Alesya (1)
Chapter 11
“No.”
At Jimy’s firm denial, Ray furrowed his brow.
“Nothing at all?”
“It’s none. And even if there was something, would it ever be our turn? That’s all weakness.”
There was no denying Jimy’s words this time.
Ray had asked Jimy to look into any issues troubling the Count’s family recently.
While he hadn’t expected much, receiving the anticipated answer still left him feeling somewhat frustrated.
“Hmm.”
“Why so glum? Doesn’t suit you. Why don’t you just barge in and try your luck?”
“I’ve barged in before plenty of times, but I don’t throw myself into situations where there’s absolutely no angle.”
Though Philip Count is known among the nobility for being particularly flexible.
Even so, there was no way he’d entertain the absurd request of sending a knight to the orphanage for basic swordsmanship lessons.
He tried digging for information to perhaps incur a favor, but came up empty-handed.
As Ray was lost in thought, Jimy pulled out his money pouch with a low chuckle.
“There’s about 200 gold here. It’s my slush fund, but take it. Should be enough for twenty practice swords.”
“Thank you.”
“And if that doesn’t work, maybe subtly ask the young miss of the house. She does seem to like you.”
“That might be difficult.”
Several years ago, when he was six, wasn’t it?
Ray had boldly approached the Count’s estate with this declaration:
An agent of one of the five heads of the Philips County underworld wanted an audience with the Count!
Anyone he asked confirmed he was clearly insane.
Even then, it was half-crazy gamble, but if Alesya hadn’t taken an interest in Ray as she passed through the main gate, the likelihood was high that Ray would have been beaten to death by the guards.
“The Count’s cherished tomboy daughter; it’d be better to approach the Count directly rather than trying some clumsy scheme. Alesya seems to dislike talking to me lately anyway.”
“But didn’t the young miss take a liking to you?”
“She started avoiding eye contact after beginning formal noble etiquette lessons.”
“Heh heh. I see what’s going on.”
Around the age of ten, noble children begin learning various disciplines to become ‘true nobles,’ and it’s at this point their awareness of ‘status’ becomes firmly established.
“You’re of noble blood, blah blah. The duties of a noble are this, and the duties of those below are that.”
It was a necessary lesson for leaders in a class-based society.
Anyway, Alesya had just started her proper noble education and was at peak status consciousness.
‘Recently, she seemed to consider me something akin to a dirty insect…’
He remembered how she used to approach him with shining eyes and now felt somewhat bitter.
What a shame for such a youngster to start learning how to look down on others before anything else.
After finishing the last of his tea, Ray stood up.
“I’ll head out. Need to check the blacksmith’s.”
“Ray.”
Matthew stopped Ray to caution him.
“I’ll continue looking into the information you want, within safe limits. So please, don’t cause any accidents. For heaven’s sake.”
“Don’t worry, Matthew. When have I ever caused ‘irreparable’ trouble?”
“Don’t twist causality. We’re still alive because we somehow managed to clean up the messes.”
With a snicker, Ray waved goodbye and left the office.
Jimy and Matthew both rubbed their faces, feeling a headache coming on.
“This stress will kill me. I’m ready to give up my title and retire to the countryside.”
“We already did that once, Chief, which brought us here.”
“Dear heavens.”
There’s no paradise in running away.
Recalling the words of some legendary knight from long ago, Jimy made a face as if he’d bitten a bug.
*
There’s only one decent blacksmith around here.
Guided by the sound of metal being hammered and the heat radiating from the forge, Ray found himself inside the workshop, casually circling the sales counter until he spotted the display of swords.
As he stealthily moved closer to draw one, the man guarding the counter stopped him.
“Kids, go home. Only adults with verified identities can buy weapons.”
Ray blinked, considering whether to return with Jimy or Matthew.
‘Tch. Annoying, but what can you do?’
Just as Ray was about to stand, a man browsing farming tools suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
“Goodness! Aren’t you the orphan collector, Ray!”
This kind of thing happened occasionally.
Ray, who constantly gathered orphans for the orphanage run by Jimy in the back alleys, was quite well-known among the townsfolk.
“Ray? Is that Ray? Did someone say Ray?”
But Ray had overlooked something.
A significant change in rumors had occurred recently.
Customers browsing items in the blacksmith shop were startled upon hearing Ray’s name and quickly stepped back.
“Whew! It really is Ray! Jimy’s secret weapon!”
“Ray? Raised to be an emotionless assassin, wasn’t he called a killing machine?”
“He’s said to have dismembered dozens of opposing gang members single-handedly!”
“Mercy! Isn’t Jimy that villain unafraid of heaven itself? How could he raise such an evil creature?”
Ha ha, you people are overreacting.
Shaking his head, Ray drew one of the displayed swords.
As the sharp blade revealed itself, the blacksmith’s customers panicked and fled.
“…”
The lone remaining shopkeeper nervously backed away until making eye contact with Ray.
“Can I see the sword?”
“Please, take a look!”
“Well, uh, yes, let me see the sword.”
