TLWRO 16

Chapter 16

“Would you like to verify it?”

What I pulled out was none other than the silver coin pouch that Hugo had thrown to me.

The very pouch I had rummaged through to take out the gold coins.

‘Money is definitely not something you just throw away.’

I handed over the pouch, from which I had already lifted the fingerprints left on the silver coins, and the banker nodded with a puzzled expression.

While the banker went to fetch the account details, I lost myself in thought.

‘The people of the Lionet family must have checked Grandfather’s account this way.’

I hold Grandfather’s seal in my hand.

So, how did they open the account without the seal? This was their method.

‘They came to Grandfather to ask directly, probably suspecting that the fortune was far less than they expected and wondering if something was hidden somewhere.’

So this was the beginning of the terrible ordeal I had experienced in my previous life.

But the strange thing was how they had obtained Grandfather’s “voice recording.”

‘The recording magic tool and voice verification system were only invented recently.’

Grandfather left the Lionet family a long time ago, so recording in the past was impossible.

In other words,

‘It must be a forgery or impersonation. They’re quite audacious.’

I put my head to work.

‘If I want to make a fuss about it, I could do so right now, but let’s wait. I want to strike all at once.’

That was why I was checking Hugo’s account statement.

To confirm the shady deeds those Lionet people were committing.

At that moment, the banker returned and handed me the document.

“Using voice recording, fingerprints, or power of attorney, you can only perform an inquiry. If you wish to withdraw funds, you must bring the seal.”

“That’s fine, I only want to inquire. Thank you.”

My goal wasn’t to withdraw the few coins Hugo had.

Back at the pawnshop, I checked the statement.

‘As expected.’

Just as I thought.

‘The amount of money Hugo has is not much.’

There was a lot to learn just by checking the account.

‘But there are many deposits and withdrawals. Large sums come in sometimes, but they mostly go to his sister.’

From small details like what food he enjoys to bigger matters like how Hugo and his siblings earn money.

‘Ah, Lady Countess Rozanne is using Hugo to launder money?’

The people depositing large sums to Hugo were all different, but the bank branches were similar. Then?

I pulled out a map of the capital and started drawing lines.

Places near those branches where large sums of money might flow.

There was only one place where the lines overlapped.

“This is it.”

[Philosophy Auction House]

The auction house was a familiar place to me.

Grandfather often went there to sell items he purchased. Of course, he never took me along, so I only heard about it.

It was also a very suitable place for the Lionet people to carry out their “shady deeds.”

“In other words, it’s a perfect place for me to set a trap.”

The waiting was over.

It was time to move.

“Coincidentally, there’s a night auction today. I can go after work.”

I checked the “Forest of Cologne” that Hugo had sent me. It was genuine.

Just as I repackaged the items to be auctioned, rain began to pour at the perfect timing.

‘Usually, there are more customers on rainy or gloomy days.’

Maybe it’s because of the guilt of selling beloved things for money?

On bad weather days, customers tend to come in more.

But today, it was raining far too heavily.

‘Oh no, is the roof going to cave in?’

Perhaps because of that, there was no one — not even pedestrians on the street.

The candy store across the street had already closed early.

But the pawnshop had to be open regardless of whether there were customers.

Grandfather’s iron rule was to open and close at precise times.

“Whether customers come or not, there’s work to be done. I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse.”

I decided to organize business cards.

I looked over the ones I had already sorted.

It wasn’t just for tidying up. I was looking for an ally.

‘Grandfather knew a lot and had a lot of experience, so he appraised everything himself, but I have weak spots.’

I needed an outside expert.

‘I’m clumsy with luxury goods like alcohol or cigars and weapons. I know a little about ancient documents and magic tools, but having an advisor would be good.’

Admitting you don’t know something is wise.

Isn’t it better to ask an appropriate expert for help than pretending and ruining things?

“If I pay a commission, I can ask Emma for help with magic tools, but who else can I turn to?”

As I flipped through the cards, I stopped at one.

A deep blue card belonging to someone named Alter.

“Hmm…”

Of course, I wasn’t considering asking that lunatic.

I flipped the card over.

What caught my attention was his affiliation — the “Information Guild.”

“Should I visit? Maybe they can connect me with some experts.”

Since it was called the Information Guild, they might recommend better talent than my tiny network.

“While I’m at it, I can check if he’s really a member.”

Since someone might be impersonating an Information Guild member, it’d be good to warn them in advance.

As I thought that, I heard footsteps.

A customer? I quickly put the cards down and put on a business smile.

The person with the footsteps was wearing a raincoat hood. Judging by height and stride, it was a man.

Just as I was about to smile brighter at the man approaching confidently,

‘What the—?’

When our eyes met, he abruptly stopped.

Then slowly stepped backward.

‘What’s going on?’

He stopped stepping back and stared at me intently.

Then…

‘Really, what’s going on…?’

He moved closer again.

What was this? A new type of performance art? A dance performance in the rain?

Unaware of my thoughts, the man suddenly asked,

“You’re Michele’s granddaughter, right?”

Well, that was one thing I now knew.

Unless this performance artist had really bad eyesight.

“You look just like Michele!”

This person is a liar.

“Are you saying I look like Grandfather?”

I’d never heard that before in my life.

Everyone asked if I was really his granddaughter because, aside from our eye color, we didn’t look alike at all.

Even Lady Helena and the merchants initially doubted me for that reason. So what on earth was this nonsense?

“Yes, I can tell right away. I’ve heard a lot about Michele.”

“For someone who just took a step back, you sure say that like a customer.”

“Ahem, the rain made me so cold. May I come in?”

Wasn’t he obviously dodging the question?

Whether I was baffled or not, the performance artist and liar entered the shop and pulled back the hood of his raincoat.

Then, silver hair wet with rain was revealed.

“…Here, have a towel.”

“Wow, so kind. Michele would’ve just told you to dry off outside once the water dripped.”

“Yes, dry your hair and wipe the floor with this towel. Or take off the raincoat that’s dripping.”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to undress in front of someone I just met.”

“You pulled back your hood quite freely. Even if you’re not confident about your body, you seem confident about your face?”

“Uh, well, saying it like that really makes me want to get shy.”

The man took the towel and draped it over his head with a grin.

“Thanks. This is the first time I’ve ever been handed a towel instead of a handkerchief.”

“If you want, I can exchange it for a handkerchief.”

“You know handkerchiefs are usually carried around as a reminder of someone, right? Can I really keep one?”

“Of course. You can rent as many as you want if you pay.”

Smiling, I answered, and the man looked at me intently.

I didn’t avoid his gaze. There’s no better time to observe someone than when you’re being observed.

Through the damp silver hair, his eyes were clear and bright pale green.

With the mischief gone, his facial features were surprisingly distinct.

‘He really does have a popular face, as he said about the handkerchief.’

Did this appearance match anyone in the ledger?

While I was reminiscing about looks and all, the man cleared his throat.

“Ah, what about Michele?”

“She passed on the shop and is traveling now.”

“Huh? Passed it on? Completely?”

“Yes. You can talk to me if you need anything.”

“Hmm.”

The man’s brow furrowed slightly.

“So, you can take a look at the items, right?”

“That depends on what you bring. There are fields I’m not very familiar with.”

“For example?”

The more we talked, the clearer it became.

This performance artist definitely had some ulterior motive.