Everyone but Me Is a Spy - Chapter 27

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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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Chapter 27
Kathari tilted her head, studying the assassin’s face intently.
“I’ve never seen her before.”
“Neither have I. These two seem to know who the assassin is.”
Excy turned to Chayson and Natalisha.
The pair nodded, their expressions uncertain.
“Yes, we know. Her name is May. She’s a maid from Count Sejak’s Estate—we encountered her when she went out with Nina.”
“We placed a tail on her when she said she was going to meet Baroness Lirye, but she slipped away from us.”
“There’s something here.”
Kathari, rifling through May’s combat outfit, discovered something inside the fabric lining.
It had the form of a folding hand mirror, but a green dot blinked inside the glass.
Chayson, who had developed some familiarity with mechanisms thanks to his work with Detonation Devices, recognized it immediately.
“That’s a Signal Tracker. It must be keyed to the Signal Transmitter Excy’s carrying, letting it track her movements.”
As a test, Excy moved about with the Signal Transmitter in hand, and each time, the green dot in the mirror shifted to follow her path.
The four spies facing May furrowed their brows in unison.
“Did she hide the Signal Transmitter before leaving the Estate?”
The spies all agreed the circumstances pointed to that conclusion, yet something troubled them.
It made no sense that Count Sejak’s Estate would target Nina’s life with such persistence.
Strange as it was, they’d sent assassins—twice, no less—to kill someone who was merely a maid.
“Why go to such lengths? Illite and Soltem aren’t that close, and they could have hired mercenaries.”
“The Sejak family might have a problem they need to handle directly.”
At Natalisha and Excy’s words, Kathari drew a slow breath.
“Could Nina be sitting on some enormous secret?”
“We’ll have to ask the one who rolled in here.”
Chayson flicked May’s head with his fingertip; her body lay completely limp before them.
Then Excy stepped forward with unusual confidence.
“I’ll wake the assassin.”
Kathari, displeased by Excy’s uncharacteristic swagger, narrowed her eyes and gave her a slow once-over.
Excy produced a glass test tube from her pocket, uncapped it, and held it beneath May’s nose.
…….
May, whose breathing had been steady, flinched—her brows tightening, her lips pulling down hard.
As her breathing began to turn irregular, May’s eyes and mouth snapped open simultaneously.
“Ugh! Foot stench!”
At May’s pained reaction, Excy closed the test tube and straightened her expression.
“Foot stench, you say? How rude. It’s an aromatic stimulant I cultured myself—organic mushroom, no less.”
“Bleugh.”
“I am a master of Poison Mastery.”
“Bleeeugh!”
“I’ll kill you.”
Kathari grabbed Excy’s wrist just as she drew a Poison Needle.
“Are you insane? We went to all the trouble of capturing her alive. What are you doing?”
A single drop of venom fell from the needle’s tip onto the carpet.
Fzzzzzzt.
Watching the poison eat a black hole through the carpet, Kathari recoiled and threw Excy away from her.
“We’re a complete rabble. If you won’t kill me, then I might as well die. Farewell, idiots.”
Seizing her chance, May tried to slit her own wrist with her poisoned fingernails.
“……?”
But what met her palm was only a blunt, squishy sensation.
Having already lost one interrogation subject once before, the spies this time took no chances—they’d already fitted Thimbles over the tips of every one of May’s fingers.
“When did you…!”
In her panic, May tried to bite down on her own tongue, but that too proved impossible.
Anticipating another suicide attempt even without the poisoned nails, the spies had placed an Interrogation Magical Tool in May’s mouth.
It allowed her to speak and swallow, but prevented her from clenching her teeth.
‘Unlucky, but this is another one of that Soltem fox’s inventions.’
As Kathari smirked internally, Chayson and Natalisha each stepped closer.
“Good to see you again, May.”
“We regretted leaving without a proper farewell last time, so we thought we’d seek you out.”
May, having abandoned all attempts to struggle free of her restraints, smiled gently.
“I came to see Nina. Where is Nina?”
“I stabbed my blanket and pillow with a knife. It was brutal.”
Excy lifted the quilt with the blade thrust through it, showing the hole, but May shook her head as if it were utterly unreasonable.
“Oh, come on. Merciless? We’re always playing tricks like that.”
“Nina plays tricks like that? Nina… Nina…?”
The more Kathari spoke Nina’s name, the more confused she became. There was something about Nina that made her think it was entirely plausible.
Meanwhile, Chayson recalled a conversation Nina had had with May.

