Everyone in the room turned their heads toward the source of the noise.
The Deputy Commander wore a cold, expressionless face.
Behind him, Antonio frowned.
Antonio approached me.
"Uh… is that… no, he… no, that guy… uh."
He seemed at a loss for a proper way to address the Lord's nephew.
At that moment, the Deputy Commander spoke.
"Marina, did you really treat my guest like this?"
So the nephew's name was Marina.
Marina flinched.
"That sewer rat is your guest?"
Antonio, who had been helping me up, looked shocked and said,
"'Sewer rat'?"
Marina, caught off guard by their reactions, fumbled for words. Then, as if remembering an excuse, she pointed at me with her finger.
"I was only scolding them for coveting clothes without knowing their place."
Antonio raised his eyebrows. "Clothes?" and glanced at the dress Marina had been holding.
The staff looked awkward.
That alone seemed enough for the Deputy Commander to understand that Marina had mistaken the dress as hers.
The Deputy Commander's gray eyes glinted coldly.
"She knows who the clothes truly belong to. The one who doesn't know their place is someone else."
He snatched the dress from Marina's hands and handed it to a staff member.
"Press out the wrinkles and wrap it properly."
"Yes, Commander."
Marina's face burned red.
"No matter if you're the Commander of the Knights, you cannot be this rude to me."
The Deputy Commander, who had been expressionless, leaned close to whisper into her ear.
Though the staff looked confused, I—having once been in charge of security for a gang of thieves—could hear it clearly.
"Don't forget. We were the ones who chose your great-uncle, who had nothing but a well, as the Lord of San Miguel."
"Wow."
Marina's expression went dark.
She pursed her lips tightly and ran off.
The Deputy Commander, having briefly watched her leave, sat back on the sofa. Then he spoke to the staff.
"Step aside."
The staff left the room immediately.
Antonio helped me sit on the sofa opposite the Deputy Commander and asked,
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, I'm fine."
"That's a relief."
"I… um, why did you call me here?"
I looked at the Deputy Commander with a tense expression.
Though his face remained stern, there was something odd about the atmosphere.
A bit awkward, perhaps?
'Is it because it'd be embarrassing to tell me not to show up in the city?'
That wouldn't do.
I wanted to work in the city and make a good impression on the Knights.
If I did, then once the Commander became the Duke and I no longer had to hide as an Irregular, maybe he'd allow me to join as a member.
'But it'd be bad to push back and completely fall out of the Deputy Commander's favor…'
Right, I couldn't afford to lose favor with the Irregulars' second-in-command.
I finally made up my mind.
At that moment, the Deputy Commander finally spoke.
"The reason I called you here is…"
"Yes, I'll leave."
"…What?"
My sad expression made the Deputy Commander flinch.
It was natural for him to be startled since I spoke before he could.
I sighed.
"I'll go as far away as possible."
"No, I…"
"I will never work in this city again, not even in a dream…"
"…."
I decided to work elsewhere until the Commander became Duke. Then, I'd return.
Seeing me sulk and bow my head, the Deputy Commander spoke in a flustered tone.
"Is… it not difficult to find a job?"
"I have recommendation letters from the Imperial Army commanders, so I should be able to work anywhere."
"Recommendation letters from the commanders?"
Antonio chimed in.
"They're huge names. Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier… even that Brigadier Muños, the old man."
Ah, right.
Brigadier Muños's fleet had faced the Irregulars before. He was an excellent commander and had inflicted serious damage on them.
'But wasn't that overcome under the Deputy Commander's leadership?'
In the end, the Brigadier, broken under the Deputy Commander's command, would rage at any mention of the Irregulars.
I nodded.
"Yes. If there's nowhere else to work, I can go to Brigadier Muños. Don't worry."
I gave him a stern look, silently saying: "Just don't bother me too much."
But for some reason, the Deputy Commander's eyes twitched slightly.
'…?'
"…Damn Brigadier Muños…"
The Deputy Commander ground his teeth silently and pressed a hand to his forehead.
Oblivious, Antonio busied himself chatting with Eustea.
"Brigadier Muños is picky and doesn't take people easily. All the crew on his ship had at least five years' experience."
