Henrik casually took a glove from his inner pocket.
He had never worn it before, but it was a glove he always carried.
‘I prepared it for a situation like this. Saya has a sharp eye, so she may recognize the Ring of Dantalion. I should hide it for now.’
Meanwhile, Hope obsequiously and naturally joined Henrik and Lloyd at their table.
‘I did not say he could sit. Is he thick-skinned, or does he simply have no common sense?’
Henrik was still managing his expression, but Lloyd could not even do that.
“So you were staying here! Mr. Lloyd is with you too. I will order here!”
Meanwhile, at Saya’s table, the Three Idiots were whispering with Saya.
As usual, Henrik amplified their voices.
“…I heard it as well. He definitely said ‘Hope.’”
“He is not dressed like a beggar, but his face and distinguishing features match.”
“We are lucky. Everyone, prepare yourselves. If it is not feasible, we may have to settle this inside the inn.”
All the stew in Henrik’s spoon ran down in a stream.
In the meantime, Hope’s food arrived, but he was busy talking before even trying it.
“By the way, having a meal with Henrik is reassuring! It is hard to feel this safe outside the Den.”
Safe, my ass.
Why was this guy so dressed up today?
“I almost did not recognize you. Is it some special occasion?”
“It is clothing suited to the inn. On days when I make a lot of money, treating myself to a meal at this inn is my greatest pleasure!”
“I understand. If you come in wearing your usual beggar rags, you will be driven out of this inn.”
“You know it well! That foul-tempered old woman drives me out…. In any case, she is not here today?”
“Margaret? She is taking a rest for a while.”
“…Is that so? Was she not the woman who normally cooked?”
Hope anxiously scooped up a spoonful.
What entered his mouth was certainly edible food. But that was all it was.
“…It seems I came at the wrong time.”
Without saying a word, Henrik patted Hope’s shoulder.
‘Now that Saya has found her prey, Hope is as good as dead.’
The deadline for the commission was midnight today.
The sun was still high in the sky, so there would be plenty of time for the assassination.
‘He could have been useful as the Beggars’ Den’s loyal Informant, but….’
What could I do? He was not valuable enough to take the risk of stopping Saya’s assassination.
Especially not in Henrik’s condition. That would be absolutely impossible.
It was regrettable, but this was as far as Hope went.
“Eat plenty.”
With those words, Henrik gave Hope a kindly smile.
“The taste is a little disappointing, but…yes! I should. Today is a good day, after all!”
‘His spirits are especially high today, which makes him even more pitiful.’
“You said you only come to this inn on days when you make a lot of money, right? You must have landed a good job.”
“That is right! A noble benefactor appeared at our Den! Of course, the greatest of all benefactors is Henrik, but still!”
A good commission must have come in. For a day like this to become his funeral day. Truly a lucky day.
“Really? How much are you being paid?”
At that, Hope looked around, then leaned close to Henrik and whispered.
“I have not received it yet, but I will soon. A whole five Gold Coins!”
It was not a great amount by Dark Order standards, but it was a windfall for beggars hired for cheap labor.
Besides, this guy was probably—
“You are going to take all the Gold Coins for yourself without telling your leader, are you?”
“Heh heh, of course! The commission came directly to me one-on-one in the first place, and I handled the work by myself!”
“Even so, were you not supposed to give your leader at least half?”
“Ah, if I lived while following every one of those rules, my head would hurt.”
Was that the kind of person who became second-in-command?
Henrik became curious what sort of person led the Beggars’ Den with a subordinate like this.
“In any case, you seem to handle the work you take on well, if you earn that much.”
“Of course! I am always ready to obey Henrik’s orders as well!”
Henrik had already been planning to take Lloyd outside the village once his swordsmanship training was finished.
Before that, he had considered putting this guy to work and obtaining information about the village. It was a shame he had not done it sooner.
“Of course. I will call you whenever I need you, so remain on standby.”
“Yes!”
Hope raised his clenched fist.
In doing so, his sleeve naturally slid down, and the bracelet on his arm flashed.
‘……What is that?’
Henrik’s eyes widened at the same time.
“…Did you always wear a bracelet like that?”
“Ha ha…this is a secret, you see….”
Hope drew it out, making it abundantly clear that he was only telling Henrik something special.
In truth, he had not planned to tell anyone, but he secretly wanted the great Henrik to acknowledge his ability.
“…Actually, this is what will bring me five Gold Coins! Finding and delivering this item is the commission.”
His face as he caressed the bracelet was the picture of triumph.
“I found it perfectly, so I am wearing it to make sure I do not lose it!”
Lloyd, who had only then noticed the bracelet, had his pupils shake wildly as well.
“……You received a commission to find that bracelet?”
“Uh…why do you ask, Mr. Lloyd? Do you know this item?”
Concerned that Lloyd would cause trouble, Henrik immediately joined the conversation.
