There’s Something Special About Her - Chapter 9

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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 9.
“Did I… do something wrong?”
“The poison that struck Agent Ains today is called Barga—a deadly toxin. Fortunately, the wound was small and we administered emergency treatment quickly, but honestly, it wouldn’t have been strange if he’d died as is. We had to use a Top-tier Antidote.”
“I see.”
A relief.
It seemed Valesca Heinzel hadn’t discovered my secret.
And I could guess what she wanted to say next.
“A Top-tier Antidote, you say.”
A Top-tier Antidote doesn’t come cheap.
Far too expensive to waste on a mere foot soldier.
“I’m terribly sorry, but if you could allow me to repay the cost of the antidote by deducting it from my monthly salary…”
“I’m not doing that.”
Doctor Heinzel, who had suddenly grown irritable, spun around and stormed out of the hospital room.
I heard her mutter, “Paying for the antidote—honestly!”
Wait, wasn’t she asking me to cough up money?
I tilted my head in confusion when Deacon Gold let out a soft laugh.
“I think Doctor Heinzel meant to tell you to be more careful going forward. Despite appearances, she’s quite the kindhearted worrier.”
“Worried, you say?”
Valesca Heinzel wasn’t one of the seven executives, but she was certainly part of Nox’s upper echelon.
And that upper echelon was worried about a disposable foot soldier?
It was like feeling sorry for soap wearing thin in the wash.
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment when Deacon Gold went further still.
“It’s not just Doctor Heinzel. I was also worried something might happen to you, Runelk.”
He even patted my shoulder gently, almost tenderly.
“Runelk is my benefactor. If Green had actually succeeded in harming His Excellency…”
The blond beauty’s fine features creased with something like dread at the mere thought.
“The Gold family does not forget a debt. Thank you, Runelk.”
Deacon Gold—the Nox merchant known for squeezing even a single coin from trading partners.
The heartless man who once set fire to a farmland’s wheat fields, burning the entire sprawling plains to ash because the farm owner had deceived him on price…
I found myself at a loss for words, watching this handsome man smile so prettily, his eyes crinkling downward, wondering if he really was the Deacon Gold I knew.
Knock, knock.
The visitor was Dupont Clansher.
The towering man, broad enough to fill the doorframe, wore a visibly exhausted expression.
“…You’re awake.”
“Welcome, Dupont.”
Deacon Gold rose from his seat and bowed respectfully.
There was a hierarchy even among Nox’s seven executives.
Deacon Gold’s current rank was fifth.
Standing before Dupont Clansher—Killian Nox’s right hand and the first-ranked executive—he carried himself with clear discipline.
Dupont nodded curtly, accepting the bow, then his gaze turned to me.
“Good day to you.”
“You’re the one called Runelk Ains, from the Action team.”
Sharp eyes gleamed beneath deeply shadowed lids as he studied me.
Of course he’d be suspicious.
A nobody of a foot soldier had appeared from nowhere and stopped an would-be assassin of the commander.
Had this happened under Wickersham, they’d have hanged both the assassin and me for interrogation.
“You’re the agent who carried the commander’s bathwater.”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Uncanny bastard.
The encounter had lasted mere moments, yet he remembered it.
Had he left me alive and sedated so he could interrogate me later?
I was beginning to think that Nox was indeed an opponent one could never afford to underestimate—
“Well done.”
Dupont Clansher spoke while frowning, pressing his temples with both thumbs.
“The commander wished me to commend Agent Ains for his courage and sacrifice.”
Courage? Sacrifice?
Words that fit me not at all, and as I blinked uselessly, Deacon Gold seemed to interpret my reaction differently.
“There’s no need to be embarrassed, Runelk. Throwing yourself in harm’s way for your lord is not something anyone can do—you deserve the praise.”
So my weakened body from the sex change had allowed me to subdue the assassin, and my rash intervention in a dangerous situation had become an act of heroic self-sacrifice.
It had been urgent enough that I’d gotten involved, but as a mere foot soldier, this misunderstanding was actually welcome.
Setting that aside, the most important thing—he hadn’t told me about it.
“Um, but is His Excellency…?”
“The commander is occupied.”
Dupont Clansher cut me off sharply.
“Your actions today showed some merit, but they’re hardly important enough to warrant a personal visit from His Excellency.”
“No, I was only going to ask if His Excellency was unharmed…”
Why was he being so short with me?
Dupont Clansher seemed to realize his mistake, fell silent for a moment, then rubbed away his curt expression.
This is why people need sleep.
“Right, I understand now. The commander is unharmed.”
He exchanged a quiet glance with Deacon Gold, and at that glance, Deacon Gold’s face went pale.
