My Love Debts Are Everywhere!-Chapter 694: Eyes Watching from a Distance

"Young master, did you get the information?" Elina asked curiously, still chewing her food.

Her eyes shifted to Leon, who suddenly wore a serious expression.

Leon took a deep breath, glanced at her, and then gave a slow nod.

"Yeah, I got it," he replied calmly. He took a sip of his beer before continuing in a low voice, "Turns out what those two soldiers in the treasure hall said was true. The reason the Dwarf King went mad was because of a mysterious material he discovered—one that eventually turned into that cursed weapon."

Elina's brows furrowed. Uncertainty clouded her face.

"In that case, what do we do? Come up with a plan first... or just sneak into the Dwarf palace?"

She meant the second option as a joke—but to her surprise, Leon nodded.

"Yes. We'll sneak into the Dwarf palace," he said without hesitation. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Elina: "..."

She drew a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart, then asked, "Are you serious? Wouldn't that basically be suicide?"

They didn't even know the exact location of the palace—let alone what it looked like on the inside.

To make matters worse, they were being hunted by both the Dwarf soldiers and the entire population of Valgrund.

Heading to the royal palace now… would be the same as handing themselves over.

"Don't worry, I already have a plan," Leon said calmly. "Coincidentally, tomorrow is the day when the dwarves pay their taxes to the palace. When that happens, we'll slip into the crowd and pretend to be taxpayers. Once inside, we'll disguise ourselves as dwarf soldiers so we can move freely through the palace."

"Besides, the key to solving all this is inside the palace. He's the Crown Prince of the Dwarf Kingdom."

Elina listened carefully. The plan actually sounded quite reasonable—until Leon's last sentence made her eyes widen in shock.

"Wait—you mean the Crown Prince of the Dwarven Kingdom? Seriously?" she asked, incredulous.

Leon just chuckled and began explaining more about the Crown Prince.

After hearing the full story, Elina couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The Crown Prince had acted for the sake of his people's survival. Yet, because the king had lost his mind, he had imprisoned his own son over something trivial.

"Anyway, let's finish our food first," Leon said seriously. "We need to find an inn soon and plan for tomorrow carefully. There can't be any mistakes."

"Okay, I understand," Elina replied with a nod.

They finished their meal within twenty minutes and got up to leave.

Leon paid the bill—it came to ten Garlit Stones, which was rather steep, considering the average monthly income of a dwarf was only thirty.

With everything settled, they stepped out of the tavern and headed toward the nearest inn.

But what they didn't know... was that a pair of sharp eyes had been watching them from afar—never once looking away from their backs.

***

The next day…

The sun began to rise, its light piercing through the glass openings in the ceiling and streaming between the towering golden pillars.

The morning light breathed life into the Dwarf race living within Mount Durnhak, marking the beginning of their daily activities.

Meanwhile, on the right side of the street, Leon and Elina walked side by side at a relaxed pace, as if they were simply enjoying the city's atmosphere.

They had only been here a day, but the place already felt familiar. Still, the sight of golden buildings rising around them remained breathtaking.

It was hard to believe such architecture could exist—structures made entirely of gold.

Even if the Holy Orthodoxy and the Demon Empire combined all their wealth, it still wouldn't be enough to build a city like this.

And if they somehow managed to do it, they'd likely be left with less than one percent of their treasury.

That alone was proof of how unimaginably rich the dwarves were.

"By the way, I asked the inn receptionist about the tax office," Elina said excitedly. "She said it's on the south side of Valgrund."

She puffed out her chest, clearly hoping for Leon's praise.

If she were in her true form, that gesture would've looked cute—adorable, even.

But since she was currently disguised as a dwarf, it just came across as... unsettling.

Elina waited patiently for Leon's compliment, but he didn't say a word.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him rubbing his temples and slowly shaking his head, clearly frustrated.

"Huh? What's wrong, young master? Why do you look so confused and annoyed?" she asked, scratching her head in puzzlement.

Leon let out a long sigh and shot her a sharp look. "Elina, do you realize that what you just did was practically suicide?"

