‘What?! A sudden deal..? Who are you?’

How did you get in here?

Entering through the window meant breaking the barrier of the mansion.

It was a barrier that couldn’t be penetrated easily except for the nobles’ carrier birds.. First of all, I could gather one piece of information.

That the opponent’s abilities were not average.

‘But he’s just a boy.’

Maybe 15-years-old?

Judging by his size and voice, he was just a boy of that age.

I quickly searched through my brain, but there was no character like that among the characters I knew. Especially with that black hair, Sislin was the only major character with that.

‘Is it a camouflage?’

“You have a lot of thoughts, Annette.”

Huh–

I blinked my pale green eyes.

‘Oh, did you see that?’

“I will reveal my identity. I come from Circe Intelligence.”

Circe Intelligence. I had heard of it. In the <Dark Guild and History> class.

It was said that if you become a noble, you would have to deal with such illegal information dealers for the sake of social politics in the future.

‘..Teacher, you didn’t say I would be trading at 12-years-old.’

“Here is a business card.”

The smiling mask (even though it was a mask, when the other person smiled or spoke, his dark eyes and mouth moved) held out a business card to me.

It was quite a business attitude.

「Circe Intelligence Guild.

I will be your friend?」

‘What’s with this creepy heart?’

“I want you to know that the heart is the point.”

Flinch.

I looked at the mask that seemed to pierce through me. And I said with a little bit of caution.

“How did you know my name was Annette, and how did you know I needed help?”

The mask grinned.

“There’s nothing we don’t know.”

That sounded like a pretty good line from an ‘intelligence guild member’, but I thought.

–Ummm, that’s too pretentious.

By now, rumors of an unmarried prince adopting a daughter would be circulating in the Imperial Palace, and if he didn’t know about such a big event, then he didn’t deserve to be called an ‘informer’.

Moreover, the existence of the Forest was known secretly among the nobles, so it was not difficult to connect with me.

Besides, I recently went to socialization training.

But the thing was, I needed help right now. And the fact that he broke the barrier of this Forest and came to exactly where I am was—

‘Honestly, I’m surprised.’

He seemed a little trustworthy.

‘Shall I do some more testing?’

“Do you know what I need right now?”

“Sure.”

The masked boy rubbed his chin and smiled.

“You want to escape. Tomorrow morning. The cleanest way to escape would be from the carriage going to the Imperial Palace.”

“....!”

It’s real, it’s real!

“But I have nothing to offer you in return.”

I cradled the?‘Kokok’?treasure bag in my arms. Just like a squirrel who kept almonds in both cheeks and chewed them up.

(TL/N: ‘Kokok’ to suggest it’s full of things hahaha.)

‘If I use Julius, it’s free!’

He chuckled.

“Ah, that’s not the treasure I’m looking for.”

‘How does he know it’s a treasure..?’

“I can tell just by the sound noise. And I’m good at smelling things.”

He smiled, rounding his fingers.

This guy, he was just saying he’s crazy about money.

“After you grow up, do one thing I want. That is the price of this transaction.”

“..Hm.”

I looked at him suspiciously.

‘At first glance, it seems like a great deal.’

He said it lightly that I didn’t need to pay the price right now, and would only need to do one request when I grew up.

‘If he’s really saying that, then he’s a pushover, right?’

He offered a great favor.. It was just a free service right now.

‘But that can’t be true.’

People like that wouldn’t want money, instead he would ask for something that fit the bill once I grew up.

‘Does he know that I am the heir?’

‘I don’t think so.’

If he knew that I was the heir, he would ask me to use that ability right now, rather than wait for another time to use it.

The need for ‘resonance’ to use the power of the sorcerer was not known to the people on the outside.

‘It’s not a bad opportunity.’

“Then can you do one more thing?”

Of course, if I use Julius, it’s free.

However, there was a downside; if Julius disappeared from the Forest, the children’s talented noble etiquette teacher would be gone, and I didn’t want to take that away from them.

