It's been two years since I recruited Alpha. Since then I have been training her.
Actually, I wasn't planning on it but she asked to acquire the same strength as I, and I think she meant she wanted to have some new techniques so I just taught her my own style.
Anyway, within those years, our organization acquired more members. All of them are girls that were inflicted by Demon Possession who I cured.
I was grateful for it because it's free training for my magic manipulation, though I also feel troubled because Alpha kept picking up some random strangers like they were stray kittens.
I know they were victims of these Demon Possession so maybe she felt sympathetic to them and kept taking them to me. Though, I'm not actually running a charity here so I hope she stops.
The girls who were cured of the Demon Possession all decided to follow me, so I also narrated my bullshit on them. Now they are loyal followers of my shadowbroker mode.
Me and my merry band of girls goes around the nearby territories, and taking care of bandits while calling them out as part of the cult. The girls are enthusiastic at playing along, so I just kept going at it.
Really, they even expand on the background of the cult. Like how they are more than what it seems, or how they discovered some artifacts, or reading some ineligible scribbles like they are truly researching.
These girls are really amazing. I can't ask for a more suitable minion!
"It's coming closer." I muttered randomly as I walk on the halls of my manor.
I'm not in my Shadow mode currently. I am just the unremarkable daughter of the Baron, Arisa Frelldyll. Currently I'm just doing normal things to look very normal to the people.
It's really hard thinking of anything to be more unassuming as a girl. I did my best being the faceless female mob who only smiles on the background. My mother kept ruining that by trying to fix my appearance, and even the maids are fussy enough that they kept bothering me for it.
Well, it's thanks to my new maid escort that those annoying attempts have become lesser.
"I apologize Lady Shadow, but what is coming closer...?" That gentle voice comes from behind me.
Behind me is a silver haired elf who have been tailing me for awhile now. The maid outfit she is wearing suits her.
This is Beta. The second member of the Seven Shadows. The Seven Shadows are just the first seven girls who became members of the Shadow Garden. It's cool so I don't mind.
I'm just saying that randomly, but I can't just say that as it would break the immersion. Let's see... oh, I just glanced at the window and saw our farm animals.
"At the coming night, a fool would attempt to capture a sheep. Unaware that the sheep is a wolf in disguise." My eyes wander around, until I saw some of those paintings that my father likes. "On the dark forest, three pillars will be illuminated by the grace of the night. Within is the path you seek."
I can hear the sound of the pen swiping through paper behind me. I'm sure she is writing some gibberish just to look like she has been listening to my nonsense.
Good acting, Beta!
"I see... then, we will immediately prepare." I heard her say before feeling her presence vanish.
After saying that she is going to take a leave. Truly a remarkable minion behaviour. I don't have anything to teach you, Beta!
As for why Beta is here. I actually wanted to do some secret training. As my parents won't leave me alone without a single maid looking out for me, I can't really do it. So it is actually convenient she is covering for me.
Hurray for good friends!
Now then, I should train myself while they are not looking. I just got another epiphany to further my strength as a Power in the Shadow.
Something surprising happened on the midnight.
I was just preparing to go outside when I heard some clamor on the outside. I can feel some foreign magic signatures on the outside, so being curious I peek on the windows.
I saw some people clad in black robes killing our gate guards. They are jumping on our estate, and it seems like they are coming straight to my room.
Woah... is this real... is it really happening!?
These guys are skilled. They easily scaled the rooftops and get to my window. I actually have to go back to my bed and pretend to be sleeping. I also quickly change into my pajama. My slime suit is flexible like that.
Still, something like this is happening huh...
I am going to be kidnapped!
Actually, I think that's pretty normal. The people here are superhumans. People that can jump on the rooftops might be uncommon, but it's not rare to be surprising. As a noble, I'm sure they are here to take me and get some money out of my family.
Normally, I would just kill them. Though I have a better plan right now.
You see, I have been trying for a long time to convince my family that I am as unremarkable as possible, and that they shouldn't really bother trying to fix me, or "Better my future" or whatever.
I want them to just let me become normal, get some child and turn them into a head. Being a head of this house is really not good for my mob persona.
In fact, I have been trying for some years for my parents to become lovey dovey and do their you-know-what, so they can finally have someone decent and they leave me alone. I want my Arisa persona to be a background character, dammit!
My father said he still have hope for me. My mother have a rather high opinion of my appearance. Despite making all the efforts to become the most unremarkable one, I can't just put their eyes off of me.
What if I get kidnapped?
It's just a spur of the moment thought really, but if I get kidnapped here. I'm sure they will finally see that I am actually talentless, and they should have another child to become a new head to this house.
After that, I can finally have more time with my training. I have already wasted a lot of my time being cooped up in my house. I have to do thrice the amount of training that I planned since I got reincarnated here just to reach my expected growth.
Also, though it is just my assumption, aren't female mobs prone to getting kidnapped just as much as the main heroines?
I'm sure those bandits are taking girls left and right just to acquire some ransom money. I will be just another name in their mark where they can have some income. Which means if I stayed for awhile on their base acting like a defenseless girl, I would actually have some chance showing off that, yes, I am not suited to the main screen.
Also also, they are really good when scaling my rooftops. That means they might be a part of a large bandit group.
If they are a part of a large bandit group, that would mean a large base. A large base means a lot of zeni.
I can't help but smile within myself.
I can easily just kill them, but it would just rise some confusion to my family. They might even think I am more talented and become more pushy at making me the head.
So, I have to be gone for a few days. It might be heartbreaking for my family here, but for the sake of my ambitions, I'll have to stay at the bandits for now.
It will be a good training ground for me too!
When the day comes, the house of Frelldyll went into an uproar.
Their only daughter, Arisa Frelldyll went missing.
A/N: Just a minor plot detail that changes the whole story xD