Chapter: 03
Danju, Antonio, and Yustea moved through the underground waterway.
It was because they had gained pursuers after the incident where the Marquis’s servants were attacked in the shopping district.
After entering the waterway, Antonio reported the situation to the elite squad.
“Uh, yeah. We entered the underground waterway. Things changed from the plan, but we secured the ‘item.’”
[You crazy bastard. You couldn’t control your temper and ended up causing a mess?]
“I told you, I wasn’t the one who did it.”
[Quit spouting nonsense.]
[Do you really think Lord Danju would have done something like that?]
Antonio felt like he was going to die of frustration.
When he saw Yustea getting beaten by the Marquis’s servants while trying to protect her hood, he had thought they had reached the point of no return.
He had even raised his fist, thinking he would completely destroy them.
But the person who actually used force wasn’t him.
‘What’s ridiculous is that I’m just as shocked.’
Who would have expected that she would even carve a mark onto someone’s face there?
“Danju did it….”
[Stop talking crap.]
[Go die!]
Click.
The communication ended without a single person believing him.
Antonio looked at Danju, who was shamelessly resting beside him with a sad expression.
Beside him, Yustea was busily moving around.
“What are you doing?”
When Antonio asked, Yustea, who was taking things out of the bag, answered.
“Organizing the luggage. And I’m going to gather some herbs growing in the waterway too.”
“Shouldn’t you rest a bit? Look at your face reflected in the water. Does that look like the face of a fifteen-year-old girl?”
Because she had been beaten by the Marquis’s servants, Yustea’s face was badly swollen.
“The sun will set soon, and we’ll be moving then, right?”
“That’s true.”
“It’s winter, so the sun goes down quickly. I need to organize everything beforehand. Otherwise, it’ll get in the way when we travel.”
Then she went back to packing.
Her hands were incredibly skillful.
The pile of luggage that had been a complete mess became flattened and neatly fit into the bag after passing through those hands.
“Were you really a noble?”
What noble young lady was this much like a survival expert?
Yustea folded a bag of dried vegetables neatly and said,
“I was until I was twelve. My father was Marquis Andres, and my mother ran the Baul Merchant Guild… no, now it’s called the Andres Merchant Guild. It’s a large trading company.”
“You must sometimes feel miserable about your current situation.”
Antonio muttered without thinking, then immediately realized his mistake.
His companions had also ended up with lives stuck in the mud for one reason or another.
It was something he often said jokingly when talking with them, but to a fifteen-year-old girl, it could have been hurtful.
“Feel miserable…”
Yustea stopped and muttered.
Antonio flinched.
“No, what I meant was—”
“Not sometimes. Every day?”
“…Huh?”
“When I clean the toilets, I think I feel it once every minute. The soldiers’ toilets are really disgusting…”
“…”
Seeing Yustea become gloomy because the toilets were dirty, Antonio let out a hollow laugh.
That girl was definitely strange.
‘No, not strange. Maybe she’s impressive.’
Yustea quickly finished organizing the luggage and began gathering herbs.
“So this is why water flowers bloom in the waterway. If I had known they grew here, I wouldn’t have bought them from the herb shop.”
What a waste.
Muttering that, she ruthlessly gathered the herb called water flower and made a huge pile.
“If you boil this and drink it, it’s excellent for recovering from fatigue.”
“Really?”
“Wait a moment. I’ll make tea quickly.”
She took out a pot as big as her own body, boiled water, and took out sugar and several dried fruits she had bought from the market.
Soon, the waterway was filled with a pleasant aroma.
Yustea poured the tea into cups and handed them to Antonio and Danju.
Antonio frowned.
“There’s foam.”
“When you brew water flowers, foam appears. It also tastes extremely bitter.”
“Is this really edible?”
“Try it.”
Antonio drank a sip of the tea with a doubtful expression.
But then.
“…!”
Surprised, Antonio’s eyes widened.
“You said it was bitter?”
“When you only brew water flowers. If you boil it with sour fruits, the acidity neutralizes the bitterness. Is it drinkable?”
After clearing his throat, Antonio quickly drank the tea.
In truth, it was the first time he had ever tasted such delicious tea.
He had thought tea like black tea was something only nobles obsessed with luxury enjoyed, but now he understood why people searched for it.
Yustea spoke to Antonio, who gulped down the water flower tea as if it were soup.
“Water flower liquor tastes good too. Should I make it for you next time?”
“Liquor?”
“I heard it’s a summer delicacy if you drink it cold.”
Antonio’s eyes sparkled at the mention of alcohol.
“Th-then, when are you going to make it?”
“If I can get alcohol.”
“What if I go out and get some?”
The moment Antonio said that without even taking a breath—
Tap.
Danju put down his cup loudly.
Antonio flinched.
