CJRD 10

Chapter 10

“He really knows a lot and he’s smart too. He answers everything I ask. Studying alone is good, but I think I need help with the difficult parts.”

That was true.

Of course he would be helpful.

After all, he was someone who knew everything and could know everything.

No matter what Estelle asked, he would be able to answer her.

But that also made him an incredibly dangerous man.

Because he could discover the things people hid deep inside their hearts—such as the dreams they wished for or the secrets they wanted to keep hidden—and use them however he wanted.

While revealing absolutely nothing about himself.

Not his interests, his desires, or his secrets.

Nothing.

‘Estelle will be in danger if she stays with him!’

At first, he would simply teach her the knowledge she was curious about and slowly grow closer to her.

Then little by little, he would start touching the deepest parts of her heart and playing with her.

And once he became bored, he would abandon her.

Leaving not only Estelle’s stats ruined, but her heart as well.

I absolutely couldn’t allow that.

“I can help you too!”

“You can, Miss Morris?”

“Of course! I’ve studied quite a bit myself. I can teach you.”

It was true.

Even if I didn’t look like it, I had passed the academy entrance exam a few years ago.

I only gave up on actually enrolling.

Maybe because I had lived in a country obsessed with academic achievement in my previous life, but I had grown to hate studying.

‘And back then, Mr. and Mrs. Morris’s health had also gotten worse.’

Anyway, studying was something I was confident in.

I crossed my arms proudly and looked at Estelle with confidence.

“But Miss Morris is busy with work. You probably don’t have time.”

“Ugh.”

That was true.

The time Estelle went to the library was the same time I took care of the village children.

Estelle went to the library during that time so she could study quietly and avoid the unfriendly looks from the children who weren’t comfortable around her yet.

If I taught her, either I would have to give up my work, or Estelle would have to endure unnecessary attention.

One of us would have to sacrifice something.

“Basago isn’t a bad teacher either. He helped me once by coincidence, and it was useful. He knows a lot and even recommended books I could refer to. When I told him I was entering the academy, he explained things in even more detail.”

“B-but isn’t that a little strange? He’s someone you don’t know……”

“I don’t plan on getting close to him either. The fact that he doesn’t take off his hood even indoors, and the fact that he hides his face—it’s suspicious, isn’t it?”

Huh?

She’s never seen his face?

I blinked in confusion.

In the game, Basago had shown Estelle his face first, then stopped hiding it and walked around without his hood.

So naturally, since Basago had shown me his face this time, I assumed he would have shown Estelle his face first as well.

But……

When I looked at Estelle with a strange expression, she shrugged her shoulders and slowly continued.

“I don’t plan on becoming close with someone whose face I don’t even know. Especially not becoming close to him. I’ll only ask him for the knowledge I truly need.”

I couldn’t stubbornly say no anymore.

Not only could I no longer think of a good excuse, but it was clear Estelle had already made up her mind.

‘Fine. Since things have turned out this way, let’s think positively. This actually makes things much better for raising her Intelligence stat.’

If things went well, her Magic or Magic Resistance stats might increase as an additional benefit.

Her Morality and Faith stats might decrease, but it wasn’t like there was no way to raise them.

And being with Basago didn’t necessarily mean only a bad ending would happen……

It would probably be fine.

‘Still, I need to make sure she carries the charm.’

The less close the two of them became, the better it would be at preventing any unexpected problems.

I grabbed the charm pouch inside my apron pocket and rubbed it while thinking.

“And there’s one more thing I wanted to tell you.”

“What is it?”

I immediately became tense at Estelle’s next words.

Her announcement about studying with Basago had already shocked me enough.

I was afraid she might say she wanted to do something even more shocking.

I suppressed my anxiety and waited for Estelle to speak.

“I want to get a part-time job.”

“A part-time job?”

Contrary to my expectations, completely different words came out of Estelle’s mouth.

For a moment, I blankly blinked and stared at her.

A chilly morning, not long after dawn.

