Chapter 24
“Something just occurred to me. You said this before, didn’t you? That there’s a rumor going around that the people of the territory are raising baby magical beasts. Doesn’t it seem strange that only baby magical beasts would cross over from the Demon Realm? Is that even possible unless someone did it on purpose?”
At Violette’s unusually serious tone, Narcía nodded. As if recalling something, he pulled a letter from inside his coat and handed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a reply from the Mage Tower. Their conclusion is that there haven’t been any newly discovered rifts recently. Like you said, there are a lot of suspicious points. It definitely seems like something that needs deeper investigation. First, we need to figure out the cause. If we send the magical beasts back before things get any bigger, we should be able to contain the situation somehow.”
“Send them back to the Demon Realm? Even Spotty?”
At the mention of sending Spotty back, Violette looked visibly disappointed, but Narcía shrugged as if it couldn’t be helped.
“We can’t keep living with magical beasts forever. And if it turns out that someone in the territory really is raising magical beasts, this could become a much more serious problem than you think. If we’re lucky, they might grow up attached to humans like Spotty, but chances are much higher that they’ll grow into ordinary magical beasts.”
“I guess that’s true. Then I should play with Spotty as much as I can until then.”
Violette gently stroked Spotty’s head as he smiled brightly, completely unaware of what they were talking about. At that moment, Narcía—who had been gathering up the luggage they’d brought—asked her,
“Speaking of which, the place where you picked up Spotty’s egg—can you tell me exactly where it was? I want to start by checking that location.”
“Huh?”
At Narcía’s sudden question, Violette froze like a statue. She forced an awkward smile and avoided his gaze. Sensing something strange, Narcía raised one eyebrow.
“Why are you making that weird face again? I asked where you got Spotty.”
“W-Well… I’m not really sure. I think it was somewhere in the forest behind the territory… maybe?”
Unfortunately, Violette was terrible at lying. Her eyes slowly drifted to the left—an expression she always made whenever she’d messed up. Watching her, Narcía rubbed his face with one hand.
“Violette, every time you make that face, I feel like crying.”
“Haha…”
Realizing that adding more lies would be pointless, Violette hesitated, then slowly opened her mouth.
“Actually…”
* * *
That evening, the carriage carrying Narcía and Violette came to a stop near the center of Navian Territory. Violette stumbled down from the carriage, her face noticeably paler after enduring Narcía’s nonstop scolding the entire ride. Even then, he still seemed far from calm as he glared at her.
“Seriously, the more I think about it, the more ridiculous this is. How could you lie about something like that?”
“I’m sorry…”
Narcía clenched his teeth, biting down hard on his lip. More than anything, he seemed angry that Violette had lied to him. After all, lying meant she’d broken the terms of the written pledge they’d made together. Running a hand over his face, Narcía stopped her and spoke in a grave voice.
“Violette, never lie to me again. When things like this pile up, trust breaks down—and once trust is gone, our relationship can’t continue.”
“Mm…”
Though his tone sounded harsh, it was clear that hurt and disappointment outweighed his anger. Only then did Violette realize she’d taken her promise to him far too lightly.
The reason she’d lied was simple: she didn’t want to be nagged for frequenting a game hall. Even back when she lived at the Rascal Marquisate, she’d often done small things behind her father’s back. Little lies like this had become second nature to her.
They weren’t born of malice—just a desire to avoid hassle or discomfort. And it was also her first time seeing someone so genuinely hurt by her lies. Maybe because she already felt guilty about many things, she felt especially remorseful toward Narcía.
“Is this the place?”
The spot where they’d stopped was the very game hall Violette had visited not long ago. Perhaps because it was late evening, a loud, bustling din rose up from underground.
With their faces hidden beneath their cloaks’ hoods, the two descended the stairs. Unlike Violette, who remained composed, Narcía looked slightly tense. Ironically, Narcía Kegriner—the owner of the empire’s greatest casino, Golginas—harbored a deep aversion to games and gambling.
“It’s not that strange of a place. It’s bright, the atmosphere’s lively, and the people are nice.”
“Sure they are.”
“I’m serious. It’s noisier than Golginas, but it’s really not a bad place.”
To be fair, Violette herself had once held a negative prejudice against unlicensed private game halls, so she understood his reaction. However, when she’d visited before, she’d realized her worries were unfounded.
The games were nothing more than harmless amusements like dice or darts. Money or chips didn’t directly exchange hands—points were simply converted into prizes. Among questionable places, this was practically the most wholesome. Having already experienced it once, Violette rambled on, trying to reassure him.
“Ah…”
But the moment she stepped inside, Violette’s face stiffened in shock. Unlike before, the atmosphere was gloomy and oppressive. The lively, wholesome mood she remembered was gone. Instead, men sat at tables playing cards, puffing heavily on cigarettes.
The thick haze of smoke made Narcía frown, coughing quietly. Violette’s lengthy explanation about it being a wholesome place for commoners to relax instantly lost all credibility.
“It… it wasn’t like this before. That’s strange.”
No matter how much she tried to explain, Narcía didn’t respond. Panicking, Violette hurriedly looked for a staff member.
“I’d like to speak with the owner, please.”
“Huh?”
She stopped a passing employee and asked bluntly. Startled, the man slowly scanned her from head to toe. A slender frame, a strangely familiar voice—and a glimpse of violet hair slipping out from beneath her hood. His face drained of color.
‘Th-That woman is definitely…’
Though it had been weeks ago, he remembered that day vividly. The tenth-anniversary event—when a woman had suddenly appeared, swept every game, and downed twenty mugs of ale. Even with her hood pulled low, that sharp jawline and voice unmistakably belonged to that strange woman.
Realizing it was Violette, the man curled his lips into a leering smile. Contrary to what she believed, this place was far darker than it appeared. Most patrons were criminals or rough mercenaries, and many were addicted to gambling or alcohol.
‘After all the effort we put into that event…’
The tenth-anniversary event had been designed to lure in innocent, ordinary people and drag them into this world. The owner regularly rigged such events to draw in new victims.
Unbeknownst to Violette, half the customers that day had been shills hired by the establishment. Worse still, the contracts signed to receive prizes included a poisonous clause converting one thousand gold into house coins. Those who signed without knowing were effectively trapped in the game hall.
Violette—who’d taken first prize—was their biggest target. But by sheer luck, she hadn’t signed that contract. When she rang the golden bell, over fifty mugs of ale were ordered at once. While the staff scrambled in chaos, she calmly collected her prize and left.
‘Still, this works out nicely. To think she’d walk back in here on her own.’
The staff had chased after her too late, unable to catch up to the carriage she’d boarded. The hall had suffered enormous losses because of her. They searched the city for days but eventually had to give up.
“So… what business do you have with the owner…?”
“I have a few questions. About the magical beast egg I won back then.”
“Oh, I see. The owner stepped out briefly. He should be back soon, so would you mind waiting inside? I’ll guide you.”
“Really? We could just wait while playing a game.”
“No! I’ll take you to a room!”
“Alright.”
Without any suspicion, Violette followed him. The man led them deep into the establishment, to a small room tucked away inside. Inside were nothing but an old chair and a single table. Once the man left and shut the door behind him, Violette plopped down onto the lone sofa, wearing a blank expression.
