SOLIRF~08

Chapter 8

To the Capital, Lecera

After that, the transfer of Daijo branch employees to the headquarters happened in the blink of an eye.

Inside the carriage bound for Lecera, the capital, sat Cornelia, Pinea, Nicola, and the branch manager.

Pinea quietly watched Cornelia, who was dozing off across from her.

I can’t believe I’m actually going to Lecera with her.

Pinea lived with her father and a much younger brother. Her mother had passed away early, and she’d started working part-time from a young age. Her father told her not to worry about money, but when she realized how bright her younger brother was, she became determined to send him to school—no matter what.

She wasn’t skilled in much beyond simple tasks, but she was quick, diligent, and reliable. Those were the qualities she took pride in.
That’s why laziness—or incompetence—always rubbed her the wrong way.

Like Cornelia, for example.

She couldn’t even handle the basics.

But suddenly, that useless girl had changed.

The woman who used to call in sick without notice had transformed overnight into a capable, dedicated worker.

They hadn’t worked together for long, but Pinea could tell—Cornelia was handling difficult customers with calm grace, organizing documents that even senior staff found tricky. It was as if she had been hiding her abilities all along.

Pinea didn’t know the reason behind it, but ever since Cornelia chopped off her long hair, something had clearly shifted.

She liked this new Cornelia far better.

That’s why, even though the transfer to headquarters frightened her, she decided to go along.
She wanted to keep watching this girl—to see how far she’d go.

***

Of course, I was only pretending to sleep.
My mind was busy sorting through a dozen tangled thoughts.

The transfer to Lecera had been completely unexpected.

Thanks to that, all the things I’d planned to handle one by one suddenly came rushing to the surface at once.

Originally, I had planned to go to Lecera alone.
It aligned perfectly with my goal of becoming independent—and of course, better pay and opportunities were always in the capital.

But then I ran headfirst into fierce opposition from Marcella and Julie.

A young woman living alone in the capital? Absolutely not!
Your body hasn’t even fully recovered yet—you’ll get sick again!

Once again, I told them that I wasn’t actually Cornelia—that I was someone else.
Of course, that went over about as well as a lead balloon.

In hindsight, I could understand.

In a world without proper communication or technology, sending a barely twenty-year-old girl far away must have been terrifying. Especially one who’d supposedly lost part of her memory.

But there was another reason, too.

“The capital has the finest priests and physicians. It might help your brother’s treatment.”

That’s what the branch manager told me privately after announcing the transfer.

Small towns always had a way of knowing everyone’s business, it seemed.
Now that I thought about it, the only reason the old Cornelia hadn’t been fired despite her incompetence was probably because they pitied her—an orphaned sibling pair barely scraping by.

Still, his words had struck a nerve.

Without me, it’ll be hard for them to afford Leo’s medicine.

Selling my hair had bought us time, but that money wouldn’t last forever—especially if I had to start a new life in Lecera.

And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to leave him behind, not after that night when we’d rushed to the healer together.

It’s fine. Once he gets better, this anxiety will fade.

That was the only reason.

So we made a deal—I’d go ahead first, find a house, and then Marcella and the others would join me later.

***

But… who could it be?

Another question kept poking at my mind: the identity of the person who had written the “We Compliment You” letter.

According to Pinea, those letters were so rare that any employee who received one would boost the branch’s score—and that bonus had been what earned our branch manager his transfer to headquarters.

“He didn’t say it out loud,” she’d whispered, “but among the three of us, you were probably the main reason he got promoted.”

Apparently, rumors were already spreading like wildfire.

I tried to remember the customers from that day.

Who would go out of their way to spend their own money sending such a letter?

I couldn’t think of anyone. I’d been too busy just trying to survive—to drive that problematic customer out without getting fired.

The only face I remembered was a man in a black robe, wrapped head to toe.

…No way.

Just imagining it felt absurdly rude, so I shook the thought away.

Still, maybe once I arrived at headquarters, I’d find out who it was.

And while I was at it, I couldn’t help but wonder who that noble had been—the one who bought the black wig.

But that was a dead end, too. I didn’t know any nobles. In a small countryside town like Opel, the wealthy rarely showed up in person—they sent servants instead.

Lecera, though… Lecera was bound to be different.

The capital of the Seraphina Empire… The Emperor lives there, and all the dukes and counts too. They probably hold glittering balls every other week.

For the first time, the fact that I’d crossed into a fantasy world truly sank in.

