Ch.113113. Advance Preparations (2)

I was completely drained of energy.

The resentment that had been gnawing at me, knowingly or unknowingly, had dissolved into tears, leaving both my body and mind thoroughly exhausted.

My young body entered the bedroom and instinctively moved toward the bed, falling into such a deep sleep that I couldn’t even remember what happened afterward.

That was the conclusion to an unusual day for a girl who had shed the hollow shells of merchant and noble.

“Mmm… What time is it…?”

An unusual ending affects the next day as well.

It’s only natural for people to occasionally experience times when things don’t align perfectly. The only difference is whether one needs to adhere to a stricter schedule or not.

In that regard, this girl was someone who needed to handle matters on time.

Finally, brushing aside her disheveled hair to check the current time, she…

“AAAAHHHH!!!!”

A scream escaped involuntarily.

“Miss Charlotte?! What’s wrong?!”

With a scream ringing out in broad daylight, and from their employer Charlotte no less, the staff began to gather one by one, starting with the maid who had been cleaning nearby.

Though Charlotte’s body remained that of a young child, she skillfully managed the complex daily operations of the merchant guild. She was exceptionally mature and empathetic, paying particular attention to her dignity and conduct while being considerate of her employees.

However, seeing their employer fidgeting with an expression that something had gone terribly wrong, everyone swallowed hard.

Those who had just arrived had known Charlotte for a long time, but they had never seen her like this. Not even in similar situations.

Her hair was unusually disheveled, she hadn’t washed up yet, and she was still in her sleeping clothes…

Thinking about it carefully, she was running very late.

Normally, she would have risen early, washed up neatly,

And asked to be dressed maturely as usual.

Then she would have headed to her office, requested a cup of tea, picked up the first document of the day, and elegantly taken a sip of tea.

That had always been how Charlotte Eshret started her day, as far as they had observed.

But now everything was out of order.

They instinctively knew something was wrong with Charlotte, who was always impeccably composed. But was the problem really that serious? They couldn’t even begin to guess what it might be!

Until Charlotte spoke, they could only swallow nervously and watch the situation unfold.

In this room that had somehow filled with more than ten people, one maid gathered her courage.

“M-Miss, may I ask what’s happened…?”

It was a question that might upset Charlotte, but no one gave her disapproving looks. They all shared the same thought.

They needed to know what had happened to make even Charlotte scream, and they were in a position to step up and help with the aftermath.

“Did… did a visitor not come today…?”

“A visitor…?”

As the maid tilted her head in confusion, other maids chimed in as if they understood.

“Do you mean that distributor you discussed a month ago? He already came and left!”

“…No, not him.”

“Then is it the person who said they would think more and bring you a better contract?”

“Not that person either…”

After that, they meticulously listed business associates by name, trying to identify who she meant, but Charlotte shook her head or denied each one.

They had run out of names to suggest. Everyone was busy looking around, tapping each other’s shoulders, asking if anyone remembered someone else.

Charlotte, wrapped in a blanket hastily provided by the first maid, answered in a small voice.

“I don’t mean business visitors, but a guest from the Academy…”

“From the Academy…?”

“Hmm. Have you heard anything about this?”

“No, I don’t know anything…”

Of course they wouldn’t know. They were all busy handling guild business, so a visitor from the Academy wouldn’t be someone they would deal with.

Such visitors would be more likely to be received by the maids.

Then, the maid who had first arrived after hearing Charlotte’s scream asked as if something had occurred to her.

“From the Academy… A gentleman did visit. He had very unusual black hair. Is that who you mean?”

“Yes! That guest! That senior!”

“Ah. If it’s him…”

“What? What is it?”

“I was going to call for you, but you were unusually asleep at that time.”

Charlotte flinched at the mention of being asleep, but that wasn’t the immediate concern.

“…So where is he? Where is he now?”

“He’s gone now. He said he had urgent business to attend to.”

“I see…?”

When told the time of his visit, Charlotte realized how late she had overslept and hiccupped involuntarily.

The maid smiled slightly and handed her a letter.

“He left this message instead. He said it wasn’t extremely urgent, so it would be fine to deliver it sometime today.”

“I’ll read it right away!”

“Here’s a letter opener.”

Actually, one detail had been omitted. He had said that if Charlotte was asleep, there was no need to wake her, and he would leave a letter instead.

What a kind-hearted gesture.

Even if he were an important guest, they wouldn’t have woken Charlotte, their employer, but he had specifically mentioned not to disturb her if she was sleeping.

‘So this is why she came in crying yesterday.’

Considering how flustered Charlotte was acting, the maid smiled slightly, thinking he must truly be someone special.

Dignity and prudence were powerful weapons that offset Charlotte’s outward flaws.

