The sound of the distant zephyr blended surprisingly well with the relaxing conversation between Clara and Margareth.

If I didn't know any better, I might've suspected they've known each other their whole life or something.

We were waiting for Trodin before the Council took place.

Then again, he appeared only minutes later. Escorted by one of the Shadows, Trodin entered the room with his towering build and sat beside Margareth.

"Let's begin," I said to Renata.

"Yes, Milord...All of us gathered here have received the report regarding our mission to find the dwarf known as Helios, and we have come to know that he is currently being kept somewhere in the royal capital...Today, the Council will discuss and decide the best step the House must take since securing the target has become our priority." Explained Renata.

"Merchant and I have figured out who might have our guy. But he might be another problem for us. That someone is Marquess Berthold De Pearl." Added Clara right after Renata finished.

'A Marquess?' I pondered.

"Marquess Pearl is a noble known for his brutality as a businessman." Sensing the detached feeling coming from me, Margaret stepped in to elaborate on the details.

"His business practice is to find small businesses with good potential and swallow them for himself. Then, he would polish it before attaching his name to it. Most of the time, the owners will be delighted to hand over their business since Marquess Pearl always offered them to keep being in charge of their business in return for a salary."

"Are the pay good?" I asked.

"Yes, they are, but most of all, it offers them stability. For those who care more about putting food on the table for their whole family, Marquess Pearl's deal is like a bundle of luck that falls from the sky." Explained Margareth.

I tapped the desk. "Then what about them who refuse his offer?"

"Nothing good. The best scenario would be if they get their business forcefully snatched anyway. As for the worst..." Her words grind to a halt.

"Disappear without a trace...I picked up a commission from him some years ago. A meticulous rat, that Pearl." Added Renata calmly.

I could see the tension rising from Trodin's side.

"...What's his deal?" I shifted the topic.

"Apparently, he has the backing of the Queen Dowager herself." Quipped Margareth.

"If that is true, that can explain why the knave can afford to pull his weight around so much." Mocked Clara sultry.

"Are they related?" I asked.

"They indeed have some connection between them, but they did not share the same blood, Milord." Uttered Renata.

A light chuckle suddenly escaped Clara's lips, stealing our attention. "Hoo~ How are you so sure they know each other? Let me guess...A commission again?"

"Is that supposed to mean something, Spy?" Countered Renata.

"Nu-uh. I'm just amazed at how deep and fun your past is."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"For god's sake, can we at least have one good talk without trying to stir up trouble?" Barked me, a little annoyed. 'These bastards like people, man...Seriously!'

"Ha~ No fun..." Mumbled Clara softly.

Margareth, who decided it was time to move on, began again. "...His influence aside, Marquess Pearl is a man of great focus. He is someone who sets his priorities straight when he decides to act...A week ago, I decided to hire mercenaries to fill in the missing place the Shadows left behind, and to my surprise, most of them are out of commission since they are taking the job from Marquess Pearl.

"The date matches, and I've confirmed that the old man had hired the mercenaries not only from the capital, such as the Silver Wolf and also The Red Brigands...But before we get to that, don't ya'll get the feeling that we're looking at this whole thing from the wrong angle?" Asked Clara playfully.

"He's not being treated like a slave..." Joined Renata carefully.

Snap!

Clara slapped the table and raised her voice. "Bingo! Think about it. All these precautions are far too much for a single dwarven slave. We're missing something here. And depending on what that is, we might have an easier time finding a clue to where this Helios is."

"...Spy. Didn't you state in your report that Helios was also known as an Exorcist?" Trodin, who had been listening from the start, finally opened his mouth for the first time today.

"Yeah? And?" Sounded Clara, doubtful.

He appeared hesitant, but thanks to the intrigued look from us all, Trodin kept on going.

"I met him once. A couple of years ago. Back then, the Marquess was looking for a healer to cure his son, but an acquaintance of mine told me that Marquess Pearl's son was cursed. Not sick. This is but a rumor, so I was rather reluctant to share it..." Reasoned Trodin.

'Huh...?' It felt like I was about to grasp onto something, yet it had slipped away from my grip at the last second.

"Cursed? That seems unlikely, isn't it? I've seen the boy. He is healthy and well, as a matter of fact. Maybe not his son..." Replied Margareth in disbelief.

"The first thing that crossed my mind when we found out that it was Marquess Pearl who took the dwarf was also whether any of his family members were sick, but we found nothing. And yes, the boy is fit as a fiddle." Chimed Clara cordially.

"...You said you met him some years ago. Just how long ago was that exactly?" Unlike the two, Renata chose to pry further at Trodin's statement.

'The hell is this gnawing feeling...' Honestly, it bugged the hell out of me.

"Eight years ago." Remarked Trodin.

"Eight years? Fucking hell, the one I've seen is barely five...Did he have two sons? Then that changes things. We need to figure out whether he fathered two brats or not. Assassin, lend me five Elites, and I'll be back with all the facts before this weekend." Declared Clara spiritedly.

"Calm down, Spy. There's a faster way to do that." I waved her off.

"Oho~ How?" Chuckled Clara impishly.

Ignoring the sharp pressure between Clara and Renata, who glared murder at the former, I closed my eyes and focused my mind.

'Does the Marquess De Pearl have two sons?'

And surprise, surprise, the faster way was none other than by divining the answer through word magic. Fortunately, there was no disturbance this time.

A huge chunk of mana disappeared from my mana pool. It was so sudden with too much of an impact, and so I had failed to conceal the magical aura that escaped from my body.

As a result, everyone in the room, no, everyone within a certain radius with a good sense to feel mana, could tell the vast and sudden outburst of mana that came out from me.

Specifically speaking, Renata and Clara...The two flinched in surprise before casting a questioning look at me, each with their own thoughts. And even Margareth seemed to realize that I just did something despite her lack of talent in sensing mana.

"Milord...?" Queried Renata cautiously.

I felt the world shook a little, but nothing too serious. "I'm fine...So, yeah...That Marquess does have two sons, it seems."

"Are they sick...?" Asked Margareth softly.

'...Fuck, I forgot about that...What a fucking idiot...Are they sick- No...Not that one...' This time, I went with my guts. 'Do any of them cursed?'

A similar process repeated once again. Only this time, I was more prepared to deal with the outburst of mana.

I fixed my posture and calmed my ragged breathing, scanning my comrades inside the room. "Better yet, Merchant...It seems that Trodin is right on this one. One of them is indeed cursed..."