100CIM - Chapter 8






But Simone soon calmed down.

'Who cares?'

Now he is just a passing adventurer to Simone. He simply met Grand Duke Illeston before Abel due to a request.

He completes the request and continues his journey, joining Abel, and now Simone will be able to escape from the adventure and continue her life without sacrifice.

Simone said hello. Like someone who really knows nothing.

“Hello, Wren. My name is Simone. Please take care of me.”

“Please leave it to me.”

The Grand Duke watched the two people's voices with an expression of disinterest and said.

“I’ll let you explain what this swordsman needs to do later, but let’s get to the point first.”

Kelle, the quick-witted butler, left the study with Louis, saying, ‘I will show you the room where Wren will stay today.’

As soon as they left, Grand Duke Illeston sent a signal to Anna, who was waiting at the door.

“Yes, yes!”

Anna spread out a couple of pieces of paper in front of Simone.

“This is a compilation of the sleeping records of the people in the mansion.”

"Thank you."

Simone looked at the documents in detail.

'The people who didn't fall asleep until the end were, of course, the Grand Duke and Butler Kelle.'

Seeing as how they're been so awake, she wonder if they're overstepping her boundaries a bit.

Well, it can't be helped. This is the first time an outsider has stayed at his mansion in 300 years.

Grand Duke Illeston waited for Simone to look through the sleeping records and asked quietly.

“Do you really think we can remove that tree by tomorrow?”

"Of course. Preparations are already over.”

“It’s already over?”

Simone boasted while looking at the Grand Duke, who had an expression of disbelief.

“If that prosecutor does his job well, the tree will be gone tomorrow morning.”

“What if you fail?”

“Of course, the swordsman and I will both become food for the tree.”

So, Simone was risking her life on this matter. That too, in someone else’s business. At that moment, Grand Duke Illeston's expression became indescribably crumpled.

“You said you were going to die...”

"Yes?"

He stopped what he was saying and shook his head.

'Is it arrogance that comes from confidence? Or is it that it doesn't really matter if you lose your life?'

It doesn't really matter, but how can words about death like that come out of such a young mouth so easily?

It was an incomprehensible action for him, who brought a necromancer into the mansion to survive and to save everyone.

Regardless, Simone said what she had to say right away.

“Then I’ll just go back to my room. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

***

As soon as Simone returned to the room, she made eye contact with Wren and sighed.

“Are you here?”

His pseudonym is Wren, and his real identity is Louis, the Crown Prince of the Ruan Empire. He sat comfortably in Simone's chair and lightly waved his hand.

“I felt like I was getting late, so I sat down for a while. You don’t feel bad, do you?”

The sincere appearance he had shown in front of the Grand Duke was gone, and Louis stretched out with a tired face and smiled leisurely at Simone.

“I feel bad.”

Simone stopped in her tracks and looked at Louis without expression.

Then Louis shrugged and got up from the sofa with both hands raised.

'Yes, this was Louis' true personality.'

Crown Prince Louis.

A man who grew up surprisingly upright under the Emperor, who locked the castle door and locked himself in his room one day.

In the novel, it was called the only hope of the empire that bloomed in turbulent times.

However, in reality, Louis did not have the disposition to tell a saint to go away as rumored.

In front of his father, the Emperor, the nobles, and all the people, he always showed upright behavior as if he lived up to their expectations, but he showed his true colors from the beginning to Abel and his group who met outside the imperial castle.

You’re not hogging the requests all by yourself, are you? Are you the only adventurer? Share the request before I kill you. You little bastard.”

“Oh my God, that handsome face and mouth...”


A colleague named Bianchi, who met him for the first time, expressed sincere regret at Louis's harsh personality as soon as he appeared, fighting with Abel over the guild quest reward.

To be honest, there were very few normal people in Abel's group, but among them, Louis was one of the people who got along best with Abel, who was the biggest idiot.

Ha, Abel, if you go crazy one more time, I will kill you first. Ha ha ha!"

“...Louis, she’s the kind of girl who will do anything if she wants to, so I get scared every time she says something like that.”


Abel, at least pretend to listen. There's a lot of death behind Louis. If anyone sees it, they’ll think it’s Simone.”

“Um, me?”

Louis' trademark was to smile brightly and say harsh words in a unique, relaxed voice.

So, when Louis made his first public appearance as the Crown Prince, his colleagues were unable to hide their looks of embarrassment.

However, no matter what, he was the most mature and easy-going among the group, so he was the only one to control Abel.

So, in fact, Simone was much more familiar with his current appearance than the polite one he showed in front of the Grand Duke.

