As soon as I saw the sight of the strange man, my whole body froze with tension.
'Cut short red hair...'
The man who suddenly appeared had a very similar appearance to the person Bram had seen yesterday, who had been secretly following us.
I looked at the man who was looking down at me from a distance with trembling eyes.
'He looks exactly like Bram described, from his height to his build. Could this be the man who followed us yesterday?'
Before I knew it, my hazy mind had come to a clear awareness.
My palms became clammy with tension.
'If he followed me because he was after the reward, it would be dangerous. Even if my face has changed now, there's a high possibility that he followed me because he already knew my identity.'
Judging from the fact that he appeared right after Rodrick disappeared, it seemed like he had been secretly following us today as well.
No, maybe he was just a passerby?
Short-cropped red hair was quite common, so it was possible that this was not the same person Bram had seen.
I couldn't run away because I was still drunk, so I just looked up at him.
He slowly opened his mouth as he looked at me with his clear blue eyes that were sharp enough to make me cry.
"Where are you feeling unwell? Your complexion is pale."
"Ah."
The tension that had been choking me disappeared in an instant.
If he really came here for the reward money, he would have dragged me away immediately while I was showing my worries.
In a situation where it was unknown when Rodrick would return, there was no way he could leisurely talk about things like my complexion.
I let out a long sigh as I relaxed and answered.
"I had a little too much to drink...It's okay, the group will be back soon."
Even If he wasn't approaching me for the reward, it was still unsettling to be approached by a strange man.
I turned my head again, hoping he would lose interest and disappear.
But his black shoes never left my sight.
"Drinking too much? What happened?"
"Nothing happened, it just happened somehow."
"So you're just sitting here defenseless? In a dark place with not many people around?"
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
He really is a strange person.
Doesn't it sound like he's saying it in a way that's too much of a reprimand for a genuine concern?
It was a bit rude to say this to someone I was meeting for the first time.
I answered him nervously again.
"I'm really okay, the group will be here soon. Thank you for your concern, but... I think it's okay to go."
Since I reminded him that I had company, he wouldn't be able to do anything nonsense.
I thought he would leave at this point since I had directly told him to go away.
But this time, he didn't move a muscle.
As I stared at him with wary eyes, a crooked smile appeared on his lips.
"If you're with a group, then that guy from earlier?"
"..."
"Mercenary King Rodrick. Is that right?"
He knows Rodrick. It's like he's done some background research on people around me.
At that point, I got up from the bench and slowly started to walk backwards.
Even though I was drunk, I was planning on turning around and running away if necessary.
He said this while still looking at me with a relaxed gaze, even though I had begun to openly show my wariness towards him.
"Because he's famous in this area."
"..."
"It would be stranger if I didn't know your face. I just spoke to you because I was worried, so don't glare at me like that."
Are you saying this, knowing how suspicious you look?
In the first place, isn't it a little strange to keep talking to a woman sitting alone in the middle of the night?
Even though I clearly said that I had company...
I asked, swallowing dry saliva.
"Do you have any business with me?"
"As I said earlier, I was worried because you were alone at this late hour, so I called you."
"I just told you that it's okay because I have someone with me..."
"I am this kind of person."
As he said this, he took something out of his bosom and showed it to me.
It was an identity card made of silver, engraved with the image of a fox with its back to a crossed spear.
It was a familiar pattern.
Because it was the emblem of the Baron Wolfstein family, a nearby noble family.
Upon closer inspection, I found that it wasn't a counterfeit.
'He was a member of the Baron Wolfstein family. Judging by his young age, he is probably not the Baron himself. He is probably the eldest or second son.'
I still felt like a stranger, but now that I knew who he was, my tension eased a little.
A nobleman would never be able to drag me away using brute force like a thug.
While I was calming down, he asked.
"What is your relationship with Rodrick?"
"..."
"Are you a lover?"
The man still had a smiling face.