“Ah, Lloyd means that all the gems set in the bracelet look like diamonds. He is wondering whether you could sell it to a jeweler for more than five Gold Coins, right?”
“…….”
“Heh, Henrik and Lloyd are the same kind of people as us! I had the same thought as soon as I found this. But what can I do? Work is work!”
The crest engraved on the bracelet….
There was no doubt. It was an item from Lloyd’s family.
Who had commissioned this? And where had Hope found it?
“It looks rather valuable. How did you get something like this?”
Henrik spoke while putting on an expression that said, ‘I can’t resist treasure,’ in order to hide why he was prying so thoroughly.
And the act worked perfectly on Hope.
His beggar’s instinct kicked in, and Hope unconsciously adjusted his sleeve again to hide the bracelet first.
“Uh, um, that is…….”
“I am not asking you to give me the bracelet. I am only asking because I am curious.”
“Er…. That is…….”
“I will not tell anyone else.”
Hope glanced at Lloyd.
“…Neither will I.”
Lloyd gave the same answer as Henrik, but Hope’s unease did not disappear.
Henrik gleaned something from that attitude.
“It seems there’s a reason you can’t tell me.”
“No! Ha ha! It is just that the explanation is needlessly complicated, and it does not mean much….”
Unlike Henrik, he had no talent for acting.
‘This guy definitely knows the location.’
He must be planning to go back there and explore more whenever he could.
‘The way to confirm it is not difficult.’
Henrik concentrated, just as he had when he examined injured Aike.
Then traces remaining on Hope’s body revealed themselves.
‘…Hope is cursed.’
The Lloyd Family Secret Tomb was a place that had appeared once in the novel, so Henrik knew it well.
It was where their ancestors had been buried with their treasures.
It was difficult to find, and even if someone did find it, breaking the multiple seals required a wide range of information and equipment.
The client must have provided everything needed.
‘He sent an ignorant beggar in his place to retrieve the bracelet.’
The client would not have wanted to enter the tomb himself. The tomb was cursed.
A beggar would have been perfect for such work. If he gave it to a proper organization like the Dark Order and one of its members was cursed, the job could become troublesome.
“I-I really am telling the truth. There is no more treasure there.”
“I only asked how you obtained it. ‘There’?”
“Ah, uh…. I suppose so. Ha ha….”
No matter who had commissioned it, that person’s purpose was probably the same. The same purpose as Nightmare’s.
‘The Orb. Clues to finding the Orb are hidden among Lloyd’s family treasures.’
I need to make Hope reveal the location of the Lloyd Family Secret Tomb.
The fact that he had only been asked to bring back the bracelet meant the client probably did not know.
‘That the Lloyd Family Secret Tomb holds more than just clues about the Orb. If things go well, I can raise Lloyd quickly.’
As Henrik kept giving Hope an unusual look, Hope gradually grew anxious.
“Th-that is all, anyway! I promised to deliver this bracelet at midnight. Um…I plan to stay at the inn until then. It is safe here. You never know, right? Ha ha….”
Hope’s flustered voice had grown a little louder than usual.
As a result, Saya and her subordinates, who had already been listening quietly, could not have missed Hope saying that he would stay at the inn until midnight.
“At midnight? You intend to meet the client in person?”
“That is right.”
Was that why the deadline for the assassination commission on Hope was midnight?
Aike had surely said this.
― “Ah, and there is an item we must bring back from that bastard as proof of success. That item is….” ―
Lloyd had spoken to Henrik before he could hear the rest, but that item was probably the bracelet.
Hope had received a commission to bring back the bracelet, while the Dark Order had received a commission to eliminate Hope and seize the bracelet.
“A-are you not going to eat more?”
“You eat plenty.”
“Yes, well, ha ha….”
As Hope scratched himself and picked his spoon up again, Henrik quietly folded his arms and fell into thought.
The silence did not last long. A moment later, every piece of the puzzle had fallen into place in Henrik’s mind.
‘…I think I understand what is going on. Both commissions are the work of the same person.’
I can infer the reason, too.
The client must have found it burdensome for anyone to know the location of the secret tomb.
Even after successfully recovering the bracelet, the Lloyd Family Secret Tomb could become a clue for later arrivals seeking the Orb.
‘That is why he commissioned Hope one-on-one. To minimize the number of people who knew the tomb’s location.’
And once Hope, who had brought out the bracelet, was eliminated as well, everything would be clean.
Of course, the cursed Hope would eventually die from its effects even if left alone.
However, a curse placed on a location did not have strong mana, so it took time for its effect to appear.
‘He did not even want to wait that long.’
He sent a beggar for the dangerous work, then entrusted the professionals of the Dark Order with the job of neatly disposing of the beggar and recovering the bracelet.
He must have thought that not even the Dark Order would recognize that this bracelet was no ordinary item.
