The Former Assassin Becomes a Noble Lady

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The clothes I pulled out from the closet were gym clothes meant for exercise. Just because I’m a noble lady doesn’t mean I can’t go out in gym clothes, right? Even if it looks a bit off, it should be fine for a short outing, right? It definitely felt much more comfortable than a frilly skirt that flies around. Surely, there wouldn’t be anyone trying to flip my skirt up like yesterday, since I don’t even have one to flip.

Well, I’ll limit my unnecessary thoughts to this. I shouldn’t be late for our appointment, so I need to change quickly and head out.

Choosing to wear gym pants, I contemplated what to wear on top. No matter how I thought about it, wearing gym pants while donning a school uniform on top seemed mismatched. As I was rummaging through the closet, I unexpectedly made eye contact.

With a dog that was sticking its tongue out at me.

It’s one of my favorite t-shirts. Every time Anne sees me in this t-shirt, she calls me a little girl, but doesn’t she realize that she looks more like a little girl herself?

Anyway, with that, my fashion was complete. Honestly, I think it’s a perfect choice with absolutely no flaws. I’m sure the boss would be in awe if she saw this little dog.

As I was basking in my own praise, time had passed quite a bit, and if I delayed any longer, I might be late, so I hurriedly made my way to the research building.

*

On the way to the place where I finished my work yesterday. The boss and I were walking, hand in hand. I know Frecia is only two years younger than me, but she’s smaller than Anne, which makes her feel so much more childlike.

Even though it shouldn’t be, I felt a strange sense of worry as if I might lose her, so I naturally held her hand. But thankfully, Frecia didn’t let go of my hand to spare me any embarrassment.

As we strolled through the night streets feeling like I was walking with a little sister, a shop caught my eye.

It was a busy vendor selling snacks, probably preparing to close up soon. A quick glance revealed that they hadn’t sold out yet.

I slightly changed directions and led Frecia towards the vendor. She tilted her head in confusion but didn’t particularly resist and followed me.

“Hello! Are you still open for business?”

“Oh my, I was just about to close up! What perfect timing! Come on, choose whatever you like!”

With the vendor’s friendly encouragement, I grabbed two lollipops and paid for them.

I received the two candies and handed the slightly bigger one to Frecia.

“Hmm?”

“My arm’s going to fall off. Hurry up.”

Frecia hesitated to take the candy, only accepting it after I prompted her. No matter how much I love sweet treats, I’m not greedy enough to eat two lollipops at once.

Maybe?

“I could just buy it myself…”

“I want to buy it for you. Don’t you want that, boss?”

With the candy in her mouth, Frecia shook her head vigorously.

“Things taste better when we share them together. How is it? Doesn’t it taste good?”

As expected, Frecia nodded, still with candy in her mouth. I wondered if this is how it feels to have a little sister.

With a warm feeling in my heart, I popped a candy into my mouth, and the sweetness flooded my senses.

Walking down the street with a lollipop in each mouth, we didn’t feel like we were out working but more like we were on a night stroll.

I don’t know how long we walked, but just as I finished my candy, we arrived at the place where I completed my work yesterday. Perfect timing, really.

“Well then, let’s start the work… No, finish all your candy first before starting.”

Noticing that Frecia seemed to be a bit slower eating her candy, I decided to enjoy this moment a little more.

We sat side by side on a bench that was conveniently placed on the side. Still holding Frecia’s hand with one of mine.

We just sat there in silence together. But the silence was far from awkward. It seemed more fitting for us to enjoy the night air in this hush.

“Alright. Then shall we get going?”

Having finished her candy, Frecia jumped down from the bench and headed toward the castle wall. I picked up my back that I had set down and followed Frecia.

“Boss? How can I assist you?”

Frecia had stopped in one place while checking the state of the barrier. However, unlike before when she required several magical stones, she kept her hand on the wall for quite a while with her eyes closed.

Even when I tried to speak to her, she seemed too focused to hear me.

Not wanting to leave Frecia alone nor disturb her, I stood quietly behind her, waiting.

“Wow, this area is significantly damaged. It’s amazing that no demonic monsters have penetrated the barrier yet.”

She said that and then took my backpack from me, rummaging through it to pull out one magical stone after another.

“Healing this will take quite a long time. Just wait a moment.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

It may not be a difficult task for her, but in any case, it’s best if there are no disturbances while using magic.

So, standing behind Frecia as she began her restoration work, I crossed my arms and glared at the people around us.

Probably because it was the dead of night with two girls holding a bunch of magical stones and doing something mysterious, a few people were glancing our way in curiosity. Of course, I didn’t feel any obligation to explain, so I simply ignored them.

“Hey! What are you two doing over there?”