Elina stood frozen in shock, but before she could say a word, Leon went on.

"Think about it. The average dwarf lives for two to three hundred years—and they never leave Mount Durnhak. From birth to death, they know the rules and layout of Valgrund like the back of their hand."

"On top of that, tax regulations apply to dwarves aged twenty and older. Based on how we look in these disguises, we clearly fall into that age group."

"But then you went and asked another dwarf a basic question—where the tax office is. That alone is enough to raise suspicion. Do you understand now?"

Leon had gained his knowledge from the memories of a dwarf whose pouch he had stolen the day before.

That was why he felt completely confident navigating the city.

But Elina asking for directions had been a critical mistake.

Leon was certain the receptionist she'd spoken to had already started to suspect them.

"I... I'm sorry, Young Master," Elina whispered, her voice shaking with guilt.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She sniffled, then bowed her head deeply.

Only now did she truly realize that joining Leon on this journey might have been a huge mistake.

She had been nothing but a burden—and that thought filled her with guilt and shame.

Seeing her sadness, Leon's expression gradually softened. He gently patted Elina's head and said in a calming voice, "Don't worry, I'm not angry. It's fine—just forget about it. Now, let's head to the tax office and get everything settled."

Warmth spread through Elina's chest. She quickly wiped her tears and responded with renewed determination, "Mm! Let's go!"

The two of them then walked hand in hand toward the tax office, which was about four hundred meters from where they stood.

Once they were gone, two female figures emerged from the shadows.

Had Leon and Elina turned around, they would've been shocked to recognize them—the tavern waitress from yesterday and the receptionist from the inn they had stayed at.

"Are you certain about your report?" the waitress asked coldly.

"I'm sure, Division Chief," the receptionist replied firmly. "That dwarf woman asked me where the tax office was. I'm convinced those two are intruders in disguise."

The waitress's expression darkened. She took a slow breath, then placed a hand on the receptionist's shoulder.

"Alright, I understand. Leave the rest to me. If your information turns out to be accurate… you'll be well rewarded."

The receptionist beamed with joy. She bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Division Chief! Thank you so much!"

The waitress simply gave a slow nod. Her sharp gaze followed the direction Leon and Elina had gone—as if silently vowing not to let them escape.

***

The tax office was located on the southern side of the city and stood out as a fairly large building.

It had its own complex, complete with a spacious courtyard that could accommodate up to three hundred dwarves at once.

Like most structures in Valgrund, the tax office was built from gleaming gold, its surface catching the light and giving it a striking, majestic appearance.

At the moment, the courtyard was filled with dwarves lined up in neat rows. To speed up the process, the crowd was divided into three separate lines, each containing hundreds of dwarves.

Leon and Elina happened to arrive just as the last group was forming, placing them at the very back of the line.

But in truth, that had been Leon's intention all along. Instead of heading straight to the tax office, he had taken Elina on a short walk through the area.

That way, he could ensure no one was watching them or suspecting their plan to disguise themselves as dwarf soldiers.

The tax payment process was slow, taking about an hour and a half. But finally, it was their turn.

With only Leon and Elina left in line, just two dwarves remained at the examination desks—the third officer had already stepped away.

Two dwarven soldiers—a man and a woman—stood behind them, keeping watch over the line and ensuring there were no disturbances.

"State your name," the dwarf on the right asked in a formal tone.

Leon offered a polite smile. "My name is Goron, and this is my wife, Tarvina."

"Oh, so you're a couple? That makes things simpler," the dwarf said with a hint of relief.

His companion seemed to ease up as well, casually leaning against the back of her chair.

The dwarf opened a thick ledger and began flipping through the pages, searching for the names "Goron" and "Tarvina."

But after a moment, his brows drew together in confusion.

"Hm? That's strange… I don't see your names listed here."

What he failed to notice was Leon's right eye slowly darkening—its sclera turning black, with a glowing white crescent-shaped pupil emerging at the center.

"Of course you don't," Leon murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Because those names aren't real."

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A/N: If I change the chapters upload schedule to the evening around the novelkiss reset time, what do you think? Leave a comment, and thank you!

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