## Chapter 170 – Collusion (14)
Even while stretching in the morning, I couldn’t put any strength into my back. Number 25 struggled to get out of bed and looked around. Lowe, who had definitely been next to me before I lost consciousness, was nowhere to be seen. Did she go to prepare breakfast or something? Thinking it wasn’t a big deal, Number 25 got out of bed and slowly started walking.
On the table near the bed, breakfast was set, with steam rising from it. It was a simple meal of soup, sausage, and eggs, but the care put into it couldn’t be ignored. Number 25 naturally sat down at the table and waited for Lowe.
About five minutes passed? The sound of the door opening was heard, and Lowe appeared. She must have prepared Number 25’s breakfast and taken a shower, as she entered the room wearing only a gown.
Seeing Number 25 awake and sitting at the table, a smile appeared on Lowe’s face.
“You’re awake?”
Instead of answering, Number 25 nodded, unable to take his eyes off Lowe’s body.
Seeing Lowe’s naked body, still slightly damp and glistening, reminded him of what happened yesterday, and blood rushed to his lower body again, but now was the time to restrain himself.
“You could have started eating first….”
“I just woke up too.”
“Is that so? Then let’s eat together.”
Lowe, without putting on any underwear, sat down and immediately began eating. After swallowing the food in her mouth and wiping around her lips, she casually asked Number 25 a question.
“That thing we talked about yesterday… can you keep it?”
Number 25 stared intently into Lowe’s eyes before nodding and answering in a strong voice.
“Of course. Who do you think taught me?”
“Yeah… It’s not that I don’t believe what you said….”
Even though Lowe had heard Number 25’s resolution yesterday, she still looked uneasy. She knew it in her head, but it was still hard to accept. Number 25 put down his utensils and slowly began to speak.
“I said it like that, but honestly, I’m a little scared. Taking on such a heavy mission is never easy, right? But I want to see the future that Lahart envisions with my own eyes. I think this power I have is for that purpose.”
After listening to everything Number 25 said, Lowe didn’t say anything for a while before carefully stroking his hair.
“I’m such a worrywart… I’ll keep watching over you, so do your best.”
Number 25 nodded vigorously, finished his meal, and then got up to get dressed. If he was any later, Aselle would be quite worried. In fact, staying out overnight wasn’t planned, so he had to go back as soon as possible to avoid being nagged.
After checking around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, Number 25 hugged Lowe, waved his hand, and left the room.
Lowe, still wearing only the gown she had been wearing over her naked body, went all the way outside the tower to see Number 25 off. It would be a big deal if anyone saw them, but there were no intelligent beings in District 2 other than Lowe and Number 25, so it didn’t matter much.
“Be careful going back.”
After finishing his last greeting, Number 25 took a deep breath and opened the entrance back to District 7.
With just one step, the surrounding scenery changed, and the air was different. It was now the familiar yard of Aselle’s mansion, but something was strange.
What is this energy?
He felt a very uneasy energy, as if someone was targeting him from somewhere.
Like a beast in the wild hunting for prey….
“You’re finally here?”
Number 25 flinched without realizing it, like a thief caught red-handed.
Aselle’s voice should have been welcoming, but for some reason, he felt a chill down his spine. Number 25 couldn’t even make eye contact and barely managed to open his mouth in a small voice.
“I, I’m back.”
Aselle, who had approached Number 25’s side, stared intently at his face and opened her mouth.
“It’s okay for you to meet Lowe. But I didn’t know you would stay out overnight without saying anything?”
Number 25 couldn’t make any excuses in response to her cold voice, which was different from usual. Aselle buried her nose near Number 25’s neck and began to smell him. Number 25 was like a mouse in front of a tiger, unable to do anything.
Wrinkling her nose and furrowing her brow, Aselle sighed deeply.
“I expected you to sleep together if you met alone… but I thought you would come back the same day….”
Nothing he said now would get through. Judging that, Number 25 put his hands together and decided to remain silent until her anger subsided.
Aselle herself knew better than anyone that her current actions were just pettiness stemming from jealousy. She just didn’t like the fact that he hadn’t hugged her lately, but he went to another woman’s house with a legitimate reason and ended up having sex.
After venting her anger, Aselle sighed heavily towards the ground and gestured for Number 25 to go away.
“Just go inside.”
Number 25 bowed his head and carefully moved his feet, feeling an uncomfortable wall being erected between Aselle and himself for the first time in a while. He thought that he should be even nicer to those closest to him, but it was mostly his fault for always making them wait. Wasn’t this also something that happened because he couldn’t overcome the temptation in front of him? He would go downtown soon to buy her a gift or some delicious food and have a conversation to resolve things.
With a slightly uncomfortable feeling, he opened the front door of the mansion, and the first face that greeted Number 25 was one he didn’t expect at all.
A woman who was mopping the floor looked at Number 25, who had opened the door, and widened her eyes in surprise, raising her voice.
“Huh!?”
