A few days later.
Inside David's office, I was dusting the cabinets.
David sat behind me in his chair, reviewing documents and reports while occasionally sipping tea I had brought him earlier.
It was a high-class herbal tea Ave had given me as a gift for helping her the past week. It was pricey, too—just to David's taste.
Time trickled by as I was halfway through cleaning.
"Hmm..."
David leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as he let out a light hum.
"Kayle," he suddenly called, "you can finish cleaning later. Leave my office at once."
"Yes, sir."
I bowed slightly before picking up my cleaning supplies and heading out.
"Oooh, brat. Finished already?"
Dale's grating voice was the first thing I heard when I stepped outside.
He was sitting in his usual chair, legs propped up on the balcony railing. Bale was also seated on the other side of the door, arms folded, cold as usual.
"The boss seemed tired, so he dismissed me."
"Ha!" Dale laughed as I stared at his legs blocking the path.
"What? Wanna pass?" He noticed my gaze and spoke tauntingly. "Bring me lunch, and I might consider letting you through, kehehe."
I suppressed a sigh. This was a new routine Dale had adopted to annoy me. Ever since I brought him his food the first time a few days ago, he'd insisted I do it every time.
"Is that all?"
"Hmmm, bring me some ale too."
"Very well. May I pass now?"
Instead of answering, Dale chuckled before lifting his legs off the railing, leaving just enough space for me to slip by.
Not wanting to risk him slamming his legs back down, I quickly edged past the narrow gap and headed downstairs.
'Asshole.'
Eventually, I reached the kitchen, where Boarrat and Nana were already preparing lunch.
"Kayle! Done cleaning already?"
"Mhm."
I nodded lightly as I joined Nana in prepping ingredients.
"Brats! Hurry up—the pot's already boiling!"
""Yes, Chef!""
We shouted in unison, our voices practiced and expressions blank.
After weeks under Boarrat's strict leadership, we'd grown accustomed to his ways.
"Kayle! The stove needs more firewood!"
"Yes, Chef!"
I hurried outside, returning shortly with an armful of firewood.
"Kayle, hurry! The fire's gone cold because you're so slow!"
"Yes, Chef!"
Boarrat barked from across the room, lounging in his chair where he could oversee the entire kitchen.
Rolling my eyes, I stuffed the firewood into the pit and lit the fire, ignoring the fact that the pot was cold and empty...
'Lazy rat...'
....
Thanks to Nana and me working together, we finished cooking in just over an hour.
Boarrat had already left for the restroom, leaving us to clean up.
"I'll take lunch up for everyone first!"
"Mhm. I still have to bring food for Dale and Bale, so I'll help after."
"Okay!"
Nana left with a tray of plates for the girls, while I picked up another.
"...."
After confirming Nana was gone, I quietly pulled out a half-empty packet from my pocket and sprinkled its contents over the food and into the ale.
Tucking the empty packet away, I grabbed the tray and headed upstairs as if nothing had happened.
"Took your time, didn't you, brat?"
Dale smirked as I climbed the stairs.
"Sorry. Boarrat wanted to try a new recipe, so it took longer."
"Oh? The old rat's changing things up?"
Handing Dale his plate and ale, I passed the remaining plate to Bale, who took it silently.
Dale eyed the meal curiously, noting the purplish powder dusted over it.
"Oh, what's this?"
"New sugar Boarrat used. Supposed to make it sweeter."
"Interesting." Dale sniffed a powdered piece of bread before taking a bite. "Hmm, fruity sweetness."
He ate without suspicion, as did Bale.
"Didn't expect the old rat to switch things up on me now, hehehe."
As they ate, I bowed slightly and walked away, lips curling into a smirk.
'Sweet dreams, Dale.'
****
An hour later, I finished washing the last plate.
Drying my hands, I glanced outside—the sun was past its peak.
"A little past noon."
'Go time.'
Placing the towel down, I left the kitchen and headed upstairs.
Approaching David's office, I smirked at the two slumped figures.
'Out cold.'
Dale was sprawled in his chair, head lolled against the wall, while Bale sat with his arms crossed, chin drooping forward.
I drugged their food and drinks with blackthorn berry powder, but...
'I didn't expect it to be this strong.'
