Chapter 32
She confidently flung the door wide, her voice trailing off.
This is why I proposed we quit.
“What? The pillow is right there?”
Katarina moved past the rigid Dolores to inspect the bed.
Dolores’ lips quivered.
“What is this? Why is it here? It certainly wasn’t here yesterday.”
“Is that everything you have to say? You accused Hilda of being a thief through your lies?”
“No, it can’t be… this isn’t right…”
Dolores turned abruptly and stared at me with hate in her eyes.
“How did you do it? How did you know I’d come seeking for it at night and return the pillow?”
“Dolores, seriously, stop it now.”
“Will you clarify quickly? You make a fool of someone and then go without saying anything!”
The situation was ridiculous, yet Dolores was digging her own grave.
I knew she was guilty, but without strong evidence, her reaction was making matters worse.
I believed she was smarter, but she obviously didn’t grasp her own circumstances.
“Dolores! Will you keep making these ludicrous claims? Now that your pillow has been found intact, are you saying Hilda covertly returned it?”
“It’s very unusual! How did you do that? Huh? The pillow in your room is mine. But how can I have the same pillow in my room?”
Dolores was ripping her hair in confusion.
I didn’t bother to explain, but it was straightforward.
Knowing Adrian was waiting in my room, I went to Dolores’ room, which she had left open, and placed the pillow there, leaving a bit of saliva smear…
I didn’t buy the cushion anticipating her to arrive.
I really felt sorry for her after seeing her struggle the night before due to a lack of sleep.
It wasn’t the best pillow, but I wanted to return something decent.
“Enough. This conversation is done. Dolores, I shall inform Lady Leticia about this occurrence. How could you think of framing someone for theft based on personal feelings?”
“It’s not true, really…”
“Avoid Hilda from now on. You are despicable.”
Katarina exited the room abruptly following her nasty remarks.
The throng Dolores had gathered became nervous and began to depart, staring at one another.
Even Emily, who was kind-hearted, grimaced slightly at Dolores before gently grabbing my arm and whispering.
Her palm was somewhat sweaty, indicating anxiousness.
“Let’s go, Hilda.”
“Yeah.”
Emily took a quick peek at Dolores before walking away.
I waited a beat and then halted.
Dolores was shaking alone, her hands squeezed tight.
“How, how did you do it?”
I sighed at her repeated query.
“That’s not what’s important right now.”
“What? You are saying…”
“Secret meetings are best held elsewhere. Make careful to properly lock your door. Otherwise, someone may steal your pillow again.
After all, that pillow cost five gold.
Given that the cushion was identical to the previous one, I believe the one in my room is also a premium pillow.
What a fool for not knowing how to invest in pillows.
Even the old Hilda utilized a special pillow…
“Are you provoking me right now? I will not let this go, you know!”
I was honestly advising her from my room, but she did not listen, which is unfortunate.
Dolores appears to despise me despite the fact that I have done nothing really wrong.
After all, we are fighting the same enemy.
“Does a thief telling me to lock my door sound like anything other than mockery? You played me like this, and now you’re going around town in the lady’s carriage with the pillow you stole! Flirting with Young Master Adrian!”
“The lady’s carriage was thanks to my cold brew latte.”
“Cold brew… what?”
“Hilda, come out quickly!”
Emily, who was waiting outside, beckoned for me while the conversation dragged on.
Emily seems concerned that Dolores may harm me in some manner.
I glanced at Dolores’ hot face and exited the room.
A cold night breeze came from the end of the dark corridor.
I trembled, recalling the forgotten chill.
「You earned 1000 experience points by providing a first-time gift to a non-romantic friend.」
I bid farewell to Emily and went inside my room, where white letters greeted me.
Is the gift referring to the pillow that I gave Dolores?
I was curious how far the concept of ‘friend’ extended in this system.
We were practically enemies, but I was just not pulling her hair.
Meanwhile, the status bar, which had been in the second half, filled up and returned to the start.
Lv 9 transitioned to Lv 10, and white letters scrolled down.
「You have reached level 10. (Title: Conscientious and Dishonest Worker)」
「Skill unlocked! You can now utilize the ‘Seer’s Eye’ talent.」
「Lucky bag is unlocked.」
It appears that they will not remove the ‘dishonest’ part.
Who is the most dishonest in this part, I wonder?
But right now, there is something more important than any meaningless title.
A new skill!
I need to sit on the bed and study it well.
I gingerly brought the pillow to the center of the bed and got on it reverently, taking care not to cause any shock.
It was an old bed that squeaked with even the smallest movement, so I had to be extra careful not to shorten its lifespan.
Moving silently like a minor robber, I came to a sudden halt and gazed into the air.
Fortunately, no white letters describing the bed’s durability emerged.
I accessed the skill window and adjusted the settings for my detecting skill.
The volume was perfect when I changed it the last time, but the light still annoyed me, so I nearly turned it off.
When the emergency bell rings in front of Adrian, my face gets half-red, which is frightening.
After adapting, I eagerly used the newly gained skill.
‘The Seer’s Eye’.
A skill learned at level ten must be more useful for survival than ‘detection’.
I acquired this talent as a result of the critical hits that occurred during the day, and I wanted to give Adrian’s pillow credit for this accomplishment.
“Let’s see, the skill description is…”
I didn’t need to read the description because the detecting skill was passive and intuitive, both visually and audibly.
However, ‘Seer’s Eye’ did not instantly make sense to me.
I pressed the ‘+’ button next to the skill, and a lengthy description scrolled down.
「Seer’s Eye
Opening Conditions: Level 10
Duration: five minutes.
Cooldown: three hours.
In a world where both good and evil exist, ‘Seer’s Eye’ allows you to better discern the intents of others. When utilizing the talent, a red aura will appear around objects carrying malice.
Poisonous swords and concealed assassination tools are all around us. Look for malice buried in ordinary situations. Recognizing the malice of others can help you live longer.
Malice is defined as powerful, harmful feelings that are intense enough to cause harm to another person.
You cannot see past people’s malice.
If a thing with the potential to cause harm lacks intent, it cannot be seen through.
You can’t see through the malice in stuff buried behind walls.」
“Wow, this is a lot better than I expected, right? They give this at level ten?
It’s a skill that can tell whether Adrian plans to kill someone with a tool.
I briefly wondered if the system had made a mistake.
Of course, the sentence ‘If an object that can inflict harm does not contain malice, it cannot be seen through’ was a catch, but it made sense to me after some consideration.
Depending on the intent, the same knife could be used frequently or unusually.
Even if Adrian is cutting bread with a knife, he would not consider killing someone, but everything now appears to be laced with malice, which is worrisome.
I frequently make mistakes, which causes me to be too careful, and I may miss Adrian’s major move if I am constantly on watch.