TMLO 21

Chapter: 21

We quietly packed our things and climbed over the wall.

Since we had to inform the Count to open the castle gate, we abandoned the carriage.

Treon clung to me and cried for a long time.

Ten years.

When he first suffered violence, Treon had been just a boy in his mid-teens.

“…That bastard… I should’ve hit him even harder.”

In another life, that would’ve been a headline in the news.

I held Treon’s hand tightly.

He didn’t seem to notice, but his hand was trembling violently.

With swollen eyes, he spoke in a low voice:

“…I suppose we should look for a new client. Since we abandoned the carriage, we don’t even have a way back.”

“No need. We don’t have to look.”

“Then we might actually end up out on the streets, you know?”

He let out a small laugh.

“It’s fine. I already have a plan.”

“We should also prepare for the pressure from the Matek Count’s house…”

“Just keep them too busy to think about us.”

“But…”

“Just trust me. You really think I’d act without a backup plan, huh?”

Treon chose silence.

This guy.

“By the way, my lady… where exactly are we going?”

Butcher asked belatedly.

“To meet an information broker.”

“What? You know how to find those kinds of people?”

“I overheard it by chance.”

Originally, there were two goals when visiting the Matek Count’s territory:

One was to understand the relationship between Treon and Count Matek.

The other was to meet an information broker.

I hadn’t expected to meet one like this, but now I could use the broker to also take revenge on the Matek household.

Luckily, our dear little Kkamang had provided some good intel.

We walked for a long time through dark alleys.

“My lady… are you sure we’re going the right way?”

Butcher asked again.

“Hmm… probably…?”

I’d only seen descriptions in books; I’d never actually been there.

“…I think we’ve been walking around the same place for a while,”

Treon said, looking at me suspiciously.

“Really? No wonder—I feel like I saw that flower shop before. I thought it just looked the same because it’s a flower shop.”

“My lady… which shop are we looking for?”

“It’s a tavern with a whale on the sign…”

“That shop? It’s right in front of us.”

“What?”

I stopped and looked up.

It was true.

A sign depicting a whale playing in the sea was right in front of us.

The tavern’s lights were off, perhaps because business hours had ended.

Taverns have closing times, but information brokers have no business hours.

I didn’t hesitate and knocked loudly on the door.

“Are you awake?”

No answer.

I knocked again, harder.

The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and the door flung open roughly.

Fortunately, Butcher had pulled me back, so I didn’t hit my forehead on the door.

A disheveled man with a rough-looking face, hair sticking out in all directions as if he’d just woken up, shouted:

“Do you even know what time it is?! Business hours ended ages ago!”

Instead of apologizing, I recited the code from the original story.

“Would you care for a cup of tea?”

“What are you saying? This is a tavern, not a tea shop.”

“Alcohol or tea, they both make people intoxicated, don’t they? I’ll take black tea with hot ice.”

When I said the second code, the man realized I had come to trade information.

Scratching his head, he spoke in a slightly calmer tone:

“You’re a strange customer, making weird requests. We don’t take orders like that here.”

“Add ten spoons of salt to the flower tea.”

When I said the final code, he sighed deeply and stepped aside.

“…Didn’t expect a customer at this hour. Come inside.”

The man led us to a small room inside the tavern.

He set me at a table and prepared only our cups of tea.

The warmth of the cup spread through my hands.

Today suddenly felt long.

It was far past bedtime, and I was sleepy.

After taking a sip, the man asked:

“So, why exactly are you here at this hour?”

“I came to sell information.”

“At this hour? Must be urgent.”

“Urgent, yes. Let me be direct—don’t you want to divide up the Matek Count household?”

“Oh?”

Curiosity lit up his eyes.

“You have information that could take down the Matek Count family?”

“Yes. I hope the broker can connect me with a reliable noble.”

Though I said it vaguely, I already knew which noble the broker would connect me to: the Summerhild Duke family.

Unlike the ruined Valfruga, the Summerhilds still commanded respect across the continent and were among the Matek Count family’s biggest clients.

In the original story, the heroine learns through a secondary male lead that the family running the information broker is the Summerhild Dukes.

‘I have no intention of revealing that.’

I phrased it as hoping to be connected to a noble for that reason.

If I had requested the Duke directly, he might suspect us.

‘Anyway, all information is first reported to the Duke. If we tear apart the Matek household, the Duke benefits. Moreover, if the Matek Count deceived the Duke regarding the sword materials he supplied, he won’t let it slide.’

The man asked with curiosity:

“Sounds like you’ve uncovered something very interesting. What is it?”

