Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival (LN)

Book 1: Chapter 28

The Imposed Job

Aria, your new job has been decided.

After Elena returned to the capital, the job that Viro brought me here for should have ended, but for some reason a new job had been decided for me when I was summoned by the high ranked butler.

.

High Ranked Butler   Race : Human

Magic Power : 185/190Stamina : 332/350

Overall Combat Strength : 1216 (With Body Strengthening : 1550)

.

He was strong just like my first impression of him, but most likely this man was a perfect example of what Viro said, that combat strength value couldnt be relied on. He only trained in scout type skills and his magic power capacity wasnt high, so his combat strength was inferior to Feld, but the strength that I felt from him wasnt inferior in any way compared to Feld.

Perhaps the high ranked butler noticed that I used Appraisal on him. His gaze on me narrowed slightly.

Her highness the princess has personally told us to allow you to be free. But, we cant possibly allow you who know about us to roam free unchecked. And so we shall give you the same position like Viro, an adventurer who is a collaborator with us.

Understood.

I felt somewhat dissatisfied that he decided this as he pleased. But if I refused, this man surely wouldnt let me off even if doing that would cause the princess to deal with him. However, if I thought of this as being able to obtain client and connection while keeping my position as a free adventurer, this wasnt that bad. The problem wasmy involvement with nobility would increase.

Even so I chose to face the nobility instead of running away. That was why in order to prepare myself for when the time of oath came, I couldnt be picky with my choice in order to obtain the strength to oppose what was in my way even if I was alone.

What is the request for me?

Your task is to infiltrate a noble house as maid and resolve the problem that is currently occurring there. The time period is one month at the site. This isnt a task with high importance. This task is for me to ascertain whether your trustworthiness can be relied on just like Sera said or not. Even if you failed only one noble daughter will die as a result, so its not that important of a matter for the country.

The death of a single noble daughter wasnt important?

Roger, boss?

Im not the boss of this organization. If its turn out that you can be trusted, then we will have a chance to meet again. Just call me Grave.

Roger, Grave-san. And the location?

It wasnt like I wanted to join the organization, so I wasnt interested with who the boss was, but the pressure from speaking with Grave was too strong that it was tiring, so I finished the conversation quickly.

I didnt have any intention with poking my nose into nobles problem, but I didnt plan to do half-assed work. And then after hearing where the location was, I got just slightly motivated to do this task that was imposed on me.

The work location was Baron Seylaces territory. That place was where the sorcery teacher who taught that woman lived.

.

The problem that occurred in Baron Seylaces territory was the monstrous person that started to appear since half a year ago.

Although it was called as monstrous person, it wasnt a type of monster. It was thought that it might be a person. This monstrous person seemed to be infatuated with the barons daughter and appeared near her room night after night. It seemed that it left bloody handprint in her room without getting detected by the guards. Was the culprit really human?

There was no effect even when a maid was stationed there at night. The lady was extremely scared by the happenings. The baron was scared that a strange rumor about his unmarried daughter would spread due to this case, so he couldnt make a request to knight and adventurers. The greatly troubled baron then secretly asked for help from his caregiver Margrave Dandall. This request got bounced from place to place until it got foisted on me.

The requests detail was to solve the problem, but it seemed that Grave was thinking that it couldnt be helped even if the problem couldnt be solved. It seemed this kind of work wasnt the field of Sera and Graves organization, but in the first place I still hadnt been told just what kind of organization they belonged to. Though I had my guess about it.

With Elenas return to the capital, the gathered servants and helpers were starting the removal and dismantling work, but I ended up departing to here immediately without helping out with them.

It didnt take that long for me to prepare. I went to my temporary base in the forest, stuffed the money that I hid there, the dried poisonous grasses and medicinal herbs into my bag, then I appraised my own ability before departing.

.

Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human   Rank 2 1UP

Magic Power : 130/135 20 UPStamina : 67/80 16 UP

Strength : 5 (6) 1UPEndurance : 6 (7)Agility : 7 (8)Dexterity : 7 1UP

Short Sword Skill Level 1Martial Art Level 2 1UPThrowing Level 1String Control Level 1NEW

Light Sorcery Level 1Darkness Magic Level 2 1UPNon-Elemental Magic Level 2 1UP

Daily Life MagicMagic Power Control Level 2

Pressure Level 2Stealth Level 1Night Vision Level 1Search Level 1Poison Resistance Level 1NEW

Simple Appraisal

Overall Combat Strength : 98 (With Body Strengthening : 111) 36 UP

.

My overall combat strength had increased quite a lot and I finally became level 2. My magic power capacity increased and I obtained several new skills, but as expected what increased my combat strength was thanks to my increase in status. Especially dexterity that directly affected combat skill, so there was quite drastic difference with my combat strength even with dexterity increasing just by one.

Did my status increase because my Martial Art rose to level 2? No matter how much my magic power grew, I never even dreamed that my close quarter combat skill would become level 2 before I turn ten years old.

Even Darkness Magic also turned into level 2. Rather than saying that it was the result of me continuously analyzing the structure of magic instead of sorcery, it might be because the magic Pain that I used that time was equivalent to level 2 magic.

The new skills that I learned were String Control and Poison Resistance. I had trained Poison Resistance since some time ago, but the direct cause that made it gave birth to result was the poison that I fully experienced in my fight against the female thief.

The String Control might be because of the pendulum. It looked like I learned the skill easily, but thinking back, I had been manipulating the weighted cord all this time for several months, so rather than saying I learned it easily, it was more like finally.

There was nothing particular to do before I departed. I would be able to meet with Viro again anyway in the future if I kept doing this work. I also wanted to learn more about adventurers movement, but he had taught me the minimum so Id learn the rest somehow with my own effort. Similarly I should also have chances to meet Sera in the future. However Seo took the trouble to come meet with me when he heard that I was going to depart first.

Aria, Ill also go to the capital when I turn 12. And then Ill come for you. I have something to tell you then.

You cant say it now?

Yep, at the very least I want to be taller than Aria as a man before I tell you-!

What was it? Was there something that would happen when he turned 12? I didnt really understand Seos behavior but, even at that orphanage before someone got sold, orphans who were close with each other would cry saying that they didnt want to part with each other, so other children surely could also act like that. Seo ran away with bright red face. As I saw off his back, I too was feeling slightly sad that I had to part with my little brother.

.

I quickly sorted out my belongings and left this mansion where I had lived for one month with only a small trunk.

If there was a problem then it was about my outfit. The old clothes that I wore had gotten worn out from the battle against the hobgoblin, so I didnt have any personal clothes. When I tried to borrow Seos clothes because I had no other option, Sera allowed me to bring maid uniforms with me. There was no guarantee that there would be work clothes that suited me at my destination, and if I took off the apron dress and changed the blouse inside with cheap thing, it would like I was wearing a casual outfit.

If I was going to travel, it would be easier if I dressed as a man, but my body grew again due to my magic power and now I didnt look like ten years old with small build anymore, my appearance had completely become ten years old girl. My hair had grown so fast that it was unpleasant until it reached my shoulder, so I wouldnt look like a boy anymore unless I hid my hair.

It was troublesome so I wanted to cut my hair, but Sera admonished me because it would be convenient to have longer hair seeing that I would disguise myself as maid. And for some reason I was made to promise Seo that I wouldnt cut it, so I departed with my appearance as it was.

I was wearing an unbleached blouse and a black dress that reached until my ankles over it. My feet were wearing high laced boots. My weaponries were hidden under my skirt and my sleeves, so I shouldnt look like someone armed from the outside.

The small trunk was a farewell gift that I got from Meena. It was a small thing that already got full after it was filled with my maid uniforms and blouses for change of clothes, but its making was solid even though it was old, so in the worst case I could use it like a shield.

It would take three weeks by walking or two weeks using carriage from this place that was located at the edge of Dandall until Baron Seylaces territory. I was more or less told to arrive as quickly as possible, but it seemed that the baron house had been notified three days ago that I would arrive in one month, so I still had some leeway.