Waving my hand in front of Dale's face, I lightly poked his face, but still there was no reaction from him.
Honestly, if it wasn't for his occasional snoring, he would've looked no different from a corpse.
Usually, blackthorn powder had to be diluted with chalk; otherwise, the effects would be too strong for average consumption, but the one I used was completely pure.
I only managed to get my hands on it thanks to consistently begging Ave, but if this stuff ended up in the wrong hands, it could lead to some pretty messed up scenarios...
Resisting the urge to punch Dale's sleeping face, I eased open David's office door, slipped inside, and closed it softly.
David was nowhere to be seen, probably having gone to his room to rest.
On his desk sat the teacup I'd brought him earlier, a faint residue at the bottom.
Without delay, I ransacked the office—pulling open drawers, flipping through files, ledgers, receipts.
After ten minutes, the office had turned into a mess with papers scattered all over and drawers left hanging open, looking like the scene of a crime.
"Shit, did he destroy it?"
No matter where I looked, I couldn't find evidence of David's ties to the Abyss Order.
I needed evidence to point to his involvement with the Order, but it seems like he got rid of it.
Still, despite the lack of evidence, I wasn't discouraged.
'I never expected this to be easy in the first place.'
All I had to do was calm down and think.
David was too cautious to leave incriminating evidence lying around. If I were him, I'd have destroyed everything after use.
'But fortunately, I'm not David.'
David, by nature, was too paranoid a person. He gets easily irritated if things don't go his way or something unexpected happens, so he must've had a backup plan.
A failsafe in case things went wrong.
However, even after searching the entire office, I still hadn't found anything that could be used to incriminate him, and time was running out.
'If it's not in the office, that means he must've hidden it somewhere else.'
There was only one other place David could've hidden something in the inn without me noticing. The one place he lets no one enter, not even for cleaning.
'His room.'
With my target set, I hurried out, passing the unconscious duo, and headed down the hall to a plain wooden door.
'No turning back now.'
Taking a deep breath, I nervously extended my hands to the door knob and twisted.
With a loud creak that caused my heart to drop, the door opened slowly.
Thankfully, it wasn't locked, but that did nothing to ease my tense nerves.
The inside of the room was dark, a black curtain covering the window.
There was surprisingly not that much furniture in the room, only a desk and chair to the left and a small cabinet next to the bed to the right.
Lying on the bed was David's sleeping figure. He lay on his back with hands clasped together on his stomach, his posture straight and breathing steady.
He kind of looked like a vampire sleeping in a coffin.
'Creepy bastard.'
He didn't seem to notice I had entered and was most likely still under the effects of the drug, but I still moved around with caution, careful not to make a sound.
'Let's see what we have here.'
I moved over to the desk and started searching through, but there wasn't much there to look at. Only an unlit lamp and a few neatly placed stacks of coins and stationery.
'That leaves only the cabinet.'
With a quiet sigh, I turned toward David's sleeping form, my nerves prickling as I edged closer to the bedside.
The cabinet drawers slid open with barely a sound, but all I found inside were neatly folded clothes—nothing useful.
As I shut the last drawer, a faint gleam beneath the bed caught my eye. Something was wedged under there—just a sliver of dark wood peeking out from the shadows.
'Wait—'
I dropped to my knees, the floorboards cool against my skin as I reached into the darkness. My fingers brushed against smooth, unvarnished wood before closing around the edge of a box. It was heavier than I expected, and I had to brace myself to tug it free.
A sturdy lock held it shut.
'Of course.'
My eyes flicked back to David. Still asleep. Then to the keychain clipped to his belt—right there, within reach.
'Naturally he'd keep it on him.'
I held my breath as I straightened up, every movement deliberate. My hand hovered over the keys when—
David's arm twitched.
'Oh, Fuck—'
I froze. My pulse roared in my ears, loud enough that I swore he'd hear it. Seconds crawled by. His breathing never hitched, his body still slack with sleep.
'Just a reflex. Keep going.'
Steadying myself, I unhooked the keychain with painstaking care, half-expecting his eyes to snap open. But the keys came free without resistance—almost too easily.
The third key slid into the lock with a soft click.
The lid lifted.
And there it was.
'Bingo.'