Chapter 718 – #143_My Child Has Changed (5)

#718

One.
Although she was Lydia, who planned to be stuck in bed if a fair number of guests visited.
Couldn’t do that this time.

The original owner of Shin Si-woo, who was picked up from Rosie’s workshop.
The Sword Witch personally visited the Almak Club.

If Lydia had stuck with her original plan of robbing Duke Relim of Shin Siul, she wouldn’t have to go and meet her.
She pretends not to know anything and pretends to know nothing, and then wraps her Siwoo in a fine package and sends it to the Duke.

However, as long as one of the other options is ‘secretly possessing Shin Siu’, leaving Rinne as it is is rather to increase her anxiety factor.

Rumors and numerous anecdotes prove how reckless Rinne is and how she never stops once she gets stuck on one thing.
Her future comfort will depend on how well she convinces her to return.

“Hello?”

Lydia, full of a friendly but not servile business smile, stepped into her VVIP parlor.

And she knew at once why the witch who had just called Lydia was trembling.

As soon as I opened the door and went down the spiral-shaped stairs, the anticipation of a cut brushed my skin.

Even though the distance from Rinne was still more than 10 meters away, the air inside her room was seething with ferocious life as if proclaiming, “This is my quarantine.”

Indeed, there was a reason why the 20th hierarchy witch called as if to request rescue.

“…….”

Linnaeus stood there staring at Lydia without even touching the tea she served.
There is a strange object on the table next to it, whether it is a bundle or a lunch box.

She said, “I told you that you are busy, but she is looking for you so urgently, is she thinking of handing over Xin Siu? Good idea. I will pay well for it.”

Lydia did not miss the twitching of her Linne’s fingers as soon as the words ‘Shin Siu’ flowed from her mouth.
As expected, the purpose of Rinne’s visit is Shin Si-woo.

“Is it your fault?”

Even in such a passionate atmosphere, the voice without a change in pitch resonates bleakly.

However, Lydia is also a veteran who has gone through many battlefields.
She was confident that she would be able to subdue Rinne with her skills, so she responded calmly, not shrinking at all.

“Is it an act?”

Lydia tilts her head and blinks her eyes as if she doesn’t know what that means.

She was refreshing inside.
She is Linnaeus, who tried to ransom him, making excuses that she was a disciple and what she was, even though Lydia personally visited her and asked for her.

How anxious was she that the hardliners might not be the first to reach out to her, as the neutrals were holding on to her politically important figures?
Now that things have been reversed like this, I forget about her annoyance at interfering with her sex and smile at her accusation.

“I don’t know why you’re so angry, but….”
“…….”
“Did Shin Si-woo disappear?”

Lydia immediately crosses her arms and pretends to be pondering.

“This is a problem. If I had to go over to the hardliners, things would get complicated….”
“…….”
“I will help you with the search. Could you give me enough information about him instead?”

It is an attempt to get off her dragon’s line by reacting to what she knew nothing of and what she might have done.

In Lydia, none of the body signs common to liars were revealed.
Not only that, but the bodily reaction to lies that even the latest lie detectors couldn’t detect was a piece of cake for Lydia.

The reason why she can be so brazen is that she is convinced that Linne found this place only on a guess without any evidence.

Rosie’s playroom and mansion were meticulously searched by Lydia from beginning to end, removing evidence of her.
Since the upper town’s security duties were also shared by the Solidus Merchant Corps, it was not difficult to figure out the location of the surveillance crystal ball in advance and dig into gaps.
The fact that Linnaeus hadn’t yet shoved her evidence in her face added weight to her conviction.

First of all, she wouldn’t be able to say it outright even if she had evidence.

You should also admit that Shin Si-woo, who is naturally a ‘disciple’, committed a murder within Hexsenacht.
Even if her responsibilities do not extend to her, the end result is the same as losing her pupil.

Linnaeus stared at Lydia with a steady gaze before closing her eyes.

“After.”

When I open my eyes again, I see the gaze of a schemer who has started calculating instead of living.
Linnaeus must have understood that the questioning was meaningless based on feelings alone.

“You mean it’s not your fault?”
“Absolutely. I’ve been busy preparing for a secret auction for a while. I don’t understand why you doubt me over Qliphoth.”

“If you’re a hardliner, you’ve already killed him and promoted him.”
“There is no need to think like that. Maybe they are timing it for enough provocation and performance.”
“If, even later, you find something different from what I just said….”

“I know you are upset because you are in danger of losing your student. But is it right to turn Lydia, who can be the biggest helper at this point, into an enemy? This is also an important issue for me. I told you before about what would happen if his recruit fell to Qliphoth’s side?”
“…….”
“I would like to cooperate. Can we once again discuss ownership when we get him back instead? I will pay you an additional fee worthy of the title of the sword witch’s apprentice.”

