Chapter 11: I’ll have a brief inspection! – 2

Chapter 11: I’ll have a brief inspection! – 2

To be honest, I was a little worried when the girl I met yesterday came to visit.

I was worried that she would be too stiff in front of me.

Of course, she didn’t seem like that from what I saw yesterday… but you never know.

“…You really came?”

“Did you want me not to come? Then… it’s a little hurtful.”

“Ah, no. It’s not that, I just… thought it was unexpected.”

“You’re basically giving me an ID card for free, why wouldn’t I come? And I’m also making a connection with the commander of this capital defense force?”

…And now, not even a few minutes later, I’m sure that it was a needless worry.

This girl… is very bold and brazen.

‘…Yeah, this is much easier to handle than being scared or overly shrewd.’

Those who keep suspecting and trying to figure out the intentions or purpose, or those who are scared and trembling… are really difficult.

That was the reason why the attempt to make street vagrants official ‘citizens’ in this way in the past failed.

The procedure itself was rumored to be difficult, and even children who showed such attitudes came out…

Most people eventually gave up on taking the documents or tests requested by the defense force.

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be the case this time.

“By the way, can you tell me your exact name? …I’m bad at memorizing names.”

“It’s Lucia. Ah, I already know the commander of the defense force’s name, so you don’t need to tell me.”

“…Then Lucia? Are you planning to sell something in the market today too?”

“Before that. Let me ask you one thing.”

Lucia’s eyes, who said that, shone darkly, though only slightly.

“Why me?”

“…Why you?”

“There are many people in the capital who live without status like me, that is, not as ‘citizens’.

And, many people give up on becoming ‘citizens’ because they mistakenly believe that it is almost impossible to create an ID card.”

“……”

“And the current defense force wants to solve this, and so do you, the commander of the defense force. So, making it possible to create an ID card at such an easy level…

It’s a kind of promotion to be recognized as a ‘citizen’ because it’s much easier to create an ID card than it’s actually perceived.”

It was accurate. It’s not a difficult truth to find out, but it wasn’t a prominent fact that an outsider who didn’t know the detailed situation could recognize it at once.

…At least she thought so.

However… Lucia’s real question was just beginning.

“Okay. That’s possible. If the vagrants, who are the source of the capital’s criminal organizations, become ‘citizens’, it will greatly help the public order.

But, why was it me? There are vagrants everywhere, and I’m just one of those vagrants?”

It’s also the right thing to say, and in some ways, it’s a reasonable thought.

Privileges and interests are definitely good.

But… if you don’t know the reason, there’s nothing as uneasy as that.

Because you don’t know when it will become a noose that tightens your neck.

But… she was silent.

No, she had no choice but to be silent.

Because……

‘How can I say that it’s because you’re noticeably pretty!’

Lucia was a noticeable girl in many ways.

Even if the thing she was selling was the first thing she saw in the empire, her appearance was too noticeable.

How many people in the world have mint hair and mint eyes…

And, her appearance was so pretty that it was hard to find.

If she’s like this without any makeup, if she makes up her clothes and other parts on purpose, she’s sure to be the main character of the social world.

Lucia’s appearance and voice were so fraudulent that she could make the flaw that she wasn’t a noble ‘something’.

In the first place, she looked like she could be believed even if she made up her mind and cheated that she was a young lady from a noble family in the countryside because she had a face.

But… no matter how much it is…

Christie have the face of the commander of the defense force!

How can I say that it’s because you’re noticeable!

Because it was a reason that seemed to have no thought at all, she desperately started to spin her head.

Just when she was somehow looking for a useful excuse, Lucia opened her mouth again.

Calmly, as if she had expected it.

“…As expected, you’re not giving me an answer. Well, it’s okay. To hear that answer…”

Lucia, who suddenly came closer.

It’s hard to define, but Lucia’s unique scent that makes her head empty comes with it.

“I guess I just need to get close to the commander of the defense force? I’ll get an ID card and use the connections of the commander of the defense force?”

