CH 50

Trouble

The first day ended peacefully, but on the second day, they encountered pickpockets twice. Sheila even stopped a fistfight between craftsmen and rescued a drunkard who was about to fall into a ditch.

No major incidents or accidents occurred, but the days were full and hectic.

On the sixth day of training, just as she was beginning to get used to the flow of the day, Sheila was faced with a certain problem.

It was when she was patrolling the predetermined route with Cody and the others.

Seeing the uniforms of the corps, the commoner’s district residents casually greeted and bowed to them, followed by glances at Sheila and the others who were dressed in their uniforms.

While everyone was avoiding them, there was someone standing in their way to stop them.

He was tall and lanky, but his arms, which stretched out through his short sleeves, were very burly, like a craftsman.

It was Norman, who shared the peony flowers with Amy’s pharmacy, with astonishment in his brown eyes. He was staring straight at Sheila alone.

Based on her experience, Sheila was able to put a genuinely puzzled expression on her face. If she unnaturally averted her eyes, it would quickly become complicated.

“…. Uhm?”

She let out a voice that was a little lower than usual. Then, Norman came back to himself with a jerk.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry, that was rude. You just looked so much like someone I know….”

There was an obvious tremble in his low voice, and she felt a pang of apology in her heart. She was the reason for Norman’s discomposure, but she had to play it off.

“I see.”

Sheila nodded curtly and tried to end the conversation, but Norman persisted.

“Um…. Do you have an older sister or younger sister?”

“――The only sibling I have is my older brother.”

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ she apologized in her mind, but she passed by Norman with the face of a stranger. She felt like if she didn’t stop the conversation immediately, it would come back to bite her.

She felt a lingering gaze on her back, but he didn’t come after her. Sheila let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

“…. Are you okay?”

Cody, who had been watching the confrontation, peered in concernedly.

Sheila hurriedly smiled.

“Yeah, thanks. I’m sorry I held you up.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, but…. there’s been a lot of people like that, you know, recognizing the wrong person.”

“….”

Cody was right.

Actually, it wasn’t the first time that she was stopped like this during patrol.

“I guess there must be someone who looks a lot like Sheila.”

“Maybe….”

Claushezade had previously said that it wasn’t until the training began that things would become difficult.

‘So, this was what he meant…..’

There were many customers visiting the pharmacy. Why didn’t she realize that if she walked around the downtown area like this, she would run into people she knew?

She regretted it now; she should’ve at least started working after her training period.

She was at a loss because she couldn’t avoid people who knew Sheila, nor could she hide her face like a suspicious person. Glasses were the only thing that could hide her face without any sense of discomfort, but if it was like that, then she would resemble the serious Sheila of the pharmacy more.

She had already deceived regular customers such as Thomas, Roy, and Jeremy with her stranger strategy. For Sheila, who wasn’t good at lying, it was mentally enduring to fool them into thinking she was a different person.

‘I should have properly told Amy that I wanted to take the rest of the month off….’

She couldn’t refuse when he requested for her, and she’d promised him that she would come to work when she had a day off, which would be her first holiday since joining the corps…. which was tomorrow.

‘That alone is going to make me feel worn out since it’ll keep me busy on my day off….. if the patrolling soldiers also came to the pharmacy…. it’s going to get more and more complicated….’

She unknowingly let out a sigh at the headache. It was Isaac, who was also patrolling together with her, who overheard it.

“You shouldn’t be distracted on your rounds.”

At the reprimand, Sheila hurriedly straightened her posture. Surely, if she turned her head down, she would miss the anomaly that might be happening somewhere else.

“I’m sorry, Isaac-sama. It was thoughtless of me to be distracted by personal matters when I didn’t know what would happen.”

Isaac smiled lightly and nodded back at Sheila, who immediately apologized.

“Sheila, you don’t need to call me “-sama”. Call me the same way you call Zola. You guys too.”

Isaac looked around at the academy students. Both Dilliam and Hyderion bowed their heads in embarrassment.

Because of his excessively refreshing character, he looked as thoughtless as his brother Axe, but he was surprisingly firm, perhaps because of his age. The smile on his cheeks showed the strength of a man who seemed to be dependable.

“Nonetheless, I hope nothing happened to you guys during your training….”

Isak muttered in a muffled voice as he walked away.

Sheila tilted her head. Even though trivial incidents such as pickpocketing and fights had already occurred, his words were somewhat strange.

“――Does that mean there’re some disturbing incidents going on?”

The question, which she had asked without thinking, seemed to strike a nerve. Isaac’s profile clearly stiffened.

He exchanged glances with Zola, who was walking in the lead, for a moment, and then turned to Sheila with a wry smile.

“… You’re awfully sharp for someone who’s always distracted.”

“I get that a lot.”

“If so, fix it. At least learn to make a serious face.”

“I’m trying to look as serious as I can, so it’s an unfair assessment.”

Although they were talking lightly to each other, their eyes were serious.

Isaac was probably referring to information that was known by the entire Patrol Corps.

However, it seemed that he was told not to leak the contents to the academy students. They probably were told that it was too dangerous for the students to get involved, so he said that he hoped nothing would happen during the training period.

Things were already happening. And probably several times, judging from the way he spoke.

Cody and the others watched with bated breath as the two quietly stared at each other.

As the patrol stopped, the people of the capital also began to look at them quizzically.

Isaac was the first to speak.

“…. Zola, I’m going to tell them.”

Zola, who had been called out, furrowed his thick eyebrows.

“What are you going to do by breaking the rules yourself? You’re supposed to be the role model for the students.”

“I was originally against being silent. The other side doesn’t care about our circumstances. It’s not impossible for an incident to occur while these guys are around. If they don’t know anything, they might get involved in some strange way. But if they know, they might be able to make a sensible decision. Don’t you agree?”

Zola and Isaac exchanged a hard look at each other.

Despite the age difference, they were probably close friends. She could see the trust in their ability to exchange their true feelings.

Zola put one hand on his hip and rubbed his temple lightly.

“…. Don’t say that. I have my opinions, too, but the Commander’s orders are absolute, right?”

“But these guys have noticed. It’s better to tell them properly than to know half of what they need to know.”

At Isaac’s words, Zola scratched his stiff-looking hair. As he looked up, his eyes were clear with determination.

Zola led Sheila and the others, who had stopped in the street, to a back alley. It was a perfect place for a private conversation.

He then turned around.

“All right, boys, this is just a private conversation. You are free to listen or not. Those of you who can’t keep quiet or are simply afraid, cover your ears.”

Dilliam and Hyderion exchanged glances. Cody, too, looked down at his feet.

Sheila was the only one who just stared at Zola.

As Isaac said, her expression was so languid that she seemed to be thinking of nothing at all. However, it also resembled Claushezade’s calmness, as if she could handle anything that came her way.

Cody and the others were soothed to see Sheila like that.

In the end, no one covered their ears.

Zola nodded and told them in a hushed voice.

“――Recently, there have been a number of disappearances of young children in the royal capital.”