I Want To Be Your First – R19 - Chapter 94

With glistening platinum blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and a distinct appearance that held the same effectiveness as a seal. After checking his face, the Master bowed deeply and greeted him.

“You’ve arrived, Count.”

Berthwald spoke to Vion in a low voice, before moving into the hall. A languid gleam was within his blue eyes, which was a mixture of dark blue and half dark blue, as he looked at the Master.

His bangs, which became slightly dishevelled due to the hood, meshed well with his neat features, creating a relaxed atmosphere that was different from usual. As he glanced around the hall, he handed the hood to the Master.

“Where’s the guest?”

“He’s waiting in the room.”

After receiving the hood respectfully, the Master moved towards the room personally. After going down to the basement, walking down the hallway, heading up to the second floor, and returning back to the basement, at the end of a maze with a specific structure stood a plain, unembellished door.

The Master opened the door quietly and displayed respect towards Berthwald, he disappeared back through the path he had passed. With his gaze fixed forwards, Berthwald sat down at a table in the middle of the room.

A man paced back and forth at the end of the room, which only had a table and chairs arranged neatly.

He made eye contact with Berthwald and moved in front of him while killing the sound of his footsteps. It was a man of moderate height, with an ordinary appearance, appearing to be in his late thirties. His attire was also very ordinary.

At the unexpected figure, Berthwald’s brows furrowed slightly.

“The one that I called for isn’t an ordinary guild member. Where is the head?”

Although it was merely a sentence, the man felt his pride cracking. The man before him clearly knew that he was the guild leader’s spouse, but he still spoke like that.

However, that detestable yet handsome man wasn’t just any nobleman, but Count Janssel, the chief consul of the Empire and the guild leader’s relative. The man bowed his head and greeted him lightly.

“The head is dealing with urgent matters with the guild leader, so I came instead. Please do not be angry.”

Berthwald tilted his head to the side, scanning his opponent up and down. The measuring blue eyes were very cold without any hints of warmth.

“Isn’t the guild leader of Northride retired?”

As if asking why the leader was still wandering around despite having retired, there were hints of reproach in his tone. The guild member checked his mood and responded.

“She’s still active. Lately, she has been quite interested in the fact that the Count is married, but the Count is well aware of this.”

“Enough of that. The commision.”

Berthwald glanced at the large man that stood next to him, Vion, and pointed towards the table. With a serious expression, Vion took out a brown bag and placed it in the middle of the table.

Thinking that it would be gold coins, the guild member opened the pouch with shining eyes. Soon after, he looked at Berthwald and the bag alternately with a bewildered expression.

Contained within the bag was a handful of diamonds the size of a little fingernail. The guild member quickly took out a pair of examining glasses and evaluated the jewels. Just by looking at it, it was a diamond of the highest purity.

“How could you, to such an extent… Just what kind of request are you going to make?”

“I’m looking for a wizard.”

The guild member dropped his examining glasses onto the table.

During a meeting with a commissioner, calmness and composure were essential, but both the commission’s rewards and the contents of the request were too extreme, hence he was unable to maintain his composure.

“Wizard… A wizard? That wizard?

“Not a swindler, but an actual wizard. I’ll use a magical tool to check if they really possess magical powers, so give up the thought if you’re planning to swindle me.”

“What do you mean! How dare I deceive the Count! It’s just that, the concept of a wizard in itself has already become a thing of the past. Because of that, this wouldn’t be easy.”

Berthwald clicked his tongue, his countenance turning annoyed.

“That’s why I asked for the head, and not just a regular guild member. Isn’t it precisely because it isn’t an easy task, that I would like to formally make a request? If it was an easily accomplished task, I would have just used the Southville guild leader, and not reach out to Northride.”

“…No, that’s not what I mean…”

“Vion.”

At the sound of his name, Vion pulled out another identical looking bag. Likewise, it was a sack full of diamonds. Berthwald crossed his arms and spoke dryly.

“Release all the informants that you have. If this isn’t enough, I’ll prepare more.”

“No, this is easier said than done…”

“If you can’t do it with your connections, call for the head.”

The guild member looked at the two bags before him and was engulfed in deep distress.

The commision was received in the name of the guild, and besides, it’s requested by that famous Count Janssel, so he had to be honest without overdoing it.

The guild member tucked one of the bags into his chest pocket and carefully pushed the remaining bag towards Berthwald.

“This much is sufficient. I’ll release all of the informants that are my subordinate to find one. It’s just that…”

The guild member spoke faster when Berthwald’s eyes narrowed while looking at him.

“As the Count knows, it’s difficult to find wizards and witches even if the entire continent is searched. The last record of a wizard is over 50 years ago, right? Although they are living in a secluded area, those words are close to a legend. While I receive such requests from time to time, I have never found one before.”

“Call the head over.”

“…Even so, if the entire legion of informants moves, we might find a clue. I’m just saying this in advance as the higher your expectations are, the bigger your disappointments will be.”

As he finished speaking carefully, the guild member glanced at Berthwald’s expression. Berthwald looked at the guild member with an expressionless face, before speaking angrily.

