Chapter 290 Girl’s Infiltration Record
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I was introduced to a new job by my uncle and left home to move to an unfamiliar town. At first, I was anxious about whether I’d be able to handle the work properly—but once I actually started, that worry turned out to be unnecessary.
The main store of Harvest Hoe in Denarl functions as a collection point for the crops sent in from its branch locations. Large volumes of produce come in daily. Just carrying those wooden crates packed with crops is enough to draw attention, and to prevent accidents, the staff naturally call out to each other during transport. It’s a noisy, bustling environment—ideal for keeping my abilities from activating.
I’m sure my uncle knew this when he arranged the job for me. Maybe that’s why he prioritized it, even though the work is physically demanding and doesn’t pay as well as the jobs I’d been introduced to before. Still, for someone like me, the most valuable thing is having a workplace that doesn’t trigger my abilities.
That said, it’s not like I’ve just been muddling through without a plan. While working, I put a lot of thought into how to keep my powers under control. The method I landed on was simple: always be with someone else.
At first, I tried to make my presence known to everyone around me, but calling out to people at random or drawing attention to myself only backfired. It gave people the wrong impression and strained my relationships. But then I realized something: if I was talking to someone—even if I wasn’t speaking to others directly—they still noticed me.
In short, as long as the person I was with was acknowledged by those around us, their awareness would naturally extend to me as well. By staying close to someone, I could ensure that my presence was indirectly recognized—without having to force it.
So I stopped trying to talk to people I didn’t get along with and instead stuck to those I had better rapport with. That alone helped me keep my abilities in check.
Even so, that wasn’t enough to suppress them completely. Working at Harvest Hoe isn’t just about hauling crates—there are quieter tasks too, like packing produce into boxes. When I got too focused and let the conversation lapse, I’d suddenly become unrecognized again. Before I knew it, I’d earned myself a reputation as a “slacker” at Harvest Hoe.
But this time, I didn’t mind being seen that way—because, truthfully, I really was slacking off. It was easier to accept being called a slacker when I wasn’t working hard, than to get upset over being called one when I was. In the end, it felt more honest.
Still, it’s not like I was slacking off in the bigger picture.
I chose to live out in the open, but I wanted to be useful to the older sisters who operate in the shadows. I wanted to reduce the number of people suffering—even just a little—like those girls. Since coming to Denarl, I’ve been using Mors’s abilities to look into things, jotting down reports as my uncle instructed. In between shifts at Harvest Hoe, I kept searching for ways to contribute in my own way.
Then one day, while I was doing both—working at Harvest Hoe and quietly assisting the older sisters using Mors’s abilities—I was suddenly summoned by Gibbett-san, the representative of Harvest Hoe.
What should I do? I’d been staying up late researching to help the sisters, and I’d gotten into the habit of oversleeping. Was I about to be fired for being late so often…?
* * *
”Me? To the frontier settlement!?”
”That’s right,” Gibbett-san said. “Like the neighboring villages, the frontier settlement is a pain to collect crops from directly. So we’re setting up a branch there to handle it and using the item box to transport the goods.”
”Ah… I get that much, but why me? And why just me?”
”Well, it’s only a collection point, not a full shop. We don’t need many people. Since we’ll be borrowing slaves to handle the transport through the item box, we just need one person from our side to serve as the nominal manager. And frankly, I think you’re the most suitable.”
”Most suitable?”
”To put it bluntly, Neil-sama is… an eccentric noble. He doesn’t act like one. He even shows respect to commoners, as long as they’re older than him.”
”Isn’t that a good thing, though? That he doesn’t look down on me?”
”It is, sure. In business, it’s best to avoid being underestimated. But being treated with too much respect can be just as tricky. Respect is the opposite of familiarity—and when a relationship is built on nothing but respect, even the slightest misstep can break it. To keep things running smoothly with Neil-sama in the long term, I want us to build a friendlier, more familiar relationship. That’s why I figured someone like you—young, and let’s face it, not someone he’d feel the need to respect—would be ideal.”
”Huh? Are you seriously insulting me right now?”
”Hahaha! I do think you’re a bit of a simpleton, you know?”
”See!? You are insulting me!”
I reacted to Gibbett-san’s blunt words, but honestly, I saw it as a good opportunity. I’d been hearing about the frontier settlement for a while, and I knew the older sisters’ subordinates were struggling to infiltrate and gather intel there.
If I could sneak in and relay information to my older sisters, I’d be a huge help! I was certain I could blend into the settlement and get the intel they needed.
