Bang bang bang!

Kalon and Nisha looked at each other as they heard rough footsteps outside the door.

The two were on the 5th floor of the Ash Trading Company building. A floor where no one but authorized personnel were allowed.

There was only one person who could make such footsteps in a place like this.

Bang bang bang!

Before the echo of the knocking sound that was unclear whether it was knocking or breaking the door had even stopped, the door flung open and the owner of the footsteps entered.

“I’m here…! Ugh!”

Ino, who was about to enter the room, staggered as he was hit by a pile of documents.

“You bastard. Can’t you walk quietly?”

Nisha, whose temper had become razor-sharp due to several days of recent overtime work, had thrown the documents right at his face.

“What’s this? Usually, you would have dodged that annoyingly.”

Kalon, who was watching the scene, said in a nonchalant voice.

Of course, Kalon himself, as well as Nisha and Ino, all had enough training to protect themselves. Among them, Ino was one of the employees especially specialized in that area.

When at headquarters, he even served as Kalon’s bodyguard.

For such a person to recklessly reveal his presence like this, and not even dodge what Nisha threw, but take it head-on.

It was the first time Ino had appeared so distracted.

Still, as if he hadn’t completely lost his mind, he managed to catch the falling documents neatly while covering his face.

“Ah, really. Isn’t this too much!”

“Shut up. Why are you making such a fuss? If you’re being this noisy over something trivial, I’ll hang you upside down outside the window and let you sway all night.”

When Nisha spoke with sincerity, Ino shuddered. But soon after, he puffed out his chest and said proudly.

“I’ve finally found it.”

“What?”

“What?”

This time, Kalon and Nisha asked simultaneously in a disinterested tone.

“What do you mean what! The task you assigned to me! And that thing that’s been troubling all of us!”

At Ino’s words, Kalon and Nisha stood up at the same time.

“What?”

“Could it be?”

Seeing the surprised faces of the two, Ino exclaimed triumphantly.

“That’s right. I’ve finally found an ancient language expert and a decryption genius!”

“What? Where?”

“No, more importantly, who is it! How many in total?”

“Well, for now, it’s one person.”

At Ino’s answer, Nisha picked up another bundle of documents.

“What are you saying? You said you found an ancient language expert and a decryption expert. But why is it one person?”

“Because one person has all those talents.”

“…What?”

Nisha looked at Ino with an expression that said, ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’ Poor guy. He’s been pressured by Lord Kalon recently, and now he’s finally lost his mind.

She couldn’t help but think that way. These were talents they had been trying so hard to find for the past few months. And suddenly he found them? And it’s one person?

“Ino, do you need a vacation?”

Kalon also couldn’t believe Ino’s words and looked at him with somewhat sympathetic eyes. Ino, realizing that he appeared to be out of his mind, spoke as if frustrated.

“I’m not talking nonsense! I really found them!”

“So. Who is it? What’s the name?”

“Well, the name is… Miss Aelfrida. Aelfrida Ruenim Aradis.”

The moment Ino answered, Kalon’s movement stopped. Aelfrida. There was a face that immediately came to mind upon hearing that name.

Along with the sparkling eyes that had asked him to explain the Reman-Karthi law.

“Aelfrida?”

“Yes. Do you know her?”

“Well, um. Perhaps about this tall, with brown hair like ripe wheat, and quite large eyes… cute impression…”

Nisha and Ino’s faces showed confusion as they listened to Kalon’s description. Nisha had an expression that said, ‘Did he eat something wrong today?’ while Ino’s face said, ‘Was that what the person I saw looked like?’

“Well, the hair color matches at least. The eye color was similar too.”

“Then it seems to be the right person. It’s unlikely there would be two people with such a name.”

The evening when he met Ael, Kalon had seen the name Aelfrida in the mythology section while reading documents related to Denertum.

A being who was said to be the strongest inheritor of the Golden Rule in the past in the mythology of this place.

Due to frequently changing appearance with that power, it’s unclear whether female or male, but like the typical hero in Denertum’s mythology, usually perceived as male.

To give such a name to a daughter. It must be an uncommon case in Denertum.

So it must surely be the Aelfrida he knows.

“Then is there any need to hesitate? Let’s go to her house right away!”

As Ino spoke energetically, Kalon’s expression darkened. He remembered the atmosphere of the Aradis viscounty he had seen that day.

The sight of that family openly looking down on and treating their daughter like a maid.

Judging from the conversations they had while explaining economics-related matters, she clearly hadn’t received academy-level higher education.

If she had, she could have asked her own teacher about things she didn’t know, rather than Kalon.

But Ael, who kept asking about things she didn’t know that day, was desperately eager.

As if she would never have another chance to hear an explanation if it wasn’t from Kalon.

So he casually asked her how she had studied. Surprisingly, it was almost entirely self-taught.

Ael had never had a separate teacher except when taking outdated classes that are commonly called education that a ‘lady’ should receive.

Yet she possessed knowledge on par with the Imperial Academy.

Not only that. Ael listened to his explanation, understood it on the spot, organized concepts she had been unsure about, and immediately applied them.

Although Kalon wasn’t one to judge others easily, at that moment, the word ‘genius’ flashed through his mind.

If she was at this level without proper education, he thought she would be incredible from the moment she started receiving high-quality education.

So honestly, when heading to her house, Kalon hesitated several times.

‘Should I suggest she quit her job as a servant and work for Ash Trading Company?’

If she received education with the company’s support, Ael would surely become a great asset to the Denertum branch.

So after arriving, he planned to observe what kind of atmosphere her employer had and then propose a job change to Ael.

But Ael was not a commoner, but a noble. Moreover, her family was a typical stuck-up noble house of Denertum.

So Kalon cleanly gave up on his plan to try and persuade her.

The nobles of Denertum still wary of and distanced themselves from the Imperials. Of course, as trade involved large sums of money, there were increasingly more who acted friendlier, but there were still far more who were hostile.

In this situation, it would be troublesome if he unnecessarily approached a noblewoman and caused a dispute.

‘It’s unfortunate, but it’s not like we don’t have other personnel to replace her.’

Although Ael is remarkably intelligent, there are countless people in Ash Trading Company who have accumulated even higher knowledge than her.

After all, isn’t Ash Trading Company the strongest supporter of the Imperial Academy? The professors and graduates of the Imperial Academy were practically the same as talents of Ash Trading Company.

And above all, Ael’s attitude also played a part in Kalon not pushing further.

If Ael had shown more resistance to her parents at that time, he might have helped her. But Ael just obeyed them like a meek lamb, even while receiving such harsh treatment.

‘Then there’s no need for me to step in.’

It’s not his style to forcibly drag along someone who lacks motivation.

He wasn’t kind-hearted enough, nor free enough, to passionately help everyone he felt sorry for.

So his act of kindness stopped at the point of ensuring Ael wasn’t too disrespected that day.

What happened to Ael after that was not his domain to intervene in.

‘I thought I wouldn’t meet her again.’

He didn’t expect to come across her name again so unexpectedly.

“It might be a bit difficult with that side.”

“Do you know her well?”

“I wouldn’t say I know her well, but at least I know what the atmosphere around Miss Aelfrida is like.”

Kalon told the two about the state of Ael’s family that he had observed.

As he did so, Ino’s shoulders, which had been full of joy and pride until just moments ago, began to droop little by little.

“But, but… shouldn’t we at least try? After all, we’re the ones in a hurry. If something like last time happens again…”

As the words ‘like last time’ came out of Ino’s mouth, all three let out a long sigh simultaneously.