"Mr. Lucille, please accept this."
Sudiya pulled a double-sided coin from her clothing and handed it to Lucille.
"This is…" Lucille's gaze sharpened. He realized he didn't recognize the object.
"Even Mr. Lucille doesn't know everything?" Sudiya giggled, covering her mouth. "This is one of my life-saving artifacts. It can fully restore someone on the brink of death. You saved my life, and though this can't fully repay you, please accept it as my thanks."
"Don't worry, Mr. Lucille. I brought plenty of these artifacts with me. Though… it might not be as useful as you'd think."
The assassination attempt at the tavern had left a deep impression on the Little Princess.
Lucille relaxed. In the game from his previous life, Sudiya died right at her introduction, never getting a chance to use such an artifact. It made sense that he didn't recognize the coin.
He slipped it into his pocket. In that moment, he felt a mysterious connection to the coin, a sense of security, as if it could truly bring him back from death.
But it couldn't revive the truly dead.
"Thank you," Lucille said with a slight nod. "But the one who saved you wasn't me—it was Night Star. I'll pass this coin to her later."
"Huh?" Sudiya blinked, stunned, then quickly backtracked. "N-No, that's fine! I'll give Night Star a gift of her own. This coin is for you. I mean… you brought me here and kept me safe, didn't you? This is my thanks for that…"
"I see," Lucille nodded, accepting her reasoning.
Sudiya let out a breath of relief. She noticed Lucille didn't seem to care much about the coin's ownership. This was a critical life-saving artifact, something even she, a princess, only had a dozen of, and most people would never even see one.
Did Lucille not understand its value, or did he genuinely not care?
"Um…" Sudiya asked casually, as if it were an afterthought, "What did Night Star give you?"
"This?" Lucille showed her the pendant hanging at his chest. "It's a Mana Crystal. With it, I won't have to worry about mana for a while."
"Mr. Lucille, you run out of mana too?" Sudiya asked suddenly. "What tier Duty Wielder are you?"
Lucille paused, then answered candidly, "I might've given you the wrong impression. I'm not a Duty Wielder—just an ordinary person."
Before "Duty Manifestation," a Duty Wielder's power was concealed within their body. Sudiya, unaware of this, could easily mistake Lucille for a Duty Wielder who hadn't revealed his strength.
"I don't believe it," Sudiya retorted instantly. "How could an ordinary person know so much? You even solved a problem that's plagued the royal family for fifty years. You're definitely not ordinary."
Lucille blinked. He truly wasn't a Duty Wielder, but knowing so many secrets made it hard to claim he was ordinary.
With that in mind, he amended, "I have no reason to lie to you. I do know many secrets, but I'm genuinely not a Duty Wielder."
"Really?" Sudiya still wasn't convinced. "Then how do you know all these secrets?"
"Sorry, that's not something you can know," Lucille said, shutting down the question. His past-life memories and Night Star's existence were his greatest assets. Until he fully trusted Sudiya, he wouldn't share that secret.
After all, in the game from his previous life, Sudiya never appeared alive. He knew nothing about her character or values.
"Fine," Sudiya conceded, realizing it was rude to pry into someone's secrets. She tactfully changed the subject. "Where did Night Star go?"
"She went to… tie up some loose ends."
City Guard Headquarters
Golden trudged heavily back to his office. As the captain of the city guard, he hadn't slept all night. Ever since the Little Princess's assassination attempt, he'd been out searching, yet he hadn't found a single clue about her.
Worse still, last night, Duke Campbell was murdered. The death of a Tier Ten Duty Wielder was enough to shake the entire kingdom.
This was no longer something a mere guard captain could handle, but he suspected the Shadow Cult was behind it.
"Something big is coming…" Golden muttered to himself, only to find a merchant blocking his office door.
"Sir! You have to help me!" The portly merchant dropped to his knees before Golden. "Last night, one of my carriages was stolen! And that thief had the nerve to leave a single copper coin to mock me! A copper coin!"
The merchant wailed about the previous night's theft, but seeing Golden's lack of interest, he quickly pulled a parcel from his coat and shoved it into Golden's hands. "Sir! For the sake of our long friendship, please help me!"
The merchant's practiced maneuver suggested he'd done this many times. Over the years, whenever he swindled customers, he relied on this trick to use the city guard to silence them.
But this time, Golden didn't accept the parcel.
"It's not that I won't help you," he said, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag. After a moment's thought, he took the parcel anyway. "Fine. Here's some advice: something big is happening. Forget this debt and start thinking about what you'll do next."
"That's all I'll say. Go home."
With that, he pushed past the merchant, entered his office, and shut the door tightly.
The merchant stood there, his face sour. After a moment, something dawned on him, and he hurried away.
Back at his desk, Golden took another drag, crushed the cigarette butt on the table, and tossed it to the floor.
Then, with a trembling voice, he spoke. "Sir… I did everything you asked, didn't I? I gave you his parcel. I swear I won't investigate this. Just please… spare my life!"
Golden was no fool. He begged but didn't threaten, knowing that threatening someone powerful often backfired.
Night Star's figure emerged, her expression a mix of amusement and menace as she stared at him.
Golden was momentarily dazed by her beauty, but his face paled instantly, his back drenched in cold sweat.
Done for! I saw her face!
Damn that merchant! Why would a petty carriage theft attract a high-tier Duty Wielder?!