Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 39
“Welcome, little rat.”
“If you call me a little rat once more, I’ll tell my master.”
“How petty. Are you threatening me with tattling like a child?”
“Isn’t it more petty to threaten to ban me from entering the mansion if I don’t listen?”
“Verifying an employee’s identity is a rightful act.”
“You already know my identity.”
“Adeline does, sure, but I don’t.”
Adeline had picked Lloyd up from somewhere. And she kept him closest.
Closer than family.
She relied on him and trusted him more than anyone.
Just for that, Lloyd was untouchable.
In fact, even if he hadn’t come here, no one would have dared to do anything to him.
Whoever Lloyd was, there was no one closer to Adeline.
For the past five years, it was certainly this boy who had protected his sister.
“I can’t tell you anything.”
“When did I ever tell you to betray your master? I’m just offering help. Going through Lucian every time is hard and expensive. If I know you’re in contact with him and let it slide, don’t you understand?”
“…”
Lloyd stubbornly kept his mouth shut, as if he had nothing to say. Jeff added another word.
“There’s a limit to moving alone, isn’t there? I won’t ask what Adeline is hiding. Just think of it as a convenient information exchange.”
“…”
“The price is cheap. Almost free.”
“There’s nothing more expensive than ‘almost’ free.”
“That’s why it’s ‘almost’ free.”
“…”
Lloyd pondered.
Now that Adeline had inherited Bertrand’s wealth, it might not matter how much money was left in savings, but life was unpredictable.
If Adeline ever wanted to run away again, she would need funds. Saving up was always wise.
“There is something I’ve been ordered to find out.”
“What is it?”
“The one targeting Saintess Genevieve.”
“Suddenly the Saintess?”
“And the sorcerer who controls monsters.”
“Sorcerer?”
Jeff’s eyes widened.
“What’s the point of knowing who’s targeting the Saintess?”
“I don’t know.”
“The safest person in Green Windsor would be the Saintess….”
The reason didn’t matter to Lloyd. What mattered was fulfilling Adeline’s wishes ‘properly’, regardless of her intentions.
Adeline treated him like a younger brother, but to him, Adeline was his master. She was his benefactor, his only family, and the most important person.
From the day Adeline took him under her wing, that had never changed.
“She also asked me to investigate the Saintess’s husband.”
“Why?”
“She said if he’s weird, she’ll have them divorced and take her back.”
“…”
Does she think the Saintess is her daughter…? Jeff muttered to himself.
“She seems particularly concerned about the Saintess.”
“Enough to assign her own fiancé.”
Jeff chuckled at Lloyd’s added words.
He had said it would be better to throw away eyes that couldn’t see Shane’s true nature, and it seemed those eyes belonged to his sister.
But why was she looking for a sorcerer of all people?
“The sorcerer… a sorcerer who controls monsters…”
Are monsters even intelligent enough to be brainwashed?
Intelligent monsters did appear from time to time, but they were rare mutations.
“Have you ever heard of such a person?”
“I think I’ve heard it mentioned as a joke during drinking parties.”
Jeff had extensive connections.
The continent was vast, and there were many oddballs out there. Thanks to starting businesses and investing everywhere from a young age, his network was among the top even on the continent. He heard a lot of stories.
However, even to him, the idea of humans controlling monsters sounded absurd.
“I’ll look into this in more detail and let you know. Ah, I won’t tell my parents or older brother, so you can tell Adeline that as well.”
“…”
“What, you’re going to tell her anyway, aren’t you?”
“I only planned to tell her that you called me a little rat…”
“Tell her everything except that.”
“…”
“I have no other intention, little rat. We all just want to know what variables we need to eliminate to avoid losing our youngest again.”
Jeff said this gently.
However, Lloyd did not break his characteristic doll-like expression. He stared intently before speaking.
“Isn’t the top variable Shane Blanchard?”
Jeff burst into laughter.
Even as a child, Adeline tried to keep her distance from Shane. She often ran away from him, but it wasn’t out of fear.
“The current Shane is an ally. At least our goals are aligned.”
In the quest not to lose Adeline a second time,
No one was more capable of holding on to Adeline than Shane.
The Bertrands would not make the same mistake twice.