"Hold on, Otto. Take these cute little round cookies with you."
Grin pushed the tray toward the far end of the long table.
Otto looked confused.
"Grin-kun, what do you mean by that?"
Grin pulled a small slip of paper from his pocket, flicked it toward Otto, and explained,
"I'm introducing business to you, obviously. Just buy the supplies listed there for me, and you'll get a commission."
Otto's face lit up at once.
"Your trust is truly heartwarming, my friend. Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a nice discount."
"Do whatever you want, as long as it's not some outrageous kickback."
"Hey~ Don't say such hurtful things right when I'm feeling touched!"
Otto pursed his lips and picked up the tray.
"Hey… this trust is actually pretty heavy."
Ram watched Otto leave, then asked with a frown,
"What exactly are you buying, white mouse? It's costing a lot of money."
Grin pressed a finger to his lips.
"It's a secret. But if you want to make some extra money, you can throw in a few more chips too. Guaranteed profit."
"Tch. Ram has no interest in rodent investment schemes."
With that, Ram stopped bickering with him, took the rag from Rem, and joined in cleaning the dining room.
Emilia raised a hand and brushed aside a silver strand of hair that had fallen by her ear, pale amethyst eyes carrying a soft smile.
"Grin-kun, let me show you around the mansion. It'll be a good chance for you to get familiar with your future workplace."
"Alright. Then I'll leave it to you, Emilia."
"Please follow me, Grin-kun."
Emilia seemed to be in a good mood as she turned and led him out of the dining room.
The corridors inside the mansion were broad and deep, with sunlight pouring through the stained-glass windows high above, casting shifting patches of color across the carpet.
Grin found everything before him strangely fascinating—the half-elf, the margrave's mansion, and the hidden dangers and schemes buried inside it all.
A strange sense of mission began to rise in him.
"This is the main corridor. It connects the entrance hall, the dining room, and several of the main reception rooms."
Emilia's voice was soft, almost like a whisper, as though she was afraid to break the quiet.
As she walked, she introduced each area, occasionally pointing at a closed door and briefly explaining its purpose.
Grin followed half a step behind her, his eyes casually sweeping over the fine wall tapestries, the old candlesticks, and the polished armor displays.
It looked casual.
But in truth, he was memorizing every corner, every turn, and every possible blind spot.
Even if he was only a guard in name, familiarity with the terrain was the most basic skill.
Clatter. Clatter.
The faint sound of a dragon carriage moving reached Grin's ears.
Looking out the window, he saw that Otto had already set off.
That guy's waist is bulging.
Roswaal had given Otto one hundred gold coins as a reward, and after selling off the stockpiled lamp oil, he had received another one hundred and twenty. Add Grin's one hundred and eighty on top of that, and Otto was now carrying a full four hundred gold coins.
That was a huge amount of money.
He could only hope the guy would not get robbed on the road.
"Ah, Emilia, my stomach suddenly hurts! I need the toilet right now. Let's stop the tour here for today!"
Grin suddenly clutched his stomach, his face full of pain.
Emilia immediately turned to him in concern.
"Are you alright, Grin-kun? I'll take you there right away."
Grin waved his hands quickly.
"No need, Emilia. I already know where it is."
…
By then, Otto had already driven the dragon carriage onto a gentler stretch of forest road.
After calming the Earth Dragon and letting it move ahead on its own, he pulled out the note Grin had given him, unfolded it carefully, and revealed handwriting twisted like earthworms.
"Mr. Grin really ought to practice his penmanship…"
[Otto, my dear friend—seeing this letter is the same as seeing me in person.]
[Through a fortunate divination, I discovered that a military operation is secretly about to unfold.]
[This is a golden chance to make a fortune. The price of related goods will skyrocket. I hope you can help me buy a large quantity.]
[Examples: Earth Dragon saddles, leather armor, shields, and similar equipment.]
[Medical supplies as well.]
[Gold is limited, so use your own judgment when making purchases. Once the deal is done, you'll receive thirty percent of the profit.]
[I know you've always been an overlooked genius investor with an exceptionally brilliant mind. I'm entrusting my money to you, you magnificent sharp-witted financier!]
"Great intelligence? Genius? Grin-kun, really… always saying things this embarrassing. Don't worry, my dear friend. I definitely won't let you down!"
Otto was moved to tears.
Being trusted like this—being recognized like this—felt wonderful.
Not far away, on a large tree, a raven transformed from Grin watched the dragon carriage race along the road.
Higher up, farther away, another owl with glowing red eyes was also staring in Grin's direction.
"What is this guy even crying for? Why is he acting so crazy? Hurry up and move. Mathers territory is dangerous."
The road was long, and bandits or robbers could appear at any point.
Just to make sure Otto stayed safe, Grin escorted him for dozens of miles.
By the time he returned to the mansion, the sky had already darkened.
Like a husband sneaking home late, Grin flew quietly back in the shape of a raven.
Once he dispelled the Transformation Magic, he crept silently down the corridor on tiptoe.
Then, as he rounded a corner and leaned out to the right—
Thwack.
He walked face-first into a maid's broom.
"My eyes!"
Rem calmly pulled back the broom and looked down at Grin rolling on the floor, clearly puzzled.
"Grin-kun, please don't suddenly appear and disappear around the mansion like that. You'll frighten everyone."
"I got dust in my eyes. Hurry up and blow it out for me."
Like a blind man groping around in the dark, Grin found Rem and pleaded for help.
Rem hesitated for two seconds.
In the end, deciding she had caused this herself, she leaned closer and gently blew into his reddened eyes.
The dust blew free at once, and the pain eased.
Grin rubbed at his eyes lightly and asked,
"It's already this late. Why are you still cleaning, Rem?"
Rem ignored the resentment in his tone and continued working with her head lowered.
"Today happens to be the day for a full cleaning."
"Where's Subaru Natsuki? Isn't he helping?"
Only then did Grin remember a certain someone who had not shown his face all day.
A trace of disgust flashed through Rem's eyes, as if even the name Subaru Natsuki was unpleasant to hear.
"Subaru was injured this morning while learning magic with Emilia and is still resting in bed. But that's fine. Rem never expected him to be any help anyway."
In Rem's eyes, Subaru Natsuki was a deeply suspicious person.
He constantly gave off the scent of the Witch.
The hatred she carried for the Witch Cult—for destroying her village and slaughtering her people—was carved into her heart.
If she ever encountered Subaru alone in some hidden corner, she would not mind snapping his neck herself.
"Oh. At least that guy isn't dead."
Grin took out his magic mirror and leaned against the windowsill, using it to inspect his eyes.
They were still a little red and swollen, but at least his vision no longer seemed affected.