I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

Translator : Idris

Somehow, on the way back to the castle after finishing their trip outside, Ariel suddenly spoke out.

“It’s not far away now."

"What?"

“Initiation into the social world. My debut, because my mom told me that my debutant will be held next year… … .”

If it's next year. Then there really isn't much time left.

It's like after two months at most, but the two months will probably pass in the blink of an eye.

"That's right. You said your skills improved a lot? Creed told me.”

“Not bad. Maybe it's because the master is so good.”

At her praise, which is rarely heard, Edgar scratched his cheek and passed it to his teacher.

But it wasn't entirely wrong either.

It is a class taught by the former leader of the knights, who was one of the best fighters in the empire.

It is probably a valuable experience that is difficult to receive even if you give a thousand gold.

And thanks to absorbing it like cotton that absorbs water, Edgar's martial arts level has risen to the point where it would be rude to compare it to half a year ago.

"You haven't changed your mind yet, have you?"

"That I'm going to be recognized and stand by your side?"

"hmm."

Ariel looked up at the sunset sky and kicked a small stone that was rolling on the floor.

The thought of weighing her friend's resolution made her feel uneasy, so she tried to divert her attention.

“I guess so.”

“Well, that’s more like you.”

As he expected, Ariel didn't react much.

She was just saddened by the fact that she had nothing to do for her childhood friend who was going through a tough road.

And she was also grateful at the same time.

It was for her own sake that he had chosen this thorny path.

If it was just for success and a prosperous future, he would have chosen a more comfortable path.

She always feels it, but he received a lot in many ways. Even if it is not material wealth.

However, she felt sorry that she couldn't express her gratitude just because she was embarrassed.

“Are you coming tonight?”

" I'll come tomorrow. You must be tired from playing all day.”

"Pretending to take care of me. You don't want to come because you're the one who's tired."

When Ariel snorted as if she could see through it, he smiled shyly and said, ‘Did I get caught?’ and left a promise that he would definitely come by tomorrow.

Tonight, it would be nice to go to bed early while soaking in hot water and relieving fatigue.

It's all part of recharging for tomorrow.

“You too go back to your room and don’t open a book again and go to sleep. Then you get hurt.”

"Hmph, I know that. Do you think someone likes to wrestle with books every day?"

‘Of course it's not that I don't like it,’ Ariel added.

Seeing that, Edgar's face was filled with a bitter smile.

‘It’s a sense of duty.’

It may not be the only thing that supports her now, but it may also be true that the pressure of being the only heir to the family is holding her back.

For Edgar, it was most regrettable that he could not convey anything but cheer her up.

"Let's stop talking about heavy things and go back to the castle for now. We'll see each other tomorrow anyway."

"…Yes, you're right."

Ariel, who ran ahead of him first, spoke brightly with her hands behind her back, and Edgar nodded obediently and hurried his steps.

The castle of the Robeheim family, which felt so far away, was getting closer and he was already able to see the huge castle clearly.

HIT!

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, please…"

Edgar suddenly bumped his shoulder with a person approaching from the opposite side.

Although Edgar was distracted, it was rare for him to not recognize a person approaching him right in front of him.

It meant that even his senses, which had been bristled through repeated training with Creed, could not detect the man.

When Edgar hurriedly offered his apology, the other party, who raised his hand and didn't take it seriously, immediately turned around and tried to walk back the way he had come.

Something rolled over.

At that moment, an object that flowed down from the other person's pocket rolled and stopped at Edgar's feet.

It was an octagonal model that was smaller than the palm of his hand, and it looked quite valuable.

"Hey, you dropped this."

"…Oh! Thank you. It's an important thing."

When Edgar belatedly picked up the fallen item and handed it over, the other party hurriedly felt around his body and immediately realized that the item had disappeared and thanked him.

Edgar shouted to Ariel, who was walking first, to wait for a while, and reached out his hand to hand over the lost item to the other person.

“……!?”

Edgar's pupils dilated to a large extent as a sudden sense of curiosity surrounded his whole body.

‘What is this?'

He couldn't express it clearly, but the moment the object fell into the man's hands, the other person's presence in front of me stood out.

Until a while ago, the man had a faint presence as if he wouldn't be recognised in a large crowd of people.

"…? What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, no. The hat you're wearing is cool."

"Haha, thank you for the compliment. Of course."

Edgar, even in the midst of panic, managed to gloss over his momentary loss of focus due to his confusion.

Fortunately, the opponent accepted the item without any doubt and quickly disappeared.

