The Former Assassin Becomes a Noble Lady

---

“Welcome, El!”

As soon as I stepped off the carriage, Anne rushed over to greet me. Meanwhile, I didn’t see Ian at all, who I thought was somewhat friendly.

“Yay!”

I gave Anne a high five as she extended her palm, and she seemed satisfied to walk beside me.

To my surprise, both of Anne’s hands were carrying my bags. I wondered when or why the maid, who had come with me on the carriage, had sneaked them away. In the end, I snatched one bag back from Anne, and the two of us carried one bag each as we headed toward the mansion.

“Mom went out for an errand, and Dad is in the study. Let’s just say hi and go to our room.”

“Sounds good.”

Since there was no real reason to refuse, we went to see Anne’s father and greeted him. Fortunately, it seemed that Anne and Ian had spoken well of me, as there was a friendly demeanor in how he treated me.

“Right. You must be tired from your journey, so hurry and rest. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The interesting thing was that the head of House Klain was not Anne’s father, but her mother. I was lucky that Anne had mentioned that before we reached the study, or I might have made quite a faux pas. Apparently, Anne’s father, Alex, had entered the family as a son-in-law.

“By the way, Anne, you really don’t resemble your father at all.”

“Right? I don’t look anything like Dad, but I look a lot like Mom. On the other hand, Ian looks a lot like Dad.”

Indeed, from the moment I had seen Alex earlier, I could guess where Ian got his big build. I hadn’t seen Anne’s mother yet, but Alex was quite tall, much like Ian. It was somewhat surprising to see Alex so engrossed in a book with that impressive height when we entered the study.

If Anne had inherited even a bit of her father’s stature, wouldn’t she have escaped this excessively small height?

“Ugh!”

“Wha—what?! Why are you suddenly poking me in the side!”

I couldn’t help but yell at Anne’s unexpected attack. I had already gotten used to my own scream by now, but I still couldn’t get accustomed to it. It’s not like I could suppress the instinctive shout that popped out in surprise.

“No, it’s just that I felt like El was having some bad thoughts.”

“Wha—No, that’s not it! Can you please not make me sound like a weirdo?”

“……”

Anne was glaring at me with half-open eyes. Seriously, I couldn’t even think clearly in front of her, as she had a knack for picking up on my thoughts.

“Ah, fine! Okay, I thought Anne was cute! Is that not allowed?”

Well, it wasn’t a lie since I did think she was cute for being small. To be honest, now that I think about it, it’s hard to imagine a tall version of Anne.

“Hm? It’s suspicious, but I’ll let it slide for now!”

Thankfully, saying she was cute diffused the situation.

“By the way, El, you said it’s your first time in our village, right? What do you think?”

“Hmm? I only looked around from the carriage, so I’m not sure, but considering how close it is to the Forbidden Forest, it seems like quite a lively city.”

Despite being the nearest city to the Forbidden Forest, where even the demonic races would not enter recklessly, the streets were bustling. It seemed to have even more energy than Yuli’s territory.

“Right? But just glancing from the outside doesn’t tell you everything! I’ll show you around! Let’s go!”

Before I could even respond, Anne stood up and urged me on. Since I was already planning to agree, I followed her without refusing.

Out on the street.

There were plenty of ordinary townsfolk, but many adventurers stood out with their gear. Most had swords strapped to their backs or waists, while I occasionally spotted wizards in robes holding staffs.

In front of a weapon shop, I saw a swordsman haggling over displayed swords, while across from him, a housewife was joking around as she bartered for ingredients. The blending of the townspeople and wandering adventurers created a pretty refreshing street scene.

“Even though we can’t enter the Forbidden Forest, there are plenty of dungeons and ruins in the area. There are quite a few demonic monsters, which means the bounty for subjugation is considerable. Our city’s adventurers’ guild is probably the second largest in the empire!”

Of course, the largest would be the guild headquarters in the capital.

“I thought being the closest city to the Forbidden Forest would make it desolate, but it’s the opposite.”

“The emperor knows this too! If our city crumbles, it’ll be a headache with the demonic monsters crawling out of the Forbidden Forest. That’s why there are various benefits, which in turn led to the city’s growth.”

“Hmm. I see. So where are we going now?”

