Chapter 100: Drunken Guest (Patreon)

That area was mostly empty, save for a man drinking himself into oblivion off to one side. He looked to be somewhere in his twenties or thirties. Even so, his once-lavish clothes—now buried under grime—and his ear-length, slightly curled hair, left completely untended, only lent him an air of desolation.

He looked like a rich man fallen on hard times, probably brought low by life, or by losing his position...

Pandora drew that conclusion, but she didn't dwell on it. After all, in a place like this, having money didn't make someone bad, and having none didn't make someone good.

Sitting a little further off was a woman with sky-blue hair—some kind of intellectual older-sister type? Her face wasn't stunning, exactly, but it could be called refined; her figure wasn't sultry, but it had curves in the right places. Yet her clothes were rather plain, and she sat there expressionless as an iceberg, a glass of juice on the table before her, drained down almost to the last mouthful.

Not a single person dared approach such a beauty—no one even dared look at her twice. That alone told Pandora that this "intellectual beauty" probably wasn't anyone simple...

With that, Pandora quietly pulled her gaze away. She searched her memory for a moment, but found no record of this woman among her information, and could only sigh.

Luluo and Louliana followed her gaze and understood at once.

Of course, Luluo had noticed the drunk man too. But unlike Pandora, who'd given him only a glance, her brows furrowed slightly. Still, as they took their seats, she had no choice but to pull her attention back.

Louliana, having recovered, took her place at Pandora's side.

"I think there's a misunderstanding we should clear up first."

"Let's get properly acquainted. My name is Pandora."

"Ah... hello, Miss Pan— dora."

It had taken a while, but she'd finally caught up.

"So you're saying... the real Mister Hertz has already—"

Luluo found it hard to believe, yet somehow, deep down, it felt strangely fitting.

Pandora shook her head. "Well, he's fine—physically, anyway. Just lost his position."

Hearing this, Luluo fell silent for a moment, then sighed.

"I suppose so. The real Mister Hertz probably wasn't nearly as open-minded as you."

When she'd first arrived at the domain, she'd found it hard to believe what she was seeing. But looking back now, it was clearly the fruit of a "revolution."

She shook her head and gave a helpless smile.

"But speaking of misunderstandings—I suppose I've kept something from you as well, given that you're the new lord." She paused. "'Luluo' is only my code name—"

Pandora was a little surprised, but she didn't press. She only nodded and waited for her to continue.

But... Luluo just lowered her head, staring at the table, and said nothing more.

That left Pandora a bit puzzled.

Feeling her gaze, Luluo sighed. Then, as though recalling something, she pressed her lips together. "For as long as I can remember, I grew up in the Church..."

"...I'm sorry."

What kind of oddball sacrificial-victim backstory was this...

The words dropped the mood into a heavy silence, until the bartender came over carrying their drinks.

"Here you are. Enjoy."

He said this, but showed no sign of leaving.

Sensing Pandora's puzzled look, he steadied his slightly racing heartbeat.

"I imagine you all came in here because you need to ask about something."

Huh—straight to the point, cutting right to their real purpose.

Naturally, Pandora didn't waste any time either. She pulled an "information fee" along with payment for the bill out of her cloth bag—conjured out of thin air, of course—and handed it to the bartender.

"I'd like to know what's going on around here, and whether there's a fast route straight to the Holy Capital."

Maybe at first she'd been a little curious about what this domain was like... but by now, she could only admit she rather missed her days in Lugunica's royal capital.

The bartender accepted the money.

"There is one, but the main roads are all occupied, so... it's a bit roundabout."

"That's fine. Just tell me the details."

Then, under the astonished gazes of the three of them, the bartender pulled a map out from behind the bar.

"Things are pretty complicated around here, so I've got a bit more to show you."

Smiling at their startled expressions, the bartender described the route in as much detail as he could.

Just as he seemed about to say more, another patron called out for him, and he had to excuse himself and step away...

She'd meant to listen in for information, but all she could actually hear was the drunken patrons' boasting and gossip.

"Miss Pandora."

Just as Pandora was going back over the route the bartender had described, Luluo suddenly spoke up.

After feeding Louliana a sip of juice, she looked over at her.

"You saw it yourself—the road ahead isn't exactly peaceful. We even ran into that strange person right at the entrance. If it were the previous Hertz, I wouldn't have much to say—it would just be part of the job. But you..."

Just as she seemed about to go on, Pandora shook her head.

"Don't worry. You saw it too—I have ways to handle it. Besides, didn't we already agree on this?"

"Even so..."

With things as they stood, Luluo decided not to press the matter—Pandora had clearly made up her mind.

But those people back in the Church were no pushovers...

[Bang!]

A crashing sound nearby drew the attention of all three of them. Amid the general noise, though, the commotion went unnoticed by anyone else.

2

Looking at the "down-on-his-luck rich man" who'd toppled off his seat and onto the floor, Pandora raised an eyebrow.

"Sir, are you all right?"

She waited a few seconds, but the man showed no sign of responding at all, sprawled on the ground with the look of someone dead drunk to the world.

For an ordinary person, whether to help him up might have been a real dilemma. For Pandora, it was settled the moment the thought crossed her mind.

By now, she'd grown proficient enough to trigger her Authority in an instant.

"This..."

A jolt of shock ran through Luluo.

In the span of a single moment, the man who'd been sprawled on the floor was now slumped over the table, still holding the cup he'd drained a while before—except now the cup was full again.

Of course, it wasn't just the strange phenomenon itself that startled her—she'd already seen something similar from Pandora before. What surprised her more was...

"Lord Saidela?!"

Staring at the man, Luluo called the name aloud, her voice so full of astonishment that it even drew a few onlookers' attention.

[Author's Note: Busy to death every single day (?_?)...]