Everyone but Me Is a Spy - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 21
Nina’s spirits hadn’t settled since returning from her first outing with her family.
During dinner in the dining room, she’d said more than once how truly wonderful it had been, yet it seemed she couldn’t express her joy completely.
Of course, that feeling appeared to be hers alone.
‘They must have searched my room while we were out. There’s nothing suspicious enough to cause misunderstanding, so it should be fine, but…….’
Having spent so long as a maid doing the dirty work, there was clearly a part of her that recoiled from it.
She understood—these were people who had lived only cleanly and innocently—but knowing she wasn’t trusted by her family was unavoidably melancholy.
To live harmoniously with such a family, she had to ensure their safety first.
Even today, someone had attached a Wiretapping Device to her uncle Cheyson, hadn’t they?
She couldn’t completely prevent such things from happening outside, but at least within the house, she hoped they could rest safely and at peace.
‘By now, except for those on duty, all the servants should have left, so I can examine the house thoroughly.’
Nina took her maid’s uniform from the wardrobe and stood before the mirror.
The maid’s dress pressed against her body felt more familiar and natural than the pale green gown she wore now.
‘Isn’t this the dress that suits me best after all?’
Nina found herself thinking such thoughts and laughed awkwardly.
Even though she’d found her family and returned home, it felt as though she hadn’t truly left the Sezac Estate.
She was wondering whether she should send a thank-you letter to the Countess when it happened.
A soft twang of rope echoed from the balcony.
“Gu-gu?”
Nina set down her maid’s uniform and carefully poked her head out onto the balcony.
“It’s me, Nina.”
“Joel!”
Catching sight of the welcome face, she scampered forward to the balcony railing.
“How are you feeling? Are you all right?”
“Yes. I’ve improved greatly.”
Joel answered thus, but today, unlike before, he wore a shirt buttoned up to the collar and even gloves.
Seeing him bundled up so tightly in this warm weather suggested he wasn’t completely recovered after all.
“The research session is in a few days. Will you really be ready by then?”
As Nina asked worriedly, Joel’s voice grew a bit more spirited—perhaps afraid that the chance to research her might slip away.
“Of course. I’m perfectly fine now. I’m simply taking an extended rest out of caution.”
Hearing this, Nina smiled brightly with relief.
“Good. Then I’ll bring the Harpoon Gun that day.”
“Could you leave the Rope and harpoon as they are?”
Joel plucked the rope connecting the balconies once more.
Drawn taut and secure, it sounded like an instrument producing a rich, weighty tone.
“If you want, I’ll do that. Gu-gu and the other birds could rest on it too.”
Nina tapped the Rope playfully, delighted at the prospect.
Joel, observing her quietly, ran his fingertips along the Rope wound around the railing.
He realized that seeing her standing on the opposite balcony had become quite familiar to him.
As he unconsciously speculated about the rope’s composition, he asked a question.
“Nina. Have you grown accustomed to your new home?”
“More so than when I first arrived.”
“Have you learned anything about the original owner of the house?”
“You mean my grandmother? Hmm. She had varied occupations, enjoyed fine craftwork, and hired her servants well, I suppose?”
“Hired them well……?”
Joel, recalling the spies who came and went as servants in Nina’s household, continued his thought.
“Now that you’ve been living there, what are your impressions?”
“I’m simply grateful and fond of it.”
“Beyond that. What do you think of your grandmother?”
“What do I think? Does my opinion matter?”
Seeing Nina’s puzzled reaction, Joel pressed further.
“It does matter. What is your opinion, Nina?”
“It matters? My opinion……?”
Joel, who had been gazing steadily at Nina, recalled what she had been like all this time.
Part of Joel’s mission included confirming whether Nina knew the true identity of her grandmother, Rikita, and whether she showed any signs of having seen through the false family.
But beyond the areas worth investigating, he knew nothing of what Nina actually knew or what she truly thought.
“Come to think of it, Nina, you don’t talk much about yourself. I’ve never heard you speak of your inner thoughts or your past.”
“Are you curious about that?”
Nina’s face filled with bewilderment.
‘My uncle asked me about my thoughts before, and now Joel is too. Why on earth is that?’