But it was a disaster. A huge failure. No—the infiltration itself went fine. The problem was that I overlooked something critical: the frontier settlement didn’t have any of my older sister’s subordinates stationed there. So even if I gathered information, I had no way to pass it on.
What a mess. I had to come up with a method of communication, or else my being there would be pointless. As I wracked my brain for a solution—while making sure I blended in—a few days went by.
And then it happened.
The hypnosis kidnapping incident caused by a monster called Gipuna. I fell under its hypnosis, too. Once you’re in that state, you start walking toward the Gipuna’s lair like a sleepwalker, lured by its call. You can’t break free on your own. Someone else has to stop you.
At the time, I was completely alone. Which meant no one could recognize me—and being unrecognized is one of the most dangerous situations I can be in.
* * *
”Hey, Liana!”
”Fai!?”
Startled by the sudden voice, I turned around—and there stood Neil-sama.
”Uh, h-huh? N-Neil-sama?”
”Yeah, that’s me,” he said, looking puzzled. “But what were you doing in a place like this?”
”What was I doing…? Um, I felt like someone was calling me from over there.”
”Someone was calling you?”
At the time, I hadn’t heard of Gipuna yet. All I could tell was that something was calling me—and my abilities had definitely activated. That was why I was completely stunned when Neil-sama recognized me in that state. I never expected to actually meet someone who, like my father once said, was immune to Mors’s abilities.
It was lucky that I hadn’t yet passed on any gathered information. If I’d infiltrated his mansion the usual way, Neil-sama would have noticed me instantly—and the mission would’ve failed.
I had to be more careful than ever during this infiltration—or so I thought. But people let their guard down over time.
The second person I encountered after Neil-sama came shortly after the new year. By then, I’d been entrusted with managing the inn, and the population of the frontier settlement had grown noticeably.
Even then, I still hadn’t found a way to transmit intel. But I’d started to think it was pointless to worry too much. People were coming from the outside lately; surely my older sisters would find a way to send someone in eventually.
So I decided to keep gathering information in the meantime, to hand off once one of the sisters’ subordinates arrived. I snuck into the barracks that the Sincere Dwarf was using for the inn—my goal was to copy the blueprints for the new buildings slated for construction in the settlement. I’d done this several times already. This time, too, Neil-sama had ordered a new building, and I was there to get a copy of its plans.
”…I think they said they’re building a shower room this time.”
I pulled out the blueprints from the desk shelf and gave them a quick check. Nothing looked particularly out of the ordinary. But that was just my take—my older sisters might see it differently. As usual, I copied the plans onto the paper I’d brought and was just about to leave the barracks when—
”Liana.”
”Yah!?”
I hadn’t expected anyone to call out to me, so the startled squeak I let out was downright pathetic. I fumbled the copy in my hands and dropped it on the floor.
”M-Momoka-chan!?”
”Too many ‘mo’s. And you dropped something.”
”Ah, that’s—”
”This. It’s a blueprint, isn’t it? Why do you have this, Liana?”
”Uh, um… it’s kind of complicated…”
”………”
”Ugh! Please, Momoka-chan! Just this once—let it slide!”
Momoka-chan narrowed her eyes at me, and I realized the jig was up. I couldn’t hide it anymore, so I came clean and told her everything. It wasn’t like I was doing anything shameful. Sure, sneaking in to copy blueprints was questionable, but I had no intention of harming the frontier settlement. In that sense, I hadn’t done anything wrong.
As I poured my heart out, Momoka-chan finally gave a small nod.
”I get it. If that’s the case, I’ll keep it secret.”
”R-Really!?”
”Your older sister’s the type who judges bad people, right? Then Neil-sama will be fine. And if he’s in the loop, it’ll stop any unnecessary suspicion from falling on him.”
”Oh, Momoka-chan, you’re so smart! That’s exactly it!”
Wow… I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I just figured Neil-sama would be okay, but she actually considered the broader implications.
Anyway, I was grateful Momoka-chan agreed to keep it quiet. But now I couldn’t help but wonder—are there more people out there than I thought who can resist Mors’s ability?
Back in town, I remember some people being able to recognize me. But with so many others around, I managed to blend in. Still, even when I clearly didn’t belong and wandered around inside buildings, no one ever called me out. So… I doubt there are that many people who can see through it.
I don’t really get it, but maybe it’s best to stop poking around for now. At least until my older sister’s subordinates arrive—I should probably keep a low profile.
A few weeks later, Alex-san—my sister’s subordinate—finally arrived at the frontier settlement. Officially, she came as part of the Spear of Shouhyou, with several underlings in tow. But I found out three of them were also working directly under my sister.
