I Give Up on Conquering the Heroines

32 – Episode 32. Cologne (2)

Cornelia Brigham.

She is the daughter of a family that produced warriors in the past, and comes from a family with a long history.

She was of pagan origin, and she was the perfect match for Lawrence Brigham, who had just converted to Protestantism.

If you want to serve as mayor of the capital city of the Holy Kingdom, you will eventually have to at least pretend to believe in God.

It was an arranged marriage concluded due to mutual understanding.

Nevertheless, the relationship between the couple was famous for being very turbulent.

It was such a setting for such a story, and I believed so too.

But what I see now is the exact opposite.

“······Necklace. Touch it, I want to see it.”

“No, little girl. Cough, cluck! It’s a precious item…”

Cornelia smiled as she put the pearl necklace back inside her clothes.

Her smile is somehow pathetic.

Probably because he was so thin that it was painful to look at.

‘Cornelia will die within two months from now.’

It is clear that she is suffering from illness.

But if she asks if this is the state of the body of someone who will die within two months, that is ambiguous.

I think the condition will worsen significantly sooner or later.

But is it really a ‘disease of unknown cause’?

Such unexpected suspicions arise.

‘That pearl necklace. Why does that come as a dungeon reward?’

Actually, it is not completely unexpected.

Two months later, that is, after Cornelia died.

When I came to Cologne and beat the dungeon, the reward was definitely that pearl necklace.

Disposing of the belongings of a deceased person is not that uncommon.

However, no matter how much I think about it, it doesn’t make sense with my common sense to throw away the necklace that my beloved wife cherished so much that she kept it hidden under her clothes to a barbaric mercenary.

It seems like they sold it out of revenge out of anger.

Now it’s time to doubt.

Is it really true that Lawrence loved Cornelia?

And is it true that Cornelia really died of an incurable disease?

Could it be that someone is intentionally making Cornelia’s health worse?

It is an absurd story given the in-game settings, but in my opinion, it is enough to be suspicious.

There should be one or two behind-the-scenes settings (read as secondary creations) created by the system in the process of bringing the game to reality.

My guess is that this is one of those many cases.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah. Yes.”

“I see you are lost for a moment. Shall we move on then?”

“Good.”

“Cornelia. I’m going home and waiting. I’ll just finish the dungeon guide and then get off work.”

“Yes, honey…”

Cornelia, who made eye contact with Lawrence, flinched, trembled, and lowered her head.

Some people might say that she is the type of wife who respects the head of the family.

But to me, it just looks like they are afraid of Lawrence.

“It smells bad, right?”

“Yes. More than I thought…”

Inside the sewer.

As soon as I enter that wide tunnel, my eyebrows naturally furrow.

Only then did I realize the identity of the smell emanating from the city center.

The stench of sewage flowing back up from the sewer reached the ground.

Meanwhile, Mijeong looks up at the two of us with an expression that says nothing is wrong.

Mijeong seems to have a very poor sense of smell.

At this very moment, I am dying of envy of Mijeong’s nose.

“It wasn’t like this originally. Since I renovated the city of Cologne’s sewage system, it has become the best sewage treatment facility in the world. However…”

Tak.

Lawrence’s steps stop.

At the same time, I also had no choice but to stop.

There was a huge stone slab blocking where the waterway should have been.

“With the creation of the dungeon, the flow was disrupted. We could not allow the water to accumulate and overflow like this, nor could we allow it to seep into the ground and erode groundwater, so we had no choice but to dig a temporary waterway on the ground. However, “The smell of the sewage used by the 3 million citizens of Cologne is usually not that bad. hahahahaha.”

It may seem trivial, but it is a fairly serious problem.

If this continues, sanitary problems will begin to arise one by one.

Even though it has been designated as a Blackstar Dungeon by the Mercenary Council, it is enough to request a request saying it will provide additional rewards.