"Do you have any problem?"

When Simone was silent for a while, Louis asked curiously. Simone shook her head.

"No. Nothing."

"Is it so? So what should I do now?”

“Before you tell me, do you know how dangerous this is?”

Simone asked with a serious face. He is a highly skilled prosecutor, but we need to check this first.

A mansion that has been cursed and where many people have been dying for 300 years. It is a very dangerous place to enter simply to make money.

Even though Simone, a necromancer, did not know this, it was something that could easily cost an ordinary human being his or her life.

Does he know this?

Did the Grand Duke properly explain the danger to Louis?

This is important. At the beginning of the adventure, although Louis had excellent swordsmanship, he did not have outstanding skills.

It wasn't until the latter half of the year that he showed off his skills by going around with Abel and throwing swords, but not now.

However, Louis had a reason to hide his identity and continue his journey.

Simone was asking. Is it okay for him to risk his life in a place that has nothing to do with his own goals?

But Louis answered without any sign of wavering.

“Then you weren’t prepared to come to Illeston Mansion?”

“... Haha!"

Are you unlucky?

She was worried for no reason.

Simone smiled.

“Then that’s it. From now on, I will tell you what Wren must do tonight.”

'It was a meeting that went against the plan, but it actually went well.'

Because Louis definitely has the skills to overcome this plan.

Simone doesn't know why Louis, who was supposed to join Abel on an adventure, came to this mansion, but if she's confident, she can break the curse and part ways as planned.

Louis said with confidence as if a request like this was not a big deal.

“Let’s do our best.”

She didn't like Louis's rude way of speaking, but she really liked his confident appearance.

“The task is simple.”

Louis saw her relaxed smile. Then he met her light brown eyes.

At that moment, sunlight came in through the large window.

'...Uh?'

Louis tilted his head. Is it an illusion? 

For a moment, her eyes seemed to turn red when illuminated by the light.

What is her identity? 

She is not the daughter of Grand Duke Ilestone, nor is she an adoptive daughter, nor is she a nobleman.

However, she's living here and receiving such good treatment.

Why is the aura emanating from her so threatening?

She was a woman with beauty and mystery he had never felt before.

Simone, who was giving off such a suspicious aura, did not understand the meaning of his gaze and pointed with her thumb at the tree at the entrance outside the window.

“If I get eaten, just cut it down.”

“...Yes?"

Did it work? Cut it down? What? 

Louis, who had no idea what was going on, soon checked the direction Simone was pointing at.

Then he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“Are you saying you're going to be eaten by a tree?”

"Yes."

“I cut it down?”

“It’s so easy, right?”

What strange words!

Even though his expression was hidden by the cape and hood, Simone could feel that Louis was very dumbfounded.

No noble of the Ruan Empire knows the story that the tree blocking the entrance to the Illeston family eats people.

Louis knew that the Illestone family had sent a request to the Adventurer's Guild to destroy this tree, and that was why he accepted the request.

“Are you willing to give up your life to lift the curse?”

Louis did not want to cooperate with a plan carried out in such a vicious way.

Why did Simone, who was not even a member of the Illeston family, stay at the mansion and receive a warm welcome? Was it because she was meant to be sacrificed?

Not only was it unacceptable, but it was something that, as the Crown Prince, he had to properly investigate.

Simone was disgusted by Louis' suddenly serious expression and took a step back.

“Why are you throwing away your life?”

“...Then isn’t it?”

Here? I?

Are she crazy enough to throw her life away for this? It's all just to survive! She said she would do it because Simone's power could solve everything, but if her life had been in danger even a little, she would never have said she would have done it.

“I never said I was going to throw it away?”

Simone responded bluntly, following Louis' tone of voice, and turned her head to look at the tree.

“Prosecutor, all you have to do is cut down that tree. Since you are the most skilled person in the Adventurer’s Guild, it shouldn’t be difficult to cut down that much tree, right?”

“It’s easy... But it also bothers me because I think it’s dangerous.”

Louis' smile disappeared. His mood changed a little.

“If there is even the slightest chance of the client getting hurt, I will not do it.”

“...And."

It's a big deal. The conversation continues.

Can't he just do what he decided to do without saying a word? He'd like to, but given Louis' personality, he probably won't see his country's people sacrificed by nobles.

“If I cut down that tree big enough to cut it down, you will be cut down along with it.”

Simone said firmly.

“It doesn’t hurt. Maybe."

Since this is not something Simone has ever done before, she can't guarantee that everything will go as planned, but as long as Simone's power is activated properly, she will never be harmed.



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