If You Are Suited for the Villain's Secretary - Chapter 3

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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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If the Villain’s Secretary Suits Me
Chapter 3
My instincts, sharpened by the monthly struggle to send money for debt repayment, screamed in protest.
“Two hundred thousand gold?!”
I hastily flipped the envelope over, and upon seeing the staggering sum of two hundred thousand gold, I clamped my mouth shut.
I’d expected at most five thousand gold, or perhaps ten thousand at most!
“What, why are they giving so much for an interview fee?”
Without thinking, I bowed respectfully toward La Mar.
“So even though he’s a villain, he’s not petty? Wow, with this money, I could cover a month’s worth of food expenses, or if I’m careful, even two months!”
Clutching the two hundred thousand gold, I began rushing toward the Job Placement Office with a light heart.
My steps felt lighter than they had in ages, and my mood lifted accordingly. I even found myself feeling oddly grateful toward the notorious Aden.
At least, that was how I felt then.
***
At that same moment, in La Mar.
Long after the interview had ended, Aden remained staring down at the resume on his desk.
As he turned over the name written on the resume—Iliana Grecia—in his mind, he didn’t even lift his head at the knock.
“Come in.”
“Yes, I’m coming in.”
Luther, who made a casual salute-like gesture, closed the door behind him and sat down.
Luther’s official title was Aden’s attendant secretary.
But as Luther rolled his muscular arms—which by no means seemed suited to an attendant secretary—he asked a question.
“But why did you call for me?”
“What was your impression when you saw off Miss Grecia earlier?”
“Ah, that one.”
Luther chuckled.
“She seemed decent.”
“Why did you think so?”
“She didn’t curse you out.”
Aden lifted his head. Luther, looking a bit sheepish, shrugged his shoulders.
“I mean, it was supposed to be an interview, but it clearly looked more like an interrogation, right? She could’ve been intimidated, but even though I subtly set the stage for it, she kept smiling and answered well throughout. What was it she said again—’I learned a lot’?”
“….”
“Her answers were good and her attitude was respectful. If you ask me, she seemed like someone well-educated and sharp.”
“I formed a similar impression.”
“Right? So then….”
“But why did her composure slip for just a moment when I asked about the Airen Flower Incident?”
Something flickered through Luther’s mind as he listened to Aden’s words.
“The Airen Flower—isn’t that the item our rival guild Crimson used to profit from by bringing in counterfeit seeds back then? And when it was exposed, they pinned everything on the local merchants in Dokuk and made their escape?”
“Exactly.”
“I heard every port except one rural harbor suffered damage?”
“Sirena. Quite coincidentally, it’s Miss Grecia’s hometown. Apparently, she avoided that disaster by being the one who identified the poisonous seeds.”
“Exactly! I could tell at a glance that she’s sharp and capable!”
Luther, who had been smiling with satisfaction, blinked as he caught sight of Aden’s expression.
“…Ah, do you perhaps think I’m lying?”
“I’m not sure. It seems more plausible that there’s an internal connection between the Mason Merchant Guild and Crimson, allowing her to receive advance information and avoid the danger. Miss Grecia herself would have known this, which is why she hesitated.”
“….”
“Of course, we can’t make a definitive conclusion from this alone. However.”
Aden handed over a photograph he had taken with a magic device.
Luther accepted it with some doubt, then covered his mouth.
“That’s a photo of someone coming out of Crimson!”
“I received it from an informant this morning.”
“…Ah, could it be someone who just finished an interview?”
“Don’t you know? Crimson hasn’t posted any job openings recently.”
Of course, if Iliana had known this, she would have found it deeply lamentable.
She had only gone out of her way to ask about part-time work not listed on the Job Placement Office’s postings.
But the problem was,
“Could it be that Crimson has sent ‘another’ spy?!”
La Mar happened to be keeping a sharp eye on Crimson’s movements.
There were factions that viewed La Mar—which had suddenly emerged and rapidly grown—with suspicion.
Not only rival merchant guilds, but rumors circulated that even the Imperial Family was carefully monitoring the shifting landscape.
Of course, if we were above reproach, it wouldn’t be a problem.
‘But our guild is hardly above reproach!’
La Mar was an intelligence guild masquerading as a merchant guild.
A so-called “black hand” that would stop at nothing to achieve its objectives.
Like any enterprise, the existence of a spy would be particularly fatal for La Mar, which harbored such secrets.
“B-but still.”
Luther, regaining his composure, opened his mouth.
In Luther’s view, Aden was a person prone to excessive suspicion.
Because of that pathologically suspicious and cautious nature, things had certainly worked out well before. His hypersensitive reactions were understandable.
‘He must already be irritated by the spy Crimson sent.’
Aden had detected the spy long ago.
He simply hadn’t “dealt with” them yet while investigating the flow of funds.
The spy, unaware they had been discovered, was merely flailing uselessly within the trap Aden had constructed.
“If there’s already an existing spy, would they really send another one? Though admittedly, the current spy isn’t exactly performing well….”
Luther glanced toward the door and was about to continue speaking.
Aden slowly turned over a document and cut him off.
“This letter of recommendation states that since she began working at age fourteen, she has never been late or absent even once.”
“What? Is that even possible?”
“Possible or not aside, the recommender listed here—the Mason Merchant Guild—apparently went out of business just days ago. Of all the timing.”
“Ah, that does seem rather suspicious….”
“The guild master has also gone completely silent.”
There’s no way Mason, who set sail around the world on a ship, could be reached.
This too was something that would have made Iliana Grecia grip the back of her neck in frustration.
“Up to this point, it’s merely circumstantial evidence. However, what’s decisive is that Miss Grecia…”
Tap, tap.
Aden tapped the desk.
“She identified this desk as genuine black wood at a glance.”
“…Truly? It’s a wood that even experts find difficult to distinguish?”
“Not only the office desk, but all the desks in the workspace as well—she stated with absolute certainty they were black wood. What do you think that means?”
Luther’s expression, which had been somewhat ambiguous until now, hardened instantly.
“Either she obtained information beforehand that we deal in black wood…?”
“Or, contrary to what’s written on this résumé, she comes from an environment where black wood is extremely familiar—perhaps she was trained in a noble household. It’s one or the other.”
Aden’s eyes gleamed like blades as he spoke the word “noble.”
“It’s naturally problematic if she’s from 【Crimson】, and it’s equally problematic if she’s a noble using rivalry between competing merchant guilds to disguise her identity even more cunningly.”
“W-what will you do?”
From Luther’s perspective, it seemed Aden suspected the latter more strongly.
Aden, brushing back his dark hair, spoke ominously.
“First, let’s send someone to Sirena. We’ll make contact with the Mason Merchant Guild.”
“Yes, understood. Then Grecia, or rather, the new ‘spy’…?”
“Of course.”
Aden’s eyes gleamed.
“We hire her.”
“Pardon?”
“You keep your enemies close, Luther. Watch her thoroughly to see what she’s doing…”
The corner of his mouth rose ever so slightly.
“And uncover who’s behind her.”
“…”
“Wouldn’t you agree?”
Luther quietly averted his gaze from the guild master, whose smile was far more terrifying than any expressionless face.
The next morning at dawn.
“Director of the Job Placement Office? Hello, what brings you here?”
“Well, you see, it’s like this.”
Iliana Grecia, who had opened the door at the knock,
“…so you’re saying I start work today, right now?”
“What?!”
In her pajamas, she received her acceptance notification for the secretary position at La Mar.

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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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