The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 111
Chapter 111
When the tiger crouched, showing signs of lunging, the bullet from Fezin's gun struck the ground close to the beast. It was a warning shot.
As if testing the weapon's power, the tiger sniffed the scent of gunpowder. Then, it slowly began to back away.
And after a moment, the tiger vanished into the forest.
Even after it was gone, Fezin kept his gun aimed toward the forest for a long while before finally lowering the barrel. He immediately checked on April and said,
“Bringing that hound along was a good call.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He noticed it first, which let me know a beast was coming.”
Fezin spoke as he patted Sebio's head—the dog now lying flat on the ground as the tension drained from his body—and tossed him a piece of jerky.
Shaefer also slumped to the ground, letting out the breath he had been holding, and said,
“We'll have quite a few heroic tales to spin at parties.”
At that, Fezin gestured toward Shaefer with his chin and asked April,
“But did we really need this guy?”
“He was reassuring in his own way.”
At April's words, Shaefer grumbled.
“I know you're being sarcastic.”
“If you know, then there's nothing to be done. Let's go now.”
At her urging, Shaefer pushed himself up.
His own knees were still shaking, yet those two were already taking their next steps. He thought they were remarkably tough people. Still, since he would have something to brag about once he returned to high society, he didn't regret taggng along.
However, there was something he had been agonizing over whether to tell April or not.
A few days ago, a guest had secretly visited the Meyer family. It was Miller Dieus, accompanied by only a single Imperial Guard in plain clothes.
Late that night, Shaefer, who had been sneaking back in after drinking heavily with his friends, happened to overhear his father talking with Miller Dieus.
“……I am worried, Uncle. I don't know what Fezin is thinking.”
“Since they are of similar age, it cannot be helped. Fezin is at that time of life. It is not surprising that a woman comes before his duty. However, if the target is a woman who must be sacrificed for the Empire……”
A woman who must be sacrificed for the Empire.
Shaefer had clearly heard those words from his father, Devin.
He looked back at Fezin and saw that his gaze was fixed on Sebio and April, who was leading the way.
It was obvious that that gaze was what posed a problem for his father and Miller.
Shaefer found it difficult to distinguish what he could say and what he shouldn't say.
If his brain worked just a little faster, he might have been able to filter his words properly, but he had absolutely no talent for such things.
“Wait up! Who knows what might happen to me if you leave me alone?”
Shaefer hurriedly moved his feet to follow the two.
After their encounter with the tiger, the three heading toward the Twin Mountains paid even closer attention to every single step.
“Over there.”
April spotted the path leading to the mineral vein and stepped forward. But when she slipped on an icy rock, Fezin quickly wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her right up.
“How can someone from the Right Island walk around without watching out for ice?”
While Fezin was nagging her, right next to him, Shaefer slipped and tumbled to the ground.
Holding his buttocks with both hands in pain, Shaefer said,
“I was within reach for you to catch me too, Fezin.”
Looking back at him, April suppressed a laugh and said,
“He slipped with me so I wouldn't be the only one embarrassed. Now that's a gentleman.”
“April, you know you've been meaner since a while ago, right?”
“I don't know about that, but since I'm already the bad guy, let me ask a favor. Wait here for a moment. Fezin and I will go ahead by ourselves.”
Since he wasn't close to the two of them, Shaefer was about to nod mindlessly at the suggestion that only the two of them go for the sake of security when he suddenly remembered the reason he had followed April.
“No way. I'm coming too. No, actually, let's leave Fezin behind and just the two of us go.”
“The two of us?”
April narrowed her eyes at Shaefer's absurd suggestion, and Fezin, who had been scanning the path ahead, slowly turned his head toward Shaefer.
Shaefer felt his nerves grow taut under the gaze Fezin directed at him.
Shaefer Meyer was a man who lived for hunting. And Fezin Dieus also enjoyed hunting.
