There’s Something Special About Her - Chapter 23

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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 23.
Tap, tap.
Counting the steady rhythm of Dupon Clansher’s footsteps and my own, I could gauge our approximate location.
‘We must be around the fifth floor by now.’
The Main Building was a five-story structure.
Yet the staircase didn’t end there—it continued upward.
“What are you doing? Move faster.”
I sidestepped another poking finger from Dupon Clansher and climbed onward.
‘Did I misremember? No, the fifth floor should be the top.’
No matter how hard I tried to recall the Knox map I’d memorized long ago, the Main Building was definitely five stories tall.
Despite my confusion, my feet kept climbing steadily until they reached the final step.
What awaited us was a modest door—hardly befitting the terminus of a passage hidden so carefully behind a portrait of the founding duke.
“……A dragon?”
There wouldn’t have been a question mark if not for the dragon sculpture jutting out from above the door.
“Insert your hand.”
“You… surely you don’t mean there?”
I pointed at the dragon’s gaping maw and asked, and Dupon Clansher nodded.
I stared dumbly at the wispy strands falling from his high-bound long hair before speaking again.
“You’re joking, aren’t you?”
“If I had time to joke with you, I’d use that minute to sleep instead.”
Right—I could tell that was completely sincere.
But even so, this was unreasonable!
“It looks absolutely ominous.”
“Tsk.”
Quick to read the room, but—
Dupon Clansher muttered something even more ominous than the dragon sculpture, then grabbed my right hand and thrust it straight into the gaping maw.
“Wait, just a moment!”
“Would I kill you?”
“I just died and came back—ow, that stings!”
A sharp sensation grazed the tip of my ring finger.
“It bit me! It actually bit me!”
I yanked my hand out to check, and sure enough, a bead of blood welled at my fingertip.
This was assault!
Yet Dupon Clansher simply stared at me.
That same look of disappointment he always wore.
“The dragon just bit me—!”
My feeble protest was drowned out by a creaking sound.
The dragon sculpture was closing its jaws.
I didn’t know what to think anymore.
A secret passage in a place my superior had dragged me to without warning, and a dragon statue that drank blood—I couldn’t decide which was more shocking.
“Will you stay there all day?”
Dupon Clansher called from beyond the now-open doorway.
I really didn’t want to go through.
Something told me I shouldn’t cross that threshold.
“Is it all right if I stay here?”
“……Come inside.”
“Eep!”
In the end, Dupon Clansher grabbed the back of my neck and hauled me through the doorway.
***
To be honest, I’d planned to overpower Dupon Clansher and make my escape.
Since I had no weapons on me, I’d hastily reached for the Chain hanging at his waist.
Thud!
“Ugh—what…?”
Bracing for the pain of my body hitting the ground, I’d cried out.
Instead, I felt something soft and plush embrace me.
“A couch?”
Not just any couch, either.
The way it engulfed my body like a cloud while still supporting me firmly—it had to be the finest couch available.
“Bright enough in some ways, but lacking in others.”
Dupon Clansher spoke as I lay there stupidly, stroking the soft leather.
Then he turned, snapped something in half, tossed it into the dark fireplace—and flames erupted in a burst of brilliance.
“A Mana Stone Heater?”
Though it resembled an ordinary campfire, the flames that rose without any smoke were unmistakably from a Mana Stone Heater.
So expensive that only high nobles used them in their private chambers—why was one here?
I rose from the couch and surveyed my surroundings.
“What is this place?”
“The Nest.”
“The… Nest?”
It was far too luxurious for such a humble name.
Even I, who’d once been an officer of the Wickers, felt overwhelmed by the space.
Instead of the straw a bird might gather, the broad floor was covered with carpet so thick it absorbed every footfall, and the various seating areas arranged before the Mana Stone Heater were clearly of the same premium quality as the couch I’d just left.
A large circular table capable of seating a dozen people dominated one side of the room, and noble paintings hung on the walls.
The expansive space felt comfortable and welcoming, thanks to furniture positioned with perfect consideration.
Or perhaps the sense of security came from the bookshelves that lined an entire wall.
“Sit.”
Dupon Clansher, who’d somehow already prepared steaming tea, spoke to me.
From the moment he’d lit the Mana Stone Heater, something had seemed off—his every movement appeared practiced, as though he’d been coming here for years.
I settled onto the couch as ordered, perching somewhat awkwardly, and asked him.
“What exactly is this place, Clansher?”
“I just told you. The Nest.”
Dupon Clansher answered curtly, took a sip of tea, and then spoke my name.
“Lunelk Ains of the Action Unit.”
“……Yes?”
“By my command, you are hereby sworn in as a Raven.”
“A… Raven?”
Those black-winged birds that cawed and flew about?
The ones that stared down with those piercing yellow eyes?
“That’s right. On the records, you’ll remain in the Action Unit unchanged, but see that you never forget—you now have a post in the Nest.”
“Wait, hold on.”
I raised both palms to stop him.
“Forgive me, Clansher. I’m a bit… confused right now.”
“Of course you are.”
For once, Dupon Clansher didn’t click his tongue in disapproval—he simply nodded understandingly.
He seemed as familiar with this situation as he was with lighting the Mana Stone Heater.
“Do you recall what the Director said? That your answer was half-formed?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“When you suddenly brought up ‘Raven,’ even I was startled for the first time in a while. I thought we were completely exposed.”
Dupon Clansher laughed with genuine amusement.
“Your guess was only half right, but it was impressive nonetheless. You were correct—Knox maintains two Intelligence Divisions. The one openly displayed: the Information Division of Greyer Knox.”
His calloused forefinger made a light, sweeping gesture like a conductor’s baton.
“And the one hidden within the Nest—the Ravens.”
“Not the Raven Tower?”
“That’s merely where the correspondence gathers.”
It felt like I’d been struck in the head with a massive hammer.
I looked around the luxurious space again, grand enough to pass for the resting chamber of the Knox Duke himself.
‘This is the real thing.’
I’d suspected that a genuine intelligence agency must exist somewhere, but I’d never imagined it would be on this scale.
Then understanding crashed into me like lightning.
“You’re saying… I’ve become a Raven?”
Dupon Clansher had definitely said so just moments ago.
You are hereby sworn in from this moment forward, and so on.
“The Ravens are what you call the true intelligence division, aren’t they?”
“That’s correct.”
“But why me? The Ravens seem like such a crucial organization for Knox, and I don’t have the capability for—and besides, I like the Action Unit!”
Where I can slack off easily, and while my body gets tired sometimes, I don’t have to think too hard about complex matters.
I like the Action Unit, where I can get by simply by keeping my seniors happy.
“Stand up.”
Dupon Clansher set down his teacup and walked toward me, commanding.
I got to my feet quickly as instructed.
Standing face-to-face at such close range, the difference in our heights was painfully evident.
The top of my head barely reached his shoulders.
The looseness of his clothing dulled any intimidating effect, but it only made me more aware of just how massive his frame truly was.
“Lunelk Ains.”
The deep green eyes looking down at me were like dry moss, rough and weathered.
‘Will he hit me?’
The atmosphere certainly suggested a fist might fly at any moment.
But both of his arms moved simultaneously.
Was he going to grab and kick me?
Thinking he was petty to be this angry over a bit of backtalk, I tensed my abdomen to brace for the impact.
It was then that—
Thump.
Just as he had in the Duke’s office, Dupon Clansher grabbed both my shoulders firmly and spoke.
“You have talent.”

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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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