Fostering the Male Lead

Chapter 65

6-8 minutes 07.03.2021

I looked at Lanoa and sighed.

“It seems I have to go to the capital….”

“Cheer up.”

Lanoa, who had just earlier encouraged me not to go to the capital, couldn’t say anything and just cheered me up because there was a big contract at stake. He just patted my sad back.

*   *   *

My employment status suddenly changed from unemployed to a general manager, so I walked down the hallway helplessly. A nervous and restless Marina continued to follow after me.

I didn’t want to go to the capital, but I also felt bad for the baron who ran around hard to make this deal a success.

Above all, I couldn’t afford to pass up an opportunity to fill the safes with mountain-sized piles of cash.

‘That’s all my retirement funds….’

After much deliberation, I made up my mind to go to the capital. I don’t really want to, but what else could I do? It’s not like I have to live there. I just have to look around and then come back.

‘If I wear the earrings and necklaces made of mana stones during my coming-of-age ceremony, they will be promoted well.’

Now that this had happened, I was going to hold my coming-of-age ceremony in the capital and take everything I can from it.

‘Okay, then let’s just relax’

I was sure everything would work out. I folded the paper that the baron gave me in half and held it in my hand, and then straightened my slackened shoulders.

“Marina, is His Highness still in his room?”

“Yes.”

‘Oh, I guess he’s still grumpy.’

Sihael continued to act as if I had betrayed him, which embarrassed me because I suddenly felt like a sinner.

“In the first place, it was Sihael who misunderstood my words, but why should I be the one to coax him?”

I grumbled inwardly, but my legs moved steadily toward Sihael’s room.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Your Highness, are you there?”

I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I listened to the door but couldn’t hear anything because the room was empty.

He’s not pretending he’s not there, is he?

When I turned the doorknob slightly with suspicion, the door gently opened. My eyes widened at the sight before my eyes.

“……What is this?”

The drawers were pulled all out and turned upside down, and the floor was littered with shattered and broken objects.

‘Did a thief or something break in?’

But that was not an option. Because this was a Duchy, it wasn’t easy for petty thieves to come and go. As a result, it was highly unlikely that this was done by just a thief.

“Marina, immediately… Nanabi?”

When I saw Nanabi running at full speed, I stopped what I was saying and blurted out her name. Nanabi, who was running frantically, came to a halt inside the messed-up room, then ran to the corner and looked for something.

“It isn’t here.”

“Please excuse me, Nanabi.”

“I’m sorry but I have to go!”

A look of impatience flashed on her always relaxed looking face.  Noticing an unusual air around her hurriedly running form, I quickly followed Nanabi. Marina drew a dagger from her sleeve and followed me, keeping a close eye on the surroundings.

Fortunately, she didn’t go too far and came to a halt outside, looking around the mansion.

“Nanabi! What happened?”

“The barrier has been broken.”

The situation was more serious than expected.

“His Highness appears to have felt an abnormality in the barrier and left…, and while he was gone, someone stole a piece of the Chimera.”

Nanabi bit her lip, saying it was her fault, and pointed to a location.

“This way!”

She pointed towards an incinerator. Several thoughts flashed through my mind for a brief moment. The thief stole a piece of the Chimera, and Nanabi’s hand pointed to the incinerator.

‘The thief must be thinking of destroying the evidence by burning it.’

My heart started pounding loudly, and I dashed ahead of Nanabi. Nanabi had been running alongside me at first, but she soon became tired and was left behind. Marina, who was standing close to me, murmured quietly,

“My Lady, someone is there.”

A servant was looking at the burning fire in the incinerator, just as Marina had said. He looked at the fire, as if dazed, and then took something from his arms. Although it was difficult to tell what it was because it was wrapped in gold cloth, its shape clearly indicated that it was the piece of Chimera.

“Marina, stop him!”

At my command, Marina threw the dagger and struck the servant’s hand precisely. The servant, who had dropped the cloth, looked down quietly at his empty hand and turned his head to my voice.

“What are you doing here?”

The servant’s eyes that looked at me were too dull and calm.

‘This guy doesn’t work for the Katzel Duchy.’

Only a few people in this mansion could look me in the eyes. It was just Marina, the butler, and Hannah, who had been chasing me like a chick lately.

“No. Are you human?”

His eyes glistened like marbles with no emotions, and a chilling energy surrounded him.

My intuition told me he wasn’t human.

“Is there a doghole somewhere in my house? From where do these things keep creeping in?”

“I’ll track it down and block it.”

“Since they are monsters, you can’t just stop them by blocking the hole.”

“Seeing how this one broke through my barrier, it appears to be a high level monster.”

The gasping Nanabi who followed us flicked her finger. Then, a transparent film, invisible to the eye, encircled the entire area.

“What is it?”

“I separated the space. It can’t cause any damage to the surroundings.”

Nanabi barely caught her breath before yanking her staff from her arms.

“By the way, humanoids are quite rare monsters. Can we do some research on it after we capture it alive?”

“Do we have to save it? Let’s just get rid of it.”

When Nanabi and Marina took up their weapons and were ready to fight, the monster, who had kept his mouth shut so far, opened his mouth.

Slurkk~.

Three snakes crawled out of its mouths. Since it was the first time I had seen a humanoid monster, I was inwardly amazed by the good-looking monster, but when I saw the black snake-like bodies crawling out of its mouth, my face hardened.

Of all the monster’s things, it had to be snakes. I didn’t feel good about it.

“We got caught! So, let’s eat.”

“Yes, let’s eat. She said we can eat if we get caught.”

“Who said that?”

When I asked as I took a step forward, the stupid monster answered meekly,

“That woman.”