Shaking his head again, Ray flicked the blade with his finger.
He did it without any particular reason—Ray didn’t know how to appraise swords.
‘Just infuse a little mana and buy it if there’s no issue.’
Clang!
The perfectly fine blade snapped cleanly in two and fell to the ground.
“…”
“…”
The shopkeeper cautiously peeked out, made eye contact with Ray again, and hastily crawled under the counter.
“…There was a defect.”
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
After breaking four swords, Ray turned his gaze to the rusted sword he always carried.
Though treated as junk due to its rust, Ray finally noticed it had been a fairly high-quality item in its prime.
‘The metal composition and density aren’t uniform, so cracks form when mana is infused.’
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
Do what? Keep testing until you find a good one.
Having played countless gacha games since his reincarnation, Ray reached for the next sword without hesitation, but a thick hand grabbed his thin wrist.
“I thought we had a knight visiting, but it’s just a kid. The rumors aren’t entirely exaggerated, it seems.”
Shoulders shrugged, Ray asked,
“I came recommended by Jimy. Do you have any decent swords?”
“We don’t mishandle items of quality fit for the manor.”
The bearded blacksmith turned his body toward the forge.
“But since you mentioned Jimy’s name, I suppose I should part with one.”
Upon receiving the sword and flowing a faint amount of mana through it, Ray nodded approvingly and searched his waist.
“How much do I owe?”
“200 gold.”
Ray’s expression crumpled instantly.
“I believe the longswords outside are less than 10 gold each.”
“Do you think the one I handed you is worth less than twenty combined pieces displayed outside?”
“Damn. If this is price gouging, I’ll come back with Jimy next time.”
“Perhaps from next time, we can consider a regular customer discount.”
In the end, Ray emptied his wallet, tucked two swords into his belt, and headed back onto the street.
“Sigh.”
Still, he had acquired new swords, so it was fine.
Considering whether to return to the orphanage, he noticed a woman running down the main road.
She caught his attention because she was dressed far more extravagantly than others, adorned with fancy clothes and jewelry, while rushing anxiously between people.
One more detail: she was barefoot.
Thinking she might be troubled, Ray observed her closely and narrowed his eyes, muttering,
“What? It’s Charlotte.”
He’d seen her face a few times because her sister worked at Lilac Evening.
“Didn’t she say she worked at the manor?”
Curious, Ray stopped Charlotte as she ran.
“Charlotte!”
“What?! Who…!! Oh, oh? Oh! Ray, it’s you!”
“Hello, Charlotte. Is there a problem?”
“Oh! That’s it! Ray, please help me. I’ll definitely repay you.”
“Calm down and explain what’s going on.”
Charlotte’s story was of the type that occasionally occurred in the past.
The mischievous Young Miss Alesya frequently got her servants into trouble and went missing, though usually within the confines of the manor.
The issue now was that this disappearance happened outside the manor.
While getting makeup forced upon her at a high-end clothing store per Alesya’s insistence, Charlotte realized Alesya had vanished and immediately rushed out into the streets.
Ray greeted the panting Charlotte with the most friendly smile he could muster.
“Don’t worry, Charlotte. It’s not too late.”
“Right? By any chance… those friends of Mr. Jimy? Could they help find the young miss?”
“Charlotte, stop being ridiculous and get a grip.”
Ray maintained his smile but hardened his tone.
“Go back to the Count’s estate immediately and report that Alesya has gone missing.”
“Ray! Then I…”
“At worst, you might receive a beating or have a few months’ salary docked. I know what you’re thinking. Alesya probably hasn’t gone far, this area is safe, and if we find her, we could pretend nothing happened and start tomorrow peacefully.”
However, if, if Charlotte fails to find Alesya and time passes, and during that time Alesya gets into some accident…
“Charlotte, don’t risk your life over this. Please, go back to the Count’s estate right now and report that the young miss has hidden herself. For the family’s sake. If things go wrong, this isn’t something Charlotte alone should bear responsibility for.”
Gritting her teeth, Charlotte struggled to nod.
“Alright. That’s probably right. Thanks for helping me snap out of it. But, can I ask one more favor? Could you also look for the young miss? She likes you, so maybe you can reach her heart.”
“Alright. Go back before it’s too late.”
After receiving reassurance several more times, Charlotte began running towards the direction of the manor.
Stretching his arms and loosening his body, Ray scratched the back of his neck and looked northward.
“Nothing unusual should happen. Unless… she went mountain climbing.”
The small rear mountain adjacent to the Philips County Manor isn’t large, and no ferocious beasts live there, so as long as one takes care to avoid hypothermia, there shouldn’t be problems for children climbing it.
It would be safe for anyone to climb, were it not for the fact that the small rear mountain connects to the lengthy Sigini Mountain Range leading north.
“…This situation feels a bit strange.”
Recalling the adventures and treasures the reckless noble young miss always cried out for, Ray partially drew his newly purchased sword, then put it back.
Might as well try climbing the mountain once, right?
If, by some chance,
It could be a good opportunity to place a desirable debt with Philips Count.