Lucia spoke playfully in a voice that captivates people.

At this moment, she looked like a fox-like monster famous for bewitching people.

Of course, right after that, she went back to the brazen and bold Lucia of yesterday.

‘Is this… asking me to be friends…?’

Unfortunately, she couldn’t go back to the her from before.

***

‘It’s successful. As expected, it’s easy to handle things that look different.’

Stories that added some logical reasoning to the information obtained based on the novel.

After attracting Christie’s attention with such stories, I just told her words that would be easy to eat.

Christie is the only daughter of the Duke’s family, so the people around her are all business friends or young masters who have unilateral affection for her.

It’s not difficult to say a few words that will be easy to eat for such Christie.

I have the skills to get snacks while giving various lip service to nurses for several years, so can’t I seduce a noble young lady who likes cute things and needs a friend.

Suddenly, various dangers that would arise when I got involved with Christie came to my mind, but no matter how I thought about it, it was more profitable to befriend her.

I can get money, and I can get a backing that I can use most comfortably when troublesome problems arise.

It’s a bit difficult to use her as a backing openly now that the Duke is alive, but the Duke will probably die soon, so Christie will become the Duke.

In the first place, the Duke was already dead when the novel started.

…Therefore, I’m making a rational choice!

……It’s definitely not because Christie is my favorite character among the novel characters, so I’m changing my mind and rationalizing it.

It’s definitely not because I wanted to see my favorite character’s real face a little more, so I came all the way here.

It’s all necessary work and it’s helpful, so I’m doing it.

*…That’s amazing. In many ways.*

I lightly ignored the system’s message that suddenly came to mind and looked at Christie.

It was an expressionless and cold expression that seemed to have no particular change to others…

But I can tell because I’ve read a novel that describes her in detail.

That she’s quite excited now.

“…Ahem! Anyway, there’s a reason you came here, right? Show me the things. I have to record and evaluate them.”

“Hey, doing that already is too heartless, right? You didn’t answer my question, so… um… how about being friends with me?”

“Frie…nd?”

Christie’s face brightens noticeably.

She looks cold on the outside, but in fact, she has the most emotional expression.

…It’s just that it doesn’t show on her face at all.

“Yes! If I go somewhere and say I’m a friend of the commander of the defense force, no one will pick a fight or bother me.”

“…The purpose is quite impure…?”

“Of course, I also personally like the commander of the defense force? Her expression is very stiff, but I have to say that it’s just her expression?”

I say it with half intentional words and half sincerity.

At least if Christie is next to me, Elena won’t do anything strange, or I won’t have to contact her more easily than buying potions.

…Elena, it was obvious that my life would be difficult the moment I got involved with her.

One of the reasons why I’m doing this to Christie is definitely to block getting deeply involved with Elena.

…In the first place, I started getting involved with Christie while selling potions to Elena.

“…I’ll think about it.”

She says that, but Christie’s face is slightly red, though only slightly.

I’m not so ignorant of my favorite character that I don’t know what that means.

“Okay… Well, the commander of the defense force likes good nobles, not vagrants like me, right?”

Therefore, at this point, I throw a bait that I can’t help but bite while making a pitiful expression.

…Even though my body has changed, I feel a sense of shame when I do this…

‘Money! Comfortable life! Get away from Elena! Live as a potion seller who enjoys everyday life normally! …Make friends with my favorite character!’

…As I recalled my goals little by little, it was bearable.

I think there’s something strange in the end, but let’s ignore the trivial things.

And…

“O, oh? It’s not like that!”

The effect was amazing!

In the end, Christie apologized on the spot and even said that she would be my friend.

And after that, I showed her the potions I was going to sell today and successfully ended today’s meeting with Christie…

“But Lucia, what’s this? The color is a little different?”

…I thought I would fly.

Until I knew that the potion that was made by mistake while playing around was among the potions I was going to sell this time.

…Until I remembered that the potion was a drug-like ‘feel-good’ potion that I saw last time.