Chapter 5 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

Episode 5 5 - The Secret Assassination Instructor <5 - The Secret Assassination Instructor> It was just another day, indistinguishable from the rest, devoted to training. But today, slightly different from usual, marked the beginning of a special day. “I have been dispatched to take care of you as your maid.” “Oh!” Clap, clap, clap. A woman dressed as a maid, prompting spontaneous applause, appeared. With her short bobbed auburn hair and sharp eyes, the cute-looking maid curtsied slightly, lifting the hem of her long skirt with both hands as she greeted. “I'm Leaf, and from today onwards, I have the honor of serving Miss Oknodie.” Everything about her seemed proper. Which was exactly why she was suspicious. “Miss, is there a problem with the maid?” “Your name. What is your full name?” “I apologize for the oversight. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Leaf Life.” Leaf Life. Life of the leaves. A very maid-like, utterly adorable name. And that's precisely why jealousy flared within me. While some have names like Oknodie or Jonah Waihe'em Hai, why does only the maid have a normal name? It made me envious, embarrassed, and angry. “Miss?” “It's nothing.” To think I'm jealous over the maid's name. This isn't the sort of thing one can simply talk about elsewhere. * * Reaped LifeFelt a sense of intrigue. Life that has been harvested, life that has been reaped. Once, a girl who had been able to prolong her meager existence thanks to the boss, decided to dedicate her life to him. Discarding her old name, she embraced a new one. Leaf Life. A name that encapsulated the pride of an assassin. Herself, reaped by the boss. The enemies of the boss, to be reaped by her own hands. A name that signified both. “Have you revealed your true identity?” “Not at all. I intend to serve also as a secret guard for you. I have no intention, not even the slightest, to disclose my status to the lady.” “So we're relying on pure instinct.” Leaf felt intrigued. “The inspector has requested proof of assassin’s traits. This isn't a test that can be completed with mere intuition.” “I'm aware. The evaluation will be left to your judgment.” “You seem quite confident.” “You'll see.” Leaf closely monitored every move the young lady made. And she was certain. 'Born to be an assassin!' The instinct of an assassin to conceal himself at every opportunity, evading the eyes of the butler and disappearing into hiding. The instinct of an assassin to gauge the possibility of escape through windows, attuned to every nightly sound. Even abstaining from meals to maintain the effortless facade of normal life while harboring massive weapons was part of the weight training. “I will report to the inspector myself.” “When do you plan to start the training?” “It begins today.” “It must not interfere with the current training.” “Don't worry. I will limit the training to the bare minimum with poisons and tolerance, and delay memory techniques. For now, we will focus on concealment and tracking.” “Not bad.” “But I can’t comprehend why someone of your caliber is still engaged in such work. Could it be related to the rumors about the 'lady's' recent decision...” “That will be enough.” At the butler’s cutting gesture, Leaf closed her mouth. “Know your place. Your surveillance target is the lady, not me.” “...My apologies.” The butler, Jonah, left to prepare for tomorrow's training for the lady. Leaf wore a chill smile. 'No matter how talented the lady is, she'd face trouble if she became too greedy. The organization is not generous enough to overlook repeated mistakes.' * * The new maid, Leaf. This woman was slightly annoying, yet helpful. “What are you doing inside the laundry basket?” “...It just seemed like a cozy spot for a moment.” [Failed to hide.] Sometimes, she was a hindrance to training. “Miss? No, it must have been... a shadow of a tree in the garden cast behind the curtain.” [You've hidden on a branch for over a minute.] [Stealth Experience +1] [Someone observed you but didn't notice.] [Stealth Experience +3] [Concealment Experience +1] Other times, she was unexpectedly helpful. Unlike the butler Jonah, who seemed fine with me just hiding anywhere, the maid had a lot to do, like laundry and cleaning. Without carefully planning the day's agenda or taking advantage of mealtimes for conversation to predict movement, my hiding was quickly discovered. However, if I prepared well and deceived the maid's eyes, my stealth experience grew steadily. Thanks to her, I was naturally enhancing my concealment skill as a bonus—a blessing in disguise. “Ugh. There’s a strange taste in the food.” “My apologies, miss. I will be more careful with the preparation next time.” Meanwhile, the butler has been troublesome lately. Until now, he had cooked perfectly well, but lately, he's been failing at seasoning and producing dishes with odd flavors. “Miss?” “Don’t take it away. You made it with effort.” [Recognized spoiled food.] [Poison Identification Experience +1] [Ate spoiled food.] [Poison Tolerance Experience +1] Was it bad enough to risk food poisoning? Well, if I finished all of it, surely he would take more care