Meanwhile…
“Did you say the meeting point is the staff storage room? Where exactly is that?”
Knox’s question was drowned out by the roar of the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, here is the mighty Giant Orc, once faced by the Duke of Kreutz himself!”
“Eek! It’s so terrifying!”
“It must be over 3 meters tall… How did Duke Calypse manage to deal with such a beast?”
A rumbling noise shook the circus as the enraged orc, shackled and bound, began to thrash violently, agitated by its restraints.
“Damn it… Move… Let us through!”
The orc’s appearance excited the crowd, causing people to push and shove us in every direction. There were no rules here—no orderly lines, no consideration for a small child lost in the chaos.
“Ugh!”
At that moment, a large man’s figure came between Knox and me, separating us. I fell to the ground like a discarded toy.
“Eek!”
I quickly rolled away, dodging the trampling feet of the crowd, using my “Hamster Rolling Technique.”
“…Phew. Insane people.”
After barely escaping the chaotic crowd, my legs trembled as I caught my breath. I had managed to get out from among the orc fanatics, but now what?
Knox would be hard to find again in this mess.
The best course of action now was to find Lucas on my own.
Lucas would likely be kept in a place difficult to find. After all, to the circus, Lucas was an S-tier asset. They would hide him in the darkest, most secluded storage room…
“Hey, kid.”
Just as I was about to sneak into what looked like a storage room, a pair of garish patterned pants blocked my way.
It was one of the circus staff.
“This isn’t a place for a kid to be. Did you get lost?”
The black and purple striped suit and the unsettling smile creeping over his face sent chills down my spine.
“I’m not lost. I came with my mom and dad.”
I looked up at him, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
He didn’t bother to kneel down to my level like the people of Kreutz might. Here at the circus, everything was classified in two ways: customer or product.
“So, what do your parents do?”
Would I be considered a customer or a product? It all depended on my answer.
“They run a big business! We’re really rich!”
I stood on my tiptoes and stretched out my arms to show how “big” their business was.
“What?”
“What’s going on?”
Another staff member approached us.
“She seems to have gotten lost. Her parents are supposed to be rich.”
“…Judging by her clothes, that seems likely.”
“But she says they’re commoners.”
“Commoners?”
The man’s eyes sharpened at that.
Seizing the moment, I continued my act.
“Yes! We’re commoners, but we’re super rich!”
The two staff members exchanged glances, sinister smiles creeping across their faces.
“…What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? In a place like this, it’s the parents’ fault for losing their kid.”
“Right?”
“If her parents are rich, they might spend thousands of gold to find her.”
“…There’s money to be made here.”
They crouched down to meet my eyes, finally showing interest.
“Hey, kid.”
I smiled innocently, pretending not to know anything.
“Yes?”
“We’ll help you find your parents. Why don’t you come with us and wait somewhere comfortable?”
“Okay!”
And just like that, I was led into the storage area without arousing suspicion. I played the part of a naive rich kid perfectly.
“Wow, what’s that?”
I pointed to a white fox trapped in a cage. It was a relatively common animal in the northern regions.
“That? It’s not as valuable as you are.”
Not valuable?
My hands trembled with anger at how they treated living beings like objects, but I had to hold it in to find Lucas.
Then, a blood-curdling scream echoed from deeper within the storage room as one of the staff opened another door.
“Kid, cover your ears if it’s too loud.”
They nonchalantly warned me as they walked past rows of caged animals.
“Bark! Bark, bark!”
A growling wild dog, and small deer that huddled into corners when the staff approached.
“Shut up!”
One of the staff kicked a cage, sending the hedgehogs inside squealing and rolling over.
“Monsters…”
They didn’t just capture monsters. To sustain their prized monsters, they indiscriminately caught animals to use as food.
If I hadn’t come here to save Lucas…
I shut my eyes at the thought of what could’ve happened.
I’ll have to free all these animals once this is over.
The sight of the caged animals brought back memories I had pushed away—the days I suffered without knowing why, simply because I was born into the life of a spy. These animals were just as clueless, dragged here to be prey.
Then, suddenly…
“Okay, kid, it’s time for you to take a little nap.”
“Ugh…”
A sharp pain surged through the back of my neck. I let out a short gasp before everything went dark.
