HPL 40

Chapter 40

When the explosion died down, a white smoke began to fill the room. As the hazy smoke spread, a sweet scent drifted in.

“Don’t breathe it! That smoke has poison and paralysis in it!”

Nene’s voice came from within the fog. Roy immediately covered his own mouth with one hand and pressed the other hand over mine.

Even while he did, the smoke was spreading rapidly through the room. I quickly used divine power to summon a fierce wind. The white smoke scattered and vanished, revealing the chaotic room.

“Are you okay?”

Nene stretched her neck inside, peeking in from the hall just as Roy told her to stay outside.

“I’m fine. What about you, Roy?”

“I’m fine too.”

Roy answered and immediately rushed to the window. The shattered glass made it obvious the attacker had come through there. I followed him quickly.

“I’ll go down first and see who’s out there.”

Roy jumped straight out the window and disappeared into the bushes.

Is this the Countess McCullin’s doing?

Tommy frowned as he surveyed the wrecked room.

Probably. Who else would pull this?
But how did Nene know what the smoke was?

“Nene, how did you know the smoke was poisonous and paralyzing?”

When I turned and asked, Nene’s expression twisted bitterly.

“The night our village was attacked… the same smoke spread. I remembered the smell.”

Her yellow eyes dimmed with sorrow before returning to normal. I didn’t want to reopen painful memories, so I stopped there and started restoring the room with divine power.

I lifted my right hand. The destroyed items rose into the air, glowing, and each piece returned to its original form. Nene’s jaw dropped wide open.

Not long after the room was restored, Roy returned. Judging by his grim expression, he hadn’t found the culprit.

“No sign of intrusion from outside. It came from inside.”

Roy’s eyes were sharp, as if the enemy were right in front of us. The moment he said “inside,” only one person’s face came to mind: Judy.

“So it was Judy after all?”

I frowned. Roy and Nene both replied:

“We’re not certain, but we should check what she’s been up to.”

“Let’s go find her. Now.”

We immediately headed toward the main building.

“But how did you know there’d be an explosion?”

As we walked quickly, I asked. Roy looked a bit confused.

“I don’t know. I just… felt like it.”

On the way, we ran into Baron Tail and his wife. They were rushing toward us with servants in tow, apparently startled by the explosion.

“What’s all this commotion?!”

The baron demanded as soon as he saw us. I explained briefly what had happened. He clenched his fists, furious.

“To think someone dared do such a thing! My house could’ve been destroyed!”

He was more concerned about the house than the people who nearly died. Typical.
Although, if we used him well, we might catch Judy faster.

“The room’s intact, so don’t worry. But if we don’t catch the culprit soon, maybe the main house will be next.”

The moment I said that, the baron barked an order at his servants.

“Catch anyone suspicious!”

“Oh—and Judy seems suspicious too.”

I casually added. The baron didn’t even ask why.

“Tell everyone—bring that girl Judy too!”

He really didn’t care about reason. He was so easy to manipulate it was almost boring.

The servants scattered at his command, but we didn’t leave things to them alone. We checked everywhere Judy frequented.

But she wasn’t in the kitchen.
Not in the stable where Mark worked.
Not in her room.

Even with the whole household searching, not a strand of her orange hair was found.

Judy had vanished without a trace.

** * * * **

“Are you okay? I heard there was an explosion.”

Wayne bent toward us, voice full of worry. But how did he know? The baron ordered the servants to keep quiet to avoid humiliation, and we hadn’t told Wayne anything yet.

“How did you hear about it?”

I asked. Wayne shrugged.

“When someone says not to talk about something, people want to talk about it even more. One of the servants was gossiping at a tavern.”

Roy and I sighed at the same time.

“Ah.”

Someone with an itchy tongue must’ve blabbed.
Tell someone not to talk, and they’ll always talk.

Once he knew the situation, I answered Wayne’s first question.

“Nothing serious thanks to Roy and Nene. But Judy—the one who was like a spy for Countess McCullin—disappeared afterward.”

“So there are two possibilities. She either took the money and ran, or the countess took her to silence her.”

Wayne lifted his brow, and Roy murmured quietly:

“Feels like the second.”

I agreed. Judy had worked here for years; she wasn’t born loyal to the countess. She was bribed. And Countess McCullin was not the kind of woman to leave a loose end alive.

“If Judy was taken to be silenced, that means she knows something damaging. If we find her, we might get something to use against the countess.”

I tapped the table with my finger, and Roy nodded lightly.

“It makes sense—assuming Judy is still alive.”

