Volume 3 Chapter 19 Chris - So That's Why I Suddenly Inserted A Maid! (wrong)
After leaving the dark guild, Chris thought for a bit. Of course, he was thinking about the mission failure he just heard about. He had been teasing the leader earlier, asking, "Are you scared?" but Chris was also surprised by the mission's failure.
(It's supposed to be a trip for 2 students...)
Chris looked over Randy's information again with the leader of the dark guild, but there wasn't really anything to be worried about. ...Actually, there was a lot of information that should have raised alarms, but Chris was skimming through it, so it was hard to figure things out.
At this point, he concluded that the reason for the total defeat was a super-skilled bodyguard.
(A super-skilled bodyguard... Did the Marquis send them all the way to Riverford?)
No one like that had been seen at the academy. This meant that the bodyguard was probably only there for this one time. Still, Chris needed to think about the "what ifs." What if that bodyguard came back to the capital with them? ...Then he would have to be careful of Cedric and Miranda too, and it might be tough for just the dark guild to handle.
(I hope I can find some weakness to hold over them.)
As Chris was deep in thought, he realized something. Right now, Randy and Liz were out. And there was a bodyguard nearby who could wipe out the dark guild's surveillance.
(So, their house is probably not well-guarded right now.)
Thinking of this made Chris smile a little. He knew that Randy and Liz were living in a rented house, and that there was one maid and one knight there. He had been keeping an eye on that place, but he never thought about barging in since it was a house specially prepared by the Marquis.
But now, the bodyguard was not there.
(The knight might be a problem, but if I can just grab the maid and hold her for leverage...)
With that thought, Chris stopped and turned around. He thought about heading straight to the dark guild, but it felt a bit awkward to ask for a new request right after the last failure. After all, they had messed up twice in a row.
If a new request came in right away, he might be too tense and fail again.
(I'll go myself. Luckily, I'm wearing my student uniform under the robe, so I might be able to trick them. Worst case, I can just pretend to be a student and gather some info.)
With that idea in mind, Chris's face looked a bit twisted. Seizing the day, he quickened his pace. His destination was, of course, the house where Randy and the others lived.
Unaware of what awaited him there──
Breathing heavily and wiping his sweat, Chris looked ahead and saw a small house with a maid cleaning around it.
(So that's their house... And the maid cleaning in front of the gate is... the maid.)
It might be a bit big for 4 people, but a 2-story small house would be just fine for one maid to manage.
As Chris caught his breath, he scanned the area. The sun was still high, but there were no people on the street in front of the house.
Taking a deep breath, he focused his senses. He slowly checked for any presence, not just people but also anything hidden. The faint presences he felt were probably from the house across the street or the neighbors.
The only stronger presence was likely the guard inside the house.
(This might be better without the student uniform.)
With no one on the street and the maid completely relaxed in front of the gate, it was definitely a good chance to grab her.
The only presence to be cautious of was the knight inside the house. Chris thought that if he jumped out of the house and over the gate, the guard would be too far away to help.
(Well, the maid isn't the target anyway.)
Considering that he might be seen by the knight or the neighbors, it would be safer to wear the black robe to hide his identity.
(...They probably never thought they would be targeted like this.)
Quickly putting on the robe, Chris approached the maid──Rita──slowly.
On a quiet afternoon, the only sound in the peaceful neighborhood was the noise of Rita's broom...
(I should have done this from the start!)
...Chris was almost at Rita. As he glanced at the house for a final check, he caught a glimpse of a shadow in the second-floor window.
(I can do this. Even if I grab the maid, I can use magic to escape.)
Thinking this, Chris sped up to grab Rita and reached out for her──when suddenly, he coughed up blood and saliva, collapsing to the ground.
Rita jumped when she heard a loud noise behind her. When she turned around, she saw someone in a black robe falling down.
"Hey? What happened? Are you hungry?"
Rita shook the black robe, but then Harrison came running from the mansion, shouting, "Rita! What's going on?"
"This person just collapsed out of nowhere──."
Just as Rita turned to look at Harrison, the person in the black robe got up and wobbled away.
"Hey, wait up!"
Rita tried to chase after them, but Harrison grabbed her and checked the area.
(Just as I thought, it's just that person.)
There didn't seem to be anyone else around, and the black robe had disappeared into an alley.
"Sir Harrison?"
"Yeah. It's probably fine. They might just be drunk."
