Chapter 242

Ovell recalled what had happened shortly beforehand.

“Who are you?”

The gatekeepers protecting the estate’s entrance blocked Ovell and Rebecca from entering.

“Out of my way! I could not reach the Marezon household, so I’ve come to collect their debt myself,” Ovell shouted confidently. He had decided to act like a creditor, in order to enter the Marezons’ estate.

In actuality, there were dozens of people who had invested in the Marezon family. But after the family’s downfall, the viscount and his daughter had gone missing.

‘It wouldn’t be strange if a debt-collector showed up at their front door.’

“Hmm…”

Just as Ovell had thought, the gatekeeper didn’t particularly seem to find Ovell suspicious.

But the same couldn’t be said about Rebecca.

“And who would this young lady be?”

The gatekeeper looked at Rebecca, who stood next to Ovell. Rebecca had dyed her hair and used magic to make small changes to her appearance.

“She is my handmaid.”

“Is that so?”

The gatekeepers whispered among themselves.

“She has a similar build to the woman that we are after.”

“But she doesn’t look like her.”

“The color of her hair is different too.”

“Then she must be someone else.”

“Wait a minute…”

One of the gatekeepers’ eyes glinted sharply. He looked like a fastidious man.

“My apologies, but we were instructed to do a physical inspection on any young woman who tries to enter the estate.”

“What?”

“If we conclude that she isn’t the person we are looking for after our inspection, we will let her go right away. Please come with us.”

Ovell scowled.

“Are you accusing me of being a criminal? How dare you.”

“Give us just your handmaid. You do not need to accompany us, sir. But…”

The gatekeeper’s eyes narrowed.

“Did I say that I was searching for a criminal?”

“…!”

Ovell hesitated, but he didn’t back down, shouting, “I already know who you’re searching for! The whole capital knows of her bounty. My handmaid is not the woman you are looking for.”

“Yes, we will confirm that ourselves. So please let her go.”

Ovell clenched his fists.

‘Dammit.’

Unlike her hairdye, the magic that altered Rebecca’s face was temporary. It would expire after an hour and expose her actual face.

‘I can’t let that happen. I have to do something about these bastards…’

Ovell was about to yell at the gatekeepers again. Then, Rebecca opened her mouth.

“Michael.”

“Yes, Young Miss.”

“Handle them.”

What happened next occurred in the blink of an eye.

The three gatekeepers’ heads fell to the ground, their necks shooting out blood as their bodies fell backwards.

“Let’s go.”

Splat.

Rebecca stepped in a puddle of blood, unbothered, and entered the estate. Michael silently followed after her.

“…W-wait, for me!”

Ovell stood there blankly, belatedly following after the two.

‘Dangerous bastard.’

Ovell glared at Michael and gulped. Ovell had a feeling that the latter had been trained differently than others ever since he had seen the man go around with his presence concealed. But to think that he was a murder weapon.

‘He’s dangerous, just like I thought. I’ll have to get rid of him once we get back.’

Blinded by either love or greed, Ovell failed to remember the fact that Rebecca had been the one who had nonchalantly ordered Michael to kill.

“…How much farther do we have to go?”

“We’re here.”

The dark and dismal corridor that seemed to go on forever finally came to an end after a long walk. Michael destroyed the lock on the room to the left and the trio went inside.

‘I can’t believe he just broke a lock with his bare hands… Is he really just a normal human being?’

Ovell glared at Michael again. Meanwhile, Rebecca maneuvered the painting on the wall, revealing a hidden entrance.

“Is this something like a secret room?”

Ovell gasped quietly. Instead of answering, Rebecca walked ahead of him.

“Wait for me.”

They descended a long staircase and encountered another lock.

Then, a room that appeared to be an underground storage room appeared before Ovell’s eyes.

“…The item that you need to retrieve is here?”

In Ovell’s eyes, the room merely appeared to be a bleak and empty space. A lamp illuminated the room, but there wasn’t anything that stood out in particular.