HRMF 30

Chapter 30

How to Replace a Dad

When Mira briefly left her seat for a shift change, I shared my suspicions with the Irregulars.

But then—

“What? The Captain was suspicious of that girl too?”
“She’s a good liar.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because she’s the one who started the orphanage fire.”

He said he’d known from the moment he met her.
He could smell gunpowder on her hands.

‘So that’s why he came to the lake—to confirm it himself.’

Mira screamed, almost convulsing.

“N-no! What proof do you have for that?!”

“Vice Captain, find a restroom nearby. I’m sure she stationed someone there.”

“…!”

Betiom—the medicine used to cause stomach trouble.

If someone left with an upset stomach, that would be the cue to kidnap me.

Bringing up human trafficking was just a distraction to divert suspicion.

The Vice Captain moved immediately.

And within thirty minutes, they brought back several boys—one red-haired, one blond, one blue-haired.

The boys were trembling, clearly terrified by whatever had happened when they were caught.

And the moment they saw Mira—

“It’s her! That girl told us to!”
“Yeah, it was Mira!”
“She told us to wait in the restroom and hand the target over to Lomen’s gang!”

Undeniable evidence.

I dusted off my hands and stood.

“Give me the key.”

“I–if I do, will you s–spare me…?”

“Sorry, but this isn’t a deal. It’s an order.”

Antonio grinned and said,

“Man, I swear, you’re so damn cool when you’re like this.”

Once we found the key, everything moved quickly.

I simply sat in the carriage while the three Irregulars went in and completely emptied the warehouse.

The elite guards stationed in Andress couldn’t even put up a fight.

The barrier was broken using a code.

“We went ahead and blew it up, too.”
“Good job.”

That way, Andress wouldn’t be able to trace it back to us.

The carriage started moving.

I asked the Vice Captain,

“What will you do with Mira and the boys?”

“We’ll send them to the mines. They’ll atone for their sins through labor.”

“Ah, I see.”

We returned to San Miguel.

When we came back with piles of treasure, the members rushed in like puppies being given treats.

Naturally, I thought it was Antonio’s unit—but it wasn’t.

“Ahhh! We can finally replace our equipment!”
“Our wages! We don’t have to worry about next month’s wages!”

The Vice Captain’s administrative unit was literally in tears.

Was the financial situation that bad?

Sure, things were tight—but they were Irregulars, after all.

I turned to the Vice Captain, who was sighing in relief among the members.

“Is something going on at the castle?”
“Hm?”
“If the funds are this tight, there must be a reason.”
“Ah… there’s been a big expense planned.”
“What kind of expense?”

The Vice Captain, relieved, left the celebrating members behind and came closer to me.

“You must’ve heard that the Balboa Viscount family was expelled.”

Balboa—the family of Ayabel.

Of course I knew. I had a hand in their downfall.

“The now-vacant Balboa territory is to be absorbed by another jurisdiction.”
“Which one? Sintes?”
“Any region can apply.”

“…!”

I was shocked.

The Balboa lands were nearly four times larger than the average territory, being part of the Triad Road jurisdiction.

It was close to the Duke’s direct lands, and thus, commercial activity thrived there.

With so many residents, the tax revenue was enormous.

“How will the new region be chosen?”
“Nothing has been announced yet, but every contender will throw all their financial and military strength into it.”

So that’s why the Captain had even inspected the armory.

“Then it’s a battle of information first.”
“Exactly. Which is why the head of the Intelligence Division, Yuis, is returning soon.”

Yuis? I knew that name.

As the one overseeing Irregulars’ intelligence, they operated frequently outside headquarters.

‘But I don’t know their face.’

They were practically a spy—changing faces, identities, even gender to infiltrate.

In the game, their face was always blacked out. I’d always been curious.

‘And they had some special backstory too.’

“When will they arrive?”
“They’ll be here tomorrow.”

I must’ve looked excited.

Antonio sighed deeply beside me.

“I wish they wouldn’t come…”

“…?”

Even Antonio frowned, looking irritated.

I tilted my head.

That confusion cleared up the very next day.

The moment Yuis entered San Miguel Castle—

“You still look as messy as ever.”
“Did you even take your shoes off yet?”
“If you want to come into the dorm, wash your feet first.”

—he immediately grabbed Antonio by the collar and tore into him.

The six Irregular squads reflected the personalities of their captains.

Antonio’s squad was straightforward and combat-oriented.

The Vice Captain’s unit appeared strict but was full of kind administrators.

And Yuis’s unit…

“Ugh, that sweat smell.”
“Stay away from me. You’ll wrinkle my jacket.”

…seemed to be full of dazzlingly handsome men obsessed with grooming.

And they spent money like water.

The Vice Captain ground his teeth as he checked the account books.

“These clothing expenses…”

“Lord Yuis says an informant must win people’s favor to make them talk. And the easiest way to earn favor is appearance.”

A smiling, stunning man handed the Vice Captain a rose.

The Vice Captain didn’t accept it—just clenched the ledger tighter.

Well, Yuis’s squad was better off financially than the others.

Each squad used 40% of its earnings for its own operation.

And since the Intelligence Division received the most requests, they were quite well-funded.

Compared to them—

“Wait, is that real teak wood? Let me touch it!”
“Your perfume cost ten gold? That’s like… hundreds of potatoes!”

Antonio’s combat unit was poor.

They didn’t get many requests, and when they did, they caused too much damage to make a profit.

