Those Who Live Without the Law

Chapter 46

Kellogg’s Mansion (2)

* * *

I followed the butler’s lead toward the room prepared for me in the main building.

“Then, please rest for a while. If you need anything at all, just let me know.”

After offering his farewell, the butler departed. I sat in the chair and looked around the room.

‘The room right next door.’

They certainly seemed to have gotten the wrong idea. Well, to be fair, I had intentionally helped things along.

“Irena could tell her father about our relationship, I suppose.”

Well, if that happened, there was nothing I could do about it.

Honestly, the fact that I could stroll right in through the front door of the mansion I planned to rob, secure a room, and have the servants waiting on me while I prepared to steal was already an advantage more than enough.

“Mr. Dominic Randolph. The lord of the house has requested to see you briefly.”

It was only natural that Simid Kellogg, who was currently misunderstanding the nature of our relationship, would summon me.

His only daughter returned home after a long time away, and she brought some man along—was he just supposed to sit back without checking what kind of scoundrel it was?

It was reasonable to suspect that Irena was his adopted daughter. As soon as I heard this, I rose from my seat.

“I’ll go right away. Lead the way.”

“Yes, I’ll guide you to the drawing room.”

When the drawing room door opened and I stepped inside, I saw Irena and Simid sitting together on the sofa.

I drew a quiet breath, approached, and greeted Simid.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Treasury Chief.”

In truth, Simid had met me once before. But he wouldn’t recognize me now.

It wasn’t simply that six years had passed. It was as though I had thrown away my boyhood in the labor correctional facility.

“…So you’re the one.”

Simid looked me up and down with an expression that seemed faintly displeased. In his eyes, there wasn’t so much curiosity as a hint of hostility.

It was the natural hostility a father would feel toward a scoundrel who had successfully latched onto his daughter.

Any father would be entitled to such sentiments, so I felt no particular resentment.

“She’s told me the story. There’s a problem, and she says you can fix it?”

Apparently, Irena had been honest enough to tell her father about her circumstances.

“That’s correct.”

Hesitating over this kind of answer would only arouse suspicion. So I replied at once, without wavering.

Simid studied me briefly, then inclined his head in a slight nod of greeting.

“Also, I heard that on her way home, my daughter nearly suffered an outrage, and that thanks to your help she escaped the danger. Allow me to offer my gratitude on her behalf.”

His daughter had nearly been raped, and I had saved her.

It was only natural he should thank me. Though perhaps it would have been better if he’d started with the thanks before any other matters.

“While you’re staying here, I’ll see to it that you lack nothing and aren’t inconvenienced in any way. Please consider this your own home and rest comfortably.”

Kairus nodded, then looked at Irena and Simid one after the other.

He hadn’t been called here just to receive thanks.

“So what do we need to prepare now?”

At Irena’s question, Kairus turned to Simid Kellogg.

“After the party ends, you’ll need to build the temporary structure I requested.”

“Understood. I’m listening—tell me.”

Simid agreed readily enough, but after hearing Kairus’s explanation that followed, his expression shifted slightly.

“…Is that really necessary?”

“Yes.”

Simid let out a low sound. It wasn’t something he found particularly pleasing.

The room Kairus had asked to be built was clearly meant for Irena to use in overcoming her current limitations.

“Father.”

Irena called to Simid, meeting his eyes.

“Are you sure you want this? Even if you have some shortcomings as a knight, it doesn’t mean you’re lacking as a daughter of House Kellogg.”

“When I joined the Order, I set my goals after watching the Commander.”

Simid Kellogg closed his eyes for a moment, then gave a slow nod.

“They say a parent might fail to help a child because they lack the ability, but when one has the ability, it’s hard not to lend it.”

In fact, from Simid Kellogg’s perspective, this situation wasn’t all that bad. If his only daughter had become a knight, it was better for her to climb higher rather than remain an apprentice knight.

‘The people proposing to an apprentice knight are those who want the prestige of House Kellogg, but if she becomes a decorated knight…’

She would bring not only the house’s power but also her own personal renown. Naturally, suitors from far more powerful families would come forward.

Having Irena properly learn to use battle gear would ultimately benefit House Kellogg.

“Then you’ll be staying here for a while after the party.”

“Yes, I must.”

There was no reason for Kairus to hedge. Staying here wasn’t a choice for him—it was a necessity.

“I’ll take that to mean you’re confident you can help Irena accomplish what she wants.”

“Treasury Chief, if anything goes wrong, it won’t be my fault.”

As soon as Kairus said this, Simid’s expression went cold.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m teaching Irena how to use battle gear because I’ve already overcome the same obstacle she faces. I’ll be showing her the correct way.”

And even then, if she still failed to use the battle gear, that wouldn’t be Kairus’s fault.

“That would mean she simply has no talent.”

“You’re saying my daughter lacks the talent to be a knight.”

At the heavy voice, Kairus answered at once.

“We don’t know yet. If she has the talent, she’ll pass through and learn to use battle gear properly.”

And if she couldn’t, then it would prove she’d never had the talent in the first place. Connecting to battle gear certainly required proper technique, but far more important than that was the talent one was born with.

“I’m only here to help the talent she has blossom. I don’t know how to create talent that doesn’t exist.”