“The assassin who came to this Townhouse before—she was one of your colleagues, wasn’t she? Her name would be Heidi.”
“I’m not sure. I wouldn’t know.”
At May’s composed reply, Excy clicked her tongue.
“You don’t even ask if she’s alive. That’s merciless.”
“Oh, well. Don’t wagers require one to stake their life on them?”
Despite being bound to a chair and surrounded by spies, May wore a smile throughout, seemingly unafraid.
It occurred to them that all the maids at Count Sejak’s Estate might be like this, but there was something subtly different about May’s laughter compared to Nina’s.
Natalisha lifted May’s chin with the tip of her fan.
“Count Sejak’s Estate has already sent two assassins. This is grounds enough to interrogate Count Sejak himself.”
May showed no fear at the cold, sharp tone.
“I’ve just left my post as a maid at the Count’s Estate. I didn’t realize Heidi had also stepped down from her position before she went.”
Kathari let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
“You’d rather die alone?”
For a mere maid, her readiness to die for her employer was remarkable.
At least her mental fortitude surpassed that of newly recruited spies fresh from the Training Facility.
Chayson observed May and asked.
“What’s your reason for going so far?”
“Isn’t loyalty the very duty and virtue of a maid?”
“Huh.”
Kathari kicked the leg of the chair with a bang.
“Loyalty? That’s ridiculous. What loyalty is that? It’s blind devotion, that’s all.”
“Devotion, you say? That’s rather an old-fashioned way to put it.”
An irritated Kathari reached for the bomb hanging at Chayson’s waist.
“Thief.”
This time, Excy caught the reaching Kathari.
Chayson secured the bomb firmly inside his coat and spoke.
“We’ll gag her.”
Everyone agreed with his suggestion.
The Interrogation Magical Tool in May’s mouth transformed like a bridle, sealing her lips shut.
Kathari, having shaken off Excy somewhere along the way, clicked her tongue.
“I need to ask Nina about this assassin.”
“Then let’s head to the Dining Room. By the look of the time, Nina should be coming down soon.”
“I can’t keep her in my room anymore. Take her away.”
At Excy’s words, the waiting spy attendants escorted May elsewhere.
The moon had long since set, and the sun was rising.
Everyone hurriedly changed clothes and made their way to the Dining Room.
Each of them pondered what to ask Nina while watching Juggler Number 4’s expression.
But Nina did not appear even after several minutes had passed.
She had never missed a meal time before…
“Who saw Nina last yesterday?”
“That would be… me?”
At Natalisha’s question, Chayson raised his hand uncertainly.
“She seemed to be coming back from seeing Joel Smiler. After that, I don’t think I saw her. Perhaps she was locked in her room crying and fell asleep.”
“Then let’s wait a bit longer.”
Natalisha spoke calmly, but her sharp gaze remained fixed on the entrance to the Dining Room.
But no matter how long they waited, Nina did not come down to the Dining Room.
Impatient, Kathari could wait no longer and shot to her feet.
“I’ll go check on her.”
She climbed to Nina’s room and returned with her face drained of all color.
“Everyone, look at this!”
Kathari brought a letter fluttering in her hands and spread it flat on the dining table.
[To my precious family.
I apologize for making this final farewell in such a way. My heart is heavy about it as well.
I know my presence is causing cracks in the harmony and happiness you all shared. It must be because I don’t belong here. And so I am leaving this place.
If I’m gone, you’ll be able to become a close-knit family again. I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life the happiness of having a family, even if just for a short time.
I was truly grateful.
Nina Bonz
P.S. I’ll transfer all the inheritance I was meant to receive to my family.
Nina had run away from home.

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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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