Chapter 52 - Eldrin

Chapter 52 - Eldrin

After stepping outside with Liselotte by his side, Paul saw a figure approaching from the distance. As the figure became clearer, Paul recognized them and raised his hand, waving in greeting.

“Hi, Eldrin… You came in person? I thought you’d send someone else,” Paul said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Eldrin stopped a few steps away and gave a sharp salute. “Prince,” he replied respectfully.

Paul returned the nod, acknowledging the formality.

Eldrin continued, his tone serious, “Since this is the Queen’s private residence—and it’s well hidden—I thought it best to come myself. It’s important to maintain secrecy.”

Paul nodded in understanding. “I see… makes sense.” He glanced briefly past Eldrin and noticed several horse-drawn carriages partially concealed in the brush. Turning his attention back to Eldrin, Paul asked, “So… is that all for today?”

Hearing that, Eldrin followed Paul’s gaze toward the carriages and said, “It looks like only half of the delivery has arrived.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a folder, flipping through its contents. “They mentioned the rest will be brought in the afternoon,” he added confidently, handing the document to Paul.

Paul took the folder and carefully reviewed each page. After a moment, he gave a small nod. “Everything seems in order… You’ve checked it?”

Eldrin nodded firmly. “Yes, I went through each item personally. There doesn’t appear to be any issues.”

Satisfied, Paul closed the folder and turned to Liselotte. “Liselotte, head to Gunther. Have his men move all the materials into the warehouse. Then, separate every five items and deliver them directly to me,” he instructed in a serious tone.

Lowering her head respectfully, Liselotte replied, “Yes, Prince,” before disappearing into the forest path toward the garrison.

As she left, Paul shifted his gaze back to Eldrin. “Nothing else for now?”

Eldrin hesitated for a moment, then said, “Actually, Prince…” His tone turned a bit sheepish. “I think I’ll head straight back to the inn. There aren’t many people watching over it right now.”

Paul let out a small sigh but nodded with understanding. “Alright. Take care of yourself.”

With a grateful expression, Eldrin gave a crisp butler’s salute. “Of course, Prince. Thank you. I’ll take my leave.”

Paul gave a final nod, watching as Eldrin made his way down the forest path toward the city.

After re-entering the house, Paul opened his mouth to call out, “Renya, you” but stopped short as he saw her and Liora sitting quietly with the Magic Illusion No.1 device, closely watched over by Alice.

Hearing Paul's voice, Alice turned and said, “Prince, they’re still inside…” She glanced toward Renya, who remained seated in the trance-like state induced by the device, her expression calm.

Seeing Alice’s subtle question in her eyes—whether she should interrupt them—Paul raised a hand gently and replied, “Don’t. Let them be.” His tone was calm, almost thoughtful.

He walked past them and headed to the living room, settling into a chair. Pulling out a pen, paper, and a bottle of ink, he began sketching quietly, muttering to himself, “The length needs to exceed 60 meters… and the width at least 1,200 meters…” His hand moved steadily as he outlined the structure of the runway and marked the location of a future control tower.

Roughly two hours passed before Paul finally leaned back and said, “Done—”

Just then, Liselotte entered the room carrying several items. “Prince, these are everything you requested,” she said, placing a set of components on the nearby table.

Paul leaned forward, inspecting each piece carefully. There were five in total, each one distinct. He examined the craftsmanship with a sharp eye. “They’re all in good condition... but,” he paused, noticing a slight misalignment in one of the parts. With a sigh, he muttered, “Looks like we’ll have to manufacture the components ourselves after all.”

A familiar voice cut through the air. “Of course. True quality comes from the hands of experts,” Renya said coolly as she entered the room.

Paul turned sharply. “You—” But before he could finish, his eyes fell on the elegant necklace adorning Liora’s neck.

He froze.

His voice turned sharp. “Renya... what are you doing? Why is the Countess’s daughter wearing a slave-rune necklace?”

Liora, realizing what she was wearing, looked slightly startled, her face showing panic. Her hand reached up toward the necklace, but stopped when Renya calmly extended her hand and gently placed it on the girl’s shoulder.

“It’s not a slave collar,” Renya said firmly, meeting Paul’s eyes. “It just uses the same runic framework. Think of it more like... training gear.”

Paul’s expression darkened. “But still—”

Before he could continue, Renya raised a hand and said, “Look.” She turned to Liora and asked with a sly smile, “Hey, Princess… should I take the necklace off?”

Liora blinked, about to nod.

“But,” Renya added quickly, eyes glinting with mischief, “this one’s a limited edition. There aren’t many left. It’s quite rare.”

Hearing that, Liora’s eyes widened. Her hesitant nod turned into a rapid shake.
“N-No… it’s okay! It’s really pretty…” she said, forcing a smile—though the slight quiver in her voice gave away her inner discomfort.

Seeing that, Paul let out a sigh and slapped his forehead. “Whatever…” he muttered, rubbing his temple before turning his attention to Renya.
“Tonight,” he began, his tone more serious, “after you take Liora home, head to the Adventurer Guild’s archive room. Look for the addresses listed in this document, and visit each of them one by one to verify the details. Understand?”

He pulled out a folded document and handed it to Renya.

Renya accepted it and glanced through the pages. "I see?" she murmured, nodding before looking up with a furrowed brow.
"Are they all staying in private residences? And are all of them listed in this record?"
Paul shook his head slightly. "Not all of them, but they’re all suspicious. I just want to be sure."

Paul shook his head slightly. “Not all, but they’re all suspicious. I want to be sure.”

With that, he grabbed the spatial bag, opened it, and began pulling out several mini microphone devices along with small mana batteries. After inserting a battery into each device and briefly testing their functionality, he packed everything back into the bag and tossed it to Renya.

Renya caught it in one hand with ease.

“As usual,” Paul said, leaning back slightly with a calm expression, “place the mics. Be careful. Some people might look innocent, but… let’s make sure first.”
Renya nodded with quiet, steady confidence. “Understood.”