Chapter 8: The Hero’s New Job (7)

　　“Haaah…”

　　I couldn’t stop yawning, having stayed up all night reviewing the original novel’s plot and piecing the situation together. My body was stiff for the same reason, and I gently stretched to loosen up while organizing my thoughts. The Gray Company. On the surface, it was known as a maritime shipping business, but in reality, it was an organization that ruled the criminal underworld. Not only did they commit horrific crimes like human trafficking, kidnapping, and murder, but they also had a stranglehold on most of the black market.

　　And that wasn’t all. Having formed a sort of cartel with the nation’s most powerful figures, they held the power to manipulate politics and the economy from behind the scenes. Their ultimate goal was unclear, but I knew their objective.

　　To control people.

　　Their aim was to hold humanity’s fate in their hands, and to that end, they were pouring vast sums into researching ancient magic.

　　But right now, I’m the only one who knows this.

　　Most people thought the Gray Company was just a regular shipping business. Even those who knew a little more only saw them as a gang that ruled the back alleys, despite them being an evil organization that threatened this entire country.

　　In fact, they weren’t mentioned much in the novel, either. Their story only came up briefly near the end.

　　That’s why I wasn’t paying much attention to them.

　　Until I found out Sedian was involved. Why on earth would the Gray Company harass Sedian to ruin his reputation? It was something that never appeared in the original story, so I couldn’t help but wonder.

　　Should I look into it?

　　But how could I? I wasn’t the real Reina, and I had to keep my identity hidden. There was nothing I could do as a mere servant.

　　There is one way, though…

　　An idea came to mind, but I decided not to act on it just yet. I needed to give that method a little more thought. For now, I had to deal with Sedian. I threw the door open and entered his room. Sedian, who had been lying down and looking out the window, whipped his head around.

　　“Do you not know what knocking is?”

　　“I did, but you must not have heard me.”

　　The truth was, I hadn’t, but I could just insist. What was he going to do about it? I shrugged.

　　“How are you feeling today?”

　　“What about it?”

　　He still answered with his usual prickliness, but his voice seemed to have softened somewhat. I suppose he enjoyed having me by his side yesterday. He’s just a kid, I thought, trying to suppress a chuckle as I spoke again.

　　“Your body. Are you in any pain? Are you okay?”

　　“Same as always.”

　　First, I scanned Sedian’s body with my eyes. Then I snatched his hand and examined his wrist.

　　“No, it isn’t. Your skin looks a bit clearer than yesterday.”

　　“Stop touch— Hah, forget it. What’s the point of telling you?”

　　Sedian shot me a glare, his expression one of pure resignation. Figuring he wouldn’t hit a smiling face, I grinned brightly.

　　“It’s been three days since I started touching your body, my lord. How about you finally admit it? That nothing happens when someone touches you.” I continued speaking, still holding his wrist. “See? I’m perfectly fine.”

　　As I spoke, I discreetly pushed my mana into his body. The power of the curse was seething, as if ready to devour him at any moment. But it only lasted a moment; as my mana flowed into him, I felt it gradually calming. Yes, this was the right way.

　　Whether I was dispelling his curse or not, Sedian’s blank gaze remained fixed on me. Staring at me without a change in expression, he twisted his red lips and spoke.

　　“You seem fine, except for your head.”

　　“Haha. It seems your mouth is what’s hurting the most, my lord.”

　　The nerve of him. I slowly released his wrist.

　　“Anyway, I’m telling you I’m right. The previous butler died from an infection. The curse wasn’t transferred to him.”

　　“That nonsense again?”

　　“It’s not nonsense, it’s the truth. Do you have any idea how terrifying mite-borne infections are?”

　　At that, Sedian’s eyes sharpened. He turned his body completely to face me.

　　“I understand you’re saying this to reassure me, but there’s a line.”

　　“What line? What are you talking—”

　　“Just stop.”

　　Sedian swept his bangs back, his expression one of annoyance. He clicked his tongue. “Did you really think I wouldn’t see through such a lie to have you moved to a better room?”

　　“…Excuse me?”

　　“You could have just asked to be moved. Why lie?”

