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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Attic Rescue
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As soon as they stepped into the warehouse, a foul stench hit them like a wall.
Untied fertilizer bags, a roof thick with spiderwebs, tiny holes that looked like rats had been scurrying through, and old wooden barrels overflowing with trash.
Dether swallowed her nausea and pinched her nose with the back of her hand.
'Is the young lady alright?'
Fortunately, Nibelria didn't seem bothered by the smell at all.
'It was the mask from the Grand Madam, wasn't it?'
As if it carried the Saintess's blessing, the mask appeared to block out the stench completely.
Dether let out a sigh of relief and scanned the interior more closely.
"……."
But Nibelria's gaze stayed locked on one spot.
"Dether."
Nibelria pointed upward.
"There's someone up there."
"But..."
Dether didn't doubt Nibelria for a second.
There just weren't any stairs or a ladder leading up.
'Which means there's a hidden mechanism...'
Dether recalled the warehouse's exterior she'd seen from outside.
'The outer walls were tall. And the roof was triangular. Roofs like that usually make for easy attic spaces.'
An attic.
This warehouse had a hidden attic.
Dether set Nibelria down on the floor for a moment. Unlike usual, the girl stood quietly, watching Dether's every move.
But soon enough, she started stamping her feet impatiently.
"Dether! Hurry! We have to go faster!"
"Just a little longer, please. That rotten couple hid it well. Or rather, what kind of complicated contraption would they put in a rundown shed like this...!"
"They're gonna die!"
Nibelria cried out.
"Up there! They're up there! They're getting smaller and sparklier...!"
"...!"
Instead of questioning the child's odd outburst, Dether hurriedly carried her outside.
"This way!"
At Dether's call, the masked figures approached.
"There's someone up there. I'll handle it myself, so please look after the young lady."
"Ni, Ni too...!"
"It's too dangerous!"
Dether handed Nibelria off to the nearest person.
Then she flashed a grin.
"I'll be right back. You're an investor, young lady, so you have to stay put and wait. Making money is tough work like this."
"……."
"You'll be okay with strangers?"
A look of grim determination settled into Nibelria's blue eyes, visible above her mask.
"I hate it, but I'll endure!"
The masked group was thrown off by the child's blunt honesty.
"That's the spirit. I'll be as quick as I can."
But the moment Dether slipped back into the warehouse alone, Nibelria sniffled once.
She held back the tears, though.
"Dayamor Young Lady."
One of the masked figures—a woman about Dether's age—knelt down and spoke to Nibelria.
Nibelria flinched, her shoulders jumping in surprise.
The woman spoke in a gentle tone.
"Coming to a scary place like this so early in the morning, and so bravely. You're courageous and impressive."
"Nini's kinda like that."
Nibelria still felt uneasy around strangers, but she answered anyway, holding it together.
"'Cause Nini's an investor. So I have to check it out myself."
"I see. What did your parents say?"
"Mom and Dad said no. But Grandma told me to go. So I did."
"The Saintess's words, then."
She'd assumed the Saintess just doted endlessly, but apparently her education was surprisingly strict.
The woman, who had gathered intel on the Saintess, was about to ask more when—
Crash! Glass shattered, and something hurtled down at high speed, landing right in front of her feet.
"It's Dether's!"
Nibelria pointed at the dagger embedded in the ground.
"……."
The masked woman swallowed hard and slowly stood up.
'I need to add intel on the Dayamor Young Lady's maid. Or maybe Madam Della already knows...'
A moment later, the warehouse door burst open.
Dether emerged, covered in sweat and dust, flashing a weary smile.
She panted heavily for a while, and on her back was someone slung over her shoulder.
A blanket Dether had grabbed before entering shrouded their face, but the limp, dangling limbs hinted at their dire condition.
"Shall we head back now?"
Marquess Kaleo Dayamor had one capable secretary.
His name was Visereetos.
The mild-mannered man with brown hair and green eyes went by the nickname "Secretary" instead of his long real name.
When he was hired as Kaleo's direct aide—the chief secretary, that is—
"Secretary Secretary."
"My lord, just call me once."
"Your name and title are different, so I have to use both."
"'Secretary' is a nickname. Don't call me by it. If you must, pick one. 'Secretary Secretary'? Sounds like some beast howling..."
It was only natural his name became fodder for teasing.
But today, with someone's life hanging in the balance, no one dared joke about it.