After about ten minutes, two patrolling guards noticed us and approached.

“Hello.”

From the guards’ perspective, we probably seemed suspicious. I’m not someone who lacks common sense to the point where I don’t understand that their job is to maintain security in the city.

“What are you doing out here at this time of night? Depending on your answer, we might arrest you, so don’t think about lying.”

“Oh, don’t be so wary. We’re from the Academy, restoring the city barrier.”

“Hmm?”

Unlike when they were throwing out drunkards, they seemed to relax a bit when I replied in a soft voice.

“So, what proof do you have that you belong to the Academy?”

“Just a moment. Ah…”

I moved my hand to pull out my student ID from my pocket, only to realize that I wasn’t wearing my school uniform. Since the student ID is typically used only in conjunction with the uniform, I’d forgotten to bring it along.

“Why are you hesitating? Get your identification ready.”

While I panicked, the guards started suspecting that something was wrong, hurrying me along. But no matter how much they rushed, a student ID wouldn’t magically appear.

“Um, I left my student ID at the dormitory? I really am a student of the Academy…”

“You’re fiddling with the city’s barrier in the middle of the night, yet you can’t even confirm your identity? Sounds suspicious.”

Of course, they weren’t going to believe me.

“Ah! Maybe my boss has her ID? So…”

“Then hurry and bring it.”

“B-but you see, she’s currently working on the barrier…”

I started to speak but then realized it wasn’t the right time to interrupt Frecia while she was still focused.

“How do I know if you’re restoring the barrier or destroying it? We can’t let this slide. We’ll arrest you both.”

With that, the guard aimed his spear at me while the other seemed to pull out a small communication device from his pocket to call for backup.

Well, if they drag me away now, it wouldn’t be a huge problem. After all, the verification of our identities would eventually happen, and we could prove that we were indeed restoring the city barrier.

However, that would delay our work, and more than that, it could break Frecia’s concentration during her restoration. I’ve heard that losing focus during magic casting is far more dangerous than interrupting a knight swinging their sword.

In any case, it seemed necessary to buy time until Frecia finishes her work.

“Wait a minute!”

I quickly stepped in front of the guard who was about to call for backup.

“What? So you really are up to something suspicious.”

“No! We’re not suspicious people!”

“And what are you asking me to believe? That magician over there is destroying the barrier. How do I know she won’t turn on us next?”

I was running out of options.

“Instead, you can tie me up. Just wait until my boss finishes her work. If worse comes to worst, you can use me as a hostage, right?”

Even if I’m tied up, nobody would dare harm Frecia right in front of the guards. That was the only offer I could make.

“Hmmm… If you’re pleading like that, it doesn’t seem entirely unbelievable…”

The guard considered my suggestion, and I quickly thrust my hands forward in front of me.

“Here you go.”

“Well, she doesn’t seem like the problem. What shall we do?”

“Even so, we should probably tie you up just in case.”

With my hands thrust out without hesitation, the two guards discussed it briefly and eventually used the restraints to tie my hands together.

Relieved, one of the guards went over to me, and the other remained wary of Frecia.

Ultimately, we were left standing there, bound, so I thought I’d try to pass the time by speaking with the guard.

“You guys are doing a tough job patrolling. Are we wasting your time here?”

“Oh, don’t mention it; it’s part of the job. I suppose I’ve just been a bit on edge lately with all the troublesome incidents cropping up. But as long as you aren’t suspicious, it’s not a problem.”

“Well, just a little longer, please. As soon as we finish restoring the barrier, we’ll resolve everything quickly.”

After chatting with the guard for a bit, I noticed Frecia was now walking towards us with the other guard, having finished her restoration.

“Hey. Let her go.”

Seeing her approach, the guard pulled out his key to free me from the restraints.

Click.

As I rolled my sore wrists, Frecia spoke up.

“…Why not just call for me? Why’d you have to get tied up?”

“But what if her focus got broken during her magic casting? It’s dangerous, isn’t it?”

“That’s true, but…”

Frecia shot a glare at the guards, knowing they had done their job, so she didn’t say much.

“It’s not like anything happened, so don’t throw shade at the guards.”

“I’m talking to you.”

Frecia seemed displeased and puffed her cheeks, tapping her toes on the ground in frustration.

“Well then, we’ll be heading out now.”

“Ah, I’ve informed the others through the magical stones, so there shouldn’t be any more trouble for you two.”

We both nodded to each other and proceeded once more to restore the barrier. I walked next to Frecia, who was still pouting for me.

Maybe it was the nighttime ambiance, but I appreciated all of her little gestures at that moment. However, I didn’t say the words “thank you.”

Instead, I held onto Frecia’s little hand and walked alongside her.