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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Lucia’s waitress outfit, surprisingly, suited her quite well. Perhaps she had listened to the woman’s suggestion, as she wore a white-based uniform with red accents, similar to her eye color, and it was a rather good match.
The problem was…
“Can you at least try to look pleasant?”
“Hmph…”
Her disgruntled face. If she was working in customer service, shouldn’t she be wearing a bright smile?
“Noah would have been grinning from ear to ear. You lack professionalism.”
“Prince Oz, please, would you just shut up?”
Lucia cursed under her breath, clutching the hem of her skirt as if feeling humiliated. It might be a reward for some, but not for me. I wanted good service.
“What’s the recommended dish here?”
“How would I know?!”
“I thought you learned.”
“It’s only been fifteen minutes since I started working here!”
This was the first time I had seen Lucia so indignant. It seemed like she had been under a lot of stress lately. I felt a little guilty, but if Eleanor’s infamy spread because of this incident and blocked her from getting part-time jobs, it would be a big problem, so it couldn’t be helped.
Someone had to do it. And that someone was Lucia. She had to understand that.
“If you didn’t want to do this, you should have found Noah before Baekyang did.”
“…I was wrong, so can you just order quickly and shut up?”
“Okay.”
That was enough discipline. Feeling a sense of superiority at her fuming, I placed my order. I ordered a meat-based main dish and two parfaits for dessert.
“Parfait? Prince Oz, you?”
“I said I’d help out, so I’m buying you this much.”
I specifically ordered parfaits in consideration of a girl like Lucia. Actually, I wanted to try it myself. But because of my image, I felt a bit awkward ordering it directly, so I used Lucia as an excuse.
“…Don’t think you can win me over with such methods, Prince Oz.”
“Well, I’m glad you seem happy.”
Outwardly, she was grumbling, but judging by her wagging tail, she didn’t seem entirely displeased.
“Don’t you think you’re taking me for an easy woman?”
“…No, that’s enough, just bring the food.”
How long did she intend to keep up this meaningless conversation? At this rate, we would just end up repeating the same things pointlessly.
“Tch…”
After I urged her on like that, Lucia glared at me with narrowed eyes and then stomped off towards the kitchen in a huff.
What, was she sulking about something like that? Cats were such difficult creatures to understand.
“I hope she’s not messing with my food…”
Nah, Lucia wasn’t Eleanor. Surely she wouldn’t pull a prank like that.
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Lucia had been in a good mood. Yes, had been. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that she hadn’t been in a bad mood.
“Hmph.”
But Oz’s nonchalant attitude, dismissing her as soon as he was done, quickly angered Lucia.
“Sigh… I’m not a child.”
Regardless of her age, she was a soldier. She didn’t take her work lightly enough to get worked up over something like this.
“Student.”
‘It’s all because of that night.’
“Student.”
‘It’s because I had that pointless conversation, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.’
“Student?”
“Ah, yes… Yes!”
Lucia finally noticed the restaurant owner staring at her and responded.
“Look at this and make the dessert. Can you do it?”
“O-of course! Leave it to me!”
Lucia responded, imitating the way she usually treated Eleanor.
And she felt a sense of disgust and dejection at her own behavior.
‘This is starting to feel like my default state…’
Lucia often spent time with Eleanor, so she was frequently acting. It didn’t matter when dealing with Oz since she was usually tense, but in these unexpected situations, her acting persona would surface.
‘I need to do something about this soon…’
Lucia sensed danger in the current situation. Blending in was her role, but it was dangerous if she couldn’t revert back. If she continued like this, she wouldn’t be able to show her face in public.
“Sigh…”
Lucia shook her head and checked the pamphlet the restaurant owner had left. It had pictures of parfaits and descriptions of their composition. It wasn’t difficult. She just had to assemble them exactly like the pictures.
“Hmm, not bad.”
Lucia nodded, looking at the parfait gradually taking shape. The sense of accomplishment, no matter the task, couldn’t be underestimated.
“Umm…”
As the parfait neared completion, Lucia began to hesitate.
“Am I really going to eat this? Isn’t that a little… cruel?”
Lucia agonized over the cat-shaped cookie that went on top of the parfait. It was a truly trivial and pointless concern, but Lucia was serious. It was a secret to others, but Lucia loved cats. That’s why she felt a pang of regret that even a cat-shaped cookie like this would be eaten and disappear.
“Even if I take one or two, Prince Oz won’t notice…”
“I don’t mind, but isn’t that embezzlement?”
“…”
Lucia took a deep breath at the sound of Oz’s voice behind her. Don’t panic. Now was the time to show her long-cultivated demeanor as a soldier.
“Prince Oz? You’re not supposed to enter the kitchen without permission.”
“It’s an open kitchen, Lucia.”
“…Damn it.”
Lucia muttered briefly and turned around. Oz was looking at her with pity.
“I’ll give you some if you need them. They’re food, so they’ll spoil if you keep them for too long.”
“I don’t need them.”
“Really?”
“I don’t need them!”
With that, Lucia turned her head away as if unconcerned.
“…”
Of course, Oz’s [Contemplation] saw through Lucia’s true feelings. It was unfortunate. Oz shook his head at Lucia’s inner turmoil, unable to hide her disappointment even as she spoke.
“It’s too late to hide it now, so just take it when it’s offered.”
“Hide? Me? What? No, I’m not hiding anything.”
“Uh, right…”
Oz raised his hands in surrender at Lucia’s vehement denial. It seemed impossible to break her stubbornness.
‘She’s strangely similar to Noah in that regard…’
Oz thought to himself as he returned to his seat. And Lucia, watching Oz’s retreating figure, secretly pocketed the cat cookie meant for her parfait—and got caught.
