Marriage with a Suspiciously Demure Husband — Chapter 14

THERE IS NO TRACKING MAGIC CAST ON THIS NECKLACE.

RATHER...

IT HAS PROTECTIVE MAGIC CAST ON IT.

PROTECTIVE MAGIC?

YES.

IF YOU CARRY IT WITH YOU, A PROTECTIVE BARRIER IS DESIGNED TO ACTIVATE IN AN EMERGENCY.

DO YOU WANT TO SEE? THERE IS A FAINT FLOW OF MANA INSIDE THE JEWEL, RIGHT?

IT IS NOT EVEN A ONE TIME USE ITEM.

IT IS PERMANENT MAGIC WITH NO LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF USES.

WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?

...MY HUSBAND GAVE IT TO ME AS A WEDDING ANNIVERSARY GIFT.

I GUESS HE DID NOT ADD TRACKING MAGIC BECAUSE HE THOUGHT I MIGHT GET SUSPICIOUS.

HE REALLY IS THOROUGH, JUST LIKE A MASTERMIND SHOULD BE.

WOW..

SETTING ASIDE THE MONEY, THIS IS SERIOUSLY HARD TO OBTAIN.

YOUR HUSBAND MUST LOVE YOU QUITE A LOT.

ACTUALLY,

I CALLED YOU HERE BECAUSE OF THAT HUSBAND.

KAI-

KAILUS HADID IS...

HAZEL'S HUSBAND?

She is that shocked..

THE PERSON WHO GAVE YOU THE NECKLACE?

AM I HEARING AND UNDERSTANDING THIS CORRECTLY?

HAZEL, DID YOU SELL OUT AN ENTIRE COUNTRY IN YOUR PAST LIFE...?

NO, HOW, HOW COULD YOU MARRY SOMEONE THAT TERRIFYING? OH...

DO YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE MARRIED HIM IF I HAD KNOWN IN ADVANCE...?

NOW YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF SITUATION I AM IN, RIGHT?

TO SURVIVE, I HAVE TO DIVORCE HIM SOMEHOW AND RUN AWAY.

ANNIE, CAN YOU GRANT MY REQUEST?

HA... THIS REALLY SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING I WOULD HAVE TO RISK MY LIFE FOR.

WHAT WILL YOU DO IF I REFUSE THE DEAL, HAZEL?

I WILL TRY IT ALONE. I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE.

AH, IF YOU SAY IT LIKE THAT, WHAT DOES THAT MAKE ME?

I MEANT THAT YOU SHOULD NOT FEEL PRESSURED.

BUT IF YOU HELP ME, I WILL PAY YOU HANDSOMELY IN RETURN.

NO, NOT JUST PAYMENT. I SHOULD PROBABLY GIVE YOU SOME DECENT INVESTMENT INFORMATION TOO.

IN... VESTMENT?

USUALLY, SCAMMERS ARE THE ONES WHO TALK LIKE THAT...

LISTEN FIRST AND JUDGE AFTERWARD!

THE PRICE OF PURIFICATION STONES IS GOING TO RISE A LOT FROM NOW ON,

SO GATHER AS MANY AS YOU CAN STARTING NOW.

PURIFICATION STONES?

YOU MEAN THE ONES THEY SELL AT THE TEMPLE LIKE SOUVENIRS?

YOU ARE SAYING THOSE USELESS THINGS WILL GO UP IN PRICE...?

YES, I KNEW THIS WOULD BE HER REACTION.

A PURIFICATION STONE IS, AS THE NAME SUGGESTS, A STONE THAT PURIFIES CONTAMINATION.

HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY AMAZING EFFECT, AND ITS PERFORMANCE IS VAGUE, SO IT IS FAIRLY CHEAP.

$300

$300

$300

$300

BUT AS THE "ORIGINAL STORY" PROGRESSES, A STAGE HAS TO BE CREATED FOR THE PROTAGONIST TO SHINE.

SO THE NUMBER OF MONSTERS THAT NEED TO BE DEFEATED INCREASES,

AND PLACES ALL OVER THE WORLD BECOME CONTAMINATED UNTIL EVEN DRINKING WATER BECOMES DIFFICULT.

BECAUSE OF THAT, PURIFICATION STONES BECOME ESSENTIAL TO PEOPLE'S LIVES,

AND DEMAND FOR THEM SKYROCKETS UNTIL THEY BECOME IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN EVEN WITH MONEY.

...BUT IF I TALK ABOUT THIS FUTURE, NO ONE WILL BELIEVE ME.

AS YOU KNOW, ANNIE, I RUN A MERCENARY GUILD.

LOOKING AT THE REQUESTS COMING IN, MONSTERS HAVE BEEN INCREASING RECENTLY,

SO PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO FEEL MORE AND MORE ANXIOUS.

AHA, SO YOU MEAN DEMAND WILL INCREASE BECAUSE THEY WILL FEEL LIKE PROTECTIVE CHARMS?

SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

HMM... THAT MAKES SENSE.

MY INFORMATION NETWORK HAS BEEN SAYING THAT THINGS ARE QUITE UNSETTLED LATELY TOO.

THIS REEKS OF MONEY...

