There’s Something Special About Her - 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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Episode 3.
It had been a year since I finished avenging my family in Wickes.
After barely escaping the Crollin Kingdom, I’d wanted to cross into the Bernheim Empire immediately—but that wasn’t possible.
I needed to evade pursuit that might follow, and at the same time, I lacked the identification documents necessary to cross the border safely.
Identification documents contained details like appearance and eye color, so preparation was essential.
The Artifact Necklace my father left me had a fatal limitation.
An artifact couldn’t do everything—that couldn’t be helped.
It was relatively easy to change my hair length and color, eye color, and facial features, but there were limits to altering my height, bone structure, and body type.
Moreover, I had to deactivate the disguise for a few hours each night to recharge its Mana.
The function could last a few days without recharging, but it was better to maintain it close to a full charge whenever possible.
Thinking hard about how to best shake off Wickes’s pursuit, I arrived at a clever solution.
Change my gender entirely.
Cut my hair short, alter my eyes and lips and facial bone structure slightly, flatten my chest like a man’s.
But the disguise apparently consumed enough Mana that I couldn’t change my voice perfectly.
Since I couldn’t increase my height either, I ended up looking closer to late teens than a young man.
After a period of preparation, I created the identity I now use: “Lunelk Eins.”
After that, I crossed into the Bernheim Empire and successfully found work with the Nox Family’s Action Squad.
And looking back now, it was truly the perfect choice.
Hide the tree in the forest, hide the book in the library—the old wisdom holds.
No one would ever suspect that I work openly in the Nox Organization, tangled as it is in various debts and history with Helena of Wickes.
And in male disguise, no less.
“Go ahead and look hard.”
I smiled with satisfaction, picturing Edward—that irritable, obsessive bastard—who by now must be seething with frustration.
“Next, please.”
I gestured toward the other cargo wagon waiting in line.
I’d joined the Action Squad partly because there were many personnel and it was the lowest tier—easy to get a position in.
Since everyone visiting Nox had to pass through the main gate, it was perfect for watching whether anyone might try to infiltrate by following my trail.
And because I’d made the inspections somewhat more rigorous due to my circumstances, I’d somehow earned a reputation in the Action Squad for having a good eye and sharp instincts.
“Ah, it’s hot.”line>
But my station was still what it was.

I wiped sweat from my brow and opened the wagon’s cover before speaking.
“Baker, from the Chesshire Merchant Guild.”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“According to the order form, it says thirty casks of Kenjia Mountain wine.”
“Well, that’s… that is correct…”
“But looking at this, it’s clearly thirty-three casks.”
“What? No, it isn’t!”
“Baker, if you keep this up, I’ll have to open each one to check.”
As I stared at him with a suspicious expression, the Chesshire employee’s eyes wavered and he quietly turned his wagon around.
The duchy itself was the size of a small town, so there were those who conducted smuggling operations within it—a problem that arose from such circumstances.
But Nox maintained strict control over the quantity of goods entering the duchy.
Plain and simple—who could say whether unlisted casks contained medicine, or people, or something else?
“Next—”
I was about to call for the next person.
“The Duke has returned!”
The Action Squad scattered throughout the gatehouse scrambled to their feet, pushing all the wagons in line to the sides of the gate.
Thud-thud-thud!
Clack, clack!
With the harsh sound of galloping hooves, a dark green carriage bearing the emblem of the Nox Duchy and a mounted figure fluttered past in an instant, followed by several attendants sweeping their cloaks behind them as they passed through the main gate.
The speed was such that a gust of wind rushed in their wake.
“Phew, that’s terrifying.”
Jake, my senior, had appeared beside me and let out a low whistle.
“Last year, I had to go to the Main Hall on an errand.
The Main Hall refers to the castle located at the center of the Nox Family’s vast estate, where the core departments and the Duke’s office are housed.
“And I happened to see the Personal Guard captain for the first time, right there in the corridor.”
“The Personal Guard captain? You mean Kane Digrave?”
“Yeah. I went straight to the bathroom to check if I’d had an accident.”
Jake trembled at the mere recollection, making a fuss about how terrifying it had been.
“The Nox Organization’s top swordsman, and even the Personal Guard captain has that presence. I swear, if I ever actually faced our Duke, my heart would probably just stop.”
