Rayven blinked as the door creaked open… He had never expected that the Baroness would visit him at all. Not even a thought!

The Baroness stepped inside without waiting for Rayven's invitation…

She was dressed in a soft evening robe embroidered with silver thread. Her hair was loosely tied, and her expression was calm… It was not a cold or nervous expression, but she seemed really relieved after entering his room...

'Did she make a mistake?' Rayven mused.

However, even after seeing his dumbfounded face, she just closed the door behind her without a word, then glanced around the room before settling her gaze on him again. It was as if she had to make sure that there was no one else within the room.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said.

Rayven stood up slowly. "It's late. I didn't expect visitors."

"I know," she replied. "But I couldn't sleep."

She walked toward the window. Her steps were quiet against the floor as if she didn't want others to wake up…

Outside, the moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow across her features.

Gulp…

"I wanted to thank you," she said. "Not just for the spell, but for everything."

Rayven didn't respond immediately. He wasn't sure where this was going.

The Baroness turned to face him.

"You saved her. When no one else could… The physicians, the healers, even the academy mages… they all failed. But you…" she paused as she looked into his eyes, "you walked in, looked at her once, and not even a minute had passed, and you immediately saw the truth."

Rayven shrugged. It seemed that she really just wanted to express her gratitude.

"I just used my limited skills."

"No…" she said while stepping closer. "It was more than just that... "

She was standing less than a foot away.

"You're young…" she continued with her softer voice. "But you carry yourself like someone older. Someone who's seen things. It's rare and I can't take my eyes away from you."

Rayven held her gaze and cleared his throat. "Well, life's tough, so I've had to grow fast."

"I can see that," she said. "And you're… quite dashing, if I may say so."

Rayven blinked. "I'm not sure how to respond to that."

"You don't have to," she said, smiling faintly. "I just wanted to say it."

There was a pause. The air between them felt heavier than before.

"I've spent weeks watching my daughter fade…" she said. "And now, for the first time, I feel hope. That feeling… it's tied to you."

Rayven didn't move. He wasn't sure if this was gratitude, loneliness, or something else.

The Baroness stepped even closer, so Rayven had to step back…

At this point, her voice was almost just like whisper. "You're not just a mage, Rayven. You're a mystery. And I find that… intriguing."

Rayven exhaled slowly. "You're married."

She smiled again, but this time it was wistful. "Yes. And I'm not here to cross any lines. But I'm allowed to feel things, aren't I?"

He didn't answer.

She reached out, gently brushing a loose thread from his sleeve. "You're cute when you're serious."

Rayven didn't flinch, but he didn't lean in either.

"I should go," she said. "Before I say something I shouldn't."

She turned toward the door, then paused.

"If you ever need anything," she said, "ask me. Not the steward. Not the Baron. Me."

Then she left, closing the door behind her with the same quiet grace she had entered.

Rayven stood there for a long moment, staring at the door.

He wasn't sure what just happened.

But he knew it wasn't nothing.

'What the heck?'

***

Rayven didn't sleep that night.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as his mind replayed every moment of the Baroness's visit. Her voice, her words, her proximity… and her figure. She had certainly taken care of herself. She had a Graceful posture, smooth skin, and looked elegant in that evening robe.

Rayven turned over, groaning softly into his pillow.

He had the mind of a thirty-something salaryman, but the body of a sixteen-year-old in this world. Technically, that was considered adult enough for adventuring, contracts, and even marriage. But mentally, he couldn't reconcile it…

She was married, a mother. And she was… interested?

'What the heck,' he thought again, for the tenth time.

Eventually, he gave up on sleep and opened his system interface, reviewing spell cooldowns and mana efficiency charts until the sun began to rise.

The next morning, Rayven performed his usual treatment on Elvira. The Stabilize spell worked as expected, and the physicians recorded her vitals as usual.

The Baroness was present, but she didn't speak to him. She simply nodded once, then returned to her seat.

Rayven didn't linger in that room either.

After breakfast, he made his way to the library… This time, he no longer checked anything about Spells and medicine. Instead, he focused on finding out more about the situation within Hesa City.

Soon, he found some bits of information about Count Viremont.

Ardania had entrusted him with a task… Investigate Count Darshell Viremont. Not for politics, not for trade, but for something far more dangerous.

She suspected that the Count had been involved in triggering or manipulating dungeon behavior. Specifically, the 17th Dungeon, which resulted in a Dungeon Outbreak.

A Dungeon Outbreak wasn't just a disaster. It was as if it were used as a weapon for their own gains.

Rayven had hoped to find something, but of course, there was no way he'd learn something from here.

Still, he found out the history of the Viremont Family and their source of wealth…

He turned to the page showing the Count Family's information

[ House Viremont - Holdings and Trade Summary]

[ Primary Industry: Luxury textile production

Secondary Ventures: Shipping contracts, estate leasing, artisan guild patronage

Notable Holdings: Silk farms in the northern Winged Estate, exclusive contracts with the Royal Tailor's Guild, partial ownership of the Eastwind Shipping Company ]

Textiles?

He flipped the page, and there was more.

Apparently, House Viremont had recently expanded its influence by investing in underground silk cultivation… It was a rare and expensive process that used dungeon-adapted silkworms…

The silk was stronger, more responsive to enchantments, and sold at ten times the price of surface silk.

"Hmm…" Rayven nodded as he found this information quite useful.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.