Chapter 25

It was her responsibility to oversee the situation. “Rin, come over here,” she said. “Huh?” “I’ll do your inspection myself.” “On me?!” Rin was flabbergasted. It was as though she had assumed she was exempt from the screening process. “Wait, Lady Alice! It’s me! How long have I been serving you? Surely, you could allow me to skip the inspection!” “No, Rin, there are no exceptions.” Even Alice had been inspected by her own mother. Not a single person who came through the hall would be an exception to the rule. “Since you’re my beloved attendant, I’ll personally inspect you. I trust you that much.” “I see…” “I inspected Shuvalts as well. You’re just as good of an attendant as him, so please do not resist further.” First, she’d start with the body search. The moment Alice held the metal detector in the vicinity of Rin’s hips, the sensor started to blink bright red. “It’s going off!” Alice was flabbergasted. This was the second time the metal detector had gone off since Lord Mask. She was certain she’d found something. “Rin! What in the world are you hiding?” “What? Oh, this is…” “So it’s under your skirt!” “Wait, Lady Alice?!” Alice ignored Rin, who attempted to stop her, and reached under Rin’s skirt. “Ouch?!” she cried out when a sharp metal needle pierced her finger. “I was trying to warn you…” Rin sighed as she pulled up her skirt. She revealed knives, needles, wires, and all sorts of other things that would have set off the metal detector. “As your guard, they’re necessary for my work. This is the bare minimum I walk around with to fulfill my duties.” “It completely escaped my mind…” Alice’d had a lapse in judgment. After dealing with Lord Mask, she’d gotten ahead of herself and forgotten she was dealing with Rin. “Right, right. Of course the metal detector would go off for you.” “As long as you’ve realized that… Well then, I’ll be going—” “Wait a second.” As Rin tried to leave, Alice called her back in a chilling voice. “Rin, that’s not like you.” “What?” “Normally, you would insist on working with me.” But Rin hadn’t done that this time. Instead, she’d tried to walk right out of the hall as quickly as could be. Just like Sisbell had. “Rin, could you show me the inside of your bag?” “Y-you mean this?!” Rin was clearly flustered. Alice had actually felt something was off from the start because Rin had been clutching her bag—something she never did. “There’s nothing in here! It’s just my things!” “That’s exactly what we need to inspect. Let’s begin!” “Wha?!” Alice snatched the purse from Rin. Then she started looking through the bag without letting Rin get a word in. What she saw was entirely unexpected. It was milk. As well as almonds and chopped cabbage. …And a cryptic hand-written note that was labeled, “Growth Recipe.” “Th-that’s…just my lunch! I brought whatever I had in my fridge!” Rin said in a panic. However, Alice was more interested in the recipe than the ingredients. What was she growing? Why milk, almonds, and cabbage? And why was Rin panicking so much? The only conclusion Alice could draw from all of this was… “You didn’t!” Suddenly, an answer appeared in Alice’s mind like a spark. “All of these things supposedly help with developing a bigger bust size! And this says ‘growth’! Rin, you’re not trying to increase your bust size, are you…? Wait, Rin! Where did you go?!” “Waaaah!” Rin had taken off running. Her face was as red as a cherry as she went. “No, I’m not! I’m not! It’s a friend’s!” “Rin! Then why are you running?!” “Why, Lady Aliiiice!” And with that, the Sovereignty’s surprise inspection came to a close after catching one offender and one poor girl off guard. 2 Several days later… Far away from the Sovereignty, in a land called the Empire, certain events were unfolding. “Wait, Isk. Stop right there.” “What is it, Ms. Risya?” “Ha-ha, we’re inspecting everyone’s belongings right now.” “…Come again?” When Risya suddenly called out to him, Iska had paused on the spot. “What do you mean?” This was the third base of the Imperial forces. To Iska, who was an Imperial soldier, the place was so familiar, it was like his own backyard. That day, he’d sensed something was off as soon as he’d neared the entrance. “Just look around, Isk. The line for the inspection is right over there.” “Actually, now that you mention it…” The entrance to the base had seemed crowded. He’d wondered what could have been happening, but he never would have guessed this was the reason for the gridlock. “Ms. Risya? Why are you suddenly inspecting everyone’s belongings?” Iska asked. “Hee-hee. It’s a surprise inspection. Doesn’t that make things more interesting?” Risya pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and smiled mischievously. Risya was the Saint Disciple of the fifth seat and the adviser to the Lord. She knew Iska because he had once been a Saint Disciple, too. “We decided it during a meeting at HQ. Because the Imperial forces haven’t been disciplined lately.” “Really?” “Participation is mandatory for all soldiers in the base. So, put your bag on the desk and stand up straight right here.” Iska did as he was told. Risya approached with the metal detector. “Hm. Nothing, huh? Well, that’s a letdown. You really don’t have anything hidden on you, Isk?” “I think it’d cause problems if I was hiding something…” “Your body search is done. Next, I’ll check your personal belongings.” Risya opened the bag as if it was her own. She peered inside. “Huh? You don’t have anything suspicious here at all?” “Why does it sound like you were expecting something…?” “Not even a lewd book?” “Of course not!” “…Oh?” Risya’s voice took on a different tone. She pulled a handkerchief out of the bag. “Now that’s unexpected. This is quite the fancy-looking handkerchief you’ve got here.” “Th-that’s just—!” His voice broke. “Hm? What’s wrong, Isk? Your voice sounded cute there for a sec.” “I-it’s nothing…” All Iska could manage was to avert his eyes from Risya. It looked like a perfectly ordinary handkerchief. It was expensive, just like Risya had said, but she wouldn’t be able to recognize what it really was. At least, he hoped. “Mm?” “…” “Well, nothing seems to be amiss. It doesn’t look like you are carrying anything inappropriate.” Risya gave him his handkerchief and bag back. “Thanks, Isk.” “…Whew.” “Oh? Were you that worried?” “N-no! Not at all! I was sure that you wouldn’t find any issues! Ah…ah-ha-ha…” He quickly put the handkerchief back into his bag. Or to be accurate, he hid it away again. ……Wow, that was close. ……I can’t believe she found it. Ms. Risya is really smart, so I was worried she’d realize what it was.