It looked like they were still in the early stages of infiltration and wanted to play things safe for a while, not making any sudden moves. Since I’d already gathered a fair bit of intel, I stuffed everything into the drawer of the desk Alex-san was using.
There wasn’t much more I could do at that point, so I figured I’d take it easy until Alex-san and the others were ready to move.
* * *
Or so I thought. The calm didn’t last long—I suddenly got absurdly busy.
I don’t know what triggered it, but a flood of people came pouring into the frontier settlement, making it more bustling than ever. I was swamped with work at the inn, barely keeping my head above water.
Thankfully, the Harvest Hoe rep told me, “We’ll be fine without you for now. Focus on the task Neil-sama gave you.” That saved me a ton of trouble. (Though, for the record, I was a little ticked off by the way they phrased it.)
Still, with so many people streaming in, there were bound to be some who saw this as the perfect chance to pull something shady.
That said, I couldn’t exactly slack off at the inn while things were this hectic. So I figured I’d take a short break from helping my sister and her team—
“We can’t act carelessly, but I hear that mysterious ally is here too. Let them handle the recon for now—we’ll focus on blending in with the settlement.”
—or so I thought! But if they’re counting on me, I’ve got no choice. Being this competent is a real curse sometimes!
Since coming to the frontier settlement, I’d already run into Neil-sama, Momoka-chan, and another person who, it turns out, could recognize me too. Honestly, it was starting to feel risky. I probably needed to start being more cautious. Even so, I continued supporting my sister’s crew as best I could.
One hectic yet strangely fulfilling day, I was, as usual, leaving a memo and doing a little eavesdropping to figure out what kind of intel they were after when I overheard something interesting.
”You hear about the new big op?”
”Yeah. One of the Crystal Ice crown-bearers is coming to take command, right?”
”!”
Crystal Ice. That was my older sister’s title.
Hearing she was coming to the frontier settlement made me so happy I almost burst out cheering right there. I’d never met her before—only heard stories—but now I might finally get to see the sister I’d always admired.
I got so caught up in that excitement, I didn’t even stop to think about why she was coming.
A few days passed, and as I kept eavesdropping for any mention of her, I finally learned the reason.
”…Why… Why does Dad have to die…?”
My father’s assassination. When I learned of it, I clutched my head in disbelief.
I was able to piece together the reason behind the assassination from the fragments I overheard. Even so, I just couldn’t accept it.
Does my sister really hate our father that much? I always thought we were family… But the more I thought about it, the more I realized—I didn’t actually know anything about the person I kept calling “sister.”
If I didn’t understand her, I couldn’t possibly convince her to stop. That’s when I decided to reach out to my uncle.
I knew dragging him into this was dangerous. But this was a matter of life and death—Dad’s life. I couldn’t imagine my uncle turning a blind eye to that.
And besides, maybe he knew something about my sister that I didn’t.
So I wrote him a letter.
The reply came about a week later. I thought it was taking unusually long, especially since delivery via item box shouldn’t take that much time. But when I opened the package, I understood why.
My uncle had looked into her. The envelope was stuffed with documents—pages and pages of information about my sister.
With this, maybe I could convince her. I clutched the papers, imagining the day I’d finally stand before her.
Eventually, my sister arrived at the frontier settlement. But I never got to meet her before the operation began.
I figured she’d wait until nightfall—after everyone had gone to sleep. But instead, she showed up at the mansion right after arriving and immediately launched the mission, without even booking a room at the inn.
I had no idea she’d move before sunset. By the time I found out, everything was already over.
Fortunately, Neil-sama had managed to stop her. Thanks to that, the worst-case scenario was avoided. But it wasn’t like the plan was completely canceled—it was just on hold.
She looked deeply conflicted.
A week later, I made up my mind. I was going to talk to her.
I made arrangements in advance: kept the room next to hers vacant, relocated any guests already staying nearby. That way, no one could overhear us.
Then, when the time was right, I quietly opened the door to her room and stepped inside.
She was sitting on the bed, head bowed, murmuring to herself.
”…What should I do…?”
”What are you struggling with?”
”—!?”
Startled, she looked up sharply, eyes wary.
”Nice to finally meet you, Onee-chan.”
* * *
My first meeting with Onee-chan wasn’t anything like I’d imagined. In fact, it turned into a bit of a shouting match.
Not that we were arguing about something like whether or not to kill our father—nothing nearly that dramatic. It was more like a silly spat over who he loved more. The kind of thing strangers might overhear and laugh at because it sounded so innocent.
Still, we were dead serious. So serious, in fact, that we completely forgot the age gap, the difference in our positions—everything. We went at it like real sisters, yelling and snapping, until somewhere along the way… we both started laughing.
