“What a strange thing.”
Yan Louis said. His upper body protruded like a deer's head hanging on the wall, looking down at Chellos who was busy at the foot of the stairs with Irel.
“What's strange, what are you talking about?”
Irel looked at the mirror hanging on the second floor's central staircase and asked again. It was almost time for her mother to visit, so she was very concerned about her outfit and hairstyle. Because of this, she almost missed what Yan Louis said.
"Ah, it's Pessuss. Your words have worked. He's stubborn as hell."
Irel's eyes rolled in the mirror. Of course it's towards Yan Louis.
"How did Yan know? Could it be that you eavesdropped on the conversation between me and Pessuss?"
“Not from the beginning, but from the middle.”
Oh god, why are you eavesdropping on other people's stories? If you eavesdrop, at least try to hide it. Irel was speechless and turned her head to look straight at him. Yan shrugged, confidently responding with half his body stuck in the wall.
“But that's my job.”
“Eavesdropping on what I said?”
"Reconnaissance, reconnaissance. Constantly watching. Watching what's going on, constantly."
Listening to Yan's characteristic way of talking, slowly and endlessly, as if in a dream or sleep talking, made her feel like her mind was also becoming strange.
“…… Please, preserve my privacy. Remember?”
Irel said firmly, holding his forehead. She suddenly remembered the fleshy scenes that sometimes took place between her and Varkan. Just the thought of Yan Louis witnessing that scene was terrifying enough.
"Ahem. I will be killed by Sir."
Yan Louis also seemed to understand what she meant. He also looked disgusted as if he had just heard something he shouldn't have heard, then crawled into the wall.
“Huh.”
Irel, left alone, sighed deeply. This was a situation that had to feel extremely uncomfortable, but the fact that she wasn't angry at all made it even sadder.
From the beginning, this place was a lair for evil, no different from the Demon King's mansion. How can one expect a normal life in a place like this? From the beginning, the people living under the same roof were eccentrics: a clingy Ghost, a gloomy Puppet Master, and a man with a temper as bad as lava erupting from hell.
'It's really lucky to still have Chellos.'
Irel rested her chin on the second floor railing, looking down at Chellos with sorrowful eyes. The only normal person in this family was walking around the lobby and living room, carefully checking to see if there was anything that wasn't properly prepared.
All of these were preparations to welcome her mother. Therefore, Irel felt both sorry and grateful to Chellos for his hard work.
‘Where is Varkan now.’
The person who had gone out to pick up her mother suddenly appeared in her mind. She was angry because she kept thinking about him, but Varkan Ha Marsh was such a man.
An arrogant and strange man who draws people into his orbit, whether they like them or hate them, as if there was a strange gravitational force that only worked around him. But that gravity was distorted in a distorted way, so the relationships established with him also naturally became distorted.
‘What a headache.’
What if she increased Varkan's favorability to 80 as required by the quest? Will anything change? No, probably not. Irel rested his chin on the railing and shook his head. Because she couldn't imagine a Varkan who was so madly in love with her that he was willing to do everything for her.
'It's lucky that it doesn't make me suffer more.'
Anyway, it was fortunate that Varkan intended to follow this play. He is currently playing the role of 'man in love' when he personally goes out to pick up her mother, Louisa.
Seeing that scene, she wanted to appease her anger. To put it bluntly, even if Varkan only did it superficially, she had no right to complain.
However, he showed quite an effort. Really, beyond imagination.
BAM
—!!
That was when Irel was deep in thought. The tightly closed front door suddenly opened violently and hit the wall. The carefully decorated flowers fell apart, but no one paid any attention.
“Breathe deeply, My Lady.”
Varkan appeared like a hail storm pouring through the door. He was supporting someone with his broad shoulders.
“Can you hear me clearly?”
The person who was half leaning on his arms, staggering as if about to fall, was unexpectedly Louisa. Seeing her pale as if she had just suffered a great shock, Irel was frightened.
"Mom?!"
Maybe something happened on the way? Irel quickly lifted up her long, flowing skirt and ran down the stairs. Seeing that, Varkan frowned even while supporting Louisa.
"Don't run. Don't fall now."
That voice could not reach Irel's impatient ears. As a result, she tripped and fell in the middle of the stairs, but Chellos, who came running because he heard the noise, caught her.
“Be careful, Irel.”
"Thank."
At this moment, nothing could escape her eyes. Irel answered briefly and immediately ran to support Louisa's other arm, asking in a worried voice.
