The Spy in the Manor
"Hello! I'm Kyle Phelan!"
"I'm Jack Wilde."
"Emilia Siegfried."
"······."
Three people sat on the living room sofa. All of them had applied to be my attendants. But the woman sitting at the far right······ was a spy from the Trude Kingdom's Intelligence Bureau. And the younger sister of the protagonist, Hurtlocker Siegfried.
'So it's finally here.'
In the original story, this might have been a minor event, but for me now, it had become quite significant. As someone who had to desperately thwart the Intelligence Bureau's sabotage plans against the Empire, Emilia was the only bridge connecting me to both the Bureau and the protagonist. In the worst case, I could even kidnap her and use her as a bargaining chip with the protagonist.
······No. What am I even thinking?
"I'll explain the working conditions. You're free to commute, but room and board will be provided. All household chores such as cleaning and laundry will be entrusted to you."
"Ah. I don't know how to do laundry."
"I'm not very good at cleaning······."
"······."
Rejects appeared immediately. What kind of person applies to be an attendant without knowing how to clean or do laundry? Thinking it over, I recalled that in the original novel, aside from Emilia, the other applicants had all been rather incompetent. I just hadn't expected that setting to manifest so conveniently.
"What about you, Miss Emilia?"
"No problems at all."
"Then I'll appoint Miss Emilia as my attendant. The two of you may leave."
"Agh······."
Don't look so disappointed. You can't even clean or do laundry. Have you no shame? Kyle whatever-his-name-was and the other one. After sending the two away, I sat facing Emilia. Now the real negotiations would begin.
"Will you be commuting?"
"No. I'll stay in the dormitory."
Of course. Just as I expected. That way she could remain at the Imperial Academy for twenty-four hours, gathering information.
"Let me give you a more detailed explanation of the working conditions. First, you'll need to handle the cleaning and laundry of the mansion every day, and prepare three meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I'll cover the food expenses, but purchasing ingredients will also be your responsibility. And also······."
"In short, you expect me to fulfill the role of a housekeeper. I'm familiar with the work, so it won't be a problem at all."
As expected. Emilia had received thorough training as a maid before being deployed to the Empire. Her skills were at a level where she could be employed in any upper-class household without issue. She would likely handle everything well without needing detailed instructions from me.
"Then the wages—"
"1000 Tirion."
"······."
At that firm declaration, Emilia's mouth fell momentarily silent. A monthly salary of 100,000 won. Even with room and board included, it was an outrageous amount even by my own standards. Yet Emilia maintained only a faint smile on her face. So this was what a professional spy looked like. Completely concealing her emotions and showing only the mask required for the mission. In that sense, Emilia was perfectly specialized as a spy. Most likely, every emotion and expression she showed me was false.
"By 1000 Tirion, do you mean the monthly salary?"
"That's correct. Is it too little? If so, I can look for someone else right now—"
"No. It's sufficient."
Emilia answered with a gentle smile. Behind that smile, she was probably cursing me out enthusiastically······. Even with wages this low, Emilia wouldn't be able to refuse. Since Hurtlocker had failed to enroll, Emilia was the only one who could infiltrate the Imperial Academy. With the unprecedented event of a commoner topping the entrance exam, the Imperial Academy had become the Intelligence Bureau's highest priority surveillance target, making it even harder to give up.
Truthfully, if I wanted, I could have made her work for free, but that seemed a bit too much. I'd have to raise her salary later. Once I recovered my investment and had some financial leeway, that is. If Emilia quit in a fit of anger, it would be troublesome for me as well. Without eyes watching the Imperial Academy, the Intelligence Bureau might resort to more extreme measures. Keeping the Bureau's activities as close as possible to the original novel, within my range of expectations, was the best course of action for now.
"That's settled then."
"May I look around the mansion now?"
"I'll show you around."
Just as I was about to stand after signing the contract, my stomach let out a loud growl.
"······."
"······?"
A loud sound echoed from my stomach. Embarrassed, I squeezed my eyes shut and sat back down.
"Pfft······. Ah, I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I haven't eaten in quite a while either······."
"Then I'll prepare a meal first."
Emilia burst into laughter and headed toward the kitchen, tying on an apron. As she tied her hair back and looked at me, her smile was radiant. Even that smile was an act······. It left a slightly bitter feeling. To think I was in a position where I could never see the true nature of the character I had created.
"Please wait just a moment. I'll have it ready soon."
Living in such a large mansion and even hiring a maid made me feel like some kind of wealthy person. Though the mansion wasn't actually mine, and the maid was a spy from an enemy nation sent to watch me.
"It's ready."
Before long, Emilia had laid out plates on the dining table. Bacon and omelette rice. She had made something quick, considering my stomach's condition.
'Inquiry.'
[Bacon]
[Description: Freshly grilled and hot. A common ready-made product.]
[Omelette Rice]
[Description: Freshly made and warm. Comparable in taste to a first-class chef's dish.]
I used Inquiry just in case, but there was no mention of poison or anything suspicious. The taste was······ slightly exaggerated, but on the level of high-end restaurant cuisine. The bacon was already pre-cooked and sold that way, so that was understandable. The perfectly seasoned rice and the soft omelette created a fantastic harmony. There were clearly no sauces or spices, yet I couldn't help but wonder how she had achieved such flavor.
