Chapter 22
“Oh—do you know me?”
The moment I said that, I smacked my forehead.
Considering the reactions at the ballroom earlier, of course she would know who I was.
I thought she’d treat me like a cockroach and run far away—but instead, Retsi showed interest.
“Oh. Lady Evanroar. Nice to meet you.”
“Ah… n-nice to meet you too.”
I honestly admired her courage.
Even after knowing I was Cillia, she wasn’t scared at all.
She really had a big heart.
Feeling an instant connection, we quickly agreed to leave the palace together.
“So there’s really a lunatic like that?”
“Yes. A damn split-personality sadist.”
“A split-personality sadist… sounds a little like someone I know. Why are there so many crazy people in this world? Sigh.”
Retsi told me about the person she was supposed to meet outside.
Apparently, he was a very unpleasant guy.
Almost as bad as Dazhar.
Finding common ground, we began to feel a sense of camaraderie.
“Just seeing his face gives me chills. We’ve had a bad relationship since childhood.”
“Ugh. Having someone like that as a childhood friend sounds awful.”
“You get it!”
We stared at each other emotionally.
“Retsi!”
“Cillia!”
Is this… what friendship feels like?
It seemed like I finally had a friend.
“If we exit through there, there’s a small hidden passage that leads straight outside.”
“Oh! You really know the palace well, Retsi. That’s impressive.”
“Ahem.”
Retsi shyly adjusted the yellow cloth over her head.
Just as we were stepping outside—
“There you are! Where are you going now?!”
“H-Hael, sir!”
A knight who clearly screamed ‘I’m amazing’ appeared out of nowhere, panting heavily.
“Retsi? Do you know him?”
“Ahem. His name is Sir Hael… Just ignore him and hurry!”
“I can’t allow that!”
Sir Hael charged toward us angrily.
Startled, I instinctively shoved Retsi aside and kicked his shin!
My iron-hard leg—proven effective even on Dazhar—struck him cleanly.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Hah—Retsi, come here!”
Leaving him clutching his shin on the ground, we ran away at full speed.
We escaped through the hidden passage Retsi mentioned and kept running.
“Huff… huff…”
After a long sprint, we ducked into a quiet alley and caught our breath.
Retsi wiped her sweat and burst out laughing.
“My goodness! You’re the first person who’s ever taken down Sir Hael in one hit! You’re incredibly strong!”
“R-really?”
“That was such an entertaining sight!”
She laughed cheerfully.
Leaning against the wall, I laughed with her.
Then I pulled out a small cloth bundle from inside my coat.
“What’s that?”
“We’re going to need a lot of stamina from here on out. It’s food for energy.”
“Oh?”
I unwrapped the cloth to reveal two sticks of garaetteok.
I tore one in half and handed it to Retsi.
“Eat it. You’ve probably never seen this before, but… it’s good. I grilled it lightly with honey.”
“I really have never seen food like this.”
To negotiate with the machine craftsman, stamina was essential.
And I planned to do some shopping as well.
I took a bite first.
Retsi watched quietly, then followed and took a bite.
Though her face was hidden by the cloth and glasses, I could tell—her lips curved into a smile.
“It’s good.”
“Really? I’m glad.”
“Yes! It’s very delicious!”
Holding the garaetteok, Retsi smiled happily.
After entering the Siastor estate, I’d only met abnormal people.
Seeing such a normal person honestly moved me.
My goodness. A normal human being!
“U-um… Would you like to walk around together? If you don’t have anything else to do…”
I shyly made the suggestion.
I wanted to shop with her.
Retsi blinked in surprise, then laughed loudly.
“Hahaha! That sounds fun! Alright—let’s go together!”
I was overjoyed.
I finally had a female friend!
“Where should we go first? An atelier? A café? A dress shop?”
She listed places noblewomen usually visited, looking excited—like it was her first time too.
I shook my head seriously.
Those weren’t the places I needed to go.
“No. We’re going to a shop called
‘Bulging Muscles, Exploding Strength—Yes, You Can Make Them Too! That Machine.’”
“!”
Retsi stumbled slightly.
… Probably just my imagination.
That shop appeared in the original story.
The owner was an old man named Ralph—though at this point in time, he’d be middle-aged.
He was from a small tribe destroyed by the Kuizen Empire.
He had been a slave until ten years ago, when Emperor Scarlet declared slave emancipation.
In the original story, when Aksion destroyed the Empire, this man built massive defensive machines and held the walls to the very end.
Partly because Aksion wasn’t in his right mind then.
Anyway—he was extremely capable.
And right now, he stood in front of me as a massive, muscular man.
“What do you want?”
“Hello. Are you the owner of this workshop—Mr. Ralph?”
“So what if I am?”
Clang! Clang!
The workshop was filled with suffocating heat and the sound of metal being struck.
Shirtless men worked tirelessly, sweat pouring down their bodies.
At the center stood Ralph, built like a statue, scanning us from head to toe.
“Did you come to the wrong place? The jewelry shop’s across the street.”
Following his gaze, I realized why.
I was dressed for a ball—far too fancy.
And Retsi, wrapped in yellow cloth, looked extremely suspicious.
I shook my head quickly.
“No. This is exactly where we meant to come.”
“You’re saying you came here on purpose?”
“Yes.”
Ralph slammed his massive hammer onto the floor and crossed his arms.
“So what business do nobles have coming here?”
His tone wasn’t friendly.
I remembered the original story saying he despised all nobles except Emperor Scarlet.
His eyes were filled with contempt.
“This is an interesting place. I didn’t know somewhere like this existed.”
“Retsi, don’t touch that too much—you might get hurt.”
We didn’t really care about his attitude.
I was used to those looks, both before and after transmigrating.
And I already knew his past.
Retsi was completely fascinated by a massive hammer machine pounding away.
“Hey.”
“Ah—sorry. We came to place a request.”
“A request? I don’t take jobs from people like you. Leave.”
He snorted.
“You probably want something like an automatic rotating table for tea time, or an endlessly spinning fan so your makeup doesn’t smudge from sweat.”
“!”
Wait—those sound incredibly useful?!
“My machines aren’t made for that nonsense! They’re made to repay Emperor Scarlet’s grace! For the prosperity of the Empire!”
“Oh?”
Retsi, who had been staring at the hammer, suddenly turned toward him.
Despite her strange appearance, his words clearly intrigued her.
“So leave.”
Ralph was clearly patriotic, but it didn’t impress me.
I tapped the table between us calmly.
“I’m disappointed. I admired your work in secret, but I didn’t realize you were someone who judged people purely by appearances.”
“What did you say?”
“The grain-grinding machine supplied to mills two years ago—the one that turns Miar into flour. That was your work, wasn’t it?”
“H-how do you know that?”
Because I saw your signature on it at the mill last time.
“You were trying to reduce labor costs at the mills to lower the price of Miar flour—for commoners, right?”
“……Who are you?”
Ralph narrowed his eyes, staring straight at me.
Suspicion filled his expression.
