I Thought Your Friend's Sibling Wasn't a Girl? - Chapter 44

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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 44
* * *
True to Eugene’s word, the three of them received their mission shortly after.
What’s more, Aiden himself delivered the envelope containing the mission details in person.
Only then did they grasp the truth: the real power in this order belonged to the Commander after all! So if they stayed in the Commander’s favor, they could escape Aiden’s clutches entirely.
“Come on, open it! Hurry!”
“You all look awfully pleased with yourselves.”
“What kind of mission could it be? Monster extermination? Or perhaps, hmm…….”
“Now we’re ignoring what the senior says, are we?”
“Wait, you lot. Quiet down a bit. I can’t concentrate.”
“Hah…….”
Aiden responded to every word they spoke, but the three of them heard nothing at all. Something far more important and glittering had appeared before their eyes!
A brown envelope glimmering in the sunlight.
Sealed with red wax, the envelope bore the words “Recipient: Bennett, Olivia, Panya” written in pristine script.
“We finally have a mission of our own…….”
“Hnngh. We can finally escape that insane training……. Today is genuinely the best day of my life!”
“Friends. Just reminding you—Aiden is still present in this room.”
“…….”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop a degree or two. Strange how chilly it felt, despite the season being summer.
“Oh, oh! Let’s open it quickly, shall we? Let’s confirm what the mission is!”
“Y-yes, let’s!”
“You lot.”
Aiden muttered something ominous from the side.
At this rate, my classmates’ lives are in danger. Olivia made a quick decision, tore through the red wax seal rapidly, and opened the envelope.
The contents were meager—a single sheet with slanting handwriting, and another sheet summarizing the mission details.
Olivia slowly read the text at the very top of the document.
“Mission. ‘Find Dorothy, please’?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Wait. Let me read more.”
1. Overview
Request from the village of Rochen. Having received a request to resolve the disappearance of Dorothy, a companion dog belonging to the requestor (Leon, age 8), we are dispatching three Interns (Bennett, Olivia, Panya) to assist in resolving this matter.
So, in other words…….
“A dog-finding mission?”
What is this? I’m looking right at the words, yet nothing makes sense.
But Aiden seemed utterly unbothered.
He stood at an odd angle with dissatisfaction plastered across his face and posed a question back to them.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“So the Lux Knights…… finds dogs too?”
“Isn’t that why I gave you the mission? Why—did you think the Commander lied to you?”
“But…….”
“Hmph.”
Even the wagging of his index finger was irritating beyond measure. He countered with a crooked smile.
“Stop complaining and just get it done.”
“…….”
“What, you don’t want to? Well, you can refuse the mission right now and continue training instead. I’d recommend that option, actually. You’re not ready for missions yet.”
“We’ll do it, sir!”
“Hmm?”
Anything was better than that hellish training. The thought crossed all three of their minds simultaneously.
“We cannot possibly go against the Commander’s profound judgment. We were taught to approach any mission with sincerity and devotion.”
“Y-yes, that’s right! We were simply startled by the unexpected nature of the task!”
“My goodness, a beloved companion has vanished! How distressed the owner must be. We should help at once!”
Aiden folded his arms and replied with obvious displeasure.
“Genuinely?”
The three answered back with all the conviction they could muster.
“Yes, absolutely!”
And so…… the first formal mission of the three began.
* * *
The overcast weather continued, as if the rainy season had already begun. Though they’d dressed neatly in uniform for their first field assignment, the rain from last night had already muddied their boots.
Yet despite the dreary weather, the three wore bright expressions.
“Let’s see. This is Rochen, right?”
“Yeah. We need to go a little further to reach the requestor’s home.”
What did it matter if the mission was finding a dog or slaying monsters?
What mattered was that they were conducting a mission right now.
For some reason today, their chests seemed to swell a little more, and the shoulder insignia on their uniforms felt heavier and more substantial. Their stiffened limbs loose with anticipation, the three walked forward together.