I usually ignored most of Jake’s stories, but this time I nodded.
Killian Nox.
Full name: Killian Crestear Nox.
The reason I’d hesitated before hiding in Nox.
The sole Duke of the entire Bernheim Empire, and simultaneously the head of the Nox Organization.
A man wielding immense power in both hands, but that wasn’t why he was frightening.
Killian Nox is merciless.
At eighteen, he killed his stepmother and half-brother.
Killian Nox is cruel.
After disposing of his stepmother and brother, he personally tortured members of the internal Nox faction that had followed them until they confessed their crimes.
The rumors from that time claimed the screams from the underground dungeons of the Nox mansion never ceased for a hundred days.
Killian Nox is, damn it, capable.
After inheriting the ducal title and the position of organization head, Killian Nox had grown the organization several times over in the past eight years.
He distributed all illegal operations that could become liabilities to loyal external families, making them appear unrelated to Nox on paper, and began reaching wildly into large-scale enterprises.
Railroads, civil engineering, distribution, mercenary work, trade through the Nox Trading Company, and even refined opera houses and art galleries.
Every single one of those ventures became a goose that laid golden eggs in Killian Nox’s hands.
Not a single failure.
The immense capital he secured became absolute power.
Most of the nobility of the empire were in debt to the Nox Family, and even the Emperor himself trembled with anxiety, desperately trying to curry favor with Killian Nox.
Finally, Killian Nox has sharp instincts.
An Instinct that transcends the five senses an ordinary human can perceive—or something like that.
This was the reason I’d hesitated before hiding in Nox.
That “instinct” was a sharp blade that severed the necks of spies and traitors.
In fact, this was his most infamous trait.
How ghastly his ability to identify them.
Even when I was in Wickes, I lost several talented agents I’d trained personally when they were discovered trying to infiltrate Nox.
‘Well, I succeeded in the end, anyway.’
Because of this, rumors circulated that Killian Nox possessed some mystical ability to read minds.
And what gave those rumors a certain credibility was the golden Dragon Eye that supposedly ran through generations of the Nox Ducal House.
Not an ordinary round pupil, but one slit vertically like a dragon’s from legend.
Something about having a dragon somewhere in their distant ancestry.
According to accounts from people who had actually seen Killian Nox, meeting that gaze rendered one unable to move, as if under a spell.
Of course, such things couldn’t possibly be true.
But it was undeniable that he was a man with an unusually developed instinctive sense that could only be explained as intuition or instinct.
Currently, I am not a spy from another organization, nor do I harbor any intention of betraying Nox.
Still, there was an awkward dimension to my situation, so avoiding Killian Nox’s notice was the safest course.
“Well, I’ll probably never even meet him.”
Even though I belonged to Nox, I was merely a peripheral sentry and gatekeeper in the Action Squad.
And as the lowest rank in that squad, there was no way I would ever cross paths with Killian Nox.
“Rookie, shift change.”
The night watch arrived and collected the entry log from me.
I headed immediately to the Action Squad’s quarters, located on the outskirts of the ducal estate.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”
I had to admit, whatever else Nox might be, the welfare of even low-ranking members—private rooms with private bathrooms—was excellent.
I dragged my tired body through a quick wash and prepared for bed.
It was still early, but I planned to sleep until morning.
Click.
I locked the door securely and drew the curtains carefully so no one could see in from outside.
Then, standing before the mirror, I deactivated the artifact.
Shhhhh—
My body gradually returned to its original form, as if wrapped in a gentle breeze.
My short, tousled ash-blonde hair grew longer and longer in waves until it reached my waist, where it darkened to a deep black.
Simultaneously, my facial structure softened and my height increased by about two finger-widths.
But the most dramatic change was my eye color.
Lunelk’s cloudy, sky-like eyes gradually reddened like a sunset, finally settling into the color of blood.
The face of Helena Morton—known only to me in this world.
‘No problems.’
After confirming the necklace functioned properly, I threw myself onto the bed and fell asleep.
The severe insomnia that had plagued me throughout my Wickes days was long gone.
How long did I sleep?
Snap.
My eyes opened and I gripped the Short Sword I’d tucked beneath my pillow.
Creak, creak.
Suspicious footsteps were approaching my door.

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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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