IBVSM 10

Chapter 10

It was rare for Aden to agree with anyone.

On the other end of the communication device, Lennox sounded delighted.

—Right?! Anyway, I’ll stay in this village a bit longer and gather more clues. Ah! There’s a postman coming this way! Wonder who sent mail here? I’ll casually dig around for some inform—

“That’s enough. Contact me again if there’s progress.”

Without hesitation, Aden cut off the transmission and turned his attention back to the recorded footage.

A person who claimed never to have learned martial arts, yet used the terrain itself to defend herself before landing a decisive blow.

Her excessively calm answers. Her claim that she had uncovered corruption in a single day through observation alone.

[If you’re going to do something like this, shouldn’t you at least choose your opponent more carefully?]

Watching the Ilian on screen muttering those words, Aden paused the recording at the exact moment Jeremy faltered after meeting her eyes.

“I suppose I have no choice but to admit it, Miss Gresia. Whoever sent you…”

Recalling Ilian’s shining teal eyes, Aden quietly added,

The eyes visible behind those bent glasses.

“…that person has remarkably good judgment.”

Aden himself failed to notice the faint upward curve at the corners of his lips.

I was forcibly sent home early.

As I staggered away from La Mar, I suddenly realized something.

“Why are you following me, Mr. Luther?”

But Luther answered as though my question was the absurd one.

“After something like that happened, did you think we’d just send our secretary home alone?”

“Well… yes? I mean, I’m not actually hurt or anything…”

“Look here. Even if your body’s fine, exhaustion and mental shock hit afterward. I don’t want to hear news that a La Mar employee collapsed in the middle of the street!”

To be fair, Luther really had been one of the nicer people in the original story.

To the point where I used to wonder why someone like him stayed beside the villain until the end.

Anyway, since I understood this was his own clumsy way of being considerate, I decided to accept it gratefully. Besides, the address was already on my résumé, so hiding where I lived was pointless.

‘Still, “Secretary”? Hearing that is the real emotional damage here, Mr. Luther.’

Back when Aden had shoved the employment contract at me—

I’d quickly regained my senses and immediately started thinking of excuses to quit.

At minimum, something like I’m too terrified to keep working here.

But before I could even open my mouth, that mastermind beat me to the punch.

“You said yesterday that your motivation for applying was money.”

“I never said it quite that directly—”

“If that statement was true, then there should be no reason to hesitate. So why are you hesitating?”

Only after hearing that did I realize something.

If I’d intended to use I’m too scared to work here anymore as an excuse, I should’ve at least cried and panicked earlier.

After obediently answering all his questions, suddenly begging to resign would never fool that suspicious bastard.

Watching me freeze up, Aden delivered the finishing blow.

“As though you have some other motive you haven’t told me.”

And so…

“Anyway, congratulations. Getting promoted out of trainee status in a single day is probably the first and last case in La Mar history, hahahaha.”

Just as Luther said, I got promoted on my very first day.

Honestly, I couldn’t even blame anyone else. I was the one who had quite literally sent my senior coworker flying and created the vacancy.

I wanted to cry.

Squeezing my eyes shut before opening them again, I asked,

“So… what’s going to happen to Mr. Jeremy?”

“Hm? Ah, uh… probably better if you don’t know.”

“……”

“Company policy! He’ll be handled according to company policy, that’s all! New employees don’t need to know about internal regulations yet. Too much headache.”

There was definitely a suspicious amount of emphasis on the word “handled.”

Maybe Luther hadn’t accompanied me home out of kindness at all.

Maybe he’d simply vacated the office so Aden could do whatever he pleased with Jeremy.

As I was thinking that, Luther spoke again in an exaggeratedly cheerful tone.

“It’s probably overwhelming right now, but there are lots of benefits once you’re a full employee. Your salary increases, of course, and if needed you can receive additional training or even company loans…”

Sure, by this world’s standards the benefits were absurdly progressive.

But since the company head was Aden, it was impossible to hear them innocently.

A company loan? You mean getting indebted to Aden? Isn’t that basically shackling someone with money?

Completely oblivious to my inner turmoil, Luther continued enthusiastically listing the advantages of permanent employment before grinning.

