—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Karl Zeile, 26 years old, male, Hel-Lugal Training Camp. The more Rowneri Ellie dug into Karl’s background, the more goosebumps she got from his eerily clean profile.
A pristine blank space, as if someone had erased all the information. Even a newborn baby wouldn’t have a record this clean. In this era where knights are universally admired, trainees usually try to appear competent, even adding unnecessary details to their profiles. So, it was naturally strange that his was completely empty.
Of course, some might say she was overreacting, but having seen his actions so far, such an argument was impossible. The Information Bureau’s corruption incident, his undefeated streak in ranked matches, and now even single-handedly wiping out over thirty pirates… And yet, such a person didn’t even have a single introductory line? This really smelled fishy.
Honestly, digging into the background of a junior who was practically her lifesaver didn’t sit well with her, but due to the nature of the Security Division, she couldn’t leave any doubts about his identity. To put it a bit extremely, Karl could be a spy from the underworld! Of course, such a person wouldn’t risk exposing their identity to save her superior’s life by rushing into such a dangerous zone…
…He really was cool, though… Ellie felt a strange tingling in her chest whenever she thought about that moment. It was like a scene from a romance movie. With a face so devastatingly handsome it was practically unfair, and such strong camaraderie, how could anyone dislike this incredibly skilled individual?
The reason she was so persistently digging into his identity was partly due to her curiosity, but also because of an inexplicable, strange sense of unease. That feeling that you just have to know something, you know?
Finally, exhausted after searching high and low, Ellie sought out an acquaintance in the Information Bureau. Someone who could access more confidential information than what was superficially available.
Knock, knock, knock.
Who is it?
“It’s me, Ellie.”
After a brief commotion inside, the door burst open. A handsome man with warm brown hair stared at this sudden visitor with surprised eyes.
“Ellie?! It’s been ages!” The man’s expression was one of delight. He hadn’t imagined she would come looking for him.
“Hi, Fromm. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Sorry to drop by so suddenly without any notice.”
“No, no. Don’t apologize. You can come by anytime. Ah, come in?”
“Yes, excuse me.”
Rowner Ellie strode into the man’s quarters. He had been a fellow trainee knight, but unfortunately, he hadn’t passed the qualification exam and had been dropped. Later, he became a staff member in the system management department of the Information Bureau. They occasionally exchanged greetings, but they hadn’t met in person. They’d been putting off getting together for a meal for two years now…
Actually, Ellie was someone Fromm admired. However, having failed to become a knight, he couldn’t bring himself to confess his feelings to her. Always watching from afar, but unable to approach any closer – that phrase perfectly described their relationship.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Ah, that would be great.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s only natural to offer you some.”
Fromm made two cups of coffee and handed one to Ellie. He couldn’t help but let his gaze linger on her ample chest for a moment before looking away. …Her magnificent bosom remained as impressive as ever.
“How have you been?” The typical greeting flowed from Ellie’s lips.
Fromm took a sip of his coffee and replied, “As you can see,” gesturing around his quarters with his eyes.
“I’ve become a full-fledged technician now. It feels like it’s been over five years since I last held a sword. Haven’t touched one since then.”
“I see.”
“How about you? …Seeing anyone these days?”
“Nah, who would like a girl like me?”
Hearing her indirect way of saying she wasn’t seeing anyone, Fromm felt strangely elated. It was honestly the petty thought of a cowardly man, but he had always hoped she wasn’t seeing anyone else.
“What are you talking about? You’re so charming. Those guys must be blind. Right?”
“…Heh, thanks for saying that.”
They both chuckled lightly. Fiddling with her coffee cup, Ellie licked her lips several times, glancing furtively at Fromm. Perceptive as he was, he realized she had something to say. …Of course, she wouldn’t have come all this way without a reason.
“Is there something you want to ask?”
“…Actually, there’s something I need to ask you.”
“Ask?”
“The reason I haven’t contacted you is because of this. I was worried about leaving a trace.”
Fromm’s smile faded. The fact that she was worried about leaving a trace meant the matter was serious.
“Is it that important?”
“I can’t tell yet. It could be important, or I could be barking up the wrong tree.”
“What do you think, roughly?”
Ellie looked at her former classmate, paused for a moment, and replied, “…I think it’s important.”
“Really…? What is it you need? …It’s okay. You can tell me. Really.”
Seeing Ellie hesitate, the kind-hearted Fromm gently encouraged her.
“…It could be a somewhat difficult request for you.”
“It’s fine, I told you. I’m pretty senior in our management department now. Nobody will say anything even if I cause a little trouble.”
Finally, Ellie revealed what was on her mind.
“Could you look into someone for me?”
“…A person?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“My junior.”
“Someone important?”
“…Yes.”
“How do you want me to look into them?”
“I was wondering if you could put in a request to the Central Information Bureau…”
—!! Fromm’s face hardened at the mention of the Central Information Bureau. …This wasn’t an ordinary request.
