Chapter 37

“You sure this is the place?” Leyla asked, looking up at the mansion.

John nodded. “We tried walking around it, remember?”

Regardless of where they go, the key would always point here.

This would be tough.

Considering the kind of person the count is, John doubted they could just walk in and politely ask for the chair.

“Should we even try asking?”

“We definitely should… Probably.”

There was a tiny chance that the count might let them purchase the chair from him. Since this was the last chair, they could afford to put all their money into it.

“We should at least try…” Despite saying that, John wasn’t sure himself. Would asking the count for the chair get them any repercussions? He didn’t seem like a patient man. Maybe he would get angry?

While they thought about their plan, the mansion’s guard had been eyeing them suspiciously. John wasn’t paying attention to the guards who escorted them the last time they came here, so he didn’t know if these were the same guards. John and Leyla stood not too close to the mansion. Had they been facing the other way, the guards would assume they were passersby. Still, standing so long facing the mansion made them look suspicious.

“... You said we should try, right? You go first.”

“... Is a laikaat scared of a human?”

“Not at all! Fine!” Leyla scoffed and then walked straight toward the gate. Even before Leyla got close, the guards readied their weapons.

“They’re not going to ask if we’re guests!?” she asked in surprise. They didn’t appear friendly.

“Maybe you look like a criminal.”

“Excuse me!?”

“Well, we certainly didn’t look like guests.”

The guards weren’t attacking, though. John misstook this as a sign and approached.

“Don’t come any closer!” one of them shouted. They were still several steps away. “Lord Karejo is not accepting any guests.”

“But-”

“Get out!”

John tried negotiating, but the guards refused to hear them. One threatened to arrest them. Shocked by this treatment, they headed back to the treasure hunters’ guild.

“So, how was it?” Ellie asked lazily upon seeing them return. They had asked for the room again, and Ellie had given it to them. This allowed them to save money, which they could have used to buy the chair, had they been allowed to negotiate.

Isak stood to the side near the new bulletin board. Seeing their silence, Isak flashed a grin. “As expected.”

“... As… expected?” John asked, not sure what they were talking about.

“He expected the count to refuse you. Well, his guards, to be exact,” Ellie said while stifling a yawn. “I’m lucky I agree with that, though. Or else I’ll lose some money.”

“Were you betting on us?” John asked.

“Are you supposed to talk about your boss like that?” Leyla added.

“I’m not, but I don’t care.”

“The count locked himself in his house, though. Like a spoiled child,” Isak murmured, seemingly displeased for some reason. He had dropped them off earlier, before heading to his own destination to deliver the goods. He must have finished his job and decided to wait for them here.

“Are you allowed here?” Leyla asked. He didn't have a good relationship with the count, and the count sent him away the last time he was here.

“No worries. He won't be here anyway.”

Count Karejo had locked himself up in his mansion, thanks to the ongoing investigation. John and Leyla had heard a bit about it on the way here.

“Life without him is peaceful,” Ellie murmured. “I can sleep without worry.”

“You're already doing that even with him here,” Isak quipped.

“I'm not.”

“So, what do we do now?” Leyla asked. Just one more chair. They were very close to the end.

John didn't want to wait, either, but they're up against a count. “We have no choice, do we?”

Leyla shifted her gaze to Ellie. “Do you have any quests we can do?”

Ellie shook her head. “Unfortunately, no.”

Despite having a brand new bulletin board, it was empty.

“Do you even need that bulletin board? Might as well put the quests on the desk.”

“Then where am I supposed to sleep?”

You're not supposed to sleep on the job, no matter how boring…

John couldn’t say that he wasn’t guilty of the same mistake, however. He also received an intense scolding when his boss found him sleeping.

“Guess we’ll just wait around?”

“You’re assuming he’ll come out of hiding,” Isak said.

“He will eventually, right?”

They just didn’t know how long it would take. It could be days, months, or even years. As a count, he had a lot of people he could rely on. He could remain in his home and do his job.

“... If you want to go into his mansion that much… then how about you do a heist?”

Isak’s suggestion came completely out of nowhere.

“A heist? Isn’t that kind of extreme?”

“Leave it to Isak to suggest the crazy stuff.” Ellie yawned. “Well, if you want to discuss your plans, please do it somewhere else.”

“But someone might hear us,” Isak argued.

“I’m here. You do remember I’m on his payroll, right?”

“But will you tell him, Ellie?”

“Nope, no, I won’t.”

Then why even mention that in the first place?

“Wait, you’re actually serious about a heist?” John thought he was joking.

“He is,” Ellie confirmed. “That’s practically his job.”

“His… job?”

John and Leyla shifted their gaze to Isak. Isak smiled and laughed.

“What? I’m just a regular guy that does quests for a living.”

“You two really didn’t know?” Ellie asked. “He’s Isak Mor Cofferenhien. One of the king’s royal investigators."