There’s Something Special About Her Chapter 34

Of all the things Gisela Lott told me to keep in mind, the two most important were these.

Never reveal anything about the Crows, and never attract people’s attention.

The first part was obvious.

This was an organization that had made me a member of the Nest simply because I had discovered the existence of the Crows.

If I carelessly let something slip, they would probably get rid of me without anyone knowing.

So, of course, I hadn’t even said a word about the Crows.

But the second part…

‘Today was ruined too.’

Pretending to brush back my bangs, I grabbed at my hair and glared resentfully at Deacon Gold.

How many pairs of eyes had turned toward me because someone had loudly called out my name, right in front of the main building?

“Oh dear.”

I wanted to flick Deacon Gold’s smooth forehead as he looked at me with pity.

But remembering that he was wearing those shackles because of me, I simply lowered my head.

“But I’m glad.”

“…You’re glad that I haven’t earned my superior’s approval?”

“No, of course not. I just mean, I’m glad you’re having this kind of worry. It sounds like you plan to stay in the action squad.”

“Of course, right?”

In reality, I already had another affiliation with the Nest, but I pretended not to know anything.

“I heard a rumor that you might move to the Intelligence Department.”

“Ah, that rumor.”

From my point of view, it had already been five days, so I had almost forgotten about it.

The rumor that ‘the Little Hero of the action squad was being recruited by the Intelligence Department!’ had heated up Knox Castle for about two days before disappearing.

That was because it had become known that the person who had taken an interest in me was none other than Graf Müller.

Graf Müller, who was only a two-stripe member and had come from the action squad, and could barely hold on to his own position within the Intelligence Department!

The rumor quickly lost all credibility and died down on its own.

Thanks to that, the whispers that followed me around for those two days whenever people saw me finally disappeared.

“It’s just a baseless rumor. I have no intention of leaving the action squad. I’m very satisfied with my life right now.”

“Hmm, that’s certainly reassuring, but also a little disappointing.”

“Do you think it would be better for me to go to the Intelligence Department?”

At my question, Deacon jumped up in surprise.

“Of course not! Don’t say such a scary thing!”

“Well, the Intelligence Department is a very important department in Knox. Someone like me would certainly be lacking…”

“No! It’s the exact opposite!”

“Oh.”

This was the first time Deacon Gold had raised his voice this loudly, apart from when he had called my name in the plaza earlier.

“Ahem, sorry. It’s just that Rookie was saying such complete nonsense—no, I mean, something that made no sense.”

“But there wasn’t anything wrong with what I said.”

“No, it was wrong. All of it.”

“You’re quite… firm about that.”

“Of course. First, Rookie, you’re not lacking. No, you’re actually too good for idiots like the people in the Intelligence Department. And second, the Intelligence Department isn’t important to Knox.”

He explained while holding up his long index and middle fingers.

“Like you said, it’s a department that should be important. But they don’t have the ability to make it so. So, Rookie, don’t even look toward the Intelligence Department.”

“Yes, understood.”

“If the Intelligence Department really does approach you, run in the opposite direction without even looking back. Got it?”

Deacon Gold was saying exactly the same thing as Gisela Lott.

At this point, it was practically being treated like a contagious disease.

“And the reason I’m disappointed is… if Rookie really wanted to leave the action squad, I was thinking of suggesting that you come to the Finance Department or the Merchant Guild.”

“The Finance Department or the Merchant Guild?”

They were departments I had never even considered.

“Aren’t those places where people who are good with numbers and calculations work? And I heard the Finance Department is the hardest place to get into in Knox.”

“Since they handle money, after all.”

And Deacon Gold was the person who oversaw both of those departments.

It reminded me once again just how much power he actually had.

At that level, he probably didn’t just have to shout in front of the main building. He could probably beat a drum there too.

“But creating a position for Rookie wouldn’t be difficult for me.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t.”