　　When did I ever lie?

　　“Fearlessly touching me is one thing, but do not lie.”

　　I was so dumbfounded that a dry laugh escaped me. At that, Sedian flared up again.

　　“Are you laughing while I’m talking to you?”

　　“Why are you getting on my case for laughing?”

　　“How insolent!”

　　Sedian’s face turned beet red. His eyes flew open as he started shouting at me.

　　“Lying is grounds for dismissal! And yet you laugh as if daring me to try!”

　　“I have never lied, nor have I ever thought of daring you to do so. That sounds like a persecution complex—”

　　“Get out.”

　　I barely said a word. It seemed our prickly young lord had finally exploded.

　　“I said, get out!” He threw a pillow at me, screaming at the top of his lungs. “Get the hell out!”

　　Darn. His good mood couldn’t even last an hour. I shook my head and left.

　　“I’ll bring dinner later,” I called out in a sing-song voice.

　　“Don’t come back!”

　　I was still coming back, of course. I had to treat him again. I ignored the shouts from behind me and exited the room.

* * *

　　There was just one problem.

　　“What should we do? The ingredients must have all spoiled because of the heat today,” Daisy said.

　　All the ingredients prepared in the kitchen had gone bad. How was that possible? What was the chef doing? I glanced at him, who was standing a short distance away with his hands clasped behind his back, looking all high and mighty.

　　“What have you been doing?”

　　He turned to look at me. His graying beard and unkempt hair made him look twice his age.

　　“Are you speaking to me?”

　　“Who else would I be speaking to?”

　　“Ahem.”

　　The chef let out a dry cough and slightly avoided my gaze. It was obvious he was hiding something. I deliberately scowled and opened the ingredient storage box. Just as I expected, it was a mess.

　　“Ice is essential for transporting ingredients on a summer day, but there’s no ice in this box. Not even a trace of it having melted.”

　　“The wholesaler must have forgotten.”

　　“Merchants make such a rookie mistake?”

　　That’s ridiculous. Ice was expensive, especially in a hot summer like this one. It was indispensable for transporting ingredients without them spoiling. That also made ice a prime target for skimming. In other words, the state of this ingredient box, which showed not a single trace of ice, led me to one conclusion: the chef had pocketed the money for it.

　　This bastard.

　　How dare he pull this kind of crap in a mansion under my management? Besides, no matter how neglected he was due to the curse, Sedian was a growing boy who needed to eat well. And this man was playing games with his food? I suppressed my rising anger and continued my train of thought.

　　But I have no proof.

　　So I couldn’t fire the chef right this instant.

　　Proof…

　　I just had to find it. And if there were none, I’d just have to create some. I glared at the chef with wide eyes.

　　“Ahem!”

　　Perhaps feeling guilty, the man coughed again and turned his head away completely.

　　“Whatever. We’ll have soup for dinner tonight. Lord Sedian is weak anyway, so he can’t eat much.”

　　“His lordship is not sick, he is cursed.”

　　“Isn’t that the same thing?”

　　“You shouldn’t serve a patient’s meal to someone who isn’t a patient. His lordship can eat anything others eat.”

　　“I don’t know about that. From what I’ve seen, he’s no different from a patient.”

　　I took a deep breath. Come to think of it, when I first arrived, Sedian threw a fit over the food. He’d yelled something about how they could serve him this crap when he wasn’t even sick. What he threw back then was a thin, watery soup. If they kept serving him tasteless soup for every meal…

　　It’s no wonder our prickly young lord gets so angry.

　　Skimming money for ice, not cooking properly, and serving inadequate meals… The reasons to get rid of the chef just kept piling up.

　　I clicked my tongue and spoke to Daisy, “For now, I’ll go down to the village and buy some food.”

　　“Ah, w-will you?”

　　“Yes. Please tell his lordship to wait just a little longer.”

　　Then I looked back at the chef. The friends I made right after I was transmigrated once told me something. The way to deal with crooked people…

　　“Chef. If what happened today was because of someone’s greed…”

　　…is with your fists. I cracked my knuckles, and my eyes flashed.

　　“You’d better be prepared.”