5.
“M-monsters.”
“…….”
The Duke remained silent, a stillness that urged her to continue.
“I understand that tunnel monsters have a penchant for minerals that shine like jewels. I thought that if they haunt those areas so frequently, there might be other gemstones there, even if there isn’t silver. That’s why I thought it a waste.”
Tunnel monsters looked like rats but grew as large as mastiffs. Possessed by an obsession with shiny objects, they frequently raided civilian homes to hoard their spoils.
Having finished her explanation, Marin bowed her head, heart hammering against her ribs. She had wracked her brain to concoct a justification, but she held no confidence that it had satisfied him.
“When was this report submitted?”
The Duke turned his head toward Olive.
“Three months ago, Your Grace.”
“Didn’t it say it was urgent?”
“There were more pressing matters, so it was set aside.”
Olive bowed his head like a man confessing a crime.
“Set the abandoned mine aside for now, and order the knights to head there for a thorough investigation.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Once the command was given, the Duke took a step toward her.
Terrified, Marin mirrored his movement, but her feet tangled and she stumbled.
*Oh no, I’m falling.*
Just before she toppled backward, the Duke’s hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her upright.
“……A twig?”
Caught off guard by the near-death experience, Marin blinked, desperately pretending she hadn’t heard his murmur. Surely, he hadn’t meant to call her that?
And yet, wasn’t this Duke blind? How were his reflexes this fast?
After calming her racing heart, Marin bowed.
“Thank you.”
“Your name?”
“It’s M-Marin.”
“Are you a commoner?”
“Yes…….”
Marin whispered in a shaky, evasive voice. Having to lie made her heart, which had just begun to steady, start pounding against her ribs once more. The Duke tilted his head, as if listening for something hidden in her tone.
Marin grew restless, wondering if she should say something more.
But when was he going to let go of her wrist?
“A commoner who possesses the ability to read and analyze reports?”
Marin’s eyes widened. Her heart felt as though it had plummeted to the floor. Why did a flimsy excuse suddenly sound like a claim of professional ability?
“Are you a spy?”
“E-excuse me?”
“Are you confessing now?”
“N-no. Absolutely not. You don’t have to hire me. I spoke without thinking. I shall take my leave now.”
Marin turned to flee, but her body wouldn’t budge. She had forgotten that her wrist was still trapped in his firm grip.
“Olive.”
“Yes.”
“Draft an employment contract.”
“As you wish.”
Olive answered quickly, a sunny smile breaking across his face.
“Make it temporary.”
“Temporary…… I understand.”
Olive’s face fell, his disappointment plain.
“Thank you.”
Marin, conversely, bowed with a moved expression. Temporary or not, she didn’t care; as long as she could earn money, she would take anything.
“Feed her.”
“Pardon?”
“Pardon?”
Both she and Olive blurted out in response to the abrupt command.
“She’s like a twig.”
The Duke released her wrist with a flick, as if discarding something light.
*Ah, so I didn’t mishear him earlier.* She wasn’t *that* thin. Marin pouted, clutching her wrist. She had been grateful for his help, but that sentiment was evaporating into thin air.
“Yes. I will follow your orders.”
For some reason, Olive was grinning again. The Duke turned his back, signaling the audience was over, and headed toward his desk.
“Let’s leave.”
“Yes.”
“Your Grace. I shall take my leave now.”
“I……. Thank you once again.”
Marin hesitated for a moment before offering a hasty bow and exiting the office. Once they were out, the room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.
Two sets of footsteps echoed in the corridor. Olive’s, with his left step slightly heavier, and the woman’s, light enough to fly away like a feather.
Having held her wrist, Gerald finally understood why her footsteps had been so weightless. He had called her a twig, but she might have been even thinner than that.
A curious woman.
The reports read in her voice had not grated on his nerves at all, sounding almost like the rustle of nature. For the first time since losing his sight, the contents had actually sunk in. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had been able to listen to a report and truly *think*.
He understood why Olive had been so desperate for him to meet her.
Ever since he went blind, his remaining senses had become agonizingly acute. His hearing, in particular, made every sound—even the skittering of a bug—feel like a thunderclap striking his brain.
The House of Vines, protectors of the West, held a secret passed down through their bloodline: a hyper-sensitivity of the five senses.
In his youth, it was a weapon. His sight could track a bird’s gaze; his hearing could map every sound within fifty meters. He had controlled these powers, suppressed them, and turned them into instruments of victory.
*The Archduke House of Vines protects.*
That mantra had been the pride of the Empire. But when he lost his vision a year ago, the balance shattered. As if to compensate for the darkness, his other senses had ramped into overdrive. The pain of it drove him to the brink of madness.
Yet today, for the first time, a human voice did not plague his ears.
Even if she were a spy, he would have to keep her by his side. He could feel her fear in the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat, and he knew she was lying.
“Kay.”
As Gerald whispered, a black shadow coalesced before him.
“…….”
Kay, his form entirely swallowed by shadow, waited in silence.
“Investigate her.”
“…….”
The shadow vanished as soundlessly as it had appeared.
Gerald sank deep into his chair, focusing once again on the impossible task of suppressing his senses.
* * *
Marin returned to the parlor with Olive, looking like a woman whose soul had briefly departed her body. She had secured a job at the Duke’s estate. Her lie had succeeded.
She sat on the sofa, bewildered, until Olive handed her a heavy book.
“This is?”
It was the tome she had left on the floor before entering the office. She had been too distracted to remember it, but it seemed Olive had retrieved it.
“I thought you liked this book, Ms. Marin.”
“But this isn’t my book.”
“Books related to monsters shouldn’t remain in this castle. They’re meant to be discarded anyway……”
“Oh, in that case, please let me have it.”
Marin quickly accepted the book. *Jackpot. How much is this worth?*
“Very well. I have some things to prepare. Please, wait a moment.”
“Yes.”
As soon as Olive left, the tension drained from her body. She slumped back into the sofa, relaxing her spine. Only then did the title catch her eye: *Where Do Monsters Come From*.
It was an intriguing text for someone who knew the secret settings of this world. Flipping through, she noted it was authored by an anonymous source. Why was such a dangerous curiosity kept in the servants’ lounge?
She shuddered. If she hadn’t read this, she might have been dragged away by the knights for her “suspicious” knowledge of the Duke’s accident.
“Are you cold? Would you like a blanket?”
Olive had returned before she noticed.
“No, I’m fine.”
Marin waved her hands and straightened up. Olive sat opposite her, his eyes smiling.
“Take a look at this. It’s a temporary employment contract. There’s a standard form for the estate, but I changed the duration. And since you’re a specialized hire, I’ve raised the wages.”
Marin scanned only the wage section.
*1 gold per week.*
*My god.*
One gold was enough for a family of four to live on for an entire month.