TOMLP 10

Chapter 10

It’s Difficult to Handle the Obsession of the Male Leads in Tragic Novels

There were countless things I wanted to question him about.

But I forced myself to swallow my words.

As long as I didn’t know who this man really was, acting rashly was the worst possible choice.

So I simply looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked,

“If it’s not because of the request, then why did you come to see me?”

“Ah… well…”

The man’s hand, which had been lazily stirring his teaspoon in circles, suddenly stopped.

…W-What?

In an instant, the playful atmosphere surrounding him vanished completely.

The relaxed smile he had worn the entire time disappeared, replaced by a pair of sharp, piercing eyes.

“The truth is… I came here to interrogate Lady Beloa.”

“…W-What did you just say?”

…Interrogate me?

Had I heard him wrong?

Or was he just joking?

But his expression was far too serious for it to be a joke.

An interrogation? Me? Why?

I couldn’t understand it at all.

Had I done something wrong?

Even so, I couldn’t allow him to look down on me.

Gripping the hem of my dress tightly, I met his gaze without flinching.

“Hey. What do you mean by ‘interrogation’? If you don’t give me a proper explanation, I won’t just let this slide either.”

After living through three regressions, the only things I had left were the courage and nerve to stop fearing obsessive male leads.

I’d already reached the point where I could shamelessly cling to those lunatics.

An extra like him?

No big deal.

I glared fiercely at the man.

After a brief silence, he finally spoke.

“There’s no need to be so wary, Lady Beloa. I’m simply curious about something.”

“…What is it?”

“How exactly did you learn about the Liberica Guild? Did someone introduce you to it?”

“Th-That’s…”

“But as far as I know, you don’t have any connections who could have told you about this place…”

…He was right.

From their perspective, it was only natural they’d wonder how I’d discovered the guild.

But I can’t exactly tell him I read about it in a novel.

If I said,

“I saw the Duke of the North commission the Liberica Guild in a novel called Julietta in the Cage, and then I got reincarnated into that novel!”

…they’d definitely think I was insane.

…This is troublesome.

It really was.

Still, I’d expected something like this.

I didn’t expect the Guild Master himself to show up… but I knew someone would ask this question eventually.

So I’d prepared an answer beforehand.

Well… calling it a “plan” was a bit of an exaggeration.

But at least I hadn’t come here completely unprepared.

And my strategy was…

Be shameless.

“Oh, that? I just happened to find out. Pure coincidence.”

I crossed my arms and confidently lifted my chin.

Naturally, I didn’t forget to wear a relaxed smile.

The man let out a disbelieving snort.

“A coincidence? Impossible. Liberica’s security is exceptionally strict.”

“If you’re an information guild, shouldn’t you be figuring out how your information leaked? Why are you asking your client instead?”

“Haha… That’s an interesting way of putting it.”

The man chuckled.

The tension eased slightly as he laughed aloud.

Oh…? Did my shameless strategy actually work?

As expected, nobody could deal with someone who was completely shameless.

Whew.

I sighed inwardly in relief.

But then…

“To be honest, until just now, I wasn’t all that curious.”

The man slowly raised his head.

“But seeing you react like this… now I’m genuinely interested.”

“It’s making me want to find out.”

“Huh?”

“W-Wait a second… that doesn’t sound good…”

“I absolutely have to discover how you learned about this place.”

“No matter what it takes.”

…Don’t tell me…

Did my shameless act only make the Guild Master even more determined?

“This is your final warning, Lady Beloa.”

“So tell me honestly.”

Judging by his expression…

That seemed to be exactly what had happened.

The look in his eyes had become far more dangerous.

“If you refuse to answer now…”

“I’ll have no choice but to use harsher methods.”

His eyes flashed menacingly.

As though he were about to tear me apart.

…What is this?

He wasn’t even holding a weapon.

Yet somehow, an overwhelming pressure radiated from him.

Of course, if things got out of hand, I could simply use the power of the earth.

But he clearly knew that too.

Which made his calm attitude all the stranger.

Could he be an exceptionally talented swordsman?

Or maybe a mage?

Whatever the case, I wasn’t going to lose.

Unless he happened to be a Sword Master or an Archmage.

And someone like that wouldn’t be wasting time running an information guild.

If we fought…

I’d obviously win.