It would certainly be better to clear this dungeon quickly…

“This is a type of dungeon I’ve never seen before. I’ll take my time to understand it slowly.”

“You’re careful. I think this is my first time seeing a mercenary like this.”

Once you finish clearing this dungeon, there will be no reason to remain in Cologne.

The dungeon can be defeated at any time, but Cornelia’s problem seems to take some time.

She cannot leave Cologne, at least until the secret of her death is revealed.

‘If you keep Cornelia alive, she will be of unconditional help.’

Until she got married, she was called a prodigy and was a woman who took elite courses.

No matter how much I tried to lure Lawrence, she would never become my ally, but Cornelia would be different.

As this is my first time challenging the final boss, I don’t know what variables will arise in the future.

It is best to secure as many allies as possible.

“Now that we’re done, we’ll start exploring the dungeon tomorrow morning.”

“Do what’s convenient for you. There’s no need to rush. They say the stench is very uncomfortable, but is that more important than someone’s life? You have to go safely.”

“I feel at ease when you say that.”

“If it’s okay, wouldn’t you like to come to my house and have dinner? You can come as you please.”

Since the guests are commoners, it would be difficult to invite nobles and hold a banquet.

That doesn’t mean he can’t treat his guests poorly, so he seems to be trying to serve them a meal privately at home.

Considering that most nobles do not even treat commoners as human beings, this is an extremely wise move.

‘He is not a great man who can be looked down on.’

This means that he is not a very intelligent person.

If this kind of person becomes a villain, it is the most difficult type.

No matter what plan this man has, it will be difficult for him to reveal it in a short time.

“Okay. And would you mind if I stay at home the whole time I’m staying in Cologne? I can’t get a hotel room.”

“Oh, welcome. The only thing left in the house is a room. The maids who are busy playing every day will be happy to have something to do.”

“Thank you.”

Time is needed to collect information.

The mayor who rules a huge city called Cologne.

Earl Briam’s mansion was smaller than expected.

It makes me wonder if this is really the place.

Of course, being small just means being small by the standards of nobles.

It is of a size worthy of being called a mansion.

On the contrary, since it is relatively small in size, it seems to show off its neat beauty without any unnecessary corners.

Wandering around the garden, I approached the front door, and soon the door opened and Lawrence came out to meet me.

“Welcome. Come in first. Let’s start eating right away…”

“······Hmm. I’m sleepy.”

Mijung puts her hand on her mouth and makes emotionless sounds as if she is reading a Korean book.

Lawrence’s expression hardens, as if he is dumbfounded by this.

“It looks like the child is very sleepy. I’m trying to put him to sleep, but can I show you to his room first?”

“How do you eat?”

“He ate a lot of snacks on the way. I think I’ll have enough for dinner just for myself.”

“Okay. Please follow me.”

Lawrence turned around, looking puzzled.

Mijeong pretends to me and raises her V.

Yes. Good job.

Since Mijeong was unable to eat, she had to be separated from the family.

“The dish is almost ready. We’ll just have to wait a bit.”

A restaurant along Lawrence.

Cornelia, sitting quietly in front of the table, is the first thing that catches her eye.

When she saw me and Lawrence, she immediately stood up and bowed quietly.

“As you may have seen before, I would like to formally introduce you now. This is my wife, Cornelia.”

“Nice to meet you, Countess.”

“Yes…”

I say hello and look at Cornelia’s complexion.

Jaw slightly clenched teeth.

The tips of the eyes are slightly distorted.

And the pouting corners of the mouth.

Lawrence must not have noticed her because it was a momentary expression.

However, I used my magic control to closely examine Cornelia’s facial muscle movements.

Cornelia disapproves of me.

Or maybe he is dissatisfied with what I said.

“I’d like to bring some alcohol before the appetizers come out. Do you have any special drinks you like?”

“Do you have Trium?”

“I have a Trium that I’ve cherished for 30 years. I never thought I’d bring it out today. But I guess you’re a bit of a drinker? You know Trium.”

