Chapter 13: Peddler, Villain is an executive of an organization, Part 1

Even with her struggles, Lucia realized it was futile.

No matter what she did, the system steered her toward the “story.”

If she resisted, it would endanger those around her to force her back onto the narrative’s path.

It was a loathsome choice, but for the sake of her loved ones, Lucia decided to comply with the system’s demands.

However, she refused to rely entirely on the system windows.

She feared losing herself if she completely surrendered to it.

She covered her right eye with an eyepatch, blocking the disorienting effects of Insight.

She ignored the quest window unless it was an emergency or involved those around her.

She diligently learned various martial arts to avoid relying on the system’s automatic “skills.”

She honed her skills in Royal Swordsmanship and even learned throwing techniques directly from a renowned thief in the Thieves’ Guild.

She trained in spear techniques, archery, and countless other weapon styles alongside other knights, under the tutelage of a renowned Swordmaster.

Initially, they had underestimated her due to her age, but they quickly quieted down after witnessing her skills.

And she never visited the shop again.

Even when she needed something, she sent her attendant. She never entered the shop herself.

She didn’t want to face that peddler girl again.

Because whenever she recalled her, an inexplicable fear began to consume her.

Two years had passed since she entered the academy.

The small girl had grown tall enough to wield a sword properly.

She was still shorter than other girls her age, but it was enough.

Her relationships remained the same as they were two years ago, limited.

The suspicion and distrust of others caused by the system.

The fear that new relationships would endanger others due to the system’s interference.

These factors significantly impacted her ability to form connections.

“Lucia?”

“…Yes, yes? What is it, Your Highness…?”

“Are you listening?”

Her timid nature hadn’t improved much.

The only upside was that she became more serious and focused when faced with a fight.

[Part 2 Begins: The Mysterious Transfer Student…]

Lucia walked, staring at the window that had reappeared.

Amidst the bustling market filled with hawking merchants, she spotted a cloaked figure walking slowly.

Something felt familiar, and she tilted her head in curiosity, but…

“Lucia? We need to hurry.”

“Y-yes…!”

Second Princess Carmel grabbed her hand and pulled her along, interrupting her thoughts.

And from a distance, a voice echoed.

“Still following me…?”

Lucia didn’t hear the lament.

Escaping was easy, as expected.

I had a general idea of the event’s location, and the dungeon’s high elevation offered a clear view of the terrain below.

The dungeon was also deserted because the monster respawn timer hadn’t expired yet.

Could she return and clear the dungeon later? Perhaps… but I figured she wouldn’t come back after running away like that. So, I just left.

However, the problem was…

[Wanted Notice.
Searching for the individual below.
Red eyes, bag at the waist.
Long hair—]

Wanted posters were plastered all over town.

Bearing the large seal of the Magic Tower.

The sketch looked quite different from me, but it captured the key features.

The mole under my eye, my narrow eyes, my smiling expression.

But I didn’t think I looked that suspicious… well, maybe a little.

Since wanted posters weren’t known for their accuracy, I just shrugged it off and looked around.

People in robes bearing the Magic Tower insignia roamed the streets, holding wanted posters with my sketch.

They asked passersby if they had seen me, making it feel more like a missing person search than a manhunt.

Since the posters didn’t list the charges, I wondered if that was indeed the case.

I didn’t think I’d committed any crimes.

“This is troublesome…”

Especially since they were all carrying weapons.

Some mages seemed ready for combat, their spells already charged.

I felt people staring at me, so I ducked into a deserted alley to observe my surroundings.

Had I done something wrong…?

Hmm… The only person I’d taken advantage of was Hans…

But that gentle-looking man wouldn’t do this.

Of course, he did engage in some shady business, but he loved his family.

He wouldn’t do anything that would put his family at risk.

This was a perplexing situation.

It was definitely a misunderstanding…

But since I didn’t know what the misunderstanding was, I didn’t know how to clear it up.

And why did it have to be a wanted poster from the Magic Tower, an organization with influence across the entire continent?

Honestly, I had considered dealing in magic stones under the table, or even selling them at inflated prices to the Magic Tower’s enemies for a hefty profit, but those were just thoughts!

Who would provoke an organization whose members were all essentially a fighting force?

I sighed.

I had to start trading again to make a living…

My financial situation wasn’t great.

I had some savings thanks to converting all my belongings to money, and the Lucania Fragments had automatically been converted as well, giving me enough to get by for now.

However, it wouldn’t last forever, and it was difficult to peddle my wares with my face plastered everywhere.

I ducked into another alley to avoid the crowds, continuing to ponder.

Should I disguise myself and become a traveling merchant?

