I Become a Secret Police Officer of The Imperial Academy

Chapter 33

It seemed the Rosenberg mansion didn’t have any potions, as Julius applied a pungent herbal ointment to the soles of my feet and wrapped them in bandages.

A little later, the creaking sound of hinges echoed from outside.

Perhaps the large door’s hinges had rusted.

“Looks like Ethel’s here. You two can have your talk.”

“Is there anything to talk about?”

“How should I know?”

Soon, loud footsteps echoed down the hallway, and the door swung open.

Ethel, still in her school uniform, walked into the room.

Ignoring her brother entirely, she headed straight toward me.

Still, she was his sister. Wouldn’t he feel a little hurt that she prioritized a friend over her brother?

“…Ellen, are you hurt again?”

“I’m not hurt. It’s just a little…”

As I spoke, I realized I wasn’t exactly unhurt.

“She broke a teapot by herself and stepped on the shards. Said she didn’t feel a thing, though.”

“And what were you doing instead of stopping her!?”

“I came running when I heard the glass break. How could I have stopped it?”

Thankfully, he didn’t mention me swinging around the broken shards.

Ethel turned to Julius and muttered something under her breath.

It seemed like she was signaling him.

“Anyway, I’m leaving,” Julius said.

Ethel stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Or maybe that was just my imagination.

It could have been a rude gesture, like flipping him off.

This was probably how normal siblings behaved.

Unlike my family, where all affection was one-sidedly poured onto Alicia, I understood very well that our dynamic wasn’t like other families.

Ethel sighed deeply and sat down next to me.

She swallowed nervously, looking a bit tense.

There was a faint floral scent.

Whether it came from Ethel herself or from something fragrant used in her laundry, I wasn’t sure.

She licked her lips briefly, steeled herself, and began to speak.

“First of all, Ellen, I’m sorry for bringing you here by force. But you’re not in a good place to be alone right now, so…”

She was spouting words I didn’t care to hear, so I interrupted her and got straight to the point.

“Ethel, just give me back my gun.”

“…I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“……”

Ethel hesitated, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but she closed her mouth instead.

“Ellen, just for a while—just for a little while—stay here with me. Come to the academy with me.

Don’t do anything; just stay with me. We can eat good food, go out, and relax together.”

“And what’s the difference between that and being a well-fed pig locked in a pen?”

“Well, if that’s a pig in a pen, then you’re a starving stray cat.”

“…Do you really think that if you hand me my gun, I’ll just shoot someone?

I’m not even asking to leave. Just give me back my gun.”

“I said no!”

She seemed agitated.

For now, she was treating me decently, but what if her mood soured? Would she lock me up in some underground tunnel like the one beneath that farm?

Relying on someone’s goodwill was the most foolish thing anyone could do.

But Ethel, at least, might be manageable.

Julius wasn’t in the room anymore.

If the closest mage was a young girl who hadn’t trained in physical combat, subduing her wouldn’t be difficult.

Before making a move, I asked one last time.

“Ethel, are you seriously not going to let me go or give me back my belongings?”

“I won’t—urk!?”

As she shook her head and began to reply, I grabbed her face with my right hand and lunged at her.

I silenced her scream by clamping her mouth shut, twisted one of her legs around mine, and pushed her down.

If she struggled, her knee would snap.

“Don’t scream, Ethel. Just a bit of pressure, and you’ll be limping for a long time.”

I finally felt like I could breathe.

If it had been Julius, even with all my strength, I wouldn’t have been able to bend his knee—he’d probably just toss me aside.

His body was practically made of steel.

“To have a conversation from the same level as the person keeping me captive, this is the only way, Ethel. You understand, right?”

“Conversation, huh. I knew you’d pull something like this.”

Ethel didn’t look startled.

Instead, she sighed deeply and let her body relax completely.

The door opened soon after.

Julius stood there, arms crossed, looking at me with a faintly exasperated expression.

Shouldn’t he be worried about saving his sister instead of standing there looking at me like that?

Just a little more pressure, and her knee would twist.

“…I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

Ethel spoke casually.

“Ellen, let’s just have dinner after you’ve had a bath. We can talk afterward.”

I released her and stepped back.

As I did, I noticed her fingers and legs trembling slightly—she must have been more scared than she let on.

“Fine. I suppose that’s reasonable.”

Honestly, I did want to change out of my sweat-drenched tea gown.

Ethel took my hand and started leading me somewhere.

I thought she might take me to a shower room with running water, but it turned out to be more old-fashioned than that.

The smell of burning wood filled the air. It seemed the water was being heated by a fire beneath the bathtub.

Ethel approached me and stripped off my clothes.

