Chapter 111
“Uh—”
“Careful there.”
He whispered as he steadied me when I lost my balance for a moment. I smiled awkwardly and gently shrugged off his hand.
“What brings you here…?”
“I came to discuss something with Miss Dahlia.”
“Discuss… with Dahlia?”
What could a Public Security investigator possibly need to discuss with Dahlia? Could it be that the issue from the previous possession suspicion hasn’t been fully resolved?
I asked just in case, but Ren gave a refreshingly straightforward denial.
“No, there won’t be any further investigation regarding that matter for Miss Dahlia.”
“Then why—”
“It’s personal, so I’ll keep it confidential.”
“……”
I glanced at Dahlia, hoping I might get a hint from her, but all I saw was a five-year-old girl completely absorbed in a sugar cookie. I quickly gave up that idea and turned back to Ren.
“Would you care for a short walk with me?”
A deep smile appeared on his lips.
“It would be my honor.”
Without even taking off my coat, we stepped out. I was leading him outside, yet I couldn’t manage a single word until we reached the courtyard. My mind tangled itself with unnecessary thoughts until I had no clue what to say.
As our silent, peculiar walk dragged on, it was he who finally broke the quiet.
“Are the injuries from last time all right now?”
“Huh? Ah… I received healing magic, so I recovered immediately.”
Since he brought up the topic first, I could decide how to respond. Naturally, the most appropriate thing to say was:
“Thank you for saving me back then. Somehow, I keep ending up in your debt.”
It was a simple expression of gratitude. After all, he had repeatedly rescued me from danger. Ren chuckled and shook his head.
“As head of the Public Security, it was simply my duty. Meeting you repeatedly is a fortunate coincidence, though.”
As the male lead, his repeated appearances in key chapters wouldn’t be strange at all—but by ordinary standards, it would seem like an uncanny string of coincidences.
“By the way, do you normally carry holy water?”
“Pardon?”
“It must have been difficult to acquire.”
The topic of the holy water, which I had completely forgotten, came up. I hadn’t yet explained why I brought it to the party. It almost seemed like I had anticipated the Count being a high-level evil spirit in advance.
Moreover, holy water is nearly impossible to obtain without considerable money and connections. I had to explain carefully to avoid any suspicion pointing at Bali, who had procured it for me.
“It’s a rare item, yes. I sold some jewelry to obtain it. I’ve been seeing evil spirits frequently, so I became cautious… even seeing things in the orphanage…”
If he wanted, he could investigate whether I had genuinely donated money at the temple to obtain the holy water—but I doubted he would. Someone unlucky enough to encounter evil spirits three times in just a few months wouldn’t bat an eye at summoning a ritual if needed.
“I brought it just in case, though I didn’t expect to actually use it. Isn’t it funny how unlucky things can get?”
Feigning casual cheerfulness, I hid my anxious thoughts. Thankfully, he seemed to believe me.
“It’s rare, but don’t worry too much. I’ll keep a closer eye on things.”
“Yes?”
His words were slightly unsettling.
“By keeping an eye on things, do you mean increasing patrols?”
Patrolling isn’t the investigator’s role, but I let it pass. As a member of the Public Security, he was in a position to issue such a command.
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