“I’m not really going out just because of alcohol. I mean, I’ll look around the area too.”
“…”
“I’ll just keep watch around here…”
“…”
Even though Antonio said he would stay quietly, Danju did not take his gaze away.
Was he angry because he thought Antonio was foolish?
Just as Antonio became tense,
Yustea hurried over to Danju.
“Would you like another cup?”
“Full.”
“Yes.”
…Maybe he wasn’t the only strange one.
Antonio stared at Danju, who was calmly drinking water flower tea, with disbelief.
It had been three days since Danju, Antonio, and I left the waterway.
We encountered the pursuers once, but Danju and Antonio wiped out the entire unit in about five minutes with their incredible skills.
After that, the journey was peaceful.
During the trip, I had quite a few conversations with Antonio.
“You’ve really done all sorts of things. It must have been hard.”
“Not as much as you, Sir Antonio.”
“But can you really leave the capital while leaving your mother behind?”
“I asked the landlord of the house I’m staying at to look after her. I even gave her six months’ worth of wages.”
“I see.”
Around noon, we entered the forest where we had planned to meet with the other groups.
However, no one was there at the arranged location.
“Weren’t we supposed to be the last ones? The others aren’t here.”
“Because of the shopping district incident, they’re carrying out a diversion operation. They’ll join us soon.”
“I see…”
Everyone is suffering because of me.
When I became depressed, Antonio waved his hand as if telling me not to worry.
“Even if it wasn’t because of you, I probably would have caused trouble.”
He said it to comfort me, but his attitude that causing trouble was just something natural for him was shameless.
Danju looked at Antonio with eyes that clearly said he was ridiculous.
During the two days on the way here, Antonio had been hit by Danju three times.
Because he was too oblivious.
Thanks to that, I learned what to do in situations like this.
Quietly do my work.
I took out my notebook and started writing.
“What are you doing?”
Antonio asked, probably bored.
“I’m writing the ledger. I used my own money at the shopping district on the first day, but after that Sir Antonio paid for everything.”
“And?”
“So I need to keep the ledger, right?”
“Why?”
“Don’t Irregulars keep ledgers?”
“We do.”
“Who…?”
“Me. The vice leader made me do it.”
What?
Antonio is a good person.
Yesterday too, when the butcher gave me an absurd price, he beat him up thoroughly.
But…
“If you don’t tell me properly, your neck and body will be separated forever. How much is six geun of sirloin?”
“Th-that is, one geun is 30 coppers…”
“So how much is it?!”
“Huh?”
…
How can he be in charge of the ledger if he can’t calculate?
“Sir Antonio. Could I perhaps look at the ledger?”
“Sure.”
Antonio threw the entire bag to me.
I took out the ledger from inside.
It was completely crumpled.
I carefully flattened the wrinkled parts and checked the contents.
It was a disaster.
‘The vice leader probably didn’t realize Antonio was this bad.’
Well, even if he had known, our group only consisted of Danju and Antonio, so Antonio must have had no choice but to handle it.
I reorganized the ledger.
While I was concentrating for quite a while, I heard someone approaching.
“Danju.”
All the Irregulars who were supposed to meet up had gathered.
Among them was a face I had never seen before.
A large man with a neat appearance.
The man hurried over and knelt before Danju.
“I greet my lord.”
“Viscount San Miguel.”
Viscount San Miguel?
San Miguel was a vassal of the Duke of Escarotte.
‘He’s already formed an alliance with Escarotte’s vassal?’
The Duke of Escarotte, who had originally been discussing marriage with the princess, fell in love with a poor baron’s daughter from the countryside and announced their marriage.
Naturally, the vassals did not view the baron’s daughter kindly, and they joined hands with the princess to kill her.
But the baron’s daughter was clever.
She sensed her own death and predicted that after her death the princess would reach for her son.
So she hid her newborn son away.
That son was none other than Danju Aslan.
‘Danju’s life was miserable.’
It was said that he was taken away by an old knight and grew up with the battlefield as his cradle.
A life where if he did not kill, he would be killed.
The reason he endured such a terrible life was because of his ambition to take control of the Duke of Escarotte’s household.
“How much hardship you must have endured. Please, let us go to San Miguel territory.”
To San Miguel territory?
I whispered to Antonio with a puzzled expression.
“Weren’t we going to the headquarters?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are we going to San Miguel territory…?”
“Because San Miguel territory is the headquarters. My precious vodka and whiskey should be doing well, right? Yustea, I’ll give you a special share.”
“It’s okay. I’m a minor.”
So the headquarters was San Miguel territory.
Then it wasn’t that he allied with Viscount San Miguel.
He took control of San Miguel territory and created a viscount who suited his tastes.
‘Amazing…’
A chill ran through me.
