Chapter 44

After the scenery in the room wavered for a moment, my field of vision changed dramatically.

"Whoa... oh no, that's not good. One of the cabbages fell."

The person in front of me bent down and placed the box on the ground.

"Here. Cabbage."

"Whoa, sorry kid—wait, how long have you been here!?"

Balthro, holding the cabbages, took a step back. Despite his surprise, he didn't let go of the ingredients. He's definitely a professional chef.

"...From the beginning."

"What's with that? You kids can suddenly appear and disappear, can't you?"

Gee, Balthro might be sharper than he looks.

"It's just your imagination. Look, Balthro is so tall that it's hard for a small guy like me to be noticed."

"No, that's true, but I never feel your presence at all."

"...To escape from Elinora, I have to move without making a sound."

"...Are you an assassin?"

Balthro muttered as if groaning. Well, with this, I might be invincible as an assassin.

I could eliminate anyone without anyone noticing.

"Balthro! Have you seen Alfrid?"

Elinora came running to the food storage. I instantly slipped into the corner between the shelf and the wall to hide.

I don't get it. Why does she come to the food storage first? I can't understand Elinora's thought process at all.

"N-no, I haven't seen him."

Nice one! Balthro!

"Really? I thought Al would be here... That's strange. Maybe my intuition was off."

Elinora's ability to sense Alfrid is off. It's beyond human. I could never be an assassin.

"Maybe he's outside. Thanks, Balthro."

Elinora tilted her head and walked away, her hair swaying.

"...Is it over now?"

"Thanks, Balthro. You saved me."

"Today seemed unusually noisy. Were you being chased by the lady?"

"Yeah. So, I'm going to hide in a random place."

"O-okay. Good luck."

Since it's not good to cause a commotion near the kitchen, I decided to hide near the maids' break room.

Then, I heard the voices of Mina, Mel, and Sara, who seemed to be on their break.

"Ugh, Mina keeps staring at her feet and laughing. It's creepy."

"There's nothing I can do. It's not my fault. It's the fault of this delicious, round thing with a hole in it!"

"I've never seen anything like it. Is it a dessert?"

"Sara! It's a dessert! My gut tells me so!"

"You don't have to take it off and show it right in front of me. Sara doesn't like it."

"Oh, it's just easy to take off."

"Well, slippers are really easy to take off, aren't they?"

"I heard that Master Alfrid made them."

"This food. It must be a dessert that Master Alfrid hasn't shown yet."

Gee, Mina is sharp. I made a mistake by thinking it would be fun to decorate the slippers with cute desserts. I gave the ladies unnecessary information.

"Okay, okay. Let's go into the room."

While Mina was grumbling, Mel pushed her into the break room.

I felt a bit guilty for eavesdropping, but if I could understand Elinora's actions, I might stay here.

My life is more important than any guilt. This is a tough world, after all.

"Still, Master Alfrid is amazing. To come up with such convenient footwear and make it himself..."

"He can cook and use magic, and he knows a bit of swordsmanship too."

"Especially his talent for making desserts is wonderful! I wish he would stay in the mansion forever!"

"Okay, okay, Mina. Calm down."

"Earlier, Master Alfrid seemed to be chased by Lady Elinora."

Here it comes! Elinora's talk.

"Yeah, it's a common occurrence here."

"They both have great athletic abilities, don't they? It's quiet now, so maybe it's over?"

"No, Lady Elinora went outside, so it's quiet. And I haven't heard Master Alfrid's screams, so it's probably not over yet."

...I don't know. I'm glad to hear that Elinora went outside, but Sara's way of guessing is a bit annoying.

Anyway, I got the information I wanted, so I quietly left the break room.

Even if I can't be an assassin for various reasons, maybe I can do intelligence work.

× × ×

While going upstairs to the second floor, I saw Elinora coming back on the first floor.

"Ah, Elinora, welcome back."

"Yes, I'm back, Al."

"...Elinora!?"

"...Al!?"

Crap! I called out to her as usual. How terrifying habits can be.

While I was panicking, Elinora moved first.

She instantly took off her outdoor shoes, put on the slippers, and approached the stairs.

Damn, the ease of wearing the slippers I gave her is being fully utilized.

Slippers, you're too good at your job.

"Wait!"

I heard the sharp, stopping voice many times today.

I can't wait.

I also moved my stiff body and ran up to the second floor.

Then, I met Silvio, who was walking down the corridor.

"Ah, Al, you're just in time—"

"Wait, s-stop, s-stop!"

"Watch out!?"

"Ugh!?"

"Silvio! Silvio is down!"

When I looked at Silvio, I saw Gekota embedded in his face, and he was already unconscious. Just walking down the corridor, what bad luck, brother.

"Tsk! Al, to dodge like that..."

"Hey, stop calling me by a nickname!"

My only shield, Silvio, was out of commission. I had no choice but to leave him behind.

What should I do, Alfrid? Should I run to the servants' quarters?

I can't stop. If I get caught by Elinora, I'll have to endure a day of love training.

I ran frantically and felt a shock as if I had hit something.

"Huh!?"

That's strange. There shouldn't have been any obstacles in the corridor. And it felt strangely soft. I looked forward and saw Gekota, the slippers.

"......Didn't I tell you not to run around in the mansion because it's dangerous?"

I looked up and saw Nord, my father, standing with an angry aura.

Why do my family members smile when they're angry?

It's a bit scary.

"......"

"Elinora, wait."

How dirty. After chasing her cute brother around, she's trying to escape.

But, it feels good somehow.

"Al, you're smiling, but I'm angry at you too, you know?"

Nord, my father, put pressure on me as if asking, "Do you understand?"

However, my gaze was drawn to something.

"Al, what's wrong? Do you have something to say?"

"......How do the slippers feel, Gekota?"

"......Haha! ...No, it's nothing..."

Ah, Elinora laughed.

"......They're the best?"

I don't know why I asked that at that moment. Maybe it was just curiosity as a creator.

In the end, we were scolded together, and the training started after lunch.

I'm sure it was just my imagination, but Elinora's training menu was the strictest that day.