As always, information is the most valuable resource.
It determines whether a person lives or dies.
That is why every nation has poured all its efforts into cultivating the people who hunt for it.
She, who once belonged to the Empire’s intelligence unit, had done the same.
Her kind never showed their faces; they listened in on others’ secrets, dug them out, and stole them in secret.
Sometimes they dressed as tavern owners, sometimes as beggars on the street.
But after the appearance of stigmas and variants, all of that information became meaningless.
The secrets they sold to neighboring countries turned to worthless scraps when those countries fell.
Information used to find weaknesses in someone could cause irreversible damage when thrown carelessly among the tightly packed people of this narrow continent.
In a world where everyone was supposed to hold hands and perish together, even stirring up trouble was out of the question; the priority was simply getting fresh outside information.
So the surviving intelligence agents of every nation split into two clear groups.
Some headed beyond the continent to the places already beyond humanity’s reach, risking their lives for the information.
The rest entered the one place on the continent that drew the most attention and began digging for people’s secrets.
And if asked where the hopes of these scattered people lay, most pointed to a single spot.
Genua Academy.
But even there, certain individuals had to be handled with care.
A simple example stood right in front of her: Aiden Starfive.
“...”
She gritted her teeth and extended her dagger.
She had no real confidence in combat.
This was an emergency.
That was the only word she could use.
Aiden Starfive.
A few days ago, the academy student who had been drawing every eye with insane intensity.
She didn’t know what stigma he had gained, but the results he had shown in such a short time were astonishing.
He had beheaded the son of the Frick family the moment he turned into a variant, and even brought down a colossal variant wearing a great disguise.
That alone would have been enough for the academy to promote him as a talented recruit.
The real problem was that Baron Frick had called him a “kindred.”
Any intelligence agent who knew the information could draw the obvious conclusion.
Aiden Starfive was a dangerous individual.
And a ticking time bomb at that.
The fact that he had killed Benjamin Frick probably meant he had fully inherited the title.
And that meant—
“How unfortunate.”
His voice woke the tea shop owner from her thoughts.
“We once knew each other for many years.”
“...What?”
Her gaze turned to Aiden Starfive.
A single sliver of emotion—disappointment—had been mixed into his otherwise overwhelming presence, threat, and indifference.
Instantly, countless memories flashed through her mind.
But she had never once met that man in her entire life.
What? Did that man say that because he had a deep relationship with her?
Did he already know her, and she simply didn’t remember meeting him somewhere?
Or was he speaking of memories from before she became an intelligence agent?
Or perhaps the memories from the time she was “lost”?
While staring at the tea shop owner desperately trying to recall, Aiden Starfive shook his head.
“My mistake.”
“...What business do you have, Aiden Starfive?”
She clenched her fist and glared at the man.
But the voice that came out was far softer than before; she simply couldn’t help it.
After all, it might be a relationship she had simply forgotten.
“...”
Aiden Starfive calmly regarded her, then offered a small stone.
“...This...!”
And the tea shop owner’s eyes widened at the stone.
The stone the Emperor was desperately seeking.
The highest-priority item collected by the Emperor’s direct intelligence unit.
The stone needed to save the dying crown prince.
“T-t-this... why to me...?”
Her voice trembled as she turned her gaze to Aiden Starfive.
“You ask for all sorts of things. Since you brought it, it’s only natural.”
To her question, Aiden Starfive answered as if it were obvious.
“What...?”
You brought it?
Of course he had brought it.
But why did he sound so casual about it?
As if knowing the crown prince’s situation was the most obvious thing in the world?
Her pupils shook violently, yet she slowly opened her mouth.
“What reward do you want?”
If she accepted such a rare item, what kind of reward could she possibly demand?
She already knew the crown prince was in critical condition; how could she possibly trade the information for something that satisfied him?
Was it her body?
She hurriedly covered her own body with both arms.
“N-no, even if I promised loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor, I can still decide for myself what I do with my body—”
“High-grade potion.”
