“Next.”

The voice that filled the narrow secret chamber was deeper than a cave’s, enhanced by the magic’s power. Moreover, by flipping the deep hood covering the face, one could emit a rather threatening atmosphere.

Thanks to this, the guest who found the secret chamber entered, trembling.

“All right. Why have you come to our Madeline Guild?”

“Please find my sister! She’s been missing for two days.”

The guest was a small, mouse-like girl. Her clothes, slightly better than rags, suggested she might have come from the slums, emitting a faint odor of the miserable alley.

However, every guest is valuable.

I politely rested my feet on the table.

“Money?”

The girl flinched.

“I-I’ll give you the money as soon as it’s rescued, I promise!”

“Sigh…”

I leaned back in my chair.

“Listen, miss. Does Madeline Guild look like a charity organization to you?”

Our guild’s image had hit rock bottom recently, from rescuing cats stuck in trees to repairing roofs that leaked rainwater.

Although everyone claimed they came to our guild because there was nowhere else to turn, to an outsider, we probably seemed more like a neighborhood errand service than a powerful organization controlling the underworld.

The girl shrank back again, but after glancing at me for a moment, she defiantly pushed back.

“I heard you could find Uncle Dug next door. Even without money…”

“Dug?”

The name sounded terribly familiar, and I abruptly withdrew my legs from the desk.

“Hey! Number 1! Number 2! What are you doing, not properly welcoming the VIP guest?”

In response to my rage, the chief and his right-hand man hurriedly entered the secret chamber.

“Aren’t you going to properly welcome the guest?”

“Sorry! Number 1!”

“Number 2! Give her a good welcome, right now.”

As Numbers 1 and 2 attempted to bow their heads, I quickly raised my hand.

“That’s enough. Go and welcome the guest.”

“Come this way, please.”

Following Number 1’s guidance, when the girl stood up, Number 1 hesitated.

“Guest, there’s a strong stench. Would you like to take a bath first?”

“No, what kind of nonsense is this now?”

Although shocked by Number 1’s overly candid remark, the girl raised her eyes to me.

“But can I?”

I coughed awkwardly at the girl’s sincerely pleased reaction.

“Uh, of course, if it’s for our precious guest…”

“Then I’ll do it!”

I reluctantly gestured to Numbers 1 and 2.

“Guide the guest to my bathroom.”

30 minutes later, the girl appeared with a fluffy look.

“Thank you for letting me use the bathroom.”

Her face, smiling softly, seemed much brighter than before.

“I wanted to wash up regularly, but I didn’t have the chance.”

“Oh?”

I asked nonchalantly. I wasn’t particularly interested in this girl’s hygiene habits.
“A few months ago, the viscountess made it impossible for us to use the stream near her house. But there’s no other suitable place to bathe.”

Upon receiving information about the viscountess, I immediately adjusted my posture.

“You can’t bathe? Oh, that’s a big problem. Why did the viscountess prohibit the use of the stream?”

“She strictly ordered not to go near the stream connecting to the backyard because the viscountess’s debutante party for the spring is going to be held.”

I scratched my head.

“She hasn’t had her debutante yet.”

Considering that it had been a whopping two years since Esmeralda became an adult, her debutante was quite late.

“The viscountess is in chaos preparing for the party. I heard that a cousin’s friend’s sister’s husband works there, and it’s like walking on thin ice.”

Certainly, they would prepare for a debutante, but to prevent the locals from using the stream, it was excessive.

“I can’t stand this from the viscountess.”

Kilian would attend Esmeralda’s debutante. Since they were engaged, he would undoubtedly stand by Esmeralda’s side throughout the debutante.

I felt awkward for no reason. I hoped Kilian was doing well, and at the same time, I selfishly hoped that he couldn’t forget me for a long time, picturing him standing next to Esmeralda and smiling.

“So, can you help us find our sister?”

The girl’s question broke my reverie.

“When did your sister disappear?”

“It hasn’t been many days.”

The girl suddenly began to choke up.

“If it were a usual day, I would have waited, thinking she’d come back soon. But these days, so many people are disappearing around us.”

News of missing people in the slums spread easily, but lately, there were many disappearances specifically in the slums of Viscountess Madeline’s territory.

Of course, it could be a coincidence, but I couldn’t shake the suspicion that it was the viscountess’s doing.

“All right. If you provide detailed information about your sister’s appearance, I’ll do m
The banker was once again sweating profusely. It had been several months since he had been harshly treated by the ‘Master of Money,’ but the trauma from that day was still vivid, and today seemed to be a day where a nightmare surpassing that one would occur.