He was right. Information connected to the Orb was something only someone like Nightmare or Hess would know in the first place.
‘And lastly….’
He could have dealt with Hope personally when they met at midnight. The fact that he had not done so was important as well.
It meant that he lacked the ability to handle Hope himself.
The fact that he had sent Hope in because he had no way to protect his own body from the tomb’s curse made that clear. He was not someone with exceptional ability.
……Who could it be?
“Excuse me.”
At that moment, Saya’s long, slender shadow covered Henrik.
“…….”
Lloyd and Hope looked at Saya as she naturally approached to speak, but Henrik continued to show only the back of his head.
“Are you Hope?”
“Uh…me? Do you know me?”
The Three Idiots rose from their seats, scattered to lock Ben in the kitchen, block the stairs leading up, and cover every window from view.
‘…Hope plans to remain at the inn, so they intend to kill him here.’
Finally, Aike locked every door of the inn.
“Dark Order. Cooperate.”
Keeping her head held high, Saya looked down at Henrik and Lloyd in turn.
‘Will they silence and eliminate the witnesses? That sounds like Saya.’
She held out Gold Coins.
“This is on the condition that you take this matter to the grave.”
Saya held six Gold Coins in her hand as she spoke.
‘She means to give three each to Lloyd and me. Saya was supposed to receive fifteen Gold Coins for this commission. Since the job seems likely to become easier, she is investing boldly. It is not a bad choice.’
Hope grasped what was happening when he saw Saya speaking while looking only at Henrik and Lloyd.
“Hope? I don’t know anyone by that name! H-Henrik, please say something!”
It would be quite helpful if I could learn the secret tomb’s location from Hope, but….
Even so, it was not easy to step in under these circumstances.
‘I should judge this carefully.’
But Lloyd had already made his judgment. He was able to make it so quickly because he had not been careful at all.
“Hey, Hope.”
“Uh…? Mr. Lloyd, I mean, I told you I am not Hope, ha ha….”
“If I help you, will you tell me how you obtained that bracelet?”
“That…….”
Unnerved by Lloyd’s unwavering eyes, Hope turned his gaze to Henrik.
But Henrik had no time to deal with Hope, as he was simulating what would happen next.
SHING—!
Saya drew her sword.
“H-hiik!”
“Decide. Will you tell him?”
“Y-yes, I will tell you, Mr. Lloyd! And Henrik, please, I beg you!”
Hope said that while looking only at Henrik all along.
He thought that Henrik’s help was the only way he could get out of here alive.
However, Lloyd was the one who acted first.
SWISH—
He pulled out the Wooden Sword.
At the sight, Saya doubted her own eyes.
“…A Wooden Sword?”
“Yes, it is a masterpiece.”
“……Ha.”
Saya’s response made it clear that the absurdity was too much for even a laugh.
Henrik felt exactly the same.
‘…Lloyd has lost his reason after seeing the bracelet. That habit of causing trouble is showing itself again.’
It must have been a long time since he had seen his family’s crest, too. He must have had even more he wanted to hear from Hope than Henrik did.
Even so, he was causing a fuss in the worst possible situation. It would be troublesome if a conflict with Saya’s group arose already.
Things had gone this far, so Henrik could not avoid stepping in. It could not be helped.
‘All right. I know these people better than anyone. I will use every piece of information to cleanly settle this.’
Henrik slowly rose to his feet.
“Hup….”
“I’ll handle this myself. Henrik, stay out of it.”
…This fool was acting up without even knowing who he was facing.
“What are you talking about when you have only learned swordsmanship for one day?”
“This is my business too. Stay out of it.”
“That’s very convincing when you say that while holding a piece of wood.”
“You called it a masterpiece before.”
“Leave it to me and stand back.”
With her arms folded, Saya watched their argument as though it were ridiculous.
“I’ll handle my own business.”
“That is why, with your ability….”
As Henrik shook his head in disbelief,
WHOOSH—
Lloyd sent a downward slash flying at Saya’s face.
‘That idiot!’
It was one of the basic movements he had practiced all morning, so the movement was somewhat polished. Yet Saya lightly avoided it by taking a small step back.
“A greenhorn.”
Henrik swiftly grabbed Lloyd’s arm.
“You bastard, are you out of your mind?!”
“I told you to stay out of my business.”
Meanwhile, black light slowly gathered over the Wooden Sword that had been swung once.
“Pick your opponents before you act up. Can’t you tell you’re no match for her? Enough. Leave it to me today.”
“Why do you keep interfering at every turn? I….”
“If you keep acting like this, I will not teach you anything.”
“…….”
When Lloyd lowered the arm holding the Wooden Sword slightly, Henrik let out a light breath and released the hand that had been holding him.
At that moment,
“Haaah!”
Lloyd leaped toward Saya,
“You crazy bastard!”
and Henrik cut through the air after him.