Chapter 163: Chapter 162: Occupational Hazard

[I know your identity. Francheska.]

After finishing her task and returning to her room, Cheska found a note on her bed and fell into thought.

It wasn’t difficult to identify who the sender was.

During the detailed verification process of the expedition members’ abilities, they had also examined all their handwriting.

‘This is not good.’

Yes, it was certainly not a favorable situation.

According to the original plan, she was supposed to assist him, the most excellent hero in the empire, to gain access to the Imperial Family’s top brass. But she never expected the other side to identify her first.

‘I must keep my identity hidden until the critical moment. I have no idea what they think or if they’re friendly towards me.’

Fortunately, there was no sign of him being bewitched by a vampire, but she didn’t know the extent of his relationship with the Imperial Family, which had been taken over by these beings.

In such a situation, having her identity revealed was a painful mistake.

If she wasn’t careful, the revelation of her identity could cascade into the collapse of her mission to save the empire.

‘How much did they find out—no, if they know my real name, they must have figured everything out.’

If they just knew she was a doll, it wouldn’t be so bad. However, if they specifically knew her identity, they must understand not only the empire’s hidden history but also her actions.

The silver lining was that there were no signs of him being bewitched by a vampire, suggesting he might be separate from the Imperial Family.

‘I need to figure out how to navigate this from here on… To gauge that, I must meet him face to face.’

And if it was judged that her identity hadn’t been revealed externally yet, she must somehow get him to promise to keep it a secret.

She had to persuade him in a way that wouldn’t harm his social status… If necessary, she must be prepared to offer her body or dignity.

‘To that person… even if it means transferring my ownership.’

At that moment, she felt the sound of the mana core that replaced her heart pounding.

Thump, thump. The sensation of energy coursing through her body.

To humans, this feeling would probably be defined as ‘anticipation.’

‘Anticipation? In a situation that could turn out to be the worst, why?’

“Master. Master of Plandor?”

At the moment of confusion, a voice came from outside the door.

Only then did Cheska, coming to her senses, put the note in her hand into her bosom and turn her gaze to the open door.

Standing there was a familiar face.

It was Lieutenant Sanson, who was in charge of leading the expedition members.

“Did you… call me?”

However, the title that came out of his mouth didn’t resonate with Cheska.

Her identity was Francheska, the great foreign weapon, not the Master of Plandor.

“Ah yes, I thought you might be hungry, so I brought some food from the banquet… Did I commit a discourtesy?”

“…No, thank you for your consideration.”

Nevertheless, Cheska, determined to fulfill her role, accepted the food Sanson offered and bowed her head in thanks.

Yes, a noble bowing to a mere soldier.

“…Mr. Sanson?”

“Ah, yes, no, it’s nothing.”

Cheska tilted her head, not understanding Sanson’s flustered reaction.

Sanson, looking at Cheska with discomfort, soon cleared his throat to break the silence and looked down at her again.

“Well, anyway, I wanted to consult with you because the banquet seems to be going on longer…”

“Don’t worry about it. We plan to stay here for a day or two anyway, so just enjoy it as long as it doesn’t affect your condition until then.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll inform the members accordingly. Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Lieutenant Sanson bowed his head and hurriedly left the room.

Cheska watched him leave and quietly exhaled a breath, easing the tension in her chest.

‘The role of standing above humans, for a being made to serve humans, feels like wearing ill-fitting clothes.’

But now, she had no choice but to go against the essence of her existence in such a way.

No matter how she was made to serve humans, if there wasn’t a second entity absolutely on humanity’s side, she had to play that role.

‘Yes, I must never be discovered.’

The doll’s Rule 0: If an entity was deemed a threat to the survival of the empire and humanity, prioritize eliminating that entity over all other rules.

Cheska, believing her identity must never be revealed for this rule, looked at the note in her bosom again, firming her resolve.

‘No matter what the demand is… I must accept it.’

Perhaps becoming his tool rather than the head of a noble family would better serve her purpose.

With such a perhaps hopeful anticipation.

“So, you just gave me a letter written following the fortune teller’s prophecy?”

“Yes, I didn’t know anything about your situation… So, you’re like a guardian of humanity, and you woke up because you judged that humanity is in immediate danger?”

“Th-that’s right.”

After a moment of confusion, Cheska returned to the room and had a conversation with him to organize the situation.

Though he just followed the prophecy, since she had already confessed, she needed to convince him to ensure he wouldn’t inadvertently reveal anything externally.

Yes, explaining away the significant issue that the Imperial Family had been taken over by vampires could be allowed.

“…Well, in a world that’s a mess everywhere, such beings could wake up too.”

And fortunately, without prying into her role and mission, he showed an attitude of generally understanding by just looking at the current state of the world.

Since she couldn’t trust him yet, it was fortunate that she could save some explanations.

As she felt relieved, he suddenly asked her a question, as if something was bothering him.

“By the way, why is a guardian of the Imperial Family acting as the head of a remote noble family instead of being inside the Imperial Family?”

“That’s…”

“No, I don’t think you need to explain.”

