Chapter 7 – A Fateful Encounter (7)

From a long time ago, Valta has appeared in my dreams, the only place where I can escape from the living nightmare of the dungeon.

Those dreams were set in a forest.

The woman who opened her eyes in a cave looked around anxiously. She picked up her bow and went out of the cave.

Relief washed over her as she found a man leisurely walking quite a distance away, near the forest’s edge.

‘—in!’

I couldn’t hear the woman’s voice well, but the man looked up as the woman called him.

In an instant, the cold, unfeeling expression he had changed into something more gentle.

“What’s this? Where did you get it?’ the woman asked when the man held out something like a bead to the woman.

The woman turned over the bead in her fingers, trying to figure out why he brought it.

And the moment the man threw it into the air, a roar could be heard.

‘There’s nothing at Valta’s store. I’m sure it won’t happen, but if you’re alone and you get scared, play with this.’

She listened to the man. Judging by the small note he gave, there were all sorts of magical tools.

Then, the scene changed.

I was suddenly inside a store that seemed like an antique shop.

The man stroked his chin while the woman chose an item.

‘Do you want to get that? Hmm… I’ll get in trouble if he finds out.’

‘I’ll just keep it for self-defense.’

‘If that’s the case, how about you choose a cute comb or something else instead? Ah, right. If you place an order beforehand, we can make special items, like an invisibility robe, a teleporter, or a colorless, odorless poison, too.

‘Walter. This is enough.’

The woman shook her head, not wanting anything else.

I liked watching this dream.

I could escape my nightmarish reality for once, even if it was temporary.

And now, I was looking for Valta’s store, just as I had seen in my dream. I thought maybe Valta existed, too.

I thought about why I had these dreams, but I couldn’t think of any reason other than perhaps these were residual memories from the original owner of this body.

I didn’t know why I saw them while I slept.

It didn’t make sense, but then again, everything else in this world didn’t make sense.

It wasn’t strange to see one more thing piled on top of all the other things that were left unclear.

“Why are you looking for that person?”

Robin smiled awkwardly when I asked him.

“I said it after summoning enough courage earlier.”

…Which meant he couldn’t say the reason again.

Was the Valta he was looking for the same Valta I’m looking for?

“I almost caught that person’s trail, but it was a shame.”

Those words prickled my ears.

“Trail?”

“The residence has been confirmed.”

“Then how would I be able to help you?”

“You’ll somewhat be the bait to catch Valta.”

It seemed like Robin knew how to catch Valta, and added that Valta would hide the moment Robin thought he could finally catch that person.

Valta, who was quick to sense danger.

Perhaps… was it really the same person who I was looking for?

My heart pounded loudly in anticipation.

The reason why I couldn’t find Valta despite being at the guild was because he’s actually in hiding…

“I’ve changed my mind. I’ll help you.”

Valta, the store owner.

Was it more likely that it’s truly the same person?

Or was it more likely that it’s someone else?

If I assume that they’re the same person, then I could finally see Valta.

From some point on, I had also caught onto that person’s trail, but I was just left desperate.

Valta’s store, which I had thought didn’t exist.

It’s a gamble worth betting on even if I don’t end up with any profits.

As he listened to my words, Robin’s lips curled up into a smile.

“You’ve made a good decision.”

* * * 

What should I do to find that person?

The reason for finding Valta was simple—so that I could have a good self-defense weapon.

A mage was rare, and there was almost no other place that sold magic tools.

Of course, right now I didn’t have any magic tools, which was why I almost got caught by my family who came looking for me.

’Ack! Rina—f*ck!’

If I hadn’t shot Bane in the leg and ran away, I would have been trapped again.

This gun was the only thing I could rely on, even if it was old and had only one bullet left.

I needed more weapons so I could protect myself.

I couldn’t concentrate on the meal in front of me.

Eventually, I set down my spoon.

We were almost at the end of the meal as dessert had been served.

While I looked forward to looking for Valta, I couldn’t focus on it because there was something bothering me.

Dale.

I’d only be comfortable again the moment I hear news of him again.

“I need to go somewhere for a while.”

While we’re dining, it was agreed upon that I could stay in this estate until Valta was found.

It should be fine to look around for a while and come back later.

“Isn’t it better not to go?”

Robin leaned back on his chair, looking out the window. It was still raining.

“I’m alright.”

“It’s dark out, it’s still raining, and you’re injured. What if you get chased like before?”

Indeed, it would put me in a bad spot if I was caught by my family like this.

I only had one bullet left, so I really needed to be careful.

“Thank you for your concern. I’ll be sure to return.”

“Is there a reason why you have to go?”

“There’s someone I need to find. I just need to find out what happened to him.”

