Chapter 39 : The Deal (4)

For a moment, let me talk about the witch I know.

The sense of awe one feels from a witch isn’t enough just by first impressions. This is inevitable because, to begin with, the witch’s appearance is far from that of an old woman.

When meeting people, the shape of their ears might be disguised, but the witch never bothered to hide her true form. According to her, if she approaches someone in her natural form and they let their guard down, that’s enough.

In my opinion, the witch just dislikes looking old, so she has no intention of changing her overly youthful appearance. I can vouch for that, having been slapped a few times after calling her “old lady.”

So, it seems I was right to introduce the witch not as herself but as “one of the wizards from the forest.” Thanks to that, Ayla never felt any cognitive dissonance when she looked at the witch.

The hunting lodge was bigger than I expected. Previously, there had only been a rundown hut with no room divisions, but now it had turned into a sturdy two-story log house that could truly be called a “cottage.” It probably wasn’t big enough for a noble to use as a mansion, but it seemed sufficient for a family to live in for a lifetime.

And in front of that cottage, the trees and grass were all neatly arranged, and a campfire was burning in the middle.

The witch—now called “Daisy”—and her apprentice were there. They had brought over long wooden chairs and were sitting on them. Seila was lying sideways on one of those chairs, using Daisy’s legs as a pillow. The witch’s apprentice stood up when she saw Ayla and bowed, but Daisy remained seated and bowed deeply.

“Ayla, madam,” Daisy said.

“I apologize. Right now, Seila—”

“It’s fine,” Ayla said, with a voice much softer than the one she used with me.

“Let’s leave Seila as she is. She’s probably fallen deeply asleep by now.”

“Yes. After receiving permission to stay here for a while, she came straight here.”

Of course, I had checked on that. I had also reported it to Ayla.

“Good,” Ayla nodded and walked toward the campfire.

Although the weather had warmed up quite a bit during the day, it was still a little chilly at night. Ayla was wearing a cloak, and a thick blanket covered Seila, who was lying with her head on Daisy’s thigh. Luckily, the campfire was warm enough, so it didn’t seem like anyone would catch a cold just by staying here for a little while.

Ayla sat in the remaining seat and looked at Daisy.

“I heard you came from the forest.”

Maybe because she was speaking to Daisy, her voice was still a little softer.

I felt a bit of jealousy in that atmosphere. I knew it was because Daisy had a youthful appearance. Any sensible adult wouldn’t treat a much younger child harshly.

But why was I so angry? Thinking about it, I realized Ayla hadn’t liked it when I had been rude to Daisy either.

“That’s correct,” Daisy responded politely without any pretense.

“Do you want to make a deal with the count’s family?”

“There’s a trustworthy intermediary here. And I don’t think that intermediary will leave Ayla’s side anytime soon. So yes, we want to communicate with the world through the count’s domain.”

Ayla’s gaze turned toward me. It was a somewhat complex gaze.

“Did you say the intermediary wouldn’t leave? Not the count, his wife, or the count’s family?”

“Ah.”

Right. This was the problem.

I wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with dealing with people, but the witch had a habit of looking down on others. Given her skill and age, that made sense, but the issue was that it made her bad at pretending. There was no reason to hide secrets when dealing with people she didn’t need to keep things from.

Also, I often talked about Ayla in front of the witch. Considering the witch’s personality, it was likely that some level of intimacy had formed.

She probably felt at ease because she thought I was a similar type of person.

However, in this situation, I couldn’t intervene, so I just glared at Daisy from behind Ayla.

“Well, at least until we pay off the debt to the count,” Ayla said after a moment of silence.

There wasn’t much expression visible from this side, but I could imagine it. Ayla probably had one of those complex expressions she often made when she looked at me.

“And once we’ve made a deal and built trust, things will be a bit easier after that.”

“I see,” Ayla nodded.

Then she fell into a brief moment of thought.

The shadow had remained silent and just listened to the conversation. After all, the shadow’s interests would be determined once the two of them reached an agreement, so it didn’t seem to be in a rush.

“Let’s be honest,” Ayla said, breaking the silence.

“I know you trust Luna. At least, from what you’ve shown me so far, I can tell you have the ability to do so. But I have no solid reason to fully trust you. Even if the three of you are planning and acting together, I have no way of knowing.”

The witch and the shadow both turned their gaze toward me.

To put it extremely, they might be thinking that I could be the one who would be sacrificed.

If I was just a pawn to send ahead, risking a life, then Ayla would be the one to be deceived.

Ayla, who had vowed to protect the count’s daughter, who had no blood relation to her, wouldn’t just give up or resign herself at this point.

Ayla’s gaze also turned toward me.

Even my younger sibling was looking at me, as if curious about what I would say in this situation.

The only thing I could say was that I would help Ayla.

Before the plans started falling apart, I had been confident. I was confident in my swordsmanship more than anyone, and every item I carried around was something ordinary people could never obtain.

Maybe that’s why Ayla also thought I would willingly follow her. I had arrogantly thought I could be the one to save Ayla’s life.

“I’m sorry, Ayla.”

“Luna?”

“The only thing I can say is that you should just trust me.”

I saw the shadow.

“I told you, I’ve had a few transactions with the count.”

He spoke confidently as if there was no need to hide it anymore.

“From there, it’s easy. You just need to find the nobles related to the information the count bought from me. Most of it will be connected to threats. I’ve even selected nobles to sell information to, people who could handle it.”

The list was written on the document. The movements of the baron were also detailed.

Right after the count died, things went quiet, but the document already specified the baron and detailed who he met and where, and how.

“But doesn’t this put the young lady in danger?”

The shadow smiled at me as he said that.

That’s right. “At me.”

“Well, that’s possible. But the chances are low. Why? The actual person, the count, is dead. When we made the deal, there were multiple layers of cover, so it’s unlikely that we’ll be traced back to the count’s information… Still, if you need help, I’d like to borrow some of your acquaintances.”

I looked at my sibling beside me.

He sighed loudly.

“And, to be honest, the information business is a bit unstable, so I’ve been considering getting out of it. And I just found someone who can expand our family’s business.”

The people here.

“I see,” Ayla nodded.

“Good. Then let’s start the transaction. As soon as possible. Actually, it seems like the territory’s funds might run out soon. Oh, and if possible, let’s involve the baron as well. Deeply.”

At those words, the shadow smiled.

Of course, the witch smiled widely too.

Very expensive, something everyone would want. If people think of things that nobles want, they might think of gold and treasure, but—

Well.

Maybe for a while, there might be a war where the royal blood doesn’t flow.

Perhaps, for a baron with little political power, a great war could break out where he dies without anyone noticing.