"It was delicious. Thank you for the meal."
"Really? I'm glad it suited your taste."
There probably wasn't a single person in this world whose taste it wouldn't suit. I had set Emilia's cooking skills as being at a high level. Who would have thought that setting I casually wrote down would prove so helpful?
"Now then, I'll show you around the mansion."
"Sounds good."
I took Emilia around the mansion, introducing each area just as Marie had done for me a few days ago······. We discussed and decided on specifics, such as where my bedroom was and when cleaning and laundry would be done. I decided to give Emilia one of the larger bedrooms. Before I knew it, the sun had begun to set.
"That's the training room."
"The training room······?"
"It's where I study and train my body. Entry will be strictly prohibited. Not that you could enter anyway, thanks to the barrier."
"Understood."
Emilia answered immediately, but I sensed something unusual in her gaze. I couldn't rule out the possibility that she might one day try to secretly break through the barrier to spy. It would be good to add one more safety measure.
"I'll be entering the training room from now on. If you need me, knock on the barrier."
"Yes, Master."
"······."
"Is there something wrong?"
"Let's change the way you address me."
Master······. It hadn't bothered me at all when writing the novel, but hearing it directly made me feel incredibly embarrassed.
"How would you like me to address you?"
"Just call me by my name. There's not much of an age difference anyway."
"No. That won't do. How could an attendant······."
"Then at least add 'ssi' to it."
"Heinkel-ssi?"
I had meant for her to call me Schluss-ssi. It felt a bit distant, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, Emilia and I were people who could never grow close, no matter what.
"Yes. That sounds perfect."
Leaving Emilia, who bowed at the waist, behind, I entered the training room. Today's routine was no different from yesterday's. Swordsmanship training using Memory of the True Body. Magic studies. And raising the remaining stats to open the shop. There was plenty to do.
***
"Hmm······."
The training room door closed. The smile had long since vanished from Emilia's face as she watched, leaving only a blank expression. Now alone, Emilia gently rubbed her face, which had grown stiff from maintaining an act all this time. She immediately returned to the mansion and headed for Schluss's bedroom.
'Hmm. This won't work.'
Her target was the safe she had seen earlier. But it was protected by thick steel plates, double dials, and even a barrier, so without calling in a professional, it seemed impossible to open. Even if she did call someone, the work wouldn't proceed quietly, so she decided to give up on the safe. Emerging into the hallway, Emilia entered the room she had been assigned. It was the same size as Schluss's bedroom. She had expected him to use the reception room for himself and give her a small room······. It was somewhat unexpected.
'Schluss Heinkel. Not like a commoner at all.'
Emilia had been slightly surprised from her first meeting with Schluss. She had heard he was a commoner. Yet from inside had emerged what appeared to be a noble young man. Only after hearing his name did she realize he was her surveillance target, Schluss Heinkel. The politeness and kindness that seemed ingrained in him, along with his confident demeanor and refined bearing, were enough to make one mistake him for a noble. So did Schluss Heinkel leave a good impression on Emilia······?
'And he's a complete bastard.'
He did not. What kind of madman offers 1000 Tirion as a housekeeper's monthly salary? Even with room and board provided, it was an absurd wage. She had thought he would at least negotiate, but when he firmly said he would look for someone else, Emilia had no choice but to accept in a hurry. Without her, surveillance of the Imperial Academy would become impossible. Abandoning surveillance of the Imperial Academy, where countless important figures gathered, was unthinkable.
'Perhaps he's the young master of some wealthy family.'
A wealthy young master. That was Emilia's guess about Schluss Heinkel's true identity. Even the Intelligence Bureau hadn't been able to clearly identify Schluss yet. He was either someone whose information was as tightly controlled as that of nobles, or someone so ordinary that there wasn't much information to gather. Emilia thought the former was more likely. After all, he was someone who offered 1000 Tirion as a housekeeper's monthly salary. Just how lacking in economic sense did one have to be to do that? On top of that, he had entered the Imperial Academy as the top student. Magic education had to be conducted from a young age, and it consumed an enormous amount of money—something even lower-ranking nobles couldn't dream of. So for a commoner household to provide magic education meant they weren't ordinary wealthy people. Perhaps the son of a large merchant guild owner under the Emperor's protection.
"Tsk."
Emilia's fist clenched tightly. While some grew up starving in cities devastated by war, without parents, such wealthy commoners existed here in the Empire. Schluss hadn't done anything wrong in that regard. But no matter how much she thought that way, she couldn't help but find Schluss unpleasant to look at.
'Peace really is important, after all.'
The Kingdom and the Empire had clearly fought the same war. But compared to the Kingdom, whose entire territory had been burned, the Empire's regions away from the front lines had always been peaceful. Peace came from national power, that is, from strength. And that strength······
'That's why the Empire must be destroyed, and destroyed again.'
It came from fear. It was what the Intelligence Bureau had emphasized so strongly, so it must be true. Emilia repeated those words to herself again and again, imagining a future where sabotage plunged the Empire into chaos. A future where the Empire collapsed and peace finally came to the continent. Emilia believed without doubt in the peace that the Intelligence Bureau spoke of endlessly.