I’m Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 68

Chapter 35.1

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“Are you okay, Young Lady?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll just have a cup of tea, Marie.”

I was thinking about what the numbers in the mission window meant and ended up staying up all night with my eyes wide open.

I rubbed my eyes, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle in.

Marie, who had brought the tea, looked at me with concern.

“Did you not get much sleep?”

“I had some things to think about.”

“Were you able to sort them out?”

At her question, I turned my gaze back to the system window. Whether it was good news or bad, the numbers in the mission window remained exactly as I had seen them yesterday.

“…No.”

I closed my eyes, savoring the pleasant aroma of the tea. The lack of sleep made keeping my eyes open feel painful and stinging.

“Then, how about spending the day at home, resting well and taking your time to think things through?”

I smiled as I listened to Marie’s voice, which sounded more enthusiastic than usual as if she were trying to lift my spirits.

Just as I reached for the tea, her next words suddenly made me freeze in place.

“By the way, there was a murder case yesterday, and Erhel is in chaos. If you were planning to go out, I suggest you stay in today.”

“…A murder case?”

My heart began to race at her words. I tried to ignore the mission window lingering in the corner of my vision and focused on Marie instead.

She tilted her head for a moment, seemingly puzzled by my reaction, but then spoke casually.

“I don’t know the details either. I just heard from the merchant who delivered ingredients to the kitchen today. They mentioned that a body was found near Neitzia?”

Neitzia?

If we’re talking about Neitzia, that’s where the World Tree is, past the Boundary Forest I went through when I rescued Perideline last time.

I unconsciously clenched my fist.

I turned to Marie, who was still tilting her head, and asked again.

“Was that incident reported in the newspaper?”

“No. It doesn’t seem to have made it into the papers yet. They said they had just heard about it while passing through that area for business. If what he said is true, it should appear in the papers by tomorrow.”

“And besides that? Were there any other unusual details?”

Marie narrowed her eyes at my question.

“Young lady, since when did you become so interested in murder cases?”

“I-It’s not like that. I’m just curious. It’s a little scary too!”

Marie, who had been looking at me with a puzzled expression as if she found it strange that I was suddenly interested in a murder case, shrugged her shoulders and continued.

“Well, from what I’ve heard, this incident is definitely a bit eerie. The condition of the body is strange, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“They said the body was desiccated.”

“Completely dried out?”

“Yes, like a withered tree.”

In response to my question, she nodded solemnly and added.

“Moreover, the body was found in Neitzia, of all places.”

“…Why does that matter?”

“The merchant who shared the story said that the body looked just like a World Tree that’s wilting and dying.”

“….”

“Because of that, there’s even talk among the merchants that a dark omen has befallen Arbonis.”

I nodded at Marie, indicating that I understood what she was saying.

The legend of Hero Elle and Elbora, the dragon who protects Arbonis by sealing away the monsters in Neitzia, where the World Tree is located, is quite well-known. So, if a dried-up corpse appeared nearby, mirroring the current withering of the World Tree, it was no surprise that the rumor mill couldn’t ignore it.

“Anyway, it’s a good thing Neitzia is close to the capital. Still, since the culprit hasn’t been caught yet, it might be safer to stay in the mansion for a while.”

I nodded awkwardly at her suggestion and glanced at the mission window.

[ 〈SYSTEM〉

Ongoing mission — Erase the shadow of death looming over Arbonis!
Suspicious Deaths (1/0) ]

The mission window still displayed the number one.

After hearing Marie’s story, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the death she mentioned was somehow connected to the one shown in the mission window.

An inexplicable sense of unease enveloped my entire body.

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“What the hell is going on here?”

Vien grimaced as he stared at the corpse in front of the World Tree. The sight, as if all the moisture had been drained from the body, was nothing short of grotesque.

“Ha…”

Frustrated, he ran his hand through his perfectly groomed blond hair, messing it up in the process. What bothered him most was that the corpse had been found right in front of the World Tree. It felt as if he were looking at the withering, dying tree itself, creating an indescribable sense of unease.

As Vien kicked the corpse out of irritation, he noticed something wriggling between the man’s collar.

‘A worm?’

Just as he bent down to reach for the wriggling object without thinking, he heard a voice.

“Your Highness, the Grand Duke has arrived.”