The current Duke of Escarotte did not know Danju existed.
That meant he had already gained that much influence over a great noble family with his bare hands.
‘He’s even more incredible than I expected.’
The reason I needed to stay with the Irregulars became clearer and clearer.
Let’s do well.
I clenched my fist.
Then I declared with determination.
“Should I prepare the meal?”
“…!”
“…!!”
The members widened their eyes.
But Viscount San Miguel glanced at me and waved his hand.
“We cannot have you eating such vulgar food anymore. The meal will be prepared at the territory castle.”
That was when it happened.
Then the members, especially Antonio, shouted fiercely.
“This child’s food is not vulgar!”
“Her cooking is incredible!”
They even shouted the words from the recommendation letter Colonel Lagoni of the Imperial Army had given me.
Viscount San Miguel let out an absurd laugh.
“What in the world… Why are you all acting like this, Danju?”
“…”
“Danju?”
Danju was already sitting on a suitable rock, waiting for the meal to be prepared.
Viscount San Miguel looked flustered.
‘Good. It’s clean.’
I proudly looked at the cooking tools and bowls after washing them.
After wiping away even the moisture, they were sparkling.
After the members finished eating the braised ribs, it looked as if a storm had swept through the place.
‘The reaction was… yes, it was really good.’
The self-proclaimed cultured Viscount San Miguel even described them as looking like a pack of dogs.
In the end, they even guarded a single piece of braised ribs while looking at each other like sworn enemies.
I offered some to Viscount San Miguel too, but he told me…
“I don’t have a hobby of eating vulgar food on the roadside.”
—He said it.
With a very cold tone.
I was thinking about that when—
“Are you upset because of the viscount?”
Antonio suddenly stuck his face out.
I widened my eyes.
It wasn’t because he suddenly spoke to me.
‘Wow.’
He was wearing a knight’s uniform.
He must have changed while I was cleaning up.
The silver armor and long cape suited his tall height and broad shoulders.
Thinking about it, Danju was so handsome that he looked like a different species, so Antonio’s appearance didn’t stand out, but he was also a handsome man.
Bronze skin and sharp features.
A superior physique well over 180 centimeters.
His playful expression was charming.
“You look cool!”
“Of course.”
Antonio grinned and messed up my hair.
“Don’t worry about the viscount. The vice leader said that before Danju gave him San Miguel territory, the viscount was basically only a noble in name. Maybe he’s overly obsessed with manners because of that.”
Antonio had heard what the viscount said to me.
More precisely, Antonio was the only one who heard it.
The viscount had quietly said it while watching Danju eat the ribs.
“He didn’t eat the ribs, so that’s fine.”
“And?”
“He seems to be avoiding me.”
Rather than avoiding me, his eyes seemed closer to suspicion.
Why would someone as high-ranking as a viscount be wary of someone like me, just a worker?
There was no reason.
Antonio stared into the air as if thinking.
Then he soon went, “Ah,” and said.
“The viscount misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood?”
“Yeah. He might think you’re a candidate to become Danju’s adopted daughter. The age fits.”
Adopted daughter?
Danju is taking in an adopted daughter?
“Is Lord Danju adopting a daughter?”
“Yes. He needs a child to send for the princes’ escort… Ah.”
Antonio, who had answered naturally, suddenly flinched and pretended not to notice.
But I understood what he meant.
Because I knew the story of the game.
‘Come to think of it, the princes will soon visit the Duke of Escarotte’s household.’
The emperor had the princes tour the estates of great nobles as part of their heir training.
That meant the turn of Escarotte had arrived.
When the princes came, there needed to be children of a similar age for them to talk with.
‘That’s what they call a page.’
And Danju intended to send his adopted daughter as a page and use her to communicate with the Duke of Escarotte.
The time had finally come for Danju to reveal his true existence in imperial society.
Viscount San Miguel probably suspected me because he thought I might take the role of Danju’s adopted daughter.
‘He’s worrying for nothing.’
Danju seems to like my cooking.
But would he really just hand me the role of adopted daughter because of that?
There’s no trust at all.
‘Yes, good. Then there’s nothing to worry about.’
If I became disliked by Viscount San Miguel, the lord of the Irregulars’ headquarters, it would be troublesome.
But once the misunderstanding was cleared up, he probably wouldn’t care anymore.
I shook off my worries and smiled brightly.
“Sir Antonio, shall we go now?”
“Huh? Oh, sure…”
Seeing me become cheerful again in an instant, Antonio tilted his head.
“That’s why I like that you’re positive. There’s a saying that people who smile aren’t boiled and eaten.”
“…”
“Why?”
“…It’s not people. It’s pigs. Smiling pigs aren’t boiled and eaten.”
I guess it’s normal not to boil and eat people.
