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Chapter 24
“To be honest, when I heard that Lady Sylvia had brought him in against the objections of many, I didn’t have a very high opinion of him…”
I, who had been hiding and listening, shuddered at the murmuring of one of the knights.
‘Hmm.’
I was actually right about my suspicion.
As I expected, my poor reputation seemed to have negatively influenced Tev’s first impression.
‘But, seeing how well he’s doing now, he’ll probably adapt well, right?’
If I had brought a talent that would thrive beside the Crown Prince in the near future, and because of me, he couldn’t adapt to the knights, I would feel truly sorry.
Maybe I would even regret bringing him along, thinking I ruined Tev’s future.
‘But it wasn’t a mistake to bring him.’
One of the main reasons I brought Tev was that he was a genius knight who would unleash his full potential in the future.
But that wasn’t everything.
‘Honestly, after seeing that situation, I couldn’t just leave him behind to fend for himself.’
His body was full of wounds, filthy and grimy from not being able to wash properly.
His limbs were so thin that his bones showed through, and his clothes were ragged.
‘Even if it wasn’t Tev, I would have tried to help in any way I could.’
I couldn’t leave a kid who would have returned to the shackles of hunger and violence again if I had ignored him.
‘So I don’t regret it.’
I stared at Tev, who had completely transformed from a week ago.
The once emaciated body now had a healthy layer of flesh, and his skin was beginning to show a healthy glow.
Even his clothes were clean and crisp.
‘It’s satisfying.’
Satisfied with the small accomplishment I had achieved, I carefully turned away.
I came to check on Tev, worried that he might not adapt well among the knights, who were cold to newbies, but it seemed that there was no need for such concern.
Because he appeared to be adapting much faster and better than I had expected.
Hoping that Tev would grow rapidly in the future, I left the training ground with my back to the knights.
***
At the training ground where Sylvia just left.
The other knights also seemed to agree with the knight who initially had a negative opinion about Tev as he was whom Sylvia had brought in.
However, that was only for a moment.
Another knight refuted the statement from beside them.
“They say Lady Sylvia has completely changed, you know.
Haven’t you heard the rumors?
Hans bought us beer because of that!”
“Yes, I knew about it, but still…
people don’t change that easily, you know.
And!
Her ladyship, who had never come near the training ground before, suddenly showed up and asked the commander to take Tev as a disciple because he’s a genius.
How can we accept that so easily?”
“That’s true.” The knight who had grumbled at his colleague for not hearing the rumor also nodded.
During the brief silence that followed again, a knight with a slightly haggard expression slowly opened his mouth.
But we saw it ourselves yesterday.
Lady Sylvia bowed her head as she asked the commander for a favor.”
At his words, the knights recalled yesterday’s incident.
A strange girl who suddenly appeared during their training.
Most of the knights couldn’t believe that the girl was the ‘Lady Sylvia’ they knew.
They had heard about her change, but they had no chance to meet Sylvia in person since she had been confined to the west wing.
So, even as they drank the beer Hans had bought for the whole knight order, with his promise of “If Sylvia has changed, I’ll treat all the knights to beer!”, they just thought, ‘Even if she did, how much could she have changed?’
And they also dismissed the words of their colleagues who had seen the changed Sylvia firsthand as ‘They are making a fuss.’
However, when they finally met the changed Sylvia, the knights, who had been criticizing their colleagues to stop exaggerating, were at a loss for words.
‘How could a person change so much like that?!’
What surprised them wasn’t just the 180-degree change in Sylvia’s appearance.
“…
I didn’t know Lady Sylvia could bend her waist.
I thought her waist was as stiff as a board that would never bend.”
They had experienced Sylvia’s misdeeds several times.
But despite all the wrongs she had done, Sylvia never apologized.
She didn’t even say ‘I’m sorry’ in words…
But that Sylvia bent her waist.
Of course, it wasn’t because she was apologizing, but it was equally surprising that she bent her waist to ask for a favor.
Moreover, she did it not for herself, but for a commoner boy she had brought from somewhere.
“And also, Lady Sylvia was right in the end.
That boy she brought into the knights with such insistence does have an extraordinary talent.”
