1. I Will Refrain From the Death Penalty

Episode 9

My business smile was brutally broken. I stared at the customer in front of me with a straight face. It was a boy who looked to be about six years old.

“Who are you?”

“Tell me, how did you get the job?!”

“I don’t know, but it’s true that I got a job.”

As a guest, I used respectful words. Leniel’s butterflies are monitoring me, and it’ll be heartbreaking to see an unfaithful employee and even get a pay cut.

“Nonsense! That place was originally supposed to be mine!”

No, what is it about this general store?

“I don’t know, because I already wrote the employment contract and you can’t even get it to work? Find another job.”

I wrapped Isabelle and handed it to Ten. Even after Ten, who looked at me and the customer alternately, and left the store, the customer glared at me with courage.

Well, what are you going to do?

“Customer, this is a disruptive business.”

“I want to see Leniel. Where is he?”

“The boss.. No, he’s a busy person, so it’s hard for me to even meet face to face. If you leave your contact information, I will send him to you.”

“What can I believe from a death row prisoner like you!”

I keep hearing death row prisoner, death row prisoner.

As I stared at the boy, I smiled for a moment. What does the little boy know? Just looking at him, it seems that he longs for an evil wizard and dreams of becoming a villain early on.

“Would you like to call it a jailbreak if possible? The death row prisoner sounds a bit harsh. I have no intention of dying. But if you tell me something like this for a hundred days, it is of no use, and since this is a store with cursed goods, if you touch it wrongly, you will be cursed. Work on it.”

Even thinking about it, it was such a gentle guide that I was really impressed. However, the boy didn’t kill his temper at all, as the curse wasn’t scary to him.

Uh huh, if I get a doll similar to Isabelle and put it in front of the cashier, will I be able to drive out the truth? I’ll have to ask Leniel to get another one later.

“If you keep making a fuss, I will report you. You know there’s a city guard in front of you, right?”

Of course, it was an improbable threat, but it seemed to work for the boy. Perhaps that boy was also a criminal. He’s a boy who wants to work for Leniel, so it’s scary.

I had no desire to see you again. But, just as the case since I came here, things just didn’t go the way I wanted.

***

After attaching the butterflies by my side, Leniel came to me less frequently than before. Thanks to this, I have more free time. The watchers caught up, but it was not burdensome at all because it was pretty butterflies.

It was more convenient. Having them near makes it clear that I don’t want to run away.

After learning that they couldn’t see this side from the other side thanks to the illusion magic, I often wandered the alley.

I didn’t have the courage to show up on the street where my wanted badge was attached, but it was so frustrating to be in a general store where almost no customers came the whole time. Besides, after becoming ‘Giselle Roycevin’, I was swept away before I could properly adjust to this world, so I wanted to see the outside scenery a little more.

My legs hurt after walking around, so I brought a chair with me. After all, the only people who knew this dead-end alley were customers who wanted to visit the general store, so there was nothing to notice. When guests come in, they go in together.

Today, as I sat down and watched the people passing by and the scenery, I felt a new emotion. I feel like I’ve been here for a year, but it’s been less than a month.

Can I continue living like this?

“I wish I can speak to you too.”

I think I’m really crazy to be muttering while looking at the naughty butterflies around me.

Maybe I am crazy. Whether this is real or not, in fact, I still don’t know.

When I wake up, I will wake up in a familiar studio, and I will have to turn off the alarm and prepare to go to work, pushing away the familiar fatigue. Maybe I really am dreaming. Maybe I fell into a coma and was drenched in a long dream.

“..It’s too vivid to be a dream.”

As I touched the wall, I could clearly feel the bumpy texture. When I applied force to my hand, it left a bare, pressed mark on my flesh. Because I had white hands, the marks were more prominent.

It was moving according to my will, but no matter how many times I looked at it, it was an unfamiliar hand. Where are my hands? I still get terrified when I look in the mirror.

Platinum hair. I couldn’t feel it when I read it simply.. What should I say? It was a strange feeling. How does it feel to realize that a character I took so lightly is actually a real living person somewhere?