"Really? He asked me to come, though. If the Brigadier is difficult, I could go to the Colonel."
"Colonel Ragoni? He also wrote a recommendation."
"Colonel Ragoni and Colonel Mori both said to come if I needed a job. And…"
Famous names from the Imperial Army flowed from Antonio's mouth.
The Deputy Commander felt a headache coming on.
His earlier words swirled through his mind.
"Foolish. I see you're cunning. You've worked Antonio well. That's why I really don't want to let you go."
Moreover…
"Are you saying you'd kill them?"
"The most certain and clean method."
He probably wanted to smack himself for speaking like that to a teacher sent by heaven.
'How could I ask someone to help me by flattering them?'
I'd said I'd leave the city entirely, so he must have been seriously upset. And there were plenty of places I could go.
'But we only have this kid.'
I was the twelfth teacher replacing a previous eleven. Who would take responsibility for this fool?
At that moment, Antonio—this fool—changed the subject.
"It's a shame if the old geezers monopolize your galbi. You taught letters so well too."
"You want to learn more letters?"
"The Deputy Commander insisted I do."
"Then shall I stop by often to teach you?"
The Deputy Commander snapped his head up. For a moment, it felt like sunlight had broken through.
Antonio asked,
"Is that okay?"
"Of course."
"But traveling from the isles here is hard…"
"Yes, it would be."
The Deputy Commander quickly interjected.
"If you both wish, I can provide space in the castle."
"In the castle?"
Eustea blinked in surprise, and Antonio frowned.
"You just kicked us out so coldly… and now this is a job?"
"…."
"You've been acting strange since earlier. Suddenly running out without even looking for a teacher… ugh!"
The Deputy Commander covered the illiterate girl's mouth.
"Will you do it?"
Eustea's eyes widened.
When she hesitated, he grew impatient.
"I'll pay whatever tuition you want."
"…."
"Full authority."
"…."
"Equivalent to a department head, and you could be treated as a guest…"
At that moment—
Snatch.
Eustea grabbed the Deputy Commander's hands with both of hers.
"Really?"
The Deputy Commander stiffened.
Though he had a commanding presence, girls their age were usually intimidated by him. No one had dared to grab his hands like this.
Soft, small hands.
Too delicate to pull away.
Eustea beamed with joy, jumping up and down.
"Wow! Waaah!"
Even Antonio, whose mouth was gagged, couldn't help smiling at the adorable sight.
The Deputy Commander's lips twitched into a smile as he watched.
Several weeks later…
"Aren't they a precious visitor from the Isles?"
"Yes. Doing great work, apparently. The butler said to grant all requests from Lady Eustea."
Marina, eavesdropping from behind a corridor corner, gritted her teeth.
The entire castle had been buzzing about that 'sewer rat' for days.
'A precious visitor from the Isles? Ridiculous.'
She ran off, muttering.
Her destination: the office of the Viscount of San Miguel.
"Are you going to leave it like this?"
The Viscount frowned at the documents he was reading.
"What do you mean?"
"The Commander of the Knights. He received a guest as if he were a Lord."
Veins stood out on the Viscount's hand as he gripped his pen.
He had heard the news. That meddlesome girl who had been irritating them when entering the castle with the Commander was now received as a guest.
"So you want her expelled?"
"Not impossible. My great-uncle is the real Lord. The Commander said they were the ones who chose him. How rude—"
"Don't bring that up again!"
The Viscount snapped. Marina flinched.
"I just wanted to point out that the Commander was overstepping…"
The Viscount's expression hardened.
His influence didn't reach the Deputy Commander. The Deputy Commander had allowed it.
As the Deputy Commander said, the current Lord of San Miguel had been chosen. His family was impoverished, and he had no heirs.
If there's no heir, there's no one to inherit San Miguel.
After taking control of Escarlot, it would be natural to replace the Lord.
'That's why we're letting this happen.'
The Viscount spoke coldly:
"Your role is important. Marina, you must become the Commander's daughter."
"…."
"If you win his favor, Escarlot will be ours beyond just San Miguel."
"Yes."
