“No. All humans have it, magical power. Or divine power.”
Amur, the leopard god, answered Yor, the serpent god.
“Are you suggesting that I am lying to my master, Amur?”
“…… That.”
“But it’s really strange, isn’t it possible for a normal human to have neither magic nor divine power?”
“No. It’s impossible. They usually have some kind of magic or divine power in their bodies, even if it’s very weak. Otherwise-”
“Spiritual power, yes. If they are mortal.”
Amur’s words made Yor’s tongue click.
“Yes. That’s right. Amur. But I didn’t sense any spiritual power in that girl, as if she wasn’t of this world.”
“Something is wrong with that little little girl.”
Xin Shugin, the crow, flapped his wings and called out.
“Something’s wrong, I smell something familiar!”
“…….”
Gin’s unintelligible words made Linus think for a moment.
Then, after a moment.
“Pen.”
The wolf rookie who had called his name stepped out of the shadows.
“–.”
Linus moved his mouth in a silent command.
“As you command.”
Bowing deeply, Fen vanished in a flash.
Left alone, Linus stared at the cookie jar.
A box that had served its purpose.
A cookie jar that could be thrown away.
Even Diana Cartier doesn’t know when she’ll see him again.
“…Maybe we’ll meet again later.”
But Linus held it in his hand again.
Hoping to meet that strange girl again sooner or later.
* * *
“Off!”
I stretched myself out with a groan that didn’t quite match the sunny weather.
Sunlight sparkled through the wide-open window.
“Finally, a day.”
I smiled broadly at the brilliant blue sky.
The day I accidentally picked up Linus del Stein.
Tired of making excuses for the boy’s sudden disappearance, I put off hiring a escort for the day.
‘But then it rained like crazy the next day….’
I was stuck in the hotel for two days.
How bored I was in my room eating cookies, cake, ice cream, and caramel!
‘Ugh. I’m glad I can finally get out.’
I looked out the window, thinking about what I had to do today.
A tap.
“Miss. May I come in?”
“Yes, come in.”
Masha, who opened the door at my permission, smiled.
“Miss. They say lunch is ready. Are you going to eat it and then go out?”
“Yes! Oh, I’ll walk, I don’t need a carriage, I’m not going that far.”
“I see, then I’ll bring your meal up to your room right away.”
I shake my head.
“No. I don’t want to eat in my room today, I want to eat downstairs. It’s a beautiful day, and I think it would be nicer to eat on the terrace.”
“Okay, but the restaurant downstairs is not only for hotel guests, but also for the public, are you sure that’s okay?”
What? What’s the big deal, I thought, so worriedly-, ah.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
I said, waving my hands in the air.
“I know I used to say mean things about being offended by eating in the same room as commoners and how I’d throw them out, but there’s no way in hell I’m doing that now!”
Ugh. I should be so ashamed of who I am now because of something I did in the past.
“I wonder if this is why Linus already knew about my rumours.
And if Linus, who didn’t seem to know much about life outside the castle, did, then maybe…….
Maybe the other guests in this hotel know about me too.
‘And not in a good way.’
I said to Masha, feeling a little sullen.
“You know, Marsha.”
“Yes, miss.”
“Maybe the people who know me don’t want me to be where they can see me? If that’s the case, I’ll just eat in my room.”
“……! What do you mean, who the hell doesn’t like our cute little lady, who!”
Marsha sulked like someone who had heard something ridiculous.
“That would never happen, so I’ll go and get you a table on the terrace right now, the best one!”
Barely able to finish her sentence, Masha ran out the door.
“Ma, uh…….”
She was gone before I had a chance to stop her.
“But did I say something to upset her?”
Suddenly, I didn’t quite understand why she was so upset.
I scratched my head.
“Get the fuck out of here, you creeps!”
What, what, where is that coming from?
Startled, I looked around and soon realised it was coming from outside my open window.
I stuck my head out.
“……I can’t see much.”
I’m even sadder that I can’t see anything…….
I dragged my chair over, still hurting from my short legs.
And as I stood on the chair and looked out-.
