PMEVBO 115

There were countless rooms in the lounge. I had just asked the attendant to open every single one of them.

…What kind of demand was this?

Even to myself, it was an absurd request. I had already formulated a Plan B in my head. …One that involved snatching the key.

But the attendant’s reaction was unexpected. His eyes were wide, and he covered his mouth with his hand. I was taken aback when I saw him stumble backward to put some distance between us.

…Why is he reacting like that?

It was as if he’d seen some kind of shameless creature…

After a moment, the attendant spoke.

“……Have you used all these rooms?”

“What?”

It took me a moment to understand what he meant.

It was an open secret that the banquet hall’s lounge was a place for secret trysts. But it wasn’t used exclusively for that purpose. I, for one, had used it to check my face in the mirror.

The problem was that I’d spoken as if I’d used every single room in the lounge. [unauthorized copy]There were a total of 100 rooms here. Had I used all 100 rooms just three days into the banquet? This could only be interpreted in one way.

…A legendary womanizer.

Once that thought crossed my mind, I understood why the attendant had reacted that way.

He was someone I would never see again. No matter what misunderstanding he had about me, as long as I caught the monster, that was all that mattered. But strangely, I didn’t want to let it slide. I forced myself to speak calmly.

“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that.”

“Oh, really?”

“……I just can’t remember which room I used.”

Am I a person with a lewd mind, or a person with a pure heart? Feeling as if I were playing a balancing game, I chose the latter.

I was pretending to admire the wallpaper pattern to avert my gaze from the attendant, when—Pfft, I heard a laugh. I immediately looked at the attendant’s face.

“Ah, I see.”

The attendant lowered the hand covering his mouth and spoke. There was no trace of a smile on his expressionless face.

What? Did I hear wrong…?

The attendant headed toward the nearest door.

“Then, I’ll open this room first.”

I grabbed his arm urgently and asked.

“……Are you really going to open them all?”

I had assumed he’d naturally want to back out.

Only priests used this lounge. High-ranking clergy, such as bishops and above, had their own private lounges on the upper floor. However, in this world, even priests were treated almost like nobility. It would be a burden for a attendant to fall out of favor with the priests in the lounge…

But the attendant’s expression remained calm.

“You told me to open everything.”

“……I suppose I did.”

I lowered my gaze to the floor for a moment, then looked into his dark blue eyes.

“But what about you? …Are you fine with doing something like that?”

……Even I can’t understand myself. If he says he’ll do as I wish, shouldn’t I just accept it gratefully? Why am I making a mountain out of a molehill? What if he really does change his mind?

Contrary to my worries, his mind hadn’t changed. The attendant, who had been looking at me, smiled.

“Yes, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

The touch of his hand pulling mine down from his arm was gentle. I flinched without meaning to, and he knocked on the door.

“Excuse me. I’ll be coming in for a moment.”

His tone was polite. It was just that he didn’t wait for permission and simply unlocked the door with the key.

I was momentarily taken aback by his boldness, but I hurriedly stepped in front of the attendant. I was worried that the people inside might launch an attack on the man who had barged in without permission.

But it was a needless worry.

…They are all asleep?

The two people in the room were fast asleep. Lying sprawled on the floor, breathing evenly with the scent of alcohol on their breath, they looked as if they wouldn’t even notice if someone carried them away.

I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the people in the room were fully clothed. To be honest, I’d been worried right up until I entered the room. …I was afraid I might witness an intimate moment between lovers.

I’m no less guilty for it.

I offered a half-hearted apology and began searching for the ginseng monster while pretending to look for the ring. The attendant was also searching the room, perhaps to help me. I felt bad for making him go through all this trouble for nothing.

I searched the room thoroughly, but couldn’t find a single leaf of the ginseng monster. Just as I was [unauthorized copy]about to pick up one of the people lying on the floor, just in case,

“……What are you doing?”

The attendant asked in a low voice right behind me. His breath brushed past my ear, and I nearly dropped the male priest I was holding onto the floor.

As I turned around, trying to calm my racing heart, our eyes met immediately. Perhaps because the room was dark, his face was cold.

“I was just thinking of checking here too.”

I replied, and pointed with my foot at the floor where the male priest had been lying. Unfortunately, there was no ginseng monster there either. Since I’d already lifted him, I laid him on the bed and turned back.

Just as I was about to bend down to help the female priest, a hand grabbed my wrist.

“Leave it to me. I’ll do it.”

Without waiting for my reply, the attendant immediately lifted the female priest. I stared at him in surprise.

“……Thank you.”

The first room was a bust. The attendant and I moved on to the second room without delay.

What? …They are sleeping here too?

There was only one person in the room. But he, too, was snoring in bed. The unauthorized copy second room yielded nothing of note either.

And so we entered the third room.

Everyone’s asleep here too…?

One was on the bed, and the other was sprawled out on the floor. It was strange that we hadn’t seen a single person awake after breaking into three rooms. But I had no choice but to accept it when the smell of alcohol filled the room.

Well, I guess that makes sense if they’ve been drinking too much……

There were plenty of people passed out on the noisy, cold lobby floor, too, so whatever.

Perhaps I wasn’t the only one who thought that, because the attendant didn’t react either. While he moved the two people to the bed one by one, I searched the room.

“I don’t think there’s anything here either.”

What he was looking for and what I was looking for were clearly different. But I had no choice but to agree.

“You’re right. Let’s move on to the next room.”

I hadn’t found any traces of the monster in this room either.

“Excuse me. I’ll be going in for a moment.”

Once again, the attendant didn’t wait for permission. I heard a click from the doorknob where the key was inserted. After unlocking [Read on]the door, he stepped back and looked at me.

I had no idea how he knew I wanted to go in first, but at some point, he started doing that.

I wanted to go in first just in case something troublesome happened with the people inside the room… So far, luckily, nothing I’d feared had happened.

I hope it stays that way…

As soon as I opened the fourth door, our eyes met.

“Eek!”

The monster hanging from the ceiling like a decoration let out a bloodcurdling scream and vanished through the ceiling. It happened so fast I didn’t even have time to react.

Haa… I missed it again.

I’d hoped to catch it on this floor if possible. …Because the floor above, the third floor, has a lounge for bishops and higher-ranking officials.

I stood in place and let out a sigh before turning around. It might have looked strange to see me standing in front of the door, but the face of the attendant was expressionless.

“……I just realized, I don’t think I lost it in the lounge.”

“…….”

“Sorry for taking up your time. Go back to your duties now.”

There was no reply from the attendant. Just as I was beginning to find the silence puzzling, he gave a smile and nodded.

“Yes, I will. I hope you find it this time.”

“……Yes, thank you.”

Going up the stairs at the end of the hallway would be inefficient. I changed direction and stepped into the room. Then I stepped out onto the terrace, jumped up, and landed on the upper terrace without any trouble.

…Whose lounge is this again?

I stood still for a moment, trying to remember. I had memorized the layout of Chepony Castle, but since I hadn’t come up via the stairs, I was confused.

Whoever owns this room, please let it be empty…