C45
"It's a tea that dulls the senses a bit. It's not addictive and can be seen as a harmless sedative."
"...It's also disgusting."
"Even if it's said to have faded to the point of forgetting history over time, you must have a keen sense since you have mixed Elvish blood."
His purple eyes shone intensely even in the darkness.
The opponent didn't even flinch even though the flesh warming his skin was tingling.
"How do you know that?"
"We're an Information Guild, so as you can see, there's hardly anything we don't know."
"What...?"
"Oh, there are also some portraits and childhood photos of Duchess Collin..."
He snapped his fingers, and someone handed him a folder.
He flipped through the file and opened a page wide.
There were several photos of a girl with a lovely expression smiling widely and various childhood portraits.
"100 million lostes."
Duke Collin was now sure of one thing.
He was certain that this man, at this moment, would be smiling widely under the mask.
"......"
"As a reference, this is the only one because we don't keep copies besides the original."
Duke Collin, who had been examining it for a long time with his chin supported, opened his mouth with a serious expression.
"...I want it."
"As expected, Duke Collin loves his wife very much. Thank you for the great purchase."
He said as he folded the file folder.
"So, what is your second request?"
"I want to find a girl."
"A girl? What girl are you talking about? I don't think a duke who successfully married his first love has an illegitimate child."
"It's about a suin girl named Eirin."
The man in the robe's hand suddenly stopped.
"Eirin..."
"Yes, she's a suin lizard and still young. She's a girl, about this tall, and her hair is pink. The scales seemed to be silver."
Duke Collin continued his explanation while pointing with his hand to the level of his chest when he was seated.
"Furthermore, there's a possibility she's in a bad place because she couldn't properly harness the suin's unique magical powers. The last place I found her trace was at an underground auction."
"I see..."
Duke Collin's eyebrows furrowed. It was because the opponent's reaction was slow.
"Is it difficult?"
"By no means."
A smiling voice returned.
"Then we will proceed as is. I will send someone as soon as I find out."
"I understand. How much is it?"
"......"
The other person fell silent for a moment, incomprehensible, and then slowly opened their mouth.
"One billion."
"...What?"
"One billion lostes. Of course, the price includes the portrait you bought a moment ago."
"....It's nothing more than a scam."
"We provide the best possible service by considering the difficulty of the mission and the client's financial situation comprehensively. Is 1 billion too much for the duke?"
Duke Collin pondered for a moment.
He was willing to pay a billion if it meant trading it for a comfortable night. Besides, he had to find the girl.
At this moment, there was no other choice but the Bright Moon to find the girl.
"I won't tolerate failure."
"Of course, we will do our best to produce satisfactory results."
"The money will be sent from a personal account sooner or later."
A man dressed in a robe leaned over him as if to bid him farewell.
"This way."
The moment Duke Collin followed the employee to the door, the scene changed again.
It was the bar he had visited.
"Thank you for your visit, customer."
With the employee's natural greetings, Duke Collin returned home.
"Oh, it's frustrating. It's so hard pretending to be the leader."
The leader of the Bright Moon guild, dressed in a robe... the mysterious person pretending to be the leader took off the mask and robe.
"But a billion, isn't it too expensive, no matter how much of a duke you are, leader?"
"It's too much. Although you just asked for the right price, didn't you? The other person also said it was fine, so that's it."
Laughing foolishly, with a fierce voice, he replied as he bit and swallowed something.
"You've received three of the same requests, right? Do you know who this Eirin is?"
"Well, the money line is safe. It's a problem because they blocked my money line."
"The underground auction was a waste."
"Oh, by the way..., Edith."
The figure slowly appeared in the chair across the desk where no one was sitting.
Just as a chameleon that had been hiding in the surrounding landscape slowly reveals itself.
"That damn lizard!"
Excited, he slammed his fist on the desk.
"They only asked for information on where she is, so, can I kill her? Can I kill her?! My playground, which I worked so hard on, is ruined because of that suin!"
"It's not possible."
"Then let's take two of her limbs, huh? That's enough. She won't die from that!"
The assistant, Edith, kept her mouth shut in the face of the excited voice.
"It seems his eyes have gone loose again."
If that's the case, it can't be helped.
With a cruel temperament, he was a very fitting person to be the leader of the Bright Moon guild, but at times, he was difficult to control.
"For now, we'll proceed as planned."
"Alright, let's see how that face distorts. I really like reptiles."
He smiled innocently and jumped out of his seat.
He approached the closet and opened the door, revealing a series of stuffed reptiles and animals inside.
On the back of the displayed animals, a photo was placed. They were terrified Suins, barely smiling in human form.
"I'm really in the mood for a silver lizard."
"Please refrain from turning it into a collection."
"Then find something similar."
He smiled as he slowly swept through the material in the exhibition room.
"I hope to meet you soon."
"Eirin!"
The heroine who ran toward me with a tearful face hugged me tightly. Unknowingly, I stumbled, and we fell together to the ground.
"Sister...?"
"Ugh, I was surprised when you suddenly disappeared... that person... no, my uncle was very angry..."
I awkwardly chuckled at the sound of her sobs and patted the heroine's back.
"Sister, I missed you."
"Me too! Me too! Me too!"
The female protagonist sniffled in excitement and earnestly agreed with my words.
"Oh, I really think I'll be able to survive now that you're here after dealing with those guys all this time."
"Eh...?"
Is this really the female protagonist?
Shouldn't they be in a playful state, saying "The heroine is the best ~ ♡" because they have already become very close?
"She only meets Richard and Lucilion when she's an adult..."
It was because most of the stories from her childhood were about her influence on the duchy.
"That, w-what about my older brothers...?"
"Brothers? Ah, the social misfit trapped in the corner of that laboratory and the mad swordsman?"
"...Huh?"
"Haha, they're so different from someone as cute as you... They're just annoying. They don't even have the slightest bit of cuteness... Haha, as expected, cute is the best."
The heroine, Sharnae, touched my cheek for a long time before standing up and offering me her hand.
"Sorry, I got carried away for a moment. I'm so happy to see you again."
The heroine who helped me up hugged me tightly.
"Thank you for coming back safely."
".... Yes."
I chuckled awkwardly at the warm welcome.
Before Sharnae broke the hug, she whispered in my ear with a very, very small voice.
"Grandfather has been waiting for you too."
That gave me a bit of fear.
It seems like he's waiting for me now.
"Cheer up!"
Cheer up?
You're making people anxious and running away like this.
Watching the heroine quickly depart, I swallowed hard and turned my head to look ahead.
Duke Miriel was looking at me with a firm expression.
"H-hello... grandfather."
Let's smile.
I awkwardly greeted him with a wide smile.