"Secretary, status update?"
Kaleo asked, his face stern as he reviewed documents.
"The rescued child hasn't regained consciousness yet. But the Grand Madam says there won't be any life-threatening issues."
"The Plaud couple?"
"Currently detained in the underground prison. No witnesses during the abduction. No traces left behind, and the contract is included in the documents you're reviewing."
After briefing, the secretary even breathed carefully.
'I need to reflect. That was nearly a fatal blow.'
The Dayamors were a merit-based house, but they'd long lacked real power and connections.
Yet in under forty years, they'd risen to become the empire's wealthiest and most influential family.
Even now, the envy from those petty nobles who'd looked down on their frugal merit roots burned fresh.
One slip, and she'd have handed them the blade to strike at us.
"Secretary."
"Yes, my lord."
The reflecting secretary snapped back to attention.
"Notify the Magic Tower and the information broker. And check how far along they are with making medicine from the poison mushrooms we sold them before."
The pink poison mushrooms Solles had found in the forest.
Solling them to the Magic Tower and broker had been his idea, but the adults had planned the same anyway.
The Dayamors intended to turn those mushrooms into medicine.
The secretary voiced his concern.
"You're saying to push them? That might stir complaints from both sides..."
"No, if development's slow, offer to collaborate."
"But we don't have any expertise in that area."
That's why they'd sold the mushrooms to both sides in the first place?
To the puzzled secretary, Kaleo just smiled.
"...Understood."
In the end, the secretary nodded.
'He doesn't say things without thought.'
Kaleo wasn't the Dayamor Marquess for show.
As a child, he'd been known more as the son of a Saintess and holy knight. After marriage, his presence was overshadowed by his wife, the Lubeo president.
But Kaleo never dwelled on it—instead, he steadily did what he could.
So the secretary knew well.
'He's the family head for a reason.'
Kaleo had the skill to root the explosively growing Dayamor family firmly in place.
"Oh, right."
Kaleo suddenly remembered something he'd forgotten.
"Where are the children now?"
And the Dayamor family head knew how to reward merit.
"Ow! It hurts, it huuuurts!"
Nibelria, who'd earned major credit for this incident, whimpered as her grandmother held her tight.
"Grandma! It hurts! Huurts!"
"Oh, quit exaggerating. Just bear it a little. Almost done."
Muniel pressed firmly on Nibelria's temples with her thumbs, chanting a spell.
"Get smart, get smart."
"Eeeeng!"
Nibelria finally wriggled free, clutching her throbbing temples with both hands and yelling.
"Bad Grandma! It hurt!"
"It really hurt?"
"...Actually, no, it didn't."
Nibelria confessed honestly.
If it had truly hurt, tears would be welling up, but her eyes were just healthily moist.
"But it felt weird. Like, inside here, it was all funny."
Nibelria pointed to her chest, her face puzzled. Even she wasn't sure what she meant.
What was it, really?
As Nibelria tilted her head, Muniel asked,
"Nini."
"Yeah?"
"What's five plus five?"
"Ten!"
"See! You're smarter now!"
"...For real!"
Nibelria marveled at her newfound smarts.
"If you get too smart, you'll end up ruling the world...!"
"Ahaha! Ruling would mean too much work! I'd be too busy for chocolate cookies."
"Can't have that..."
And so, Nibelria's world domination came to an abrupt end.
The thought of chocolate cookies made her smack her lips hungrily, and Muniel asked once more.
"Dear."
"Huh? Yeah?"
"Do you want to become a Saintess?"
"Nope?"
Nibelria shook her head vigorously. Her loose silver hair swayed lazily like a cat's tail.
"Nini's gonna make money. Don't wanna be a Saintess."
"Good. So no more peeking from now on?"
"No what?"
"Grandma sealed it today, so don't undo it."
"Can't untie ribbons! Can't untie shoelaces! Teacher said no untying shoelaces at kindergarten."
"You've learned something important. Right, don't untie it."
Muniel's warning felt oddly specific.
Nibelria didn't quite get it, but she nodded and promised she wouldn't.
As they stepped out hand in hand, Arep came bounding over from where he'd been pacing outside.
"Arep!"
Nibelria bounded toward him too.
The two little ones hugged fiercely, then inspected each other all over.
They looked like small animals sniffing each other to check if all was well, and Muniel smiled quietly.
