Episode 3
The leader, Antonio, and Eustea moved through the underground waterway.
This was because pursuers had been tailing them after the incident with the marquess’s servants in the marketplace.
After entering the waterway, Antonio reported the situation to the elite squad.
“Yeah, we’ve entered the underground waterway. Things deviated from the plan, but we secured the ‘item.’”
[You crazy bastard. Couldn’t control your temper and caused a mess?]
“It wasn’t me!”
[Bullshit.]
[You think the leader would do something like that?]
Antonio felt like he was going to die of injustice.
When he saw Eustea getting beaten by the marquess’s servants while protecting his hood, he had been ready to go all out.
He’d even raised his fist, ready to make them pay.
But the one who actually acted wasn’t him.
‘I was just as shocked.’
Who could’ve predicted the leader would carve marks on their faces?
“It was the leader…”
[Cut the crap.]
[Go drop dead!]
Click.
The communication cut off without a single person believing him.
With a sad expression, Antonio looked at the leader, who was shamelessly resting.
Beside him, Eustea was bustling about.
“What are you doing?” Antonio asked.
Eustea, pulling items from her bag, replied, “Organizing the supplies. And I’m going to gather some herbs growing in the waterway.”
“Shouldn’t you rest? Look at your face in the water. Does that look like a fifteen-year-old girl’s face?”
Her face was swollen from the beating by the marquess’s servants.
“You’re moving out once the sun sets, right?”
“That’s right.”
“It’s winter, so the sun sets early. I need to get things ready beforehand, or they’ll get in the way when we move.”
Then she went back to diligently packing.
Her hands were so deft it was almost unbelievable.
The pile of supplies flattened out under her touch, fitting neatly into the bag.
“Were you really a noble?”
What kind of noble lady was this good at survival?
Folding a bag of dried vegetables neatly, Eustea said, “I was until I was twelve. My father was Marquess Andres, and my mother ran the Paul Merchant Guild… well, it’s called the Andres Merchant Guild now.”
“You must feel ashamed of your current state sometimes.”
Muttering thoughtlessly, Antonio realized his mistake.
His comrades had their own rough pasts and had fallen into the mud.
It was a casual remark he’d make with them, but it could hurt a fifteen-year-old girl.
“Shame…” Eustea paused, murmuring.
Antonio flinched. “I didn’t mean—”
“Not just sometimes, every day.”
“…Huh?”
“When I clean latrines, it feels like every minute. Soldiers’ latrines are really filthy…”
“…”
Seeing Eustea sulk about dirty latrines, Antonio let out a hollow laugh.
This kid was definitely weird.
‘No, not weird—impressive.’
Eustea quickly finished organizing and started gathering herbs.
“There are waterflowers growing here. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bought any at the apothecary.”
What a waste.
Muttering, she ruthlessly harvested a pile of waterflowers.
“Boil these, and they’re great for fatigue recovery.”
“Really?”
“Wait a sec. I’ll brew some tea.”
She pulled out a pot as big as herself, boiled water, and took out sugar and dried fruits she’d bought at the market.
Soon, the waterway filled with a pleasant aroma.
Eustea poured the tea into cups and handed them to Antonio and the leader.
Antonio frowned. “There’s foam.”
“That’s from the waterflowers. They’re super bitter on their own.”
“Is this even drinkable?”
“Try it.”
With a skeptical look, Antonio took a sip.
And then…
“…!”
His eyes widened in shock.
“You said it was bitter!”
“If you brew just waterflowers, yeah. But boiling them with acidic fruits neutralizes the bitterness. Tasty, right?”
Ahem. Clearing his throat, Antonio downed the tea like it was nothing.
Truthfully, he’d never had tea this delicious.
He’d thought tea was a luxury for spoiled nobles, but now he understood why they obsessed over it.
Eustea, sipping her waterflower tea like it was soup, said to Antonio, “Waterflower liquor is good too. Want me to make some next time?”
“Liquor?”
“It’s a summer delicacy when chilled.”
Antonio, a liquor enthusiast, lit up. “When are you making it?”
“If I can get some alcohol.”
“How about I go buy some?”
He spoke without pausing to breathe.
Clink.
The leader set his cup down loudly.
Antonio flinched.
“I’m not really going out to buy liquor. Just, you know, to scout the area.”
“…”
“I’ll go patrol…”
“…”
Even though he promised to behave, the leader didn’t look away.
