There’s Something Special About Her – Chapter 18

Author: Asternkm

Did I overestimate Killian Knox?

The moment I saw the name ‘Dupont Clanshier’ in the ledger, I couldn’t help but wonder.

Nox’s darkest secret.

When I heard those words, a few things immediately came to mind.

They were things I had learned while struggling against Nox’s intelligence department for several years.

But honestly, they all seemed rather trivial.

For Killian Knox to use the word ‘darkest’ to hide them… How should I put it? The scale was just too small.

That was why I had pushed them aside early on and started looking for new information, but……

‘Illegal activities do cost a lot of money.’

The amount of money Dupont Clanshier had spent over eight long years was truly enormous.

Divided into eight parts, each amount was about the same as a decent noble family’s yearly budget. Put together, it was enough to buy a small territory on the outskirts of the Empire.

“Wait.”

Could that really be it?

They said they had shut down all their illegal businesses and divided them among trustworthy families, but what if they had actually moved everything to some distant territory?

Was I supposed to look outside instead of inside Nox Castle?

But I was tied to the Action Squad, so I couldn’t freely leave the castle.

There was no way Killian Knox didn’t know that.

“Don’t tell me that’s why he did it on purpose?”

If I couldn’t leave, I would have no choice but to fail the mission he had given me.

A bastard like Killian Knox was more than capable of doing something like that.

Grind.

My jaw still seemed to ache where that bastard had grabbed me, so I deliberately clenched my teeth even harder and was lost in my thoughts when—

“What did you say?”

A hand tapped me on the shoulder, suddenly pulling me out of the world I had been imagining.

When I turned around, I saw Senior Hartman’s rough-looking face.

Ah, right.

I was on night duty right now.

“Yes?”

“You just said something.”

“Did I?”

“You definitely muttered something, kid.”

He frowned as he said that, and it seemed Senior Hartman was in a bad mood.

Normally, even if a junior showed up to duty completely drunk, he was the type to just smack them on the back of the head and let it go.

‘He must have lost a ton of money gambling.’

Senior Hartman was always smiling and joking around, so among the older seniors, he was considered the easiest to deal with.

His only real weakness was his terrible gambling skills.

The juniors even had a nickname for him: ‘Sucker-man.’

If there’s no sucker at the gambling table, I guess I’m the sucker.

He lost money all the time without ever realizing it.

Anyway, I quickly straightened up, stood at attention, and lowered my head.

“I think I accidentally said what I was thinking out loud. I’m sorry.”

“What a strange kid. How can you be thinking about something else while on duty? You really have your head in the clouds.”

As Senior Hartman started getting ready to take out his frustration on me, Senior Jake, who had noticed what was happening, quickly ran over from a distance.

“Oh dear, Rookie here was sick yesterday and took sick leave, you see. He still seems a little out of it, so please be understanding, Senior.”

“He was sick? Where?”

The way he looked me up and down clearly said, ‘He looks perfectly fine now.’

“I had some stomach trouble……”

“Oh, don’t even ask! He was throwing up and having diarrhea all night!”

Senior Jake cut in with his usual exaggerated tone.

“There’s apparently some kind of stomach bug going around the castle! You be careful too, Senior!”

“What, it’s going around? You idiot, you should’ve told me sooner!”

Senior Hartman nervously rubbed the hand that had touched my shoulder.

“Hey, bring me some water and soap!”

He shouted at one of the soldiers loitering nearby, then practically growled at me.

“Don’t even think about coming into the guard post for the rest of this week, got it?”

“Yes, understood. I’m sorry, Senior.”

As Senior Hartman walked away angrily, presumably to wash his hands, I happily gave him a middle finger behind his back.

Wasn’t I a little hero just the other day?

What kind of hero loses his powers after only three days?

“Rookie, didn’t you hear that Senior Hartman lost his whole paycheck yesterday playing sucker-lift? You know how nasty his temper gets when he loses money. Why’d you mess with him?”

“I was on sick leave yesterday.”

“Ah, right. You were. Anyway, be careful not to get on Senior Hartman’s bad side for about a week.”

“Yes, yes.”

If I’m still alive by then.

Now that I had a death sentence hanging over my head, some gambling addict senior wasn’t exactly scary.

I turned to Senior Jake, Senior Yeoncho, who was sitting around the campfire with us again today, and Senior Bonob, the bald one.

“I’ve been banned from the guard post, so I’ll stay outside. You guys go inside and get some warm rest.”

But the seniors shook their heads.

“No. It’s actually more comfortable outside……”

“Better to avoid Sucker-man when he’s lost money.”

Now that they mentioned it, they had a point. I nodded lazily and sat down on the log in front of the campfire.

“Hey, Rookie. When are you treating us?”

“Why me?”

“You must’ve gotten your bonus.”

“Oh.”

I had been running around so much that I had briefly forgotten.

My bonus.

“Nothing yet.”

“Really? That’s strange. Nox may be picky about other things, but they’re always precise when it comes to money. Why’s it late?”

“Must be a pretty big bonus.”

Senior Hubert, a heavy smoker, lit his cigarette and answered Senior Jake’s question for him.

“If it’s taking this long, it must be a lot. Don’t try to pretend you forgot about us, Rookie.”

“Yes. I’ll treat you guys at Old Man Yanik’s place.”

“What? Peter’s place is way better!”

“Looks like Rookie has expensive taste, just like me!”

Senior Bonob, the bald one, added his annoying little comment, and before long, the conversation had turned into an argument over ‘the best restaurant in Nox Castle.’

Here we go again.

“I’ll just treat you all at Aunt Helen’s, so can you please stop……”

Rustle.

Something brushed against the leaves.

It was a very small sound, but the area in front of the guard post instantly fell silent.

“Was that just……”

“Shh.”

Senior Hubert silenced Senior Bonob before he could finish and stared straight ahead.

Toward the forest filled with tall trees.

Rustle.

The same sound tickled my ears again.

‘The tree.’

The source of the sound was somewhere among the branches near the campfire.

But it definitely wasn’t the ordinary sound of leaves brushing against the wind.

Something had clearly moved behind those leaves.

‘How did I not notice until it got this close?’

My body temperature shot up from the tension.

Just as I had trained myself to do for years, my body raised my heart rate and shifted into combat mode.

Then I felt a finger poke me in the back.

When I turned around, Senior Jake was quietly gesturing with his eyes toward the tree where the sound had come from.

‘You want me to check?’

I looked toward Senior Hubert, the oldest person here, wondering why Senior Jake was pushing the youngest member of the group forward.

But all I got in return was a look that clearly said, ‘Why are you still standing there?’

‘You traitors.’

Weren’t seniors supposed to go first in situations like this?!

I cursed their hypocrisy in my heart as I quietly walked toward the tree.

‘Actually, this is better.’

This was someone skilled enough that even I hadn’t noticed them approaching.

Even if the seniors attacked, they were Action Squad members who had barely received any combat training. They might just lose their lives for nothing.

I was the right person to deal with this.

Tap, tap.

I didn’t bother hiding the sound of my footsteps as I carefully approached the tree.

The enemy had already taken the high ground and would have a clear view of me approaching anyway.

After only a few steps, I reached the proper distance and wrapped my fingers around the handle of the sword at my waist.

I carried it around like an accessory, but I had never drawn it once since joining the Action Squad.

Hoo.

I let out a quiet breath and gathered strength in my legs, preparing to jump onto the branch.

Then—

Flap-flap-flap!

Something far too small to be an enemy burst through the leaves and flew upward.

“A-a crow?”