Had he heard some kind of news?

“…Understood.”

And so, a strange day came to an end.

The next day, the four of them headed to the Naoremi Guild. They planned to hear the full story and compare it with the investigation contents they’d received in the package.

“…I didn’t expect you to come along, Duke.”

“I came because I’m worried about my children. You never know what might happen.”

“…You’re right.”

‘My children.’ When he emphasized those words, the Naoremi Guild Master’s complexion turned poor.

It seemed he hadn’t realized Evolaine was a child so cherished by the ducal household.

‘More careless than I thought.’

Wasn’t his reaction like he was hearing for the first time information a guild should naturally know?

Meanwhile, the Naoremi Guild Master guided them with a somewhat awkward attitude. When they entered Room 1, where they’d written the contract, Evolaine muttered.

“You’re showing us to the same room.”

“…The same room?”

“Yes, the young master and I wrote the contract here last time. His Highness the Crown Prince was also here briefly.”

“……”

At Evolaine’s words, the duke stroked his chin.

The mention that the crown prince had been there meant they’d had that conversation here.

‘So this is where he said he’d take her to the marquis’s family if she met the emperor.’

If that’s the case…….

The duke and Heron exchanged glances. It seemed coming together had been the right choice.

“Can you show us the documents now?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll bring them now.”

The guild master hurriedly left the room.

While he was fetching the documents, a female employee brought out simple tea.

The duke watched her quietly, then asked a question.

“Are you also an employee here?”

“…Yes. My name is Nia, Duke.”

“May I ask what kind of people mainly come to this room?”

“There’s no set standard. We just assign people to whichever room is available first.”

“…Really?”

Last night, the duke had summoned the Marchi Knights to investigate the Naoremi Guild.

Because of their tight security, they hadn’t gleaned much information, but there had been some meaningful findings.

“Room 1 has much more antique interior and careful touches compared to the other rooms, but I suppose I was mistaken.”

“……”

There were implicitly designated rooms for receiving VIPs.

Rooms 1 and 3. According to their investigation, these rooms had expensive decorations, wallpaper, and furniture compared to the others.

They also always paid attention to cleanliness. However, comparing just the two, the most luxurious room was Room 1.

In other words, the duke’s words meant he’d already figured this out.

“…I apologize, Duke.”

Nia set down the teapot and knelt.

At the sudden change in attitude, Evolaine’s eyes widened.

Cardel showed no change in expression, but his face was stiff, seemingly an unexpected reaction.

“Heron.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Tear off the wallpaper.”

“As you command.”

The duke was one of the most skilled mages in the empire. It was audacious to try to deceive someone like him.

And to use his children, who had visited the guild desperately seeking information.

When Heron lightly swung his sword, the wallpaper split helplessly.

It was only wallpaper in appearance—actually a board made of something like a false wall.

When they removed the board, dozens of eavesdropping magical devices were attached.

Some were products available in the empire, but others that weren’t were also attached.

Judging by the alternating blinking lights, they seemed to be operating in real-time.

Thud—

The sound of paper falling to the floor was heard.

After a brief moment of shock at the magical devices attached to the wall, everyone looked toward the room entrance at that sound.

The guild master stood there, utterly pale, his hands trembling.

“I need to hear an explanation, Guild Master.”

“……”

It was a complete disaster.

At the duke’s words, the guild master collapsed to the floor. His eyes were hollow as he stared blankly at the wall.

Clear evidence of eavesdropping. There was no room for excuses.

There would be absolutely no way out of this situation.

Nia entered his unfocused vision.

Her kneeling figure. The teapot and teacups she’d brought out earlier sat on the table.

In less than a minute, before she’d even finished pouring the tea, the duke had noticed the magical devices.

It was absurd and futile.

Where had it all gone wrong? When the young master of Radelica and the bastard Evolaine came here?

The day they first accepted the marchioness’s commission?

A hollow laugh escaped him.

Ha. Ha…

Sprawled out with everything exposed,

It was truly a pathetic sight.

“Did you install these?”

“No! How could I?”

In the midst of it all, the guild master snapped to attention at the duke’s question and answered quickly.

