Chapter 9: Please Don’t Break Me

Oh no, poor girl—she must’ve been scared out of her mind!

Irene’s heart surged with righteous indignation.

She, a loyal ally to all cute girls, now stood as the sword of justice against anyone who dared harm them!

Any noble bastard who tried to seize a sweet maiden like this?

Immediate blacklist.

If fate had brought this to her doorstep, then of course she couldn’t just turn a blind eye!

Irene stepped forward and gently comforted her, voice soft as clouds.

“It’s okay now. Big sis already chased off those bad guys. You’re free now. No one’s going to send you off to be some noble’s plaything ever again.”

The girl finally stopped crying.

Her teary-eyed, trembling expression made Irene’s heart go all wobbly—it was like a peach drenched in rain, utterly pitiful and heartbreakingly adorable.

She looked up at Irene with wide eyes and murmured, “Fr-for realz…?”

“Totally real! See that big guy over there? The tall one with the sword? That’s the knight who chopped the whole bandit gang to pieces!”

Irene pointed at Ansel, who instantly twitched. I’m only 24, a student no less—what’s with calling me ‘uncle’ already?!

A sweet little voice followed: “Th-thank you… Uncle Knight…”

Irene had Laila carry the girl into the carriage so she could ride together with her.

During the journey, through small talk and gentle coaxing, Irene learned the girl’s name—Clarette Alma, age fifteen, and an adventurer.

“…We were on a goblin-clearing mission when we got ambushed by those bandits. My teammates ditched me! I twisted my ankle and couldn’t run fast enough… and then they caught me…”

Clarette choked on her sobs.

“They said they were going to offer me to some noble lord… as a gift… to curry favor… if I hadn’t met you, big sis, I—I…”

Her tears spilled over again, even more fiercely than before.

Irene’s rage boiled.

“To think such filth exists among the kingdom’s nobility! I won’t let this bastard off easy. Clarette, do you know who this noble is?”

Clarette nodded, face solemn.

“I do. He’s notorious throughout the realm… greedy, lecherous, and vile!”

“Hmph!” Irene snorted—of course someone like that would target a girl as cute as Clarette.

Just picturing her falling into his clutches sent Irene’s blood pressure soaring.

She swore to herself—this matter must be reported to her mother immediately.

The Marquis must present this case to His Majesty!

After all, human trafficking and slavery were strictly prohibited in the kingdom!

With just those two charges, Irene would make sure that pig of a noble was either executed or skinned alive!

“And then?” she urged, leaning closer.

Clarette clenched her little fists, seeming to muster a bit of courage.

“She’s the daughter of some super powerful noble with connections everywhere—but she’s a total villainess! Originally, I got tested and discovered I had an epic-level innate talent! I was supposed to go straight into the S-Rank party ‘Rainbow Covenant’…”

Her cheeks puffed up angrily.

“But then that woman said something like, ‘You don’t have enough real experience. Joining now would be dangerous. I recommend building up practical skills first.’ So I had no choice but to team up with some weak newbie adventurers…”

“And that’s when I got caught by those bandits!”

Irene suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

This… plot sounded kind of familiar?

Clarette kept going, completely unaware of how odd Irene’s expression was becoming.

As for Laila, she narrowed her eyes like a cat preparing to pounce.

“I’ve never seen her in person, but I heard she’s one of those—a damn lesbian! And to think she’d secretly send people to abduct me as a ‘gift’… Sis, you’ve got to help me! You’re the only one I can rely on!”

The more she spoke, the more fired up she got.

Her cheeks were flushed red, and she tightly held Irene’s hand with both of hers.

“Oh! And her name is Irene Raven! That awful woman who just got kicked out of ‘Rainbow Covenant’!”

She finished her entire accusation in one breath and let out a loud exhale, dabbing sweat off her brow.

Then, she looked around the carriage—at the beautiful “big sister” and her devoted maid—suddenly sensing something was… off.

Did I maybe say something I wasn’t supposed to?

Clarette mentally retraced her words.

Everything she said had been completely reasonable.

No holes in her story.

Flawless!

Irene, meanwhile, had blue-screened.

Her brain stalled out for several seconds before finally rebooting.

“…No, wait!”

Her sudden outburst startled Clarette, who was still clutching her hand.

“This doesn’t make sense!”

Right—those bandits were clearly targeting her, so how could they be delivering some “gift girl” to her at the same time?

That logic was totally broken.

Laila cleared her throat.

“Milady, maybe this is their Plan B. If brute force fails, they try bribery.”

As she said that, she gave Clarette a look—one filled with subtle, but unmistakable, suspicion.

As for Irene—

Thanks to Laila’s reminder, she finally snapped out of it.

Now that she thought about it, that theory did actually make some sense.

The conversation between the two flew completely over the “gift girl’s” head.

Clarette tilted her head in confusion, a big fat question mark practically floating over her.

She looked like she wanted to ask, What are you two even talking about? I don’t get it at all…

“Um, big sister?”

Just as Clarette opened her mouth to ask, she noticed Irene looking straight at her.

That scrutinizing gaze made her squirm a little.

At last, Irene realized why this girl felt so familiar.

Right!

The guild had sent over a dossier on a girl who tested with an epic-tier innate ability, even attaching a photo, asking whether Rainbow Covenant was accepting new members.

At the time, Irene had firmly refused.

Clarette was still just an F-rank rookie.

Irene had thought she needed more training and field experience before being tossed into an elite party where she’d probably get herself killed.

Irene had just wanted to protect a promising junior…

But after all the rumors exploded, her good intentions got twisted into “evil noblewoman suppresses talented newbie!”

And now, if she didn’t clear this up properly, her name might never be cleared again!

Do I really look like the kind of rich pervert who’d prey on innocent juniors and turn them into… personal playthings?!

Irene took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

“Clarette, I think… there might be a bit of a misunderstanding between us—”

“Huh?”

Clarette blinked at her.

Irene hesitated for a second, then gritted her teeth and forced herself to speak.

“I’m Irene Raven. The ‘bad noblewoman’ you were just talking about—the one who supposedly wanted to turn you into some kind of star slave or plaything.”

Thud!

Clarette dropped to her knees.

Her whole body trembled.

Giant tears rolled down from her emerald eyes.

I’m so screwed!

She’d just insulted someone—right to their face!

And she’d thought she was some kind, protective big sister!

But no, the person in front of her was that woman!

She must’ve done it on purpose! No doubt!

That warmth earlier? Just a cruel setup to savor her reaction now!

Give someone hope, then rip it away—that’s the cruelest move of all.

What kind of monster does that?!

Clarette stared in horror at Irene, who, in the warm orange light of sunset, seemed to have a chilling, villainous glow in her golden eyes.

She could already see what sort of fate awaited her next.

Her lips trembled, her gaze went dull with despair.

“…Please… please don’t break me… I’m begging you.”