“We’re on our way to the café with the best desserts in our city!”

Even though my café experience only started after enrolling in the Academy, the cafés in Felches had raised my standards quite a bit. Since they mainly catered to students, many of them, especially those aimed at the nobility, had left a mark on my taste.

Anne had also explored the cafés in Felches with me, so she spoke with great confidence.

“I bet if El tries a bite, you’ll be amazed!”

While Anne wasn’t lying, I could tell that her excitement meant she genuinely believed it would be incredible. Seeing Anne more excited than I was made me start to look forward to it.

“Ta-da!”

The place we arrived at was far shabbier than I had expected. Typically, cafés that cater to young people pay attention to their interior decor, but this one, to put it kindly, had a vintage vibe and, to be honest, looked pretty run-down.

At least the size of the café was quite spacious, and it looked like all the tables were occupied. Despite the poor interior, having so many customers indicated that other aspects more than compensated for the flaws. There had to be a reason why Anne was so confident.

“What will you have, El? I recommend the double chocolate shake and the chocolate mud cake! What do you think?”

Just hearing it made my mouth feel sticky. Usually, you’d think the classic combo would be a sweet cake with a bitter Americano, but telling that to Anne would be useless.

“Okay, I’ll go with that…”

“Okay! El, please find us a seat. I’ll go buy it.”

It was a bit burdensome, but since Anne recommended it, I decided to just close my eyes and indulge in sweetness.

“Ah, how much is it? I can pay half.”

“No way. If I make a guest pay, I’ll get killed by my mom!”

Anne said that with a serious face. Wow, the parenting at her house must be intense. Of course, coming from a family of assassins, I’m not one to talk.

As I walked away from the counter where Anne was ordering, I began searching for an empty seat. However, no matter how I looked around, I couldn’t find any vacancies inside the café. I wondered if there might be an open spot outdoors, and just as I stepped outside…

Thud!

Well, it felt more like a soft bump than a hard thud, but somehow, I noticed something had collided with my chest, and when I looked down, there was a little kid’s face buried against me.

It seemed that in my search for a seat, I had completely missed seeing the small child in front of me.

I quickly stepped back to check if the child was okay, and I was shocked. With her bright red hair like Anne’s and a small stature, I almost mistook her for Anne herself. They looked so similar that standing next to each other would make you think they were sisters. But when I glanced back at the counter, Anne was still waiting for her drinks and desserts.

“Sorry, little one. I didn’t see you and ended up bumping into you. Are you hurt anywhere?”

Fortunately, the child didn’t appear to have any injuries.

…Though she might not be large, she seemed sturdy enough, which probably cushioned the impact.

However, the child silently looked up at me, staring intently.

“Do you even know who this person is…!”

Instead, a man next to her raised his voice. Turning my head, I saw a man in armor wielding a massive great sword in both hands. It was odd that he was already wearing a sword at his waist while holding an even bigger one—what an interesting combination of weapons.

The child’s clothes looked quite luxurious, suggesting she was likely the daughter of someone important. When the child raised her hand, the man who had been yelling immediately stopped and stood by attentively.

“Hm… A newly settled adventurer? You seem to have some decent skills.”

The child gazed up at me as if she recognized me from somewhere. She tried to put on an intimidating demeanor, but with her small stature and cute voice, it just came off as adorable. It felt like watching Anne trying to act tough.

“Hmm, my little one has an eye for talent? This big sister here has heard she can wield a sword quite well.”

While I was just chatting with the cute little girl, the man guarding her began to fidget nervously. I wasn’t planning to eat this kid, so why the overreaction? Even I would feel a bit hurt by that.

“Ah, El! There you are.”

While I was conversing with the child, it seemed our ordered items had already arrived, as Anne approached carrying a tray of drinks and cake.

“I still didn’t manage to find a… wait?”

But as she neared, Anne stopped in her tracks with a strange sound.

“Uh, Mom…?”

As I turned my head to look at who she was talking about, I didn’t see anyone that fit the description. I then looked back at Anne, following her gaze to where she was staring.

…?

Anne was looking at the child who had bumped into me.

I turned back to Anne, but her gaze remained fixed on the child standing in front of me. No matter how many times I turned my head, nothing changed.

Ah…