In web novels, the reincarnated heroine always ends up in some fated romance with the crown prince, showing off her knowledge of the future.

Reality? Not so glamorous.

If I could just find out who wrote that recommendation letter… and who bought that wig… that would be enough.

With that final thought, I drifted into real sleep—dreaming instead about making a “Lecera food map.”

***

The first thing I did upon arriving in the capital was find a place to live.

There were no housing loans here, of course, but compared to modern Seoul, rent was much cheaper.

Thanks to the branch manager, I found something right away.

He knew that Pinea, Nicola, and I were all new to the city, so he connected us with a reliable broker.

The house was small but clean, within walking distance from the headquarters—and for once, I didn’t get scammed.

***

“Coco! We’re here!”

A week later, Marcella, Juliana, and Leo arrived in Lecera with their luggage.

We’d even sent a letter to our eldest brother abroad, letting him know we’d moved—though I wasn’t sure it would ever reach him.

With no money to send it via gate courier, it was mailed the regular way—it might arrive within a month if we were lucky.

“This place is nice and tidy.”
“Everything in the capital feels new!”
“Wow, wow…!”

Seeing all three of them so bright and lively made me smile.

Maybe moving here had been the right choice.

Marcella’s at a perfect age to work. Juliana and Leo will learn a lot growing up here. And who knows—maybe there really is a better way to treat Leo’s illness.

That last thought mattered the most.

To make it happen, we’d sold everything—the old house, our parents’ keepsakes, even half of the 10,000 Jenny I’d earned from selling my hair.

At least my pay has doubled now.

With the headquarters transfer, I was no longer an apprentice.
My salary had jumped from 40 to 70 Jenny a month.

The branch manager said it reflected Lecera’s higher cost of living, but I didn’t care what the reason was—more pay was always good news.

The new house was smaller than before but far cleaner—important, since we had a patient at home.

We only bought a few essentials, like another bed.
No dining table or furniture yet—we’d make do.

“I’ll make one myself,” Marcella said confidently.
“No need to waste money.”

“You can do that?” I asked, surprised.
“After our parents died, there isn’t much I haven’t done,” he replied with a small shrug.

The words hit me harder than I expected.

A life built entirely on sacrifice… that wasn’t fair.

He was supposed to be out living, laughing, dating—not carrying everything alone.

If only this world had given me one small advantage… a special power, or at least a rich family. Then I wouldn’t have to feel this way.

But the longer we lived together, the more I noticed.

Marcella—
Tall, nearly 190 cm, with wavy crimson hair falling past his shoulders, bronzed skin, and lean, strong muscles.

Objectively, he was very handsome.

Too handsome to be breaking his back at construction sites.

He made his living doing physical work—repairing walls, hauling stone, building fortifications.
At first, I’d been shocked, but apparently, back home he was known for his strength.

If only he could become a knight or something… He’s of noble descent, even if fallen. Maybe he could start as a squire.

I’d have to look into it.

Marcella, inspecting the room, let out a laugh.
“Who would’ve thought I’d ever live in Lecera?”
“Same here,” I said with a smile.

All I’d wanted was to put my annoying senior in her place and show a little competence—and now here I was, transferred to headquarters.

Life really was unpredictable.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll look for work and a doctor for Leo. So don’t worry—just focus on your job,” Marcella said firmly.

I frowned slightly.
“Be careful. City people scam newcomers like us all the time. Visit at least three different places, and maybe check out a temple too. Healing magic might be expensive, but it could save money in the long run.”

“Got it, got it. Stop worrying, and make sure you show up to work on time tomorrow,” he said, grinning.

I flinched.

Honestly, calling him ‘brother’ still felt weird, so I’d been avoiding it entirely.

Since he didn’t believe my story about being someone else, all I could do was sigh.

But still—Cornelia’s body was twenty years old, so I decided to just roll with it.

“…Yes, brother.”

Both Juliana and Leo burst into giggles for some reason.

***

The next day, I headed to the Daijo Headquarters building, a mix of excitement and nerves twisting in my stomach.

A burly man with a thick beard looked me over with a bored expression.

“Hello. I’m Cornelia Libertas, newly transferred from the Opel branch to the Lecera headquarters.”

It was the first time in ages I’d said my full name out loud.

But instead of a polite greeting, he snorted.

“Libertas? Never heard of that house. Must be a fallen noble, huh?”

Oh wow… starting strong with the insults, are we?

A smile crept across my face.