I didn’t feel particularly embarrassed.

There was no reason to be shy about a body anyone could objectively call beautiful.

If anything, I might feel embarrassed looking at Ethel’s naked body instead.

The “kidnapper” blushed faintly, her face slightly red.

Though perhaps it was just the heat from the warm water.

Ah, it didn’t seem to be an embarrassment after all.

“Bringing me to a place filled with water wasn’t the best choice, Ethel.”

“…Uh-huh.”

“Go ahead and wash first. I’ll bathe by myself.”

“You’re not going to try to escape or anything, right?”

“How far do you think I can run naked?”

I waited out of sight until Ethel was done washing. Once she stepped out, I splashed some water over myself with a bucket, then climbed into the tub.

After sweating for a bit, I lathered my body with soap, rinsed off with another bucket, and got out.

When I returned to the dressing area, Ethel was waiting with a pristine white dress in her hands.

“We’re about the same height, so it should fit you.”

I put on the loose-fitting underwear—it felt a bit roomy around the chest—and then slipped on the white dress.

Ethel could have just told me to follow her, but whenever we moved somewhere, she insisted on holding my hand and leading me.

It felt burdensome.

I didn’t particularly like physical contact with others to begin with.

Anyway, holding Ethel’s hand, I descended to the first floor, where Count Rosenberg, his wife, and Julius were seated at a large dining table.

Now that I thought about it, the Count and Countess probably hadn’t known who I was when they were dragged out of the underground pit and thrown into the mansion’s basement.

They must have only realized after Julian’s death that the person who had taken them from the Sorghum Farm was me.

The table was laden with unfamiliar dishes.

As expected of a landlord, the table looked bountiful.

“Ellen, sit next to me,” the Count said.

“…Okay.”

After a brief prayer, the Count stood up and began serving food.

He placed a leg of what seemed to be chicken onto my plate before sitting back down and speaking quietly.

“Back then, you spoke so nonchalantly about my daughter’s death.”

Julius chimed in.

“I thought all of Ethel’s fingers had been cut off back then.”

The Count glared at me.

I shrugged and took a bite of the chicken leg he’d served me. Hopefully, it wasn’t poisoned.

“…Dad, I told you, nothing happened to me,” Ethel said.

Did she leave out the part about being beaten and waterboarded? That’s surprising.

“That’s the only reason I agreed when you said you wanted to bring her here.

If she had so much as laid a hand on you…”

“I was locked up, sure, but I was well-fed and fine.

So let’s end this conversation here. What if Ellen loses her appetite?”

“Lose her appetite? She’s eating just fine.”

“Uh…”

Ignoring their conversation, I focused on stuffing my mouth with food.

It was the first proper meal I’d had in a long time, so there was no reason to hold back.

I needed to replenish my energy to prevent myself from collapsing from exhaustion.

I had survived on rye bread and cheese for so long that my body had started to feel weak.

This was a good opportunity, and I couldn’t waste it.

As long as I kept my body healthy, I could kill as many demons as I wanted.

Even if I couldn’t do it now, I’d figure something out once I left here.

I was young, and time was on my side.

After finishing my meal, I decided to be cheeky, afraid they might take the food away if I said anything they didn’t like.

“What are you talking about?

Julius just happened to find his missing parents collapsed at the Sorghum Farm.

And as for the demons working there—they were just victims of unfortunate accidents.”

I thought they’d lash out at me, criticize me, or throw their raw, negative emotions at me. But instead, they looked at me with pity in their eyes.

I’m not some pitiful person.

I don’t deserve their pity.

“Rather than looking at me with those eyes, I’d prefer if you got angry instead,” I said, sneering at the Count.

“It’s a bit complicated to get mad at a little girl for talking back,” he replied.

“…Even though I killed all the pets you treasured so much?”

“Ellen, if you’ve come to the Rosenberg household, then during meals, we only discuss cheerful and pleasant topics.

No quarrels, politics, or talks of money. That’s the rule.”

The Count’s expression hardened as he issued his warning.

If not during meals, when else were they supposed to have such conversations?

It’s the only time families sit together and talk.

It felt strange—no, maybe this was normal.

But to me, this family seemed odd.

“Just kick me out already.

Why bother feeding and housing me?”

“Because I’m a man of faith.

Something about loving your enemies, wasn’t it?

I’ve never had enemies before, so I wasn’t sure how to uphold that teaching, but now that I have the opportunity here, I must follow it.”

Being surrounded by lunatics makes me feel like I’m the abnormal one.

It was extremely unpleasant, and yet not entirely unpleasant, which made it all the more unsettling.

It was fear.