003

“Ugh… uugh…”

Agate, with an ice pack on her forehead, groaned in distress, seemingly struggling to overcome both her suddenly elevated temperature and chills simultaneously. Though it was the sound of someone in pain, it was the first time Sion had heard her voice.

How ironic. With her face flushed red from fever, Agate frowned deeply and breathed heavily with labored gasps. Sweat beaded on her forehead before dropping, eventually soaking her pillow. Amusingly, Sion detected signs of human vitality in her for the first time as she hovered between life and death.

He could finally confirm that Agate was indeed a living human being through her fierce battle against the fever. The woman who had seemed like she wouldn’t bat an eyelash even with a knife at her throat was now radiating heat, gasping for breath to survive, and expelling bodily fl*ids.

These physiological responses proved she was human like everyone else. Was it madness to see life force in this precarious state that resembled death?

Sion approached the groaning Agate, passing Kanna who was about to replace the melted ice pack with a fresh one.

“Hmm… It’s been a while since she’s had such a high fever. If I hadn’t come, this could have been serious.”

As Barten had said, the villa only had basic medications on hand, so it would indeed have been a serious situation. After briefly observing Agate with her chest heaving rapidly, Sion asked Barten:

“How high is her fever?”

“Just over 39 degrees. She hasn’t been this ill recently… The antipyretic should take effect soon. We need to monitor her carefully tonight to see if she makes it through safely. I’ll leave the necessary medicine and return tomorrow morning.”

“Please include Reminofen as well.”

After quickly scanning the medicine packet Barten had placed on the bedside table, Sion spoke without thinking in his urgency. Realizing his mistake, he bit the inside of his mouth slightly, but Barten had already turned to him with wide eyes.

“…Reminofen is an anti-inflammatory, but it works well for fever too and is sometimes used as an antipyretic. It’s surprising that you know this—usually only practicing physicians would.”

Rather than being offended at someone interfering with his prescription, Barten could barely conceal his surprise that a butler would possess such medical knowledge. As if entranced, he reached into his bag and pulled out a small pill, placing it next to the medicine packet.

Not only Barten, but Adollo and several maids standing behind him had also heard Sion’s words. He could feel their gazes concentrated on the back of his head without needing to check. Sion quickly covered with an exaggerated voice:

“I’m familiar with it because I previously served a young lady who frequently suffered from fevers.”

“Hahaha, I see. I hadn’t prescribed Reminofen because I’ve never used it for the young lady before, but it is certainly effective.”

Once Dr. Barten accepted this explanation, the sharp gazes gradually fell away. Sion inwardly sighed with relief. Among the many fictional personas he had portrayed, doctor was by far the most frequent occupation.

It was the best way for a commoner without a title to approach the wealthy without arousing suspicion. Nobles and businessmen with money but no medical knowledge readily placed their trust in doctors who could magically treat their discomforts and ailments, even in a short time.

This was why Sion, though a quack doctor, had to devote himself to studying medicine. It explained why his medical knowledge was comparable to that of renowned physicians.

“Wait, you said you’ve never used this medicine on the young lady before. Isn’t that too dangerous an attempt?!”

Adollo, who had been listening silently, abruptly inserted himself between Sion and Barten. His shoulder blades jutted out so sharply that even a slight collision made Sion’s arm tingle.

“If the antipyretic doesn’t lower her fever, we need to try a different medication. In other words, it’s a last resort. The young lady has no allergies to Reminofen’s components, and it’s a safe medicine, so there’s no need to worry.”

Despite Barten’s explanation, delivered with a casual laugh as if it were nothing, Adollo remained unconvinced, his deeply furrowed brow refusing to smooth out.

Why did you recommend a medicine we’ve never heard of before? This time, the old butler’s pointed gaze pierced straight through Sion. Though Sion could easily list thirty reasons why Reminofen could be used safely, offering further explanations would only arouse suspicion. His only option was to maintain his pleasant smile.

“There’s no need to worry in advance—he’s saying she only needs to take it if her fever persists.”

As Sion pushed up his slightly lowered glasses, Adollo adjusted his monocle and spoke gruffly:

“I’ll take care of the young lady’s nursing tonight. You go back and rest. I’ll call if anything happens.”

“Very well.”

Sion bowed slightly with his eyes curved like crescent moons, maintaining proper etiquette.

After Sion returned to the servants’ quarters, the area around the Ponten villa—usually pitch black at night with only moonlight to navigate by—was brightly lit everywhere, preventing even wild animals from approaching.

The maids busily took turns helping with the nursing, even at night, making it as bright as day in an effort to lower the feverish young lady’s temperature by even one degree.

This environment was highly unfavorable for a thief who preferred dark and quiet interiors. Nevertheless, Sion was eager to hasten his departure from Ponten, so he began his work even on a night when the young lady couldn’t sleep.

This would be his final night searching the mansion. He had already examined all the likely places. If something hadn’t caught his eye by now, it meant there was nothing there. Sion was thorough.

* * *

“D*mn it!”

A harsh curse escaped Sion’s attractively curved lips as he struck the wall with a dull thud. Without even nursing his stinging fist, he looked around by candlelight as if reluctant to give up.

A thread-thin hope had thoroughly searched the spacious basement, but again, nothing of value caught his eye.

He had completely struck out.

“Ha! So this villa really exists only to house a sick lady…”

Sion dropped his head helplessly and ran a hand over his dry face in self-mockery. Even his excellent eye for detail—his weapon—seemed to have rusted, as if acknowledging that his swindling days were coming to an end.

‘I seriously deluded myself into thinking a golden goose was hidden in this villa with absolutely nothing…’

No, actually, there was one thing worth selling.

The solid gold double-headed eagle emblem, matching the size of his robust upper body. As House Irone’s symbol, it occupied the prime location above the landing of the stairs just inside the villa entrance, radiating a magnificent presence.

‘If converted to cash, it would easily buy a mansion with money to spare.’

But even the skilled Sion found it impossible to move that massive eagle emblem. All he could do with that enormous gold piece was look at it and estimate its value.

‘Having to stand empty-handed with a fortune right before my eyes.’

Of course, he hadn’t completely refrained from trying. On his first night as a butler, with nothing to lose, he had impulsively tried to lift the solid gold eagle that was broader than his shoulders. It did lift with a creaking metallic sound, but that was as far as he got.

Despite his height and physical capability, it was simply not something he could easily smuggle out without being caught. Even if through tremendous effort and good fortune he managed to escape Ponten with the gold, disposing of it would be another problem.

That large double-headed eagle was unmistakably House Irone’s emblem—even a child would recognize it. That’s how immeasurable the prestige of House Irone was.

If he tried to sell it to fences, they would almost certainly choose to betray him to House Irone for a reward. The bounty would far exceed any commission from handling stolen goods.

No matter how he calculated it, the bird’s head was deemed unsuitable in terms of risk and profit. Ironically, it was too large to steal—quite paradoxical.

Should he move to another region now and find a new target? Sion raised his head abruptly but then shook it.

‘No, carelessly wandering around looking for targets would only get me followed. It’s pointless.’

As a wanted man, Sion was in no position to leisurely scout for potential victims. He needed a wealthy recluse in a remote area that didn’t attract attention, someone disconnected from the world—but finding such a person immediately was nearly impossible.