Above all–

‘There is a service that Julius cannot provide.’

The boy behind the mask smirked and made an interesting expression.

The area around the eyes was black, so I couldn’t even see his real eye color, but I was surprised to register the ‘interesting expression’.

“Let’s listen and decide?”

“There may be people who want to pursue me in the future. Please erase my traces from them. Thoroughly.”

Most probably, Gerard and the people he hired.

‘But it won’t be long.’

He would probably look for me like crazy for a while, but as with that kind of chase, if the opponent didn’t show up after a while, he would be somewhat discouraged and the ‘intensity of the chase’ would be lowered.

‘Besides, the place I’m going to hide in is very, very far away.’

The bakery’s planned opening location was on an island, which could be considered a closed one, far from the Empire.

So, if only the initial focused tracking was blocked, it would be worth enduring to some extent after that.

“It’s not difficult.”

The masked boy readily answered.

‘As expected.’

“Instead, I can increase my request to two, right?”

I shook my head resolutely at the two extended fingers.

“No! I’ll pay for this with a treasure. Calculated by the duration of the blocking request.”

‘I don’t know what he will ask for, but I can’t give him two wishes.’

In order to reduce the uncertainty of the future, it was good to prevent as much as possible what money could prevent.

In addition, if I trade with an informant, I could pay with treasures that I could encash only later as an adult.

It meant that treasures that could not be used immediately could also be used like cash.

It was beneficial to me in many ways.

“..Hmm, I see. I can’t have two wishes.”

The masked boy had a somewhat disappointed expression on his face (his eyes went down all the way, like a disappointed dog), but he nodded anyway.

“Good. Then it’s a deal!”

“Great.”

I shook hands with the phantom thief boy.

Then silence.

“.....”

“.....”

As I rolled my eyes, I asked,

“―Now, do we write a contract or something, or should we share blood?”

“What? Hahaha!”

The masked boy grabbed his stomach and laughed.

I scratched my cheek in embarrassment.

“There must be evidence of the contract..”

“That business card is proof.”

“....?”

That crappy business card?

I looked at the business card again.

「Circe Intelligence Guild.

I will be your friend★」

―It shamelessly turned into a star!

“The contract is valid from today. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning. If you press ‘it’ on the carriage, there will be a way out.”

Clink–

Hearing something entering my treasure bag, I looked inside.

Uhh, it’s a magic tool the size of a fingernail, right?

“Hey there, Sir. What happens when I press this–”

He disappeared!?

When I raised my head, the phantom thief boy had disappeared.

Only the old curtains in the warehouse were swaying leisurely against the large moonlit night sky.

‘It was like a ghost.’

I looked at the magic tool given to me by the information merchant within the moonlight.

Gulp,?the saliva passed.

“What happens when I press this?”

The answer was soon known.

***

“Are you here, Master?”

Circe’s Intelligence base.

The guild members bowed their heads sharply towards the boy in the phantom thief outfit who was walking around the dark interior.

Each of the guild members’ montages were full of individuality, and about 10 of their previous convictions looked funny, plus there was no sense of incongruity even if their faces were imprinted on wanted flyers right away.

The head of intelligence who was leading them..

The master of Circe was very famous in the underworld under the name of ‘Balrog’.

<Balrog’s muzzle hits even if it shoots into the air>

These nonsensical phrases spread like a myth in the underworld.

The master of guns and the one who raised Circe’s Intelligence into the Empire’s greatest underworld guild.

His identity was..

“Hey, is my son sleeping well?”

It was the father of a child.

“He fell into a good sleep.”

“The master showed off his beastly side, practiced shooting 10 rounds of bullets, ate his nom nom, and just fell asleep.”

A guild member with a savage cut on his face gave a brief report, naturally ignoring the enormous gap between ‘food’ and ‘10 rounds of bullets’.

“Yes.”

Balrog answered with satisfaction, took off his mask, and loosened his camouflage.

Soon, innocent blond hair fluttered, and emerald green eyes were revealed.