“By now the news about the new recruit has probably spread through the company. A lot of people are out at the moment, but everyone’s friendly, so don’t worry. There really aren’t any others like Jeremy!”

I knew he was trying to reassure me, but even that sounded suspicious.

Apparently my personal information had already been distributed across the empire. Fantastic.

I gave a polite response and kept walking ahead when Luther’s voice suddenly drew closer.

“So, about that…”

Looking up, I saw him scratching the back of his neck awkwardly before carefully asking,

“Being a spy probably comes with its own hardships too, right?”

“…Probably?”

“You must’ve had your own reasons and circumstances.”

“I suppose so?”

What he was saying technically made sense, but why was he telling me this?

‘Was he close to Jeremy or something?’

Though honestly, Jeremy didn’t seem like the type to have a tragic backstory.

Luther looked at me, hesitated as though making up his mind to say something—

“Ah, this is my house. Thanks for walking me home.”

Luther’s mouth dropped open.

“This is where you live, Secretary?”

“Yes.”

“Are you… sure you’re okay with that?”

“Well, it’s old, but for a place I found in a hurry it’s decent enough.”

The house I rented halfway up the mountain looked less like a proper house and more like a cabin.

Of course I’d prefer a nice home too, but with my budget in the capital there weren’t many options.

Still, despite the worn exterior, the inside was surprisingly cozy.

But then—

“…So that’s why. You had circumstances like this…”

Luther’s eyes suddenly turned watery as he looked back and forth between me and the house.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“Ah, it’s nothing! Anyway, I’ll head off now, so get some rest!”

That was definitely the face of someone having a bizarre misunderstanding, though I had no idea what misunderstanding exactly.

Watching the hurriedly retreating Luther in confusion, I finally headed inside.

“Luther was right.”

Even though I’d only stayed here a day, my brain already recognized it as “home,” and exhaustion hit me all at once.

I didn’t even make it to the bed before collapsing onto the floor and mumbling to myself.

“Should I just run away overnight? No, bad idea. Restart the ‘become a terrible employee’ project? No, I already did way too much today. Or maybe I could embezzle money too, just a tiny bit… no, what kind of nonsense am I saying…”

As I rambled incoherently, my eyes landed on the employment contract sticking out of my bag.

Including base salary and bonuses, it stated my monthly pay would total six million gold.

Enough money to steadily repay my debts without juggling two or three jobs.

“…Honestly, the conditions are good. The pay’s amazing, the benefits are great. Why does Aden have to be a villain? If he’s that rich, shouldn’t he just enjoy spending money instead?”

As a struggling commoner drowning in debt, there was no way that salary wouldn’t tempt me.

If not for Aden, La Mar would genuinely be the perfect workplace!

“…Well, technically he’s not a villain yet.”

Mulling over my own words, I tilted my head.

Come to think of it, the current Aden was terrifying, yes—but not yet the worst villain in the world.

He only truly snapped after meeting the original female protagonist. Timeline-wise, that wouldn’t happen for several more months.

“…Huh.”

In that case—

“Couldn’t I just stop them from meeting?”

Still lying there blinking at the ceiling, I suddenly bolted upright.

Wait a second.

I’m his secretary now, aren’t I?

“I can just manipulate his schedule so Aden never even sees the heroine’s face! Then he’ll never go insane or become the mastermind villain!”

Most importantly—

“Then I won’t get dragged down just for working at La Mar either!”

I silently celebrated after discovering this ray of hope—

Then froze.

Because I suddenly remembered the giant flaw in this otherwise perfect plan.

“…To do that, I’d have to gain Aden’s trust.”

The fact that Aden clearly disliked me was somehow only the second biggest issue.

My predecessor Jeremy had been a secretary in name only. In six months he had never once been entrusted with major work.

And yet even with those limited responsibilities, he still managed to embezzle three hundred million gold.

“If I show up tomorrow, he’ll probably think I’m suspicious just for getting water…”

Seriously, Jeremy was useless to the very end!

Groaning, I clenched my fist tightly.

Honestly, I really should’ve hit that bastard one more time.