I Have Become The Heroes’ Rival - Chapter 18

TL: gaeulriri

Editor: Daed

Then what?

I waited for his next words, but Felix maintained silent. It seemed like he didn’t want to talk much.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, I just felt like being cheesy for a while…”

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He muttered so, then looked away and fell silent for a moment. After a while, he wiped his face and asked,

“How about the escort?”

Uhmm, if I went with the Chamberlain’s escort assassin and they found out where I was going, ‘that person’ would hate me and avoid me.

“They will protect you.”

“…….”

Felix’s affectionate smile calmed me.

Yes, I understood. It would be ridiculous to say that I would go alone when Claudia had to endure the pressure of being watched by the escorts everyday.

I understood, but I was sure I would be just fine without the escort. I just needed to get there safely.

Because…Ah, I really couldn’t tell him about this.

I was really frustrated that I couldn’t tell him anything about the secret. Felix, who had been silent, asked me politely in a gentle tone.

“Irene, can you not go anywhere tonight?”

Felix, who rarely got angry and always smiled at me, donned a stern expression.

It felt like I had never seen such an expression from him before.

“Please trust me. I will return unscathed.”

“No.”

Ouch, such a sharp word.

I leaned in closer to Felix and shoved my pinky forward.

“Promise?”

“Sigh…..”

Felix sighed several times as if he had many thoughts. Then he yielded,

“Then bring this with you.”

After rummaging through his sleeves, he gave me a delicately crafted bright red gem.

I took a closer look at it.

“What is it?”

I knew right away that it was an artifact. However, since I wasn’t a sorcerer, I couldn’t figure out what kind of magic it contained.

“It’s a gem that tells me your location when you break it. Use it when something dangerous happens. I’ll go to where you are in a second.”

What a useful thing.

I didn’t really need it now, but no one knew what the world would be like. Anyway, there was nothing wrong with being careful.

I nodded and hid the gem under my hood. Felix linked his pinky finger with mine.

“If something happens to Irene, I will never forgive myself. So I hope nothing happens to you.”

He told me solemnly, the smile gone from his face.

I gulped as I stamped my thumb with his.

It was a threat that was more effective than anything else for me, because I hoped only for his happiness and I didn’t want him to blame himself.

***

There were two main secret organizations within the Roxitant Empire.

One of them was Carlisle, the city of chaos ruled by Duke Benjamin Lamberg.

And the other was the organization that collected all the information that existed in this world, Silentium.

Even among secret organizations, the first one was publicly known for its location and existence due to its dark nature.

No matter how chaotic and lawless the city was, there must still be demand to provide their supply.

However, everything about the other organization was strictly classified.

Unless they were part of the organization, there was no way for outsiders to know how large the organization was, who operated it, who sponsored it, or where they gathered.

In fact, no one knew that much nor that clearly about its existence. There were many speculations and conspiracy theories about the organization. Except for me, someone who had read this novel.

I was one of the few outsiders who knew the location and the ruler of Silentium.

It would take so much time to talk about this. This was a story from when Claudia and I weren’t very close.

At that time, I had to gather information to be a good informant.

Of course, I was a fan who read the novel more than 20 times, but that didn’t mean I knew all of the information in this world.

Well, reading this novel was very useful too. I was the only person who knew what was going to happen in the future.

But, the novel that I read might not contain all the information about this world. The rest of the information had to be obtained on my own.

It was very difficult for me, who had no money, connections, or anything, to get information.

In the modern world, we could enter keywords in the search box to find information. But in this novel’s world, where the civilization hadn’t developed, it was different.

Beside the rumors, information with real value was traded at a high price.

I was a person with confidence in what I had, even if it was nothing.

As I mentioned before, if I put my mind to it, I could make anyone fall for me.

Even though in fact, there were only women around me in my life…

I got off in the middle of the downtown area, and then sent the Chamberlains’s carriage back to the mansion.

The coachman seemed worried about me. He left reluctantly when I waved that I would be okay.

If it was the Silentium, the news that I was heading here would have been heard.

As I mulled over this, a black carriage came to a stop in front of me.

It looked like I was involved in a crime, but don’t get it wrong. It wasn’t like that.

As soon as the door of the carriage opened, I climbed inside without hesitation.

Then the carriage resumed its journey.

After a while, the carriage stopped at a small bar.

I was guided by the waiter to a private room where she was waiting for me.

“Martina!”

“Irene.”

And there she was, a woman with an alluring appearance, waiting for me with the height and good physique of a model. She was Martina, the real face of the Silentium.

Martina’s eyes were so black that her pupils could not be seen. Perhaps that was why I felt overwhelmed whenever I met her eyes.

I had seen numerous beauties in this novel world, but I couldn’t stop admiring her. It was my first time seeing a beauty like Martina, her skin was firm and had a copper hue.

She would probably be selected as the most sexiest actress if she entered Hollywood.

“Come here.”

Martina put down her glass and clapped her fingers as if asking me to come and hug her.

Ouch, her strength was no joke.

We hugged each other tightly. Then she curled her lips in a satisfied smile. I was amazed at her captivating red lips.

“Did you change your lipstick?”

“Yes, recently.”

“It’s perfect for you.”

It was very difficult to match such a bright red color, but she could use any color and still look beautiful on any occasion.

As I admired her beauty, Martina suddenly laughed and stroked my hair.

Originally, the character of Martina was, surprisingly, a villain.

As it was a devastating novel that was clearly written to torture the heroine, a number of female villains appeared here.

It might be more appropriate to say that both female and male villains couldn’t wait for their turn to harass the heroine.

Anyway, Martina was one of the villains who fell in love with Benjamin at a glance, helping him with sincerity and giving full support.

To put it more bluntly, it meant that she loved him so blindly that she was his free source of information. Anything that the Duke wanted to know, she told him.

That part was something that struck me more deeply during my time as an informant.

Did you think that the courageous one would get the beauty? I moved quickly before Martina could fall for Benjamin’s charms, and I eventually won.

Do you want to know how I did it?

Sitting at the top of Silentium, Martina was actually lonely. But she couldn’t tell anyone.

That was her childhood trauma.

This novel was a fantasy, with some modern elements mixed in it, but it was generally set in 18th century Europe.

Unless you were born as a noble, it meant that having a happy childhood in a harmonious family was more difficult than picking the stars in the sky.

Maybe even if you were born a noble, you could still go through terrible things that you can’t even imagine.

Just like Irene Amber. In this world, it was not rare for parents to sell their children for money.

And the children had to endure that trauma, pretending to be okay.

Because, the victim would think that it was a shame to speak out about their pain.

Psychotherapy? Could there be such a thing in this era?

The painful memories must be borne alone. Because if they talked to others, no one would understand them.

People would laugh or wouldn’t be interested at all. They would only think of it as a weakness and point fingers at the victim.

‘It’s similar to Claudia’s case.’

What Martina needed wasn’t that much. She just needed someone who listened, and also a little care and comfort.

Sincerity worked every single time. Whenever she was tired, I tried to stay by her side, and she ended up thinking of me as something cute.

“Cute Irene. Why do your cheeks seem chubbier than before?”

“Huh, that’s right. I gained weight.”

I cried silently at those words.

Could you please be careful with the facts? It felt like I was hit in the chest.

“I don’t move much and just eat every day, so my belly fat is coming out……”

“I like it more because I have a lot to touch.”

Martina said while rubbing my cheeks.

Although it seemed that I was not being treated like a human being, let’s say that it was a win-win because we got what we wanted from each other.