Chapter 218 A Headache
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Baron residence descended into chaos.
Not only had Lady Roeni returned far later than expected, she had arrived concealing clear signs of an attack beneath her cloak.
The household staff who came out to greet her froze in shock.
They were merchants and servants, not people accustomed to murder plots and political assassinations. The Baron household excelled at trade negotiations and financial calculations, but schemes involving noble factions and bloodshed belonged to another world entirely.
Even Sebastian, who rarely lost composure, needed a moment to steady himself.
”Everyone, you’ve done well,” Lady Roeni said calmly. “But listen carefully—this matter does not leave this house.”
She turned to Sebastian.
”Sebastian, prepare the empty storage room beside the second-floor guest room. I’ll be taking this girl there. Also, call for my husband immediately. I don’t believe we were followed, but increase security throughout the mansion just in case. There’s a strong chance Count Alegria will be coming here later as well.”
”Understood,” Sebastian replied at once. “I’ll issue instructions immediately and bring the master there afterward.”
After giving those orders, Roeni headed toward the staircase.
Distressed murmurs immediately broke out among the servants behind her. Some clearly feared they might become entangled in whatever dangerous affair had unfolded.
A single sharp command from Sebastian silenced the room instantly.
Ordinarily, it would have been Roeni’s duty as lady of the house to explain the situation and calm everyone’s fears herself.
But there wasn’t time for that.
”I’m sorry,” Roeni said quietly to the black-haired girl beside her. “Everyone should’ve thanked you properly.”
”No apology is necessary,” the girl replied. “I haven’t even introduced myself yet. Besides, delaying matters here would only create more danger.”
Ignoring the wary looks from the servants, the girl continued carrying the Packing Box containing Arman.
Given her slender frame, lifting something that heavy should have been impossible without a Divine Protectionⁿ. That alone made it obvious she was no ordinary person, and none of the staff dared question her further.
Roeni led her upstairs toward the wing opposite Silcro’s office and opened the door to a storage room in the back.
The room was nearly empty except for a few scattered supplies.
If fighting broke out, collateral damage would at least remain minimal.
”I considered using the underground warehouse,” Roeni admitted, “but if Arman rampaged down there, the financial losses would destroy us. Our family focused entirely on commerce, so we never built anything as sophisticated as a dungeon.”
”I think that was the correct decision,” the girl replied evenly. “Though please don’t worry. He won’t regain consciousness anytime soon.”
At her instruction, the girl placed the Packing Box carefully in the center of the room before positioning herself beside the entrance, quietly blocking the only escape route.
Roeni moved back toward the wall so she wouldn’t interfere if Arman somehow burst free.
Even so, the girl never once looked anxious.
After destroying the Isolation Barrierⁿ, she hadn’t shown the slightest concern about pursuit. There wasn’t even a groan coming from inside the box.
”Good grief,” Roeni muttered. “Just how many things are you carrying around? And that man… somehow managing to recruit someone like you.”
The girl gave a strained laugh.
”That situation is… complicated. More complicated than I can explain here.”
Roeni had already realized the girl possessed several rare abilities. Yet aside from her backpack, waist pouch, and the Short Blade at her hip, she carried almost no visible equipment.
It was almost as if she could handle everything through skill alone.
Then again, no ordinary person could conquer the Royal Capital Labyrinthⁿ.
Still, another inconsistency bothered Roeni.
Someone this capable behaved less like a powerful adventurer and more like a subordinate messenger.
At first glance, it could’ve been mistaken for devotion toward the Princess’s status.
But if that were true, she would’ve constantly praised the Princess herself.
Instead, the respect in her tone extended equally toward all the companions who had fought beside her.
And whenever the subject shifted toward the person who likely led the Labyrinth conquest—
The girl’s expression changed completely.
The composed mask she normally wore softened into something far younger and more vulnerable.
(This is bad…)
Roeni immediately understood.
This girl was in love with whoever “Yuuri” was supposed to be.
And if she had developed feelings for him during the Labyrinth expedition, then Ashley-jou absolutely would’ve noticed.
A disaster between women was practically inevitable.
Under normal circumstances, getting distracted by romance inside the Labyrinth should have ended in total annihilation.
Yet somehow they had still reached the dungeon coreⁿ alive.
(What exactly were you people doing in there…?)
Just the other day, Roeni had confidently assured Count Alegria that nothing dangerous would happen.
Now she couldn’t even admit that there was a very real possibility the Princess and her daughter were still alive.
Not while she needed to summon the Count himself.
”A-about delivering him…” Roeni began carefully. “Will you personally accompany them afterward?”
”Yes?” the girl replied. “If necessary, I can provide protection from a distance. But my master ordered me to remain under Roeni-dono’s command.”
Relief washed through Roeni.
That gave them room to coordinate their stories.
Still, one word continued bothering her.
Master.
The way the girl used it felt… unusually personal.
Roeni desperately wanted to ask what it really meant, but she couldn’t risk distracting herself while Arman remained nearby.
—
”Roeni! I heard you were attacked! Are you hurt anywhere!?”