Number 25, startled by the sudden loud voice, raised his head and looked at her face. Standing there was Hilda.
Seeing Hilda’s face, which he felt like he hadn’t seen in a long time, made him forget about what had just happened in the yard for a brief moment, and he felt a sense of joy.
“Hilda?”
Hilda stopped mopping, placed her palm on the mop to support herself, and spoke in a friendly manner.
“It feels like it’s been a really long time, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it does.”
He remembered seeing her in passing, but wasn’t this almost the first time they had talked like this since returning from District 2?
A brief awkward silence followed, but Hilda naturally continued to lead the conversation.
“Anyway, I heard the news. You participated in the Academy Tournament? That’s amazing! You’re not going to forget about me when you become successful later, are you?”
Seeing Hilda acting so exaggeratedly made Number 25 forget about what had happened with Aselle and laugh involuntarily.
“That won’t happen. Why don’t you come visit me if you’re bored, Hilda?”
At Number 25’s words, Hilda shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
“You know we can’t go out without getting permission separately, right?”
“Really? Can’t you just get permission from Charlotte-nim?”
When Charlotte’s name came up, Hilda flinched, dropped the mop on the floor, lost her balance, and staggered. Number 25 tried to support her, but she quickly regained her balance on her own and scratched her head with an awkward smile.
“W-Well, I wonder if she’ll give me permission?”
“Should I ask her for you?”
Hilda waved her hands and shook her head faster than before.
“No, it’s okay. If she finds out I asked you for such a favor, she’ll probably kill me.”
He thought she was just joking as usual, but the fear in Hilda’s expression was genuine. What kind of training were they conducting in a place Number 25 didn’t know about that made her so afraid? He decided to bury that curiosity in his heart for now. There were some things in the world that were better left unknown.
Hilda took a deep breath and continued to speak.
“Because of what happened before, the number of maids working here has decreased quite a bit, right? They’ve posted a notice, but we don’t know when they’ll come.”
“I see… that’s too bad.”
“It’s okay! I’ll do my part here, so you just have to do your part there, right?”
Number 25, gaining strength from Hilda’s always bright appearance, nodded and took her hand.
“Thank you. It’s always fun talking to Hilda.”
Hilda, who had her hand clasped with Number 25, blushed instantly and began to look around.
“W-What if someone sees us…!”
Misfortune always comes without warning.
“Who is that someone?”
In an instant, it felt like a cold air filled the surroundings. Hilda’s stiff body didn’t even have the leeway to turn towards the sound.
The closer the sound of heels coming down the stairs, the faster her heart beat in response.
Her heart felt like it was going to explode. In a delusion where time seemed to have stopped coldly, Charlotte approached Hilda from behind and naturally placed her hand on her shoulder.
“I clearly ordered you to clean. I never told you to stand here chatting, did I?”
Charlotte looked down at the pale Hilda and spoke in a coldly subdued voice. She felt sorry for Hilda, who was trembling. She wanted to embrace her, but her instincts were telling her. That no words were allowed in this situation.
Charlotte took her hand off Hilda’s shoulder and then approached Number 25 without saying anything, grabbing his chin and examining him from side to side. The face of Charlotte, who was examining his appearance in a different atmosphere than usual, radiated the threatening energy he had felt from Aselle earlier.
After examining Number 25’s face silently for a while, Charlotte opened her mouth without even looking at Hilda.
“I have something to talk about with him for a moment, so you go help with the kitchen cleaning.”
Hilda, as if she had been waiting for those words, grabbed the mop and bucket and left the spot faster than anyone else. When no one else was felt around, Charlotte released the hand that had been holding Number 25’s chin and gently stroked his cheek.
The atmosphere had changed so quickly that it was hard to adjust. Charlotte suddenly hugged Number 25 and whispered in a soft voice.
“Why are you so late? I was waiting.”
“W-Well, I ended up sleeping over at Lowe-nim’s place.”
“Really? Did you resolve all your questions and come back?”
“Huh? Ah… that’s right….”
Number 25 was confused when Charlotte, who he thought would be full of jealousy like Aselle, showed a different, kinder reaction than expected. Wasn’t this Aselle’s role?
As if Charlotte could see the confusion Number 25 was feeling, she said again.
“Honestly, I don’t like you sleeping with another woman, but I can understand that much. After all, I was the first one to take you away from the Demon King, right?”
Charlotte released Number 25 from her embrace and opened her mouth regretfully, as if smacking her lips.
“I want to receive a lot of compensation for being lonely too… but not now. There’s a guest who came to see you.”
“A guest who came to see me?”
There was one person he could guess, but so suddenly? Number 25 listened to Charlotte’s words to follow him and headed to the drawing room upstairs. He hadn’t even opened the door, but he could already hear the bustling sounds.
Who could it be? What could have happened that so many people came to see him?
Stop thinking, it would be faster to check with your own eyes. Number 25 put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door.
Waiting inside were the four Demon Kings, excluding Lahart, Aselle, and Lowe.
