"You have a distinctive way of walking."
Since Esperanza hadn't done any special gait correction for entering high society, her walk remained exactly as it was when she was a Hunter. When wearing a dress, her stride beca a bit narrower, but it wasn't a big difference. Fortunately, the dresses of this era weren't the type that inflated petticoats to their limits or boasted sleeves wider than arm's width.
So she had no choice but to be different from ladies who had lived their entire lives wearing shoes and dresses, or even from gentlen. A confident gait. Wide strides. The walk of a fighter who never let down their guard.
The gait of one who didn't fear death even when entering battle. Truly the very symbol of a Hunter.
"Poulsbury has a brief military record. Though he was discharged when he beca heir before being properly commissioned, he received military training and was said to have talent in that field."
Though he had now beco a legal scholar, considering that his field was criminal law, perhaps he had initially aspired to be an investigator like his other relatives. Since he had already beco the heir to a marquessate, having a profession was a distant matter. Even studying criminal law would beco more difficult to continue once he inherited his father's title.
"Then how did the information broker recognize ?"
"That guy recognized you too? For a back-alley person to have that kind of discernnt."
Several things ca to Esperanza's mind as well. Like Viscount Poulsbury's brothers, he might have participated in the colonial war as a soldier. But looking at that pale, gaunt face, it didn't seem like he had been to the Paolun front lines where the scorching sun was said to beat down until you dried up and died. There was also almost no reason for soone who had made a fortune as a war veteran to return to the back alleys. Since the only way for back-alley people to enter the military was to participate in colonial wars, all other factors were excluded.
Thieves and thugs could also have skills as excellent as trained individuals. Though the possibility was slim. But the information broker's dangerous atmosphere bothered her. If that were the case, what she could think of was.
"Assassin."
The answer popped out simultaneously.
"I wondered why he seed dangerous. He offered
a seat, but had hidden a gun behind the wall."
"You must have caught so disease where you die if you don't live dangerously."
Cider clicked his tongue sarcastically. He had never really tried to stop her, but now he seed to have thrown up both hands and feet.
It was a wise judgnt. No matter what he said, Esperanza wouldn't stop doing dangerous things, and she wouldn't actually beco endangered either.
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To avoid Kendrick and organize information, Esperanza refrained from going out and borrowed a corner of Cider's study. Unlike Cider, who had never been seen but was said to have assistants for parliantary work, Esperanza had to organize and analyze this thick file folder alone.
She couldn't even tell how accurate the information the information broker had given her was. If she spotted anything strange in the middle, she might have to cross-verify. But for now, she had no choice but to trust it. At least while playing the ga, the information broker's information was almost never wrong. Especially for simple investigations like this rather than background checks on people.
'Information broker, you better be worth the money.'
Starting from the most recent date, she organized the incidents one by one and marked the organized incidents on a map of all of Osdern that she had also obtained from Cider. Cider, who had initially lent her a fountain pen, saw what Esperanza was doing and had the butler retrieve 8-color crayons from a nursery room he didn't even know existed.
"......You want
to use this?"
"It seems perfectly suited for the work you're doing."
Cider grinned and gestured with his chin.
Well. That was true. Though Esperanza thought it was correct, she felt like she was being teased and looked back and forth between the short crayons the length of a finger and the map. Coloring with crayons would be cleaner and better-looking than drawing circles with colored fountain pens. For sothing 20 years old, the quality was good.
"Strangely......"
"What, don't you like my kindness?"
Since he was talking about kindness, he was definitely teasing her. As for what he was actually doing, he was copying circuits. As if he was doing sothing impressive.
"Yes, well, it's almost like kindergarten. One is coloring practice, the other is copying."
Esperanza said while pouting. Kindergarten? Cider questioned, then roughly understood and retorted.
"Should I hire a tutor?"
"For little kids, it's more about snacks."
Esperanza jumped up and rushed out of the study. Cider tilted his head, then looked at the clock and understood. It was exactly snack ti.
To be precise, it was teati, but snacks were more important to Esperanza than tea. Usually Esperanza would coax the cook to get her favorite snacks, and Cider would eat his portion beside her, then slyly pass half his plate to Esperanza. Esperanza would naturally accept it as if it had originally been on her plate.
Mrs. Lux, the housekeeper who had been worried about the Count who ate little and didn't enjoy snacks, was delighted that the Count at least took care of his snacks well after Miss Esperanza arrived. She hoped it wouldn't be discovered for a long, long ti.
