We are riding a large carriage and are on our way back home. Aria explained the whole act to both of them, and they are trying their best to eliminate any loopholes from their story.
As we made our way out of the mountainous region, we came across an ill-timed obstacle. There had been sightings of a B-rank monster, Rockbird, in the forest that we needed to cross. As a precautionary measure, the path has been closed off until the threat is eliminated. Technically, we could continue on with our journey, as we have knights of the Ernius household accompanying us. And they are more than capable of defeating the monster.
But they have been ordered to avoid any dangerous situation if possible.
And so, we are stuck here until any further action is taken.
About Aria, well, let's just say that she is not in her happiest mood after the whole commotion.
We stopped by a nearby village to see if there was any alternate route we could take. And sadly, to reach our destination, we need to use a bridge to get across a river, which is only accessible if we cross the forest. Other routes are either not fit for carriages or just way too long.
"Young Miss, the locals have asked for help from the adventurer's guild. So help should arrive pretty soon. In my opinion, it's best to wait until tomorrow and let the adventurers handle this job. We can't risk your safety", the leader of the knights said, while we were heading towards a diner.
"Alright. We'll do as you see fit. Sigh, just when I thought that we'd make it before Carolina arrives" Aria expressed her displeasure with her tone.
This village did not fall in the coverage area for Mana-comm. Hence, the call for help and the correlated actions took more time than it should have.
Sadly, I can't do anything about this matter. I should try to cheer her up instead.
"On the bright side, we can rehearse the act to make it more believable. And also, the locals said that the chickens they cook here are the best in this region. You like chicken curry, right? Let's have it for dinner tonight" I said.
"Hehe, alright, let's do that" she said while chuckling.
***
The village was crowded due to the influx of people waiting for the route to open. As a result, some of the knights had to camp on the outskirts of the village. Fortunately, we were able to book the last three available rooms at the inn. Naturally, Aria and I shared the best room, while the father-son duo and a few knights occupied the remaining rooms.
The day passed with no notable events, and the adventurers arrived the next morning.
The adventurers' party did their job as soon as they were prepared and eliminated the threat successfully. It took them a few hours to locate and kill the target. As soon as their success was announced, the path was unblocked, and people started clearing the village.
As it was almost lunchtime already, we decided to take our time and leave after having lunch.
After a few hours of traveling, we reached Swindfort city.
We entered the city in disguise and helped the father-son duo settle in their new home. Teacher prepared this place in the residential area while we were away. After that, we once again left the city and entered using the carriage. Upon reaching the mansion, we were greeted by Teacher, Lady Carolina, and her brother.
"Welcome back, daughter. I hope your important work went well" Mom said.
"Yes, Mom, everything is fine now", Aria replied.
"Greetings, Lady Aria. This is my brother, Franklin Sein", Lady Carolina introduced her brother. Sir Franklin is thin and has a charming appearance. He has a lean face with a sharp jawline. He has short, styled hair that looks neat and tidy. Despite his thin build, he is confident and has charming looks. At first glance, he looks like a friendly man, but his smile is a bit frightening.
Aria introduced me as her assistant, and everyone exchanged greetings. After excusing ourselves, we headed to her room to freshen up. I quickly prepared a schedule for Aria to make it seem like she was really busy, just like she instructed.
After a while, we met the Sein siblings in a spacious living room for further talks. I took my position behind Aria's couch.
"We can't thank you enough for your help, Lady Aria. Our Clein family is forever indebted to you", Sir Franklin said.
"As Carolina's friend, it's only natural for me to help her. Furthermore, it was no big deal, I just relayed some information that I coincidentally stumbled across", Aria said.
"Oh no, you were a huge help during our time of need. A bit too much for a mere coincidence, isn't it? Anyway, we are not here to interrogate you, so be at ease. We wish that you accept these gifts that we prepared as a token of our gratitude", he said, gesturing to a maid to bring in the gifts. The maid brought in a lavish-looking box, which seemed like a jewelry set, followed by a cute bouquet.
"Carolina talked about your affection for jewelry. I present to you this beautiful set of jewelry, for an equally beautiful Lady. It is crafted by the finest craftsmen in the north. I hope you like it" The set of necklace and earrings were indeed beautiful, but I didn't like how he presented them with a clearly fake smile. It was clear how suspicious he was about Aria's intentions.
This was the cue to start the plan.
"Thank you for such a lovely gift. The flowers are pretty as well" Aria took a pause and continued, " Judging by your expressions, there is no point in beating around the bush. It's as you suspect, it was no mere coincidence that I came across such valuable intel. To maintain our trust and prove that we're not planning against the Sein household, I am willing to share our secret. But, you must promise not to divulge this information to any outsider", Aria said.
