There’s Something Special About Her Chapter 24

“……Yes?”

“You have the sense to notice something is wrong when something is hidden in the darkness beneath the lamp, and the sharp mind to piece together scattered bits of information. And above all, you have the nerve to say more than a single proper sentence in front of His Grace.”

It sounded like a compliment.

While I hesitated, unable to think of anything to say, Dupont Clansher continued.

“You still need a lot of polishing, but you’re more than good enough to be called a rough gem.”

“I-I’m honored by the compliment. But I’m really satisfied with my life in the action squad!”

“You don’t need to worry about that. You can continue working in the action squad.”

“But you just said that I’m now part of the real intelligence bureau, the Crows…….”

“Ah, I suppose that part confused you.”

Dupont Clansher patted my shoulders a couple of times before returning to his seat.

Leaving me standing there.

“All Crows operate while having an official affiliation on the surface. You could say it’s a cover identity.”

“A cover identity……?”

That was a word I knew very well.

I had spent the past thirteen years living as ‘Helena, an executive of Wickers.’

But now that I had already finished my revenge, did I really have to do that again?

“I don’t know much about it, but it sounds extremely dangerous and difficult! I think I’d be better off just continuing to guard the outer wall posts from now on…….”

“But you already learned about the Crows.”

“That’s true, but…….”

“Now that you know the Crows exist, you have only two choices. Become a Crow or die.”

Dupont Clansher leisurely crossed his legs and looked at me with an infuriatingly calm expression.

“I believe His Grace the Duke would prefer to see you grow into an excellent Crow.”

……This is driving me insane.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Live as a Crow, or die.

Dupont Clansher, who had thrown that ridiculous choice at me, wrapped things up just like that.

He took out his pocket watch and checked the time, then said, “I suppose I can get two hours of sleep.”

His attitude made it clear that he didn’t even need to hear my answer.

It was infuriating, but he was right.

Oh, he did say one other thing.

“You can go back for today. Someone will explain the details to you soon.”

Thump!

I didn’t even have the strength to change my clothes. The moment I returned to my quarters, I collapsed onto the bed.

“Haaaa.”

There was still plenty of time before sunrise.

How many things had happened in just a few hours?

The first thing that came to mind was Killian Knox’s handsome face.

And the oppressive presence of the bastard who had pinned me down.

Even after the eclipse ended, the monster was still a monster.

‘He might even be stronger than Edward.’

Until now, the strongest person I knew was Edward Wickers.

That was my assessment after considering several factors, including his raw physical strength, his ability to wield that monstrous power, and his instinctive combat sense.

I couldn’t have been more relieved that the person I needed to take revenge on wasn’t Edward, but his father, Benedict Wickers.

But even Edward Wickers didn’t seem like he could stand a chance against Killian Knox.

I had crossed swords with him countless times while we were growing up together.

On the other hand, I had never properly fought Killian Knox.

Still, I knew.

Edward could not defeat Killian Knox.

Because a human and a monster were different.

‘And that Killian Knox is holding my life in his hands.’

For now, I should just be happy that I survived.

The harder the road, the more you should celebrate every small victory.

‘Good job, Helena Morton. Good jo—’

I closed my eyes and tried to comfort myself, but eventually I pulled my pillow over my face.

“Killian Knox, you XXX! XXXX! XX your XX and XX!”

I poured every curse I could think of into the thick cotton pillow and kicked at the air as I thrashed around.

I flailed for quite a while, but I still wasn’t satisfied.

At this rate, I would suffocate and die before my anger even settled down.

“Phew!”

I threw the pillow away, and my dry blond hair stood up from the static electricity.

“You want me to go through all that again?”

Just when I thought I could finally live comfortably?

Go back to working in intelligence?

And at Knox?

“Damn it.”

Killian Knox, I hope you step in dog poop with those expensive shoes while you’re walking.

I hope a sudden rainstorm soaks you completely and you end up rolling around on dirt covered in fallen leaves.

No, that wasn’t enough.

I hope you choke horribly at some important event, and then get stung by a wasp while trying to look cool in front of the woman you like.

I imagined all sorts of situations where Killian Knox would suffer, but my boiling anger didn’t get any better.

Even in all those imaginary situations, Killian Knox’s ridiculously handsome face would still shine, and he was crazy enough to enjoy unexpected situations instead of panicking over them.

And more than anything, no matter how much I cursed Killian Knox for dragging me into this mess, the reality that I had become a Crow of Knox would not change.

“Argh!”

I roughly messed up my hair and suddenly sat up.

“What can I do? I have to do it.”

I couldn’t run away, and I didn’t want to die.

So I had no choice but to accept this rotten reality.

To organize my troubled thoughts, I reduced my goals to three simple steps.

First, maintain a reasonable level of usefulness as a Crow.

Second, find an opportunity to get the antidote for the dragon blood from Killian Knox.

Lastly, run away.

This time, far, far away to somewhere where there was neither Edward Wickers nor Killian Knox!

I’d already done it once, so what was stopping me from doing it twice?

Making the situation simple did make me feel a little more at ease…… or so I thought.

I really hated this.

“Phew.”

I scratched my head one more time and looked out the window.

The night sky was still pitch-black, but in a few hours, that stupid round sun would rise again.

I should at least wash up and get some sleep before then……

“The night sky?”

I was sure I had carefully drawn the curtains before leaving.

In an instant, every nerve in my body tensed and my mind snapped awake.

‘Someone has been in my room.’

I moved quickly and silently, pressing myself against the wall beside the window.

Shing.

I drew the dagger I always hid inside my shoe and used its tip to lift the slightly opened curtain.

I carefully checked the surroundings as much as I could with my limited view.

There was no one around the action squad’s quarters.

The windowsill was clean, too.

There were no footprints left behind.

Instead, something else caught my eye.

“So locking the door is useless too, huh?”

The window lock was wide open.

The intruder hadn’t even bothered to erase their traces.

And when I turned my head, I saw something sitting on the table in the corner of the room.

It was sitting there so openly that it was almost ridiculous I hadn’t noticed it until now—a heavy sack.

At this point, I no longer felt the need to remain on high alert.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

They hadn’t failed to erase their traces.

They had deliberately left behind proof that they had been here.

Rustle.

I poked the sack with my dagger and cut it open. Shining gold coins spilled out with a clatter.

It was an enormous amount of money, enough that even if I saved my entire salary from the action squad for my whole life, I wouldn’t have enough.

There was only one reason this much money would be in my quarters.

“A bonus.”

The bonus I had been promised for stopping the Green Merchant Guild Leader.

“And they left it like this.”

They had deliberately entered my quarters and left it behind.

It was exactly the kind of nasty hobby Killian Knox would have.

He probably hadn’t come here himself, but there were countless people around him who would move at a single word from him.

The meaning behind the bonus sack he had deliberately left on my table was obvious.

There is nowhere you can hide.

“What an annoying bastard.”

Clatter.

I tossed the dagger beside the sack and leaned against the table.

As I irritably brushed back my fallen bangs, I suddenly noticed something strange poking out from among the scattered gold coins.

“……A note?”

Inside the unfolded piece of paper was a short message written in what looked like hurried handwriting.

[Tomorrow, 9:00 a.m.,

In front of the zelkova tree in the open area of the annex.]