“We’ll have to keep an eye on him, though…”
The knights looked at Tev, who had started training alone at a distance, with eyes full of curiosity.
His skills had improved so much in just one day that they couldn’t help but be amazed.
They were even excited to just imagine how great a knight he would become after time.
And the more they thought about it, the more their curiosity and affection for Sylvia, who had brought Tev with such potential, grew.
The knights’ conversation continued until Sir Joseph, who had gone to meet the Duke, returned and scolded them, saying, “What are you all doing right now!”
***
“Good.”
I tightly grasped a small pouch filled with something inside.
After reading a book about magical crystals, I had finally succeeded in obtaining them through several attempts.
I deliberately chose plain clothes to wear and adjusted the small pouch at the back of my waist.
Although I had common hair color, I wore a deep hat just in case to cover it and even applied makeup to my face.
‘Make the skin a bit darker, draw some moles, and darken the eyebrows…’
A moment later, I transformed into an inconspicuous, ordinary maid.
“Belle, I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Are you going out, my lady?”
I smiled at her question that implied, ‘In that disguise, by yourself?’ and answered, “I don’t want to let others know, so I’m going secretly outside like this.
Can you keep it a secret?”
“I can keep it a secret if you wish, my lady, but it’s not safe for you to venture out alone.
I––”
“I’ll be back, Belle!”
I waved at Belle, who was very anxious, and headed outside.
I met quite a few servants on my way out of the mansion, but it seemed no one recognized me.
‘I can’t hide it perfectly, but there’s no need to start rumors by walking around openly.’
With this shabby disguise, I wouldn’t be able to fool the Duke, who had his direct intelligence organization.
But even if I were monitored, as long as I didn’t cause any significant trouble, my minor movements shouldn’t be a problem because the Duke would have neither affection nor interest in Sylvia.
After getting a reasonable distance from the Duke’s residence, I caught a rented carriage nearby and arrived at Fortrum Street.
As always, the bustling street was crowded with people.
I rubbed the small pouch tightly attached to my waist and hesitated for a moment.
The reason I came to Fortrum Street in disguise today was to make money.
To be precise, my goal was to sell the magical crystals in the small pouch tied to my waist.
‘I should go to a magic tool shop to sell this, right?’
The problem was that I didn’t know where the magic tool shop was.
‘Last time, I easily found the herb shop thanks to Tev.’
But this time, I was all alone, without Tev or Belle.
So, I had to find the way myself or find someone new to guide me.
‘Let’s see.’
I scanned the busy people walking along the street.
As I passed by people who seemed likely to frown if I asked for directions, I noticed a young girl selling newspapers.
“Hi?”
“Hello.
Would you like to buy a newspaper?”
“Give me one.”
“Here you go.
It’s one bronze coin… Eh?”
The girl was surprised to see a silver coin placed on her palm.
“You… You made a mistake––”
“It’s not a mistake.
How about using the leftover money from the newspaper as a reward for helping me with a favor?
“A favor?”
“Uh-huh, it’s nothing big.
Can you show me the way to the magic tool shop?”
The girl’s eyes widened at my words.
‘She looks as if it’s worth receiving a silver coin for just that.’
But that didn’t last long.
The girl clenched her hand holding the silver coin and nodded vigorously.
“You can go that way.”
The magic tool shop the girl led me to was incredibly huge.
Compared to the surrounding small buildings, it felt like a large mart among hole-in-the-wall shops.
“This is the largest magic tool shop around here.”
‘So, this is the biggest one in the area in terms of size.’
The magic tool market seemed larger than I expected.
‘That’s good for me.’
I was worried because I had never traded directly before, but if the market size was this big, someone would buy these, so I felt relieved.
However, when I went inside and looked at the items, my relieved heart became anxious again.
‘Will I be able to sell my item for a decent price in a place like this?’
I stared at a particularly eye-catching display stand and pondered.
Meanwhile, a clerk dressed in a luxurious outfit approached me.
“How can I help you?”
I looked at the clerk and calmed my anxious heart.
‘Maybe I’m just mistaken…’
I showed the pouch containing my ‘money source’ and said, “I would like to sell an item.”
“Sell…
an item?”
The clerk’s welcoming expression quickly turned into an uneasy one.