Since I’m going to win anyway… should I strike first?

A surprise attack is always the best strategy.

Yeah.

That settled it.

A wicked smile spread across my lips.

“…Harsher methods?”

“So you’re threatening me now?”

Using my earth ability, I created a set of powerful golden vines.

The thick golden vines slowly emerged from the floor and wrapped themselves around the man’s body.

Rumble—!

They grew rapidly, binding him from head to toe.

Within moments, he was completely restrained.

“This is a special type of vine.”

“You can’t break it through brute force.”

“Only I can release it.”

I smiled brightly at him.

The confidence he’d shown moments ago had vanished.

Without saying a word, he stared at the golden vines imprisoning him.

Confusion was written all over his face.

Heh.

That feels strangely satisfying.

Leisurely standing up, I gave him an order.

“So don’t waste your energy resisting.”

“Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be.”

“…”

“Hey.”

“Are you listening?”

“Pfft…”

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

The man, who hadn’t even breathed loudly until now, suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.

…What?

Did he lose his mind?

Startled, I stared at him.

Could he have gone insane from fear?

For a brief moment, I even felt guilty.

Maybe I should’ve tried talking first…

After dealing with obsessive male leads for so long…

Perhaps I’d become a little warped myself.

Yeah.

If words could solve something, then words should come first.

After all, I was originally a civilized person from the twenty-first century.

I shouldn’t be trying to solve everything with violence.

But that thought disappeared the moment I heard him mutter,

“…This is actually hilarious.”

“I’m glad I came here personally after all.”

Ah.

So he wasn’t terrified.

He was just putting on a brave face.

As expected…

A civilized mindset had no place in this world.

Feeling much more relaxed, I summoned the carnivorous plant, Flamena.

RUMBLE—!!

The floor shook as a gigantic crimson plant emerged.

If the ground shook this much…

The other customers might mistake it for an earthquake.

Eh.

I’m sure the guild can come up with an excuse.

They’re an information guild, after all.

Surely they could handle something this minor.

So I focused on Flamena instead.

The enormous plant, resembling a giant Venus flytrap, slowly opened its massive leaves toward the man.

“…Lady.”

“What is that?”

“A pet plant?”

The corners of his lips curled upward in amusement.

As the head of an information guild, there was no way he didn’t recognize Flamena as a carnivorous plant.

Yet he looked as relaxed as someone enjoying a picnic.

What’s with him?

Why is he so calm?

Feeling puzzled, I gently stroked Flamena.

“Not exactly a pet…”

“But it’s useful to keep around.”

“It’s especially handy when disposing of corpses.”

Flamena swayed its enormous thorn-covered leaves affectionately beneath my hand.

Rather than cute…

It looked downright terrifying.

To be fair, Flamena wasn’t a plant that only ate people.

It also fed on animal carcasses most of the time.

But moments like these called for a bit of intimidation.

Especially when I had no idea what cards my opponent was holding.

“Haha.”

“I never expected Lady Beloa to be this ruthless.”

“Are you planning to feed me to that plant too?”

Yet instead of being frightened…

He looked even more intrigued.

Even though there was absolutely no way for him to escape my golden vines.

…Seriously.

Who is this guy?

Does he have backing from one of the Four Grand Dukes or something?

I simply couldn’t figure him out.

Still…

I’d bought enough time.

“No.”

“I only summoned it to show it off.”

I quietly ordered Flamena to return.

Looking slightly disappointed, the giant plant emitted a brilliant light before disappearing.

It had returned to its home—

The underground garden beneath the Beloa Ducal Estate.

Closing my eyes, I searched for the location of Drake, my explosive plant.

While Flamena had been distracting him…

I’d secretly summoned Drake beneath this very building.

Hmm…

Good.

It reached the third underground level without any problems.

By now, Drake had completely spread throughout the building’s third basement floor.

And the moment I gave the signal…

It would explode.

Perfect.

I looked at the man and grinned.

“The real hostage…”

“is your guild’s headquarters.”

“I’ve planted explosive plants all throughout the underground levels of this building.”

“…”

“Unfortunately, they aren’t powerful enough to destroy the whole building.”

“But they can certainly burn your information archive to ashes.”

“So choose.”

“…”

“Will you accept my request…”

“…or will you abandon the Liberica Guild’s information vault?”