A normal traveler usually only had one option when travelling. They had to travel with horse carriage that had guards against monster, but the market price for transportation until Baron Seylaces territory was five silver coins. And there was also additional cost where the carriage passenger was forced to stay at the inns that partnered with the carriage. I had received fifteen silver coins as my payment as maid apprentice and five gold coins as hazard pay and cash reward, but I wouldnt be paid for the next job until the case was resolved, so I didnt want to waste money too much.

I arrived at Dandalls capital after walking for half a day from the lakeshore castle. Normally a traveler would stay for a night there if they arrived at evening, but I had no intention of staying in an inn. I only replenished my supply with portable food and a bit of salt from the citys food stall before leaving immediately.

Midway, I was finally able to see a huge castle of Dandall that was like a fortress from nearby. Was the Ojou-sama of Dandall House that I didnt see at all from around the third days in that castle? Unlike Elena and me who only had knowledge, that girl was unnatural with how she was acting like a real adult.

I had caught the genuine wariness toward Elena and me from her eyes. And yet she was acting scared like a victim which irritated Elena. When she stopped showing herself, the handmaids who were troubled by the awkward atmosphere seemed like they were relieved at the inside.

I should be wary toward her. Perhapsshe would become Elenas enemy by some chance.

The soldier at the gate tried to stop me when I tried to leave the city at the evening after I finished my shopping because I was a child, but when I showed my adventurer guild tag, he gave up and let me passed.

Someone who was only a rank 1 adventurer like me had to pay one silver coin when entering the city, and I would get investigated when going out.

But this time I had letter of introduction from the high ranked butler for Baron Seylace, so I would be treated like a semi noble until there and didnt need to pay the toll. But, it would be better that I didnt really rely on this kind of thing in the future. Needless trouble might come visiting if other people found out that I was close to nobility, and in the first place setting aside Sera and Seo, it was impossible for me to completely trust that organization.

One daythe time that I had to fight that high ranked butler might also come. I had to become as strong as possible until then.

fuu

I reflexively breathed out when I finally got out of the city. I wasnt good staying in a place with too many people. Even though I was wearing this maid uniform in a way that made it looked like personal clothes, its fabric had good quality and didnt really look like the belonging of a commoner, so it attracted the attention of the citizens. Surely among them there were also people who simply felt worried for a child like me, but there were also adults who wouldnt hesitate to prey on children, so I couldnt let my guard down.

I passed several travelers and carriages at the outskirt of the city, but the sky had become completely dark after I walked for around one hour and there was nobody around anymore. In exchange I could hear the sounds of animals faintly. After I walked for one more hour, it had completely become night and I finally erased my presence to blend into the darkness where I began to run.

As I thought perhaps because my body was getting bigger, it felt like my running was getting faster than before. My stamina was also increasing so I thought that I could continue running for several hours if it was with a jogging pace, but I recalled that it wasnt like I was in a hurry, so I kept my pace to a degree that wouldnt make me sweat. I felt more comfortable travelling only at night like usual, but travelling only at night through a route that I was passing for the first time brought a risk of me taking the wrong path.

I only intended to run lightly, but I was still sweating some. I confirmed that there was no danger around me and wetted a cloth with Water and wiped my body s sweat. I only had a few change of clothes, so it wouldnt be good if I sweated too much. Considering that, it made me wanted to learn Clean quickly. Even Elena was able to use level 2 light sorcery, so I too should be able to learn it.

I climbed a tree in a forest and slept on a thick branch tonight. Perhaps because I had been eating good food recently, the area around my waist felt slightly heavy. It wasnt to a degree that bothered me, but it made me felt that there was a slightly soft part forming there, so I only ate black bread and water tonight before going to sleep.

.

The next morning I also woke up a moment before the morning sun rose. Just in case I tried sniffing my bodys odor, but I judged that it wasnt at the level where I needed to change yet. I only wiped my body with a wet cloth again and left it at that.

Ahead from this area wasnt the territory of Margrave Dandall. It was just a forest that wasnt a territory of any noble.

Knights and soldiers were patrolling until this area, but this area could be called as a lawless zone until I entered the next noble territory. It was safer to travel inside the forest, but it would be problematic if my good quality skirt got frayed. Besides monster might appeared in this place. It would be fine if it was only something like goblin, but it would be better to be in a wide place when dealing against unknown monster.