On the surface, she appeared to be a fragile girl who might break at the slightest touch. However, her bold and disciplined demeanor prevented anyone from underestimating her as merely a delicate young girl, often making her negotiation partners tense.

But now things were different.

Her usually confident voice had diminished to a small, dejected tone, and she was wrapped entirely in a blanket.

Then, watching her expression brighten after reading the letter.

This evoked an unfamiliar emotion in them.

“Miss…”

“H-huh? Why are you suddenly like this?”

“It’s alright, Miss.”

The observing maids began to gather around and embrace Charlotte. Though she was confused,

“So you have this side too. You’ve always been so capable that it was sometimes difficult to approach you.”

“Indeed. No, this makes you more human, which is even better.”

The staff also smiled knowingly.

Being mature adults, they gave Charlotte looks that seemed to say, “Ah, of course.”

“W-wait a minute! Why is everyone acting like this?!”

“Miss…!”

“I can’t breathe!”

The maturity she had excessively pursued was meant to hide her outward fragility.

But it was like trying to cover the sky with a finger. No matter how hard she tried, she could hide the surface but not the delicate child residing in her heart.

Just one day.

What happened yesterday had cracked this shell.

And today, as Charlotte’s fragility showed through, proving she was indeed a girl of her age.

Thanks to this, the subtle sense of dissonance would completely disappear by the end of the day.

***

Unlike the current generation of nobles, the Penarive Baronial House was at the forefront of protecting the weak.

Lumia, a member of the baronial family and the baron’s daughter, was no exception.

She too could use magic, and she made the significant decision to personally fight for her territory’s people. After much deliberation, the baron and his wife granted their daughter’s wish.

Lumia directly confronted the monsters whose invasion area was gradually expanding, and the damage to the village from these plundering beasts steadily decreased.

Lemtert Village, the northernmost settlement, was being protected in this manner.

Then one day.

It was the day she entered the northern forest with the family knights, determined to draw a line against the monsters.

-‘It wasn’t the center of Mount Utulum… While we were scouting separately in the forest at the base of the mountain, a rat jumped at me. And then…’

The rest was predictable. The important point was that the forest at the base of Mount Utulum was the source of these creatures.

It was only natural that his footsteps would lead there.

“…!”

Their tracks were clearly visible everywhere.

Even traces of hardened fluid that had burst out here and there were easily noticeable.

Judging from these traces, Lemtert Village must be helplessly infected with the plague. Other villages in the Shute province would be in similar situations.

Yet they had no idea they were being infected. That was the problem.

If they acted preemptively, it wouldn’t spread to secondary damage. Junon immediately reached out to collect soil and hardened fluid chunks into a bag.

More carefully. He spent several dozen minutes there gathering definitive information.

Eventually, he collected a sufficient amount. But then…

-Squeak!

An unpleasant sound rang in his ears.

-Squeak! Squeak squeak! Squeeeak!

At a glance, there were easily more than ten of them. A pack of rats, ready to charge with their eyes fixed on him, was threatening the lone human with harsh sounds.

“…Ha, I was expecting this much anyway, you bastards.”

Ironically, the lone human was smiling.

Soon, one rat took the lead and charged forward.

Its size was at most half that of a cud rat, about as big as two palms. With the speed of those four legs, it would be quite difficult to accurately strike and knock it unconscious with human hands. However.

-Crack.

His hand, infused with magical power, touched the rat’s body, and its vital bones broke like taffy.

The rat that collapsed to the ground with a thud showed no movement.

“Anyway, just taking those soil clumps and your hardened blood chunks won’t solve the problem. This works out well.”

He moved the carcass aside. Then he lowered his stance properly, preparing to face the remaining rats.

“Do you think I’ve only dealt with a few cud rats until now? I’ve been waiting for this moment, you punks.”

-Squeak!

About 20 rats charged toward their prey.

Despite their much smaller bodies compared to humans, they charged without doubting they could handle their opponent.

Unaware that the human before them was immune to their power, contrary to what they thought.

***

Slurp.

Professor Dalia read a report with a sip of coffee.

In her hands was a document about strange symptoms being reported from Shute province for the past few days.

“This again. The common symptom among patients is just blue spots. What could this be?”

Patients who had come in feeling dizzy were simply diagnosed with anemia and prescribed medication, but their symptoms didn’t improve.

When they returned later, they mentioned developing blue spots on their bodies.

“Hmm… I wonder what it could be.”

As she was reviewing the documents and tapping her finger on the desk, a visitor arrived.

-Knock knock.

“Yes, come in.”

The door opened to reveal a fresh-faced young girl.

However, something was strange.

“What, what is this…? Why are you so heavily armored?”

“I have a personal request for Professor Dalia.”

She had wrapped something tightly around her entire body. As if she shouldn’t be touched.