He knew better than anyone the slight guilt and immense sense of superiority felt right after a hunt. Therefore, Shaefer found it relieving yet strange that Fezin had simply let go of the beast he had been confronting earlier.
He could have certainly killed that tiger. Why had Fezin not killed the tiger in a situation that would have been the story of a lifetime?
Then Shaefer realized that the look Fezin was giving him now was the same as the one he had given the wild beast earlier, and he found the answer to why he hadn't killed the tiger.
It was a signal to back off.
I won't kill you, so don't cause trouble and back off quietly.
He didn't want even a sliver of threat entering the space centered around himself. Perhaps because April Lunos was there.
However, just because Shaefer read that look didn't mean he was the type to back down obediently.
Above all, he couldn't trust Fezin. April had to trust him more than Fezin. Under the circumstances, that might be difficult, but still.
Shaefer spoke to April.
“Don't trust that bastard. Trust me instead.”
As Shaefer, who was terrible at persuading others, spoke while thumping his chest, April opened her mouth.
“I get what you mean. But you stay here.”
“Lunos!”
“I don't trust either of you. If you're worried that I'll trust Fezin too much, that's truly a useless concern.”
After saying that, April turned around and took the lead.
Fezin looked at Shaefer's face once before immediately following April.
Perhaps because of her comment about not trusting them, the conversation between Fezin and April ceased for a moment. They merely walked in silence, occasionally checking each other's footing.
The frozen air between the two broke when the mineral that served as the base for the Lunos family's dye revealed itself.
On one of the two hills called the Twin Mountains, there was a red mineral, and on the other, there was a green mineral.
The mineral, which was green in the sunny spots, took on a reddish hue on the other hill, which was shaded by one of the Twin Mountains, as if rusted by moisture.
April said to Fezin,
“It's toxic, so make sure to wear gloves when you touch it.”
“Toxic?”
“Yes, I vaguely remember. My father saying this ore is toxic.”
April recalled that the mineral possessed toxicity. Rather than a memory she actively searched for, it came to her naturally as the scene her parents had described unfolded before her eyes.
It was the story that before the dye was extracted, the ore itself was relatively highly toxic, so it shouldn't be touched with bare hands.
Fezin put on his gloves, walked over, and picked up a piece of the ore.
“So you make dye from this?”
“That's what they say. My uncle is currently contacting other relatives to find out how to process it.”
After April spoke, she scrutinized Fezin with her eyes to see how much she could trust him. Fezin felt her gaze like the toxicity of the mineral.
Fezin avoided her eyes and shifted his gaze to the mineral.
“So it's the principle of neutralizing poison with poison. Neutralizing the toxicity of the Fog with the toxicity of this dye.”
“It seems so.”
After replying, April checked the scale of the mine, which couldn't be considered very large. It was smaller than she hoped. The minerals here alone couldn't protect everyone on the Right Island.
April said,
“When the Fog comes, it would be best to build shelters. In schools or churches.”
“Well, there should be enough for that.”
“How much will you buy it for?”
April asked in a deliberately light tone, putting her hands behind her back. At that, Fezin let out a dry laugh and asked back,
“Are you selling it to me?”
“The Dieus family should buy it. It's an issue for the Grand Duchy, so shouldn't the Grand Duke's family resolve it?”
“That's true.”
Fezin agreed with her words.
April continued.
“Actually, your answer doesn't really matter. Because I'm going to sell it to Miller.”
“My brother will just demand you hand it over. He already has a track record of hurting you by publishing that kind of article.”
April turned to look at Fezin, who spoke so, with a puzzled face.
Seeing his gaze drift to her forehead, which had been injured by the angry mob, April smiled.
“What's gotten into you, speaking so ill of Miller?”
“When did I?”
“You're doing it right now. Saying he'll just demand I hand it over. No? Was that a compliment that I misunderstood?”
At April's question, Fezin was silent for a moment.
He was deep in thought, and April tried to read his mind. But as always, it was unreadable.