His unnervingly calm voice stated what all of us were already thinking.

Tom and Jack said they’d investigate Judy’s hometown. Wayne spoke up as well.

“Then I’ll quietly investigate the properties linked to the countess and her merchant guild. Oh—and no progress on her father. The moment people hear his name, they shut their mouths.”

That worried me. Until recently, Wayne hadn’t openly clashed with the countess. But after the demi-human incident, everything had changed.

“Wayne, are you okay living in that mansion? Aren’t you worried she’ll try to devour you? Most of the staff there are practically her minions.”

He shrugged lightly.

“She’s been waiting for a chance for a long time. And that mansion has a convenient bundle of desire I can use.”

Meaning: the count.

Wayne said it like it was nothing, but he certainly wasn’t sleeping peacefully there. I looked at him with concern, and he grinned.

“If I can’t endure anymore, I’ll fly into Dyne’s warm arms. You’ll hold a poor little bird, won’t you?”

“If it’s too difficult, come. But let’s correct something—who’s a poor little bird? And you’d be using a room, not my arms.”

Roy answered bluntly. Wayne replied cheerfully:

“Calling it a room was a metaphor. And really, who besides me here fits the image of a pitiful little bird?”

Roy scowled. Wayne pointed his chin toward Tom and Jack.

“A bird’s friends are birds, right? If we find anything, I’ll send them instead of carrier pigeons.”

Wayne pulled out a gold coin and waved it. Immediately, Tom and Jack declared that of course Wayne was a pitiful bird, because they were his carrier pigeons.
Those two were amazingly consistent.

** * * * **

While we were collecting information about Judy from the baron’s maids, Nene came running, flustered. Her eyes were full of panic.

I quickly dismissed the maids and asked:

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“I found an intruder and knocked him out.”

My eyes widened.

“An intruder? Where?”

“Near the dog hole. He was trying to come in through it, so I hit him.”

Hardly anyone knew about that small entrance. A bad feeling crept in.

When I asked what he looked like, Nene answered:

“A brown-haired man with a red scorpion tattoo on the back of his left hand.”

I exhaled heavily.
Tommy gave a bitter smile.

That would be Tom or Jack. Always caught by Wayne—and now even Nene.

We hurried to the dog hole. Roy saw our expressions and followed. When I explained on the way, his face turned complicated.

“…Right. I should come too.”

When we arrived, Tom was sprawled on the ground, knocked out cold. Realizing she’d messed up, Nene’s eyes darted around nervously. I picked up a stick from the ground and poked Tom with it.

“Ugh… ngh.”

He groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He blinked a few times and, upon seeing me, started babbling.

“My head exploded, the world went dark—I thought I was being punished by heaven. But why do I see you? Did you get punished too? Well, at least I’m not lonely.”

Why would I be punished? Absurd.

Tommy clutched his stomach, laughing. I stared down at Tom.

“Not everyone gets punished by heaven. And why would I be the one punished? If anything, the opposite.”

A cold, heavy aura rolled off me. Tom finally snapped fully awake, looked around, and jumped to his feet.

“Huh? Guess I wasn’t punished.”

“How does someone from the underworld get caught like this? Ever heard ‘watch your back,’ ‘be careful at night,’ or ‘come out now or I’ll tear your soul apart’?”

I clicked my tongue. Tom tilted his head.

“…I’ve never heard the last one.”

Nene finally asked nervously:

“Um… who is he?”

“This is Tom. He helped a lot during the demi-human incident.”

Immediately, Nene’s face turned pale.

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you helped our village! I attacked you—I’m really sorry!”

Tom waved a hand frantically.

“No, no, it’s fine. Really. As long as I’m not dead, it’s fine.”

“I’m so sorry! Truly sorry!”

As Nene continued bowing nonstop, Tom looked at me helplessly. If left alone, Nene might apologize for hours.

I stepped in.

“Anyway, why are you here? Did Wayne send you?”

“Yeah. He found something, so he and Jack are coming here tonight.”

Tom rushed the words out before Nene apologized again. Roy frowned.

“Not at the usual meeting place?”

“He said he wants to check the new nest the poor little bird might live in.”

Roy’s eyes sharpened. Tom ignored him completely and strode toward the annex.

“It’s lunchtime. Let’s eat.”

So he planned to stay until Wayne arrived and get fed for free. As expected, Tom stayed until dinner.

By the time he patted his full stomach with satisfaction, sunset had surrendered to night. And just as darkness settled,

Wayne appeared—
insisting once again that he was a pitiful bird.
Jack was with him.