Chapter 132, Titles and Schemes

Translator: Barnnn

 

“Lover-of-All…?”

 

At the title Hal revealed, Fieda furrowed his brows, his tone skeptical.

 

“Yeah,” Hal replied grimly.

 

He recited aloud the description he’d seen in Loudipa’s status window:

 

Title: Lover-of-All

One who holds a heart full of affection and compassion for all things.

 

“It doesn’t sound like something dangerous,” Ize said hesitantly.

“Right?” Fieda agreed with a thoughtful nod.

“SERIOUSLY!? You two are way too calm about this!” Hal practically leapt out of his chair, throwing his arms into the air. “That man is a lunatic with no filter! Old, young, male, female, human, not human, he doesn’t care! He just… loves EVERYTHING! Do you have any idea how terrifying that is!?”

“…Uh, I guess?” Ize replied.

“…Sorry, still don’t get it,” Fieda shook his head.

“God damn it!” Hal snapped, pacing the room like a caged animal.

 

He rambled as he stomped in circles, unaware that Sato — whom Ize had quietly summoned — was trailing behind him in perfect imitation, bobbing along with every turn.

 

“He says he loves everyone? That he wants to treat all people equally? What the hell is that, some kind of egalitarian harem fantasy? And calling us angels? Creepy! I mean, fine, say it to Ize, whatever. But me too? Come on!” His voice was climbing with every sentence. “He’s THIRSTY! He’s flirting with TEENAGERS! There should be a line! At least wait ten years if you really care about someone! Well, by then we’ll have been long gone from here, though!”

“Hal,” Fieda interjected calmly.

“You get it now, right!?” Hal spun to face him, eyes hopeful.

 

At his feet, Sato mimicked the exact same pose: arms akimbo, eyes wide. Ize pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh.

 

“I’m not talking about that,” Fieda said. “The question Loudipa asked at the end — it’s been bothering me.”

“Oh… right,” Hal grumbled, deflating as he collapsed back into his chair. He finally noticed Sato, scooped it up, and placed it on his lap.

“Those toxins he asked about… turns out there were TWO of them?”

“Yeah. One of them was the Manticore venom, the one Rossalie mentioned,” Hal explained. “Apparently, he got hit with it when he was seventeen.”

“It wasn’t fully detoxified?” Fieda asked, frowning.

Hal shrugged. “It was SUPPOSED to be. They even gave him a Mandragora Detoxifier for it back then.”

“…That’s impossible,” Fieda muttered.

“Wait, what!?” Ize gasped.

 

They both stared at Hal, wide-eyed. Mandragora Detoxifiers were notoriously powerful; if he’d been treated with one, the toxin shouldn’t have remained.

Hal continued, his hands waving Sato’s leaves back and forth,

 

“The other toxin… I’m pretty sure it was administered gradually while he was unconscious. Just enough to keep him down. Someone must have wanted him alive but out of commission.”

Fieda lowered his voice. “You have a suspect, don’t you?”

“A few guesses, after cross-referencing what the maids and butlers have been gossiping about,” Hal said, snorting.

 

Despite having done the legwork, he looked distinctly uninterested now… no doubt because this was all before he’d met the real Loudipa and formed his current opinion of him.

 

“The maids shared something like THAT?” Ize asked, surprised.

“They do their jobs well, but they’ll blab about anything they don’t think is important. Now this is where it gets interesting: there are three key points.”

 

He raised one finger.

 

“First: the Mandragora Detoxifier Loudipa took thirteen years ago. It came from the neighboring territory’s Lord.”

“You mean the noble who eats Mandragora leaves?”

“Right. And in return for the Detoxifier, this territory paid them a hefty sum and even sent them a generous ‘donation’ in the form of Dungeon-sourced materials.”

 

That rang a bell; Ize remembered Shezel’s plan to steal Mandragora leaves from that Lord.

Apparently, the practice of consuming Mandragora had been going on for a long time. She hadn’t expected the same noble to be the one to source the Detoxifier.

 

“Second,” Hal said, raising another finger, “At the time, Loudipa was formally engaged to the daughter of a noble in that territory.”

“Not the one who provided the Detoxifier?”

“No. That noble didn’t have a daughter of marriageable age. The bride-to-be was a relative. Funny thing is, even back then, people gossiped that Loudipa barely visited her.”

“You think Loudipa knew something was off?” Fieda asked.

“Probably. If you’ve got even a shred of awareness, you’d notice a lingering toxin. The amount left in him wasn’t much — just enough to weaken the immune system, maybe make bruises linger. Small stuff, nothing obvious. And I don’t think he ever told anyone.”

 

Something about the timeline still didn’t add up. Between the Detoxifier and the engagement, there were too many pieces missing. But one thing was becoming clearer: Loudipa had likely suspected a scheme cooking all along.

 

“Lastly,” Hal said, raising a third finger, “right after Loudipa fell into his coma, the engagement was officially annulled. The penalty fees were ASTRONOMICAL.”

 

He gave his hand a flourish, wiggling all three fingers in the air. On his lap, Sato mimicked the gesture with its three leaves, waving them with the same dramatic flair.

 

“Because of the Deluge, the territory was already bleeding funds for the reconstruction effort. Then the other side demanded compensation, and the core members of Speraniessa’s court were PISSED. I mean, the man’s in a coma, but the fiancée hasn’t even shown up for a visit or even sent a word of concern about the chaos the region is in — and they still claim it was Speraniessa’s fault and demand payment.”

“Did they pay?” Fieda asked.

“They negotiated it down to less than half the original demand. Gruash, who was then installed as the Acting Lord, ended up paying it from the personal assets he’d saved up back in his adventuring days.”

