Don’T Get Caught By Your Husband! [EN]: Chapter 99

Don’t Get Caught by Your Husband! Chapter 99. A Brief Alliance (99/130)

#Chapter 99. A Brief Alliance

2024.05.30.

The tavern occupied by the Griblatta Knights.

Inside a small, private room where business hadn’t yet begun for the evening, Escalio leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

He scrutinized the elderly wizard sitting before him, making no effort to conceal his suspicion and distrust.

“…….”

Escalio recognized this old man as the wizard who had once created a portal to Shirenia.

Moreover, he vividly recalled the day the wizard had grabbed Belladonna and spouted strange nonsense.

He remembered her being startled and flinching greatly.

“Lord, you don’t need to be so wary.”

“That’s for me to decide. What business brings you to me?”

Escalio curtly cut off Fabion’s words, spitting them out like venom.

Fabion, visibly embarrassed by the blatant hostility, glanced around the room.

“Perhaps your wife… didn’t accompany you?”

Escalio frowned at the immediate inquiry about Belladonna upon his arrival.

“Why my wife?”

“…….”

“I asked, why?”

Escalio repeated the question in a low, growling voice, and Fabion reluctantly opened his mouth.

“This morning, I heard that you and your wife had urgently come to Astania. I came all the way here because I have something to say to your wife.”

“Why don’t you stop beating around the bush and speak plainly? I asked what business you have with my wife.”

Fabion raised his eyes, almost lost in the wrinkles of his face, and slowly scanned Escalio.

He had no idea how much the Lady had told this man, or what truths they shared.

He recalled a letter he had urgently received from Belladonna a few weeks ago.

[Fabion, I am leaving Astania for Griblatta. I’m sorry that we can’t continue the investigation together. But right now, finding the truth about the Saintess is more important to me than staying here. I’m sorry for leaving so suddenly. I’ll contact you again when I have time to explain what happened. -Belladonna]

As someone who had witnessed the relationship between the real Saintess Belladonna and the Pope since she was very young, he could easily infer that the Lady also had conflicts with the Pope.

The Lady couldn’t possibly endure Astania, which had been hell for Saintess Belladonna.

“If she’s not here, I should be going.”

Fabion reluctantly rose from his seat, planning to wait for the next opportunity.

As he slowly turned to leave, Escalio, who had moved faster than he could perceive, blocked his path.

“I’m not finished talking, wizard.”

“…….”

Fabion stopped and looked up.

In his heart, a doubt flickered whether the Lady had made the right choice by leaving Astania for this fearsome man, but seeing how terribly he cherished his wife, he concluded that it was much better than being there.

“Unfortunately, I have nothing to discuss with you, Lord.”

“Tell me why you came to see my wife.”

“Lord.”

“Perhaps.”

At that moment, Escalio interrupted him.

“Fabion, are you the wizard affiliated with the Papal States who helps Bella?”

At his words, Fabion tightened his grip on his staff.

It seemed the Lady had indeed spoken about him.

“Lord, how much do you know?”

“I think I know everything you know.”

“What did the Lady say about me?”

At his question, Escalio recalled the night Belladonna had told him all the truths.

Belladonna had simply explained that she had a wizard affiliated with the Papal States helping her.

There were many stories to hear, so he hadn’t inquired more precisely about that part, but circumstantially, it seemed this man was the one.

Escalio scanned Fabion’s face and slowly opened his mouth.

“She said there was a wizard affiliated with the Papal States helping her. He provided assistance from the outside for her, as her movements were restricted.”

“Then that must be me.”

“…….”

“……”

Soon, the conversation between Fabion and Escalio ceased.

Both were busy probing each other, unsure of how much the other knew.

Eventually, Escalio sighed, raising a hand to his stiff neck.

“Bella has gone to find you now. But seeing you here before me, it seems you’ve missed each other.”

“Ah…….”

Fabion let out a troubled groan.

Having heard the news, he had packed all his belongings, intending to follow her to Griblatta if necessary, but he hadn’t expected to miss her.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I wait here for a while?”

“Do as you please. Hey! Bring this man something to drink.”

After speaking, Escalio turned and walked outside, his voice reaching the restaurant owner.

Suddenly left alone in a room in the corner of the tavern, Fabion sighed softly and slumped back into his chair.

After catching his breath, he turned his head to look at the small bag he had brought.