“They’re tampering with the sword materials from the Matek Count family.”

“Haha. A little girl says dangerous things. This isn’t a place for false information. If you lie…”

His voice suddenly turned threatening.

“You could pay with your life. The Matek Count never forgets grudges.”

He spoke gently, as if instructing a child.

“The swords distributed by the Matek Count family are strictly monitored. You never heard the weight of a sword differ? If it had, the nobles buying them would have noticed first.”

“And if it’s not a lie?”

“Do you plan to use your Valfruga status?”

It didn’t surprise me that he knew my identity.

If he hadn’t, I’d have been disappointed in their intelligence gathering.

He lightly tapped the table.

“Bring proof. Evidence that convinces me your claim is true.”

“Proof…”

Should I reveal that I can summon a familiar?

But this was too valuable to reveal now.

This ability could cause unpredictable chaos.

Most people with such powers end up under the protection of the powerful because many covet them.

Revealing my ability now would draw too much attention from multiple nobles, and Valfruga would descend into chaos.

“You could say it’s a lie now, and I might overlook it as a childish act. I’m not a pervert who enjoys seeing a cute girl die, after all.”

He already seemed convinced I was lying.

What should I do?

Without showing Kkamang, how could I prove my words were true?

The man picked up a sugar cube and dropped it into his cup.

Plop.

The water rippled and rose.

A flash of realization struck me.

Eureka!

That was the way!

I smiled confidently.

“I can prove it.”

“How?”

“But I’ll need some materials. You can get them, right?”

Even in the late night, the man gathered all the materials I requested:

• A new sword from the Matek Count family

• A sword made entirely of a different metal from another place

• A piece of the same-weight metal

• A scale

• Three water tanks, half-filled

“You got everything. So? What’s the plan?”

I had Butcher place the metal on one side of the scale and the Matek sword on the other.

The scale wobbled for a moment, then balanced perfectly.

“Butcher, remove the metal and place the other sword on it.”

The two swords weighed exactly the same.

“See? The Matek sword’s weight hasn’t changed at all.”

The man crossed his arms, glancing skeptically.

“They just matched the weight by mixing other ore. Butcher, put the metal in the water.”

Though confused, Butcher obeyed and dropped the metal into the tank.

The water rippled and rose.

“Why…?”

“Watch carefully. Butcher, put the Matek sword into another tank.”

The water level changed differently.

I smiled.

The experiment worked.

“You’re trying to show me this proves something?”

I pointed at the tanks.

“See? The water levels are different.”

“What?”

He approached the tanks.

“When the metal went in, the water rose higher than when the sword went in.”

“That’s because it’s a sword, right? The shapes differ, so the displacement is naturally different.”

Exactly why I had requested a sword from elsewhere.

“Really? Butcher, put the other sword in the water.”

The water rippled, then calmed.

“…!”

The water level matched that of the metal.

Fortunately, the other supplier hadn’t tampered with the materials.

“…This… impossible. How do you know the water level differs by material?”

I learned that in elementary school science class.

I grinned triumphantly.

“If you don’t believe me, try it with another sword.”

“No, I believe. I just… never knew you could figure it out this way.”

He still couldn’t hide his astonishment and touched the tanks.

“I thought I was good at judging people… but looking at you makes me rethink that.”

“Then can you introduce the noble who can help take down the Matek household?”

He nodded as if entranced.

With nowhere else to go, we took the room attached to the tavern.

It would take a few days for someone from the Summerhild Duke family to arrive.

While Butcher tidied the bedding, he asked:

“My lady, how did you know that method earlier?”

“I read it in a book.”

Not exactly untrue.

I had seen it in a textbook before possessing this body.

“Must’ve been a tough book if that came up—amazing!”

“It’s not that difficult.”

“No, seriously! If not for you, we’d all be on the streets! I’m so glad you’re here! Did you figure it out back when we went to the artisan village?”

“That’s about right…”

Saying it aloud made it feel a little suspicious.

I glanced at Treon, but reading his expression was still difficult.

He quietly looked at me and said:

“…Thank you.”

Huh?

“If it weren’t for you, I… I don’t even know what would’ve happened to my family.”

Treon sincerely expressed his gratitude.

I hadn’t expected him to acknowledge me, so I was a little surprised.

“Well… just keep working this hard, and it’ll be fine.”

For the first time, Treon smiled in response.

“Yes.”

His face was battered, but the gentle smile was good to see.

The next day, after a brief rest, I was greeted by an unexpected heavyweight.