Edgar, who was staring at the back of the man, felt his hand that handed over the object and was lost in thought.

What the hell was that?

It was the first time in his life that he felt that way while facing someone.

At least in the past, when Ariel unleashed her magic in front of her, it was a little similar to just now.

However, there was a difference even in this, if Ariel's presence when she deliberately unleashes her magic , it could be rated as 10 to 100, it now feels like it's from 0 to 10.

He's sure that there is a similar example somewhere recently.

He's sure Ariel…….

"Ed! Why aren't you coming?"

"Ah… that, yes. I'll be right there."

As soon as he continued his thoughts, Edgar was able to move away from his thoughts and barely move to Ariel's loud voice.

He still felt uncomfortable, and the thought continued to linger in his mind even after he went to bed.

The fact that he almost had a big accident made his breathing difficult.

The man breathed and returned to the hideout and immediately contacted the person who gave the order.

Soon, consent fell, and the opponent appeared on the opposite wall.

It was just an appearance, the face could not be seen properly, and only the chest could be seen, but it could be seen that the frame of the man was quite thin.

The man bowed his head in a hurry and politely greeted him, and began to recite the issue that had happened a while ago.

"I'm sorry. I ran into her."

– With the Young Miss of the Robeheim family?

Realizing that the other person's voice was dark, the man shook his head straight away.

"No. I don't know if it was an escort or a friend, but I bumped into the boy who was next to her."

– Then it wouldn't matter. But be careful next time.

One mistake is acceptable, but two mistakes often lead to summary execution.

Recognizing that there was a warning rather than mercy in his words, the man bowed deeply again.

– What was the condition of the thing?

"It's working properly. I can clearly feel the mana all over my body."

The man took an octagonal object out of his arms and checked his body condition.

He can definitely feel the flow of mana that he didn't normally feel.

Using this tool, he was putting a lot of pressure on his body to forcibly circulate the stopped mana, but it was none of his business.

All he is allowed to do is obey his duty.

For this purpose, he will do his duty tomorrow. And he had no regrets.

– You wouldn't feel out of place in your current state if you weren't quite a bunch. You probably feel like an ordinary person.

The most important fact for those who work in the dark is skill, but to pick one other fact , it is ‘normal'.

Appearance, height, physique, even mana.

The most similar level to the criminals, the more difficult it is to find out when mixed among people.

The use of objects in the man's hands was similar.

– You're controlling the flow of mana as much as you can, right?

"Of course. Even in the eyes of a very talented person, I will only look like an ordinary resident here."

The weak flow of mana can be seen as a weak presence, but in other words, it also meant that it was different from others.

When everyone has a presence of 100, is it really an unnoticed shortcut to having a presence of 50 alone?

No, like hiding a tree in a forest, you need to have 100 people in order to mix with 100 trees.

The residents of the underworld, who had to do everything secretly and unnoticed as much as possible, were aware of this fact more than anyone else.

– Right. Please keep in mind This gig is something that only you guys can do.

“Yes, I will engrave it deep in my bones.”

Originally, he was born with a unique constitution that did not circulate his body's magic, so he tried all kinds of training to make up for the difference, but in the end he had to spend his time without being given any mission within the organization.

In the meantime, he heard that there was a mission that he could accomplish even with this useless body.

No, he has a mission that he can accomplish because he is himself.

This was the only mission given to him and one that would prove his nameless life anyway.

It seemed that the darker the footsteps of his life were covered, the brighter the future he would advance.

“Master, is it okay if I kill anyone who gets in my way?”

– Kill. However, the goal is to capture them alive no matter what. The dead corpse has no meaning.

"Yes."

In the first place, this mission was just one foundation for the gig.

To do so, it was necessary to capture the target, not to remove it, and the man was aware of this, so he became even more nervous.

If it was simply an assassination of a key factor, it would be okay to somehow cut their throats while they were sleeping or even attack them on the way in a wagon, but the difficulty of capturing them was different.

In addition, the residence of their target was an iron-walled castle that boasted the strictest security in the northern region.

‘But that's why there's a high chance that they'll be careless.'

Probably no one would have predicted that they would break through the barrier they were proud of in this way.

The fact that the number of guards patrolling the castle decreased at night was also a testament to their confidence.

The man immediately put the hat on the table again and left the hideout.

The moon, which had just risen, was very dark today.

And on the other hand, it seemed like a symbol foretelling the success of the mission, which made the man happy.

Because there was no more ominous symbol for them than a bright moonlit night.