“Ah, ugh…”
“I told you to just take it when it was offered…”
Lucia berated herself, tears welling up, as she remembered Oz had a wide field of vision.
‘I really want to quit this job!’
She would probably be kicking her blankets tonight.
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Around the time Eleanor, having recovered thanks to her astonishing healing ability, returned to her part-time job:
“You decided to keep working?”
“Shut up…”
Unexpectedly, even after Eleanor’s return, Lucia continued her part-time job without quitting. She was standing outside, holding a sign and attracting customers. I doubted customers would be drawn in by her annoyed expression, but I didn’t bother pointing it out. If she was happy, that was all that mattered.
“Why are you here again today?”
“I’m here to make a request today, so stop frowning.”
Lucia had been strangely sharp with me since the last incident. Like a cat bristling its fur and tail in a threatening manner—not particularly scary, but annoying.
“A request? What kind of request?”
“Let’s eat first. Could you show me to a table?”
“…Drop dead.”
Despite her disgusted expression, Lucia obediently led me to a table. It seemed she had some awareness that she was working in customer service.
“Ah, Master! Welcome! Did you come to see me?”
“Should I just say yes for now?”
“Huh? Isn’t that the only option?”
As always, her self-importance was remarkable. I had simply come to eat, but it was hard to correct her when she was so confident.
Eleanor was wearing the same waitress uniform I had seen before. Perhaps because of the contrast in both color and attitude with Lucia, it felt different even though I had seen it once before.
“Then give your cute disciple a tip. A tip.”
“Noah, I haven’t even ordered yet, so could you take my order first?”
Where did her conscience go, asking for a tip before even providing service? I considered hitting Eleanor as she made a strange money sign with her fingers, but I held back. If I didn’t know the reason… sigh.
“I’ve specially guided you to a good seat. This table is usually fully booked… so you understand, right?”
“Why don’t you just extort me instead?”
The place Eleanor guided me to wasn’t particularly great. Moreover, I had deliberately come at a time when it was likely to be empty, so there was no reason for it to be fully booked.
Yes, it was a simple scam.
“Just take my order first. I’ll give you a tip when the food arrives.”
“Yes!”
“Then, I’ll have the hamburger steak and…”
At the mention of a tip, Eleanor immediately switched to an obliging attitude and took my order. One way or another, it seemed like she was working hard, which was a relief.
“Now then.”
While Eleanor helped the restaurant owner in the kitchen, I should finish what I needed to do. Once she returned, she would be buzzing around noisily, so this was my only chance.
“Am I supposed to talk to you? Discreet Punisher.”
“Yes, Agent Lucia is currently in an emotional state.”
Discreet had been sitting there before I arrived. If I hadn’t activated [Contemplation] beforehand and remained unaware, I would have missed him.
“Is this the place Tenebris secured to gather information?”
A busy restaurant would be a convenient place to gather information.
“More accurately, she’s an external collaborator.”
I had found it strange that Eleanor, after escaping the hospital ward, had found a part-time job so quickly. If Tenebris had orchestrated it, it made sense.
“It seems Lucia is unaware of this fact.”
If she had known, she wouldn’t have reacted so vehemently when I made her the substitute. If that had been an act, I would never trust Lucia again.
“Yes, she’s unaware that the owner is a collaborator. She probably just thinks it’s a new hideout.”
“Is there a need to deceive her?”
“…”
Discreet offered a faint smile instead of an answer. I could roughly guess. They were members of the Imperial Intelligence Agency. They rarely revealed themselves, and even when they did, it was often under an assumed identity. As their name suggested, they were a group that lived in the shadows.
“You’re quite concerned about your younger sister.”
Yes, Discreet was making preparations so that he could pull Lucia out of the shadows at any time.
“Unlike me, she has talent.”
“I’m sure she does.”
Lucia’s talent could be considered genius-level. She may not have been a once-in-a-century genius like me, Alexios, or Arietta, but she definitely possessed above-average abilities in various areas.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Especially if that nail is in a shadowy place where it can be easily removed. Because a nail in the dark is more bothersome than one in the light.
This issue had been touched upon in the game. Specifically, it was part of Lucia and Discreet’s personal stories. I hadn’t checked Discreet’s story, but I remembered Lucia’s. Fortunately, this wasn’t something I needed to worry about right now.
“Okay, so that’s settled. Let’s move on to the main topic.”
“Indeed.”
Moreover, I didn’t have much time. I didn’t know when Eleanor would return, so it was best to finish my business first.
“I want to find a mercenary group.”
“…It will be difficult to find mercenaries capable of escorting you.”
“I’m not looking for an escort.”
It would be difficult to find someone skilled enough to escort me, and given the political situation, those who would accept the job would be few and far between. Moreover, even with my wealth, hiring a mercenary of that caliber would be quite a blow.
“I want to know their movements.”
“Movements?”
Discreet narrowed his eyes as if he didn’t understand.
“Yes, things like their travel routes, request patterns, and tendencies.”
“I understand. Then, which mercenary group’s information do you require?”
Main Story Chapter 4.
Eleanor saved up money to see the state of Chrysos with her own eyes, only to be betrayed. The cause was the leader of the mercenary group that had been brainwashed after capturing the ‘Outer Beings’ in Chapter 3. Thanks to the other members of the mercenary group who noticed the leader’s strange behavior, she managed to escape, but the mercenary group was annihilated. This incident led Eleanor to desire strength, which connected to Chapter 5.
However, that process was no longer necessary. She had already unlocked some of the key’s power. It was an unnecessary step.
So, my task was clear.
“Red Lion Mercenaries.”
To be precise, ‘Red Lion Scar,’ the leader of the Red Lion Mercenaries. I would eliminate Chapter 4’s boss monster in advance, preventing him from fueling Eleanor’s growth.
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