She doubted her own ears.
“...What?”
“I’ve been asking you the same question over and over; it’s quite annoying. High-grade potion.”
And once more, just to prove what he had heard was correct, Aiden Starfive opened his mouth again.
“...”
High-grade potion.
It was not a cheap item.
But within the category of potions, given the stone’s value, even three high-grade potions would be accepted with a smile.
“...Really, if that’s all, then...”
The tea shop owner swept her falling hair aside and looked at him.
“I won’t ask twice.”
With a loud thud, Aiden Starfive placed the stone down.
A terrifying aura flowed from his body, choking her breath.
“One high-grade potion. Right now.”
“...Understood.”
While heading out for the high-grade potion, the tea shop owner changed her mind.
Not long after, with a crisp ting, a potion bottle appeared on the counter.
“...It’s supreme-grade.”
“I didn’t request this.”
Aiden Starfive frowned at her goodwill.
“It’s my will. So take it.”
“...”
He snatched the potion and left without another word.
Watching his retreating back, the tea shop owner fell into thought.
Aiden Starfive.
He was definitely a dangerous man.
But he might not be a bad one.
“...”
Or perhaps he was the person from her lost memories.
The pure, innocent childhood that no longer came to mind.
With a bitter taste in her mouth, she began to reorganize her inventory again.
She thought that if he came back someday, she would have to add a little more then.
She didn’t know.
That the stone in Aiden Starfive’s mind was worth roughly one high-grade potion per game.
She didn’t know.
That the transmigrator had no knowledge of the current situation.
She didn’t know.
That next year the crown prince would die, causing the stone’s value to plummet straight down.
With a loud thud, she placed the stone down and sank into thought.
If this was all it took to save the crown prince’s life,
then at least she could take one step away from that enormous tragedy.
*
“Khhkhkh... khhkhkhkh...”
How lucky can I possibly be?
Yes. I am lucky.
Looking at the supreme-grade potion in my hand, I couldn’t stop laughing.
Supreme-grade potion.
I had obviously only wanted high-grade.
Is this protagonist buff?
Of course I’m a fake protagonist, but since no real protagonist has appeared yet, I’m still the protagonist.
I traded one high-grade potion for one supreme-grade, and even got the tea shop owner’s seal of approval.
Thanks to this wretched stigma I had stirred up misunderstandings in the early stages, but with my desperate efforts I had managed to fix it.
What am I supposed to do with this talent for socializing?
If only the stigma hadn’t appeared, I could have lived as a con artist or agitator.
It’s just a pity I couldn’t.
Thinking that, I walked toward the classroom.
The classroom was always noisy.
Of course, when I entered, everyone suddenly grew quiet—as if they had agreed on it.
Honestly, it stung a little, but what could I do? My stigma looked like this.
“...”
But this time it was different.
It had been loud when I entered, but now there wasn’t a single sound.
Had someone come in and caused chaos?
Thinking that, I stepped inside.
Sudden Fist Attack!
A fist was pointed right at my face!
My heart nearly stopped.
I almost screamed “Waaah!” just now.
[Stigma activated!]
[You do not scream like a girl!]
Thanks to the stigma, I hadn’t screamed.
“...”
I turned my gaze and looked at the person in front of me.
Pink hair fluttered in the air.
Eyes filled with passion locked onto mine.
“I found you! Aiden Starfive!”
She lit up when she saw me, and the moment our eyes met she swallowed hard.
“Y-yes, you really are scary. What people said wasn’t wrong.”
“...”
“But you didn’t even blink when you saw my attack, so you really are amazing!”
Pink hair flew wildly.
Why was this character here?
“So.”
As if my thoughts were irrelevant, the woman smiled and looked at me.
“You, let’s spar!”
Ayla Seed.
The main character of chapter 6.
“Don’t hold back—fight me!”
Lydia Straw, along with Laura Crown, was a woman ranked third among the troublesome characters one should never face head-on.
She was staring at me with sparkling eyes.