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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: A Suspicious Seven-Year-Old
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Della's employee nodded at her question.
"She's seven years old. An orphan with no proper education or connections..."
"Even if just to figure out where and how she learned all those incredible things, we need to keep the connection going."
Della found Rima's existence suspicious too.
'Is she really seven?'
Della had been tailing Rima ever since the girl ventured into the square with a maid from the duke's mansion.
The child had blatantly tricked the maid and vanished into the crowd, then strode into a miscellaneous goods shop and boldly uttered what sounded like a password.
Somehow making her way into the information broker's den and meeting "Dellac," she'd even sealed a deal using her own intel as currency instead of money.
"She handed you a shady job, didn't she."
Della offered an apologetic smile.
The employee shook his head.
"No, not at all. If anything, I'm sorry for whining about it."
"Not at all. I'm suspicious of that child myself."
"Should we consider the possibility she's not human?"
Monsters had long been eradicated.
'I was there on the scene myself.'
Della, who had fought alongside the Saintess in the Crepatna War, remembered that day of glory—the final victory won at the cost of countless sacrifices.
No more monsters lurked about, mimicking human form to sow chaos.
"...The possibility she's a monster is zero."
Della pinpointed exactly what the employee had been getting at.
Her firm denial drew a quiet sigh of relief from him.
"But she's definitely something different. That's for sure."
"How long do we keep up the trades?"
"That child thinks you're 'Dellac,' the information broker's owner and the twin brother caring for his little sister, right?"
"She believes it with ironclad conviction."
Rima knew a ton of information, but she also mistook falsehoods for truth.
The prime example was her belief that the broker's owner was a man named Dellac.
"We just need to deliver what the client wants."
Until we get our hands on the information we desire.
"But at this rate, the Dayamor family..."
"If a house buckles under something this minor, it wouldn't be so bad if they vanished."
"......"
"Don't worry about the Dayamor family."
After sending the employee on his way,
Della, left alone, leaned back comfortably in her chair and closed her eyes, recalling her conversation with Muniel.
Inside the great witch's tent, the sharp tang of liquor mingled with the aroma of savory snacks.
"Pick the handsomest guy among your information broker staff and use him as your stand-in."
"A handsome man?"
"The employees you handpicked should all be sharp and adaptable, but it's still wise to train him ahead of time."
A twin brother with a sickly little sister.
Desperately hunting for her medicine.
A strikingly handsome young man.
'Lady Muniel, my eternal master.'
Della slowly opened her eyes, a faint shadow of worry crossing her face.
'How far do you see?'
A letter from Armifera Dayamor arrived.
Right before the Dayamor family set off for their forest camping trip, no less.
"Always this nemesis of mine."
Muniel grumbled as she roughly tore open the envelope with her fingers.
"That weird thing prowling around the house is all this one's fault."
"Evil dragon? Evil dragon?"
"It's a black lizard, I said."
Muniel readjusted Nibelria, who had clambered onto her back in the meantime.
"What does it say?"
Ardores asked.
"Did he finally lose an arm or a leg?"
Arep, slinging on his white cat-shaped bag nearby, gaped in shock.
Thankfully, the letter contained no such gory details.
"She's stopping by the house once."
"Who's coming to the house?"
"Your aunt's coming."
"That aunt who ran off? Beat her up?"
"Not 'beat her up'—Aunt Pera."
The Dayamor family's carriage rolled out of the capital.
Their campsite lay deep within the forest, where the pharmaceutical company's building was under construction.
Seletrina and Kaleo were swamped with work right now.
With the late autumn deadline looming for completing the pharma company's setup, they had no choice but to pick a spot that let them mix business with rest.
"Will it be okay...?"
"I'm a little worried too."
Kaleo and Seletrina felt guilty toward the children.
Should they have taken them somewhere nicer?
Their worries didn't ease until they reached the forest.
But the kids burst into cheers of delight the moment they arrived.
"Whoa! A forest!"
"The building's coming along so fast! Can we go inside and look around?"
"Miss, you can't go alone...!"
Nibelria, in particular, was so excited she took off on all fours and tumbled head over heels—not once, but three times in a row.
