Chapter 4: A Hidden Identity… That Too, Is Romance!

“First, let’s get our priorities straight for what we need to do in this town.”

After arriving in the town of Lewin, our party began taking action the next morning to prepare for the imminent threat of the demon race.

“Ask around to see if there’ve been any demon sightings nearby, use the funds Lord von Weltmund gave us to get new gear, and see if we can find any new allies willing to work with us.”

“Those sound like the main things, yes.”

Right now, we don’t have much to go on. All we do know is that the Demon King’s forces could be attacking at any moment.

To get more solid intel, we’ll either need to contact the goddess or slowly gather information through word of mouth.

“I’ll handle the gathering. I’ve come to this town before to sell hunted game. I’ll check with some merchants I know.”

“I’ll ask around too. There was a time I worked as an adventurer in this town. I’ll try hitting up some of my old teammates.”

So the information gathering around town was left to the two who had experience here.

“...Then I’ll go look into equipment. I’ll hit up every blacksmith in town and assess the quality of their goods.”

“Oh, Lev. Your eye for gear’s solid. If you find anything good, let us know.”

Apparently Lev has the ability to appraise weapons, so she took on the job of picking out new gear.

“As for recruiting allies, leave that to me. I am a noble, after all. If we’re negotiating with other nobles in this town, I’m likely the smoothest option.”

“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you.”

Which naturally meant that I was left with the remaining task of “finding allies.” Well, given my noble status, it’s a logical job for me.

...Still, I really suck at negotiations. I talked a big game, but man, I seriously don’t want to do this.

If we could just talk things out with our fists, that’d be way easier—but unfortunately, nobles tend to be the indoorsy type.

“Alright, let’s meet back here at the inn in the evening and report our results.”

“No objections!”

That said, I did accept the job.

I may not be confident, but I’ll do the best I can.

---

“Fwaha-hahaha! The Demon King’s revival, you say? What an unfunny little jest, Mademoiselle Irine! Just what sort of plot are you hatching, stirring unrest among the people? Ohohohohoho!”

“No, I assure you, I’m not joking, nor am I plotting anything. The Demon King really is—”

“Kiieeeeh!! If you insist on continuing this nonsense, even if you’re the daughter of the von Weltmund family, I shall show nooo mercy!!”

Lewin is home to three noble families. I decided to visit the most prestigious one first: the Somy family.

They’re the ruling house of this town. But when I asked to see the head of the household, what came out was a man so over-the-top it defied belief—he completely brushed aside my modest plea in my best “refined noblewoman” mode.

Visually, he’s the textbook noble: top hat, a thick Kaiser mustache. But mentally, he’s hopelessly narrow-minded. The man hurled bizarre insults at me in his ridiculous speech pattern and spat all over the place as he practically drove me out.

“Don’t you ever come back! OYOOOH, I’ll kill you, KIEEEIHH!!”

“H-Haa… My apologies…”

There was no making sense of him. Honestly, I’m not even sure he was human.

You’ve got to be kidding me. Are there really nobles like that out there?

The second I brought up the Demon King, he started shaking his head with a creepy deadpan smile and making these awful guttural noises. It was like something out of a freak show. If I’d stayed in high society, would I have had to attend tea parties with people like that? Thank god I ran away with Karl when I did.

And with that, negotiations with the Somy family were dead. Well, can’t be helped. Really, that one wasn’t on me.

There can’t be that many weirdos like that out there. Time to move on. Next house.

---

“Vaaah… You’re after my fortune, aren’t you…? Don’t bother denying it, I can see through you…”

“Um, no. That’s not my intention at all. I was hoping to request the aid of the Punco family—”

“I won’t be fooled… I won’t be fooled… Vaah… Don’t lump me in with the rest of those idiot nobles… The only ones dumb enough to fall for something like that are the other nobles in this town… Vaah…”

“P-Please just hear me out. I swear I’m not—”

“Vaah. Say one more word and I’ll curse you… Fufufufu. I’ll curse you until you can never go for a walk again… Vaah…”

...What the hell is with this woman.

Next, I tried the Punco family. The one who came out was a lethargic noblewoman with massive bags under her eyes. She kept moaning “Vaah, vaah” and flat-out refused to listen to anything I said.

I kept at it, but it was no use—she never gave me a chance. She just assumed everything I said was a lie and laughed through her nose the whole time.

