CH 30.2

“Iveca.”

“Yes.”

“What would you do If I entrusted you with collecting information from the noble family?”

“I don’t go to any social gatherings…”

“With such a naïve attitude, nothing would be possible. You would have to push yourself hard. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” replied Iveca, “I’ll do whatever you ask me to do.”

Lucas narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.

“In the Bureau of Investigation, the Count’s maiden is too conspicuous, and we often need to move in secret. If your status gets in the way, it’s a hindrance that will ruin everything before it has even begun.”

Iveca frowned and looked at Lucas with her anxious eyes. Even in college, she could not make friends because she was a count’s daughter. There were no commoners who dared to talk to the high-ranking nobles of the capital first. She was so much younger than her classmates, and she also lacked the confidence to reach out to other people first.

So, she, who was always alone, was afraid that she would be kicked out of the Bureau of Investigation because of her false countess’ name. Still, she had already made an oath, so she would not be rejected at any cost, Lucas said with a grin as he tried to comfort her.

“Among the secrets left by the Queen Evena, there is an ancient magic that can change appearance. I usually use it for short-term infiltration, but in your case, it would be better to create a completely different life.”

Iveca looked at Lucas with her puzzled eyes. Evena, the Queen from 100-years ago, who rebuilt the ethics of the affiliated organization and blessed them with her own ancient magic, left many of them at the hands of the Bureau of Investigation. The secret was only shared only by the Bureau of Investigation, and neither the public nor the royal family knew it.

“You have to live a different life now. There is no Iveca der Esselburn, the noble daughter of a Countess, but an ordinary investigation officer whose appearance and even profession have changed. Everyone who has known you will not be able to recognize you.”

“Ah.”

Magical power is like the air that inhabits the human body, so if you use it skillfully, it’s not impossible to change your appearance a little. There were also open rumors that people from the Bureau of Investigation would change their appearance when interrogating.

But she never thought of becoming a completely different person. Indeed, it would quite be disturbing for the public to know that the people of the Bureau of Investigation could change their appearance to their heart’s content. Lucas spoke in a low voice as if he had heard her mind.

“You know, the secrets of the Bureau of Investigation and its ancient magic are unknown to the royal family as well. Even if you can notice it to some extent, you can’t ask openly. You can act like a nobleman much more naturally than ordinary people who don’t know much about culture classes or aristocratic life, so you’re a great person to be put into a new type of disguise. Are you ready to live with a new personality?”

“Yes.” Iveca nodded her head with her determined look. Ironically, she has never had any regrets about herself until now. Rather, she felt relieved.

“Then, let’s create a personality. Able to get along well with nobles.” Lucas smiled. “Body and eyes, you can’t change them. But the features themselves stand out a little bit now. Other than that, it’s up to you. Oh, of course, you should use an alias. Should you use my last name? It’s a fallen noble, but it’s a quite known castle. What’s your name?”

Lucas’s last name was Jean. Iveca hesitated for a moment and replied.

“Name… is… Eve…”

“Eve Jean, that’s not bad. Is it from Queen Eve?”

In fact, it was a nickname that Anriq used to call her, but Iveca just nodded silently. Eve was quite common for the name of a woman because Queen Eve was so famous in Amethan.

“There’s a training period before you go into action, but why not try changing it from now on for convenience?”

“It’s great for me.” Iveca blinked her eyes and nodded. Lucas smirked at Iveca, who had a completely bright expression on his face, unlike when she entered before.

“You should change the color of your hair. Is there any color you want in particular?”

“…Blonde.”

“Oh, it’s dangerous to have blondes that sparkle like royalty. Because it stands out. You need to give it up even if you will look pretty with it.”

“No.” She shook her head. Then with hesitation, she added. “Like our sisters… It’s a light, normal blonde.”

Lucas did not say anything further.

From that day on, Iveca lived as an ‘Eve Jean’. Eve Jean was a cute-looking woman with curly blonde hair and purple eyes.

She was educated one way or another with a completely different appearance from the other. Her physical skill, which was her original specialty, was further perfected by close lectures from her seniors. After she was recognized for throwing her dagger more accurately than anyone else, the training to use all kinds of memorization continued.

“I’m weak in close combat, but I’m perfect for assassination.”

No matter how good she was at something, Iveca, who had never been interested in her tutors, gradually began to be known in the Bureau of Investigation office. What she was good at, what she was bad at, and how she could become an irreplaceable talent by taking advantage of her own strengths.

Gradually, she began to look more natural in the Bureau of Investigation. It was the first time that she felt she belonged.