Chapter 93

Ehren had been worried about being sent back to the border, but after repeatedly being told that everything was fine, she seemed to have calmed down and began to speak in a small voice.

Just how difficult was life at the border? When I heard about her adventures as a mercenary, it didn’t seem like she had experienced anything that bad... No, perhaps she was being considerate and only told me enjoyable stories.

"Who is Murietta, and how do you know her?"

"She’s the daughter of an adventurer who distinguished herself in this recent hunt. I first met her when I was a child. She was a few years younger than me... She was different from any other child in the village. She could manipulate magic freely, say things that even adults didn’t know, and perform calculations... She told me that I would eventually work in the royal castle. I thought it was ridiculous, because at that time, I was a dirty, illiterate child."

In this world, the literacy rate is supposed to be high, but if Ehren wasn’t literate, it means she must have been in dire straits. There was no compulsory education like in my previous life, but there were supposed to be open-air classrooms supported by the government... If she couldn’t even attend those, it must have been bad.

No, perhaps it was due to the discrimination against border immigrants? The situation is quite dark.

And when it came to arithmetic, it was treated as a sign of high education, so the fact that Murietta could do it (though it’s unclear if she could actually do it) made her seem like a god-like girl.

From her, Ehren learned to read and write. Later, she was hired as a maid at the border lord’s mansion due to her beauty, and was promoted to a maid because of her intelligence. And that’s how she ended up here...

"Because of her, I’ve come this far. What she said came true. I worked in the royal castle and was even proposed to by a guard knight. The appearance of the monster was also as she predicted! ...But the princess wasn’t mean or fat. Her predictions weren’t perfect. So, will I be sent back to the border?!"

(Hmm?!)

I assumed Murietta was a game player and a reincarnated person, but even so, it’s strange.

No, I don’t think I’m wrong. If she had described Princess Primera as "fat and mean" to Ehren, that’s a setting from the [game].

But I have more questions.

Why did Murietta approach Ehren?

And being proposed to by a guard knight... Can she really see the future?

Could the game I’m thinking of and the one Murietta played be different?

Oh, I have more questions now!!

From what I understand, Murietta gave Ehren several pieces of advice and guided her. She occasionally sent letters, but always noted that she was traveling and didn’t need a reply... That doesn’t sound suspicious.

The ‘predictions’ Murietta made can be summarized as follows:

Ehren would enter the royal castle as a maid and be promoted to a maid... but if she followed Murietta’s teachings, she could become a lady-in-waiting. In the royal castle, she would be proposed to by a guard knight, and she should accept it without hesitation. Princess Primera would be mean and fat, and would be harsh to beautiful women, so she should be careful. If she wasn’t careful, she might be sent back to the border. The same goes for the princess’s entourage. She should avoid them. Also, she should be careful of the white boy at the prime minister’s residence. It’s best to avoid him. Eventually, a giant monster would appear, and she and her father would defeat it, earning the king’s favor. At that time, she should make allies within the royal castle. Of course, if her precognitive abilities were known, it would be difficult to meet people, so she should keep it a secret! Otherwise, she would end up spending her life in the border!

...That’s it... Yeah, it’s super specific!! And the last part sounds like a threat, doesn’t it?!

Well, yeah. But, in the end, Ehren learned and succeeded in rising in status, so it’s a good thing. After all, having a learning attitude is something to be valued.

But, this makes me think Murietta is quite forward-thinking. She did favors for Ehren and got her a job in the royal castle to create allies for when she arrives...

Also, the giant monster was defeated by the ‘adventurer and his child’... In the game, it was just the adventurer... So, it’s probably a bit different from the scenario. She’s probably trying to improve her status as a heroine from a young age to make things more favorable for herself.

But, by doing so, she must feel that different scenarios could occur. What is Murietta’s goal?

And the white boy at the prime minister’s residence... That must be Christopher. What is he?

I told Ehren not to talk about the girl Murietta and assured her that she wouldn’t be sent back to the border. If she cooperated and showed a repentant attitude, she could probably keep her job as a lady-in-waiting.

Finally, she seemed to calm down and understand, which is a relief.

By the time I said goodbye to Ehren, a lot of time had passed, and I was quite tired, but it couldn’t be helped. At least she calmed down, so I think it was a good outcome.

If I think about it, I’ve probably saved her from adding more white hair and wrinkles to the head lady-in-waiting’s head! Of course, I can’t say that out loud! Pointing out a woman’s white hair and wrinkles would be considered a lack of tact.

I wouldn’t say such a thing, no way!

Still... I think it’s good that I confirmed that Murietta is likely a reincarnated heroine with memories.

(...There are too many unknowns. But Murietta thought Princess Primera was a villainous lady and warned that getting involved with her would result in being sent back to the border... Why?)

"Yuria"

(Did she make such predictive statements to anyone else? Since it didn’t become a rumor, I can assume she didn’t spread it widely, but why did she tell Ehren... Ah, but if she was keeping it secret, it means she was also considering the risks.)

"Yuria!"

"Ah, oh, yes!"

I shouldn’t have been so absorbed in my thoughts!

Aldar didn’t say anything from the knight’s quarters to my office, but of course, he must have questions.

"Ah, um... Thank you for going with me to listen to her. ...Do you have questions?"

"Yeah. First, is anyone coming to the office? Is it okay to talk?"

"Yes, at this time, probably not. If we don’t speak loudly, the content won’t leak..."

It’s the head lady-in-waiting’s office and private room, after all.

It has good soundproofing, and the door can be locked.

I locked the door, made tea, and sat on the sofa facing Aldar.

"---So, why did you tell her to keep it confidential?"

"It’s not that I won’t report it. I just thought it wasn’t a good idea to spread it..."

"Why?"

"Ehren believed it was precognition, but if she had such an ability, she could have pushed her father, the adventurer, to a higher position long ago."

Yeah, well. I can’t say it’s because of my game memories.

But, if she had precognition, she could have made a ‘regular’ adventurer a ‘top’ adventurer much earlier. Considering the reaction to the adventurer who defeated the giant monster, it seems he was unknown, which suggests that her father, the adventurer, is in a similar position. Of course, this is just a prediction.

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