I Don’t Run a Romance Horror Consultation Office
CHAPTER 39………………………………………..
“Are you still insisting we’re friends?”
Unless someone was completely oblivious, they would notice the affection just from Irenes’ gaze.
Especially if she was staring at someone so openly, with no intention of hiding it.
“Why on earth hasn’t he proposed yet?”
They looked like a couple you could easily believe were dating if a stranger said so.
Direna, who had been momentarily dumbfounded, soon hurried on.
Other people’s love affairs aside, her own family matters were more urgent at the moment.
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
Three days had passed since the ball.
Since arriving in this territory, Laseil had been experiencing the busiest period of his life.
If anything, it was a relief that things were finally starting to wrap up.
“Did you hear something?”
Coming to see Elrut out of the blue today was part of that.
“Heard something? I don’t think so… Want some candy? Come by more often. It’s nice to see you in one piece for once.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Should I guess? You came because you wanted to hear something, right?”
“I already told you.”
“Hmm.”
Elrut hesitated for a moment, then continued speaking.
“Curses seem to be in fashion these days.”
“…Fashionable?”
Laseil paused, questioning his ears. That wasn’t the sort of thing that would just casually come up in conversation.
“It’s happened before from time to time. It’s just worse than usual recently.”
Elrut, the one who brought it up, looked surprisingly calm.
Before Laseil could gather the courage to ask for details, an explanation followed.
“Well, you know how often nobles fight among themselves.”
The “curse” was just one part of these disputes.
Whether effective or not, it at least irritated the other person.
“If someone leaves behind something strange, it’s annoying, right?”
Even more so if the object was particularly unpleasant.
“Something like that is happening.”
Laseil frowned, reviewing Elrut’s words once more.
No matter how he thought about it, what she said sounded strange.
It almost sounded like someone had deliberately buried a corpse and left it there.
“…Why our territory of all places?”
“The lord will investigate that. I don’t know everything.”
It seemed the investigation into this incident would take a long time.
Asking Elrut further wouldn’t likely yield useful information.
Laseil, still pondering, changed the subject.
“You seem to know something strange.”
“Strange?”
“Where did you hear that her bloodline is impure? From Risena?”
“Ah-ha.”
Elrut smiled brightly.
“Did you know? Risena ran a teahouse that doubled as a pharmacy.”
“……?”
“Many people preferred pharmacies because it’s embarrassing to get things like contraceptives directly from a physician.”
“Usually, wouldn’t they just have a servant do it?”
“You’re still naive!”
Elrut laughed heartily.
“Rumors travel fast among servants. They all know better, so they keep their mouths shut and go themselves.”
‘That seems about right.’
Looking back, scandals about nobles usually started from the mouths of servants.
“Or sometimes like this.”
Secret lovers often tried to prove their affection.
So sometimes they would say to their partner:
“If you truly love me, go get the medicine yourself. No one’s watching, right?”
Most nobles would quickly give in after a few persuasive words.
Most of them were so enamored with the idea of “my burning love” that they fell for it.
Thanks to that, Risena inadvertently gathered a lot of information—like noble relationships, or even someone’s real parentage…
Laseil stopped her there and asked again.
“You got contraceptives, but she ended up pregnant?”
“Some came after they were already pregnant. Well, she also sold medicine for morning sickness.”
Even in that case, information flowed to Risena.
Just like before, nobles came personally to show their sincerity.
“Didn’t she worry the rumors might spread to Risena?”
“She kept her mouth shut. Risena guided the situation well too.”
Hearing this, Risena sounded like a formidable person.
She had gathered that much information in such a short time in the capital.
“Are you leaving now?”
Since no more information seemed forthcoming, Laseil quietly stood up.
He had many matters waiting beside Yujire once he returned.
“So, what’s going on with the knight you used to travel with?”
Elrut, however, seemed bored with the conversation partner disappearing.
The sudden question made Laseil frown in confusion.
“Sir Sieren? Or Luzea?”
He had been traveling more with Irenes recently, so that seemed more likely.
“Any progress?”
“What progress? Swordsmanship?”
Laseil blinked in confusion.
He thought she meant improvement from dueling, but the mood felt… off.
‘Are we talking about love?’
Come to think of it, he had heard that Irenes seemed to like Yujire.
“Try hard. Looks like pure, unrequited love. I could tell from the rumors alone. You must be really oblivious.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“See? You do this again.”
Elrut laughed heartily again before finally letting Laseil leave.
‘What on earth are they talking about?’
Laseil remained puzzled, but Elrut showed no intention of explaining.
He had no choice but to leave the pawnshop in a daze.
‘Then first… check the documents the young lady prepared.’
As he reviewed his next tasks, Laseil began walking slowly.
‘…By the way, does Sir Sieren still like her?’
A small doubt arose, though he couldn’t understand why.
He tried to ignore it but couldn’t completely erase it from his mind.
“Where… did she say to go again?”
Irenes traced her memory as she walked slowly.
The forest seemed to grow gloomier every time she came.
And the warnings seemed to change each time as well.
‘Can others not see this?’
Irenes stood in front of a wooden sign, deep in thought.
She had never heard of anything related to this sign before.
‘Sir Jaen never mentioned it either.’
It all seemed suspicious.
Irenes sighed softly and began reading the sign carefully.
Since the content changed each time, memorizing it beforehand was useless.
0. This is a guide for entering the “Black Forest.” Please read it carefully and do not ignore it. We want to help you.
- Once inside the forest, do not turn your head. Especially if you feel someone watching you from behind.
- Any presence inside the forest is likely an illusion. Even if it seems real, do not investigate.
- If you hear a sound like a bird flying, immediately find a place to hide.
Birds do not live here, nor do they make such loud noises. - Do not approach huts. There’s nothing good to see up close.
- Whatever you came to find in this forest, do not stay longer than an hour.
- Dear ■■, it seems our plan has failed.
- No beasts live inside the Black Forest. If you hear animal cries, leave immediately.
- Only fragments remain.
- We welcome you. Leave immediately.
- We hope you have a pleasant time.
Irenes sighed as she looked at the strange sign.
This was the first time she had seen a sign with such bizarre instructions.
‘What exactly am I supposed to do?’
The more she read, the more she wondered why the townspeople would even enter this forest.
She also felt an urge to turn back immediately.
‘I can’t do that, though.’
Investigating the forest was her duty.
She couldn’t just run away under the name of a knight.
Taking a deep breath again, Irenes finally stepped into the forest.
