For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 23
Holding the round magic tool that felt lukewarm in my hand, I thought deeply.
How did the guildmaster know I ordered an encryption-breaking magic tool?
I hadn’t mentioned ordering the tool to anyone, anywhere.
…Everything was a mystery.
How did Ribolto know that I needed to break into a safe and sent this to me?
“…What’s really going on?”
As I stared blankly at the magic tool, Declan approached and quietly examined my face.
“You’ve received a gift, but you don’t seem pleased.”
“…It’s because I don’t know the intention of the person who gave it.”
“A gift is given to make the recipient happy, isn’t it?”
I gave you the nightgown with that intention, Master.
Hearing Declan’s small murmur, I burst into laughter.
Yes, a gift is supposed to make the recipient happy.
Thinking deeply about it now wouldn’t give me any answers.
‘Let’s just use it for now.’
I can figure out his intentions later.
There were less than three days until the Duke arrived, so this took priority.
After organizing my thoughts, I put the magic tool he gifted me into my pocket.
Tonight at dawn, I would break into the safe.
***
I couldn’t sleep a wink, worried I might mess things up, and it was now deep into the night.
Listening only to Declan’s quiet breathing, I killed time, gauging the height of the moon, and prepared to leave.
Declan, who was a light sleeper, woke up again, but I didn’t give him any hints and slinked down the dark hallway to commit another crime.
I waited for the shift change of the hallway guards, then quickly walked to the office door and entered.
Immediately, I approached the safe and started spraying the lock with cooling spray.
Usually used in the hot Southern Continent to cool food, this spray had another use.
After much consideration, I discovered this spray could also be used to break locks.
Ribolto seemed to know I would use this spray to break the lock. His suspicious behavior, sending both the encryption-breaking magic tool and the cooling spray, left me even more puzzled.
‘This should be enough.’
After spraying the same spot for over a minute, the surface of the lock turned white with frost.
Then, I struck the lock hard with the magic tool, breaking it.
So far, everything was going according to plan.
I opened the safe and quickly began searching for another lock with a magic cipher.
After repeatedly removing documents from the safe, I found a handle attached to the bottom.
With trembling hands, I brought the magic tool to the handle, and soon a magic circle floated in the air, spinning in place.
Like aligning a combination lock, several rings rotated like gears until they suddenly stopped.
I heard a click from beyond the handle.
‘Did it work?’
With a trembling heart, I grasped the handle and pulled it forcefully.
‘Huh?’
Clank—.
Oh, wait.
I grabbed the handle again with all my might and pulled…!
‘Why is this so heavy…!’
Even with my full weight behind it, the door didn’t budge.
‘Ugh, seriously!’
Just as tears welled up from the frustration of feeling like the whole world was against my escape from this house.
Suddenly, a hand appeared behind me and grasped the door handle.
“Allow me.”
“Declan…?”
Why are you here…?
Leaving me too shocked to say anything, Declan firmly positioned himself.
“That’s too heavy for me to open, so how can you…?”
Just as I was about to stop him, thinking ‘How could someone thinner than me open this thing’, the handle that hadn’t budged before made a clunking sound and was pulled open.
‘Is it because he’s the male lead?’
How does such strength come from those thin arms?
My momentary bewilderment was interrupted by the sound of something heavy scraping the floor behind me. When I quickly turned around, the wall that I thought was a bookshelf was opening like a door.
Declan and I exchanged looks. We seemed to be thinking the same thing.
I grabbed a few file folders from the safe, ones that would quickly expose our crime, and approached the mysterious door.
The dark interior and the strong smell of old paper gave me an instinctive feeling that the documents I was looking for were all here.
I lit a candle and reached into the dark interior.
I could see a short flight of stairs leading down and beyond them a small room.
As I was about to descend the stairs without hesitation, Declan stepped in front of me.
“Be careful.”
In the end, I entered the secret room with Declan.
‘Here—.’
At the end of the stairs was a round, cylindrical room.