It sounded kind of cool.

Wearing a half-mask, delivering necessities to people… like a sort of Robin Hood.

Of course, I’d still charge a fair price.

As I started thinking about the design of the half-mask, someone tapped my shoulder.

“What?”

I turned around to see two undeniably thug-like men smirking at me.

They glanced back and forth between the wanted poster and my face, flinching slightly when they looked at me.

They were the stereotypical image of alleyway bullies.

“Missy, it’s dangerous to be here alone. You know?”

“Yeah. And, you are the missy, right? What did you do to get the Magic Tower after you?”

The man on the left, with a split lip, spoke first, and the man on the right, with a scar near his eye, waved the wanted poster at me.

What? Were they trying to pick a fight?

I smiled calmly, placing a hand on the dagger at my waist.

Hmm. It had been a while since I’d fought anyone…

Could I still do it?

Despite my apprehension, I decided to smile.

A smile to disarm the opponent.

Kayleen was quite attractive, so I figured I could at least distract these hungry-looking men.

Honestly, running away was the best option, but…

The two men flinched at my smile.

Did it work?

“Whoa, whoa. Missy. We don’t wanna fight you.”

“Yeah, missy. We’re in a similar situation.”

They rolled up their sleeves, revealing their forearms.

Each had a triangular burn mark. The brand of a criminal from the kingdom’s prison.

They were criminals.

“You’ve been falsely accused, right? You don’t look like you’d commit a crime big enough to… uh…”

“Hey.”

“Ah, sorry. You don’t look like you’d commit a crime big enough to get the Magic Tower’s attention.”

Oh? What?

Could they read people well?

Instead of immediately suspecting me, they assumed I was falsely accused.

I felt pleased by this unexpected reaction. If I were a dog-person, my tail would be wagging furiously.

“So, you’re saying you were falsely accused too?”

“Yeah. Ah, I’m Eric… I was framed for a series of murders in my village… It was someone else, but…”

If they were already out, it meant they’d escaped… wasn’t that also a crime?

The thought crossed my mind, but I was in such a good mood that I just thought about how unjustly they must have been treated to resort to escaping.

The other man, who introduced himself as Cedric, also claimed to have been wrongly accused of a crime and escaped.

I began to lower my guard, thinking I would have been in a similar situation if I’d been caught.

Actually, I lowered it quite a bit.

“So, missy. What can you do? If you have a useful skill, we might have a place for you in our organization.”

At Eric’s question, I cleared my throat.

“I’m a general merchant. I deal in… everything.”

“Everything…? Anything?”

“Yes. Anything. As long as it makes money. And don’t worry about procuring goods. I have my ways.”

I smiled again as I spoke.

Eric looked momentarily taken aback, then a sly grin spread across his face.

“Name?”

“Kayleen. Call me Rin.”

“Alright. Rin. Welcome to ‘Under the Lamp.’”

Under the Lamp. The name sounded strangely familiar.

It was the kind of name you’d hear in a proverb. Still, I liked it, so I shook Eric’s outstretched hand.

It didn’t take long for “Miss Rin” to become “Sister Rin.”

About a year and a half later, perhaps?

I didn’t think I was doing anything illegal.

Eric and Cedric would secure deals, and I would handle the transactions.

The goods I traded were magic stones, monster materials, and weapons.

These were all items sold in the original “Kayleen’s” shop, so I didn’t see a problem.

There were a surprising number of falsely accused criminals among the members, but the higher-ups didn’t seem to mind as long as you were competent, so I just went with it.

Even adventurers committed petty crimes here and there, so a few falsely accused individuals were hardly a big deal.

You couldn’t survive in this world if you were constantly suspicious.

It felt strange to be an executive in what felt like a villainous organization, though.

As time passed, the Magic Tower’s search efforts waned, making it easier for me to move around.

The protagonist should have entered Part 2 of the story by now, and during that part, she remained at the academy. So I didn’t have to go to her, and since she wasn’t visiting the shop, I didn’t need to teleport.

I’d even managed to avoid getting caught countless times recently, so I was enjoying a leisurely time.

It was the first peace I’d had in a while.

The calm didn’t last.

It happened about two years later, when I was enjoying tea and chatting with Eric and Cedric, who had become my direct subordinates.

Slam!

“S-sister…!”

“Hmm? Was it the new recruit?”

“It’s Colin…! We have a problem…!”

Annoyed by the interruption to our tea time, Eric stood up to stop Colin. But Colin, clearly agitated, continued speaking.

“The kingdom has issued a warrant for ‘Under the Lamp’…!”

Hmm. That was certainly interesting and urgent news.

I dropped my cup, shattering it on the floor.