IDVM 36

Chapter 36

“Uh? Mm-hmm.”
“Then, 45 points.”

Rachel checked the score of the doll and threw the dart.

‘Another 10 points!’

The merchant watching Rachel seemed either concerned or intrigued, and he made a proposal to her.

“Hey, kid, looks like you’ve got some serious skill. How about a little bet with me?”
“…A bet?”
“This doll comes in a set of three. Mom, Dad, and Baby.”

The merchant placed the three cute dolls side by side in front of Rachel and me, enticing her.

“If you throw the remaining two darts on the spinning dartboard and score high enough, you can take all three. Of course, if you fail, you get nothing. What do you say?”

Hearing this, I furrowed my brows and intervened.

“Hey, sir. Isn’t it a bit much to try and take money from a child?”

“Oh, it’s not about the money. Your friend’s throwing is just so impressive that I’m curious to see how far she can go.”

Still, it seemed unfair that all the points she had accumulated so far could vanish with just one failure!

I was about to decline on Rachel’s behalf, but she spoke first.

“I’ll do it… that bet.”

“Huh? Rachel, one doll is enough for me.”

I whispered to her, but she already seemed determined and nodded to the merchant.

“You’ve got a big heart to match your skill!”

The merchant smiled with satisfaction and prepared the spinning dartboard. Unlike a fixed dartboard, this one had no score at the exact center. The 10-point area was very narrow, and the low-score area below 5 points was wide.

Finally, the dartboard began to spin.

Rachel kept her usual expressionless face, but her eyes were intensely focused.

“Rachel, you don’t need the doll, so don’t feel pressured.”

But despite my words, Rachel seemed genuinely fired up to compete.

‘I thought she’d find this childish and not like it.’

Watching her now, she was unmistakably a ten-year-old.

‘Whatever happens, as long as Rachel is having fun.’

As I watched, Rachel calmly focused on the spinning dartboard and threw her fourth dart.

It landed perfectly in the 10-point area!

Without missing a beat, she threw the last dart, which hit the 5-point area.

Exactly 45 points.

Enough to win the dolls.

“Wow! Amazing!”

I, who had been nervously biting my nails, clapped and let out a cheer without realizing it.

But at the same time…

Rumble—

My stomach gave a loud signal.

‘This oblivious body…!’

Rachel beside me, and even the nanny a step behind, looked at me.

Feeling embarrassed, I smiled awkwardly and rubbed my stomach.

“Hahaha, I played too much and got hungry…”

The nanny, as if she had been waiting for this, suggested:

“Shall we go buy some snacks? You and the knights must be hungry too.”

“Then I’ll show you a good place.”

I cheerfully agreed, and Rachel, holding my hand, naturally stayed by my side.

However, the nanny gently stopped Rachel.

“Miss, please wait here. I can’t let you run errands.”

“I’m fine, I’ll go with you.”

“No, Miss. We’ll be back soon, and you can keep watching after getting your prize!”

The food stalls were crowded, with long lines. I couldn’t make Rachel, who disliked being jostled, go through that trouble.

Seeing my insistence, Rachel nodded as if conceding.

“Then let’s go quickly, nanny.”

I followed the nanny to a popular stall I knew, unaware of what expression Rachel made while watching from behind.

Hidden in the festival crowd, Rachel quickly disappeared from sight.

Margaret, anxiously looking in Rachel’s direction, swallowed and recalled today’s plan.

[We’ll act on festival day.]

The inspector who recently approached her had chosen the festival day to deal with Rachel. It was a day when it wouldn’t be suspicious if a child suddenly disappeared.

Though Margaret hadn’t cared much for Rachel, it still felt unsettling to kill the girl she had raised herself, but she eventually followed the inspector.

If she didn’t, the inspector would tell Kalts and Sally about Rachel’s secrets. Kalts wouldn’t leave her alone either.

Kalts was already a rotten rope she needed to let go of.

[There will be guards tailing her, right?]
[…Yes, usually two.]
[Let them relax a bit while watching the festival. At 9 o’clock, a play will start in the square.]
[9 o’clock…]
[Then, take the commoner child away. The child must believe the lady had an accident.]

Kalts would probably realize the emperor had a hand in this, but that didn’t matter.

What mattered was how others would perceive it.

To outsiders, Rachel must appear to have gone into the forbidden western forest during the festival and been killed by monsters with the knights.

This way, Kalts would have no reason to be enraged over Rachel’s death.

‘Buying three snacks and returning should leave enough time.’

The plan was to quickly handle the two guards hiding in nearby alleys, approach Rachel, and abduct her. That was the inspector’s plan.

Time wasn’t really a problem. The key was how efficiently they acted.

[Miss has hidden her magical abilities, but in an emergency, she’ll use magic. We must overwhelm her in a single strike to avoid a fuss.]
[We can’t underestimate her.]
[If we fail, His Excellency will strengthen the guards… then we might not get a second chance.]

The inspector had already been warned, so the rest was up to them.

Margaret turned her worried gaze forward.

“Hmph.”

Vivian, humming a tune, walked ahead. Innocent as ever, unaware of the looming danger, she made Margaret’s anger boil.

‘Because of that mischievous girl, the lady ends up like this.’

If Vivian had only been a playmate, Sally wouldn’t have tattled everything to the inspector.

It was all that girl’s fault.

Even the plan to groom Rachel to eventually marry her to the duke.

And the guilt of killing Rachel herself. All of it.

“Gah!”

Suddenly, Vivian, walking ahead, exclaimed. Startled, Margaret looked, and the girl pointed at a vendor with a sulky expression.

“Looks like they’re out of supplies. No wonder it’s so crowded this year!”

Indeed, the vendor was already closing, possibly having run out of ingredients.

The two went to another nearby stall, but it too had closed early.

Being from the same village and familiar with the vendors, Vivian approached one and asked:

“Sir, is everything sold out?”

“Ah, Vivian? If you came for the chicken skewers, you’re too late. So many customers today… I need to restock for tomorrow.”

Still, the vendor’s face was cheerful.

“Ah, what a pity. I wanted the lady to try some.”

Vivian pouted at the disappointment, and the vendor’s interest piqued.

“Did the lady come with you too?”

“Ah, she’s over there watching the play.”

Hearing this, the vendor suddenly pulled out a chicken skewer.

“Take this and eat it.”

“Huh? Why didn’t you sell it?”

“I saved it for dinner, but you can have it. It’s a little cold. Make sure the lady tastes it too, and boast about our shop, okay?”

Vivian finally understood the vendor’s plan and gave a thumbs up.

“You truly are a masterful merchant.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“To a merchant, yes! I’ll make sure the lady tastes it.”

Vivian cheerfully greeted the vendor and moved on.

Next up was cheese-topped potatoes. Luckily, the stall was open, but the line was long.

Vivian quickly got in line and told Margaret, who was lagging behind:

“Nanny, I’ll go give these to the lady. She must be hungry by now.”

Margaret paused.

‘We still don’t know if the abduction succeeded…’