“Umm…?”
Iris’s eyes widened.
A sight she thought she might never see in her lifetime was unfolding right before her.
Typically, the other party would recognize her first, or even if they didn’t, a servant or lower noble would introduce her, putting Madam Lichtenburg in the position of receiving greetings. She never had to greet anyone first.
But now, the dignified and imposing Madam Lichtenburg was holding up her skirt and bowing respectfully.
To none other than the commoner Schlus Hainkel.
Not once in all the futures she had glimpsed had she ever witnessed such a scene.
Then Madam Lichtenburg, unusually blushing, strode out of the hall.
‘This is interesting.’
Earlier, she had felt a faint surge of mana.
It seemed the two had exchanged some words while casting a barrier.
But just what kind of conversation would make Madam Lichtenburg lower herself like that?
Iris rested her chin on her hand and stared at Schlus.
At that moment, Schlus looked over and confidently approached.
“Schlus. I wonder if you’re enjoying the party.”
“Thanks to you, I’m having a great time. I wanted to say thank you for the invitation.”
Iris smiled with satisfaction and extended her hand.
Schlus naturally took it without hesitation.
If Schlus were to offer his greetings formally, it would further diminish Madam Lichtenburg’s status in contrast.
Just the thought of it brought satisfaction, when suddenly—
“Oh my?”
Iris was yanked forward and stood up.
“Is this an invitation to dance?”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Good. The music is perfect for dancing.”
“…”
Was he really trying to dodge like this?
This was an opportunity to plant the perception among the nobles that Schlus opposed Lichtenburg and was loyal to Flechette.
But perhaps showing camaraderie by dancing together wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Iris, hiding her dissatisfaction, grasped Schlus’s hand and moved forward.
“I wonder if you can dance.”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how—”
“But my body might remember.”
“…?”
Schlus muttered something incomprehensible and began to move in time with the music.
His dance was quite natural.
It made sense that his body would remember.
Had he learned it when he lived in Eisburg as a child?
As the music ended, Iris returned to her seat, feeling triumphant.
She received the Black Eagle medal directly from the Emperor.
And she was the only one who danced with Madam Lichtenburg, who had lowered her tail.
“That was a wonderful dance! Will you please dance with me?”
“Me too!”
They could plead all day.
Schlus wouldn’t budge an inch.
“Sure.”
“…What?”
Iris’s fantasies shattered in an instant.
Schlus had danced with every lady at the party, except for Madam Lichtenburg.
*
“Whew…”
Her whole body was drenched in sweat.
How many times had she danced?
Doing such a thing had completely drained her vitality.
She wasn’t the type to enjoy dancing, but this time, she just wanted to.
Iris’s smug expression was making her feel unpleasant.
She thought she received special treatment, but it was necessary to break that delusion.
By the time she stepped into the hall, everyone had looked at her like she was a bug, but now their expressions had softened considerably.
There were even a few nobles trying to strike up conversations, but none were important enough to bother building relationships with, so she brushed off the usual small talk.
‘A wonderful dance…?’
Luckily, she hadn’t embarrassed herself with her clumsy dancing skills.
Thanks to the activation of ‘Memory of True Self,’ she could directly replicate Schlus’s dance moves.
Every time she peeked at those memories, she had to grit her teeth.
The one who taught Schlus how to dance was none other than Julia.
“Oh.”
Only then did she remember.
Earlier at the entrance, Julia had sent her a signal.
A signal only she and Han Ah-reum knew, saying to meet in three hours.
Had her model been based on that person, causing the signal to carry over?
Or was it all just a coincidence?
Then again, could it be…
No, that couldn’t be possible.
‘Finally feeling relieved.’
Recalling Madam Lichtenburg’s expression from earlier made her want to laugh again.
She had wanted to weaken her pride after trying to kill someone but ended up making her feel a little low.
Having brought up a daughter like a thorn in her side, it wasn’t surprising that the entire Lichtenburg family might declare war on her now.
However, oddly enough, Madam Lichtenburg capitulated pretty easily.
In front of everyone else, she recognized her defeat by greeting a commoner like Iris with respect.
Catching Henderson must have had the most significant impact.
Thanks to that, they likely overestimated her combat power and made this judgment.
In reality, sending a couple of random assassins would easily take her down.
For now, it seemed she could put off worrying about Madam Lichtenburg sending assassins or the Crow after her.
If they were going to keep challenging her, they wouldn’t need such an embarrassing capitulation.
To check how much her pride had dropped, it might not be a bad idea to have her do a few things later.
With that thought, she stepped out onto the balcony to catch her breath.
“…”
“…”
There was a guest.
A woman with pointed ears. An elf?
They exchanged a nod and turned away.
She hadn’t seen her around the hall before. Had she been lingering around?
An elf invited to such a noble-only party must hold quite a status, yet she couldn’t immediately identify her by appearances alone.
Ataturk? No, he’s a man. Then Serika? She’s probably in the desert by now.