In the end, if you show the positive spirit that you still have regrets, it will be over.

If Linnaeus agrees to cooperate, she is jealous and has a way of throwing evidence to the hardliners and making Linnaeus pursue.
Conflicts will naturally arise, and the only person who will be suspicious of this case is eliminated, so it’s a good thing.

“Good night. Accept it.”

However, by this point, the expectation that she would back down was wrong.
Rinne looked at Lydia again and said.

“But first I will search the Almak Club.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll trust you if you let me check your room right now.”

Rinne’s request is, of course, rudeness that does not even fall under the axis of ‘request’.
Rinne’s attitude in talking about that rudeness was also far from her politeness.
Her words and actions show her determination to fight even by force if she stands in the way.

“Golden Witch, I do not trust you.”
“Why?”
“It’s a gut feeling.”
“…….”
“If you don’t allow it, I’ll assume you’re hiding him and move on.”

Lydia’s reaction to her stubbornness to carry out her will no matter what happens when she is uncertain about the subject….

“Ha, I can’t eat it.”

It was a sigh.

If she lacked her witchy sensitivity, she might not understand the nuance of Linne’s remarks.

So, in a more casual sense, it would be ‘there is no evidence, but no matter how much I think about it, you’re the culprit. Can I walk into your house without a search warrant and go through all the important documents?’

It crossed the line.

“Are you going to search my workshop?”
“Yes.”

Lydia, who throws away her businesslike respect for buyers and speaks coldly, and Linne, who confronts her without flinching at all.
Lydia laughed.

It’s part of a deception operation, but it’s also true that the laughs come out from the bottom of my heart.

“There is a certain level of saying yes or no…. These are the bitches I would never have met if I was on active duty.”

Although they are taking a fairly moderate step now, Lydia is also public.
She was a member of former Qliphoth’s elite, reaching the 23rd rank.

“Would you be afraid to be scared by such a threat? Are you that confident?”

Lydia’s surroundings sink heavily.
The magical power that has grown dense enough to hold her density pushes the air.

“How many witches have I buried that are ignorant and climb like you? Would you like to guess?”
“Your tongue is long.”

If you are a weak person, the situation is as urgent as blowing bubbles.

Raising her hand to the sword wrapped around her waist, Rinne hesitated and then quietly let go of her sword.
The violent clash of magical powers between the two gradually subsided.

“Good idea. Don’t catch a strict person for no reason, let’s be healthy from now on….”

Lydia hid her snort at the sight of Linnaeus lowering her tail first.
Instead, she smiled at her softly and tried to bring up the business again, but her speech was blocked.

Rinne, who had been brutally behaving before her, knelt at her feet.

It was an incredibly quick change of attitude.
Linne’s shocking move did not stop there.

“I apologize for being rude.”
“What kind of joke is this….”

Rinne’s dogger that makes even the cool-headed Lydia lose her words.
Rinne, holding her hands together, apologizes by pressing her forehead to her ground.

“Any price is fine. If you want to lick her shoes, I will lick them, and if you want to serve her, I will do anything.”
“…….”
“If you are protecting him, please return it.”

Even if not, witches are famous for being proud.
Among them, kneeling among particularly arrogant achievements is an act that does not come out unless it is an extreme situation begging for life.

In the first place, it is no different from entrusting some of the rights of life and death among the exploits who might have magic stuck in the back of their necks if they lose sight of it.

But what if Linnaeus, an infant who is obsessed with her strength, kneels down on her knees and asks for it?
Wasn’t it simply a trick to say Shin Si-woo was a disciple?
Did Rinne really treat him as a disciple?

Sensing her confusion, Lydia cautiously gets down on her one knee in front of her Linne and speaks in her softer tone.

“Linne. I’m really sorry, but I don’t have it.”
“… Is it.”

He took Rinne’s hand as she firmly bowed her head and raised her up.
Lydia leans down and brushes Rinne’s knee.

“I’m a little excited too.”

Of course, it’s not just an act of goodwill.

“I just thought you disguised yourself as a disciple to increase his ransom.”
“… Not.”
“I’m sorry for doubting your true intentions and for not being able to help right away. Excuse me, may I ask how she came to have a priestly relationship with him?”

If the witch of the sword came out like this, wouldn’t you be curious about the cause?

“…….”

Linne looked at Lydia’s face for a moment before opening her mouth.

“He is not a disciple.”
“Yes?”
“He is my nemesis.”
“Eh?”

Lydia letting her jaw drop, spouting frivolous condescension.
There is little chance that Rinne, who is famous for being selfish, let alone joking, tells lies without reason.

Only then can I clearly understand why Rinne fell to her knees.
It is also the reason why Shin Si-woo avoided kissing during their relationship.

The two were already sharing forbidden love.