Chapter 1.7

One afternoon.  

‘They said to scare him off, but not to leave any bruises, breaks, or marks.’

Evelyn desperately needed money. With a wooden sword slung over one shoulder, she recalled the details of her assignment.  

‘If not for this, how would I have survived without the scholarship?’  

Evelyn lifted the heavy pouch of money. The newly acquired pouch brought her a bit of comfort.  

‘Even though it’s against the academy rules….’  

The covert assignments she was introduced to were quite lucrative. Without these small earnings, her situation would have been even more dire.  

***

“Vennon. My client is quite upset because of you. You know what you did wrong, don’t you?”  

The target was a man named Vennon. Evelyn, having taken on the assignment, waited for him in an alley and suddenly appeared before him.  

“What did I do wrong…?”  

“Following someone’s precious daughter around for a whole month was too much. And what about spying on her every day?”  

“I-I was just courting her. Sure, I lingered near her house often, but it was out of pure goodwill.”  

“For something so innocent, you’ve already been rejected multiple times, haven’t you? In society, that’s called stalking.”  

“What? What do you know…!”  

Vennon’s face turned red, and he screamed as he charged at Evelyn. When a fight comes to you, it’s impossible to avoid.  

‘He seems like the type who gets easily agitated.’  

No bruises. No broken bones. No marks. 

Evelyn strictly adhered to her principles as she swung her hands.  

“Argh!”  

A scream echoed through the silent alley.  

“Are you a monster?”  

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”  

In the dim alley, Vennon tried to flee but tripped over his own legs and fell flat on the ground in a disgraceful heap.  

“You want to run away now, don’t you?”  

Evelyn clapped the dust off her hands. The assignment was to scare off a stalker who’d been following her client.  

“People like you are remarkably good at recognizing those stronger than you, aren’t you?”  

“Is it okay for you to threaten a citizen like this?”  

“I only intended to scare you with words, but you charged at me, so I just responded.”  

Evelyn placed her foot on Vennon’s stomach and leaned down. Since she had received an advance payment, she needed to see the assignment through to the end.  

“You won’t be able to get up. Don’t bother trying and just lie there comfortably.”  

“Ugh….”  

“You’re not going to show up in front of that lady again, are you? Nod if you understand.”  

“I’ll never, never show up again.”  

It seemed he hadn’t expected to be beaten so thoroughly. Vennon, his spirit broken, nodded frantically.  

“If you don’t want to see me again, you’d better keep your word.”  

Evelyn kindly removed her foot. If only he’d been like this from the start when she tried to resolve things with words.  

“Don’t think it’ll be fun if this happens again.”  

As soon as her foot was removed, Vennon scrambled to his feet. He staggered away without looking back.  

Watching him flee with his tail between his legs, Evelyn clicked her tongue.  

“This assignment is another success.”  

Having received her advance payment, Evelyn felt a sense of pride. This would make the next assignment easier, and her client would be satisfied as well.  

“Was my last line too villainous?”  

She had only meant to ensure he wouldn’t bother anyone again, but it seemed she had gotten too into character. A moment of belated embarrassment washed over her.  

Clap, clap, clap—  

Suddenly, the sound of applause came from somewhere. Evelyn turned toward the sound, bewildered. 

Surely, it wasn’t someone who recognized my face?  

“Quite the talent for beating people up.”  

Evelyn looked up. A man perched on a tree like a cat came into view.  

“Oh. Angel.”  

The moment she identified him, Evelyn blurted out the word reflexively. The man’s expression twisted.

‘I just let that slip out.’ 

Evelyn quickly put on a servile smile.  

“Why’d you leave your coat without even seeing my face? I’ve been waiting for you to come back.”

“I was busy, couldn’t help it.”  

Evelyn still didn’t know his name, so she couldn’t come up with a proper way to address him.  

“Uh, can you pretend you didn’t see anything?”

“From what I heard, you’re quite skilled at making threats. Are you threatening me now?”

How much had he seen? 

Judging by his words, it seemed he had been watching from the very beginning when she was threatening Vennon.  

