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Chapter 46
“You’re saying he wouldn’t tell you?”
“Yeah! I grilled him—what he does, why he’s here—kept pestering him to the point of exhaustion, but he wouldn’t say a single word.”
“That’s strange.”
“Right? I think you might need to rough him up a little.”
Considering he gave the room next to his own, whatever he’s doing must be something that helps Raymond or the Duke of Kazliden.
But the fact that he’s hiding that from me, the Duke’s aide, made absolutely no sense.
“If he only met the guildmaster, does that mean Felix didn’t catch on?”
“Uh, yeah, um…”
“What’s wrong?”
While organizing the situation, Wistons frowned. Dion hesitated for a moment, then stepped back and said:
“Thing is, you know how quietly I move, right? The master of stealth! How many times have I slipped in unnoticed and stolen info before? So, of course, this time too—”
“The point.”
“I thought I could sneak in and out easily, but I got caught! …Gah!”
Dion suddenly doubled over, clutching his shin.
Wistons glared down at his friend, who was now teary-eyed with pain, and growled irritably:
“You’re such a seasoned professional, and you can’t even handle something this simple?”
So that’s why he was late. He must’ve held off returning immediately so he wouldn’t be tracked.
“Hey, it’s not my fault! The young master’s instincts are sharper than any veteran’s! And it’s like he took some miracle tonic—he was fast! Faster than usual!”
At that, Wistons blinked in disbelief.
“He chased you?”
Sure, Felix was agile, but his congenital illness put some limits on him.
And yet Dion—a pretty capable mage—was saying Felix had managed to chase him down?
During training, Felix had struggled to even keep up!
“I know, right? I couldn’t believe it either! He’s always been incredible, but this time he surpassed himself!”
Dion thumped his own chest for emphasis, dead serious.
Knowing Dion wasn’t the type to lie—he’d rather make excuses than fabricate stories—Wistons couldn’t quite hide his bewilderment.
“…You’re in big trouble, my friend.”
Dion swallowed hard.
“He’s out there right now, eyes blazing, tearing the place apart looking for you.”
At this rate—
“You’re really gonna get caught!”
And not far away, one man was watching the whole scene unfold.
“…Wow.”
Maytal rubbed a hand down his face and sighed.
“This is insane.”
How on earth was he supposed to report this?
Honestly, he hadn’t planned on tailing his father at all.
Sure, his dad was a bit… free-spirited, but when it came to work, he was impeccable. There’d never been much to worry about on that front.
Even when Wistons was away, the household never felt his absence thanks to the man’s competence.
Maytal had always respected that about him—and wanted to keep trusting him.
But earlier, after watching his father being interrogated by the young duke, Maytal had changed his mind.
“He even hid it from me…!”
It might’ve been fine for a while, but with the imperial family starting to get involved, it was dangerous for the Duke to vanish without word.
He had to have known that—and still said nothing.
And to top it off, Maytal had been stuck dealing with the young lord’s tantrums and overwork ever since. His father’s secretiveness now felt like a personal betrayal.
“Unbelievable… That’s really the Duke himself.”
With his towering frame and stern face, there was no mistaking him, even from hundreds of meters away.
Maytal gulped nervously and stamped his feet in frustration. He wanted nothing more than to rush over, but he couldn’t.
Because—
“Keep an eye on him.”
“On… my father?”
“Yeah. After what he saw earlier, he’ll probably report back. Watch him, and if he does anything suspicious, follow him.”
“…”
“And if he actually meets the old man—”
“If he does?”
“You come straight to me.”
“Not… intervene?”
“You want to get caught and tortured by the old man yourself?”
“I’ll be right there!”
Felix had said he’d personally bring the Duke back. Maytal’s only job was to locate him.
So he did as told, perched on a tree branch, watching his father from afar.
He couldn’t hear much from that distance—he didn’t dare get closer—but he could clearly see the two of them meeting.
“At least he’s safe… thank goodness.”
Considering the “Black Cat” gang had been wiped out, there was no way his father didn’t know things had settled down.
Yet even after all that, he hadn’t returned. Maytal had started worrying that something might’ve happened to him.
Felix, too—he might not show it, but he’d been worried sick.
“Ugh, neither of them can be honest.”
Thinking something that would surely earn him a smack if said aloud, Maytal looked ahead again.
Whatever they were talking about, the two men seemed deep in conversation—serious, intense, and unending.
“Yaaawn.”
After a long, lazy nap, I stretched and stepped out of the house.
But today, instead of heading to the guild, I made for the shopping district nearby.
“A person can’t just work every day!”
Sometimes, you’ve got to treat yourself.
“I’ll go shopping and take care of all my errands today!”
Since my place was a bit of a walk from the main street, every trip out had to count.
I had to make it worth it!
So, first stop…
“Do you have a specific counter in mind, miss?”
“Oh, I’d like to make a withdrawal.”
My beautiful, lovely money!
The contract payment from Gilbert had been quite a sum, so I no longer had to live scraping by!
“May I have your name, miss?”
“Frang. Amelia Frang. The account number is—”
Gilbert had opened a new account and vault for me himself.
But as I recited the number, the teller’s face suddenly went pale.
“P-please wait just a moment!”
He rushed off in a panic.
Moments later—thud, thud, thud!—hurried footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
“Are you really Miss Amelia Frang?!”
A middle-aged man, sweating profusely, gasped for air.
“Uh, yes? That’s me.”
Before I could even wonder why such a well-dressed man was asking, he took a deep breath—and bowed his head so fast it startled me.
“It’s an honor to meet you!”
“W-wait, the bank manager?!”
The bank manager?!
I just came to withdraw some cash?!
As I stood there frozen in confusion, the bank manager straightened up, clasped his hands politely, and declared:
“From this day forward, I will personally oversee all of Miss Frang’s assets.”
“…Excuse me?”
Why… why was the bank manager offering pro bono service?!