“Huh? Is that the boss?”
I see the back of a person dressed as a hotel manager.
And…….
“What a room full of big people.”
The scary people surrounding the manager……!
“What’s going on, is that manager being threatened or something-.
“I’m sure I told you, if you come in here one more time, I’m not going to leave you alone!”
Oh, it’s the manager who’s shouting.
It looks like he’s being threatened.
“It’s bad enough that low-class mercenaries like you are hanging around here!”
Wait, mercenaries? If he’s a mercenary, he’s probably……?
I jerked my head away.
“Ugh, I can’t see them.”
However, no matter how tightly I squinted, I couldn’t see their faces clearly.
“I can’t help it.
I’ll have to go and see for myself.
I was about to jump out of my chair when I heard a voice.
“Miss, if you’ll excuse me while I prepare my seat-, kaaaaaaaah! Miss!”
Masha, who had entered the room, screamed and hugged me.
“Ah, ah, miss, why are you suddenly hanging dangerously from the window!”
Masha, frightened, examined every inch of my body.
“It’s all right, more than that, Masha, I just need to see something!”
“What? To see what, young lady, young lady!”
Pow!
I lightly slipped out of Masha’s arms and ran out of the room.
“Miss, what’s the good ah-, miss?”
“‘Rake, I’m going to the backyard for a minute!”
I called out to Rake, who was just outside the door.
“Wait a minute, miss, it’s dangerous to run!”
“Heh, heh, heh, miss, where are you going without eating!”
Rake and Masha followed me.
“I’m busy, stop following me!”
I whipped my hands roughly behind me and kept running.
Tap, tap, tap!
I raced down the stairs and into the backyard.
“Baby-.”
“Shhh! If you’re following me, just hide here with me, Rake!”
I ducked into one of the bushes and tugged on Rake.
“Oh, okay…….”
Rake, who had followed me, looked puzzled and hid with me for now.
Unlike me getting squashed between the bushes, Rake’s crouching body stuck out like a sore thumb…….
Anyway, crouched in an uncomfortable position, Rake said.
“By the way, young lady, what the hell are you looking at-.”
“Shhhh!”
I said, holding up a finger to my mouth and giving him a scary look.
“I’ve told you before, I’ll leave on my own if you give me something.”
I heard a voice that didn’t belong to the owner.
I looked closer and saw a man with bushy brown hair speaking.
“Well, I can’t really see his face with all those bushes.
The manager said.
“What are you talking about, a giveaway, there is no such thing!”
“Wow, you’re so shameless. If you ask me to do a job, you should pay me!”
The black-haired man spit, ka-ching, ka-ching.
The boss snorted at his words.
“Hmph, you should be grateful you don’t have to repay me for the bowl you broke while working yesterday!”
The Black Tea Head snapped at the boss.
“I mean, we didn’t break it, that plate was already cracked!”
“How the hell can you prove that, anyway, the plate was broken while you were working.”
“……!”
The cheerful-faced overlord.
And the faces of the mercenaries hardened.
Eavesdropping on the conversation, I tilted my head.
“What were the mercenaries doing in the hotel, anyway, to break the crockery?
Isn’t the job of a mercenary usually to fight or find people or protect something?
“You, you shameless bastard, you say the kitchen urgently needed someone, and this is the best you can do?”
Black tea head growling again.
“Hmph, you’re acting like you’re here to do some kind of charity work, the only jobs your mercenary group can get after being expelled from the mercenary guild are insignificant anyway.”
Oh, right!
Kicked out of the guild.
It must be ‘them’ I thought!
“I’m glad we found them, but those mercenaries are in a lot of trouble right now.
First of all, the owner says he won’t pay us for our work because we broke the bowl.
And the mercenaries are saying they didn’t break the bowl…….
‘Well, one of them is lying, and even if the owner is lying, we don’t have the proof-‘
He puckered his lips like a duck, lost in thought.
Rake’s expression was strange.
“What’s wrong, Rake?”
“Lady. Those mercenaries, I think they’ve been framed.”
