There’s Something Special About Her – Chapter 29

Author: Asternkm

‘Haah.’

A deep sigh almost escaped me.

It was because I was disappointed.

It was funny that I could feel this disappointed after only exchanging a few words with him, but I was being sincere.

I guess I had unconsciously expected something from Graf Müller, whom the action squad members admired.

I had hoped that he would really be a good person.

“I’m just curious. I want to know what the ‘little hero’ heard from DuPont.”

Graf Müller tried to pretend it was simple curiosity based on goodwill, but he could not hide his persistent gaze.

It was truly disappointing.

The world would not leave me alone, even when I wanted to live a simple life without suspecting anyone, if only for a little while.

“There really wasn’t much.”

When I continued to answer defensively, Graf Müller’s limited patience finally ran out.

“You’re being too much. A senior is asking you like this… I even let you off for sleeping secretly during your shift.”

He didn’t just pull the senior card right away. He was even making a subtle threat.

Who was it that said Graf Müller was such a nice guy?!

“Th-that’s not it, Senior. It’s just that I was so nervous that day that I don’t really remember what I said.”

When I added, “You know how scary DuPont Clansher is,” Graf Müller’s attitude softened.

“Then why don’t you just ask me what you’re curious about? I think I can answer, at least as much as I know.”

In other words, tell me what you know, and how much you know, already.

****

“So in the end, even the Intelligence Department is just a playground for people born lucky. Blood ties, connections, school ties… What’s so great about all that?”

“That sounds difficult, Senior. I thought things would be different in an important department like the Intelligence Department, but I guess it’s the same there.”

“That’s all just an illusion! They stick together and act so unfairly. Just the other day…”

I nodded enthusiastically, pretending to listen to Graf Müller’s story.

At first, he had started the conversation to get information out of me, but by the time the eastern sky was beginning to brighten, the situation had completely reversed.

Graf Müller was complaining about everything he had been keeping inside and telling me all sorts of inside information about the Intelligence Department.

Thanks to that, I was able to learn quite a lot.

‘This is as easy as eating cold oatmeal.’

Getting the information I want from someone is one of my specialties.

After all, Graf Müller was only technically part of the Intelligence Department and had not even received proper training.

There was no way he could defend himself against my interrogation skills.

It seemed that being from the lowest-ranking Action Squad, combined with having no powerful backer inside Nox, had also played a part, but that wasn’t my problem.

There was only one thing that mattered.

Nox’s Intelligence Department really was a hollow shell.

They still knew almost nothing about the Green Merchant.

Graf Müller’s promotion was, just as he had said, purely the result of luck.

By asking merchants he had become close to while in the Action Squad, he had discovered that the Green Merchant had illegally sold weapons to the Kingdom of Crollin, and that a large portion of them had ended up on the black market.

Naturally, he had reported the information he gathered to his superiors, and it seemed the Intelligence Department was now using that as a clue to investigate.

They had no idea about the information I had slipped to Deacon Gold about the mana-overload drug.

‘I’m starting to get bored.’

I had already gotten everything I could from Graf Müller.

I wasn’t particularly interested in hearing about all the hardships he had overcome to get where he was.

Then, unexpectedly, my savior appeared.

It was Senior Hartman.

“Wait, Senior! You’re still here?”

Perhaps he had taken a nice long nap, because Senior Hartman came out of the watch post with sleep crust still hanging from his eyes.

The moment he saw Graf Müller, he ran over.

“Yeah, I lost track of time while hanging out with Rookie.”

“I heard a lot of interesting things from Senior Graf Müller.”

Even though I openly admitted that I had been slacking off instead of standing guard, Senior Hartman said nothing.

His eyes only lit up at the chance to get even closer to Graf Müller.

“Senior, since you’re here, why don’t you come have breakfast with me? I know a place that makes incredible bacon!”

“Sure, let’s do that.”

Graf Müller readily nodded.

Finally, it was over.

I brushed off my clothes and stood up, but then Graf Müller suddenly asked me,

“Rookie, are you interested in the Intelligence Department?”

“…What?”

“I was just thinking it would be nice to have a junior from the Action Squad over there.”

In other words, he wanted to take me and use me as Graf Müller’s personal errand boy.

“If you’re interested, I could put in a good word for you. The Intelligence Department is short-staffed these days.”

I had listened to his complaints all night, and this was how he repaid me?

He had only just gotten two bars, and he had spent the whole night whining about being looked down on by the young people in the Intelligence Department.

There was no way he had the ability to bring me, the youngest member of the Action Squad, into the Intelligence Department.

His offer was clearly just meant to show off in front of his junior, Hartman.

But Senior Hartman worshiped every word Graf Müller said as if it were the truth from heaven.

It was impossible to expect him to tell the difference between empty words and a real offer.

“Rookie, into the Intelligence Department…”

Envy, anger, jealousy, betrayal.

All sorts of emotions mixed together in Senior Hartman’s terrifying glare as he stared at me from behind Graf Müller, and my head began to ache.

Before sunset today, a ridiculous rumor would surely be spreading everywhere:

‘The little hero has been chosen by the Intelligence Department.’

The corners of my forced smile trembled.

“I like the Action Squad, Senior. I’m not good enough to go somewhere as impressive as the Intelligence Department.”

My supervisor had told me to keep a low profile.

It was all ruined.

****

Graf Müller and Senior Hartman left first around dawn, and a few hours later, I safely finished my Action Squad shift.

After cleaning up the watch post, as was the youngest member’s responsibility, I headed straight for the annex.

Then I used the secret passage I had gone through once with Gisella Roth to make my second trip to the Nest.

There was no problem with that at all.

I was only curious where the other paths at the maze-like intersections led.

The real problem was Gisella Roth, who was waiting for me in the Nest.

“Well, well, who do we have here? Isn’t this Lunelck Ains, the talented recruit the Intelligence Department wants!”

“How did you already…”

“The rumor that the little hero might be recruited by the Intelligence Department is already spreading all over the castle. Did you really think I wouldn’t know?”

“…I’m sorry.”

It was unfair.

But if I mumbled excuses, it would obviously only make things worse, so I apologized first.

“Lunelck Ains, are you kidding me?”

Gisella Roth had been smiling playfully just a moment ago, but her expression suddenly changed completely.

“I should have been more careful…”

“You got involved with the Intelligence Department? With a nobody like Graf Müller?”

“…What?”

“I’m so embarrassed I can’t even hold my head up.”

It seemed her anger was focused on something completely different from what I had expected.

Carefully, I asked Gisella Roth, who was still huffing angrily.

“You told me not to attract unnecessary attention. Aren’t you angry because I became the center of another rumor?”

“I am angry! But I hate that you got involved with the Intelligence Department even more!”

Gisella Roth shouted.

“You were already famous once as the ‘little hero,’ so I never expected you to immediately go back to how things were before! But did you really have to make a rumor spread that the Intelligence Department had its eyes on you? And not even a proper Intelligence Department member, but one of them dared to take an interest in a Crow?”

Apparently, her pride had been hurt.

She was angry that the Intelligence Department, which was nothing more than a hollow shell, had started judging and weighing my worth.

Thankfully, she wasn’t angry at me.

After venting her anger for a while, Gisella Roth warned me with sharper eyes than ever.

“From now on, whenever you see the Intelligence Department or that damned Graf Müller, you run in the opposite direction. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Haa… I got worked up first thing in the morning. Now I feel like breaking something.”

Gisella Roth muttered as she brushed her hair back, then suddenly stood up.

“Follow me.”

She headed toward the opposite side of the Nest.

She stopped in front of one of the large bookshelves that covered the entire wall.

Then she touched several books in a certain order.