I mean, I get that someone suddenly bringing up the Demon King sounds shady as hell… But even so, I’m still a fellow noble coming to call. Couldn’t she show at least a bit more courtesy?

…Actually, why are all the nobles in this town so weird!?

Is this just what nobles are like? The ones I used to talk to in high society were all polite and proper. Maybe that was only because my dad carefully vetted who I interacted with?

Maybe nobles are actually full of eccentrics. Could the final house… be another nutjob like these two?

My motivation’s tanking. Nobles are scary. Way too scary.

If this is what people think nobles are like, no wonder Maika ended up thinking, “Nobles are hard to approach.” I get it now. I really do.

Please… Let the last house be normal. I’m begging you.

---

“G-Good day.”

“Yes, a good day to you as well.”

…Wha.

T-This noblewoman…? She responded to my greeting!?

“I am Irine von Weltmund, eldest daughter of House Weltmund. Thank you for taking the time to see me today.”

“How very polite of you. I am Sakura von Tendou. First, allow me to apologize on behalf of the head of our house. My father is currently away, so I am acting in his stead.”

S-She introduced herself back!? She’s not ignoring me!?

Could it be…?

“I’m so glad… Truly, thank you for agreeing to speak with me.”

“Eh? I—I haven’t even heard what you have to say yet, though?”

She’s… normal. This noble lady is actually reasonable. A normal noblewoman who can hold a conversation…

“S-So then. What brings you here today?”

“Yes, I’ll get right to it. The truth is…”

Finally. A proper negotiation. Alright—time to focus.

---

“…The Demon King, revived, is it. …I’m sorry, but—”

“You find it too far-fetched to take seriously. Is that it?”

“Well, yes. More or less.”

I gave her the rundown of what Karl told me, but while she did listen, she didn’t show much intention of helping.

Yeah. Even someone with common sense would find it hard to trust Karl’s story at face value.

“To be perfectly honest, I even suspect you might be an agent working for one of the other two noble houses.”

“An agent?”

“As I’m sure you’re aware, the three noble houses of Lewin—ours included—are engaged in a quiet power struggle. Forcing us to invest in something pointless and draining our funds… Wouldn’t that be your real goal?”

“T-That’s absurd!”

She went so far as to glare at me like I was some con artist. Ugh…

“A power struggle, you say… But I thought the Somy family held control over this town? I may be from another region, but that’s what I’d heard.”

“They did. But the Somy family has been declining. Thanks to that idiot of a head squandering wealth left and right, both our house and the Punco family have been gaining influence. These days, Lewin is caught in a three-way deadlock.”

Immediately, the image of that ridiculous noble with the Kaiser mustache popped into my head—laughing his ‘kyokyokyo’ laugh. He was the first one I approached, the one who completely brushed me off.

Well, yeah. That guy did seem like an idiot.

“In a situation this delicate, no noble house would invest in some unknown adventurer with zero credibility. Ours included.”

“…I see. That’s unfortunate.”

“If—and I do mean if—the demon race truly intends to attack, then of course we’ll take action. But if your claims are real, don’t come here with just words. Bring solid proof. Then, and only then, will I consider helping.”

“…Very well. Even just hearing that puts you far ahead of the other noble houses.”

“I appreciate the compliment. Is that all you wished to discuss?”

“Yes. That will be all for today. I’ll take my leave.”

If you want us to believe you, bring evidence. Fair enough.

Compared to the other nobles, the Tendou house actually leaves some room for negotiation. That alone makes today’s visit worthwhile.

Now all that’s left is for Maika and Karl—our information team—to dig up real proof of the demon race’s presence. If they manage that, we’ll have a much stronger case.

“Until we meet again, Sakura von Tendou.”

“Hopefully not, Irine von Weltmund.”

And so I left the final noble estate behind and made my way back.

---

Alright, that’s the day’s work done. Now then… What to do until evening?

…I've still got some funds left, but if I keep renting a private room, I’ll go broke before long.

I should probably shift focus and look for a part-time job today. It’ll be good for the party if I can contribute more financially, too.

Yep. Time for some job hunting until sunset. First, I need to figure out how employment works in this world and what kind of jobs are available. Some scouting is in order.

A physical labor job might work. But if it ties me down all day, I’ll be in trouble. There’s always the chance we’ll get assigned a daytime task as a party. Ideally, I want something I can do for half a day.

Maybe a service job at a tavern or restaurant would be better? I could gather rumors that way, too. As a noble, the idea of waiting tables is a little… but if I pretend to be a commoner… Would I get found out? If I did, I’d be the laughingstock of high society.

