Chapter 41: A Desperate Plea for Deliverance

What am I going to do?

What am I going to do?

What am I going to do now?

Fran paced back and forth in the room, occasionally pulling back the curtains with a worried frown to peek outside.

Why hadn’t anyone come downstairs to check on the person standing by the window? Why hadn’t anyone come to confirm his situation?

Fran was genuinely starting to panic. He was essentially under house arrest, with people constantly watching his every move.

What was he to do? This couldn’t stand. If the people at the tavern truly believed Quidar’s story, or worse yet, if his mentor also fell for the fabrication and sent someone to “rescue the captured Fran,” then…

He couldn’t even begin to imagine the immense damage such a rescue operation would inflict upon the entire organization.

Even more perilously, this incident could trigger a chain reaction, potentially endangering Fran himself and compromising his undercover mission.

In short, he absolutely could not allow this to happen.

He had to devise a method to accurately convey the message that he was safe and his cover remained intact.

But… what method could he possibly use?

He stood by the window, waiting for a long time, yet saw no suspicious figures. The empty expanse outside the window only served to make Fran’s mind draw a blank.

He sat back on the bed, troubled, and sighed deeply, lost in thought for a moment.

What approach should he take?

Send a telegram? Impossible. He didn’t have a codebook, and sending an unencrypted message would be suicide, too easily traced.

Moreover, his current situation…

Hah, while his ‘capture’ was a lie fabricated by Quidar, how was his current state any different from being captured? He was under house arrest, forbidden to leave, monitored even if he stepped out of his room. He had no telegraph equipment here, and going out to send one…

That would be courting death.

So what was he to do? Make a call?

There was indeed a rotary phone in Fran’s room, but…

No, every phone in the Purburg station’s mansion was likely being monitored. A single call would not only expose him but could also implicate his mentor.

Even a fake call would surely arouse Quidar’s suspicions. He wasn’t entirely familiar with how telephones worked; if dialing somehow led Quidar’s people to his mentor, that would be unacceptable.

Then…

What *could* he do?

He racked his brain for a long time, unable to come up with a viable solution. In frustration, he buried his head in a pillow, then repeatedly bumped his head against the headboard.

Why couldn’t he think of anything? Why couldn’t he find a way!

He vented his anger, seemingly punishing himself with these actions.

But once he calmed down, he sadly realized that such behavior was utterly useless for devising a countermeasure.

No, he had to completely calm down to think of a solution.

Yet…

So, he sat on the bed, staring blankly into space.

Just then, the bedroom door suddenly opened, and a silver-haired girl peeked in, glancing around the room.

Fran instinctively looked towards the door. The sight of silver hair made him automatically assume it was Yuli, but as he noticed the newcomer had short hair, and particularly her eerie, blood-red eyes, he realized his mistake.

This person… wasn’t she the maid who had stopped him earlier?

It seemed she was here to monitor his movements in the room.

Fran was exasperated. There was hardly anything in this room, yet they still felt the need to monitor him? How little trust did they have?

He frowned, meeting Liz’s red-eyed gaze from the doorway. She quickly averted her eyes, scanned the room, and then prepared to close the door and leave.

Suddenly, another silver-haired figure appeared beyond the doorframe.

“Excuse me, could you move aside, Miss Liz?”

“My apologies for the disturbance, Station Chief Yuli.”

Liz unhurriedly stepped back, clearing a path for Yuli. Fran now saw clearly; indeed, it was Yuli.

Hmph.

He let out a sigh of relief. For some reason, Yuli’s presence always brought him considerable comfort, far more than the maid named Liz.

Odd.

Why did he need Yuli to provide him with a sense of security?

Yuli entered the room, first observing the state of Fran’s space: cups haphazardly stacked, the bedsheets a rumpled mess. Hmm…

For a moment, she even wondered what Fran had been doing in the room.

Ahem.

The girl closed the door, then forced a smile and sat beside Fran. Fran shifted away slightly, a silent protest against Yuli’s failure to support him in the previous meeting, instead siding with Quidar.

Although… Yuli seemed to want to help him earn merit.

But the merit she wanted him to earn wasn’t the kind he desired.

He was still a little upset with Yuli, and she noticed. The girl gave an awkward laugh, patted Fran’s head, and began to console him:

“What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood from being confined to your room? Well… I’m sorry, but it couldn’t be helped. After all… think about it, Quidar had already said so much, and the plan didn’t have many flaws.”

“I couldn’t possibly ignore a good suggestion from a subordinate just because I disliked them, could I? That would make me look a bit…”

Yuli spoke, lowering her head.

Fran sighed, saying nothing. Yuli turned, suddenly embracing him, then gently patted his back, speaking softly:

“Oh, come on now. While being grounded is a bit… well, if you truly earn merit, I’ll apply for a reward for Fran. I promise, unless…”

The girl suddenly hugged Fran a little tighter, then said with a hint of sadness, “Unless… Fran lied to me. Otherwise… So, Fran, you didn’t lie to me, right? You didn’t lie to me, did you?”

“I…”

Fran truly didn’t know what to say. In such an urgent situation, he genuinely didn’t want to utter any more insincere sweet nothings to comfort Yuli.

His mind was solely focused on how to get the message out.

Transmit, transmit…

Wait!

Fran looked up at the girl’s face. Their eyes met, filled with an inexplicable emotion.

Fran inadvertently revealed a smile. He had an idea, and it involved Yuli.

Hah.

He, too, hugged Yuli tightly, then spoke:

“Of course, I haven’t lied to you, Yuli. I truly want to stay by your side, Sister Yuli. I’m just… sigh. Being confined to this room is so boring. If I leave, I’ll be watched. It’s truly dull with nothing fun to do. If only there was something interesting I could read or watch.”

The golden-haired boy lowered his head, lost in thought. Yuli, beside him, tried her best to think of ways to entertain Fran. As she thought, the silver-haired girl’s ears even turned a little red.

“Oh, that’s right!” Fran suddenly exclaimed, pulling the fantasizing Yuli back to reality. “Sister Yuli, since I can’t go out, could I trouble you to pick up the magazine I subscribe to from a mailbox I rent? I’d really like to read a magazine to satisfy my craving!”

“Eh? That’s all?” Yuli nodded confidently, declaring, “Don’t worry, leave it to me! I’ll get it for you!”