I don’t remember who cracked first, but I do remember her face—so clearly. The tense, pained look she’d worn before was gone, replaced with a bright, open smile.
”Honestly. What a handful you are, little sister.”
”You could just call me your adorable little sister, you know?”
”No thanks. You’re cheeky and completely lacking in adorable qualities.”
”Completely lacking!?”
Okay, sure, our first meeting might’ve ended in a fight and left a terrible first impression, but—completely devoid of charm? That was harsh. I must’ve looked utterly shocked, because she let out a soft laugh.
”Fufu—thank you.”
”Huh? For what?”
”For telling me how the Marquis Rustorl affair ended. And for arguing with me. Thanks to you, I finally realized how deeply I loved him.”
”Then that means—”
”Yes. I’m going to talk to him.”
And with that, she left the room.
I didn’t ask what she intended to say to our father. But seeing her expression in that moment—confident, untroubled—I felt no worry at all.
The next day, while I was working the inn’s front desk, Onee-chan came to say goodbye before leaving the frontier settlement.
”Wait! You’re quitting your job, Onee-chan!?”
”Shhh. Keep your voice down. Even if no one’s nearby, it wouldn’t do either of us any good to have this conversation overheard, would it?”
”S-Sorry… So, um, quitting… which one?”
”Both. Public and private.”
”But why?”
”You’ve probably figured out the reason behind the shadow-side already. In this last incident, I let personal feelings override my mission. That’s something I have to take responsibility for—and there are plenty who wouldn’t be satisfied unless I did.”
”And the public-facing job?”
”As for that… there’s something I want to do.”
”Something you want to do?”
What could be so important she’d give up the title of Spear of Shouhyou? I tilted my head, confused—just in time to catch the absolutely devious grin she flashed at me.
”I’m going on a journey—with Father.”
”…Come again!?”
”He had some things to reflect on after everything that happened. Said he wanted to visit the children he raised… and I offered to go with him.”
”Wha-wha-wha—what is that supposed to mean!?”
Traveling with Father!? That sounded ridiculously fun! I was so jealous! And more than that—her smug, self-satisfied grin made me want to scream!
”So anyway, you keep working hard here in the frontier settlement.”
”Grrrgh…!”
I never imagined the big sister I admired would turn out to be such a menace!
She started walking off, looking very pleased with herself… but then stopped suddenly and glanced back over her shoulder.
”…Liana.”
”Huh? Why so formal all of a sudden?”
I was still sulking when she turned toward me with a gentle smile.
”Isn’t it fine to use your name now and then? You’re my little sister, after all. So, um…”
”Hmm?”
”If something ever happens and you need help, don’t hesitate to come to me. I am your Onee-chan.”
Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment as she said it. And just like that, any trace of my earlier grumpiness vanished. I beamed at her.
”Okay! I will! Take care, Onee-chan!”
”Mm. I will.”
And with that, I waved her off as she left to travel with our father.
We aren’t related by blood, and we can’t exactly be open about our sisterhood, but that doesn’t bother me.
Blood or no blood, public or private—our bond is real. We’re sisters, connected by something far stronger than appearances.
Notes:
• Denarl – Known as the ‘City of Craftsmen.’ Now, just an ordinary city.
• Mors – Female. A girl being mentored by Golarf. She struggles to control her powers, similar to her ancestors. Golarf is deeply invested in her well-being and development.
• Liana – Gibbett’s habitually late employee, assigned to manage a non-stock store in the settlement. Appearance, short wavy brown hair, bright green eyes, flushed cheeks, gray tunic with firm emblem, dark trousers, boots. Bonds with Gaadhir’s family, has four siblings, shares camaraderie with Gaadhir after surviving Glayna’s teasing.
• Momoka – The strongest one on ihomono Niya’s group. The one who absorb MC’s Crimson.
• Alex-san – Affiliate of ‘Spear of Shouhyou’s’ Denal branch. Delivered Emperor’s letter instructing Neil to hire personnel. Well-structured and competent. Interaction reveals firm’s awareness of settlement’s needs and willingness to provide specialized personnel, including security and brewing experts.
• Alex – Affiliate of ‘Spear of Shouhyou’s’ Denal branch. Delivered Emperor’s letter instructing Neil to hire personnel. Well-structured and competent. Interaction reveals firm’s awareness of settlement’s needs and willingness to provide specialized personnel, including security and brewing experts.
• Marquis Rustorl – Male. A noble and the enemy of Melgis’s father. His death is a significant event in the story, though Melgis finds it anticlimactic. He represents a source of personal conflict for Melgis.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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