Don't Trust the Heroine

Chapter 17

 

On the next day, Madenna wore a simple dress just like yesterday.

 

It wasn’t the same clothes as then, but it still felt like what a commoner would wear.

 

She went out with Farren again, with a hood to cover her face as much as possible.

 

Today’s destination was the house where Sein lives.

 

It was located in the outermost part of the capital, in the residential area for poor people.

 

Perhaps because most of the adults living in the area went to work, there were no adults in sight.

 

There were only groups of children in worn-out clothes scribbling on the floor or playing by themselves.

 

Farren looked at the neglected children while frowning.

 

“Does it bother you?”

 

Madenna asked, and Farren nodded.

 

“It makes me think that I was lucky.”

 

“It’s the harsh reality. There’s only a little we could do to help them.”

 

Those children should be protected by the empire but the current empire did not fulfill its job properly.

 

It was a cruel era in which people had to save themselves.

 

“Then… will the situation get better when the new era comes like you said?”

 

“I’m going to make it better, so that the mages and other marginalized groups can be protected by the empire.”

 

I want to create a much better place for everyone, to the extent that they can admit a new era has been established.

 

At least, I could be sure that such a future wouldn’t come if Suzanne became the ruler.

 

“I think Madenna can start the new era.”

 

“I…”

 

“Just because mages are recognized doesn’t mean that the roles of ordinary people will disappear.”

 

“Well, that’s true but…”

 

“… And if it is Madenna that opens the new era, people would trust and follow you just like me.”

 

‘But it is you who will be the emperor of that era, Farren.’

 

She couldn’t say it herself, so Madenna merely smiled bitterly.

 

“Okay, cut the nonsense. We’ve arrived.”

 

In the direction Madenna pointed at, there was a small two-story house.

 

It wasn’t very colorful like the other houses, but it looked clean as it was well managed.

 

‘It’s too simple to be a place where the owner who owns a fairly large business lives.’

 

It also meant that Sein’s purpose was not simply to become wealthy.

 

Madenna rang the doorbell at the entrance.

 

An old woman with grey hair opened the front door.

 

“Who is it?”

 

“I’m here to meet Sein for business.”

 

“Oh, did you come to see the master? He’s out right now.”

 

When the old woman rubbed her hand against the apron and said so, Madenna smiled brightly.

 

“Can we wait inside?”

 

“Yes, surely.”

 

The house was clean, but it was dark. Even if the sun was shining brightly, it was still dark because the window was located away from the sun.

 

“Please sit down for a while. I’ll light the lamp.”

 

Madenna and Farren sat side by side on a sofa in a small living room.

 

When she disappeared into the kitchen for the tea, Farren lowered his voice and asked softly.

 

“Don’t you think he might not come at all today?”

 

“No. We’ll be able to talk with him soon.”

 

Seeing Madenna’s confidence, Farren did not ask anymore.

 

Soon, the old woman came back to the living room with two teacups and a teapot on a tray.

 

When she put the teacup down in front of them, Madenna opened her mouth.

 

“I think you need another cup.”

 

“Like I told you, the master is away, I don’t know when he’ll be back.”

 

“Why don’t you stop joking around?”

 

Madenna said clearly.

 

At the same time, the atmosphere surrounding them quickly froze.

 

”I’m here to talk to you, Ms. Sein.”

 

“No, should I call you Viscountess Lucas?”

 

She giggled as soon as she heard Madenna’s provocation.

 

Then, she took off her apron right away and untied her hair.

 

With that alone, the atmosphere surrounding her changed, she no longer looked like a powerless old woman.

 

Her orange eyes were full of vitality to the point of being terrifying.

 

She had gray hair and looked like an old woman, but her actual age seemed to be in her late 40s.

 

“You weren’t as stupid as I thought. Not everyone thinks that an old woman owned the business.”

 

“I don’t know if I should take it as a compliment or not.”

 

After taking the cigarette out of the drawer next to the sofa, she sat lazily on the sofa.

 

“Alright, stop pretending, lady. Why don’t you stop acting like a commoner? You are the successor of the Rodenherg family.”

 

“… As expected, you knew me.”

 

“You don’t have to be polite to such a humble old woman any longer.”