“Forget it. I will ask the guild leader directly.”

Paling, the guild member cried out.

“O—of course, the guild leader will find the whereabouts of the wizards quickly! My deepest apologies, but I’m also in the dark about the guild leader‘s whereabouts! Isn’t the Count also aware of how secretive that person’s movements are?”

“……”

“As soon as I have obtained the guild leader’s whereabouts, I will inform you immediately. Until then, please entrust this matter to me and wait.”

Berthwald cupped his chin and looked at the guild member with questioning eyes. A cold gleam entered his shadowy gaze as he tried to figure out the guild members intentions.

An eerie silence fell over the dark brown table. When he finally found the guild member trustworthy, Berthwald’s persistent stare was slowly retracted.

With his eyes lowered, he rubbed the corners of the table, before speaking emotionlessly.

“I’ll trust you for now. On your side, gather as much information as you possibly can.”

“Thank you. I will do my best to not disappoint the Count. Please rest assured.”

“Three months.”

As he cut off his words, Berthwald rose from his seat.

“If you’re unable to find any useful information within these three months, I will replace you on the spot. So make sure you find something.”

After leaving behind words that the guild leader wouldn’t be able to treat carelessly. Berthwald immediately turned around and left the room. Vion glanced at the guild member awkwardly before following behind his lord. Before the door closed, a loud sigh brushed past Vion’s ear. Vion closed the door, hiding his pity for him.

With footsteps speaking of his familiarity, Berthwald crossed the hallway and arrived at the hall he came from. The Master seemed to be awaiting his arrival, and laid the white hood onto his shoulders skillfully.

“Has your conversation ended well?”

Berthwald nodded his head perfunctorily and spoke to the Master in a low voice.

“Look for the whereabouts of the Northride guild leader and the head of the Bluebird Falcon in the South. As for the wizard, let’s free up more people than the current amount and gather information.”

The Master nodded his head in acknowledgement, and Berthwald, who was watching him, turned his gaze towards the back with a calm expression. Then, the waitresses that stood behind the Master bowed at the waist with nervous expressions.

None of the waitresses that worked here knew that the real owner of Fionia wasn’t the Master, but the young Count that’s in front of them. Glancing at the interior indifferently, Berthwald soon left the store with a regretful sigh over the meaningless outcome.

══ ⋆♬⋆ ══

A few days later, Ariel and Berthwald started their journey towards Nedik to meet the previous Count, Richter.

While the South is a place where the word winter can be disregarded, November in the South was warm and sunny. Unlike summer, when the rainy season is in full swing, the moderately humid air along with a cooling breeze circled around the carriage.

Ariel pulled up the curtain that was covering the carriage window and looked at the silhouettes that were cast outside.

The leaves of the trees in the Count’s mansion have rounded tips, but the leaves of the trees along the Nedik Coast were of a different species and had pointed tips, somehow reminiscent of the North.

“Nedik is a little different from Grand Pahar.”

It seems a little chilly Ariel murmured as she wrapped her hands around her arms. As such, Vieta, who was also seated in the carriage with her, took out a blanket.

“It’s a little chilly here, isn’t it? Nedik is the furthest place from Pahar, so the weather and ocean tides are different. The people there also have calm personalities.”

“Oh, really?”

“Nicky is from Nedik. Jude is from Grand Pahar… She’s completely from the South. So they would fight often. Especially in the way they drink tea.”

“Why? Is there a difference in the way they drink tea?”

“Yes. Strawberry jam is added into tea in Nedik, but at Grand Pahar, tea is drunk with lime slices. But something about the taste of the tea being inferior and the like…Tea is drunk twice a day, right? You don’t know how much they’d fight each time.”

“For your information, I like to drink tea without adding anything,” Vieta added seriously. Ariel, who had been listening with a smile, wiggled her fingers and smoothly continued discussing the topic.

“Oh, that’s right. There’s something similar in the West. The East and the West often fight over mayonnaise.”

“Mayonnaise? Why?”

“The East would always consume spicy food with mayonnaise. But it’s disliked in the West as it’s always greasy.”

“Ahh… I think I know what it is.”

“Isn’t it amusing? I’ve never had a fight between my mother and father, but it was kind of fascinating to see them fighting over mayonnaise.”

Vieta’s pupils shook slightly. This was the moment when the Duke of Aegis, who was considered as a figure from legends, was brought down to the same level as Nicky and Jude.

It was unclear whether Ariel knew what she was thinking about, but she spoke calmly, “For your reference, I’m the type to eat what I am given and not eat when I’m not given anything.”

Just like that, a couple of hours passed while chattering. As the carriage made its way through the woods and back to the shore, it slowly came to a stop.

Unlike the splendid Count’s mansion, the two-story mansion built with brown bricks exuded an old and cozy atmosphere. Berthwald’s carriage, which had left earlier, was stopped in front of the entrance.

Ariel got off the carriage first and headed towards the entrance, while tapping her walking stick.

Just then, a husky voice could be heard from behind her.

“Hey, stop there for a moment.”