Silcro burst into the room breathing heavily.
”Dear… I’m fine,” Roeni reassured him quickly. “This girl saved me.”
Unable to exchange information beforehand, Roeni could only watch as her husband rushed inside in obvious panic.
The moment Silcro saw the damage and bloodstains still clinging to her clothes, his face turned deathly pale.
He nearly collapsed backward before Sebastian caught him from behind.
”And the culprit…” Silcro asked weakly. “You mentioned summoning Count Alegria… does this involve the Marquis?”
”Yes,” Roeni answered quietly. “I couldn’t speak openly downstairs, but they’re wanted as political criminals. I couldn’t leave them alone.”
Silcro already understood this wasn’t a simple roadside attack.
Still, he had likely assumed Roeni—who had spent years training as an Adventurer—had easily subdued an assassin.
But the moment he realized she had needed outside assistance and that the Count himself had to be summoned, he finally grasped how serious the situation truly was.
Then he looked inside the Packing Box.
His face drained of all color.
”T-that man is…!”
”Yes,” the girl answered before Roeni could speak. “Frankly, I must reflect on how naive our assumptions were. If someone hadn’t dispatched me here, the worst-case scenario could have occurred.”
Even after joining the Princess’s Faction, Silcro had never truly imagined things escalating into attempted murder.
At most, he’d expected economic pressure or political harassment.
Their family had built itself upon honesty and commerce.
Against genuine malice, that sincerity suddenly looked frighteningly fragile.
”I understand,” Silcro said at last, forcing himself calm. “You saved my wife. For that, I owe gratitude to both you and your master. May I ask who sent you?”
The girl lowered her head politely.
”My apologies, Head of House. Because of the authority I carry, I cannot reveal my affiliation yet. However, my master also owes Lady Roeni a great debt. Please don’t worry excessively.”
Normally, saving a noble’s life couldn’t simply cancel out old favors.
But the girl’s respectful attitude—and the implication that this rescue repaid an existing debt—made Silcro back down before pressing further.
The conversation soon shifted toward dispatching messengers to Count Alegria and tightening security around the mansion.
Still, nobody except the black-haired girl could realistically guard Arman.
In the end, the best they could do was station two guards outside the storage room door.
”I can’t remain in this condition forever,” the girl said quietly. “Please forgive me, but I’ll need your assistance a little longer.”
”Please don’t concern yourself,” Roeni replied. “If we let him escape now, everything would be meaningless.”
Their highest priority was informing Count Alegria as quickly as possible.
By the time Roeni finally changed clothes and managed a light meal, the messenger had already returned with the Count’s reply:
He was coming immediately.
”As expected,” Roeni murmured. “He’s decisive.”
”Trust matters more than anything else,” the girl replied. “People who act quickly usually understand that.”
Ordinarily, a lower-ranking Baron house summoning a Count in person would’ve bordered on insulting.
Yet Count Alegria came immediately without waiting for additional verification.
That level of trust existed because of years of careful cooperation.
Roeni couldn’t betray it now.
Even if the black-haired girl had handled the most difficult part of the situation, there was still one problem left.
The girl clearly had some connection to the Count’s daughter.
And Roeni had no idea how dangerous that topic might become.
—
The front entrance grew noisy shortly afterward.
With the girl’s permission, Roeni stepped away from the storage room just in time to see Count Alegria climbing the stairs alongside Silcro.
”Count Alegria, forgive me for summoning you so suddenly,” Roeni said.
”No need,” the Count replied sharply. “If the report is accurate, this is an extraordinary achievement. Though honestly… capturing Arman alive is difficult to believe.”
Even indoors, Roeni still carried her sword.
Normally that would’ve been improper etiquette, yet the Count ignored it entirely.
His sharp eyes swept across the mansion atmosphere with open intensity.
Several guards accompanied him—not just knights, but people clearly specialized in investigative or detection skills.
The Count had come fully prepared.
”This way,” Roeni said. “The one who rescued me has been guarding him personally.”
As they approached the storage room, the knights moved ahead first with weapons drawn.
After dismissing the frightened mansion guards, they burst inside.
Moments later, Roeni followed behind the Count.
Inside, the knights had already lowered their heads respectfully toward the black-haired girl before inspecting the Packing Box.
”Your Excellency…” one knight whispered.
”There is no mistake?” Count Alegria asked.
He still hadn’t entered the room himself.
Even now, he remained cautious of the possibility that Arman might be pretending unconsciousness for an ambush.
Only after the knights confirmed both Arman’s identity and condition did the Count finally step inside.
He approached the black-haired girl directly.
”Did you capture this man?” he asked.
”Yes.”
”Then allow me to thank you first. This man is a sworn enemy of my house. He targeted both Her Highness and my daughter.”
The Count’s expression hardened.
”However… I must apologize. Once this man is handed over, we cannot allow you to leave freely. I understand you’re concealing your affiliation, but is it truly something that must remain hidden even from me—a central figure within the Princess’s Faction?”
The emotional shift on the Count’s face was immediate.
First astonishment.
Then gratitude.
