There are those who think the mining city of Puread is nothing more than a dust-covered town of laborers.
But anyone with even a passing interest in commerce or precious metals knows better.
Puread is a prosperous and splendid city.
This is because the size and quality of the precious metals excavated from the nearby mountain ranges rank among the best across the entire continent.
It is a land where jewels flow instead of milk and honey.
Naturally, wealthy individuals with their eyes on these jewels often frequented the city, and the wealth that followed spurred the city’s economy to grow rapidly.
The result of that growth was none other than the Avenue of Treasure.
Here stood Usher and Bersia, in front of the gemstone trading house.
“This place is dazzling. Almost as much as Sir Heisenberg’s bald head.”
“…Why such a comparison, of all things?”
“Because I couldn’t think of anything else? Or maybe it’s just the most blinding thing I’ve seen recently?”
Usher’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
This person—did she even have a heart?
“That’s… quite rude. Please restrain yourself.”
With a sigh, Usher resumed walking.
It had taken four days to reach Puread.
Fortunately, the destination wasn’t far from the main headquarters, so nothing significant had happened along the way.
If one insisted, there was that incident when Bersia’s body was accidentally touched inappropriately while she bathed alone, but Usher didn’t want to think about that anymore.
In any case, they had arrived at their destination.
Now, it was time to gather information.
The initial plan had been for the whole group to come, but Rubena had refused, causing the plan to fail.
“—I’m tired. Leave me alone, will you?”
Ever since their departure, Rubena had been in a sour mood. Upon arriving in the city, she immediately holed herself up in the inn.
Given her usual penchant for luxury, Usher had expected her to ditch her responsibilities and head straight for shopping, so this behavior came as a surprise.
Well, she probably wasn’t used to long journeys.
Not giving it much thought, Usher dismissed the matter. Even Saturn, who was supposed to stay by her side, was absent now.
Thus, Usher walked alongside Bersia.
In other words, ‘like a couple.’
“My waist… it’s ticklish.”
“Endure it. It’s part of the mission, isn’t it?”
Usher walked stiffly, his hands clasped in front of him.
The reason for his discomfort was that Bersia had her arm wrapped around his waist.
Whenever she teasingly brushed her finger along his side, his tension only increased.
But this was a situation he couldn’t avoid.
After all, the key to undercover work was blending in without arousing suspicion.
Even in a city with a large transient population like this, the locals would still pick up on anything that seemed out of place.
With so many points of comparison, even slight oddities would attract attention.
They had to stick to the original plan.
A couple engaged to be married, visiting the city to choose a gemstone for their wedding rings.
As such, Usher had to act sweet and affectionate.
That way, people would lose interest and simply pass them by.
—That had been the plan, at least.
“You’re attracting a lot of attention, Sir Knight. Truly, you’re a woman of fatal charm.”
“”
Usher was drawing all the eyes around them.
Over 80% of the gazes were from men.
And they were staring blatantly.
The reason was simple.
For starters, Bersia’s appearance was stunning.
Her light sky-blue hair, eyes the color of a serene lake, alabaster skin, and refined features exuded a presence that naturally drew attention.
Normally, her cold demeanor would have limited the glances to mere fleeting peeks.
However, Bersia’s body wasn’t her own right now—it was Usher’s.
And this led to certain changes, ones only Usher remained oblivious to.
Unaccustomed to being in a woman’s body, the blush on Usher’s face appeared as innocent shyness.
The shortened strides, a result of the unfamiliar swishing skirt, came across as demure.
And being held within Bersia’s arms, with reddened ears and a downcast gaze, created an image that stirred nostalgic memories of first love in the men around them.
That was why Usher felt uncomfortable under all the stares.
“…They’re looking too openly.”
His voice was sharp with irritation.
The way the passersby’s gazes seemed to linger and rake over his body was unbearable.
Even with his head lowered, he could instinctively sense it.
It made every inch of him feel uncomfortably warm, as though pricked by countless needles.
“This is why I don’t like wearing revealing clothes…”
Usher muttered under his breath, but Bersia didn’t pay him any mind.
“How much more covered can you be? Neither the blouse nor the skirt shows any skin.”
“But still, they reveal the outline of the body.”
“If that bothers you so much, why don’t you wear armor instead?”
Usher’s expression turned sour.
How could the original owner of this body be so irresponsibly dismissive?
Yet Bersia’s response remained consistent.
“In fact, why don’t you stick closer to me? Let’s make it obvious you’re taken.”
She suddenly pulled Usher into her arms.
“Hic!” Usher let out a startled hiccup, his face flushing even redder, his body stiffening like a wooden puppet.
Why was he so hyperaware of every single one of her actions?
It was definitely because of that incident in the flower garden.
Bersia’s casual demeanor only made Usher’s embarrassment grow.
After wandering through the streets for a while, they entered a jewelry store. Bersia began conversing with the shopkeeper.
“We’re here to look at rings. For me and the one who will soon be my spouse.”
“Oh, of course! Right away, my lord!”
Bersia’s affluent appearance worked wonders.
Especially her naturally commanding tone, which made it easy to establish dominance in conversations like this.
Usher quickly gathered his wits.
It was time to get down to business.
“The atmosphere here is nice,” Usher began, starting with a casual topic.
He commented on the city’s vibe, its people, and other light subjects, before pretending to recall something as if it had just occurred to him.