Nothing around her truly belonged to her. Even after finding her family, she couldn’t shake that feeling.
Even after entering the Townhouse, she’d tended to others as naturally as breathing, and the first thing she’d chosen from Grandmother’s storage had been a gift for someone else.
No one would find it strange, and neither did she. That was what being a supporting character meant.
But then……
‘Joel is curious about what I’m thinking?’
While Nina was still blinking, a full moon emerged from beyond the clouds.
Joel, who had been gazing out at Nina’s balcony—now slightly brighter in the moonlight—answered solemnly.
“Of course not? I’m curious about Nina. More curious than anything else in the world.”
“……!”
For the first time, as if a spotlight had been turned on her from above, Nina’s eyes widened.
“Me…… more curious than anything else in the world?”
The moment Joel had shown curiosity about Nina’s story, she finally realized that the protagonist of her own life had shifted—to herself.
Unaware that she had always been the protagonist of this tale.
“Oh my goodness, I don’t know.”
Cupping her flushed cheeks in both hands and shuffling her feet, Nina disappeared into her room.
“……?”
Left alone, Joel was somewhat bewildered by her sudden retreat.
He’d only meant to tell her in advance what research she’d be undertaking, yet she’d bolted away in an instant.
A chilling thought crept into his mind.
‘If Nina learns the truth, she might run away just like that. Far, far from Soltem…….’
The thought of a perfectly engineered existence like a Magitech Device simply vanishing was unbearable even to imagine.
Perhaps it would be better to endure nightmares every single night.
‘I mustn’t let her discover that her family is fake. Though they’re of no research value, it seems I’ll have to help them after all.’
The moment Joel resolved this, he sensed a presence from deeper within the balcony.
“Joel Smiler.”
“Master.”
He closed the balcony door and drew the curtains before turning on the soft lighting.
The Master of the Soltem Intelligence Agency was leaning against the wall.
The Master studied Joel with an air of difficulty.
“I’ve just heard a report about Illete’s Cheyson having developed personal feelings for his target, and they asked whether we should pull him from this operation—and now you’re causing just as much trouble.”
At those words, Joel frowned and demanded an explanation.
“Doesn’t Master wish to research Nina Bonz?”
“What on earth do you want to research?”
“There’s so much I hardly know where to begin. Please refer to my notes.”
The Master flipped through the thick notebook like a dictionary, then set it down on the desk with a look of exasperation.
Seeing this reaction, Joel felt puzzled by the Master’s evident displeasure.
“We could even obtain blood samples during the research—I don’t understand why you disapprove so strongly.”
“Is that truly all?”
“Pardon?”
“Are you really claiming you view Nina Bonz only as you would a Magitech Device for exploration?”
Though the Master pressed him like an interrogator, there was no wavering in Joel’s gaze.
“Then how should I view her?”
“……I see. I’ll accept that the feelings you hold toward Nina Bonz are mere curiosity.”
Watching Joel’s clockwork-toy demeanor, the Master seemed uneasy and spoke with finality.
“But if anything more develops, understand that I cannot use you on this operation any further.”
“You speak in riddles, Master. Besides, finding someone to replace me would be near impossible.”
What Joel said was not arrogance but fact.
There was a reason the Master had deliberately assigned the role of a sickly young gentleman to Joel, a Magitech Device developer, and kept him here.
Being younger than Nina and frail meant he wouldn’t be seen as dangerous even as a strange man, and no one would suspect him for watching the balcony all day from inside the house.
As expected, Nina seemed not to regard Joel as suspicious in the slightest.
If things proceeded as planned, they would be able to monopolize Rikita’s information from within the safe before any other nation could learn of it.
The Master firmly believed this was possible given Joel’s skill in Magitech Device Crafting.
“Even if I exclude you from direct contact, I’ll still have you handle the Magitech Device Crafting required for this operation. Another spy will take over moving in Nina Bonz’s vicinity.”
“Understood.”
The Master seemed relieved by Joel’s unhesitating answer, let out a sigh, and departed.
Moments later, Joel parted the curtain slightly to glimpse Nina’s balcony bathed in moonlight.
A faint smile played at his lips, entirely unnoticed by himself.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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