…Well, I won’t know until I try. First thing’s first—I’ll head back to the inn and change out of these noble clothes.

No one’s going to believe I’m a commoner in frilly clothes like these. I’d better switch into my adventurer outfit.

…

Actually, while I’ve got time today, I should go check out armor shops too. I’m a mage, but there’s a good chance I’ll end up in close combat. I need proper armor.

Gauntlets, a helmet… I know, it’s weird for a mage to wear full armor, but it’s not illogical. If Lev-chan’s out scouting gear like she said, I might ask her opinion and buy something tomorrow.

You know, the stereotypical robe-and-pointy-hat look for mages—those robes usually have magic potions sewn into them or special enchantments. That’s what makes them useful. For someone like me with no fancy gear or hidden tricks, wearing the “mage look” is basically pointless.

As a noble, I’ve got robes for ceremonial reasons, but I’ve always thought armor would be more practical for a mage in real combat. Sure, if you’ve got something like a robe that becomes harder than steel when imbued with magic (like some national treasure), that’d be ideal.

…But still, will people talk if I show up like that? Maybe I should ask Karl and the others first. If it seems okay, I’ll go ahead and buy proper gear.

Yeah. Outdated customs and seemingly useless traditions can actually be important when it comes to communicating with people. Better to be cautious when it counts.

---

"—And that concludes the results of my efforts today. It appears the Tendou family may be open to negotiations, at least to some extent."

"I see. Thanks, Irine-san."

For now, I decided not to buy a full set of proper armor. Instead, I picked up a disposable-quality leather outfit and a cool-looking mask before heading back to the inn.

Leather armor helps conceal my body lines, and with the mask on, it’s harder to tell whether I’m male or female. If I tie my hair up in a ponytail, I could pass for a “long-haired dwarf male.”

Well, today I was just buying a disguise for my part-time job. I’ll talk with everyone later before picking out any battle gear.

"No good on my end. There weren’t any sightings of demons at all. I got suspicious looks, like 'Do demons even exist?'"

"Sorry. I came up empty too. None of the adventurers I talked to had seen any demons either."

"Oh... I see. Things don’t always go smoothly, do they?"

We were told to bring back solid evidence, but it looks like Karl and the others didn’t have any luck. Well, it’s only day one of our investigation. No need to panic.

"What about you, Lev? Find any good shops?"

"...Honestly, the armor in this town isn’t great. Don’t expect much in terms of quality..."

"Yeah, makes sense. We’re in the boonies, after all."

"If I had to say, the Yurine Workshop in the northwest is decent... Their craftsmanship is careful... If your sword breaks or anything, try taking it there..."

"Got it. Thanks, Lev."

Hmm. Maybe I’ll check out that workshop too.

There’s something romantic about donning metallic armor.

"Alright, let’s call it a day. Starting tomorrow, we’ll all do information gathering together. Until then, rest up, everyone."

That wrapped up today’s debriefing. With Karl’s closing statement, the group began to disperse.

Then I suppose it’s my turn to do as I please.

"Karl. I’m off to look for work now."

"Huh? Work?"

That’s right. Now begins the real part-time job hunt.

I’d already scoped out shops during the day that were looking for nighttime workers. All that’s left is to go door-to-door until someone hires me.

"If I keep renting a private room, I’ll eventually run out of money. Besides, I might hear useful info on the job, right?"

"...Irine-san, have you ever worked before?"

"I haven’t! But I’ll wing it!!"

"...A noble doing part-time work? Really...?"

"As long as I pretend to be a commoner, it’s no problem at all!"

"I-I hope this goes okay..."

Well, I’ll figure something out. Most problems can be solved with muscle.

Besides, if I end up buying metal armor, I’ll need a good chunk of money. Can’t hurt to start saving now.

"If it doesn’t work out, just come back."

"They’re probably going to work you to the bone."

"That’s all part of the training!"

Right. I’ve got the party’s permission, so I’ll head out with confidence.

"Well then, I’m off."

"Take care out there."

Now, which lucky shop is going to hire someone like me—charming, clever, and muscular? Where is the fortunate place that gets to employ this perfect specimen?

Wahahahahaha!!

---

"Hey! Stop right there, you bastard!"

"..."

...I’ve been accosted.

"You mocking me, punk?"

"You got a death wish or something, huh!?"