 

“I don’t think you need to be that humble, former Viscountess Lucas.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. Just act comfortably with me.”

 

Sein nodded after saying that.

 

“Also, I knew that the two of you came near our warehouse yesterday. Did you found something out, lady?”

 

I guess she figured out all of my movements.

 

However, Madenna nodded without a hint of surprise on her face.

 

“The warehouse that should be full of goods was empty. You manipulated the accounting book and traded non-existent items right? It was hidden cleverly but I felt something was wrong. So I checked the warehouse, and my predictions were true.”

 

“Yes, you used magic to check the contents of the warehouse.”

 

Sein’s gaze reached Farren.

 

All this time, he kept staring at Sein.

 

“There’s no way the young lady is a mage, so this is what he did, right? He’s the little mage sponsored by Rodenherg’s family.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“I thought it was a strange hobby to sponsor a mage, but it turns out you have a purpose. Why don’t we stop this small talk and get to the point?”

 

Madenna quickly replied.

 

“I think highly of your ability. I want to recruit you to help our family.”

 

“If I don’t want to?”

 

Sein threw the cigarette butt into Madenna’s teacup that she didn’t touch.

 

“If I could only survive by sucking up to the nobles, I would have done it long ago. You know it right?”

 

Madenna held Farren’s hand, as he was about to lash out, and managed to stop him.

 

“… What if I knew what your purpose was?”

 

“My purpose?”

 

“Yes. What do you ultimately want to do with all that money?”

 

Sein frowned but Medenna continued.

 

“Originally, you were the head of Lucas Viscounty. But your husband betrayed you. He stole your family’s property and position.”

 

“Well, it was a famous gossip at the time.”

 

Sein laughed and said playfully, but Medenna knew that her laughter was not genuine.

 

Madenna was also well aware of how she felt.

 

The experience of being trampled upon by those who you trusted couldn’t be explained with words.

 

To lament one’s foolishness, to see their devotion and affection go to waste was a very painful experience.

 

It was no wonder Sein desperately crawled up with determination for revenge.

 

She also experienced it because of Suzanne.

 

“… You want to take revenge on him.”

 

Sein took out a cigarette again and put it in her mouth, not answering her.

 

However, Madenna knew from the original story that Sein was planning to get revenge.

 

Before meeting Suzanne, she already killed her husband, even though she knew that it would be a problem in the future.

 

As a result, while helping Suzanne, the crime became a problem and she had to stop helping her.

 

Her ending wasn’t written on the novel, but it probably did not end well.

 

“Did you want to say that I have to give up revenge and forgive him? I’m sorry, I won’t do it.”

 

Madenna took away the cigarette on Sein’s mouth, and threw it into the other cup of tea.

 

“What if there were more effective ways of revenge? Without getting your hands dirty, but becoming victorious in the end? I think it’s too merciful to just kill him comfortably. If you’re going to kill him anyway, wouldn’t it be better to watch him suffer first than to stab him to death quickly?”

 

Madenna leaned against the sofa and smiled.

 

‘This is what I have known from the novel.’

 

I felt so relieved after saying my intention.

 

However, on the other hand, I also felt bad.

 

I had never revealed this secret to Farren, who was present here.

 

‘He wouldn’t really lash out, but I felt pretty bad for keeping this from him. Also he might get disappointed in me.’

 

Madenna glanced at Farren, who was sitting next to her.

 

Contrary to her expectations, Farren listened to her story with a serious face, and when their eyes met, he gave a light smile.

 

There was no sign of disappointment or irritation on his face.

 

‘That’s a relief.’

 

Feeling relieved by Farren’s reaction, Madenna opened her mouth.

 

“I’m willing to help you as much as I can. You don’t even have to make your hands dirty. How is it?”

 

Madenna looked straight at Sein and continued.

 

“I’m not going to ask you to be my servant. It’ll be a win-win situation. I think highly of your skills. If you work for my family, I’m going to help you get revenge.”

 

Sein fiddled with her gray hair and said after a while.

 

“Contracts and words alone are meaningless. If you show your determination, I’ll consider the proposal. How about this?”

 

Sein grinned and took an item out of the drawer that contained cigarettes before.

 

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It was a silver revolver.

 

“Shall we make a bet?”

 

She proposed a russian roulette just like that.