I had no intention of meeting Dale again. I ran away alone after all.

So it’s right to just go our separate ways.

…But still, it’s better to know for sure, so I planned to go out of the estate tomorrow to look for him.

I would be crazy to go out when it’s light out because it’s more dangerous for me whenever it was bright outside.

My pink hair was too noticeable, but I couldn’t hide it no matter how many times I tried to dye it. My family would find me for sure.

That’s why it’s safer for me to go out now while it’s still dark.

Robin looked at me with a smile on his face, then he got up from his seat.

“Alright. I get it.”

As Robin climbed up the stairs, the servants went in to clean up the table.

I was going to leave after finding my hat. It’s better to hide my hair no matter how late it was in the night.

When I tried to catch the attention of one maid so that she could fetch my hat, I paused when I heard a voice from the stairs.

“Who should I look for?”

Robin descended the stairs again.

“Huh?”

“I’ll be back soon. Tell me who it is.”

After getting ready to set out the estate, I looked at him with my head tilted to the side.

“Are you saying you’ll be the one going out?”

“Yes. Alone.”

Why? I couldn’t understand him.

I’m not sure if my thoughts were obvious on my face, but he pointed at me with his chin.

“Even just walking outside with your body’s condition… It’ll be difficult to carry you if you collapse.”

“I’m not that weak.”

“I know. So stay here.”

“You don’t know the person I’m looking for. So just…”

I followed Robin as he walked towards the main door.

As he turned the knob, he looked down at me as he wore his leather gloves.

The leather over his thick fingers were pulled tightly.

The way he looked at me was always kind, but perhaps because of the atmosphere, it seemed like there was something beneath his gaze. Something overbearing.

“Since you just need news about that person, that’s all I need to find.”

…That’s true.

I didn’t want to meet Dale again, and I just had to check if he was captured again or not.

If he was captured, then…

* * * 

I stopped myself from thinking more about that and just handed over Dale’s personal information.

Robin went out and looked for any word about Dale at the same time the rain began to pour harder.

I stayed in the estate, staring out the window as I sipped a cup of hot cocoa that was made by the kind, friendly servants.

I was in the living room, where a lit fireplace kept me warm, but I still trembled, perhaps because of the subtle air hovering as the rain continued pouring.

The sofa was wide enough that two people could lie down here comfortably.

I was slowly dozing off when I suddenly felt the cushions jostle a little.

“I thought you were sleeping.”

I opened my eyes right away, a shadow cast over my face.

Robin was soaked over his head and shoulders.

Just as he said, I was already half asleep, so I didn’t even hear the door open.

“I guess I woke you up.”

“…No, you didn’t.”

There was a cup on the table that was slanted, so it looked as though it was about to spill its contents.

As I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes, I suddenly felt the sofa dip beside me.

Robin sat next to me.

As I looked at him, the words inadvertently came out of my lips as though they were waiting for me to utter them.

“Have you heard any news?”

“I searched around, but no one saw him.”

“Ah…”

I was relieved by those words.

If he had been caught by Father, then a fight would have broken out. There was bound to be witnesses.

And he wouldn’t have gone back to Father unless he was out of his mind.

The absence of any witnesses meant that he was safe.

“Are you disappointed?”

“No.”

From the very beginning, I only thought of using Dale.

And that’s just what I did.

We happened to stay together for a longer period than I expected, but we went our separate ways just as it was intended.

It’s a relief that he wasn’t captured.

That’s enough for me.

It felt like a weight was removed from my shoulders.

“That’s good. I thought you would be.”

The butler handed a towel to Robin.

After patting down his wet hair and shoulders, he turned towards me.

I leaned my cheek against the sofa’s backrest and looked straight into his eyes.

“It’s raining, but… you didn’t bring an umbrella?”

Didn’t he own even just one umbrella? That didn’t make sense. He’s the owner of such a large estate, isn’t he?

After being silent for a while, Robin opened his moist lips, only smooth words coming out.

“I gave my umbrella to a child sitting out in the rain. And most stores were closed, so I couldn’t buy another one.”

“Oh, I see.”

I had to reconsider this man named Robin Vhind again.

Even if I’d already stayed in this mansion and even slept here, I still couldn’t understand his actions.

He said that he’d be uncomfortable turning a blind eye when he saw that I needed help, but he didn’t have to bring me home.

Why did he insist on bringing me here when it looked like he had enough money to just send me to an inn and pay the bill?

His words just now could be the key to this question.

Perhaps this person was an overly kind, benevolent man.

‘But let’s not jump to conclusions.’

Still, it was inevitable that the walls I had set up to guard against him broke down a little.

“You’re still soaked over there. Give it to me.”

Drops of rainwater formed at the tips of his black hair, and eventually fell down.