"Puhahaha! Nini, what was that?!"
Solles clutched his belly, laughing.
"Nini wants to run super fast right now!"
Unable to contain her boundless energy, Nibelria bolted off again.
Arep dashed alongside her, anxious she might trip and hurt herself.
But soon enough, Arep was laughing too.
Kaleo and Seletrina finally relaxed.
"Coming out like this every now and then sounds nice."
"It really does. Kids, you need to greet the Great Witch first before playing."
The Dayamor household headed for the great witch's tent.
"We'll be imposing on you for a bit."
"The Dayamors are benefactors to us witches. You're welcome anytime."
A deep smile creased the great witch's wrinkled face.
She handed out hunks of honey she'd made herself as gifts for the children.
As Nibelria chomped away at hers, she spilled the beans about the bright red jam from not long ago.
"You know, I ate that bright red jam, and it was so not tasty."
"That fruit pairs with honey, not sugar. Crush it and heat it up, and the astringency really comes out."
"Grandma's gonna feed it to Grandpa."
"Your grandpa's joints will stay solid right up till he kicks the bucket."
The great witch let out a hearty laugh.
Ardores, who had forced down a spoonful that very morning, shuddered at the thought of tomorrow's dose.
"Mom and Dad have some work to do real quick."
"Gotta listen to Grandma and Grandpa in the meantime?"
While Kaleo and Seletrina went off to work with the witches,
Muniel and Ardores took the kids to scout tent sites.
"Here!"
Nibelria pointed into the woods.
"Let's go inside and sleep!"
"You sure about that?"
Ardores pulled a deliberately spooky face, as if to scare her.
"Bears or boars might show up at night—or some super dangerous animal?"
"Uh..."
But the one who got spooked wasn't Nibelria—it was Arep.
"Hmph, bears or whatever!"
Instead of crossing her arms, Nibelria hugged herself tight and thrust her chin up high.
"Not scared one bit. Nini's the boss!"
"You really oughta be a little scared..."
Why was this kid so fearless?
At least this forest had no bears or other big predators—they'd scouted it thoroughly during construction prep.
"There are boars, though, so never go off alone. And don't even think about punching one or biting it to win."
Ardores's warnings were aimed squarely at Nibelria.
"Boar..."
Slurp.
Nibelria swallowed hard.
"Sounds tasty..."
"...Stick close to your brothers, you."
Conveniently, there was a perfect flat spot right at the forest's edge for pitching tents.
"Alright, kids—each grab an end and stretch it out nice and taut."
"Stretch! Stretch!"
Muniel and the children pulled the tent fabric tight, while Ardores went inside to set up and secure the poles.
Two large tents and one small one.
They filled them with camp beds, feather-stuffed sleeping bags, a folding table and chairs, and crates of food and supplies.
"Whoa, it's a house!"
Nibelria spun in gleeful circles around the finished interior.
In the child's eyes, the campsite tent was a perfect little home.
"We live here now?"
"Just for a few days."
Muniel fastened a necklace with a whistle around Nibelria's neck as she spoke.
Nibelria fiddled with the little silver whistle and sneakily blew into it.
Preeee! The shrill sound rang out surprisingly loud.
Startled, Nibelria flinched and dropped it.
"Blow it if something dangerous happens. Not just anytime."
"Dangerous stuff?"
"Like if you get lost... or run into a boar?"
"That won't happen!"
Nibelria shot back with a cheeky grin.
Muniel found it so amusing that she smiled softly and gave the girl's temples a firm massage.
"Eeeeng!"
"When Grandma's worried, you say 'Got it!'"
"Got it! Got iiiit!"
Finally freed from the pressure, Nibelria pondered for a moment.
"...Did Nini get smart again?"
Muniel's temple rubs made people smarter.
"Grandma, quiz me!"
"Why'd Grandma give you the whistle?"
"To blow if I get lost or meet a boar."
"Goodness, smart again!"
But Nibelria couldn't celebrate.
"If I get smart again, Nini has to conquer the world! Then she'll be too busy for cookies...!"