Something was definitely going on.
“I’m relieved to hear he’s in good health.”
Not my concern.
As long as Killian Nox kept breathing, that was enough.
“You truly respect His Excellency, don’t you, Runelk!”
Deacon Gold exclaimed, eyes sparkling with admiration.
“Of course, the commander is stronger than anyone, but wanting to protect him more carefully than anyone else—that’s the heart of a subordinate who admires their lord!”
It sounded like Deacon Gold himself was the one with true respect and admiration for Killian Nox.
“Of course. The commander is an important person.”
At minimum, he’s essential to my leisurely fugitive life.
I gave a careless nod, and Deacon Gold’s smile bloomed even wider.
It seemed he thought he’d found a kindred spirit.
“Your bonus payment will be issued within the week.”
“A bonus payment?”
A smile bloomed on my face too.
Killian Nox—I’d only seen him be harsh, but the man understands the rules of commerce!
“I was only doing what was necessary, but thank you!”
I didn’t demur for even a moment.
If I turned it down, they might just take it back.
Instead, I smiled without hiding my delight, and Dupont Clansher’s expression grew odd.
“…Truly a child of commerce.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Never mind. Rest well.”
With only those words, Dupont left the hospital room.
“Would you like me to find out in advance what the bonus amount will be?”
“That’s not necessary, but roughly how much do you think it will be?”
“Well, normally…”
I let Deacon Gold’s voice drift past as I stared at where Dupont had been standing.
In that spot, a faint scent of blood lingered.
***
“Runelk, what did I say earlier?”
“You said if I wake with stomach pain or anything unusual, I should pull the cord to ring the bell.”
That wouldn’t happen.
Barga and other deadly toxins can cause various aftereffects, it’s true.
But that applies to ordinary people who’ve never been exposed to poison.
I have some resistance to common toxins, and I even consumed a Top-tier Antidote—there’s no chance of delayed complications.
“You’re remembering well. Don’t stubbornly try to tough it out. Understood?”
“Yes, Doctor.”
I nodded obediently, and Valesca Heinzel sighed softly.
“Agent Runelk Ains, how old did you say you were this year?”
“Eighteen.”
“Eighteen makes you an adult.”
Under Bernheim Empire law, anyone past their eighteenth birthday was considered an adult.
So Runelk Ains was indeed an adult.
Yet Doctor Heinzel muttered distractedly nonetheless.
“Bringing in babes like this…”
Sensing I’d spend the rest of the evening listening to the doctor’s complaints in the dark room, I smiled and tried to soothe her.
“I’m really fine, so please go home, Doctor. It’s already late.”
“All right. See you tomorrow.”
Doctor Heinzel waved her hand and disappeared.
Click.
The moment the door closed, the hospital bed felt impossibly comfortable.
“Nox sure does things well—even the hospital beds are nice.”
The beds at Wickersham, where I’d stayed many times before, had been nothing but hard.
‘That was very smart of me.’
I found myself praising my past self for choosing Nox as a hiding place after killing Benedict Wickersham.
Over the past year, having lived Nox firsthand, it turned out to be a far more livable place than I’d expected.
The organizational structure was sound, and being much larger than Wickersham’s, it had enough loose spots to move around in.
The Action team I belonged to was one such spot.
‘And above all, the organization is quite generous to its members.’
I ran my fingers lightly over the soft bedding and smiled.
Though it rankled that the hospital room’s blankets were nicer than what I had in my quarters, tonight at least I’d sleep more comfortably.
I’d live like this for a few more years, then make my escape.
By then, Edward’s thirst for revenge should have cooled somewhat.
Wickersham couldn’t maintain people at the ports and train stations forever.
When the time came, I could change identities once more and cross over to the Western Continent.
I’d had a relative who went to the Western Continent long ago—what was their name again?
As my thoughts spiraled endlessly, drowsiness crept in.
Each time my heavy eyelids blinked, the dark ceiling appeared and disappeared in turn.
‘What was that blood scent?’
Suddenly, the scent of blood I’d noticed on Dupont Clansher earlier came back to me.
It didn’t seem like he was wounded himself—it looked like it had seeped into his clothes and hair without his knowing.
Had Killian Nox been injured?
I’d been too busy with emergency treatment to check on Killian Nox’s condition.
‘…He must be alive, at least.’
Dupont Clansher himself had said so.
With that thought, I fell into a deep sleep.
Whether from the chaos of the day or the comfort of the hospital bedding, I seemed to be having good dreams.
Soft, soft footsteps.
Before I could hear the sound of someone approaching with utmost stealth—

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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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