At last, they truly felt like Knights. Real Knights.
“Look at you two. Your shoulders reaching for the sky, are they? Nice? Isn’t it?”
……If only that one person hadn’t followed along, it would have been absolutely perfect.
Olivia’s green eyes rolled and fixed on the man sauntering behind them.
“Er, no—Sir.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“Why are you here, sir?”
The man who gleamed even under the cloudy sky—Aiden Oblion. He continued following the three of them today as well.
“Obviously because I don’t trust you lot. Something the matter?”
“…… Heavens, no. I only thought that our direct supervisor, Nick or perhaps Kunta, would be joining us. You must be so busy, sir.”
Of course, despite what she said, Olivia harbored considerable dissatisfaction with this situation.
She couldn’t explain why. It was simply a strange feeling—good and yet bad at the same time.
“Suspicious, that.”
“Surely not, sir. To receive guidance from you would be the greatest honor.”
“Hmm. As expected of the top graduate—your mindset is different from the start. Bennett, don’t you think so? You three ought to learn from her.”
“…… Yes, sir!”
All talk, that one. Somehow Olivia felt a surge of annoyance, and her fist clenched slightly.
Of course, Aiden wasn’t about to let that pass.
“Olivia. Why are your fists clenched?”
“……It’s a bit chilly today.”
“I’m watching you. Be careful.”
“…….”
In fact, Olivia had been having a very strange experience lately.
“Panya, listen to me.”
“What now?”
“There’s someone I care for, no—someone I treasure.”
“…… And?”
“But lately, when I see them, something strange happens…….”
“Something strange—how?”
“My hand keeps reaching for my sword hilt. Why is that?”
Her affection for Aiden remained unchanged. Yet it was strange. Every time she saw him, her hand gravitated toward her sword, and pebbles scattered on the ground caught her eye.
Even now it happened. Though Olivia smiled with all the grace her high society training had honed, her eyes kept drifting downward. Rochen village was full of smooth, sturdy-looking stones.
“Could this be what they call love-hate?”
“Now she’s spouting nonsense again.”
“But there’s no other explanation.”
“As I see it, there’s just one reason.”
“What is it?”
“You just want to beat that person up. That’s not hate—it’s something else.”
“…… You shouldn’t hit people, Panya.”
“Right. So be careful not to, Olivia. You’ll end up in the stockade.”
Perhaps Panya was right. Olivia clutched her two hands tightly together to stop them from flinching toward violent implements, and laughed.
“Well then, are you going to keep talking about me? Let’s just head to the requestor’s house already.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You should feel honored. Do you know how rare it is for me to provide backup on a mission?”
Aiden talked and talked without end. Each time he chattered like that, her chest grew tight and her blood boiled, so Olivia simply chose to steer the conversation toward something more productive.
“Anyway, the Commander also—”
“Sir.”
“What. Why are you calling me again?”
“I have a question, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Why don’t you try.”
What kind of phrasing was that? It struck her as odd, but Olivia didn’t bother pointing it out.
Even Aiden seemed flustered—his neck had flushed slightly.
“Does the Lux Knights usually take on civilian requests like this?”
It was something she’d been wondering all along. Most Knights Orders were royal institutions that received their orders through the crown.
She’d heard that the Lux Knights operated differently from other orders, as an independent organization with its own system, but she didn’t know the exact circumstances.
So now that they were out together like this, she thought she might as well extract more detailed information about the order.
“Ah. That.”
“Yes. I’ve heard that we accept requests and act upon them, but I didn’t know exactly what kind of requests we handle.”
“Hmm. Well, I can naturally tell you that.”
The three perked up their ears. This was the first moment since this morning when useful information seemed about to come from Aiden.
Aiden paused as if thinking for a moment, then smiled brightly and opened his mouth.
“Everything.”
“Pardon?”
“We accept all of them.”
Of course, none of the three fully understood Aiden’s answer. It was a shame.

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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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