Finally satisfied, the Viscount patted his niece's shoulder.
"Don't worry about that girl. It's actually for the best."
"What do you mean?"
"Antonio, that fool will never properly learn letters. The girl will prove her incompetence herself."
Then the Commander would never adopt her as a foster daughter.
Marina smiled.
"She'll be kicked out soon."
She chuckled like a blooming flower.
Meanwhile, outside the castle, something strange was happening at the forge.
With 54 years of experience, the old man who had scammed fools by selling fake headgear weapons to previous crew members was flustered.
"Sign a contract?"
"Yes."
The members had demanded a contract when buying weapons.
And…
"This old man still hasn't learned! [Absolutely non-refundable]—what kind of contract is that? Trying to scam again?!"
"…!!"
Where had they learned to write?
A sunny morning.
I held up a sketchbook for Antonio and the other members.
Before I could even ask,
"Answer!"
"Me! Me!"
The members eagerly raised their hands.
Originally, the lessons were only for Antonio. Now dozens of members participated.
Antonio was the first to raise his hand.
"Yes, Antonio, please answer."
"Dozens of merchant ships… uh, sunk! Yes, dozens of merchant ships sank!"
I nodded proudly.
He could now read difficult characters.
'He had some basic literacy, but progress is fast.'
Other teachers just handed words to memorize, which didn't suit Antonio or similar students.
I let the members read books that sparked their interest.
[The transparent dragon roared. The king counted.]
Or
[The madam stroked the butler's chin. For a long time. So sexy.]
'To keep them engaged.'
They looked up unknown words and gradually increased the book's difficulty. Appropriate rewards encouraged rapid progress.
"Antonio, collect your reward."
He punched the air and quickly took his prize.
"Awesome! Amazing!"
Other members looked on jealously.
Even those still learning the alphabet gritted their teeth.
"Once you master this, just wait."
"小 teacher, what about our questions?"
The members now called me "little teacher."
The lessons lasted about five hours, with three hours of self-study.
During that time, I…
'I need to report.'
I went to report the week's progress to the Deputy Commander, using the backyard as a classroom.
I took the southwestern passage—the quietest and fastest route.
'Hurry and get back to answer questions.'
Walking, I noticed someone ahead in a hood, face hidden.
And with them was…
'Marina.'
The Viscount's niece.
"Will it succeed?"
"The barrier is strong, but in my hands, it's no problem."
"Good. Then let's…"
Just as I wanted to say 'look', Marina's eyes met mine.
Her expression instantly hardened.
The hooded figure startled and ran.
Marina glared at me.
"How dare you follow me?"
"I wasn't spying. I was just passing by."
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
This girl had serious self-importance issues.
This wasn't the first time. She'd been grumpy at me every time we met these past weeks.
Intentional provocation.
But I was always just passing by.
Marina approached me with crossed arms and shoved my shoulder.
"How much did you hear?"
"Like a little rat, eavesdropping."
"Do you think acting like this will get you noticed by the Commander?"
I was pushed fully against the wall.
She raised her hand again, aiming to shove me further.
I swiftly grabbed her wrist.
"Stop because your homework will drop."
Marina laughed bitterly and dumped the homework.
"What if it gets ruined?"
"…."
I stared at the soaked homework, ruined by a puddle from the early morning rain.
Antonio had been in the library until dawn completing this homework.
He had brought it, crookedly written, smiling:
"Little teacher taught so well, even big students tried hard."
Other members made time to diligently complete it.
Marina stomped on the homework.
"What are you going to do?"
"…Like this."
Before she could react, I slipped between her arms and twisted them, taking control.
I am a daughter of a marquis family.
I learned self-defense as soon as I could walk.
"Let go! Ah! Great-uncle…!"
"Struggle, and it'll hurt more."
Your great-uncle can't come.
Because…
"Why did you summon the alchemist?"
"…What?"
I recognized the voice of the hooded figure.
One of the game shops, the Alchemy Shop.
Alchemists could be requested for special tasks.
And their specialty: mind control.
I could guess who they were targeting.
'If they normally cast barriers, only the elite squad could interfere.'
Meaning this:
"You've been caught right at your weak point."