhere…”
Near the end of the meal.
Just when dessert was about to be served, the mercenary turned his gaze toward me.
“You probably mistook me for someone else.”
“Aren’t you the prodigy from Hildegart?”
“How do you know that…?”
It was a nickname that circulated among the nobility.
There’s no way this commoner could know that.
“You majored in theology, right?”
“Yes. Also in law.”
“You haven’t missed being the top of either, I presume?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Then it must be the Cornelia I’ve heard of.”
I stared blankly in disbelief.
I never expected to meet someone who knew me.
I didn’t know what expression to make, and I felt awkward.
“If you studied theology, you must know runic script as well.”
“Of course.”
“I learned runic script for a time too, though I’m not sure if I remember it clearly.”
“You learned runic script? Really?”
“Don’t believe me? Then let’s prove it.”
Soon the attendant brought paper and a pen.
The mercenary began writing characters on the paper without hesitation.
“Here you go.”
Then he quickly set down the pen and handed me the paper.
But the paper didn’t reach me, as Lawrence snatched it away.
“I can’t read this at all.”
“Well, it’s an ancient script that isn’t used anymore. Give it to Cornelia.”
“Don’t call my wife that.”
“……I apologize.”
The paper finally reached me.
It had runic characters written in a neat hand.
Really.
I thought it was a bluff.
As I calmed my astonished heart, I began reading the characters one by one.
The characters formed words, and the words became sentences.
-The cup of water you just had. It’s poison. But from the way your hands tremble, it seems you already know.
“……!”
“What’s wrong, Cornelia? What does it say?”
Goosebumps crawled up my arms.
This man knew everything.
He knew I was drinking poison.
He knew that I was aware of it.
“It’s a simple sentence, Lawrence. It means hello. Nice to meet you. You probably didn’t expect me to really know runic script.”
“Y-yes, that’s why I was surprised. You’re right.”
He hurriedly agreed to smooth over my earlier shock.
When I collected my thoughts, the mercenary was casually laughing and joking with Lawrence.
He had a high level of education, enough to learn runic script.
He also did a good job at being brazen.
Not to mention he saw right through my situation.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
This man.
He is the only one who can pull me out of hell.
‘But… can it really work…?’
But the more I thought about it, the more hesitant I became.
The moment I ask for help, it no longer becomes just my life at stake.
If caught, this mercenary would end up dead at Lawrence’s hands alongside me.
I couldn’t muster the courage.
I couldn’t bring myself to ask him to risk his life for me.
Even in this situation, I wasn’t brave enough to boldly burden someone else.
Frustration welled up to the point where tears might fall.
“This is a slightly more complex sentence. Want to read it?”
The white paper was thrust at me once again.
I gathered my senses and looked at the paper, which read in runic script:
-To build trust, it’s better to reveal your name. My name is Yoo Jin. Cornelia, let’s make a deal. I will handle Lawrence Briam…
An unexpected hand of salvation was extended toward me.
I found myself at a loss for words.
“Y-yes… that sounds good…”
“What? What did it say?”
*
[Trait: Reputation]
[Checking your reputation value.]
[Yoo Jin: 1.0%]
[Known to a few people. Your presence is small. Someone harbors strong emotions.]
I had suddenly achieved a 1% reputation score.
It was only natural.
I had revealed my name to Cornelia.
“Whew, this is tough.”
“……Yoo Jin. Food.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll give it to you. Just wait a bit.”
After just one dinner, I was already feeling worn out.
My stamina had drained away from being in a prolonged state of tension.
‘Good thing the runic script worked.’
There isn’t much information about Cornelia among the game settings.
Of course, it was just a tool to create Lawrence’s narrative.
The only information available was that Cornelia was said to be a prodigy with a sharp mind.
That was enough.
To be perceived as intelligent in the Holy Kingdom, studying theology was essential.
Naturally, runic script must be known as well, allowing Lawrence to communicate through notes he couldn’t read.
‘I didn’t expect to have to create a new language and scold the boss all the time. But at least this time, it worked out.’
For the record, I created the runic script.
I was sitting at the computer all day thinking of lines, which meant I had nothing else to do.
I was tasked by the boss to create a fictional language that was instantly interpretable.
Since I made it myself, there’s no way I’d forget it.
It’s quite a complicated and inefficient language, but the memory of staying up all night creating it was etched in my mind.
‘I might have acted too hastily.’
I had made a deal with Cornelia.
I would kill Lawrence for her and she would provide unconditional support in the future.
It was a verbal agreement without any contract.
Trust between us was the most important thing.
Out of concern for whether Cornelia would trust me or not, I told her my real name, which I hadn’t revealed to Lawrence.
Now, there’s no turning back.
Failure would mean destruction for both of us.
Yet, despite that risk, I decided to take the plunge because I believed Cornelia could help me…
But my disdain for Lawrence was much greater.
I really can’t stand a villain brazenly parading around.
Considering that bastard’s been unrestrained over the last twelve cycles, it was even more infuriating.
I need to make him pay his dues to feel satisfied.
“Alright. So what now?”
So, do I have a concrete plan?
Nope. I haven’t thought of anything.
I need to think from now on.
Am I in deep trouble?
Nah.
Listen up.
Count Lawrence Briam is certainly a powerful opponent.
He has quite a strong position even within the Holy Kingdom.
But he’s not out of my reach.
In the last cycle, I easily dealt with the king of a small country.
There’s no way I can’t take down a mere count.
But the problem is still ‘how.’
Taking him down itself is easy, but the cleaner the method, the better.
How do I spread rumors that I’ve successfully caught this guy?
First, there’s the method of getting Cornelia to safety and then exposing Briam’s atrocities.
It’s a sure and safe method, but the aftermath is the problem.
That day, Lawrence would be apprehended, and Briam would be shattered.
But nothing would remain for Cornelia.
In the end, she’d have to restart from scratch and climb back up again.
So how long would it take for her to become powerful enough to help me?
“The unfortunate widow who lost her husband in an accident and now leads her family. That would be just perfect.”
Since the Briam family is so ambiguous, they probably don’t even have any elder statesmen among them.
If Lawrence were to meet an ‘accidental demise’ suddenly, Cornelia could effortlessly seize all the assets.
Lawrence needs to have a ‘sudden accident’ of sorts.
Having tried to kill someone, he should be prepared to die himself, right?
Even if I thrust a knife at him, he would surely go, “Oh, there’s nothing I can do.”
Now the remaining task is to disguise Lawrence’s death as an accident…
“This is such a headache.”
“……Yoo Jin.”
“What is it, dude?”
When did this kid manage to climb onto my back?
I turned around to find Mi Jeong gnawing on my nape and nibbling.
It doesn’t hurt, but it’s a strangely peculiar feeling.
“……I too… want to be of help.”
“Just being by my side is help, so don’t worry about it.”
Ever since receiving the mana stone ring, it seems she keeps saying that lately.
There was a time when she would just quietly be there. Now, she wants to be helpful.
[Stats]
[Strength: 13(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Stamina: 15(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Mana: 43(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Dexterity: 18(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Luck: 14(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
Mi Jeong is essential in boosting my stats just by her existence.
Honestly, her trying to do something might be more of a hassle.
So I was going to tell her to just quietly follow me as usual and not bother.
“I just thought of a task for you.”
“……Oh.”
It struck me.
A role that would be perfect for Mi Jeong.
Although she looks human now, she’s classified as a blood ghoul monster.
“Killing just one person for me.”
“……Huh?”
Saying that, a dead body would look as if it was killed by a monster, with her handling it.
This might actually be a perfect crime.