I headed toward the farmland on the opposite side of the house with Estelle.

The reason was simple.

“I want to get a part-time job.”

Estelle had handed me a flyer and said she wanted to work.

After her shocking declaration about studying with Basago,

I blinked while looking at the flyer she gave me.

“A farm part-time job?”

“Yes.”

The flyer had the words “Urgently Hiring Workers!” written on it, along with the name of the village’s largest farm, Marcus Farm.

After quickly looking over the flyer, I asked Estelle with a confused expression.

“Why do you suddenly want a part-time job?”

“Today, I read a book called The Basics of Swordsmanship at the library and tried swinging a wooden sword as it described. But I couldn’t even do it many times before I became completely exhausted.”

Estelle bit her lip in frustration and continued.

“At this rate, I’ll only fall behind after entering the academy. So I thought about it. I need to build enough stamina so it won’t interfere with my training.”

And so, because of Estelle’s overflowing passion for entering the academy, her part-time job was decided.

Stamina: 40

Objectively speaking, Estelle’s stamina was not low.

Rather, compared to children her age, it was actually quite good.

Although I hadn’t tested it myself, she was probably capable of running farther and longer than other children her age.

‘It’s probably because she ran around the forest with the elves.’

However, just as Estelle said, her stamina was insufficient for sword training.

Even if it wasn’t a real sword but a wooden one, it would still be quite heavy.

Just holding it would be tiring, and swinging it repeatedly would require even more stamina.

‘Still, the fact that she voluntarily decided to work part-time…… It feels a little strange.’

Actually, even if it wasn’t now, I had planned to suggest a part-time job to Estelle someday.

Not for money.

Only for increasing her stats.

In a raising simulation game, part-time jobs were another way to increase stats.

From farming, hunting, errands, and even being a gravedigger.

Because there were all kinds of jobs, various stats could be raised, and depending on the type, some jobs could increase stats even more than the academy.

‘A farm job was exactly that kind of case.’

For Estelle to become emperor, her Stamina stat needed to reach at least 450 before she turned eighteen.

However, the only way to increase stamina at the academy was through martial arts classes.

And even then, the increase was extremely small, nowhere near enough to reach the target.

But farm work was different.

Because she had to constantly use her body while working, the increase was significant.

Much higher than martial arts classes or other part-time jobs.

‘Of course, part-time jobs aren’t completely perfect. There are disadvantages too……’

But I could think about that later.

I shrugged casually and continued walking.

After walking for a while,

we began to see the entrance of the farmland.

That was when—

“Reina!”

A young man with a face full of freckles was standing at the entrance, waving toward us.

It was Peter.

The farmer’s son and my childhood friend.

“Welcome, Reina.”

“It’s been a while, Peter.”

Peter, who had been standing at the farm entrance, smiled brightly and ran toward us.

Peter was a friend my age whom I met when I was around Estelle’s age.

At the time, I had worked at the farm to buy a gift for Mr. and Mrs. Morris, and that was how I became friends with the farmer’s son.

‘Peter has really grown a lot since then.’

I hadn’t noticed from far away, but up close, he was much taller and had a stronger build than when he was young.

Even so, his freckled face was still gentle, like a puppy.

“Say hello, Peter. This is Estelle. And this is Peter.”

“Hello, Estelle. Nice to meet you. I’m Peter, the assistant owner of this farm.”

“Hello, Mr. Peter. I’m Estelle.”

“Just call me Peter.”

Peter bent down to match Estelle’s eye level.

Then he smiled brightly, his puppy-like eyes becoming even softer, and held out his hand to her.

Estelle looked down at Peter’s offered hand.

Perhaps because he had worked in farming for so long, his hands were rough and calloused, unlike his gentle appearance.

After moving her fingers slightly, Estelle carefully took Peter’s hand.

Then she nodded and answered in a small voice.

“Yes. I will, Peter.”

Hearing Estelle call him by his name, I was shocked.

‘No way. Even I still haven’t gotten her to call me by my name……!’