“Where’s Yuis?”
“He’ll be here soon.”
“Did he seriously go off without greeting the Captain and the Lady?”

At the word Lady, Yuis’s men all turned to look at me.

Their beautiful eyes sparkled like polished gems.

‘Ah—greetings first.’

I was about to raise my hand when—

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

Yuis’s men each handed me a flower.

And then—

“It’s an honor to meet you, my Lady.”
“You’re even more beautiful than we expected.”
“A true honor.”

…Wow.

Antonio made a disgusted face.

“So obnoxious.”
“Exactly.”

Even the Vice Captain’s unit sighed in exasperation.

After greeting Yuis’s squad, I headed to the garden.

I’d been away for a while, and I worried something might’ve gone wrong.

Charry, who was now assigned as my personal attendant, came with me.

She had been taking care of the garden while I was gone.

“Well? How is it? It’s okay, right?” she asked eagerly.
“Yes. You did really well.”
“I worked hard! I kept thinking, ‘I’m in Yuis’s squad now.’”
“Does Yuis like flowers that much?”
“Not like—need. I think he needs them.”

I gave her a puzzled look, and Charry explained,

“That’s how they win women’s hearts. But… is that really so important?”
“When you’re in their line of work, anything useful becomes important.”
“Useful?”

I snipped an overgrown branch and replied,

“You can’t build an intelligence network overnight.”

Confidential information always stays within the household.

But noble families don’t let people in easily—they scrutinize every background and connection.

So you have to slowly cultivate a flawless record, like growing a tree, before you can place a spy inside.

The Irregulars’ organization was too young for that.

So their only option was to charm their way in.

Charry nodded.

“Still, it’s not as dangerous as what we do, right?”
“They risk their lives too. Most informants carry poison for instant suicide.”
“Why?”
“Because those who know too much are a danger even to allies.”

They feared breaking under torture and leaking secrets.

“Their training includes enduring torture.”
“…I didn’t know. That’s… impressive.”
“Of course. Information is often what determines success.”

Charry nodded earnestly.

“I won’t call them arrogant jerks anymore.”

…You thought that before?

“…That’s what they said.”

In Yuis’s conference room, his aide was reporting the conversation between Eustea and Charry in the garden.

Yuis, legs crossed, scoffed.

“Smooth talker, huh. Is that how she sweet-talked the Captain and the elites?”

Eustea Andress.

Ever since she arrived, the Irregular members guarding San Miguel had been acting strangely.

Antonio had once called him in a hurry—

[Hey, what do kids like these days?]
“You’re wasting my time for that?”
[It’s important.]
“A mission?”
[No. The little miss only ate two bowls of rice today. Something’s wrong.]

Click.

Then, a call from the Vice Captain—

[Return immediately.]
“Is it an attack on Es Garotte Castle?”
[The Lady went to gather herbs and hasn’t come back. Investigate immediately—]

Click.

‘Unbelievable.’

Yuis waved his hand, annoyed.

“Next report.”
“Baron Sintes recently purchased the Margust farm.”
“Margust? What miracle did he find there? Look into it further.”
“Yes, sir. Next, news regarding the Saintess—The Teressa Church has sent a formal notice of dispatching priests to Es Garotte…”

Without Eustea’s name in the report, Yuis felt much calmer.

The next day.

A letter arrived.

The sender was Asta.

Eustea, how have you been?

I’m doing well, aside from missing you terribly.

Lately, I’ve realized that time and affection may not be proportional.
Even though our time together was short, you’ve come to mean so much to me…

(omitted)

So, I’d like to invite you to our tea gathering.
I’ve enclosed the list of attendees.
If you’re not too busy, I hope you’ll come.

At the end of the four-page letter was the crucial line.

“A… party?”

I immediately checked the list of attendees.

All were sons and daughters of prestigious families in Es Garotte.

‘If I go there, I might get good information faster than the Intelligence Division could.’

I hurried out of my room and went to the Vice Captain, showing him the letter and list.

“It could be useful in securing the Balboa lands.”
“Exactly. I plan to attend. But I’ll need proper preparation—very thorough preparation.”
“Even for a simple tea party?”
“Vice Captain, noble gatherings…”

I glared with intensity.

“Are silent battlefields.”

Every word, every tone—calculated warfare to gain advantage.

There’s a reason nobles nearly bankrupt themselves to debut their children in society.

Seeing my determination, the Vice Captain nodded.

“List what you need, and I’ll prepare it immediately.”
“And I’ll need the Intelligence Division too.”
“You’re going to gather information, but you need the intelligence team?”

If one young lady had broken up with one young man, I must never mention their past relationship.

If one young man had been outshone by another, I mustn’t bring that up either.

And if two families bore grudges, I had to choose my stance carefully.

After hearing all this, the Vice Captain nodded.

“I’ll call Yuis at once.”
“Good.”
“Please wait a moment.”

I sat quietly on the sofa, waiting for Yuis.

I was genuinely curious—what kind of person were they?

‘Gamers always guessed Yuis was a woman…’

There had even been community events to guess their gender.

After a while, a knock came.

“It’s me.”

I was startled.

Despite my sharp intuition, I hadn’t sensed a thing.

As expected of the Irregulars’ head of intelligence.

“Come in,” said the Vice Captain.

The door opened.

I stood up immediately.

“Hello. I’m Eustea.”

Then I looked up—

Silver hair, like gathered moonlight, cascading down.

Eyes the color of the sky, shimmering with a mysterious light.

And facing Yuis, I…