17. The Hair-Sucking Pervert

The explanation from the Minotaur elder was useful, touching on key points: for instance, the identity, size, and movements of the shadow that had been flitting back and forth between the Austro-Hungarian tribes and the Prussian Kingdom these days. Yet, the Minotaur elder could only shake his bovine head, indicating he had no idea.

If the most useful witness was like this, there was no need to mention the other beastmen. Their disjointed and trivial chatter was often interspersed with complaints about “elf girls,” making it even harder to gather clues. This left Kephiel feeling quite downcast; even when we encountered the little fox, Zelus, on our way, her playful ruffling of the fox’s ears and tail seemed somewhat absent-minded.

Thus, when the sun dipped low and Kephiel and I returned to our lodgings, she seemed to have realized the complexity of the situation, her mood now serious and solemn, a stark contrast to the excitement and anticipation of the morning.

At this moment, in the evening, after I had taken the liberty of organizing the intelligence documents and stretched lazily, I heard movement by the bed behind me. Swallowing hard, I mustered the courage to turn around, and our eyes met: I noticed that Kephiel indeed had not gone to rest.

“Kephiel, I can handle organizing the clues from earlier myself; you don’t need to worry so much.”

Compared to the not-so-pleasant end of our date today, I was definitely more concerned about Kephiel’s state. After all, that “Great Chieftain” had threatened us to “uncover the truth.” If we continued to have no leads or clues, angering that chieftain would not bode well for us.

Kephiel would not be discouraged by a “lack of leads”; what she was worried about was likely this.

【Kephiel is concerned about the safety of Oujili.】

Phew~ My fiancée really loves to fret. I managed to escape when I was a wanted criminal running around, didn’t I? How could I still be afraid of the mere threat of a shadow now?

After I responded, Kephiel murmured softly, “If it’s over, then come here.”

“Eh?”

I was momentarily taken aback; the script was straightforward and blunt.

【Get. In. Bed.】

I understood that without needing an explanation! After all, Kephiel and I had been arranged to share a room by the two beastmen, Grom and Gu Erdan, who had let their imaginations run wild. In reality, there was no problem with being together; Kephiel could protect my safety at night. But it wasn’t just the room that was shared; everything from the bed to the furniture had been arranged to the specifications of “an old married couple.” I truly had no idea how much knowledge those two beastmen had in this regard.

Previously, I had been sleeping on the floor, but tonight… it seemed a bit different.

“Don’t… don’t, okay?”

In a foreign place, and after these busy days, I felt “pent up” in every sense. Now, having to spend the night next to a beautiful girl, I was afraid I might lose control without even realizing it.

However… Kephiel’s “pleading” gaze made me immediately raise my hands in surrender. There was no way I could warm the bed; I simply lay beside her, waiting for Kephiel to voice her feelings and dispel the tension in her heart, while casually running my fingers through her hair.

Her soft white hair was fragrant and smooth; no wonder there were so many hair enthusiasts in the world. Honestly, I wanted to bury my face in it and take a deep breath.

“By the way, Kephiel… after you petted that bear fox today, you didn’t get any of its fur on you, did you? Not even in your hair… eep…”

Before I could finish, Kephiel’s hand had already pinched my cheek.

“Staring at someone else’s hair and sniffing it—are you a pervert?”

If I didn’t stare at her hair, wouldn’t I just have to stare at her? Seriously, was she asking me to choose between being a pervert or a beast!?

“That little fox has great fur; just touching it with my hand, how could any fur possibly end up on me? If you want to touch my hair, just say so; your excuse is too unconvincing.”

Kephiel muttered, but she didn’t stop my “perverted” behavior.

As for me, although I felt there was something strange in what Kephiel had just said, in this moment where we could clearly hear each other’s breathing, how could I not think of Kephiel as a bear fox? Impossible!

In the blink of an eye, I completely forgot about that pesky fox and focused solely on the girl before me. My worries still

“Ah, it’s… it’s the famous detective and his assistant I encountered during my escape before. In any case, we don’t have to be limited to finding answers solely through clues; on the contrary… if we have a hypothetical answer from the start, it’s also possible to trace back the clues.”

What responded to me were Kephiel’s big blinking eyes.

So cute, but it seemed like the big shot didn’t quite understand, so I had to clarify a bit more.

“To put it simply… I have a lead. But it’s unfounded; acting directly based on the result will definitely bring a lot of trouble, and that’s what I’m preparing for tonight.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Kephiel immediately turned around, picked up the magic sword Alsas, and wrapped the blade tightly in layers of bedding before finally stuffing it into the cupboard.

Um… Big shot, even if you don’t need to go through such trouble to eliminate the extra light bulbs, it’s fine, right? But I have no objections, after all, I’m the one who benefits, especially at this moment when I’m being hugged by a beautiful girl.

“Do you remember the great wizard we offended earlier?” While feeling the girl’s question, I responded, “That orc insisted on taking action against the elves because of the shadow’s appearance. Our fundamental goal isn’t to find evidence; it’s to resolve the conflict. In my view, that great wizard definitely wants to ‘do something.’”

After all, the script clearly states.

【Ogilid was killed for organizing the great wizard’s actions.】

This must mean I’ve thwarted some kind of plan on their part, so… it’ll be much easier from here on out.

“However, this is also an opportunity. Since they’re using underhanded tactics, I don’t want to sit idly by. Rather, it’s just right to use this to ‘smooth things over,’ not only including the identity and purpose of the shadow, but even the fact that Aideve has really interacted with the orcs can be quietly covered up.”

The clever Kephiel quickly understood my meaning, and as she released her embrace, she looked at me with some concern.

“You want to work with that orc who seems very hostile towards you?”

“Exactly, after all, it’s mutual. I’m not a good person; thinking of me as too kind isn’t good.”

After all, I was originally the “big villain” in the script.

“Bad guy…”

Kephiel’s little fist came down, but her earlier worries finally vanished without a trace, “I feel like I’ve been led astray by you.”

Not at all, isn’t it that saying, “Men are bad, women love them”?

In obstructing Kephiel’s ‘script,’ my identity when dealing with them is that of the “big BOSS.”

——

Speaking of which, everyone preparing for the college entrance examination, do your best!

And remember to give this book a thumbs up and smash those monthly tickets this week~