True to Rodrick's words, the Kishian did not give up on me.
On the contrary, I heard rumors that they were searching more tenaciously than before.
He promised a large reward to anyone who brought the Grand Duchess with him, so I was still using magic tools to change the color of my hair and eyes.
My face remained the same, but I could change my eyes and hair color.
This was the South, and no one in the South knew the face of the Grand Duchess.
However, Rodrick seemed to think that it would be a little dangerous to continue outside activities, so Rodrick objected again.
"If you don't want to be taken back by the Grand Duke, you'd better stay quiet, right? The more difficult and high-grade missions are, the more likely you will encounter other people, so it's best to avoid them. I want to tell you to stay in the headquarters..."
"I can't stay still because I'm a little sore and I can't do it."
"Then you'll be content with only low-grade missions."
I shook my head resolutely.
"That's the problem. You are giving me low-grade, high-paying duties, so there is an afterword."
"Afterword?"
I nodded and tried my best to spit out the words from my mouth.
"Rumors are rife that I get preferential treatment because I'm your lover."
Did I say it in a hurry?
As soon as I told him that I was being mistaken for a lover, his eyes widened.
"Is that what everyone else does? Are we like lovers?"
"Yes. It might seem like that. You're taking care of my convenience too much."
I guess he really didn't know.
I kindly reminded him of what he had done.
"You only gave me easy and lucrative missions, gave me dormitories as executives' dormitories, and punished the guys who insulted me last time. Isn't it even more strange that there are no rumors about this?"
"Well, that's great."
"Huh?"
"If you are rumored to have a lover, the people who are obsessed with you will disappear."
Listening to the comforting words, my head got hot.
"Nope. I don't want to buy such a weird misunderstanding. I want you to assign me a high-level assignment as well."
"Hmm..."
"Of course, a physical mission like an escort would be difficult, but I can do something like Hertha's espionage mission. If I change my form into a magic tool, no one will recognize me."
The espionage mission mainly meant the task of infiltrating the aristocratic family as a maid or servant to extract information.
It was quite dangerous if caught, and it was possible only if you had a certain amount of knowledge to serve nobles, so it was a high grade.
"It's dangerous..."
Again, Rodrick did not accept easily.
It was a time when I was about to express my opinion more strongly.
"I got just the right job. High-level stealth missions."
"Infiltration?"
"There is a masquerade ball at the nearby White Artist, and you attend there as a partner for the client."
"Do I just have to attend? Is that a high-grade mission? It's not actually an infiltration."
"Because the client is picky."
Rodrick shook his head in pain.
"You have to have a beautiful face, and even if you are from a fallen family, you must be from a noble family, and you have to be good at etiquette between nobles... They wanted a woman like this, but how many people like this are in the mercenary group? Since there were only a few people who met the conditions, the grade naturally increased. The commission fee is considerable."
There is nothing particularly dangerous about it, but only a few people can do it.
It was a mission that felt like it was prepared for me.
"Well, I'll do it. If it's a masquerade, I'll cover my face, so my identity won't be revealed, right?"
"Is that so? Hmm..."
If that's the case, then what is 'Hmm'...?
He didn't seem to want to give me a mission, so I asked him intimidatingly.
"What's wrong with the reaction? Do you have any wishes?"
When I asked, his face brightened visibly.
He had a smug face and a bright smile with dimples, so the space looked bright.
However, he didn't smile for long.
As if he thought he had made a favorite tea too openly, he stopped laughing and opened his mouth.
"I have a wish."
"Money?"
"No, not that."
Quickly, he kept dragging out time.
I waited patiently, watching his fingertips fidget as if he was embarrassed, and finally, I could hear what he wanted.
"When is the time?"
"Time is always possible. I don't have any missions in progress right now. Why is that?"
"I know a restaurant with a good atmosphere, and I want to go with you."
"That's what you want? Eating together?"
Well, he wanted something great, so he took so much time, but it was better than I thought.
What is a meal?
He makes that easy request, but he doesn't look away, fidgets his fingers... He did everything that didn't suit him.
"I thought you were hoping for something great again."
"Yes. Why is this so nervous?"
Rodrick brushed his hand over his blushing face.
I thought it was very strange.
"If it's a reservation-only restaurant, make a reservation for eight o'clock tomorrow afternoon."
"I see. I'm going to make a reservation, so why don't you make an appointment?"
"I don't pay it."
Now that we had all the things to share, we wanted to go soon.
When I got up, he asked me softly.
"Are you going already?"
"Yes, I decided to tutor at three o'clock in the afternoon, so I have to go soon."
"...tutoring?"
"I'm teaching Bram's sister how to write."
It wasn't a job for a lot of money, but it was a good job to kill time.
Bram's sister Elsa was quite cute and a good girl...
Hearing my words, Rodrick burst out laughing.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I think you're doing well here. That's a good thing."
It was a bland sound.
I shrugged and stepped outside.
I had to prepare quickly to meet Elsa.
***
Bram was not living in a dormitory at the mercenary headquarters, but in a small house nearby.
He said he had many younger siblings to take care of, so he had no choice but to stay at home.
As I approached the house, I could already hear a loud noise.
The sound of a child crying, soothing, and clenching...
As soon as I entered the house, where all kinds of sounds were playing, Elsa greeted me.
"Hilda! I've done my homework today!"
The girl with freckles on her cheeks hugged me, calling my pseudonym.
In one hand, she held a stack of homework that I had given her last week.
I sat down at her desk and slowly checked her homework.
'It's a pretty fast learner.'
Since commoner children don't have many opportunities to learn letters, I thought it might take a long time to teach her properly.
Unexpectedly, Elsa learned the letters pretty quickly after only a month of tutoring.
Even if I taught her for another month or two, she would be able to read and write without difficulty.
"Oh, that's right. I want to ask you something."
"Huh?"
I was checking her homework, and Elsa held out something.
It was a twisted piece of paper pulled out of her pocket.
When I opened it, I felt like I was taking my breath away.
"This..."
"Doesn't the face here look like you, sister? But I don't know what it means because it's a difficult word written on it."
What Elsa showed was a missing person flyer distributed by the Grand Duke.
It is about finding the missing Grand Duchess.
My face was drawn largely, and underneath it was the amount of compensation and where to contact if you found it.
I felt my fingertips tremble a little and asked in the most casual tone possible.
"Where did you find it?"
"It was attached to the wall of the next village."
Distributing missing flyers to this faraway south.
My heart, which had been relaxed while enjoying a peaceful daily life, tightened to the fullest.
"It's about finding a missing person. She definitely looks like me. The Grand Duchess... I don't know what kind of person she is."
After explaining the meaning of some of the words, I folded them back and returned them to Elsa.
I didn't expect those close to me to catch me and hand me over to a Kishian.
Even so, I was worried because the montage was drawn in great detail, and the reward money was considerable.
"I shouldn't have been relieved. Just because I came to the South."
The montage drawn on the missing flyer kept growing in front of my eyes.
At the same time, I also remembered the voice of Kishian, who was desperately looking for me in the forest.
As I was silent, Elsa seemed to sense something was wrong and called to me.
"Sister?"
"Oh, first of all, the textbook... Let's take a look. How far have you looked?"
"You can start from here."
I forced my eyes on the textbook that Elsa opened and showed me.
However, I could not concentrate on the words.
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