Duke Echerzen seemed to be irritated by Rosрa’s consistent attitude of indifference, but he did nothing against her. He just calmly tried to detect even the slightest tremor in her eyes. However, she, who had lied more than once in her 18 years, didn’t show any noticeable signs.

Cedric intervened in the situation.

“Rosha, you should go up to your room now. You haven’t fully recovered yet. The Duke said he has something to discuss with me, so let’s go to the library together.”

Although he was the one who brought the Duke, Cedric seemed to not want any connection to form between the Duke and Rosha.

‘But… a connection has already been made.’

She could tell by the way he looked at her, recognizing her true identity.

Rosha, who stepped out into the hallway, walked heavily. This was the biggest crisis since her return!

‘What if he talks about our encounter in the cave?’

Hmm, no. Since the Duke was secretly trying to steal a sacred relic from this territory, he probably wouldn’t bring that up.

However, a fundamental question arose at this point.

Were Cedric and the Duke close enough for the Duke to come into our house in the first place?

“Why is that guy who attacked you here? Are you two close?”

Koko, having checked the surroundings and climbed onto her shoulder, asked the same question.

“No way. We met a few times at the Imperial Academy, but we’re not close. Cedric actually warned me to be careful around the Duke.”

“Huh, then why did he bring him? That’s suspicious…”

After thinking for a moment, the bird pinpointed the main issue.

“Doesn’t the eldest son of this house know something? Like the Necklace of Suggestion, or the existence of special abilities?”

“Umm…”

It seemed too coincidental to simply deny.

Although she didn’t want to doubt Cedric, all the circumstances indicated something suspicious about him.

“Ugh, this is unsettling. I initially just wanted to check on your uncle, but now we might have to look into the eldest son too.”

“…Okay, that sounds better. You’re going to check on my uncle, right?”

“Ahem! He’s probably outside by now. It’s better for me to go since I can observe more discreetly than you can. I’m definitely NOT going to absorb any magic power!”

“That seems…”

“No!”

As he vehemently denied, Koko nibbled on some herbs he brought and flew out the window with great effort.

She could sense his determination to obtain some magical energy, but since Koko had a point about being better at eavesdropping, she decided to just let him go.

Rosha headed for the third floor where Cedric’s library was.

The door to the library was too thick to overhear, but she had a plan.

‘I need to go to Grandfather’s room.’

The current head of the Aper House, her grandfather, MacLennan Aper, had been in a comatose state for several years, clinging to life with the help of his physician. His room was right next door.

Originally, the library that Cedric used as acting head was Grandfather’s library. Before that, it belonged to her father.

‘Grandfather… I’ll greet you later.’

After briefly glancing at the old man lying peacefully on the bed, Rosha opened the terrace door and stealthily moved to the adjacent terrace, pressing herself against the wall near the window.

‘I’ve come this far… I hope I can hear them.’

She put her ear to the crack of the window without drawing attention.

“…came all the way here…”

Oh, it was slightly cut off, but she could hear bits and pieces.

Focusing more, clearer voices reached her ears.

“…I appreciate the Duke for preventing the Marquis’ scheme. But why do you insist on talking with Rosha?”

…What?

‘He wants to talk with me?’

The conversation left her breathless. It was evident from the words that Duke Echerzen’s target was the woman who took the relic in front of him!

“I thought when you said you were interested in her, you weren’t serious… Were you?”

Thankfully, Cedric’s voice was quite cold, reflecting his usual cautious attitude towards the Duke.

Soon after, the indifferent voice of the Duke responded.

“Impossible. Although the Count and I are alumni of the academy, it’s burdensome to meet like this. The Count is a popular imperial assistant and the emperor’s eye overseeing the west of the Empire, and I’m not on good terms with the imperial family.”

“…”

“So, it was just a brief curiosity towards the young lady, just for appearances.”

“But why such a request…?”

“I have something to ask the lady. It’s nothing special.”

It’s not nothing! That’s the main point!

Moreover, how eloquently he speaks, Cedric seemed half-convinced.

Rosha suppressed the urge to grab the back of his neck and waited for Cedric’s answer.

And finally.

“…I can’t arrange the meeting.”

Of course!

“But I won’t interfere if you meet in secret.”

No, brother!

She peeped through the window. They were standing apart as if to prove they weren’t close, exchanging a promise not to harm her.

Feeling the gaze, the Duke turned his head, and Rosha quickly pulled her head back.

‘Damn, I should be careful for a while now.’

She thought she should avoid meeting the Duke as much as possible while being with other people.

Anyway.

‘It seems like you already know some of the Marquis’s plans. Thanks for blocking it.’

Unusual parts such as the Necklace of Suggestion and the existence of some unusual powers. Indeed, Cedric seemed to know a bit.

Her speculation was confirmed by the subsequent conversation. The Duke spoke as if doing a favor.

“I noticed some strange phenomena in the territory. It’s about half a day to the southwest from here. You should know.”

“A strange phenomenon?”

“The omen mentioned in the prophecy. A crack slowly forming in the air.”

A prophecy? She felt the need to look into it.

A crack in the air?

‘Does it mean a ‘rift’?’

A rift, a phenomenon in which the enormous amount of magical power of the trial was unable to withstand its own weight and was pushed into this world. Sometimes, unluckily, one or two demon beasts would pop out.

The problem is that this rift is a sign of a major trial ahead.

‘What’s coming in this trial that’s so enormous…?’

Then.

Ding!

[Anomaly Detected: You’ve heard news of a ‘rift’ near your residence. Unfortunately, monsters are expected to emerge from this rift in three days. Shouldn’t you close the rift for your territory’s sake?]

Time left: 2 days 23 hours

Reward: Survival, Territory safety

*Due to hard mode, you will die if you fail the quest.

Shocked, Rosha gasped at the sudden blue window.

Monsters? The first trial hasn’t even started yet, and monsters are emerging?

But there was no time to dwell on the content.

“…Wait.”

Sensing her unrest, Cedric abruptly stopped speaking!

Feeling the urgency, Rosha quickly dashed to the side terrace.

It was a close call.

But fortunately, a colleague appeared to help her out.

Flap!

A splendidly flying Koko landed on the terrace railing, busily preening his shiny feathers.

“…What was that bird?”

While Cedric muttered, Rosha safely entered her grandfather’s room, leaving the terrace door slightly ajar.

‘Whew… That was close.’

As she caught her breath and looked up, she saw a frail old man lying in bed.