Who on earth could she be?
I cautiously looked at her and tried to use ‘Inquiry.’
[Jane Watson]
[Gender: Female]
[Member of the Crow. Skilled in disguise. Considering retirement.]
Unexpectedly, she was the very reason I was attending this gathering.
The one called Jin, a member of the Crow.
I thought she hadn’t shown up because I couldn’t find her, but she had been disguising herself right here.
I made sure no one was around before I spoke.
“You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“…”
The elf… no, Jin glared at me.
What is this?
“I don’t speak the Empire’s language.”
It was undoubtedly a different pronunciation and intonation from the Imperial language.
But thanks to my ability ‘Translation,’ real-time interpretation enabled me to understand her.
Sure enough. Even with such beauty out on the balcony, no men were approaching her.
She was pretending not to know the Empire’s language to push them away.
“Then if I speak in Elvish, we’ll be able to communicate.”
“…!”
I thought I was speaking Korean, but thanks to ‘Translation,’ Elvish flowed from my lips as if it were natural.
Jin’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Where did you learn Elvish?”
“That’s not important.”
“Then what is?”
“It’s important that you’re pretending not to know the Empire’s language.”
“…”
When I subtly hinted that I had the upper hand on information, her expression twisted.
I could speak in the Empire’s language now.
“I have a request, Jin.”
“How did you know my name?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from asking cheap questions. Just decide whether to accept it or not.”
“…Let me hear it, at least.”
Jin crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.
Having had her disguise immediately seen through must have left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She was likely still trying to puzzle out what happened.
Rethinking past mistakes.
Such thoughts meant nothing.
It was just my ridiculously overpowered ability ‘Inquiry’ uncovering her.
What would happen if I revealed her real name here?
…I’d probably get stabbed right away.
“I need you to locate a Crow.”
“A Crow? There is no Crow more competent than me. You’d best leave it to me.”
She pressed a hand to her chest, as if to say she was slightly offended.
That wouldn’t be a lie.
Considering Henderson had just died, if I were to pick the strongest Crow, it would undoubtedly be Jin.
Although she’s seriously lacking in hand-to-hand combat compared to regular soldiers, thanks to her superior magic skills, many clients would be clamoring for her.
Just look at the disguise she’s using right now.
There are plenty of talented magicians, including Iris in this castle, and yet no one can spot her.
“I’m not looking to give the job to him. I want to meet that Crow.”
“Hmph… And who is it?”
“Kingheart. If you can arrange a meeting with him, I’ll pay you a million Tyrian.”
Kingheart. Hertlocker’s name as a Crow.
Of course, that was in the original work, and I wasn’t sure if he was still using that name here or if he’d even become a Crow.
However, considering that the mission prioritized infiltrating the Crow after entering the Imperial University, Hertlocker was likely a Crow by now.
And unless something unusual happened, he would be using the name Kingheart just like in the original.
I couldn’t confirm it, but the possibility was high.
After all, that was the only name I could think of.
“Now, wait a minute. How do you know that name—”
“You have too many questions. Should I take that to mean you don’t want to accept it?”
“No, I’ll accept it.”
Feeling a little bit of her pride getting hurt, I thought she might bait me, but surprisingly, Jin accepted immediately.
For someone known to be picky, it was odd.
Good for me, then.
“Well then, can I ask why you’re looking for this Crow?”
“Do you think I’d share that?”
“…No. Forget I asked.”
Why am I looking for Hertlocker?
It might sound funny, but it’s because I have no other way to meet him.
I could charge straight into the Intelligence Agency’s base, creating chaos, and I’d definitely see him.
But if I did that, it would reveal that I knew about the Intelligence Agency.
Then Emilia would realize my identity and likely flee.
That was unacceptable.
That meant there was no choice but to meet Hertlocker as a Crow, and this was the only method available.
So far, I had come across Hertlocker and even had the chance to kill him but chose to spare him two times.
Every time, he had asked me for the reason behind my actions.
If I kept acting like this, he’d be led to misunderstand my feelings, so it was about time I had an opportunity to talk to him.
No matter how annoying he was, I had to recruit him into my ranks sooner or later.
“I hope you can see to this quickly.”
“Is that all?”
Just as I felt I had done what I needed, I turned to leave the balcony, but Jin called me back.
Why is she asking so many questions?
Can’t she act a bit more professional?
“What? Want to dance a song or something?”
“…No.”
I blocked the conversation and turned my back.
Jin was undoubtedly competent and strong.
But asking if I could pull her into my ranks? That was much harder.
In the original, she was always fluttering about like a bat.
Even if I managed to get her into my ranks, who knows when she’d turn against me? I would need to be cautious, so I decided not to bother with her at all.
At least, I needed to avoid causing any resentment while trying to get closer.
Even though I sensed her lingering gaze behind me was burdensome, I made an effort to ignore it and returned to the hall.