MAYBE...

MAYBE I COULD START A NEW LIFE WITH THIS JOB TOO...

HUH?

AHEM, IT IS NOTHING.

SO WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO RUN AWAY TO?

I AM NOT SURE. KAILUS HAS QUITE A BROAD NETWORK...

SO I DO NOT THINK JUST ANY REGION WILL WORK.

THEN I RECOMMEND SEEKING ASYLUM.

...!

IF YOU WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM KAILUS, THAT MAN,

IT IS BETTER TO GO SOMEWHERE COMPLETELY BEYOND HIS REACH.

ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING HOW PERSISTENT HE IS, ENOUGH TO GET MARRIED JUST TO DEAL WITH ONE PERSON.

DOES SAYING THAT...

MEAN YOU WILL HELP ME?

HAA, IF THERE'S BIG MONEY TO BE MADE, GUESS I HAVE TO DO IT.

TO BE HONEST, I WAS ONCE TERRIBLY TANGLED UP WITH ONE OF KAILUS'S SUBORDINATES,

SO I ALREADY HATED HIS GUTS.

...THANK YOU SO MUCH, ANNIE.

I WAS WORRIED ANNIE MIGHT REFUSE,

SO THIS IS SUCH A RELIEF.

NOW I CAN PREPARE MY ESCAPE WITH PEACE OF MIND.

THEN WE CAN DISCUSS THE DETAILS SLOWLY...

AH!

JUST IN CASE, I SHOULD SAY THIS.

WHAT IS IT? DID SHE CHANGE HER MIND AGAIN?

NO, I DO NOT HAVE ANY MORE WAYS TO CONVINCE HER...

COULD YOU KEEP ME FROM RUNNING INTO KAILUS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE?

NO, IF I REALLY HAVE TO FACE HIM, I CAN DO IT ONCE OR SO, BUT I AM NOT CONFIDENT I CAN ACT NORMAL IN FRONT OF HIM. IT WOULD BE BAD IF I ACCIDENTALLY LET SOME CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION SLIP, SO...

...KAILUS MUST BE TERRIFYING EVEN BY HER STANDARDS.

Still, I am glad she did not change her mind.

AFTER THAT, ANNIE FAITHFULLY PLAYED THE ROLE OF A FRIEND WHO HAD COME FOR VACATION,

AND I CONTINUED MEETING HER WHILE OCCASIONALLY SHOWING HER AROUND FERRARIUM.

NOAH... I MEAN, KAILUS

DID NOT SUSPECT MUCH WHEN I SAID MY FRIEND HAD COME TO VISIT.

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FRIEND, HAZEL.

DURING THAT TIME, GINGER ALSO FAITHFULLY HID ME FROM VERONICA'S WATCH,

AND THANKS TO THAT, ANNIE AND I WERE ABLE TO PREPARE MY ESCAPE PLAN STEP BY STEP.

IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY,

SO TRY CREATING SOME TIME APART FROM YOUR HUSBAND TO MAKE IT HARDER TO TRACK YOU.

IN THAT CASE, THERE IS A GUILD GATHERING IN THE CAPITAL SOON,

SO I CAN USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE...

THEN DURING THAT TIME...

AFTER THAT...

HAZEL IS BUSY.

EVER SINCE SHE SAID SHE WOULD EXPAND THE BUSINESS,

SHE HAS BEEN SPENDING MORE AND MORE TIME PREPARING ALL SORTS OF THINGS WITH EACH PASSING DAY.

AT THE SAME TIME, HAZEL'S FRIEND APPARENTLY CAME TO VISIT.

THANKS TO THAT, FORGET LEAVING WORK TOGETHER, SHE HAS OFTEN BEEN COMING HOME LATE.

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD IF HAZEL WERE BUSY, SINCE I WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO HER.

BUT STRANGELY, IT IRRITATES ME.

WHY EXACTLY AM I IN A BAD MOOD?

SHOULD I JUST... GET RID OF HER NOW?

IF SHE BOTHERS YOU THAT MUCH, WHY NOT GET RID OF HER IMMEDIATELY?

WHAT?

ARE YOU NOT DISPLEASED BECAUSE OF THE CAPTIVE?

IF YOU PLAN TO GET RID OF HER ANYWAY, EVEN NOW...

...I AM NOT IN THE MOOD RIGHT NOW.

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE HEARD THAT "I AM NOT IN THE MOOD RIGHT NOW."

IT HAS ALREADY BEEN A YEAR.

NO MATTER HOW I THINK ABOUT IT,

I CANNOT SHAKE THE FEELING THAT THINGS ARE FLOWING DIFFERENTLY FROM THE ORIGINAL PLAN.

HE HAS NO MERCY FOR TRAITORS OR THOSE WHO STABBED HIM IN THE BACK,

SO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HE HAS DRAGGED SOMETHING OUT LIKE THIS.

NORMALLY, HE SHOULD GET RID OF THEM EVEN IF HE HAS TO DRENCH HIS OWN HANDS IN BLOOD.

...NO WAY.

COULD IT BE THAT YOUR GRACE

IS FEELING...

SYMPATHY FOR THE CAPTIVE...?