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Chapter 42
The Lady Deals Only in the Genuine
“Since you insist that much, I can’t help it. I’ll bring the key, so please wait a moment.”
Originally, the key to the third floor was in my pocket, but I pretended otherwise and headed to the counter.
Alther frowned when he saw what I had taken out of the safe instead of the key.
“Is that the ‘preparation’ you mentioned?”
“Yes.”
“Showing how diligently you clean to impress and change someone’s mind… is that what you mean?”
What I held up was a cleaning spray.
To be precise…
“Um, more or less, yes.”
It was holy water in a spray bottle.
Aylen stared at the returning woman.
The woman, waving the key in one hand, held two spray bottles in the other.
A magical artifact? He narrowed his eyes, but the woman waved him off.
“Oh, this is for cleaning.”
“Do you need that to open the door?”
“No, not really, um…”
She smiled awkwardly, turned the key, and cleared her throat.
“Um, sir knight, you really have to see the attic too, right?”
Unlike when she opened the second floor, she hesitated this time.
Without thinking, Aylen answered firmly:
“Yes.”
This woman definitely has the princess’s pendant.
Even without a tracking brooch, it was obvious.
Her quick, almost rehearsed responses during questioning, her sudden stiff expression—these were clues, but the most telling sign was:
“Yes, I understand…”
The closer he got to the woman, lips pursed, the worse his headache became.
Just like when he had seen the princess wearing the pendant.
Aylen’s headaches had started three months ago.
Having never even caught a cold in his life, he remembered the exact onset.
It was when he had won first place at the swordsmanship tournament hosted by the Regent King.
“Let us commend Sir Aylen Hugo Radian for his honor and achievement.”
Princess Katarina, sitting pale and still with an emerald pendant around her neck beside the Regent King, patted his shoulder.
A terrible pain surged through him.
He barely maintained composure. He could not let his expression distort the moment her hand touched him—especially with the Regent King watching intently.
Back in his office, Aylen experienced confusion for the first time in his life.
“What… is this?”
Poison? A curse?
After initial confusion, he concluded:
He was the Paladin Commander. Any ordinary poison or curse would be negated by his holy power.
So this must be a simple headache. He could endure it and train harder.
Late that night, he went to the empty training ground. But then:
“Why… ugh, the holy sword…”
The moment he pulled the holy sword from its case, the headache returned.
It was the same with the holy spear and the holy bow. Holy sword, spear, bow, and the princess’s pendant—all had one thing in common.
Pure sacred relics.
Aylen had to accept it.
The holy power that had sustained his life now tormented him.
Yet he could not investigate the cause, seek advice, or request the temple’s cooperation.
If this fact leaked, the Regent King would try to remove me.
A Paladin Commander who could not protect himself?
The Paladin Order’s purpose might be questioned, and it could be disbanded. Its place filled by the Regent King’s men.
Moreover, if he investigated, he would have to analyze the princess’s pendant. But as a knight, how could he dare?
In the emperor-less palace, his master was Princess Katarina. He could not place her holy relic on the chopping block just to cure his own headache.
Especially with the Regent King coveting it. What if it were swapped during analysis?
Better to endure it himself.
This is my problem. The responsibility is mine alone. I can bear it.
Aylen never spoke of his mysterious headaches to anyone.
No one would know. No one must know.
Born to be a faithful sword, he would close his eyes faithfully to the end.
“I really don’t want to show you, but… it can’t be helped.”
The woman’s voice cut through his thoughts.
Aylen looked up.
“The attic is really dirty…”
“….”
“You’re wearing white—this is a big deal. Um, will you charge for cleaning your clothes?”
She scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed.
So that was why she had hesitated.
“You mean… you didn’t want to open it because it wasn’t clean?”
“Yes, as you can see.”
He sighed inwardly.
Yet the headache—the evidence of the sacred relic—remained.
Must be a lie.
Aylen walked toward the attic, cluttered with miscellaneous items and dried flowers, without responding.
The woman followed.
“I hate to say this, but may I clean and organize a bit? I’ll be quiet so I don’t disturb you.”
“Do as you wish, only in the areas already searched.”
“I hate to ask, but can you watch out for these flowers?”
She said it as if it were difficult, but spoke with ease.
She pulled out crumpled newspapers from a corner, sprayed them lightly, then bundled the dry flowers Aylen had disturbed into a neat bunch.
She shrugged.
“These aren’t mine.”
“Purchased?”
“No, more like the previous owner’s hobby.”
“…You aren’t the original owner?”
Aylen recalled the stern-looking man leaning against the wall.
Somehow familiar, but he couldn’t place where he had seen him.
Maybe a delusion, or a headache.
“Oh, the original owner is my grandfather. He left the store to me and is traveling now.”
“Then who is the gray-eyed man outside?”
The woman frowned slightly.
“Hmm… I guess… a surprisingly kind neighbor?”
She sprayed again.
Suddenly, a sharp pain split his head.
“By the way, I see you’re searching for the sacred relic, but you won’t say exactly what, will you?”
“…Um, I can’t, in principle.”
“If I knew, I could help you.”
How did she get Princess Katarina’s pendant? Stolen goods?
Either way, the headache proved the holy power. Not many relics could emit that much.
The pendant was somewhere here—not sold yet.
She probably doesn’t know whose pendant it is.
Since the investigation had started, she wouldn’t sell it recklessly.
Then there was no need to provoke her with information.
Perhaps a longer investigation would help Princess Katarina.
The search was ordered by Crodel, not the princess. Better to interrogate him than force the princess to hand over the pendant.
Though it stung that the relic was in this shabby pawnshop…
“…If you hid stolen goods, you’d know what to look for; if you’re innocent, you don’t need to tell. So there’s no reason to speak.”
Then, a laugh.
“We don’t deal in stolen goods.”
“So you claim innocence?”
“Yes.”
“Then how do you explain that nervous expression just now? Innocent people have no reason to fear.”
The woman closed the open door while looking at him.
She sighed softly and muttered:
“Oh. You’ve never lived as a commoner.”
Aylen paused.
“When you’re powerless, without connections, living under someone else’s whims, your livelihood threatened…”
She was talking about Crodel’s authorization.
“Even the innocent become afraid.”
Her quiet words pierced his ears.
He was savoring the thought.
She sprayed again, and the headache surged.
That spray… really is a magical artifact…!
It was the same pain as when she had touched him during inspection.
Without thinking, Aylen threw his dagger.
Crack.
The spray bottle broke, releasing an unknown liquid.
Grabbing his head, he spoke in a strained voice:
“Still going to insist you’re innocent?”
But the woman, holding the newspaper in one hand, looked only puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“You used a magical artifact to cause pain to stop the search!”
“Huh? Magical artifact? This is holy water.”
She cautiously asked, looking at him:
“Sir Paladin… the holy water hurts you?”
Aylen froze.