There is something.

As I walked through the highway and some time had passed since the morning sun rose, I heard a sound of conflict from the front. But that wasnt what attracted my attention. When I stopped walking at the middle of the highway, three dirty men hurriedly appeared from inside the forest with unsheathed swords.

Oi, you girl

*Hyun!!*

A throwing knife that was hidden in my sleeve stabbed the throat of the man in the distance. His life was easily snuffed out before he could finish speaking and he crumbled down.

Two more people.

O-oi!?

The remaining two men spoke with a flustered tone seeing the man suddenly collapsed.

Both of them had combat strength around 60. Looking at the situation and their equipments, these guys must be bandits. Of course it was also possible they might be something else, but they were lying in ambush at the side of highway that was far away from the city like this. They also approached a girl with weapons unsheathed. From there I judged that they were hostile.

H-hes dead!

What did you say, is it this brat who killed him-!?

W-wait, something is wrong with her!

One of the men ignored his friends warning and charged forward. But

(Slow.)

His movement was dull. Didnt he have any skill for fighting? The current me could make my bodily experience of the flow of time to be twenty percent slower using body strengthening, but even before that, this man who couldnt even do a decent footwork felt very slow to me.

Feel

Gyah!?

The man who should be heading toward me brimming with anger suddenly dropped his short sword and pressed his hands on his eye. There was no pain or damage, the man only suddenly felt that his eyeball was touched. It confused him and made him stop charging. I leaped forward at that moment and my black knife tore the mans neck with a caress.

One more left. I slipped beside the man before blood spurted out from his wound and approached the last man.

W-what the hell is this bratttt!?

The last man screamed in confusion because his two friends were killed in the blink of eye. He threw away his rusty axe and ran away without any concern of appearance to the direction ahead where someone was fighting.

I was going to throw a knife to his back but stopped in the middle. With my throwing skill, the furthest I could hit where I aimed was five meters. Any further than that and the damage would be light even if it hit.

I collected the throwing knife from the man that I killed first and wiped the blood clot on the mans clothes before rummaging the belonging of the men. I confirmed that they didnt really have anything to show their identity before chasing after the fleeing man.

Normally I wouldnt chase after a fleeing bandit. Even if I was at the advantage at the start, it was possible that the table would be turned depending on the enemys comrades who were waiting at where the bandit escaped to.

I didnt let my guard down. I also didnt get conceited. Id kill with certainty when it was possible to do so. But, the comrade of the man was fighting someone ahead from here. It was unrelated with me, but from the perspective of those people, it would look like I chased away an enemy and pushed him toward them. There would be no problem if they were strong, even so it also wouldnt be desirable if it made them felt resentment toward me or they got defeated and all the enemies became pointed at me.

It couldnt be helped. I chased after the fleeing man so that no other problem would occur later.

There were three young men who became adventurer in this spring. The three of them came from a family that was serving as a servant of a certain baron house. Because they werent the eldest son, they gave up trying to become servants and ran away from their birthplace before they could get driven away from home.

Even if they remained there, they would only become the barons soldiers at best. They had also received combat training since childhood for that, but they grew impudent when they obtained combat skill at fourteen years old before they became adult. In the end they chose the path to become adventurer. But, there was no work for green adventurer at Dandall that was the biggest metropolis at the north. Even if there was, all of the works were only some kind of chores. The young men thought that they couldnt make use of their strength like that and departed toward the noble territory along the border that was close to the monster habitat to hunt monster.

Young people like them had no experience of killing people although they had received combat training. Even so they thought that they would be able to easily route enemies like bandits if they were attacked. But reality wasnt as nice as they expected.

The combat strength of bandits that were made up of former villagers who went hungry didnt even reach 60. The young mens combat strengths were nearly 100, but the bandits had three times their number and they had stamina from doing farm work their whole life. The fierce attack of the bandits was gradually cornering the young men.

The number of the enemies increased again in the middle of that fight. That bandit who was acting as lookout looked terribly panicked, but when the bandit leader looked back at the direction the lookout came from, he grinned vulgarly seeing the person who was walking to this way. The young man among the three who was the only one capable using Appraisal felt disappointed seeing the persons appearance and combat strength.