Was he angry at his foolishness?
As Antonio tensed, Eustea scurried over to the leader.
“Another cup?”
“Fill it.”
“Yes, sir.”
…Maybe she wasn’t the only weird one.
Antonio stared in disbelief at the leader leisurely sipping waterflower tea.
—
Three days ago, the leader, Antonio, and I left the waterway.
We encountered a pursuit team once, but the leader and Antonio wiped out the entire battalion in about five minutes with their incredible skills.
After that, it was a peaceful journey.
During the trip, I talked quite a bit with Antonio.
“You’ve done all sorts of jobs. Must’ve been tough.”
“Not as tough as you, Antonio-sama.”
“But is it okay to leave the capital with your mother behind?”
“I asked the landlord to look after her. Paid six months’ wages in advance.”
“I see.”
Around noon, we entered the forest where we were supposed to rendezvous with the other groups.
But no one was at the planned location.
“Weren’t we the last to arrive? Where is everyone?”
“They’re probably running a diversion because of the marketplace incident. They’ll join us soon.”
“I see…”
Everyone’s going through a lot because of me.
As I sulked, Antonio waved his hand dismissively, as if to say not to worry.
“Even if it wasn’t you, I probably would’ve caused some trouble.”
It was meant to comfort me, but his casual attitude about causing trouble was shameless.
The leader shot Antonio a scolding look.
Antonio had been hit by the leader three times in the past two days for his lack of tact.
Thanks to that, I learned how to handle these situations.
Just quietly do my job.
I pulled out a notebook and started jotting things down.
“What’re you doing?” Antonio asked, sounding bored.
“Keeping the ledger. I used my own money in the marketplace, but you’ve been paying since then.”
“So?”
“I need to keep track.”
“Why?”
“Doesn’t the Irregular keep a ledger?”
“We do.”
“Who…?”
“Me. The deputy leader assigned it to me.”
What?
Antonio’s a good guy.
Yesterday, when a butcher tried to overcharge me, he gave him a good thrashing.
But…
—
“If you don’t answer properly, your head and body will part ways forever. How much for six pounds of sirloin?”
“W-Well, it’s 30 coppers per pound…”
“So how much?!”
“Huh?”
—
…How can he keep the ledger if he can’t do math?
“Um, Antonio-sama. Can I take a look at the ledger?”
“Sure.”
He tossed me the entire bag.
I pulled out the ledger.
It was completely crumpled.
Smoothing out the pages, I examined the contents.
It was a mess.
‘The deputy leader must not have known Antonio was this bad.’
Well, even if they did, our group only had the leader and Antonio, so it had to be him.
I reorganized the ledger.
While I was focused for a while, I heard movement.
“Leader.”
The rest of the Irregular, scheduled to rendezvous, had gathered.
Among them was an unfamiliar face.
A well-dressed, imposing man.
He hurried over and knelt before the leader.
“I greet my lord.”
“Viscount Sanmiguel.”
Viscount Sanmiguel?
Sanmiguel is a vassal of the Esgaroth ducal family.
‘Already connected with the Esgaroth’s vassals?’
Duke Esgaroth was originally discussing marriage with a princess.
But he fell in love with a humble baron’s daughter from the countryside and announced their engagement.
Naturally, the vassals didn’t look kindly on her, and in collusion with the princess, they killed her.
But the baron’s daughter was clever.
She foresaw her death and anticipated the princess would target her son after her passing.
She smuggled her newborn son out.
That was the leader, Aslan.
‘His life was harsh.’
Smuggled out by a retired knight, he grew up with battlefields as his cradle.
A life of kill or be killed.
The reason he endured such a brutal life was his ambition to seize the Esgaroth ducal family.
“You’ve suffered greatly. Let’s head to the Sanmiguel territory.”
To the Sanmiguel territory?
I whispered to Antonio, puzzled, “Weren’t we going to the base?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why the Sanmiguel territory…?”
“The base is the Sanmiguel territory. I wonder how my cute vodka and whiskey are doing. I’ll share some with you, Eustea.”
“No thanks. I’m a minor.”
So the base was the Sanmiguel territory.
That means he didn’t just ally with Viscount Sanmiguel, he took over the territory and installed a viscount to his liking.
‘Incredible…’
It gave me chills.
Currently, Duke Esgaroth doesn’t know of the leader’s existence.
So he’s exerting this much influence over a great noble family with nothing but his own hands.