“What kind of person requires such measures?”
“There’s strangely no information on them at all. It’s too clean.”
“Couldn’t that just be the case?”
“…That’s why it’s strange. Why else would I try to go through the Central Information Bureau? There’s no information at all, it’s unbelievable. As if it’s been erased.”
Fromm had a bad feeling about this. “It’s best not to touch things like that, you know.”
“Why?”
“It’s generally better not to touch people with such clean records. You learn that after spending some time in this field.”
“But…it’s a bit difficult. He’s in the Security Division, too. I want to be certain. …I’m trying to find out beforehand, before it becomes a problem. I’m the most senior in the Security Division now.”
Fromm couldn’t ignore Ellie’s earnest plea.
“If it’s too difficult, you don’t have to force it. I’ll try to handle it myself. …Sorry, it seems like a burdensome request. How insensitive of me… I’m sorry, Fromm.”
“…No, I can do it. I’ll do it. I’ll do it for you.”
“I said you don’t have to force it. I can see how difficult this is for you. The Central Information Bureau is a bit too much, isn’t it? Sorry.”
Ellie chuckled softly. Fromm waved his hands dismissively, assuring her it was really okay.
“It’s not something I can’t do. And you’re in the Security Division. It’s only natural. We’re not breaking any laws, it’s a legitimate request, so what’s the problem, right?”
“…Are you really sure?”
“Of course. Trust me. …Actually, why don’t we go together now?”
“Now?”
“Yeah, let’s go to the office now and look into it. What do you think?”
“Are you really sure? You don’t have to go that far.”
“No, you wouldn’t have come all the way here at this hour if it wasn’t urgent.”
Ellie tightly grasped Fromm’s hand. “…Thank you so much for taking care of this. How can I ever repay you?”
“Then let’s have dinner together later.”
“Okay, I’ll treat you!”
And so, they headed towards the system management office. The office, already deserted after working hours, was occupied only by a lone office android. Fromm went to his desk, turned on his computer, and logged into the Information Bureau program. Then he submitted an access request to the Central Information Bureau database, which he’d accessed a few times out of curiosity.
“It’ll take about 10 minutes. …What should I put as the reason?”
“Identity verification. Put in my ID. Since I’m with the Security Division, they’ll probably approve it.”
A tense atmosphere hung in the air. A while later, the permission came through. Got it— Fromm asked who he should search for.
“Karl Zeile, Security Division, Curble Knights.”
One person was identified among the numerous Karl Zeiles. And when he opened the personnel file…!
“…Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” Even here, it was clean. A complete blank, even in the Central Information Bureau’s database.
“What does this mean?”
“…There are two reasons for missing information. One, there’s genuinely nothing to enter, and two, it’s been deliberately erased. But this seems like the latter. …Just who is this Karl Zeile?”
“…My junior.”
She had said ‘junior’ before, and she said it again, so it seemed she didn’t want to elaborate. Fromm didn’t pry further. Working here, he had often seen and learned that curiosity could be poisonous.
After a long moment of contemplation, Ellie called Fromm in a low voice. It was a voice he had never heard before, even during their time as trainees together.
“Fromm.”
“Yeah?”
“…Can you go any deeper than this?”
Fromm shook his head firmly. “I can’t access anything beyond this. Only the Central Information Bureau has access. We can only request and receive information. And they reject almost everything unless it’s a truly urgent situation. Too many classified secrets.”
“…Then can you request it just once? Information on Karl Zeile.”
“This…if we mess with this, things could go very wrong. You know that, right?”
“I’ll take full responsibility.”
Even if Ellie took responsibility, Fromm couldn’t completely avoid the consequences. …But how could he refuse the woman he admired when she was pleading like this?
“Alright, just this once. If it’s rejected, don’t dwell on it. I’m saying this for your own good.”
“Okay. …Thank you so much.”
“…Sigh, Security Division kids are too curious for their own good.”
“Hehe, it’s an occupational hazard.”
Truthfully, Fromm would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious. Someone who made her this desperate must be no ordinary person, and it was certainly strange that such a person didn’t have even a single line of common information about them. Fromm submitted the request to the Central Information Bureau for information on Karl Zeile. This time too, it would take more than 10 minutes.
As they waited for a response, Fromm’s access was suddenly revoked, and the program forcibly shut down.
“…Huh? What? Why is this happening?” This had never happened before, and Fromm was quite flustered. He couldn’t even access the Information Bureau program anymore. If it were a rejection, it would have said so. Having his access completely revoked was something he had never heard of. Fromm realized he had touched something he really shouldn’t have, and a chill ran down his spine.
“What? Is there a problem?”
“…Ellie…”
“Yeah?”
Fromm looked at Ellie with a tense expression and said, “I think we…we’ve touched something we shouldn’t have.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
