The difference between awareness and illusion (9)
The visitor was a woman.
As I entered the living room with Kalit, she stood up from where she had been sitting alone on the sofa.
"Hello, Lady Millenia Astrod. His Highness the First Prince is here too. Veronica greets the distinguished guests."
Veronica greeted us naturally and raised her head. Her expression was calm as if she was already aware of Kalit's presence.
Veronica, dressed in thick cotton pants and a fur jacket, looked like just another ordinary traveler.
She had red hair tied up without a single strand out of place, and her face was makeup-free, with only her lips painted red. She had a cheerful and active impression.
Kalit, who had guided me to the sofa, invited Veronica to sit down.
"Sit down."
"You are so respectful to a commoner like me. As expected, you are a gentleman."
Veronica smiled at Kalit and sat down across from me. Kalit smiled back and sat down next to me.
Nadia set up the tea and quietly stepped back.
I opened my mouth, holding the teacup that Kalit had handed me with both hands.
"Come see me-."
"Oh my! This is my favorite."
Before I could finish speaking, Veronica grabbed the cookie with her hand and stuffed it into her mouth.
Cookie debris fell messily on the table. A loud crunch, crunch, crunch echoed through the living room.
Kalit and I waited in silence until she had finished eating all the cookies Nadia had prepared.
We both knew why Veronica was doing this. It was an intentional move to gain the upper hand in her dealings with me.
But I had no intention of engaging in an unnecessary war of nerves with the assassin.
"Miss Veronica."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I had something to do so I couldn't eat breakfast."
Veronica stuffed the last cookie into her mouth and shook her hands. She didn't even touch the tea, even though her throat was quite dry.
"I hope you didn't feel offended. I'm a commoner and ignorant of the etiquette of nobles."
"I can't even see it, so why should I be offended? If it's not enough, tell the employees. They'll prepare more."
As I stood up saying that, Kalit grabbed my hand. Veronica opened her eyes wide in confusion.
"Where are you going?"
"I'd love to talk to you, but I have another appointment. Have a nice time."
"Now, just a moment. You have to listen to what I have to say before you go!"
"Didn't you come here to eat?"
When I asked with my eyes down, a blush appeared on Veronica's cheeks.
"You're really something. No. I came here to give you some really good information, Young Lady."
"I judge the quality of information."
Veronica raised her thin eyebrows.
"I saw a suspicious person at the inn where I was staying. I heard him talking clearly about a child he kidnapped with another man! Isn't that good information?"
"I guess you didn't read the flyer properly. It clearly said that I would give ten million gold to anyone who could capture the assassin."
"He's an assassin? How can a weak woman like me capture such a scary person?"
"Veronica."
"Why?"
"You're an assassin too."
Veronica's expression, which had been protesting with a look of injustice, changed in an instant. Her cold eyes quietly studied me.
"Xavier, I guess all of them are talking about him."
Xavier was the leader of the wind catchers captured by Ian.
As soon as he was locked up in prison, he started telling all sorts of stories, and one of the things he confessed was that there was a woman among the assassins.
"I know there are three of you, and that you are staying in Queens and Redfork, disguised as travelers. So why did I leave you alone?"
"..."
"To make you walk on your own two feet."
Veronica's face crumpled horribly. She glared at me with her poisonous eyes, and only the corners of her mouth split into a smile.
"Yeah, I knew it was a trap. Even for the Astrod family, it would be hard to get 10 million gold easily."
She snorted and took out a pitch-black ball the size of a fist from her bosom. Kalit quickly drew his sword as he blocked my path.
"Put it down."
"You don't like it? If I had known this would happen, I would have accepted the request to assassinate the First Prince."
She threateningly lowered her voice from the sarcastic tone.
"Back off. If this explodes, we'll all be dead together."
Oh, it's a priest bomb.
I didn't expect her to come unprotected, but I didn't expect her to bring a bomb. She must have been saying that she would even risk death if necessary.
'That can't be true.'
Anyone greedy enough to betray his comrades will value his own life as precious as gold.
I gave Veronica a soft smile.
"I think there was a slight misunderstanding. Veronica, I have already prepared the bounty. It's not difficult enough to ask the family for help since I only have ten million gold."
"...Shut up! It's a trap anyway!"
Veronica glanced at the window, wondering if she could escape through it.
"The person I am looking for is being held by your party. You must have come to negotiate with me. Isn't that right?"
Above all, she probably wanted to check if the contents of the leaflet were true. That's why she pretended to be a tourist who had obtained the information by luck.
"As it says on the flyer, the bounty will be paid to only one person. One out of three of you will get a chance to live."
"How can you believe that?"
"What if you don't believe me? Are you going to die here?"
"...Huh, do you think you'll die alone? If I die, you'll die with me!"
"Then try it."
"What?"
"Millenia."
Veronica and Kalit both looked at me with surprised faces as if my provocation was unexpected. I ignored their gazes and took a step forward.
"I'm sure you've prepared something. Just try anything."
"...Maybe you're blind and can't see the situation, but do you know what I'm holding right now? This is a bomb. A bomb that can easily blow up a room like this!"
"Okay. Try detonating a bomb or something."
As expected, Veronica did nothing. The knuckles of the hand holding the bomb turned white. She was afraid that she might accidentally drop it.
'Yeah, I knew it.'
In my past lives, I've met people who were prepared to die. None of them were as vocal as Veronica.
"Why isn't anything happening? Didn't you say you wanted to die together?"
"..."
As I said that, I took a couple of hesitant steps. As the distance got closer, it was Veronica who stepped back.
I spoke firmly to her, who was hesitating.
"Put two people in front of me and I will spare your life."
"They are both better than me. But how..."
"You have to figure that out yourself. Did you think you could easily get ten million gold?"
"Are you really... going to give me money?"
Veronica's speech suddenly became more polite.
I held back a laugh and said to Kalit.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but could you please call Nadia from outside?"
"...Wait."
After a while, Nadia came into the living room.
"Nadia, do you remember what I prepared yesterday? Give it to the guest."
Nadia took a luxurious envelope out of her bosom and handed it to Veronica.
Veronica opened the envelope with great nervousness, and her face became blank for a moment.
"What is this? The Astrod family guarantees the above amount... Ten million gold?!"
She held her breath when she read the amount on the check.
"If my signature is on it, it will be guaranteed to be worth its face value, but even without my signature, you can get about a million gold."
"Why, why are you giving this to me now?"
"If you don't trust me, run away with it."
Veronica swallowed with confusion.
According to Baba, at their level, the commission fee they receive would not exceed 500,000 gold.
Even if the request is successful, one person's share is less than one million gold, and even if it fails.
Running away with the check was the best option for her.
But if she doesn't run away, she'll get ten times the money. Can Veronica really give that up?
"The choice is yours."
Veronica looked at the check again and licked her lips, her eyes sparkling with greed.
"Are you really saying that if I just catch those bastards, the ten million gold will be mine?"
"I'm Millenia Astrod. I wouldn't lie for that amount of money.'
"...For this amount of money, it's worth risking my life for. Yes. I'll do it."
She smiled and put the check in her bosom.
"Instead, I also need to be assured of my safety."
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