* * *
I wasn’t sure how long I had been unconscious, but I woke up shivering from the cold.
“So… cold…”
I instinctively curled up, feeling the icy, hard floor beneath me. Why was it so cold? I thought I’d never have to sleep in a place like this again after being adopted by the Duke…
In the foggy haze of my mind, a voice echoed.
‘So, you brought back something interesting from the duke’s mansion.’
It was a voice I didn’t recognize.
‘Don’t throw it away. It might be fun later.’
I struggled to escape the unfamiliar scene, but my body wouldn’t move.
Where am I? Whose voice is that?
Has everything gone wrong, just like in the original story? Did Duke Calypse die, just like my parents did in the car accident in my previous life?
If so, what will happen to me?
The fear I had managed to suppress began to overwhelm me.
Will I have to go back to the Pose Duchy?
No. I can’t.
I’d rather die.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
“….”
I should’ve never met Calypse in the first place.
If I were going to be left alone again, it would’ve been better not to know what it feels like to be loved.
I felt like I was drowning in the middle of a dark ocean.
But then…
In the midst of the cold and loneliness, something was suddenly draped over me.
“…?”
It was too thin to block out the cold, but it was warm. A hand, radiating warmth, gently patted my back.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
“…?”
A boy, with a pair of golden eyes tinged with red, stared back at me.
“Damn, you scared me.”
The boy withdrew his hand quickly, startled that I had woken up so suddenly.
He looked like he was around my age, though maybe a bit older.
Could this boy be…
In the original story, Lucas was about eight years old at this time.
I took a closer look at him.
Crouched in a corner, he looked more like a frightened animal than a person. His hair was matted, his hands bound by a device that suppressed his abilities, and his clothes were ragged. His eyes were filled with a wariness that was almost feral.
But as I gazed into the mysterious eyes shining through his disheveled hair, I knew.
This was Lucas Kreutz.
Right. I came here to rescue Lucas.
Reality snapped back into focus, and I wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand. I scooted closer to him, pulling my knees up.
“Don’t worry, I’m here to help, Young Master Lucas.”
“What? How do you know who I am?”
“There’s no time to explain. Just hold on a moment.”
Ignoring his surprise, I pulled out a pair of tweezers I had prepared earlier and fiddled with the keyhole on the device restraining his abilities.
With a click, the shackle came loose.
“…Whoa, it worked.”
It was my first time trying this in real life. I guess all those grueling years of training paid off.
“Now you’re safe. I’m here to rescue you.”
I extended my hand to him with a small smile.
But instead of taking it, he slapped it away.
“I don’t need your help. Get lost.”
“…What?”
I looked up in shock, only to be met with a chilling glare.
“First, they sent adults, and now they’re sending kids? You think I don’t know what’s going on? You’re just here to trick me, aren’t you? I’m not stupid!”
“What… What are you talking about?”
“You’re a spy from the Pose Duchy! Don’t think you can fool me!”
His voice echoed through the storage room, dripping with hostility.
“…Uh, that’s…”
“You’re not?”
“….”
I couldn’t deny it. I was a spy from the Pose Duchy.
‘Good day, fake Lady.’
I suddenly remembered Knox’s first words to me.
‘But it’s different for a ‘former’ five-year-old spy.’
Innocent remarks that now weighed heavily on me.
He was right.
Even if Duke Calypse had adopted me, I was still a spy from the Pose Duchy.
A spy remains a spy until death.
Nameless, without identity.
The kind of person who exists only in the shadows of stories.
“….”
As I stood there in silence, lost in thought, Lucas got up.
“Thanks for unlocking the shackle. They’ve been trying to get me for five years, and now they’re sending kids. Or maybe this one’s just dumber than the others.”
He tossed the shackle aside, moving past me with a casual stride.
“You look too dumb to cause any real harm, so just scram.”
I still couldn’t say a word.
‘A spy?’
Was that all my actions amounted to?
Is that really what I am?
“…I’m not a spy. Sit back down.”
I grabbed his ankle as he tried to walk away.
“What?”
I couldn’t let him get away with this.
“If you’re going to treat me like a spy, then sit down so I can put the shackle back on!”
“Ah!”