With Indian dimples attractively dented on his smiling cheeks.

Suddenly, he grew taller and sat on a chair with his long legs..

It was Marquis Bizet Winston.

Bizet smiled brightly and innocently as he gazed at the guild members.

“Oh, I have one thing to do when the day dawns.”

“What?”

All of a sudden?

It was a pretty rushed schedule, but the guild members who were familiar with the improvisation of their master only put on a face expressing, ‘Master, again?!’.

Balrog was a single father raising his son alone after losing his wife, and he was kind and warm to children, but—

He was quite a scary man when he was a dark intelligence agent in the underworld.

With a single finger, he could control men with such vicious appearances who were closer to monsters.

The one-eyed man glanced towards the side.

‘It looks like our master has started working again?’

The muscular man on the other side quickly stroked his nose.

‘Shut up and just listen.’

“That.. What is the request?”

Bizet explained.

“I will help a girl escape tomorrow morning. From a carriage to the Imperial Palace.”

“..Master, is it possible that you are attacking the Prince’s carriage?”

Their master replied with a smile as pure as a flower.

“Very accurate.”

‘F*ck.’

At the same time, the men’s already ferocious face became more terrifying.

Now, they looked quite happy.

It was the same for him, probably because it all felt like fate.

He laid down early to sleep tonight, but the teleport connected to Annette was on the bedside table, so he received the letter right away.

After reading Annette’s letter, it took less than a minute to teleport and arrive in the Forest (of course, the barrier was neutralized by his own ability).

The whole situation was like ‘a special relationship between a father-in-law and a prospective daughter-in-law’.

―Actually, it was a simple coincidence.

After completing all interpretations according to his wishes, Bizet opened his mouth, with eyes twinkling like the morning star.

“I have to raise that child well..”

The guild members anticipated his next words.

‘Is he going to eat her?’

‘Is he trying to catch her?’

With clenched fists, Bizet announced.

“I will definitely make her my daughter-in-law!!!”

That’s ri–?!

The guild members’ eyes shook as they looked at each other.

However, they knew well to not question when there was a subtle madness in their master’s eyes.

..Why..was he so overwhelmed by himself?

“Then, shall we prepare for battle?”

Just then, a voice was heard from behind.

“Father.”

“.....”

It was his son, Kyle, who had fallen asleep after practicing with the magic gun, shooting 10 rounds of bullets.

Suddenly awake, the boy who appeared at the door said, shining green eyes under chestnut-like hair.

“Please lend me your mask tomorrow. I will disguise myself as Father and carry out the operation for you.”

“Kyle, that’s-”

Bizet made a slightly troubled face. But the chestnut head did not retreat.

“I personally.. want to save the lady.”

Little 10-year-old Kyle made dangerous remarks about going to the scene of the slaughter and pointed out what he was most worried about.

“But, you..”

He straightened up.

“You are very shy in front of Annette.”

“....!”

Twitch.?Kyle blushed.

“..It’s okay if I disguise myself with a mask. Though I’m embarrassed of making eye contact with the lady.”

“Well, if you say so.”

Bizet smiled and looked at the members of Circe.

“Everyone is okay with it, right?”

Balrog’s successor, Kyle, like other Winstons, has been on the field since the age of eight.

Although he was a nervous and shy boy when handing out a flower to the lady, his skill was acceptable.

In particular, he shot with a magic gun as well as his father. At his young age.

In the next few years, he would become a master who surpasses Balrog. All the members of Circe, who had vicious-looking faces, nodded their heads happily.

“It will be fun to work with you.”

“It will be good to work together with the master for this operation, it’s been a while. Hahaha!”

“Okay then.”

Bizet cleared the situation, stroking his chin.

“I will go right away, as soon as the sun comes up.”

***

And dawn broke in the deep blue sky.

Dududududu–

A magnificent procession of carriages approached the morning Forest, raising dust from afar.

Gerard’s red eyes that were looking out the car window were cold.