‘He’s even more impressive than I thought.’
The reasons to stick with the Irregular were becoming clearer.
Let’s do this.
I clenched my fists and declared with resolve, “Shall I prepare the meal?”
“…!”
“…!!”
The members’ eyes widened.
But Viscount Sanmiguel glanced at me and waved his hand.
“No need to eat such lowly food anymore. I’ll prepare a meal at the estate.”
Then—
The members, especially Antonio, shouted fiercely, “This kid’s food isn’t lowly!”
“Her cooking is phenomenal!”
They even recited the phrase from Colonel Lagoni’s recommendation letter, raising a fuss.
Viscount Sanmiguel let out a baffled, “Hah.”
“What’s… Why are you all acting like this, Leader?”
“…”
“Leader?”
The leader was already sitting on a suitable rock, waiting for the meal to be prepared.
Viscount Sanmiguel looked flustered.
* * *
‘Alright. Clean.’
I looked proudly at the washed cooking tools and dishes.
I’d wiped them dry, and they were sparkling.
After the members finished the braised short ribs, it looked like a storm had swept through.
‘The reaction… yeah, it was too good.’
Even Viscount Sanmiguel, who claimed to be refined, described it as being like a pack of wolves.
In the end, they guarded the last piece of braised short ribs like it was their mortal enemy.
I offered some to Viscount Sanmiguel, but he…
“I don’t have a taste for crude street food.”
…he said, in a very cold tone.
As I thought about it, Antonio suddenly poked his head in. “Upset because of the viscount?”
I widened my eyes.
It wasn’t because he startled me.
‘Wow.’
He was dressed in a knight’s uniform.
He must’ve changed while I was cleaning up.
The silver armor and long cape suited his tall frame and broad shoulders perfectly.
Come to think of it, the leader’s striking looks overshadowed him, but Antonio was a handsome man too.
Bronze skin, sharp features.
A physique well over 180 cm.
His playful demeanor added to his charm.
“You look cool!”
“Of course.”
Antonio grinned and ruffled my hair.
“Don’t mind the viscount. The deputy leader said he was just a nominal noble before the leader put him in charge of Sanmiguel. That’s probably why he’s so obsessed with refinement.”
Antonio had overheard what the viscount said to me.
To be precise, only Antonio heard it.
The viscount had spoken quietly, wary of the leader, who was happily eating the braised short ribs.
“No, it’s fine that he didn’t eat the ribs.”
“Then?”
“He seems to dislike me.”
Not just dislike—his gaze felt more like he was wary of me.
Why would a viscount bother with a mere worker like me?
There was no reason.
Antonio stared into the air, as if thinking.
Then he said, “Ohh.”
“He might’ve misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood?”
“Yeah. He might think you’re a candidate for the leader’s adopted daughter. Your age fits.”
Adopted daughter?
The leader taking in an adopted daughter?
“Is the leader planning to adopt a daughter?”
“Yeah. He needs a kid to send to the princes’ etiquette training… oops.”
Antonio, who’d been answering naturally, froze and looked away.
But I caught on.
I knew the game’s story.
‘Come to think of it, the princes are visiting the Esgaroth estate soon.’
As part of their heir training, the emperor sends the princes to tour great noble estates.
It was the Esgaroth’s turn.
When the princes visit, there need to be kids their age to interact with.
‘They’re called squires.’
And the leader plans to send an adopted daughter as a squire to make contact with Duke Esgaroth.
The time has come for the leader to reveal his true identity to imperial society.
Viscount Sanmiguel must be wary, thinking I might take the role of the adopted daughter.
‘He’s worrying for nothing.’
The leader seems to like my cooking.
But would he make me his adopted daughter just for that?
When he doesn’t trust me at all?
‘Alright, good. Nothing to worry about then.’
Viscount Sanmiguel is the lord of the Irregular’s base, so it’d be bad to get on his bad side.
But since it’s a misunderstanding, he’ll stop caring soon.
Brushing off my worries, I smiled brightly.
“Antonio-sama, shall we go?”
“Huh? Yeah, sure…”
Seeing me brighten up instantly, Antonio tilted his head.
“It’s nice that you’re so positive. You know what they say: you don’t boil a smiling pig.”
“…”
“What?”
“…It’s not a person, it’s a pig. You don’t boil a smiling pig.”
I mean, it’s normal not to boil people, right?