“Then who installed them? Who else in the guild besides you could do something like this?”

“That’s……”

The guild master trailed off. He couldn’t even make eye contact, only moving his lips.

If he didn’t speak now, it would all become his fault. But if he did speak? Wouldn’t he have to take responsibility for all the aftermath too?

“……”

The guild master’s attitude was suspicious. It seemed someone was behind this, but judging by how he couldn’t easily speak up, it meant they weren’t ordinary.

‘Of course they wouldn’t be ordinary after pulling something like this.’

They had guts spilling out of their belly. The guild’s information trading depended on security for its very life.

Unsuspecting clients would come here and freely spill the details of their commissions, and that person would eavesdrop and easily obtain information.

“Heron, destroy them all.”

“Yes, my lord.”

After having Evolaine and Cardel move toward the entrance, Heron readjusted his grip on his sword.

Crash—!

Glass shards from the magical devices fell to the floor with a sharp noise.

Heron cut down the magical devices with clean swordsmanship.

Deliberately, meticulously, one by one for the guild master to see.

“Five left now. Twenty-five out of thirty are broken.”

“……”

The guild master’s face trembled. Like something suppressed was about to explode.

His neck area was red. He seemed to be struggling even to swallow, whether trying to hold back or not.

He was reaching his limit.

“You have five chances left.”

You need to answer my questions within that time.

The guild master, confirming the five magical devices remaining in the center, looked back and forth between the duke and Heron.

Nia, kneeling beside him and watching, felt like dying.

‘He’s lost his mind!’

There was no reason for someone who knew well how brutal ‘that Duke of Radelica’ was to dawdle like this.

This hadn’t even reached the starting stage yet. He was restraining himself because the children had come along, but after the opportunities ran out, there was no telling what he might do.

‘I need to survive.’

Nia had done dirty work for the Naoremi Guild without complaint.

Even in miserable times, even when suffering humiliation, she hadn’t complained. She’d just worked silently.

She’d come here to earn money, to feed her family.

‘As long as my family is safe.’

So if she could be guaranteed safety and escape this crisis, she could willingly inform on them.

Nia glanced sideways at the guild master. He didn’t have the courage to speak. That was obvious at a glance.

“…Duke, I’ll tell you.”

At Nia’s words, the guild master’s head snapped up.

His expression showed betrayal, like he hadn’t expected this from her.

‘I’m sorry.’

Now wasn’t the time to leisurely understand and consider each other’s situations.

If they acted indecisively, they might lose everything.

To survive, she had to make a decision.

“…You will?”

“Yes. Those magical devices are…, mmph!”

As Nia tried to reveal the truth, the guild master covered her mouth.

At the sudden resistance, Heron approached to stop him, but the guild master pulled out a dagger.

“……!”

“If you take one more step, I’ll slit Nia’s throat.”

Silence descended on Room 1. A relationship that had been mutually supportive colleagues until ten minutes ago had shattered in an instant.

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

“Stay still if you don’t want to die!”

At the guild master’s shout, Nia stopped struggling.

Eyes filled with rage. The guild master was serious.

As the fear that she might actually die approached, Nia’s face turned deathly pale.

More terrifying than witnessing the moment of death was realizing that her own death could happen in just a few seconds.

‘What do I do?’

The duke had tried to provoke the guild master to get him to reveal who was behind this, but Nia being right next to the guild master where she could become a hostage had become a variable.

However, no one could have predicted this.

Who could have imagined the guild master would threaten to kill his own employee to escape the situation?

Even if they’d considered that possibility, they couldn’t have avoided this situation.

When Nia knelt and they tore off the wallpaper, it hadn’t been easy to predict the guild master would enter at that exact moment.

Either way, the problem was the same.

Then the direction of the dagger entered Evolaine’s field of vision.

The blade of the sword was pointing toward the outside of Nia’s neck.

Seeing the slightly thick spine of the blade close to Nia’s neck, two reasons could be inferred.

The threat to kill Nia was to buy time to escape from this room.

The other was that the intent to kill Nia wasn’t genuine.