That person was wearing a good quality dress like a nobles servant. She was still a young girl.

Her appearance looked like she was around ten years old, but looking at her composed bearing, she might be a bit older than that. But, what attracted the interest of them and the bandit leader was the atmosphere the girl was clad in.

The girl had a good look that could be called beautiful and a languid air. She strangely had an atmosphere around her. It made them thought that she would definitely become a beauty in the near future just from a glance.

The bandit leader grinned because he thought that he would get a good price if he sold her. As for the young men, they were disappointed not only because the girls combat strength couldnt be counted on, they thought that he would only become a burden in this battle.

The girls combat strength was around 100, the same like the young men, but most likely she was a sorcerer. She was travelling on the highway alone so she must have confidence in her skill, but low ranked sorcerer who was a rich person that trained only to kill time often wasnt useful in battle. Furthermore her outer appearance was that of a lovely girl who didnt seem like she could even kill an insect, so the young men who hoped for help to come were completely disappointed.

The young men and bandits thought based on their own standard, held expectation on their own and got disappointed on their own too. But the action that the girl took smashed the common sense that they all held.

.

Nobody could comprehend what was going on at the start. The girl only lightly swung her hand, but with that the fleeing man started spurting out blood from his carotid artery and fell.

Everyones movement unconsciously stopped. Amidst that only the girl alone was continuing to walk and swung her hand again. With that the necks of the nearby bandits were torn. Seeing the blades that were lodged in their eyes when they were falling, they finally realized that the attack came from the girl.

K-kill that brat-!!

The bandit leader yelled angrily. It pushed the bandits to start moving disorderly. But, the bandits who were as angry as the leader could be counted in one hand. The majority of them were getting cold feet. After all the like of bandits were only failed farmer who lost their living place. They were fellows who didnt have the guts to live properly and strayed to the easy way. There was no way such people could move as one. They were scared by the unknown girl who killed people while walking without any emotion.

UAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

A bandit charged forward while shouting and pointing his short sword at the girl. The girl bent his upper body to dodge the blade and took out a black knife from her leg. She then rose up and at the same time slashed the neck of the man who lost his balance from overreaching.

The girl stepped forward before the man finished falling and muttered something. Then a nearby bandit pressed his hands on both his eyes in surprise. The girl moved and stabbed her knife from below his jaw until his brain.

What was terrifying was how the girl hadnt broken into a run at all. Even though it only looked like she was walking calmly, she dodged the bandits attacks glidingly before instantly moving forward and cutting them down.

After getting beaten up that badly, two bandits finally tried attacking at the same time. But the girls skirt fluttered softly in that instant. When the gazes of the men were drawn three for a moment, the two men had their eyeballs and throats pierced by throwing knives and they fell. The girl was watching that going on with a questioning gaze.

It was as though she was asking I dont understand how can you die with just this much with her look. The young mens complexion worsened when they noticed that.

The young men couldnt even try to assist since the girl appeared. Honestly speaking they found the girl terrifying and unable to get close to her. How was she able to kill human easily? Was human something that died this easily? Even though the girls combat strength should be around the same with them, there was no hesitation in the girls blade. She was easily killing the bandits where they were unable to kill even one just now.

The young men feared that their lives would be reaped as easily as the bandits.

u, UaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?

I didnt sign up for this!!

When the number of the bandits was reduced to four, they finally realized their disadvantage. Two of them started running away.

You bastards, wa

*hyun-!!*

The next moment, throwing knifes were buried into the backs of the two bandits. They fell on the ground and screamed.

When they looked toward the direction where the knife flew from, her spread out skirt was in the middle of gently falling down. Without even any time to comprehend the meaning of that, the girl tore the neck of a nearby man who was standing dumbfounded with her knife.

Y-you

Only the bandit leader who was around fifty years old was remaining in this place, but he fell on his butt from fear.

This man was only a bandit leader because he had his men with him. He was domineering when amidst the former farmers turned bandits, but when in the presence of a real warrior who was stronger than him, he forced himself to make a ingratiating smile to butter up the other side.

