When the Mid-Boss Villainous Noble Recalls Memories of a Past Life and Gains Game Knowledge. I Will Never Accept a Future Where I'm Called the Jealous Earl - Chapter 29

I felt sick to my stomach. Frustration boiled inside me at how the plan had failed.

I wanted to sprint back to the estate immediately, but Bosco, who was taking deep breaths to steady himself, was clearly nearing his physical limit.

Now that I thought about it, regardless of his skill, age had taken a toll on his endurance. I shouldn’t push him any further.

“I’m heading back to the estate first. You take the carriage, Bosco.”

“But—”

“That’s an order.”

“…Understood.”

Suppressing my irritation, I turned and ran ahead.

What a colossal failure.

I had assumed an ally wouldn’t be killed, yet in the end, I captured no one, and I couldn’t eliminate the possibility that a spy still lurked within the Earl’s household.

For a fleeting moment, I even considered expelling everyone except Bosco, Mina, Narmis, and Knoll—those I could trust.

Of course, realistically, that wasn’t an option.

Still, the mere fact that my thoughts had become this negative was concerning.

At least I was aware of it, which was better than nothing.

The estate gates came into view. A guard, who had been eating his dinner in the small waiting lodge beside the entrance, noticed me approaching alone and looked startled.

“Lord Kalil?! You’re back early.”

“Yeah. More importantly, has anyone left the estate? Any unusual occurrences?”

“Neither, sir. Since you and Bosco departed, there’s been nothing out of the ordinary.”

“I see. Bosco should be arriving soon—be ready for him.”

So no one had left through the gate.

The sun had only just set, and the estate was still bustling with servants finishing their work.

Instead of taking the most direct path to my research lab, I opted for a quieter, more secluded route—

“No, actually… I should make myself visible.”

This could be the perfect opportunity to flush out anyone acting suspiciously.

The original plan was meaningless now. I had to adapt.

As I walked through the estate, passing servants greeted me with puzzled expressions, welcoming me home.

“Hm?”

My research lab was located in the middle of a long hallway, making its entrance highly visible.

Yet, the door was slightly ajar.

“Either I got lucky… or they’ve already fled.”

I had set up a blast stone inside the room, designed to trigger if any unfinished magical potions were removed.

If it hadn’t activated, then the intruder was either still inside, or they had only read through documents without taking anything.

“──!”

“──?”

Approaching carefully, I pressed my ear against the door.

Voices.

There were people inside.

With the blast stone set up, I couldn’t afford to be reckless.

I quickly recharged my magic tool and, in a controlled but bold move, pushed the door open.

“Don’t move!”

“Eek!!” “…!”

Inside, two figures froze.

One, startled, crouched down in fear—Mina.

The other instinctively took a combat stance—a maid.

If I remembered correctly, her name was…

**”Meina, wasn’t it?

What exactly are you two doing here?”**

They were so shocked that they struggled to catch their breath.

I had no intention of rushing them, so I simply shut the door and waited.

That was when I noticed part of the room was scorched.

“W-Well… actually—”

Finally composed, Mina hesitantly began to explain.

It had been a little while since Lord Kalil and Bosco had entrusted them with managing the estate.

For some reason, after Lord Kalil left, I found myself feeling a faint but undeniable irritation toward the servants who suddenly started reporting things to me.

Still, I managed to get my work done.

Though, to be honest, all I really had to do was sort the tasks and store them in a locked cabinet.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

At the sound of the knock, I straightened my posture and put on a serious expression.

Even if I wasn’t capable of truly acting as a stand-in, at the very least, I could try to look the part and avoid making a fool of myself.

“Excuse me~.”

The voice that stretched at the end of the sentence was soft and airy—undoubtedly my senior maid, Meina.

She had a gentle, almost floating presence, but there was something about her that mysteriously soothed those around her. Not only was she adored by the other maids, but there were also rumors that several male servants had confessed to her.

“Ah~!”

Meina suddenly cupped my face with both hands.

Hey, that’s inappropriate! I’m acting as the stand-in right now!

“What’s wrong?”

**”Hmm~?

Something feels off… like you’re not the usual Mina~.”**

Well, of course! I’m trying to be different right now.

“More importantly, what brings you here?”

**”Ah, right~!

There’s someone suspicious lurking around Lord Kalil’s research lab~.”**

“What?!”

I had been briefed on the situation by Lord Kalil and Bosco, but my role was simply to stay here and organize the documents.

Still… now that I’d heard this, should I step in?

“Let’s go immediately.”

“Understood~! Let’s go~!”

Meina took my hand as we headed toward Lord Kalil’s research lab.

She was a kind person, but her tendency for excessive physical contact with the maids was well known.

There had even been rumors about her at one point, but she wasn’t a bad person—if anything, there were plenty of maids who actually wanted her to confess to them.

“Ah~! It’s open~.”

“K-Keep your voice down! What if the intruder hears you?”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to lecture me about that~.”

Thud!

A sudden sound came from inside.

Meina’s loud voice must have startled whoever was inside, causing them to move in a panic.

“[Sleep—Lull Into Slumber]!”

I activated my spell, filling the room with my magic.

Lord Kalil had even praised my proficiency in this technique.

If they weren’t prepared with countermeasures, they’d be sound asleep in no time.

“That’s a cute smug look, but status effect spells don’t work well on some people~. You shouldn’t let your guard down~.”

“No problem! This is me we’re talking about!”

I pushed open the slightly ajar door—

Inside, lying unconscious on the floor, was a young gardener’s apprentice.