with future meals. With a heart full of gratitude for the butler, I finished my meal; not only did the butler but also the maid look at me strangely afterward. Hehe. Were they touched? I saw the butler and maid whispering from a distance, and from the next day, the maid became oddly kinder. “Would you like a strawberry-flavored candy?” “Yes, please!” “It's grape-flavored.” “Yes, please!” “Today, I've specially baked some cookies.” “That’s fantastic!” To my response of liking anything given, the maid seemed to find giving snacks more rewarding and kept offering more and more. Hehe. Such thorough training with sincere reactions made it worth it to treat me. Sometimes, even if the snacks had an unusual taste, eating them without fuss seemed to improve my standing, and from miniature cakes to alphabet chocolates, she offered an assortment of treats. Silly maid. Unaware that her salary was being sacrificed to increase the collection rate of her Food Encyclopedia, Leaf earnestly spent her wages on snacks as offerings! * * Late at night. In the servant’s quarters of the secret training ground, the butler and maid reverted to their true roles as an organization executive and an assassin. “How is the poison adaptation training progressing?” “Her discernment and adaptation are faster than expected. I've inadvertently made significant progress.” “Is it similar to what happened during mealtime?” “The detection rate is approximately 30%, but even that is quite high.” “Is this a normal situation?” “Of course, it’s not normal.” Leaf asserted firmly. “A common person might feel only a slight discomfort after consuming poisoned food. They wouldn't show the strong suspicion or certainty that the lady does. If they realized, they wouldn’t eat it at all.” “Yet the lady ate all of the food.” “There are two possible scenarios. She has repeatedly faced death after consuming poisoned food on the streets. Or, she had to eat contaminated food to survive.” Such decisive statements were the realm of an assassin versed in poisons. Jonah realized he had been too complacent about the riffraff of the streets. “This city is particularly infested with filth.” “Do you plan on cleaning up?” “They dared to target the organization’s lady. We can’t brazenly let them live.” A lethal intent glimmered in Jonah’s eyes. “Hold on… The street magician's tricks, even the poisoned food distributed to the people, could possibly involve another organization meddling in our city.” “You’re planning to step in?” “It’s worth investigating. Leaf, tonight’s surveillance of the lady will change. Verify whether there’s an unidentified hostile organization at work.” “And if found? What then?” The answer went without saying. “A massacre.” With Jonah’s command, Leaf’s eyes gleamed with a cold smile. * * Today was a lucky day; there was no surveillance. Ever since the appearance of the maid Leaf, the butler Jonah's vigilance had decreased, and thinking the maid misinterpreted my nightly tranquility due to the snacks, she let her guard down. Hehe. Is that a problem? For a veteran like me, letting down your guard could mean slipping out at night to tackle events like attacking street gangs in secret. After all, isn't it better for a righteous player to punish those who prey on commoners, using their ill-gotten gains to challenge trials, and shift their financial woes? Thus, I stealthily left the manor. Searching for signs of a likely criminal organization, I headed to an abandoned warehouse near the underground waterways. Presto, I found a hideout and dozens of corpses. “…?” A gang feud? Why are they all dead? There were no signs of tampering with the safe. This wasn't a murder for money. Something felt off, so I attacked an organization's office in the slums. “…??” Again, countless corpses. The hideout of a corrupt trade guild known to enslave players with a 20% chance. The tent of a troupe that feasted on human flesh. Every time I stepped into a criminal lair, it lay littered with bodies. What is this? This is frightening. I returned to the manor jittery, and as I closed the window, the light suddenly turned on. “Eek!!” “What brings you out at such a late hour, miss?” “Ju-just took a little walk.” “You smell like blood.” “No, no! I didn't kill them. They were all already dead when I got there!” Leaf, who momentarily looked startled, now smiled. Gazing at her enchantingly ripe smile, Leaf helped me out of my overcoat and laid me down on the bed. As I blinked blankly, Leaf tucked the blanket up to my chin, then gently covered my eyes with her hand. “You've had a bad dream.” “Huh?” “Don’t worry. I’ll be by your side tonight. You won’t have any nightmares, so you can sleep soundly just for today.” Her soothing voice lulled me to sleep. The patting of her hand and the sounds of lighting a candle were followed by a sensation as if I had inhaled some hypnotic gas, and my mind grew foggy. Could it be... Was it just a nightmare...? I fell asleep, comforted by the cool touch over my eyes. "In my shadow... allowing... specialized training..." I thought I heard Leaf's voice in my dream, but it must have been just a feeling. A Note from the Author (Afterword) A maid as frightening as the butler.