"Viscount Poulsbury. Do I seem dangerous to you?"
"Yes? Of course!"
"Really?"
Only then did Kendrick stare blankly at Esperanza. Though she wasn't armed, compared to Kendrick's luxurious appearance that would make pickpockets drool as they rushed at him, Esperanza in her black hood had blended into this street to the point of looking quite dangerous. It was just that the infatuated fool's eyes were slow to register this.
"I have someone to meet. Please go back."
"B-but. Miss Esperanza Hunter. This place is too close to Alter District. Please allow me to escort you."
Kendrick said this while writhing his bear-like bulk. Some people might find such behavior cute, but Esperanza was not one of them. Bears should be hunted, not called cute. Rabbits or foxes were enough for cute things. A black bear, really.
"I knew when I came. But Viscount, surely."
Esperanza asked as if wondering how such a barbaric, terrible, unthinkable thing could possibly happen.
"You didn't follow me, did you?"
"N-no, no, I didn't!"
If you're going to deny it, at least make it believable. He stepped back slightly while asserting.
"Viscount, I hate this sort of thing. When someone restricts my actions, makes me unable to move under the pretense of worry, prevents me from doing what I want, and packages it as being 'ladylike.'"
Kendrick started hiccupping.
"It would be best if you returned today."
However, this man was unexpectedly formidable. Even while hiccupping with a bright red face, he didn't back down.
"F-for a lady to be alone in such a place. It will damage Miss Hunter's noble reputation. I will keep this matter secret until I die. So please, at least let me provide escort."
Though he spoke that way, it was obvious he was curious about what on earth a lady who was the Count's ward was doing in such a slum. Curiosity was unavoidable. It would have been the same whoever was here instead of Kendrick. Esperanza sighed lightly.
"Do as you wish. However, it's escort only."
"Yes, yes!"
"That means, no matter where I go in, you must not follow me inside."
Kendrick's face went pale. Of course, escort didn't mean that, but Esperanza was self-centered. Knowing this was the best compromise she was offering, Kendrick contemplated what kind of land Paolun must be for a lady to wander dangerous areas so freely, and nodded reluctantly.
Esperanza headed straight to the promised bakery. Because she had given advance notice, Jack was outside.
"Did you eat today's bread?"
"......Not yet. But that person, no, that lord?"
"Don't mind him."
However, he was too large to ignore. A muscular build that seemed almost twice Esperanza's size. Quality coat tightly wrapped around that build and gleaming eyes under a tall silk hat. Most of all, that menacing face. That bear-like face that would be scary to meet at night.
"Would he kill you?"
"Eek!"
Jack gradually hid behind Esperanza. Though Esperanza looked equally eerie hidden under her black hood, perhaps because he had seen her several times and grown familiar, he readily hid behind the hood and just peeked his head out.
"Miss,"
"Shh!"
The information broker probably knew the name too, so Jack might already know it, but she intended to hide it as much as possible for now. Jack flinched while gripping the hood tightly.
"S-sorry."
"Didn't you come to provide escort?"
Though she hadn't looked very affectionate when they first met, now there was even some irritation mixed in. If Kendrick had volunteered for this escort as part of his courtship, he had thought terribly wrong. Esperanza would have liked him better if he hadn't appeared at all.
"That's right. Wh-where are you going?"
"Here."
Esperanza pointed to the bakery.
"Jack, you can eat two today. I'll buy them."
"Really?"
Jack ran into the bakery with delight. Of course, it wasn't a place suitable for a lady of gentry class or above to enter, but Esperanza didn't particularly look like a lady right now either. Rather, Kendrick was the one the bakery owner would find objectionable.
"Viscount, you coming in would only interfere with business, so please stay outside."
"But......"
"You promised."
Kendrick hesitated and avoided speaking. Esperanza didn't care and entered the bakery.
"Jack? Eat quickly and go."
The bakery owner focused on reading his newspaper without paying attention to the boy who appeared daily. Seeing this, Esperanza could guess that while the bakery owner hadn't been kind, he hadn't skipped giving Jack bread either.
Jack came over with two loaves he had selected. The bakery owner immediately glared.
"I said only one! I gave you two last time because you were wandering around hungry, but not today!"
"I'll pay for today's separately, so just give them to him."
The bakery owner gasped "hik" like Jack had when he saw Kendrick. Esperanza looked exactly as she had that day. Equipment was good like that. Even without washing, putting it in inventory and taking it out made it look new.
After paying and even covering the cost of bread for Jack's next month, Esperanza lowered her voice to ask. Kendrick was still outside, watching nervously and glancing into the bakery.
"Is there a back door here?"
"Excuse me?"
