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The reception room of Count Kealy’s castle was a place that felt like a hunter’s hideout, with roughly hewn stone walls adorned with taxidermied animal heads and decorative bows. Some kind of monster’s fur was laid out on the floor.

It had a wild and rugged atmosphere. Iris Lune thought it was good in its own way, but it might be considered unusual for a noble.

“Welcome, ‘Dragon’s Throat’.”

Seated across from the four of them was Count Keighley… Oswald Mical Keighley, a man in his late forties.

As the lord of the domain, he was also a knight of the king, and was in a position to lead the army in times of emergency, but he gave a rather delicate impression, with the air of a civil servant. His short, neatly styled tangerine-colored hair gave him a clean look. Only his facial features were a bit stern, and his gray eyes shone intensely.

If she had to sum up his overall impression in a single word, it would be “a stubborn, inflexible bureaucrat.”

The social status of adventurers varied widely, but it was rare for a lord himself to receive them in the reception room to discuss business. This was proof that the Count placed great importance on “Dragon’s Throat.”

“What is the matter, Count? If it is for your sake, no task is too great,”

Benedict clasped his large hands together and grinned, baring his fangs.

His mop-like tail, which poked out from a hole in his pants, thumped against the sofa.

His muscular upper body was clad in nothing but a simple short-sleeved shirt, but his fur-covered physique didn’t seem to feel the cold much.

Oswald nodded with satisfaction, and then started the discussion.

“I spoke with Benedict beforehand, but I would like to explain the request quest again.

I have been working on a plan to drive out the criminal organization Night Python from my territory. As we enter the final phase, I am taking into consideration the possibility that Night Python might retaliate or seek revenge. Therefore, I want to ask “Dragon’s Throat” to provide personal protection for myself and my daughter, Catherine.

The official request quest will begin in one week. The duration is still unknown, but I expect it will be approximately half a month to a month. I will pay daily wages for your work during that time.”

“My Lord, may I speak regarding this matter?”

It was Hugh, still wearing his armor even in this setting, who raised his hand to ask for permission to speak. He had left his sword and shield behind, though.

“What is it?”

“Could you perhaps tell us about the progress of the Night Python eradication operation and your future outlook?

If we don’t understand the situation, it will interfere with our work.”

Hugh’s true intention was probably to “determine whether it’s a dangerous situation.”

Oswald thought for a moment before answering.

“Night Python has bases, or rather… hideouts, in the major cities within the territory, most of which have already been discovered.

In addition, we are prepared to raid illegal brothels and prohibited drug shops that serve as sources of funding for the organization.

If we can capture the main leaders and destroy the funding sources, their activities in the territory will become unsustainable.”

“Um, count.”

Iris Lune spoke up, causing everyone around her to look a little surprised.

Iris didn’t usually speak during negotiations. So she was a little worried that she might seem unnatural but she had something she needed to ask about.

“Do you know the location of Night Python’s boss? Can you arrest him?”

Because that was Renée’s goal.

After making a contract with Miriam, Renée wandered in search of information about Night Python.

Her first destination was the brothel where Miriam had worked. Souls can travel a thousand miles in a single night. Even if it was on the opposite side of the country, going there was easy.

She eavesdropped on conversations there for an entire day, but she didn’t get any information that could lead her to the boss.

She briefly considered torturing the lower-ranking members to get the location of the higher-ups, but she decided against it. Even though she’d gone into hiding after faking her defeat, if she caused too much of a scene, there was a risk of her presence and location being discovered by the knights. And if her target escaped on top of that, it would be disastrous.

She’d only cause trouble once she had a clear path to achieving her goal.

As she was wondering how to proceed with her secret investigation, she heard about the count’s plan to launch an anti-Night Python operation in the middle of all this chaos.

And when she got here, she discovered a very convenient adventurer party.

– In this position, she should be able to get information from the count and, if necessary, receive support for her investigation. She wanted to use “Dragon’s Throat” and the count to gather information about Night Python. And of course, about the domestic situation as well.

If she could get Oswald to reveal the boss’s location here, her mission would be cleared in one go.

“…If that boss is the leader of Night Python, I don’t know his location. He probably isn’t in the territory, so there’s nothing I can do about it.

If possible, I’d like to capture the executive in charge of this territory… But, in truth, we haven’t been able to pinpoint their location. Well, the goal is to destroy Night Python’s operational base. It isn’t necessary to capture the boss at all costs.”