Normally, after saying something like that, anyone would add at least a polite apology at the end. But Kairus clearly had no intention of doing so.

“You’re quite bold, speaking like that before the Empire’s Treasury Chief.”

“If it’s about running the nation’s finances, perhaps not. But when it comes to becoming a knight or finding the path to strength, I know more than you, Treasury Chief.”

The Treasury Chief stared at Kairus for a while before his expression gradually relaxed.

“Fair enough. There isn’t a word of that that’s wrong.”

Kairus had met Simid before. And of course, Simid had once met Kairus as well.

The important point was that Kairus knew this man was Simid, but Simid did not realize that this young man before him was Kairus.

Kairus remembered exactly what kind of people Simid preferred.

He disliked vague answers and valued those who understood precisely what their role was.

‘At least the Randolph family seems to have managed to raise one child properly.’

Since Kairus was deliberately acting in the way Simid most appreciated, Simid couldn’t help but hold him in rather high regard.

Of course, whether this high regard would turn into real trust was another matter entirely.

‘In this situation, the best plan is…’

While the Winter’s Farewell party was in progress, he would steal the documents he had targeted and smuggle them out, then remain for about another month helping Irena train.

There would be no reason for a thief to linger at the scene for more than a month after the theft. On the contrary, the longer Kairus stayed, the less suspicious he would seem to Simid.

The only real risk was that his true identity might be discovered….

‘But I’m using a cover identity authorized by the Randolph family.’

It couldn’t be exposed. Even if later Simid grew suspicious and contacted the Randolphs, all he would hear in return was, “Yes, that’s my son.”

Kairus glanced subtly at Simid, confirming that the man now fully understood the nature of his relationship with Irena.

‘I wonder if there will be any watchful eyes lurking around my room tonight.’

Once the conversation was finished, Kairus left the drawing room and headed for the room that had been prepared for him.

There was still some time before the party began.

“Maybe I should take a walk.”

He needed to familiarize himself with the layout of the mansion. The more he observed and noted in advance, the better his judgment would be when it was time for action.

He had already studied the blueprints of the mansion, but it was still necessary to see it in person with his own eyes.

Kellogg’s mansion was divided into several sections. Each section was guarded by one pair of sentries posted in a fixed position and several other pairs who patrolled in rotation.

‘The sentries who stay in place aren’t really watching the surroundings.’

Their main job was to check whether the patrol guards passed by their post at regular intervals.

“Good day.”

The guards on duty recognized Kairus’s face and saluted him.

“Is there anything we can help you with?”

From Kairus’s perspective, there were countless questions he wanted to ask these guards. But he couldn’t ask a single one of them.

‘They’d suspect me immediately.’

There was no reason for a guest to be curious about the mansion’s security arrangements. For now, the guards would probably answer politely without thinking much of it.

But what if something happened here later?

The moment that occurred, Kairus would have the honor of becoming Suspect Number One. No guard would forget an outsider asking detailed questions about their security.

“You’re working hard.”

That was all Kairus could say.

Still, the guards’ attitude toward him was oddly respectful. Of course, given he was currently in the guise of a noble, it was natural they’d be polite…

But they were even more deferential than they would be to other nobles.

‘Rumors always travel fast.’

Among the mansion’s servants, gossip spread quickly, and it always morphed into various forms along the way.

Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if a rumor started that Kairus had gotten Irena pregnant.

When people without much education passed on stories, they naturally favored intrigue over fact.

“Well, this sort of thing can be useful in its own way.”

If rumors like that spread, neither the servants nor the guards would dare treat him carelessly or suspect him openly.

After all, he could be the husband or the lover of the lord’s only daughter.

Being disregarded as a lover only happened among other nobles. For those working in the mansion, a lover or a concubine was the most fearsome person of all.

They would vent all the frustration they suffered from being scorned by nobles on those below them.

“The central grand garden of the mansion, and the outer walls encircling it.”

Kellogg Mansion occupied a plot of land about 10,500 pyeong in size.

The main building was shaped like a square, and at the center was a massive garden about 3,500 pyeong across, completely surrounded by the residence.

Kairus spent the time steadily observing the garden. In the plan to loot this mansion, this garden was the single most crucial area.

“Big garden, isn’t it?”

While Kairus was quietly surveying the grounds, Irena had somehow come up beside him and spoken.

At that moment, Kairus noticed an interesting development—every trace of the servants who’d been nearby had slipped away.

“Must cost a fortune to maintain.”

“Hey, what do you take our house for? Maintaining a garden this size is nothing.”

At her words, Kairus gave a wry smile and replied.

“The Randolph family has about fifty servants. Your family must have more.”

Hearing this, Irena let out a little hum and scratched her cheek with her index finger, looking sheepish.

“Well…yes, naturally.”

This mansion employed about 800 people, counting guards and servants all together. Saying that fifty of them could be assigned to Irena alone wouldn’t have been much of an exaggeration.

Irena once again realized just how large the gap was between House Randolph and House Kellogg.

“…”

“…”

A short, awkward silence fell between them.

Kairus was calculating how long it would take to cross the garden to the opposite building, while Irena was trying to figure out what to say to break the tension.