"I asked if there's a back door. I'm going to sneak out, so when that gentleman outside comes in and asks, tell him you didn't see me leave earlier."
"H-how can I deceive a gentleman?"
Without another word, Esperanza pushed over some bills. The bakery owner quickly pocketed them.
"This way."
When Kendrick's gaze turned away from this direction, Esperanza moved nimbly. Confused Jack instinctively stuffed all the remaining bread in his mouth. Esperanza lifted Jack, whose cheeks were puffed up like a squirrel as he chewed, with one arm and exited through the bakery's back door.
Ten minutes later, unable to endure any longer, Kendrick threw open the bakery door. Though he had prepared himself to be scorned by Esperanza, only the plump owner sat blankly inside the bakery.
The bakery owner was far better at acting than Esperanza. Kendrick cursed and stamped his feet, but there was no way to find the lady who had vanished somewhere.
"Alter District...... should I go in?"
At the same time, in the distance, the clock tower chimed four o'clock. He sighed deeply.
"Avondale will be furious if he finds out."
Not knowing that Avondale wouldn't worry about the lady's escapade in the slightest, Kendrick scratched his head ungentlemanly, wondering how to explain this.
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
Esperanza safely entered Alter District carrying Jack. When she put Jack down, the boy brushed off his pants with a bright red face.
"What's wrong?"
"Y-you just! Carried me like that......!"
"You were light. One bread is insufficient for a meal though."
"I'm not light!"
Jack shouted back, then shut his mouth again. No matter how much Esperanza didn't bother Jack and even bought him bread, there was no telling how long that goodwill would last. Jack hid his displeasure and obediently corrected himself.
"......Never mind."
"Is it hard to get food other than bread? Or were you caught?"
"That's not it."
Esperanza clicked her tongue at the sight of the scrawny child's legs. She felt like she needed to do something about this kid. But with Esperanza herself living as a dependent in someone else's house, and needing Jack as a back-alley boy for the time being, she couldn't do that.
"Let's see how things go for now. Now, guide me to the information broker."
"That person from last time?"
"Yeah."
Esperanza followed Jack while repeatedly throwing the silent receiver up and catching it.
Turning the corner, they stood in front of the information broker's building. Esperanza narrowed her eyes.
"I was waiting for you. Please come in."
Though there had been no sign of presence until just now, he came out as if he had really been waiting.
He doesn't look it at all, but does that man read presence?
It wasn't something she could ask. Esperanza looked at him with narrowed eyes, then followed him in.
The man, who had a more stereotypical scholarly air than the actual scholar Cider while giving off a dangerous atmosphere, guided her to the same sofa as last time. Esperanza sat and handed over the receiver.
"It was extremely noisy."
"It was designed to be faithful to the purpose of an alarm. If it caused you any trouble, I apologize."
Esperanza answered by raising an eyebrow. The information broker lowered his eyes and sat across from Esperanza.
The interior was still shabby. But it was neat, and you couldn't hear the squeaking sounds you'd commonly hear in such places.
'Teacher' held out a thick paper file. Esperanza flipped through the papers while seated. The documents were concisely organized at about one or two pages per incident.
As requested, he had investigated nationwide, so there were quite a few incidents. Among them, she could see Mabelwood's name. But most would be false positives. She'd have to take it back and filter through it.
"Did you type all this on a typewriter?"
"Excuse me?"
"Teacher did it himself?"
"......That's correct."
"That must have been hard work."
Thinking of that somewhat sinister and dangerous-looking Teacher sitting in front of a typewriter inputting information one by one. Esperanza didn't laugh out loud. Laughter erupted from an unexpected place.
"......."
It was Jack. When gazes gathered on the giggling boy, he averted his eyes like a child who had stolen candy. When Esperanza's eyes met Teacher's, she pulled up the corners of her mouth under her hood. Seeing the vivid rose-colored lips form a curve, Teacher's expression stiffened slightly.
Teacher had threatened Esperanza with his sinister atmosphere, and Esperanza had intentionally disrupted it. They had exchanged one shot each, so it was fair.
'This person never learned proper courtesy toward customers.'
"Please pay the fee."
"How much was it?"
"50,000 terot."
Esperanza took out exactly 50,000 terot worth of cash from her bag. Jack drooled again, but like last time, couldn't lay a hand on it. Of course, the same was true for Esperanza's magic bag, which actually contained nothing.
"Couldn't you find the hunter?"
"I'm searching."
"Hmm."
Teacher didn't lose his smile. However, when the candlelight flickered, his profile looked distorted.
"I'm in the process of narrowing down candidates. By all means, I'll find them as soon as possible."
"Good. Then let's do that. I have an additional request. This one as quickly as possible."