Chapter 72: Chapter 72 : I’m a good guesser

Arthur leaned slightly forward, his expression calm but sharp. “Give me all the information that you have.”

The moment his voice echoed—

Everyone’s attention shifted toward him.

For a brief second, even the air in the room seemed to still. Conversations died down instantly, replaced by a quiet tension that wrapped around the group.

Yuna raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “Well… that’s unusual. You showing interest in something that’s not related to money?”

Arthur smirked faintly. “Let’s just say… I heard something that piqued my curiosity. And now I want to confirm it myself.”

His tone was casual, but his eyes held a depth that didn’t match his usual lazy demeanor.

Yuna leaned back slightly, her lips curling into a teasing smile. “Oh? And what could possibly make a lazy bum like you participate in this willingly?”

Arthur looked at her and leaned slightly closer. “That’s a secret.”

Yuna rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m just glad you’re finally willing to do some work instead of freeloading on me.”

Arthur’s mouth twitched.

“What you call freeloading… I call survival,” he said, crossing his arms. “Living in a tent for months and hunting for food in the forest is not freeloading. Need I remind you, Master?”

He leaned forward slightly.

“And don’t forget… you were the one who begged me to become your disciple. So technically, it’s your responsibility to take care of me.”

Silence.

Then—

A vein popped on Yuna’s forehead.

She slowly stood up.

And walked toward him.

Each step calm.

Dangerous.

The faint sound of her footsteps echoed unnaturally loudly in the silent room, making Arthur instinctively tense.

She stopped right in front of him and placed one hand on his shoulder.

“Repeat what you just said.”

Arthur swallowed hard.

’…This feels dangerous.’

He forced a smile. “You didn’t let me finish… I was just about to praise you.”

Yuna’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh? Is that so? Then go ahead… finish it.”

Arthur smiled awkwardly. “Well… now I don’t really feel like it after seeing that look on your face.”

Yuna immediately grabbed his cheeks.

“Finish it.”

Arthur struggled slightly, his voice muffled. “I don’t want to now—”

Before things could escalate further—

Yuichi suddenly burst out laughing.

Loud.

Unrestrained.

Everyone turned toward him.

“I can’t believe this,” he said, still laughing. “The Yuna I knew only cared about fighting… and now she has this side too? You’ve really gotten soft.”

Yuna froze for a second.

Then—

A faint blush appeared on her face.

She immediately let go of Arthur and sat back down beside him.

“What do you mean ’this side’?” she said, crossing her arms. “I’ve always been kind and beautiful.”

Arthur rubbed his cheeks silently.

’…That was close.’

A faint red mark still lingered where her fingers had pressed, a clear reminder of how close he had come to real danger.

Yuna waved her hand slightly. “Anyway… continue with the details.”

James cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention back.

“This incident happened about a week ago,” he said calmly. “Even after thorough investigation… we were only able to uncover a few things.”

Arthur leaned back slightly, his gaze sharp. “Explain.”

James nodded.

“These people… TCO… they are specifically targeting individuals who suddenly gained fame and recognition in a short period of time.”

The room grew quieter.

A subtle unease spread among them, as if everyone present could vaguely sense the weight behind those words.

“And among all the victims… there is one common pattern.”

Before he could continue—

Arthur spoke.

“Let me guess… most of them were failures before,” he said casually, yet his eyes were sharp. “Then one day… they suddenly awakened powerful abilities that were never known before.”

Silence.

Yuichi’s eyes narrowed.

James’s expression stiffened.

“…Absolutely correct,” James said slowly. “But how do you know that?”

The moment James asked that question—

Everyone’s gaze turned toward Arthur.

The room fell silent again.

Arthur leaned back slightly, completely unfazed.

“I’m just a good guesser… that’s all,” he said casually.

No one spoke.

But their eyes—

Narrowed.

Yuichi.

James.

Even Julia.

’He knows something…’

It was obvious.

Arthur wasn’t guessing.

He was connecting dots they couldn’t even see.

The tension lingered in the air a little longer than necessary, as if everyone was silently weighing how much they could trust him.

James studied him carefully.

’If not for Yuna…’

For a brief moment, a dangerous thought crossed his mind.

’…I would have forced that answer out of him.’

But he stopped himself.

He had already seen the way Yuna and Arthur interacted.

It wasn’t normal.

There was trust there.

And something more—

Respect.

If he made a move against Arthur…

The consequences wouldn’t be small.

Everyone in the world knew—

How ruthless Yuna Akatsuki could become when angered.

James exhaled slowly.

’This guy… is different.’

He shifted his posture slightly.

“Very well,” James said calmly. “You can keep your secrets… as long as you help us.”

Arthur gave a small smile. “Don’t worry… I will.”

James nodded. “I’ll appreciate that.”

Arthur leaned forward slightly.

“So… how are we going to track them?”

Yuichi spoke this time.

“Like James said before… they target people regardless of background or status.”

He paused.

“And we have intel… that an auction is being held today, in the evening… at the Brandon Estate.”

Arthur’s eyes flickered slightly.

A faint glint of interest passed through them—quick, but unmistakable.

“I take it… there will also be slaves being auctioned there.”

Yuichi and James both nodded.

James continued. “There must be something there that caught their attention. Otherwise, they wouldn’t show themselves so openly.”

Arthur went silent.

Thinking.

His fingers tapped lightly against the table.

Each tap steady. Measured.

Yuna glanced at him. “What? You think something is off?”

Arthur smiled slightly. “Let’s just say… I want to confirm something.”

Then he looked at Yuichi.

“How long has Sakura been acting strangely?”

Yuichi answered immediately. “Almost a year.”

Arthur nodded slowly.

Then his gaze shifted toward James.

“And how long has it been since you got engaged to Miss Sakura?”

James replied, “Almost half a year.”

Arthur leaned back.

“Almost half a year… huh.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

As if a piece of a much larger puzzle had just clicked into place.

“That must be painful… having the person you love taken away just when you were about to get married.”

James didn’t hesitate.

“That’s not even a question I need to answer,” he said firmly. “I love Sakura dearly.”

Arthur held his gaze for a second longer.

Then smiled.

“Of course you do.”

——–

A/N:

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