“What do you think? The Finance Department has a lot of work and strict rules, so I think the Merchant Guild, with its relatively free atmosphere, would suit Rookie better. As for your rank… yes, a senior member should be good.”

“I’m only a one-stripe member in the action squad, barely a low-ranking member.”

For reference, the only rank below me was trainee, for those who had not yet become full members.

A senior member was two ranks above me, a high rank with three stripes.

“You’d need to be promoted by two ranks, but that wouldn’t be a big problem. If your rank is too low, you’ll have to run around doing annoying errands.”

“That sounds tempting.”

“Right? You could travel around with me as a member of the Merchant Guild, eat lots of delicious food, and have fun…”

“But I like the action squad.”

“Ah, how heartless.”

Deacon Gold lowered his eyebrows and put on a sorrowful expression.

It looked like an exaggerated performance from an actor, but it suited him quite well because he was such a handsome man.

Thanks to that, I felt like I had become the worst human being in the world.

But neither a two-rank promotion nor a free life could tempt me.

‘The Merchant Guild? That would be perfect for a secret organization like the Crows to make use of.’

Merchants were the ones who could travel around cities that ordinary people could hardly even visit.

Since their job was to travel from place to place and make money, they could also avoid unnecessary suspicion and surveillance.

In other words, if I made the wrong choice, I might end up with an even more troublesome life than I had now.

“I could have legally kept you by my side every day.”

…It seemed that turning him down had been the wise decision.

Fortunately, Deacon Gold didn’t push the transfer any further.

“If you ever feel like changing departments, tell me anytime.”

That was all he added.

After that, we drank several more cups of tea, changing the type each time, before our time together finally came to an end.

If someone from the Finance Department hadn’t rushed in with documents, saying there was something urgent he needed to check, we might have even eaten dinner together.

I said goodbye to Deacon Gold, who still couldn’t hide his disappointment even after we had spent several hours chatting, and stopped just as I was leaving his office.

There was something I wanted to ask.

“Deacon, where can I buy the most delicious candy in Knox Castle?”

 

 

****

 

 

Deacon Gold’s advice didn’t give me a solution to Gisela Lott’s ambiguous attitude.

Still, talking about what had been bothering me, even indirectly, seemed to make me feel a little better.

It was a new experience.

‘I guess you have to actually try getting advice about your problems to know.’

It was the first time I had both a problem I could tell someone about and a person I could talk to about it without feeling burdened.

And the day after my day off when I had met Deacon Gold, an idea came to me naturally.

No, it came looking for me on its own.

‘So this was it.’

I thought as I bit into a cookie that still had a warm, freshly baked softness.

“How is it, Rookie?”

“We tried putting in slightly different ingredients this time.”

The kitchen maids had appeared in front of me as I was finishing my shift and preparing to return to the Nest, asking with eyes full of anticipation.

Their bright, sparkling eyes were a little overwhelming, but what they said was true.

“It tastes much nuttier.”

“Right?!”

The curly-haired maid, who was the most sociable of the three, nudged the friend beside her and laughed.

“See, Rine? I told you Rookie would like it.”

“Mhm, I’m glad.”

“Rine was really worried because she thought Rookie didn’t seem to like things that were very sweet!”

“Did I?”

The maid called ‘Rine’ shyly nodded.

“I tried changing the recipe every time, but Rookie’s reactions were a little different each time.”

“She really, really likes Rookie!”

“Elza!”

When the curly-haired maid teased her, Rine panicked and tried to cover her mouth.

Their height difference was pretty big, so I thought she would be caught right away.

But the maid named Elza was surprisingly good at running away in every direction.

“You think I’ll fall for that again like last time?”

Apparently, she was the one who had been dragged away by her friends after saying that strange word, ‘Rusamo,’ last time.

I took another cookie from the small bag they had brought and said,

“Come to think of it, I’ve been receiving gifts from you like this every time, but I never even asked your names.”