Chapter 22: The Broken Clock

“A bit late, aren’t you.”

As I returned to the lodging, I heard Mr. Luca’s voice.

Mr. Luca’s gaze was fixed on the newspaper, as always.

He probably thought I’d head straight to my room.

This time, instead of going straight up to my room, I walked over to Mr. Luca.

“…Huh? What is it.”

The reason I’d been heading straight to my room without even acknowledging him before, only to come back later—

…Now that I understood, Mr. Luca tilted his head.

Today, it was fine not to go straight there.

Whether it was because this body was gradually getting used to it, I felt like I could endure it a little now.

I pulled an envelope of money from my pocket and set it on the desk.

The envelope was bigger than usual.

It was two days’ worth — what I hadn’t paid yesterday and what I earned today.

Mr. Luca took the envelope and immediately checked the contents.

Seeing the money must have put him in a good mood, because the corner of his mouth curled up.

“Good work today. Nothing unusual happen?”

“No.”

Things had happened, but since they were just a string of trivial matters to me, I answered vaguely.

Well, entering a C-Rank Gate and getting attacked by a group of C-Rank to D-Rank Bandits was indeed trivial.

With that, my business with Mr. Luca was done.

I thought so and was about to step away.

“Oh, Mr. Luca.”

Come to think of it, there was something I needed to ask him about from yesterday, but I’d been too distracted and forgotten.

“What is it?”

“By any chance, was there anyone suspicious yesterday?”

The moment I’d come back and entered the lodging yesterday, I’d sensed the presence of an illegal intruder.

“It seemed like a thief had come into my room and left.”

“Ah, that?”

What, this guy. Why was he talking like he knew about it?

“Probably Claire? I told her to clean your room.”

Claire?

“You mean that woman you were chatting with the other day, Mr. Luca?”

“Yeah, surprised you remember.”

Well, we had bumped into each other in the hallway.

I’d meant to apologize later, but I hadn’t seen her since.

“What does she do?”

“Just someone I knew from before.”

“You told me that last time.”

“She’s a former Hunter.”

As I thought.

I’d already figured she was an Awakened One from the moment she saw through my stealth.

‘Wait.’

But a former Hunter?

I remembered she wasn’t old enough to have retired.

Besides, even though we’d only crossed paths, her presence wasn’t ordinary.

But if she was former, that meant she’d already retired.

‘Did she retire because of a serious injury or something?’

It was a bit curious, but still, it was none of my business.

It wasn’t really important to me.

Still.

“Why would someone like that be cleaning my room?”

“Because she’s going to be working here for a while.”

Working… here?

Ah, right. This was the lodging Mr. Luca ran.

I’d been using one room like my own house, so I’d forgotten.

The fact that Mr. Luca had suddenly intruded and cleaned my room was only natural — once I left, that room would be used by guests.

But the important question still wasn’t answered.

“Why would a retired Hunter be cleaning a place like this?”

That didn’t make sense.

There were usually two reasons Hunters retired.

First, when they could no longer do Hunter work.

Second, when they were wealthy enough to live without earning more.

Most Hunters quit for the former reason. The reasons varied.

Getting hurt by Demon Beasts, getting too old for their body to keep up, and so on.

But that woman Claire was young, and I didn’t see any physical issues with her.

With her skill level, she must have earned quite a bit while active, but wasn’t it too early to retire?

“Verdi.”

As I was inwardly guessing Claire’s identity, Mr. Luca called my name.

“Since when did you start taking an interest in other people? You never used to care.”

Mr. Luca’s voice was the same as always.

But he wore a slightly surprised expression.

“I guess so.”

Hearing that, it was true.

I wasn’t the type to take an interest in others unless it was important to me.

I also learned the full story of the incident. The person who entered my room wasn’t an illegal intruder, but an employee of the inn.

She’d only come in briefly to clean. And since he seemed to have a past connection with Mr. Luca, he probably wasn’t a suspicious person.

No need to pay it any more attention. Still, if I run into her next time, I’d like to apologize for bumping into her.

“Well then.”

Having finished my business, I gave Mr. Luca a slight bow.

“Yeah. Get some good rest.”

Mr. Luca turned his head back toward the newspaper.

It was just like any other day.

* * *

“You can come out.”

As Verdi went upstairs, Luca, who had been ‘pretending’ to still read the newspaper, muttered quietly.

At that, a fine crack appeared on the wall that had been empty all along.

Soon, emerging from that crack was a woman with blue hair.

It was Claire Asensio, the employee who had started working at this inn as of yesterday.

True to her position as an employee, Claire was currently dressed in a maid’s uniform.

Just as Luca had expected, the outfit cut low below the shoulders, revealing Claire’s outstanding figure.

‘Hehe, I’m really quite clever.’

At the sight of Claire, Luca flashed a lecherous grin.

‘Having a pretty female employee brings in more customers. In fact, a few guests have already been eyeing Claire since yesterday and today. I’ll turn them into regulars!’