"What's going on? Why are you suddenly like this?"
"Irel, honey. What should I do?"
Recognizing her daughter's voice, Louisa's eyes looked towards her absentmindedly. In his eyes, dark and deep like a well, confusion and sadness were clearly visible.
“Our Michael……”
“Yes, what is he doing?”
The face of her long-lost brother appeared in her mind. The burly, muscular, tanned man with a gentle face was smiling brightly in her mind. But a strange feeling made her heart sink.
As if to confirm the ominous feeling rising in her throat, Louisa burst into tears.
"The boy went missing on the way back from the Master Temple. They said he seemed to have slipped and fallen off the cliff, child..."
“I thought I had been through everything in my life.”
Varkan said, loosening the tie around his neck.
“But this is the first time getting married.”
In her head, after crying, it became empty, his low voice sounded like a buzzing echo. Irel rubbed her teary eyes and slowly looked at him.
“So I didn't know.”
“……What did you say?”
Her voice was hoarse and wet. Varkan was silent for a moment, looking at her face immersed in apocalyptic sadness.
A woman who was always smiling brightly was now so emaciated, looking both pitiful and strangely seductive. However, the fact that the cause was not him but another man made him extremely uncomfortable.
“That getting married is this dirty and difficult.”
Varkan coldly uttered those words, then took off his fitted vest shirt and threw it away. A wild body, full of tattoos and scars, sunburnt appeared.
"Why are you taking off your clothes? What are you going to do?"
Irel was surprised to see Varkan reach towards her pants. Even though he has a bad temper and doesn't have any empathy, could he have asked that of her, who had just received bad news about her brother? Furthermore, in the bedroom next door, Louisa was resting because she was so shocked.
Luckily, Varkan wasn't that extreme. What he put on that enchanting body was a rough shirt and long pants.
"This."
Not only that. Varkan also gave her, who was still wearing her gorgeous dress, something. Curiously opening it, she saw that it was a long cloak with a hood.
“I'll give you ten minutes to change and get ready.”
“What are you preparing for? Where are we going?”
“Going somewhere?”
Varkan had a cold smile on his handsome face.
“We have to go find your brother, right?”
At this point, she was so surprised that her tears dried up. Irel held the cloak in both hands and looked up at him, wondering if he was joking.
“Tsk.”
Seeing her puzzled face, Varkan smirked.
“They said they fell off a cliff, so has the body been found yet?”
“No, but the horse and personal belongings were obviously right in front……”
“Is the horse and personal belongings your brother?”
Irel nhíu mày thay vì trả lời. Because now she understood what Varkan was trying to say.
"Are you suspicious? Suspecting that someone has harmed Michael?"
“Tại sao lại không thể.”
Varkan replied decisively and asked back.
“Is your brother someone who likes to drink or often sleeps outside?”
“No. He just goes back and forth between the training area and home.”
“So does he like to gamble or flirt?”
Irel shook his head again. Seeing this, Varkan smiled sarcastically, as if asking if there were any other possibilities.
"Someone with the name of a Knight, while riding a horse, fell off a cliff while sober? This is the most ridiculous thing I've heard this year."
Chắc chắn là đúng như Varkan nói. However, the Michael that Irel knew was a simple and straightforward person who only knew about muscles. A person as loyal to chivalry as he is will not cause trouble or make enemies with others for no reason.
Then maybe…
‘There is a high possibility of being caught up in something bad.’
Remembering his brother's extremely upright personality, Irel quietly rubbed his forehead. Nhưng ai dám hãm hại Michael chứ?
Dù không thể so sánh với
Masaka
, Michael is a well-trained Knight and heir to the Earl Border family. To overpower him, steal his horse and belongings, and then disguise it as a fall off a cliff, the opponent was definitely not ordinary.
‘Là một băng cướp ư? No, if that were the case then the horses and belongings would not be intact.'
Irel suy đi nghĩ lại. The more she thought, the more she realized there was only one suspicious place.
‘They said they were on their way back from the Main Shrine of Hashba.’
If the Bishop's name was Leonardo, no, that Ramon, had recently come to visit her without hiding his identity. Then Irel will never doubt the Master Temple.
But everything kept strangely coincident. The Master Shrine she knew was just a place that occasionally appeared in the game as an event location. Therefore, she was extremely confused as to whether this suspicion was reasonable or not.
“Those who believe in gods are not necessarily good people.”
Varkan stated clearly, as if reading her hesitation.
“It seems that recently, the Main Temple has been very interested in the Elorance family.”