Aria deliberately tried to sound guilty, leaving the younger sibling slightly shocked.
Unlike Carolina, her brother was pretty calm and composed.
"Wow, I didn't see this coming. Tell us, who is making you do this? There must be some higher authority wanting to suppress us by using your house as a pawn. Trust me, I won't let anyone oppress your house", Carolina jumped to this ridiculous conclusion.
Her brother looked at her and nodded sideways, as if saying 'don't interfere'.
"Haha, you jest. There is no one capable enough to use us as their pawns. It's really not what you think. Give me a few minutes, and everything will be clear" she said and turned towards me, "Ahem, go and fetch him"
"Yes ma'am. I apologize for bringing this up right now, but please take a look at this, there are some issues that need your immediate attention", I left according to our plan. This way, they won't be able to pester Aria while I bring the kid here.
I didn't take too long, and returned shortly.
"I brought him as you requested, ma'am," I said as I entered with Wies.
The act had already begun when we arrived. Wies had to present himself as a timid, young child. In order to give the impression that he was afraid of other people, he hid behind me.
"This little friend is called Wies. He is a bit shy around people, so I hope you will forgive him for his rudeness", Aria said when she introduced him.
"Of course. So, is he the secret you were talking about?" Franklin asked.
"Yes indeed. Since his father is single, he used to drop Wies off at the daycare center run by our family. So, we used to play around back then. And you see, this guy is also a prophet. He can sometimes predict the future with near-perfect accuracy. And while looking at the northern map and the newspaper, his ability allowed him to predict this situation. I know this sounds absurd, but his ability is the real deal", Aria said.
"So you are saying, he received a prophecy, and you just relayed the information to us?" he asked.
"Yes", Aria replied with a nod.
He says everything with a smile, but I can't tell if it's real or fake.
At this point, Wies tugged on my sleeve and gestured for me to pass my ear. I complied and relayed his words to everyone.
"Ma'am, he says that he can prove that his abilities are true and that you are not a liar", this should be enough to convince them that the boy was very shy, and also explain the reason why he didn't go to anyone else with the news.
"Sure, how are you going to prove it?"
He then spoke in a low voice, "Pick any number between one and ten, and I'll try to guess the number"
"Okay, I did it." Franklin said.
In a moment, when Wies used his ability, Franklin flinched a little, as he could probably detect the magic being used by Wies.
"Seven", Wies said.
"I see. It's true that it'd be dangerous for this boy if others found out about his abilities", Franklin said.
From his perspective, this is the only reasonable explanation. And as he is just plainly staring at the Wies, it seems that Aria's plan must have worked.
"You know, my little sister was curious about your lab", he said, then turned towards Carolina and asked, "Why don't you go and have a little tour with Miss Assistant over there until I have a small chat with Miss Aria alone?"
Huh? What does he want to discuss with Aria? I don't like it. I can't tell if his smile is genuine or fake. Teacher's training and years of experience in dealing with schemers and businessmen are warning me that something is amiss.
"But I can wait. Then we can all head there together, Brother", Carolina said.
To which, he again smiled and replied, "I promise we will join you soon. Won't you agree to your brother's request?"
"Fine.."
"Oh sure. Letty, please guide her around my lab. And while you are at it, please have a guard escort Wies to his home, we don't want to worry his father after all", Aria said.
"But… Nevermind. It'd be my honor to guide you around the lab, Lady Carolina"
Oops! I almost forgot that I was talking to an aristocrat back then. I hope Aria can handle whatever the situation turns out to be.
***
I left the mansion and arranged a quick carriage ride to the lab. And also made a guard escort Wies back home. I must say, he delivered a good performance back there.
Interjecting on my thoughts, Carolina tugged at my arm.
"So hey, Miss Assistant. How's your work?"
"Hello Miss Carolina, I am my Lady Aria's assistant. I take care of her schedule, assist her in her research, and do some other minor jobs", I replied politely.
"What I am asking is, do you like your job or not?" she asked.
"Of course I love my job", I replied instantly, giving her the 'it's so obvious' tone.
"Uhm… Pardon my rudeness", I quickly followed up.
"No worries, hehe. It's just as I thought", she said.
"What, Miss?"
"Nothing. Anyway, what's up with your name? Aria introduced you as Letica. But she kept calling you Letty. So what's the deal?" she asked.
"That's just how she calls me. But my name is Letica"
"Hmm, how interesting. So can I also call you Letty?"
"What? No, my name is Letica. Only Aria can call me Letty", I said with a slightly flustered face.
"Oh my. This is interesting indeed. Alright, Letica it is then"
What a weird girl.
Throughout the ride, she kept giggling and gave me strange looks from time to time.
Sigh, I hope Aria's alright with the older sibling..