Though that wasn’t directed at Claire herself, but at the future of this lodging.

“Thank you.”

After cautiously checking the surroundings one more time, Claire bowed her head to Luca in gratitude.

“Thank me for what? You managed to hide yourself well in front of Verdi. Your skills are still as good as ever, huh? It’s almost a shame you retired.”

“You flatter me.”

He meant it sincerely. Luca knew well that Claire’s skills were far above his own in his prime.

“…I was really shocked when I heard you were retiring.”

“Mr. Luca.”

Claire called out to Luca, who wore a surprised expression, in a low voice.

“Mr. Luca, you’re not the kind of person who would just stand by and watch when the one who saved your life is in danger, are you?”

“Well, that goes without saying.”

No matter how money-obsessed Luca was, he wasn’t a man who abandoned his ethics.

“For my savior, I’m ready to stop whatever I’m doing at any time and give my life for that person.”

“So this is your answer to that?”

Becoming an employee at the inn where her savior was staying, to look after him.

For the record, this inn was originally run by Luca alone, and it would stay that way.

Claire was merely eye candy for the guests. The only thing she did was one thing.

Clean Yoschua Verdi’s room, and help him as much as possible so his Hunter activities wouldn’t be hindered.

However, she must absolutely hide the fact that she knew Verdi’s true identity.

Verdi probably thought that no one knew his identity except Luca, the one who had made him this way.

But in reality, that wasn’t the case.

The organization Luca currently belonged to — a very small number of its members knew that Verdi’s true identity was Verdiol.

After all, it was that organization that had originally created the drug that turned Verdi into a girl.

And Claire was also one of the members of that organization.

Though she’d quit now.

“If you’re going to hide it, do it thoroughly.”

“Of course.”

Luca repeatedly stressed this to Claire.

Information about the organization must not leak to Verdi.

If it did, it was as clear as day how that mentally unstable bastard would react.

Feeling troubled, Luca quietly put a cigar in his mouth.

*Fwoosh.*

Luca’s deep gaze turned toward the second floor where Verdi had gone up.

“Mr. Luca, do you happen to know why the organization made Verdiol that way?”

“Well, I don’t know either.”

Claire, whose skills were outstanding but who hadn’t been with the organization as long as he had, didn’t know the detailed circumstances.

But this time, even Luca couldn’t know. Why the organization had turned Verdiol into a girl.

However, he could guess.

And Luca could swear that his guess was correct.

“Claire, look at that clock.”

Luca exhaled smoke and gestured with his chin toward the clock on the wall.

“A broken clock can’t do its job. It can’t move toward the set time, so it can’t even ring the alarm.”

“I’m not sure I follow…”

Claire still tilted her head at the explanation that felt cryptic.

“That guy was broken.”

Only then did Luca speak directly, without beating around the bush.

“And broken so badly it couldn’t be fixed twice over.”

Claire quietly listened to Luca’s words.

“But we had to fix him. There was no replacement.”

The organization judged that no one in this world could replace Verdiol.

So they tried to fix him by any means necessary.

And the method was this: turning him into someone no one in this world would recognize.

Though, even Luca didn’t expect it would turn out like this.

To think they wouldn’t just make him younger, but outright put him in a girl’s body.

Well, with a de-aging drug, there was always a chance he’d eventually return to Verdiol’s form.

‘I still don’t know why the organization wanted Verdiol in the first place…’

There are plenty of strong people in the world. Luca has quite a few S-Rank Hunters he’s acquainted with.

And among them, some are far stronger than Verdiol in his prime.

For example, the world’s strongest Hunter, ‘Moonlight.’

Luca had seen him fight with his own two eyes.

The memory is still vivid.

That guy showed strength so far beyond the norm that he could call S-Rank Hunters ‘trash.’

So why did the organization choose Verdiol over someone like that?

Of course, Verdiol’s reputation wasn’t lacking compared to Moonlight’s, but everyone in the world knows Moonlight is stronger than Verdiol.

And the guy who was always by Verdiol’s side — he was also a top-tier S-Rank Hunter. Had a decent personality, too.

Come to think of it, Verdiol had a lot of flaws. Nasty personality, selfish, gloomy.

But the only one the organization showed interest in was Verdiol.

Even though Luca had been with the organization for a long time, he’d never heard the reason.

One thing he could guess.

‘That guy must be that special.’

Special enough to be fed a drug that only one exists in the world.

“Then, Mr. Luca, do you think that broken clock has been fixed?”

At Claire’s question, Luca first exhaled a breath.

Then, as if thinking for a moment, he stared blankly at one spot before slowly opening his mouth.

“Yeah.”

Luca is certain.

The broken clock has been fixed.

“But it still needs more time.”

Time to verify whether the clock, fixed with such difficulty, works properly like before.

“So take good care of him in the meantime. If you want to repay the favor.”

“Of course.”

Claire’s answer carried conviction.

At that, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Luca’s mouth.