Then suspicion.
As a warrior, he understood how terrifyingly skilled this girl had to be.
As a father, he owed her a debt.
But as head of a noble faction, he couldn’t ignore what she represented.
”Forgive me,” Count Alegria continued, “but nobody within our faction has ever mentioned someone with power comparable to yours.”
The girl’s expression remained unreadable.
”Can you truly claim allegiance to the Princess’s Faction? That title isn’t something granted casually to anyone supporting Marina-dono. Membership requires trust, contribution, and responsibility.”
The room grew tense.
A noble faction wasn’t a social club.
It was an alliance built upon mutual interests and political survival.
Suspicion inside such a structure was dangerous.
Roeni understood the Count’s reaction completely.
Even faced with someone capable of defeating Arman, Count Alegria refused to yield his position.
Yet strangely—
As she looked at the Count’s stern expression, the black-haired girl’s own face softened slightly for the first time.
—
Summary:
Roeni returns to the Baron estate under attack, bringing a mysterious black-haired girl who carries the restrained Arman in a box. The household, including Silcro and Sebastian, must manage the fallout of this political crisis while maintaining discretion. They await the arrival of the Count, leaving the ultimate fate of the Princess and the political situation in flux.
Following the capture of the knight Arman, the protagonist coordinates with the black-haired girl to summon Alegria Count to the mansion. The Count arrives promptly, confirming the captive’s identity with extreme caution and high professional standards. A tense political standoff emerges as the Count questions the girl’s true affiliation with the Princess’s Faction.
—
Trivia:
- The specific internal politics between the Princess’s Faction and the Marquis
- The specific rank of the Count Alegria
- The specific rank of the ‘newcomer Baron house’
- The specific ‘sore spot’ regarding the Count’s daughte
—
Character Insight:
Silcro shifts from initial confusion and business-minded caution to deep concern as he realizes the severity of the threat, while the black-haired girl maintains a strictly professional facade despite clear, age-appropriate affection for a peer.
Alegria Count shifts from a protective, excited ally to a suspicious, rigid political leader upon realizing the girl’s power level and lack of identifiable faction documentation.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Roeni – Baroness of the Confianza house, wife of Silcro Confianza, and former adventurer-guild receptionist, she narrates her life as a weak noble caught in conspiracy, yet wields unwavering duty to defeat monsters and uplift the people. Once mentor to Yuuri and seasoned labyrinth-exploiter, she runs the family firm with military precision, her neat brown hair and no-nonsense demeanor echoing Lisa’s iconic look. Haunted by her past with Arman, she now stands as a protected target of the Princess’s Faction, bearing physical traces of a recent attack. Her Concentration ability freezes time mid-battle as she faces an assassin—calm, sharp-eyed, and resolute, her strength forged not in nobility’s privilege, but in relentless resolve, carrying herself with the composed, though burdened, demeanor of a high-ranking household head.
• Sebastian – A highly capable butler serving the Baron house. He is characterized by his unwavering professional composure and sharp command over the household staff.
• Count Alegria – Count Alegria, a high‑ranking noble of the Princess’s faction, depends on Roeni for security and political leverage. He presents a strict, aristocratic exterior—short silver hair, immaculate dark three‑piece suits reminiscent of Vayne Solidor—yet harbors a kind heart and unwavering loyalty to his only daughter, Ashley.
• Alegria – Count Alegria, a high-ranking noble of the Princess’s faction, leans on Roeni for security and political leverage. He sports short silver hair, sharp features, and immaculate dark three-piece suits echoing Vayne Solidor, maintaining a resolute attitude. His kind heart shines through his unwavering loyalty to his only daughter Ashley. Devoted to both the King and the Princess’s faction, his house is a key ally Roeni seeks to corner the Marquis.
• Arman – Towering, scar-scarred knight in polished steel armor and a dented helm, cloaked in tattered fabric, wields a greatsword. Once Marina’s loyal escort and the narrator’s closest friend, he was cast out three months ago and now serves Marquis Kimble as an assassin. Missing one hand, he uses Rigid Body to fortify his muscular frame, fighting a losing duel with a mysterious scout while seeking quiet redemption. Currently captured and held within a Packing Box, he has become a target of high-level political tension.
• Silcro – Baron Confianza, a short, rotund quiet genius, hides his sharp mind behind an unassuming look. As head of the Baron house and husband to Roeni—his greatest love and asset—he is a businessman by trade, administering the livelihoods of tens of thousands. He holds high rank in the Princess’s faction, remaining loyal to her while thrust into dangerous political machinations.
• Yuuri – The Master, a masculine‑identified protagonist of the Workshop, commands Suzuri and Yui with high‑level garment and creation skills. He treats his wives and servants possessively, wielding an arrogant, dominant aura and an erotic skill that grants powers through sexual acts.
• Ashley – The Count’s daughter, a poised royal attendant in elegant noble attire, secretly admires Yuuri and is noted as a possible aide for future dressing duties.
• Marina – First Princess of Restea, a figure of standing within the faction referred to as Marina-dono—needs labyrinth escort.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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