*Hyun!*

Everyone thought that the girl wouldnt kill someone who had lost their will to fight. But the girl tore the bandit leaders neck with her knife without any change in her expression.

The girl didnt even glance at the bandit leader who was slowly falling aside. She silently picked up the trunk that she dropped before walking toward the young men. But when she turned her gaze to the young men, she suddenly made a puzzled face again.

The young men were unable to even make any sound from fear. The girl didnt do anything to them and walked passed them, then she finished off the bandits who was moaning in pain from the knives on their backs.

The girl immediately walked away from that place. The young men saw off her receding back and then they stayed unmoving there for several hours, surrounded by the corpses of the bandits before they finally got back on their feet sluggishly.

Lets go back to our hometown.

The young men who had learned the real thing immediately changed direction back to their hometown. After that they never thought to pick up their sword anymore.

Hosu. What do you think of that girl from your perspective?

Allow me to present my report.

Two days after Aria departed from the lakeshore castle, this countrys prime minister and the leader of the dark side Margrave Melrose arrived. He was receiving a report from Hosu, Seras grandfather in a room inside that castle.

That girl certainly has memory about a woman who sounded like Ojou-sama. Her information has a lot of similarity with our own investigation. In that respect, I judge that there is a high probability that she is the daughter that Ojou-sama left behind.

Margrave Melrose, Belt received a report that his daughter who eloped with a knight apprentice to who know where before getting attacked by monsters and died had a child and that child had been found. In order to ascertain whether that girl was his true granddaughterAlicia or not, he sent Hosu who knew the face of his daughter who was that girls mother to confirm it. He received the report for that not at the capital or at the scene directly, but at this halfway point Dandall because if it became widely known that the girl was the real thing, she might got targeted by relatives who were aiming for the headship of Melrose or by his political enemies.

Im not coming directly to meet you just to listen to that kind of report. Its because its you that I want to hear your impression that you felt from that girl.

To be honest, she is a very pretty girl but the impression that I got from her is very different from Ojou-sama. Besides her hair color is blond that is closer to red. Its not the pink blond hair that the women of Melrose are crowned with.

I see

When the gathered information was combined, the result was gray that was closer to white. But, based on Hosus impression, it was gray that was closer to black. There were circumstantial evidences that could designate the girl as the real thing as long as the house head recognized her, but Belt was feeling something that was holding him back in his heart.

Was it his instinct? If that girl had the ring that was possessed by Belts daughter, it would only be natural to decide her as the real thing, but conversely speaking it meant there were only circumstantial evidences and no physical evidence at all. It made Belt hesitated even more.

Will my lord meet her directly?

Thats still too soon

Belt shook his head at Hosus question and moved his gaze at the pink cord that was placed on the table.

That was a cord that a certain girl knitted from her own hair. The girls eyes reminded Sera of Belt and there was also this hair color. That was why she told the girl that she had thrown away the cord and brought it to Belt while telling him of her impression about the girl.

The hairs had become really frayed and they also had lost their luster, but the color was certainly very familiar with the hair color of Belts daughter in his memory. Furthermore the girls age of seven years old also matched. But how did she able to obtain strength that enabled her to defeat hobgoblin and rank 3 thief by herself when she was just seven years old? There was no way a girl who lived a normal life with a housewife mother and soldier father could have such strength. Considering that, even her claim that she was seven years old was suspect.

Hosu, continue observing that girl as the orphanages caretaker just as planned. Also, send a skilled agent to the girl who owned this hair cord. Check whether she has a hidden possession or not.

Should I send Sera?

Noflaws will start showing in the security of the queens palace if she is absent from the capital any longer than this. Even so that doesnt mean we can send someone untrustworthy for this

Belt spoke until there and fell into thought. Even Hosu who had retired from the front line also wracked his brain and he recalled a man. That man was somewhat lacking in flexibility in some aspects, but even his extreme behavior that he was showing during his youth had calmed down as he aged. That person couldnt be said as the right person to contact a child, but there was no doubting his loyalty to the country. There should be no one more skilled than him in this area.

Thenhow about we ask Grave to undertake this task before he return to the capital?