Cider finished drawing the circuit and leisurely stood up.
"Count."
The old butler showed him a tray full of invitations and pressured him with his eyes. Cider smiled and rebelled.
"It's teati. Do you intend to keep a lady waiting?"
"Count, we all know very well that lady wouldn't wait for you even a little. Please sit down."
"My snacks will wait for ."
"We also know that with your small appetite, you couldn't have finished all those snacks. Even old Mrs. Lux might find out by tomorrow."
Mrs. Lux and the butler didn't get along well, but they shared information about their master smoothly. Cider glared at the butler and sat down.
"Even if I don't eat much, I do eat. What exactly do you take
for?"
"You'll finish quickly."
Cider roughly dumped the invitations on his desk and skimd through them. As always, most were proposals to gather without much content.
"Set aside the academy ones separately."
"Will you attend them all?"
"Well......"
He had usually attended academic etings, but for the ti being, unless so remarkable technology erged, there probably wouldn't be occasion to go. He didn't even have enough ti to focus on his own research. Moreover, with parliant uselessly convening......
"Mr. Zachary asked again whether you're not coming to the parliantary office today."
"Tell him I'm not going."
"You'd have nothing to say if you were dismissed."
"That would be fine too."
The Count, who had a hereditary title that others desperately wanted and a territory that collected sufficient taxes, grumbled about just attending parliant and lazily rifled through the invitations.
"Really, everyone has so much ti. ......This one isn't for
though?"
"Yes? Who else but the Count would receive an invitation, ah."
"It's a letter that ca in Esperanza's na. The sender is, let's see, 'Cordelia Mabelwood.'"
They seed to have talked for quite a while then, so they must have beco quite close. Seeing that she had beco friends with Cordelia, who was known for being sensitive and perceptive while having other purposes, Esperanza's skills were considerable.
"I'll take this to her, and decline all the rest."
"You're overworking this old man's arms again."
The butler reproached his master while neatly collecting the invitations on the tray. Before the butler could even leave, another visitor arrived.
"Why aren't you coming yet?"
Esperanza entered carrying a plate. Cider ostentatiously gestured to the butler. Wouldn't wait? The butler sighed and left the study.
"If you have a lot to do, just eat here. Are you done with copying?"
"Copying is finished. Your coloring practice probably has a long way to go though."
"Ah, yes."
Esperanza, who had started the conversation first then roughly cut it off, placed a heaping plate of snacks on Cider's desk. Though there were cucumber sandwiches substantial enough to substitute for a al, Esperanza was only picking out madeleines to eat.
"Sorry, but it's a new assignnt."
"What is it?"
"An invitation. It ca from Lady Cordelia."
"Ah, ah. Right."
Co to think of it, she had been so distracted last ti that she hadn't told him the details? Esperanza opened the envelope she received and continued.
"Cordelia is inviting
to Mabelwood."
"To Mabelwood? Did you have a separate eting with Lady Cordelia?"
"Nothing except seeing her at the Humphrey mansion. The invitation story is written here. Oh, Cordelia wants to et at Mayton Hall. She says she'll guide
if I haven't been there yet."
Attached at the end was 'Originally this should be the guardian's job, but I don't think your guardian would bother with such things.' It was true. Esperanza's nominal guardian didn't waste ti on such useless activities.
In fact, they had only gone out together exactly twice. Once to the magic goods store, another ti to the Humphrey mansion. Both were outings with clear intentions.
"What's the date?"
"Tomorrow."
"......I'll have to go out that day. Maybe I should visit the university after a long ti."
Because without Esperanza, all the snacks for one person would be entirely his. Mrs. Lux's nagging was very botherso.
"If there's anything to buy while you're there, put it on Avondale's account, and while you're at it, check what's new at the grocery shop for ."
"Grocery shop?"
"I guess it doesn't exist 13 years later?"
"I've never heard of it."
Cider said nonchalantly.
"It's nothing special."
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"He said it was nothing special."
Esperanza sighed. Grocery Shop. It was the largest magical device store in Mayton Hall, operated by Mr. and Mrs. Grocery. It was also the only store that used an entire floor in this Mayton Hall, where the rent for each individual shop was as expensive as buying a store in other shopping districts.
When Esperanza and Cordelia had just entered the store, a moving beautiful boy doll was walking a moving puppy doll. So nobles used automatons even when walking their dogs. Of course, there was a separate doll for opening doors.
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