Proofreader: Ray

“It’s over, it’s over…!”

After watering the last potato sprout, Francisca threw the bucket toward the corner of the field.

Finally, this crap was over.

As soon as she thought of it, a heavy feeling of exhaustion overtook her. All day long she had worked with a heavy bucket, so that was normal.

Francesca walked toward the village, her torso limp.

Cloud had already finished his work and returned.

‘He could have helped if his’ was over.’

Went off to have a good time alone.

Where did you see, a Hero, in that?

The place she was walking to, grumbling, was a shabby house located in the corner of the village. The house where an old woman who had lost all of her children lived. People said she had also passed away due to some illness not long ago.

‘Why must they give us a house like that…’

There must be many other nice houses!

As she grumbled, stomping into the house, Cloud greeted her.

“You came at just the right time. Dinner’s done. Eat.”

Cloud said, scooping the stew from a large pot into a bowl.

Francisca looked at the contents of the bowl Cloud had handed her. Vegetables, grains, and flecks of meat were added to the vermilion-colored broth.

To put it nicely, it was meat stew and putting it badly, it was plain gruel.

Her gaze trembled.

“This is dinner..? This? Are you kidding me or making fun of me?”

“If you complain about the food, you will get punished. Stop talking nonsense and sit down and eat.”

“How do you eat something like this!”

Francisca, stunned, shouted.

She did labor for the first time in her life. Not ordinary labor, but very hard labor! After all the hard work, shouldn’t she at least be given something decent to eat?

However, despite Francisca’s angry voice, Cloud responded calmly.

“Well, eat like how everyone does.”

“Eat something like this?!”

“Yes. If you don’t believe me, go visit another house.”

“…”

This was a shocking fact for Francisca, who had spent her entire life eating only well-cooked food in the palace. She looked at her… stew, bit her lip, and threw herself on the bed.

“What are you doing? Not going to eat?”

“I’m not eating!”

“Stubborn you’re. You will regret it later.”

“Stubborn? I’m stubborn?!”

She lifted herself up from the bed and glared at Cloud.

“You’re the one who brought me here in the first place! If you hadn’t brought me, I wouldn’t have been so stubborn!”

“That’s because you were stubborn and refused to inherit the throne. Will that still be so? Do you want to inherit the throne now?”

Cloud said with a smile.

Furious and seething, Francisca turned her back and closed her eyes.

Tired, she immediately fell asleep.

And the next evening.

In the end, she could not overcome hunger and ate… the stew.

Unlike last time, there were not many ingredients. Cloud explained that the last time they had plenty of ingredients thanks to the gifts the village girls brought for him..?

Meals would continue to be like this for a while, he said after she finished.

Francisca got depression.

* * *

Meanwhile, when two weeks had passed since Cloud left Lupus, Eri was continuing her research in her room.

– Knock. Knock.

“Eri, are you available?”

Ophelia’s voice came along with the knock.

“Is it time already?”

She stretched and stood up from her seat.

It was time for her to cast the soundproofing spell on Ophelia’s room.

As she opened the door and walked out, Ophelia saw her and smiled.

“Sorry to bother you.”

“No, it’s not that difficult.”

The door closed, and the chatter of the two became quieter. When it turned completely inaudible, Shedia emerged from the shadow of the table.

She immediately took out a paper and pen and began copying Eri’s work. As it was the research that Eri had been immersed in all day, she had a lot to copy, but it was not a problem.

Shedia had been trained for situations like this.

She quickly leafed through the research, copying along with. Even so, her handwriting was undisturbed. Shedia, who even drew the diagrams perfectly, quickly left the room before Eri returned.

Holding the wad of paper, she headed to the temporary administration center of Lupus.

Shedia, flitting and hopping across the shadows throughout the city, went straight to the room where Leslie was.

“Leslie noona.”

Before she made her appearance, she spoke, revealing her presence. When she had suddenly shown up the other day, she had been scolded by a startled Leslie.

“Yes? Oh, you’re here?”

Only when she heard Leslie’s voice did Shedia emerge from the shadows.

“Here’s today’s part.”

“Thanks.”

Leslie took the wad of paper Shedia handed her and placed the haul at the corner of her desk.

“But is it really alright to do this? Wouldn’t the wizard girl get angry if she found out?”

“If you get caught, of course she would be angry, no? Why do you ask? Are you afraid of the wizard girl getting angry?”

Shedia shook her head.

“I’m afraid of Cloud getting angry. If he gets angry with me, he might not give me the moonstone anymore.”

Or he could break it down even further.

Shedia’s expression turned rather sullen.

“Maybe. Don’t worry, though. If you get caught, it’ll all be my fault. Do you really think I’m going to push the blame on our dear Shedia?”

“No.”

Shedia shook her head.

“And if it makes you worry less — isn’t it a matter of not getting caught in the first place? I believe in you, Shedia.”

“Right. I won’t be caught and I’ll do well. So…”

Shedia stretched out her hand with a look of anticipation.

“I know. When Cloud comes back, I’ll talk him into giving you a moonstone piece. So don’t worry, go back and rest.”

“Yes!”

Shedia ducked into her shadow after exhilaratedly throwing her head back in celebration.

Leslie stared.

‘…It’s a great feat, no matter how you look at it.’

To be able to enter and exit the shadows at will. Doesn’t that mean that the whole swath of darkness is her domain?

‘It doesn’t seem she has revealed anything.’

Eri, Neria, and Ophelia; she was also unaware of the power they possessed. However, unlike the three, who can be guessed at, Shedia couldn’t be.

If, by chance, Shedia ever want to assassinate her, will she be capable of disarming her?

No, leave disarming or winning. Would she be even able to hold her ground?

‘How does Cloud dear manages to curb her…’

She knew that Shedia wanted the moonstone and Cloud was using the same to deal with her.

But for such an act to be possible, one thing must be premised.

The premise that — Shedia couldn’t triumph over Cloud.

Had it not been for that, Shedia would have left with the stolen moonstone long ago.

Nothing new to Leslie, but… her Hero dear was surely astounding.

Leslie smiled and looked over at her desk. Spread out, there were all kinds of administrative papers, as well as the copies of the research work brought to her by Shedia.

She held a copy of the research work in her hand.

Suddenly, the words Shedia had said played in her ears.

– But is it really alright to do this? Wouldn’t the wizard girl get angry if she found out?

A whimsical giggle echoed.

“The reaction of a mage when they get to know their research is stolen… I’m curious.”

Leslie remembered a scene from the past.

Inside a dark lab.

The dark-haired girl who was copying the professor’s research journal while relying on the light of a candle.

Leslie’s statement that she never attended the Mage’s Tower was, of course, a lie.

Support me (click here) and read chapters in advance xD.