It had only been a few minutes since I started job hunting. I was just walking through town at night—and bam, got harassed. What the hell is up with this town? It’s terrifying.

Right, I forgot. There’s an ongoing power struggle among the noble families. So, the streets aren’t exactly safe.

"...I don’t know what’s got you so riled up, but could you move? You’re blocking my way."

"You think we’re just gonna let you walk away, brat!?"

I kept my voice masculine due to the disguise and tried to talk things down peacefully. But the guy just got more pissed off.

Ugh. This is bad.

If I get into a street fight right now, no shop is going to want to hire me. Why did these guys have to pick a fight?

"I’m not looking for trouble. I have no hostile intentions."

"Don’t screw with me!"

...Ugh, I really can’t deal with thugs. I have no idea how these low-level guys think—

"A fully armed guy hiding his face behind a monkey mask?! Like hell we’d let someone that sketchy go!! You’re way too suspicious!!"

"Even actual criminals don’t look as shady as you, dammit!!"

"Who the hell sent you, huh?! Which noble house are you spying for!?"

Oh. So it’s the monkey mask I bought earlier today that’s the problem!

"I-I’m not suspicious, ook."

"You messing with us!?"

......

Hmmm, this is unexpected.

I figured, if a noble lady like me worked at a shop, it’d be a disgrace to the family. So I thought, why not hide my identity?

But I already introduced myself to the three noble families here. If any of them saw me on the job, they’d recognize me as the daughter of House Velmund.

So I decided to wear a mask and hide my gender. That way, no one would suspect a thing.

If I call myself a dwarf named Hobby, my small build and high-pitched voice would fit right in. That was the brilliant plan I came up with...

I didn’t think I’d get flagged as suspicious before even finding a job.

What a blind spot.

"I’m Hobby, a dwarf, ook."

"Cut out the annoying monkey talk! I swear I’ll kill you!!"

"I’m not suspicious, ookie."

"Nobody in this entire city is sketchier than you!!"

Thankfully, I’ve been managing to dodge suspicion by playing the monkey card, but if this keeps up, they’ll probably surround and arrest me.

Hmm. What now?

"You’re the one who kidnapped the young lady, aren’t you? Or part of the gang! We know all about you!!"

"Kidnapping?"

"Don’t play dumb with us!!"

Oh? So there’s been a kidnapping in this city?

How’s the law and order here, seriously? I should warn the others not to go out alone at night.

"Where’d you take the young lady!?"

"You’re just a decoy, huh?! Either way, you’re one of the bastards who took her, aren’t you!?"

"Where’d you hide her, you damn monkey?! Spit it out!!"

"Calling someone a monkey is rude. I’m Hobby of the dwarves—"

"Then what was all that 'ook ook' nonsense earlier, huh, you monkey!!"

I see now. These guys are on edge because someone kidnapped their 'young lady.' And then they found a suspicious guy in a monkey mask—me—and lost it.

Yeah, I guess I get it now.

"Calm down. I really don’t know anything."

"That so?! Then let’s see if you’re still saying that after we tear your nails off one by one!!"

"But—I do know who might know where this ‘young lady’ is."

Alright. For now, I’ll cooperate with this kidnapping case. We can talk after that.

"Knew it!! You are working for someone!! Where’d you take the girl—"

"One of you is lying. I can tell."

In order to clear myself of suspicion, I pointed at the sketchiest thug of the bunch—the one who’d been reeking of dishonesty from the start.

I was pretty sure this guy knew something.

"You. You seem a lot calmer than the others."

“...Tch! The hell are you accusing me of?! Just 'cause you're under suspicion doesn’t mean—”

"And that pouch strapped to your waist—what's in it? Knockout drugs, maybe?"

My ability to sniff out lies is sharp enough that even my dad trusts it without question. Though, all I’m really doing is reading facial expressions, breathing patterns, body language, and tone of voice.

Still, it’s good enough to see through most people’s crap.

“You’ve got no proof!”

“Could it be that this guy was the first to find out about the girl’s kidnapping?”

“Shut your mouth!”

“This guy’s the only one here who doesn’t seem genuinely worried. In fact, he’s been hiding something the whole time. If there’s a traitor among you, it’s him.”

“SHUT UUUP!!”

Maybe he was trying to shut me up, but the guy lunged at me, fists flying.

Unfortunately for him, he’s barely trained. A punch like that isn’t going to leave a scratch on me.

“Hmph!!”