“hahahaha…”

I thought you said it was not a very popular drink.

My tastes aren’t particularly expensive, but I’m already very used to that type of alcohol.

Because of a gloomy elf who likes alcohol…

“Please wait and chat with Cornelia.”

It looks like he wants to bring his own alcohol.

Lawrence leaves Cornelia with a deep smile.

Cornelia stiffens as if she is nervous.

Soon, only Cornelia and I remained at the table, and there was only awkward silence.

We take advantage of the interlude to check on Cornelia’s condition.

Clean and clear skin without any spots.

His facial features are even more distinct due to his thinness.

In addition, the dark complexion adds to the decadent beauty.

‘This is not it.’

Who told you to judge someone else’s wife’s appearance?

I was told to check on her condition.

But even when she came to her senses and looked closely at Cornelia, she didn’t see anything in particular.

There is no way I could figure out a disease that even the most proficient doctors could not identify just by looking at his face for a moment.

“Why are you staring so intently?”

“I’m sorry. You’re such a beauty.”

“Thank you. I hear this often.”

“I think I’ll hear it every day, not often, Cornelia.”

“······.”

Cornelia’s eyes widen.

She looks slightly surprised, but there is no trace of discomfort in it.

‘There was a problem with the title Countess earlier.’

She could not hide her displeasure at being called a countess, but she was only a little surprised when her name was called.

She was more offended by the polite title of Countess than by the rude behavior of a commoner she had never seen before.

It seems like married life is not that smooth.

“That…”

“I’m sorry. I called you by your name by mistake.”

“Oh, no. Call me whatever you want. Don’t you call her husband Laurence too? It would be weird if I were the only countess.”

“That’s right. The couple’s down-to-earth appearance suits them very well.”

“Ahahahaha…”

Cornelia smiled awkwardly and turned her head.

It was only for a short moment, but she showed her irritation again.

It seems like she really hated being told that she looked like her husband.

With this, it becomes clear.

The relationship between the two is not smooth.

They are so bitter that they completely hate each other.

‘I have enough heartache. Now the problem is how to secure physical evidence.’

Tough marital relationship.

A wife dying without knowing the exact cause.

And as soon as such a wife died, she even sold her precious keepsakes and gave them away to her husband.

The suspicion that Lawrence killed Cornelia is overwhelming.

But if there is no physical evidence, all of this is just my delusion.

It is of no use.

‘Is it a curse using witchcraft? Or is it a magic trick that is cleverly concealed?’

How did Lawrence kill Cornelia?

Various possibilities pass through my head.

But none of them can easily secure evidence.

‘It’s so annoying.’

You will have to slowly get closer to Lawrence over a long period of time and find evidence of her.

I just hate things that take time…

There are many dungeons to defeat, so you cannot just blindly invest a long time.

I heard that Cornelia was called a prodigy when she was young, but I wonder if keeping her alive would be of such great benefit to me.

The desire to just give up and leave gradually increases.

“I’m glad to drink precious alcohol with such a precious person.”

“Oh.”

Lawrence soon returns with a bottle of alcohol.

In his other hand, he is holding a glass cup.

It is a cup of warm water with steam rising from it.

‘View.’

[30-Year aged Trium whiskey]

[This is a high-quality whiskey aged in oak barrels for 30 years.]

I checked to see if the bottle had been switched.

It doesn’t seem like he’s that kind of sneaky type.

The moment I slowly turned my head and saw the glass cup in my field of vision.

[Poison]

[A trace amount of poison was added to the warm water. Drinking it impairs heart and respiratory function. Long-term ingestion can be fatal.]

Lawrence sets down the cup of water, or rather, her cup of poison, in front of Cornelia.

“Drink. You keep coughing.”

“Yes, honey…”

The mystery has been solved.

There was no need to invest much time.

Gotcha, you bastard.