The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

85 – The Secretary Doesn’t Like the Hero Party

Franz was dumbfounded.

The members of the hero party had appeared out of nowhere.

It was rare enough for those three to gather voluntarily, and this wasn’t even the Frigia Duke’s mansion.

It was so unbelievable that it felt more like a dream.

Franz was watching them blankly from a distance, still in shock.

“Haha, the weather in the north is a bit chilly, isn’t it?”

Balak burst into hearty laughter as he led them inside.

To Franz, they were just close friends, but to others, they were heroes who had saved the world, so it was natural for them to be treated with utmost respect.

It seemed they had come for some purpose….

At that moment, a thought flashed through Franz’s mind.

‘Could they have come to take me…?’

The fact that all three members of the hero party had gathered suggested it was something important.

Moreover, they had come all the way to the Frigia Duke’s mansion where he was staying, so there was no need to say more.

It seemed something unusual was about to happen.

With that thought, Franz immediately started walking and soon encountered Arian at the mansion’s entrance.

Arian had a somewhat blank, yet displeased expression.

This only made Franz more certain. Something was definitely going on.

Franz spoke to Arian.

“Arian, what’s going on?”

“Master of the Tower, could you hide for a moment…?”

“What is it…?”

At Franz’s question, Arian let out a deep sigh.

There wasn’t really a problem, so he couldn’t give a proper answer.

Even so, he wanted Franz to hide because he didn’t want him to meet them.

‘Those damned stray cats came all the way here…!’

It had taken over ten years for him, who wasn’t even part of the hero party, to travel with Franz like this.

And now they had come to disrupt that time, how shameless could they be.

Of course, Franz had no way of knowing Arian’s feelings,

‘Is it something really serious…?’

Franz had made a very big misunderstanding.

Arian couldn’t speak properly, so he thought it was a serious matter.

Indeed, if feelings are not spoken out loud, they cannot be conveyed.

“It’s okay. I’ll handle it somehow.”

Franz patted Arian’s shoulder and entered the mansion.

Completely unaware of what feelings she harbored.

Soon, Franz arrived in front of Balak’s office, and a familiar voice was heard from inside.

As expected, they seemed to be inside.

Knock, knock.

Franz knocked on the door without hesitation.

Normally, it would have been proper to inform through a servant, but he didn’t have the mental leisure for that.

“Come in.”

Balak’s voice was heard from beyond the door.

With permission granted, Franz immediately opened the door and stepped inside.

“What brings the Tower Master here…?”

The first to react upon seeing Franz was Balak.

Not knowing it was him who knocked, he had commanded in informal speech, and his face was filled with embarrassment.

What brings him here, indeed, has he not been informed of the situation yet?

“I heard acquaintances were here, so I came with a glad heart…”

Franz said, turning his head.

At the end of his gaze were the members of the Hero Party.

“Ah, I see. Please, have a seat.”

Franz found an empty spot and sat down.

Naturally, the gazes of the three members of the Hero Party were directed at him.

Yuna’s eyes were filled with joy, Justia’s with discontent, and Hera’s with curiosity.

They must have faced the same situation, yet it was fascinating how they each reacted differently.

Franz took his eyes off them and asked Balak.

“What were you discussing?”

“The Saintess mentioned some kind of code, and we were discussing it.”

“Is it about the Ice Spear…?”

“The Tower Master already knew.”

Wait, does that mean…

Franz realized a very important fact from Balak’s answer.

The reason they came all the way to the Duchy of Frigia was not because of him, but because of the code left by the cultist.

But there were still questions left.

Is it really necessary for three members of the hero party to gather just to solve one code?

The Goddess Church could have easily solved it internally by assigning someone.

Franz immediately voiced his question.

“Justia, how did this happen?”

“That’s what I want to say…”

Justia said that and sighed as if the world was collapsing.

Seeing the deep furrow between her brows, it seemed her worries were not trivial.

At that moment, Yuna, who was next to her, spoke.

“You see, we came to the capital to meet you, but you weren’t there. So we were going to look around the cathedral and go back, but we happened to hear that Justia was going to the Duchy of Frigia. After that, well, we followed her under the pretext of escorting her. We met Hera on the way and brought her along.”

“I see.”

After hearing the story, Franz could immediately understand why Justia was reacting that way.

Since it was a matter of the Goddess Church, it would have been difficult to accept Yuna’s company, but also difficult to refuse.

The matters related to the Seven Deadly Sins were being handled somewhat secretly.

Well, at least the escort was certain.

After all, it was a hero.

“But Justia, I’ve already solved that.”

“What…?”

Justia tilted her head at Franz’s words.

“The head of the family deciphered the code. I just came back from there.”

“Then why did I come all the way here…”

Justia sighed again.

In fact, even though she said that, her true feelings were a bit different.

It was none other than Justia herself who insisted on coming here.

‘I was planning to scold him for lazily enjoying the party…’

If he handled things so neatly, she would have nothing to say.

Thinking that way, Justia put on a sulky expression for no reason.

“Well, let’s talk about this later.”

Franz neatly wrapped up the conversation.

It wasn’t a topic to be discussed in a crowded place.

“By the way, I don’t know if you know, but there’s a magnificent castle on the second peak.”

“Are you talking about the second hill?”

“Yes, among the mountains of the territory, there’s a particularly high peak.”

At Franz’s words, Balak shifted his gaze out the window.

It was to see the castle he mentioned.

“Oh…? There’s really a castle….”

“Wow, it’s true. There’s a castle on the mountain top.”

“It really is.”

“Is it a castle made of ice? It’s quite picturesque, isn’t it?”

Not only Balak, but also the three members of the hero party looked out the window and shared their impressions.

It was indeed a good decision to leave the castle.

Seeing it from afar, it certainly looks magnificent.

At that moment, Balak suddenly turned his head to look at the three.

“But, if the Tower Master has already resolved it, don’t you three have nothing to do?”

At Balak’s words, the three fell silent.

It was a direct hit.

Because they had worked too hard, they had made the three come all this way for nothing, so Franz felt a bit awkward.

“What are your plans from now on?”

“Well, that is….”

Justia dragged out her words and looked at Franz.

It was a kind of distress signal.

Franz, who instantly understood the meaning of her gaze, spoke to Balak on her behalf.

“Wouldn’t it be better to return together when I go back later?”

If they wanted, they could be sent back right now.

With teleportation, they would arrive in the blink of an eye.

But since they had traveled a long way by carriage, it would be better to let them rest.

It felt like a waste to come all the way to the north and just go back.

Fortunately, Balak understood Franz’s thoughts.

“Indeed, that would be better. We have plenty of rooms, so please make yourself comfortable.”

“Then, I will impose on your kindness.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m sorry. I will make sure to repay this debt next time.”

The three of them expressed their gratitude one by one for Balak’s generous hospitality.

However, there was one person who was not pleased with Balak’s decision, and that was, of course, Arian.

“What? You want me to guide them?”

“I have urgent business to attend to. So, Arian, I’m counting on you.”

With that, Balak left immediately.

Arian stared blankly into space.

It seemed the shock was quite significant.

‘Come to think of it, they didn’t get along very well.’

Surely, they wouldn’t fight here, but just in case.

Franz was worried because he was the only one who could mediate between them.

He sincerely hoped that nothing would happen between the women.

Franz fervently wished in his heart.

But Franz’s wish was shattered not long after.

“…Ah, you plan to get married in a year…?”

“But if you find someone to marry within a year, it becomes invalid.”