“Leaving a client behind to do the job, huh? Quite resourceful of you. Since when did academy students start making money on the side?”

There was a sharp edge to his words. She was doomed. His suspicion had solidified into certainty. The circumstances were undeniable, leaving no room for excuses.  

“It’s against the academy rules for students to privately take on part-time work for financial gain.”  

“When exactly did you start watching?”  

“From the moment you confronted that man.”  

‘How can I get out of this?’  

If she explained her circumstances in detail, maybe he’d feel some pity. Evelyn opened her mouth, preparing to explain.  

At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed. Evelyn turned around. Vennon was approaching, holding something in his hand. When she saw what it was, Evelyn’s eyes widened. She instinctively raised one hand as if to calm a wild animal.  

“My head’s already about to explode from overthinking—let’s not make this worse, okay? Put that down, and let’s talk this out.”

“Talk it out? And now you’re saying that?”  

Vennon approached with a sinister expression, holding a dagger. Evelyn, flustered, began to step back.  

There was no other choice. Evelyn made up her mind and gripped her wooden sword tightly. 

Could I knock him out in one strike?  

‘I can’t guarantee it, but I have to try.’  

But then…  

A single beam of white light shot down from above. The light flew in a perfectly straight line.  

“Gah—!”  

Vennon collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut. Evelyn, dumbfounded, looked up. What she saw defied explanation.  

“Did you just… use magic?”  

He had knocked out the thug with magic. Evelyn, stunned by this revelation of his identity, was at a loss for words.  

“So, you’re not just a noble—you’re part of the Magic Department?”  

Mages were among the elites, even within the academy. They were a reclusive group, known for rarely extending a hand to others.  

“Well, thanks for helping me out.”  

“What were you planning to do if I hadn’t helped?”  

“I would have subdued him without hurting him… probably?”  

The man leapt down from the tree. He landed softly on the ground without kicking up a speck of dust. It was incredibly graceful.  

Evelyn followed him with her eyes as he moved. The man circled her, wooden sword in hand. Evelyn straightened her posture, unsure of his intentions.  

He observed her with a careful gaze, like someone inspecting a product before making a deal. Evelyn wondered what exactly he was looking for in her.  

“I’m about to make you an offer.”  

“What kind of offer?”  

“It’s going to be a very generous one.”  

He paused for a moment. Evelyn was willing to listen, even if the devil himself asked her to sell her soul.  

“How about becoming my bodyguard?”  

The unexpected proposal left Evelyn speechless.  

“If you accept, I’ll pay you handsomely.”  

“You want me to be your personal bodyguard?”  

“Yes. I assure you it’s not a bad offer.”  

Evelyn’s curiosity was piqued by his confidence. Judging by the atmosphere, the amount must be substantial.  

“How much are we talking about?”  

“One million Tark per month.”  

“…That’s a commoner’s monthly living expense, isn’t it?”  

“So? Doesn’t it tempt you?”  

She considered the advantages of accepting his proposal. He was a noble, wealthy, and his offer was generous.  

If she didn’t accept, there was no other way to gather tuition money. In truth, she had only one option.  

“How about two million Tark?”  

Evelyn boldly raised the amount. For an academy student to hire a personal bodyguard suggested distrust in their family’s protection.  

“I’m short on tuition money. If you can pay me two million Tark, I’ll be your bodyguard.”  

Accepting the proposal without knowing his exact identity carried risks for her as well.  

“You must have a reason for choosing me, right? Like, it had to be a commoner, for example.”  

“You’re surprisingly sharp.”  

The man, who had seemed to be mulling over her bold counteroffer, slowly nodded.  

“As long as you do your job as a bodyguard well, I don’t mind. I’ll accept your terms.”  

“Then I’ll agree to the deal too.”  

Not knowing exactly whose proposal she had just accepted, Evelyn smiled brightly.  

Donovan Yerenst.  

The adopted son of the Earl of Yerenst, who had caused a stir at the academy since his admission.  

It was only a little later that Evelyn learned the man was a future Earl.