Of course, I didn’t expect her to be this pretty when I read it in writing. To be able to create a neat atmosphere with such a bare face without a single maid to decorate, I don’t know why Giselle Roycevin was so fussy with this wonderful appearance. Even if it wasn’t for the male protagonist, a man would have lined up to give it all away.

“By the way, is it really okay if I stay here?”

It’s near the prison, but as long as I’m in Leniel’s general store, I won’t get caught by the soldiers.. Once I think of the original, Giselle Roycevin is effectively out of the story, so there’s no need to engage directly with the main characters.

Leniel didn’t seem to want to introduce me to Wayne.

Is it still the answer to stay here? After all, should I be promoted to a general store manager and open a branch in a quiet back alley?

“Oh, I’ll ask about the promotion system.”

Belatedly, I patted my knee and regretted it, and a butterfly flew in front of me while fluttering violently.

“Yes?”

Normally, it just hovered around gracefully, but now it flaps its wings impatiently. Why are you doing this? Are you sick?

“Why? What do you want to say?”

As I watched the two butterflies meandering through the air, I tilted my head. I don’t know much about insects, so it’s frustrating. I’ll be sure to read even the Fabre Insect Book.

Or maybe..

“Are you mating?”

Even a working butterfly mate..? I don’t know for sure, but I think I’ve seen a similar scene in a documentary or something.

“During midday? Ugh, even if they can’t see this side, how many people are passing by on the street right now!”

The movement of the butterflies did not change even if I waved my hands and bruised them.

They seem to get along very well. I shook my head and turned to the street. This is because, when there is no one to talk to,I feel embarrassed.

It’s safe here, but I don’t think it’s good for your mental health. I feel really crazy.

“I wish I could just walk around comfortably.”

Mumbling in a sighing voice, I saw a city guard that looked particularly bustling in my sight. As I stared blankly at them with my chin clenched, I saw someone’s head standing tall alone amongst the formidable guards.

‘Wow, you’re so tall.’

In admiration, I noticed that the man’s hair was quite colorful. He had blonde hair that looked shiny and splendid even from across the street. In addition, the excellent proportions and physique that cannot be hidden even with armor, and the distinctive features of the presence.

It wouldn’t be easy for an ordinary guard to have such an appearance in a novel.

If Leniel is a sickly handsome man, he looks like a healthy handsome man. It was a completely different atmosphere to the point where it was hard to believe that he was an extra passing by. Besides, the green eyes are so vivid that I can see them from here.

I know of a knight that was described that way. So, obviously, Dylan Stasi, the male protagonist of 『Poisonous Apple』..

“Huh?”

My God, Dylan Stasi!

“..What a crazy..!”

Why is he here?

The moment I jumped up without realizing it, Dylan, who was talking to the soldier, turned in this direction. I immediately turned my back and ran, almost flying to the general store. It was clear that Leniel’s illusion magic would be useless in front of that ‘Dylan Stasi’.

Because he was the ‘one who sees the essence’! Magical trickery doesn’t work at all for him!

‘No, why would a human who should have gone to the estate come to this corner guard post?’

Apparently, after Giselle’s execution, Dylan should’ve returned to the estate with the heroine.

Having hurriedly ran into the general store, I locked the store door, covered the windows with wooden shades, and turned off the lights just in case. Then I hid myself in the back room.

Even the butterflies, who had always flapped their wings busily, sat on my shoulders and did not budge at this moment. It seemed that they also had an eye for something.

In the middle of the silence, I felt like my breathing was too loud, so I gave strength to my closed lips.

Thump. Thump.

My heart raced as if it was about to explode at the sound of heavy footsteps coming from outside the store. The footsteps stopped in front of the store. Of course, it was a dead end street.

Rumble.

The locked door rattles with the sound of grabbing and pulling on the handle. All the windows were covered with wooden shades, so I had no idea who was standing outside or what was going on. But hearing no footsteps, it seemed like he was standing in front of the door.

Rumble. Rumble.

Suddenly the door was pulled again. Rather than forcing it to open, it seemed intended to confirm that it was locked.

Dylan was an excellent swordsman, so if he forcefully opens it, he should be able to break the lock. Fortunately, there was no sign of such a coercive attack. In fact, he was one of the few normal people in the original. Like a main character, he has a sense of justice and is good.