“GAAAH!!”

I drove my fist straight into his gut, then snatched the pouch off his belt. Sure enough, there was a suspicious-looking powder stashed inside.

“Y-you… give that… back…”

“Why don’t you try taking it yourself?”

“MMMPH!?”

Well, it’s either a sleeping drug or a poison. Let’s find out.

“...Zzz.”

“Sleeping drug, huh.”

Yeah, figured as much.

“Wh-what the hell!? I thought you were the kidnapper’s accomplice!”

“Fred betrayed us…? But he’s the one who told us about the kidnapping…”

“What the hell is going on here!?”

The thugs were thrown into confusion, glancing between me and the now-snoozing traitor, apparently named Fred.

“Get some sobering incense—we’re getting the truth out of Fred!”

“And don’t let that monkey-looking guy escape! We need to hear his story, too!”

“I don’t mind. If there’s really a kidnapping happening in this city, I’ll lend my help—as a concerned citizen.”

Might as well pitch in with these guys and rescue the young lady.

If I play my cards right, I might even get a nice payday out of this.

“Wake up, dammit! Wake the hell up, Fred!!! What the hell were you doing with drugs like that on you?!”

Now then, let’s see how this plays out.

---

Well, to get straight to the point—Fred was the traitor.

He was interrogated using a special incense that causes people to become deliriously honest when they inhale it. That’s how they got the truth out of him.

Turns out, he’d been bribed by the Somy family. Apparently, he was in charge of kidnapping “the young lady” and selling her off into slavery. What a disgusting piece of trash.

“I’m coming too. Anyone who sells off women like goods isn’t fit to call themselves a man.”

The thugs were furious, and it was decided that we’d raid the warehouse where the young lady was supposedly being held. Naturally, I went with them.

A girl had been kidnapped. No matter the reason, I couldn’t just ignore it. Even if it was just a pawn move in some political power game—once I knew, I had to act. Otherwise, I’d be turning my back on what’s right.

So, I teamed up with the thugs, kicked down the warehouse door—

“WE’RE BUSTIN’ INNNNNNN!!!”

“GIVE BACK OUR LADY, YOU BASTARDS!!”

“OOKKIIIEEEEEE!!!”

At the back of the warehouse, we spotted a young woman bound and wrapped up like a sushi roll. Riding the momentum, we laid into the slavers with righteous fury. I threw hands too, knocking out a few enemies with my KO Fist.

I never forgive people who kidnap women or torment the defenseless.

“Are you alright, young lady!?”

“C-cough… You guys…! You finally came! Took you long enough!”

“OJOUUUUUU!! We’re so sorry—we got careless!”

“WAAAAAAAHH!! Please forgive usssss!!”

…The thugs were bawling their eyes out, groveling before the girl they called “Ojou.” Seemed like she only had minor injuries, thankfully.

Watching these scruffy grown men slam their heads against the floor in tears was… intense, but touching in its own way.

“…!? Hey, guys. Who’s that suspicious-looking guy over there?”

“Huh? Oh, the monkey guy? He’s, uh…”

Then, the young lady noticed me. And I finally got a good look at her face, too.

…Ah.

“Please don’t worry, Ojou. He’s not an enemy. The guy in the monkey mask helped us.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. I mean, that monkey mask guy is…”

I recognized her.

Actually, I should’ve figured this out way earlier. If one of the three noble families was having a power struggle and a young lady got kidnapped, it obviously had to be her.

“That guy is…”

“That monkey mask guy…”

The young lady they were calling “Ojou”—the girl I had just impulsively helped rescue tonight—was none other than…

────Sakura von Tendo, the one noblewoman who still seemed open to negotiation.

“……”

“Y-yeah. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but he just sorta came with us, y’know…”

This is bad. If she finds out how crudely I’ve been acting tonight, the Velmund family is done in high society.

Please don’t recognize me. Please, please don’t realize who I am—

“Seriously, though. Who is that guy in the monkey mask!? He’s super sketchy!”

“Didn’t he say he was from the Tontatta Tribe or something!? But he’s way too big and weirdly dressed for that!”

“We just kind of assumed he was on our side, but… who the hell is he!?”

“Wait, what!? You guys charged in here without even knowing who he was!?”

…It was worse than I thought. Forget being exposed—they still thought I was some random shady freak.

“I-I’m not suspicious at all, ook!”

“You’re insanely suspicious!”

Auuuugghhh.