Why she, a guardian of the empire, was playing the role of a separate individual instead of being directly involved with the Imperial Family.

Before she could come up with a prepared excuse, he started to smile bitterly, seemingly understanding on his own.

“From the start, the inside and outside were so misaligned that even a clone would rebel against the original, so you’re probably no different.”

“…A clone?”

“There’s such a thing.”

Whatever it was, his words showed sympathy and a sense of camaraderie.

Just hearing that made Cheska put aside the suspicion that the person in front of her might be a lackey of the Imperial Family.

Yes, their interests were aligned, but that didn’t mean he was actually allied with them.

“But still, a doll.”

But that only avoided the worst-case scenario. There was still a possibility that he might have malicious intentions towards her.

Even if he followed the fortune teller’s prophecy, he must have had his own agenda for seeking the prophecy.

“That’s perfect—no, it might be even better than I expected.”

His muttering might be because he was considering such a thing.

“Cheska.”

Feeling her throat dry with tension towards him, she heard his call.

Cheska stiffened, bowed her head, and asked him in a strained voice.

“Y-yes. Please go ahead.”

“Now that I know your identity, I’d like to ask you a favor…”

Finally, the time had come.

The man in front of Cheska, who had already steeled herself, soon spoke words driven by his desires.

“Can you take me as your student?”

“Y-yes. I’ll serve you as my mast– What?”

“As I said earlier, I sought advice from the fortune teller because I wanted to find a way to become stronger.”

A voice filled with such desperation that it interrupted her reply.

Looking at him in a daze at the unexpected question, his face began to take on a more serious tone.

“Your knowledge of orc habits comes from dealing with various beings while protecting humanity, right?”

“Yes, but…”

“Can you teach me anything that would help me increase my strength, including that? I’ll pay whatever price I can afford.”

“Yes… to help you grow stronger.”

It was a reason even a fool could understand.

No matter the reason, the result of gaining strength was something commonly seen everywhere.

And she, too, was hoping to help him rise to power, become his close aide, and use him as a means to get into the Imperial Family’s inner circle.

Naturally, she considered this situation, where he asked for her help, as an opportunity to be seized.

“But.”

But such a purpose couldn’t be purely innocent, and the thing she first kept in mind might happen someday.

“Are you… threatening me?”

“…What?”

“To achieve that goal, you’re exploiting my vulnerable parts…”

Cheska carefully placed a hand on her body, blushing, and looked up at him with anxious eyes.

“Knowing that I’m a woman, you proposed a negotiation, so… you want my body, for example…”

“No, that’s not it.”

But he just waved it off casually, despite her worried and hopeful words.

“Either way, it’s true that it would be problematic if your identity were revealed, right?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right.”

“Then keeping it a secret is the right answer. If I spread it around and it causes problems, I’d be in trouble too.”

He was afraid of the consequences, so he wouldn’t get involved.

Indeed, it was wise not to get involved after knowing her identity, but she had already steeled herself, revealed her identity to him, and even undressed.

Shouldn’t there be at least a slight hint of hesitation?

“So rest assured. There will never be any situation where I’ll lay a hand on you.”

“How can I trust those words?”

Despite that, thinking there might still be something hidden, she expressed her doubt, and he casually laughed and answered immediately.

“Because I prefer older women.”

“What?”

“I prefer women who are more mature than me and listen to me well… For that reason, I don’t feel that way about you at all.”

Snap.

Something snapped in her mind at that moment.

Such a remark didn’t sit well with Cheska at all.

“So, you’re saying I don’t look mature?”

“Of course not. I was a bit surprised when you undressed earlier, but someone as small as you– Cheska?”

“Let’s continue this conversation tomorrow.”

Thud!

Cheska brushed him off and left, ignoring his puzzled call.

Returning to her room and locking the door, she took a deep sigh and roughly removed the glasses covering her eyes.

“Young? You’re treating me, who has lived through the empire’s history, like a child?”

A thousand years lived as a doll.

Even if she spent most of that time asleep, she endlessly reflected on her experiences, achieving mental maturity.

For her, being told she looks young was enough to hurt her pride, given her serious mission to serve humanity.

“Alright, I’ll show you how reliable and dependable I am.”

Swish, swish.

Cheska started to take off her clothes one by one, unweaving the threads to create a new outfit on the spot.

She never doubted for a moment that what she was doing was wrong as she put on the new clothes.

Believing that as long as she became his close aide, it would help achieve her goal.

The next day after such events transpired.

As soon as he left the room to consult Cheska about what happened last night, he was taken aback by the girl standing in front of him.

“U-uhm. Who…?”

“It’s an honor to meet you. Hero Woo Hyo-sung.”

A girl in a maid outfit lifted her skirt slightly and greeted him.

Afterwards, she fixed her long blonde hair and greeted him again with her haughty blue eyes.

“I am a servant sent to assist the expedition as a representative of the head of Plandor, who has returned to the main house…”

“And from now on, I will be serving as your personal maid, ‘Flang’.”

No, you’re Cheska.

What are you doing?