But there was an eerie aura in those blue eyes that could not be hidden.
"...He's an acquaintance. I've known him for several years."
I replied roughly like that and glanced in the direction where Rodrick had disappeared.
You said you'd be back soon, but aren't you already quite late?
As I was complaining inwardly, I saw Rodrick in the distance.
He approached me with quick steps, then, when he saw someone else next to me, he started running towards me in a hurry.
"What are you?"
Rodrick ran over and immediately grabbed the redhead's shoulder and pushed him away from me.
He may have been a bit of a strange person, but he was a noble from a nearby family, so it was not right to be so rude.
I quickly whispered to Rodrick before he could get any more violent.
"He is a member of the Baron Wolfstein family."
"Ah."
Only then did Rodrick calm down a little and look closely at the red-haired man's face.
Then he spoke as if he remembered.
"Baron Wolfstein. Nice to meet you here."
I thought he was the eldest or second son of the Baron, but it seems he was the Baron himself.
There was no doubt that Rodrick already knew the face.
When Rodrick first offered a light handshake, the Baron stared down at his hand and then slowly took it.
After shaking hands, Rodrick gave him a proper courtesy.
"I'm sorry for pushing you. The world is so dangerous... Would it be okay for us to go back now? It's late, and my group isn't feeling very well."
Even though it was Rodrick who was speaking to him, the Baron's gaze was fixed on me.
He seemed to stare at me blankly and then replied.
"Yeah. I guess I'd better go back. I can't hold on to you any longer since you're sick."
It was fortunate that it came off more coolly than expected.
Considering how persistently he talked to me a little while ago, I thought he might want to continue the conversation.
However, before he left, he blurted out a word that had no meaning.
"I think we'll meet again soon anyway."
We'll meet again soon?
I wanted to ask what he meant, but he had already turned around and was leaving.
Since I also wanted to go back quickly, I didn't bother to stop him and ask what he meant.
Just looking at his back, I thought of someone who looked like him.
Someone who makes my heart ache just thinking about them.
I asked Rodrick when he was far enough away.
"Are you acquainted with Baron Wolfstein?"
"I've met him before, as he is from a noble family in the neighborhood. And he is also the family that will be hosting the masquerade ball you are about to attend."
"Ah..."
"But it's strange."
"What?"
Rodrick answered, looking in the direction where the Baron had disappeared.
"He wasn't like that when I met him last time."
As if he thought something was fishy, Rodrick's gaze remained fixed for a while in the direction where the Baron had disappeared.
"Let's go back first. What about medicine?"
"Oh, here it is."
After chewing the herbs he brought and drinking some water, my stomach felt a little better.
Without wasting any more time, we headed straight back to headquarters.
***
The day of the masquerade ball was approaching.
Rodrick arranged a meeting for the client to meet me beforehand.
The client wanted to meet me alone, but it seemed that Rodrick had bravely refused.
I met my client at Rodrick's place.
"Are you the one who will carry out my commission?"
The client, Baron Baldur, looked at me with a somewhat haughty tone and asked.
I heard that he was not originally of noble birth, but he bought his title with money from growing his business.
The reason he was still arrogant was that he thought I was from a fallen noble family.
I responded without being surprised since I had already discussed this with Rodrick.
"Yes, that's right."
"Hmm. I don't really like it."
It seemed like he wasn't too pleased with my face, which had been transformed into a magic tool.
It was understandable, since I had changed my face to look somewhat ordinary to avoid being noticed.
I thought he would let it slide since it was soon the day of the ball, but the Baron was more fussy than I thought.
"Listen, Rodrick. I didn't say I wanted a pretty woman."
"I don't know how much beauty you want, but if it's to that extent, it's acceptable..."
"Please call someone else. I didn't pay that much money to be with a woman like this."
The Baron grumbled, stroking the ends of his well-trimmed beard.
Rodrick's eyes, which had been smiling business-like, gradually became distorted.
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