Harrison laughed as he picked up a leather ball that was lying where the black robe had fallen. The ball was about the size of his palm, and while it had some weight, it was soft.
Throwing skills. For pure fighters like Harrison and Randy, it's a must-have for long-range attacks. Usually, they throw stones, but Harrison had been tossing a training ball at Chris.
There were a few reasons for using a training ball.
First, there wasn't anything else handy in the house.
Second, it was meant to keep Chris at bay.
Why keep him at bay? Because Harrison didn't really think 'Chris would actually attack'.
(With skills like that... are they stupid or what?)
Rita tilted her head and asked, "Do you think that person will be okay?"
"Well, they can move, so they should be fine."
Harrison shrugged, but then quietly muttered, "I'm not sure how long they'll last," so Rita wouldn't hear him.
Harrison had noticed Chris getting closer. He also knew that Chris probably noticed him too. He decided that Chris was weak. With Chris's level of stealth, Harrison figured their skills couldn't be that great.
Harrison thought Chris was probably just keeping an eye on them, and he wanted to catch him off guard. That's why he stayed in the mansion, keeping some distance from Rita.
He was still holding the training ball just in case, but he thought of it as being overly prepared.
However, contrary to his expectations, Chris suddenly attacked Rita. For Harrison, that was the real surprise.
Did he misjudge the situation?
Did he underestimate Chris's strength?
Did Chris have backup?
In a panic, Harrison threw the ball with a lot of force, but it turned out he hadn't misjudged anything. Chris was much weaker than he thought.
With just one ball, Chris was knocked out, even if it was just for a moment.
Right now, Harrison just wanted to say, with skills like that, how did he even get here?
(Can't even sense the killing intent when I threw the ball...)
For someone involved in fights, being able to sense the atmosphere is super important. Of course, that goes for the muscle-headed group, Victor, too.
...Actually, it might be even more crucial for Victor.
The ability to sense the atmosphere is essential for surviving in the Beast Forest. Some beasts there can almost completely hide their presence. If you can't sense them, you're basically dead.
And of course, the opposite is true as well.
To avoid being detected, you also need to learn how to hide your presence. Just doing that can reduce unexpected fights.
If you master the skill of hiding your presence, you can even disguise it to blend in with regular people. In a fight, making your opponent let their guard down is a solid tactic.
But even skilled users can read the presence you're trying to hide, so those at the top of their game are truly terrifying. Even Harrison thinks they're monsters.
By the way, there's a silly acquaintance of his who uses a skill that can hide their presence in Beast Forest, making themselves bait. Thinking that this person might be someone important in the future makes him a little dizzy.
Anyway, this skill is a must if you want to get involved in rough situations. So, he can't help but be surprised that there was a reckless attack and that he couldn't even avoid being held back...
(That's not going to work against young master.)
...On the flip side, he can't help but feel sorry for them. This young person doesn't even have the basics down in Victor. The outcome against Randy is as clear as day.
(Well, when young master comes back, I'll tell them not to be too mean.)
"Anyway, let's ignore the drunk and start getting ready for dinner."
"Sounds good!"
Harrison and Rita head back to the mansion, acting like nothing happened, leaving behind a bit of sympathy.
* * *
"Damn. What was up with that maid... what did she do..."
Chris, confused about what just happened, stumbled through the alley.
"This is crazy... I heard there's a maid that the Marquis forced in after Elizabeth got exiled──."
He remembers the maid who was forced in after the exile.
With her back turned, she was strong enough to blow Chris away without him even reacting──though that's not really true.
With a single hit that caught him off guard, she knocked him out for a moment──again, not really true.
I see. It makes sense why the Marquis would force her in, Chris thinks. He should have suspected the maid when Elizabeth, who was sent to Beast Forest, managed to survive.
(The knight was supposed to be the guard, but the real threat was the maid...)
If he thinks that the maid was left at home expecting a situation like this, everything adds up.
"Wow... [Prince of the Silver Peaks]. This time, I lost."
Chris leans against the wall, looking up with a smile despite feeling unsteady.
"After all, the attack should have happened at the academy──."
His mind is hazy from the pain, and as Chris stumbles... his foot steps on a broken bottle in the alley, sending him crashing into a garbage pile.
The shock and intense pain knock Chris out again.
After a while, a passerby found Chris. Dressed in his school uniform, with broken bottles scattered around and his head stuck in the trash, Chris ended up getting a week of suspension for suspected drinking.
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