‘The day to reveal the Pope’s truth is not far off.’

Just a few days ago, he had finished translating all the records that Belladonna had brought him.

Now, it was time to use them appropriately and very valuably.

* * *

Before long, the sun had set, and darkness was slowly descending on the scenery outside the window.

As evening approached, people were gradually flocking into the tavern, which had begun its business.

In the crowd, Graham looked anxiously at Escalio.

“Commander, it’s getting late. Why hasn’t she returned yet?”

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

Although he didn’t show it much, Escalio was not in a calm state of mind either.

Once again, the chime above the tavern door rang, and he quickly turned his head.

But it was another customer, not Belladonna and Hazel.

“Could she be lost? Or is the Lady’s work taking longer than expected?”

Graham paced around restlessly.

“Graham, please stay still.”

“Could Hazel have been ambushed? But that guy is tough enough to handle several grown men. Right? Wasn’t he fine even after fighting three knights last time?”

“Just stay still. You’re making me more anxious.”

Escalio roughly swept back his hair.

At that moment, the tavern door opened again, and someone entered. Again, he quickly turned his head, but it was still an unfamiliar face.

No, it was a face he had seen somewhere.

Escalio stopped his head from turning away and looked at the person who had entered.

A man holding a young girl who didn’t fit in at all in this kind of tavern approached him without hesitation.

“Lord……!”

“Hey, what is it? How can you bring a child into a place like this? It’s not good for their education.”

Graham said, stopping him.

He tilted his head, looking at the face of the man he had stopped.

“Huh? Wait a minute. Have we met somewhere before? Escalio, why does this young man look familiar to me?”

Escalio fixed his golden eyes on him without answering.

His heart sank at the sight of the anxious eyes and sorrowful face. He had seen this face just a short while ago.

At the Papal States, when Belladonna had collapsed, ceasing to breathe.

“Lord! Something terrible has happened! The Saintess has been taken to the Papal States!”

Timothy shook off Graham’s hand that was blocking him and blurted out.

At his words, Graham grabbed his shoulder in surprise.

“Hey, speak properly. Where did the Lady go?”

“You might not believe it, but that’s all I can say. At the Papal States… the Cardinal… took the Saintess away…! The knight who was with her is unconscious… at our house…….”

“Don’t get excited and speak clearly.”

Escalio, who had been listening silently to Timothy’s rambling, stood up.

He seemed calm on the outside, but his golden eyes were filled with rage.

Timothy looked up at his massive figure and spoke again in as calm a voice as possible.

“I saw Saintess Belladonna near here. It seemed like she was looking for someone else, but I thought it was fate that we met like this, so I took her to our house. The knight who was with her went out to scout the surroundings, and while we were talking, the Cardinal, who visits our house regularly, came as usual.”

“Are you talking about Nicholas?”

“That’s right. B-but… the Cardinal hit the knight who accompanied the Saintess with a club…….”

At Timothy’s words, Graham almost reflexively reached for the sword he was wearing. His face hardened with anger.

“T-then he grabbed the Saintess and took her to the Papal States. The Saintess resisted fiercely, so I tried to stop him too… but it was no use.”

Timothy lowered his head.

“How did you find this place?”

“I was sure you wouldn’t have come here alone, so I wandered around aimlessly. Then someone said that people had come from Griblatta through the Astania portal, so I asked around and found my way here.”

Graham put his hand on Timothy’s shoulder.

“Thank you for letting us know, young man. Commander, what should we do? Those guys are obviously provoking us, shouldn’t we respond as they want? Should we gather everyone and charge in right now?”

Instead of answering, Escalio tightened his jaw.

He was so angry that his mind wasn’t working properly.

He was overwhelmed with the desire to sweep away everything in front of him, including the Papal States, and to stab the Pope in the neck right away.

“This is enough justification. The Papal States has taken not only your sister but also your wife.”

“I-I’m sorry to interrupt, but… the Pope hasn’t returned the Imperial Knights that the Emperor summoned for the safety of the people during the recent Emperor’s birthday celebration.”

“What? Damn…….”

At Timothy’s words, Graham cursed and ruffled his hair wildly.

“Ugh… the Pope was more thorough and clever than I thought. He’s aiming to make us look like we’re rebelling against the Empire if we charge in and clash with the Imperial Knights.”

At that moment, Escalio moved and walked outside.

Graham, startled by his expression, grabbed him.