Chapter : 127
Hogma Patisserie opened a branch on Je-do to promote the official businesses of the Duchy of Valent.
Before entering the store, Talon carefully examined the sign bearing the mark of the Valent Duchy Merchants’ Association.
If that’s the case, there’s no way Hogma Patisserie isn’t connected to Duke Valent.
└[Usually, that means they’re trying to steal ideas.]
└[Stop being a spy.]
Because of his tall stature and fierce aura, he didn’t seem like the type to blatantly act as a spy.
But lately, Hogma Patisserie had been releasing many new products, so it was impossible not to pay attention.
‘Maybe someone told him to buy the products.’
I decided to follow him for a bit after he left the patisserie, to see if he was meeting someone.
Since the shopping district was crowded, following him unnoticed wouldn’t be a problem.
…Or so I thought.
“Who’s there?”
Talon stopped and turned around.
After six years of training, I had improved my ability to erase my presence—but he had seen through it.
└[Have you been training your spy skills too?]
└[Wasn’t that an “Ahssa” skill?]
└[He hasn’t changed since he was six lol.]
He had apparently been recommended for his swordsmanship talent, but he must also be good at sensing nearby presences.
Anyway, if I was caught… I had better act innocent first.
“Y-Yes? Me? I was just passing by.”
This shopping district was already a place I frequented.
I tried to act natural as if I had another destination, but he seemed to recognize me.
“Damian’s subordinate.”
“You know me?”
“I’ve seen you with Damian.”
Since Damian was popular at the academy, some students seemed to even know his only subordinate—me.
Talon glanced me over briefly and said:
“A subordinate that small, huh?”
So the size of the subordinate reflects the level of the master, huh?!
└[Why are you picking a fight?]
└[Let’s duel.]
…Still, I couldn’t fight. The size difference was too big.
The rumors hadn’t given a good first impression either, but since we were already talking, I decided to ask what I was curious about.
“That dessert…”
Talon noticed my gaze directed at the envelope in his hand and quickly hid it behind his back.
“Don’t have money? Still, I can’t give it to you.”
“No, I’m not asking for it!”
Do you really think I followed you to snatch bread?
He probably didn’t know I was the de facto manager of Hogma Patisserie.
“You do know this store is from the Valent Duchy’s shopping district, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then why specifically buy dessert from that store…?”
“To eat it.”
Talon took a small tart from the envelope and popped it into his mouth, as if to prove his point.
Then he frowned and left a brief review.
“Not good.”
└[Seems like he has a talent for scratching, not swordsmanship.]
└[Who even is he? Why does he dislike the Valent family so much?]
Did his grandfather, who was said to be a royal knight, speak ill of the Valent Knights?
Anyway, from what he said, Talon didn’t seem connected to the noble faction but appeared to hold a personal grudge against the Valent family.
I decided it wasn’t my concern and prepared to step back, but Talon suddenly asked a question.
“Are you alone?”
“W-Why do you ask that?”
└[If alone, he might try to fight.]
I usually ignore what the comment fairy says, but I instinctively went on guard.
However, Talon glanced past me instead.
“If not, someone seems to be following you.”
“Huh?”
└[The letter-sending stalker?]
└[Oh no, another kidnapping?]
The security on Je-do wasn’t something to take lightly.
But from past experience, I usually move through crowded areas when alone as a precaution.
I turned around to check just in case, and Talon’s voice came again.
“Never mind.”
…Is he teasing me now?!
‘I need to ask why he’s doing this—.’
I turned forward again, only to see Talon running toward me with a fierce expression.
└[Was this a Hiba ambush?]
└[He’s not attacking after baiting me, right!!]
└[What’s happening all of a sudden]
‘Really. What the heck is going on?!’
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a defensive stance, and he grabbed my collar, pulling me behind him…
‘Behind?’
When I opened my eyes, Talon had kicked a stack of discarded wood behind where I had been standing.
Someone who had been hiding there quickly leapt aside and fled at a speed too fast to follow with the eyes.
“What… what’s happening? A fight?”
“Someone suddenly…”
The bystanders were startled by the sudden commotion.
I was surprised too, but Talon’s push had clearly been to protect me.
“Gah… thank you…”
“Owe me something?”
“N-No. It’s not a debt collector following me.”
“Does the Valent Knights normally leave kids like you in danger?”
“The Valent Knights are fine!”
Because I was Damian’s subordinate, he probably assumed I was with the Valent Knights.
The gratitude was short-lived. He kept pressing about the ‘Valent,’ leaving me exasperated.
I thought the comment fairies’ flag might cause a new incident, but calming down, I realized who had fled.
“He’s probably someone I know… a friend of theirs. Anyway, thanks. Don’t worry and go on your way.”
“If I leave you alone here, Damian might treat me like trash.”
“Damian wouldn’t. You really can go…!”
“Make sure you don’t wander alone if you can’t even protect yourself. At this rate, the Valent Knights are in trouble…”
“Y-Yes. I’ll be careful.”
He left with a face still full of suspicion, but he finally departed after I urged him.
After Talon left, I spotted the person I had expected on my way back to the patisserie.
“…Sigh. Ivan.”
└[Ivan is in Class 2, so he’s the Second Prince.]
└[He keeps appearing whenever we almost forget lol.]
└[Was that assassin earlier related to the Second Prince?]
Indeed.
He was the prince’s bodyguard—the so-called ‘shadow’ who operated without revealing himself.
Of course, I didn’t know all the faces of the royal family’s shadow warriors, but the one I saw before the time skip matched the clothing and style, so I recognized him.
‘No wonder Reivan kept showing up wherever I went.’
Of course, Reivan wouldn’t wander around himself; someone must have been notifying him of my location.
I didn’t expect it to be a royal shadow, though!
Today, as I had diverted to a side street toward the patisserie and faced a fierce-looking man, the shadow had come closer.
In any case, the adolescent-looking Reivan awkwardly greeted me as he approached.
“Hello, Rose.”
“Yes. On your way back from that store run by your relative today?”
“Mm.”
During the six years without the comment fairies, Reivan seemed to have bribed someone from the Apileo Count family on his maternal side, using them as an excuse when convenient.
└[Wait, is the Second Prince still using a pseudonym?]
If I hadn’t known Reivan’s identity at all, I might have felt something off and noticed his true identity.
But I had found his behavior strange from the beginning, so I never had the chance to sense anything amiss.
So I never got a chance to suddenly confront him about his identity…
└[It’s been six years lol.]
└[He knows I know, but pretends not to.]
Well. He still seems to hide his identity well, refusing to give up the suspicious setup of covering his face with a robe even in summer due to sunlight sensitivity.
“You said you visited the palace recently.”
…Or maybe not.
Asking that question might already reveal a bit of his identity.
But since he had hidden it for six years, I had also been pretending not to know for six years.
Unless he appeared openly as the Second Prince, I couldn’t suddenly admit I knew his identity.
“Yes. It was originally a meeting with the Crown Prince and Damian, but I ended up going along.”
The Crown Prince often invited young nobles, including Damian, to the palace for interaction.
For some reason, whenever Damian was invited, I would also receive an invitation to accompany him.
└[Still acting as an interpreter?]
└[Isn’t Damian fifteen now? Can’t he talk properly lol.]
Well, even when we first met, our values clashed, and even now our opinions often differed…