Things didn’t go as smoothly as she hoped.

Honestly, Iris Lune was a little disappointed, but Oswald was probably the only one with enough of a death wish to try to fight Night Python in the current situation. It would probably be a shortcut to use him somehow.

– It would have been great if I could have found the Night Python boss’s mistress and possessed her. 

But if I possess a body that isn’t a girl, the power of my magic will decrease. And a VIP in the underworld likely has strong defenses, so if I fail, it will be disastrous. I also want time to observe the country’s situation, so for now, I’ll start with an indirect approach.

“Count, I also want to confirm something. Isn’t the plan to have Iris be a body double for Lady Catherine? Could you tell me more about that?”

Diana was naturally checking on Iris Lune’s safety.

“Yes. I was about to explain that. But it isn’t a matter of asking her to jump into danger pretending to be Catherine, and certainly not using her as bait.”

Honestly, Renée thought that danger would be a better opportunity to find leads, but things weren’t going to be that easy.

“It’s simply a special standby status as an extension of her personal protection. We want to have something in place to make people hesitate before launching an assassination or attack…”

Oswald’s words were interrupted by the sound of a door being flung open, almost as if it had been shattered.

“Benedict!”

A well-dressed young woman rushed into the reception room.

Her physique was about the same as Iris Lune’s. Her tangerine-colored hair, the same as Oswald’s, was long and lustrous, and she had heterochromatic eyes, one gray and one crimson. She was wearing a red dress with a design that looked like it had many ribbons tied on it.

She circled around the sofa and leaped to hug Benedict.

“You were here, weren’t you!”

“L-Lady, please stop!”

And Benedict’s fur was thoroughly ruffled.

This was Catherine Margareta Keighley. Iris Lune’s protectee.

Before becoming an adventurer, Benedict had been a bodyguard for the Keighley family.

It seemed that Catherine had liked him since then. It was always like this when they met.

“Catherine. That’s enough.”

“Yes, Father.”

After being scolded by Oswald, Catherine finally released Benedict.

She had salvaged the memories of “Iris,” so she knew what she looked like, but this was, of course, the first time Renée had seen Catherine directly.

Her impression was that she was a spoiled and somewhat strong-willed, cheeky young lady. When she saw Iris Lune, her face became sullen.

“…Father. Are you really doing this?”

“Yes. For your safety.”

“Muuu.”

“Lady, please be understanding. His Lordship is saying this for your sake as well.”

Catherine carefully observed Iris Lune, and then pointed a finger directly at her.

“Listen well! Since you’ll be my double, you must behave in a way that does not shame the Keighley family name!

If you do anything unrefined, I will not forgive you!”

T/N: She is using formal speech, which makes her feel more stuck up and proper.

“Catherine, stop pointing at people.”

****

After finishing the discussion about the request quest, the four members of “Dragon’s Throat” were walking down a corridor in the castle towards the rooms they had been assigned as their living quarters during their work.

“Sometimes, I feel like the Lady thinks of me as a ‘dog’ instead of a ‘man’.”

“It’s not that she ‘feels’ that way, she clearly thinks of you as a dog. Besides, the way you treat her is also more like a ‘dog’ than a ‘man’.”

Benedict was smoothing down his fur which had been ruffled.

“Come to think of it, I’ve thought for a while now, the Lady is kinda harsh on Iris.”

Hugh tilted his head, and Benedict lowered his eyes to the cold stone floor.

“The Lady has a very competitive personality… and she’s bothered by the fact that she didn’t inherit her mother’s magical talent.

She’s probably jealous of Iris.”

“Ah, because Iris is a magician?”

“And a genius one at that.”

To Iris Lune, it was like being barked at by a puppy and she found it cute.

In any case, the young lady’s worries were irrelevant to Iris Lune’s objectives.

“She’s being protected thanks to Iris, you know. I wish she’d show a little more appreciation.”

Diana shrugged, sighing in resignation.

She was kind to every child, but if she had to prioritize, Iris would always come first.

“It doesn’t matter if Catherine-chan hates me. I can’t leave her be, and that’s what this request quest is all about, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

Diana still didn’t seem happy, so Iris Lune made sure to remind her.

Anyway, she had to gather clues about Night Python while carrying out the request quest as a member of “Dragon’s Throat.”

– I’ll have them be useful. My merry little companions…

No one noticed the smile that Iris Lune secretly wore.

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