The Peeking Cabinet
Claire had asked me to come to Candle Square for a private conversation.
I arrived much earlier than expected, so I decided to wait in her room when...
...?!
Emily?
I ran into Emily rummaging through Claire's room.
Shhh!
Captain, please keep your voice down...!
Whew. You startled me.
I was aware that Ms. Claire had other matters to attend to. I didn't expect the door to open so suddenly.
What brings you here?
Shouldn't I be asking you that?
I was, of course, in the middle fo carrying out my true mission.
And this time, I actually found something suspicious.
Something suspicious?
Fufu, brace yourself.
I located a hidden compartment deep within this room.
As you know, this room has traditionally served as the office of the Master Maid of Candle Square.
A secret compartment discreetly installed in a location like this...
And inside it, a huge bundle of belongings!
Isn't that suspicious? The way it's been hidden so carefully...
There has to be something.
We really shouldn't be snooping around like this...
Well, I can't sasy this is exactly the right thing to do.
But! This is all for the sake of peace of Lavistar.
The secrets buried within Candle Square, ones that even the Observation Council has taken notice of!
Uncovering them... is my true mission.
That is the order I was given.
I must inspect what's inside and file a report, so that...
Footsteps...? That's definitely Ms. Claire's!
She's back already?!
We need a place to hide...
Get in here, quickly!
*Creaaaak*
Emily yanked open the metal cabinet in the corner and pulled me inside.
The cabinet was crammed with junk, barely large enough for the two of us.
Y-you're way too close...!
P-please bear with it for now...!
Ngh... Don't touch there!
Startled by her reaction, I immediately pulled my hand back.
Why? What's wrong?!
There's a sharp edge on that metal plate. You'll cut yourself if you lean on it.
It looks like this cabinet hasn't been used in a long time.
She scared me for a second there!
It's a bit warm with both of us squeezed in here...
But I can't stop here.
If I get caught, everything I've done to keep my identity hidden for this mission will mean nothing... *Sigh*
Emily's breath brushed against my ear. She was that close.
Captain? Your face is all red. Are you feeling okay?
I'm okay... Just stay still. Please.
...?
I barely managed to adjust myself into a safer position.
I won't elaborate, but one small movement here could spell disaster.
If this goes wrong, I'm done for!
Captain, you look very uncomfortable.
Let me move down a bit so you can—
No...!
Completely unaware of my current state, Emily shifted forward, nearly making solid contact.
I instinctively shifted into a defensive posture.
No wonder she was a mercenary. Her precision was no joke.
Shhh! She's coming. Stay quiet...!
We peered out through the crack in the cabinet door.
Captain? Are you in here?
Hmm. I heard he'd arrived at Candle Square. Maybe he stepped out to use the restroom...?
Captain? The one in charge of the Journey?
Yes.
Today's meeting is about his Journey member, so he needs to be present.
Journey member... I guess you mean Emily.
Emily as a Journey member... I never saw that coming.
She hasn't caused any problems, has she? Is she doing well?
She's... doing fine.
That's...!
You know him?
That's the Commander of the Antares Mercenaries.
But what would he be doing here?
The Commander and Ms. Claire know each other...?!
Anyway, it's good to see you again.
Never expected you to become a maid of Candle Square, Claire.
It still surprises me when I think about it.
...That's enough of that. You went on about that the last time we met.
Now, now. No need to snap at me like that.
So, what is it you wanted to discuss about Emily?
*Sigh*
You're hiding something, aren't you?
H-hide? What are you talking about?
I'm referring to Emily.
At no point did you tell me about her memory issues when you asked me to take her in.
Memory issues? What do you mean...?
...You didn't know? About her forgetfulness?
...No, I didn't.
Her forgetfulness is serious.
These days, she can't even remember what she just said.
W-wait, really?!
More troubling is how unpredictable it's become.
Some days, she seems perfectly fine. Other days, it's worse than ever.
From what I've seen, her condition improves significantly following large-scale combat.
And if she had no such issues during her time as a mercenary, then...
Then there's only one conclusion.
You're saying... being removed from combat is what's causing it?
I see no other explanation.
So the only decision left to me is to send her back to the corps.
W-wait... But that's...
Yes. I knew you'd be against it.
Frankly, your decision to send her here to Candle Square was questionable.
Of all options available, why Candle Square?
Tell me. What was your true motive?
...Because I was afraid.
Afraid?
I feared what she was capable of.
She's beyond gifted. She's unlike anything I've seen before.
She surpassed veteran mercenaries in less than a year. And she genuinely enjoys combat.
The problem is, she has nothing else in her life but combat.
Sure, being a capable fighter is all a mercenary really needs, but...
I didn't want her to spend her whole life on the battlefield.
If I keep someone like her out there in combat...
One day, she might turn into a monster no one can rein in. I know I wouldn't be able to.
That's why I came to you.
This place is far from the constant disaster of the frontlines, and there's reason enough to keep her here for a while.
And with someone of your skill, you'd be able to pull her back if things went wrong.
I... I truly didn't know about her forgetfulness. I swear.
I never imagined pulling her off the battlefield would bring about this result.
*Sigh* We'll discuss our next steps once the Captain arrives.
Claire and the Commander waited a long time for me, then eventually left the room.
...
So there was no true mission after all.
And no hidden truth...
It was all a lie...
The dark secret... was about me all along.
Emily...
Me... A monster...?
Captain... I'm sorry.
My head hurts. I should rest for a bit.
Emily walked out of the room looking troubled and unsteady.
It was clear that she had been deeply shaken.