“By the way, is there a good place for a meal around here?”
“If it’s food you’re looking for…”
And so the conversation continued.
“Oh, speaking of which, I overheard something while walking through the streets earlier.”
“What might that be?”
“I think I heard something about missing persons recently…”
“Ah, you must mean the ‘spirits of the mine’!”
The jeweler chuckled heartily and proceeded to spill the details.
It was only then that Usher realized how advantageous it was to be in a woman’s body in situations like these.
In all his previous undercover missions, he had never encountered locals sharing information this readily.
Though maintaining a harmless, feminine demeanor was a minor inconvenience, it was worth it.
After all, this was just another part of the ‘job.’
In summary, they managed to gather some local information:
- Locals refer to the disappearances as the work of the “spirits of the mine.”
- Approximately 70% of the missing individuals are miners. The rest are herbalists traversing the nearby mountains or residents of small nearby villages.
- Despite investigations by the city’s guards, no bodies have been recovered.
This consolidated their previously gathered intel.
Although they visited several other jewelry shops, no additional information surfaced.
Still, it wasn’t a fruitless endeavor.
Usher was able to determine their next step in the investigation.
“We’ll need to speak directly with the miners.”
Rumors tend to grow exaggerated and twisted as they pass from one mouth to another.
The most reliable approach would be to question those directly involved.
But where should they go to meet the miners?
The mines? The outskirts where lower-class laborers lived?
No.
“Hey, barkeep! Bring us more drinks!”
“Today’s haul was incredible! I found a ruby as big as my fist!”
The answer was the taverns.
In Puread, miners were far from the lower class.
After all, a solid 10% of the minerals they excavated were precious gems.
Extracting information in the city of Puread
Pulling out a large gemstone from the mines of Puread without causing damage is a skill in itself.
Especially when it comes to uncovering larger gems, miners are compensated handsomely for their efforts.
The tavern served as a gathering place for these workers after their shifts, where they bragged about their day’s haul or exchanged stories about the day’s events in the mines.
Usher sat with Bersia at a corner table in the tavern, listening intently to the chatter around them while sipping on beer.
“No useful information… Nothing substantial yet,” he muttered.
“Hm, the food here’s good,” Bershia replied nonchalantly.
“….”
“Darling.”
“You’re supposed to call me darling,” she said with a teasing smile, her chin resting on her hand.
Here she goes again.
Given how quietly she spoke, there was no chance anyone around them could hear her.
Usher decided to ignore her entirely. He had learned by now that glaring wouldn’t help.
Instead, he stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and popped it into his mouth, cheeks puffing out as he chewed while casting a sharp look at Bersia.
To an outsider, the sight was undoubtedly endearing.
Indeed, even here, Usher was unintentionally drawing attention.
A sulking beauty is a magnet in and out itself.
And fragrant flowers, as they say, attract pests.
“Hey, miss,” a man slurred, stumbling over in a drunken gait.
Behind him, his companions whistled and cheered.
Usher frowned.
‘Ah, just my luck to attract this sort of trouble.’
This was one of the inconvenient realities of being in a woman’s body.
Should he have left Bersia to handle the tavern alone? No, leaving information-gathering to her would’ve been a mistake.
After all, Bersia wasn’t trained to discern or sift through intel.
“I’ve been watching you. You’ve got quite the appetite, huh? Looks like you enjoy a good drink, too. How’s the food treating you?”
The man chuckled, his gaze roving up and down Usher’s body in a way that felt like he was being licked by it.
Disgust surged within him.
He had two options: endure it or leave.
While he felt sorry for Bersia, he was leaning toward enduring it.
This unexpected encounter might offer an opportunity. If the drunkard spilled something about the “spirits of the mine,” the nuisance might be worth it.
If the man tried to lay a hand on him, Usher could handle it then. After all, dealing with miners wouldn’t be a challenge; one finger would suffice to put them in their place.
He decided he’d apologize to Bersia later for subjecting her body to such unwelcome stares.
Just as he was preparing to suppress his revulsion and force a smile, however…
“Hey.”
“Huh? What’s your—”
Wham!
“Argh!!!”
Bersia’s fist landed squarely on the man’s face, sending him sprawling.
Usher’s jaw dropped in stunned silence.
Before he could react, Bersia grabbed his wrist and led him out of the tavern.
“Let’s go,” she said curtly.
“W-Wait a second…”
Her sudden action left Usher bewildered.
She remained silent as she walked, dragging him along until they reached an empty street.
Only then did Bersia finally stop, letting out a frustrated sigh.
Her face was tight with irritation.
Usher flinched involuntarily.
“Sir Knight.”
“….”
“You need to be more careful.”
Was she upset about her body being exposed to those leering gazes?
Admittedly, pushing forward with their intel-gathering plan without consulting her had been inconsiderate.
As Usher chewed on his lip, preparing to apologize, she interrupted.
“I apolo—”
“Only with me.”
Her words made him freeze.
Slowly, he raised his head, not fully understanding her meaning.
And then, his heart seemed to stop.
She was smiling.
It was the same gentle, radiant smile she always wore.
But somehow, her eyes were different.
“Sir Knight, if you’re going to let anyone flirt with you, it should only be me.”
Her gaze glinted darkly, a stark contrast to her pleasant expression, as though binding him in place.
This side of Bersia was one Usher had never seen before.