“The more I hear, the more suspicious this gets,” Fieda muttered.

“I know, right?” Hal said, flattening Sato’s leaves and leaning back against his chair with a sigh. “I’ve got a bad feeling this is about to turn into a royal mess.”

“There’s something I’ve been wondering,” Ize spoke up.

“Yeah?”

“Was the person poisoning Loudipa while he was unconscious ever caught?”

“I’d guess the Lord’s already working on that. Don’t know any specifics, though.” With a heavy sigh, he added, “Honestly, I think us being called to this manor was all part of the Lord’s plan.”

“What makes you say that?” Fieda asked.

“Think about it. Loudipa gets poisoned while staying at the treatment center. Then, suddenly, he’s transferred to the Lord’s manor. And right after that, his condition DRAMATICALLY improves. If there’s someone pulling strings behind the scenes, what do you think they’re going to do?”

 

Ize followed his line of reasoning, eyes narrowing in thought as she watched Hal raise three fingers again.

 

“…They’d panic?”

“Exactly. And they’ll want to confirm what’s going on with their own eyes. So how do they do that?”

“They send someone in… or they bribe someone who’s already here.”

“Bingo,” Hal said. “That’s what the Lord is counting on. He’s setting bait. That’s us — we’re the bait.”

“What!?” Fieda shouted.

“Wait, really!?” Ize echoed.

 

“Hold on a second,” Fieda said, trying to make sense of it. “How are WE involved in any of this?”

“Well, look at it this way. We’re just a bunch of random adventurers who showed up out of nowhere, right?”

“Sure.”

“And now we’re making regular visits to Loudipa. That might change going forward, and I would GREATLY APPRECIATE that, but still…!”

“Go on,” Fieda prompted, ignoring Hal’s indignant tone.

“They can’t just stroll up to Rossalie and ask questions, can they? Everyone from the treatment center is being re-evaluated, and now that she’s moved into the manor, she’s even harder to approach. So if the enemy wants information, where do they turn? To someone new. Someone unguarded. If they’re going to bribe someone, it’ll be…”

 

Hal pointed toward the door that led to the hallway beyond.

 

“…the servants stationed near us. Which means the ones around here are already under suspicion.”

“What!?” Ize gasped.

“You’re kidding,” Fieda muttered.

 

The two stared at Hal in disbelief.

 

“Well, I doubt that’s the Lord’s only reason for keeping us here,” Hal added. “It also makes sense to keep people like us close at hand if something happens to Loudipa. Not to mention, letting Heroes run wild through town might be a bit… unsettling.”

 

To this last point, Fieda nodded emphatically.

Ize tilted her head, wondering why he was agreeing so hard to that last part.

 

“So that’s what he meant by a request that could determine the future of Speraniessa…” Fieda said.

“Huh?” Hal looked up.

“That’s what the Lord said when he ordered us to stay here. At the time, I figured it was just because Loudipa had woken up, but it might be more serious than that.”

“A scheme cooking around the Lord himself, huh?” Hal muttered. “Well, so much for staying at a cozy inn.”

“Don’t give up so easily, Hal,” Ize said, puffing her cheeks.

“Honestly, I’m amazed you haven’t given up yet,” Hal replied, exasperated.

 

At his deadpan expression, Ize pouted even harder.

 

“So,” Fieda said, steering the conversation back on track, “is there anything specific we should be keeping an eye on?”

“Well, I’ve already memorized the names, faces, and habits of the nearby servants,” Hal said. “If any of them start acting strange, I’ll notice. But Ize, I’d feel a lot better if you kept your Perception up as well.”

 

Hal had spent time chatting with every servant he could — not just to gather intel, but to read their expressions, gauge their moods, and look for any ties to the neighboring territory. For now, nothing had stood out.

But they couldn’t afford to be complacent. Ize’s Perception Map would be critical.

 

“In times like this,” Fieda muttered, “being split up really sucks.”

“Right? I feel more relaxed running through Dungeons than dealing with all this.”

“Umm, should I avoid talking to the maids?” Ize asked, nervous.

 

Hal shook Sato’s leaves with a wave, as if brushing away her worries.

 

“Ah, I forgot to mention, your personal maids are fine. They’ve been here for two generations; started out serving Loudipa’s and Gruash’s mother. Well, technically that’s three generations since the brothers’ terms are officially counted separately, but you get what I mean.” He smiled gently. “They weren’t told all the details, but when they found out we’d helped treat Loudipa, they actually cried. I really don’t think they’d betray you.”

 

Relief washed over Ize’s face. If she had to second-guess the people taking care of her, it would be much harder to stay alone in a room. She thought of how kind and dependable the two older maids were, and allowed herself a small smile.

 

◆

 

And so, one month had passed since their chaotic first meeting with Loudipa.

Now, every time Ize crossed paths with him as he wandered the manor under the pretense of “getting sufficient exercise,” she was met with flowery declarations of love and repeated marriage proposals.

And, every time, Hal’s temper exploded.

It had become a routine: Loudipa’s shameless flirting, Hal’s fiery reaction, and Fieda’s exasperated attempts to calm him down.

 

“I don’t think you have to take him that seriously,” Ize suggested one day, trying to ease Hal’s frustration. “I mean, it all sounds like a joke.”

“I don’t care!” Hal snapped. “No one that handsome has any right to go around sweet-talking EVERYONE like that! Just… UGH! GROSS!”

“Hal, man…” Fieda said, exasperated.

 

Clearly, something about Loudipa struck a nerve in Hal.

Ize and Fieda exchanged a look and sighed, as if silently agreeing to let the guy rant on.