Chapter 17: The Search

The Head Maid bowed her head with a troubled expression before Iris, who was inspecting the state of the mansion for her own coming-of-age ceremony.

“Disappeared?”

“Yes, all the servants are searching the mansion thoroughly, but there’s not even a hair of her to be found, they say.”

Iris, who was preparing for her own ceremony due to the absence of the Duchess, let out a small sigh inwardly.

‘I vaguely sensed she wasn’t pleased, but I never thought she’d actually hide like this.’

Judging by her appearance alone, it seemed natural for her to react that way to something she disliked.

But she was supposed to be an adult.

And in the past, she was…

Iris felt confused whenever Evrys, who showed a serious, devoted, and mature side when worrying about her, suddenly displayed such childish behavior.

‘Which one is Evrys’s true self?’

Anyway, the important parts had all been checked.

The remaining tasks were routine annual checks, so leaving them to the butler wouldn’t be a problem.

Entrusting the review to the butler, Iris adjusted her attire and headed towards a place where Evrys might be.

As she neared the main building where the living quarters were located, shouts of “Miss!” echoed through the hallway.

It was filled with voices searching for Evrys.

‘To cause such a commotion in the mansion.’

It was something unimaginable before Evrys arrived.

Though one reason was that there hadn’t been anyone who would cause such a disturbance in the first place.

Iris was slightly surprised at how the mansion’s atmosphere, once as cold as the ice lake in the North, had changed like this.

This kind of liveliness had vanished after Iris’s mother turned to ash.

Perhaps that’s why she didn’t think this change felt particularly bad.

‘Still, isn’t this a bit much?’

‘There’s such a thing as dignity.’

With that thought, Iris headed to the library first.

‘She seems quite fond of books, so she might be hiding here.’

She briefly scanned the attendant who greeted her in a flustered manner.

Iris judged that the attendant wasn’t someone who could lie, even if they had hidden someone.

Panic filled the eyes behind the large glasses.

A single question would eliminate them from the list of suspects.

“Was Evrys here?”

“I, I swear on my life, she did not come here.”

“Understood.”

Leaving the intensely nervous attendant behind, Iris moved to her next destination.

Since Evrys wasn’t in the place with books, one of the two things she showed the most interest in within the mansion.

Iris’s destination was set.

Pushing open the door to the quiet kitchen, Iris strode confidently towards the back.

The well-organized kitchen didn’t register in her mind.

Soon, confirming Evrys’s voice leaking through a slightly ajar door, Iris peered through the gap.

She saw a large man and Evrys chatting cheerfully.

‘It’s a dissonant scene compared to the warm atmosphere.’ she thought.

It looked like a noble girl conversing with a large magical beast.

Perhaps not to others’ eyes, but at least, that’s how it appeared to Iris.

Her expression unknowingly hardening into a frown, Iris grasped the doorknob.

She opened it gently and approached the two, who hadn’t noticed her yet.

The man, mistaking the approaching presence for his subordinates, turned his gaze and froze with his mouth open.

For the girl who still hadn’t noticed, Iris called her name.

“Evrys.”

Hearing the voice, Evrys’s head turned jerkily, like a broken clock.

She met Iris’s eyes, which had unknowingly become furious.

Iris grabbed Evrys’s hand with her unbandaged one, pulled her closer, and spoke.

“Were you aware that the servants were looking for Evrys?”

The man trembled at the ice-cold voice and bowed his head low.

“I, I didn’t know… Truly, I didn’t.”

“I see…”

‘What a pity.’

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, uh… okay.”

Iris turned around immediately, holding Evrys’s hand, and left the kitchen.

After informing a maid she met in the hallway that Evrys had been found.

As if to ensure Evrys wouldn’t run away again, she kept holding her hand and led her towards the place where the dress shop staff would be waiting.

Evrys, glancing nervously at Iris, mumbled cautiously.

“Are… are you very angry?”

“Angry, you ask?”

“Yes…”

“Well. I think it’s closer to embarrassment than anger.”

‘Her expression says otherwise…’

‘But if she says so, then I guess that’s how it is.’ Evrys thought, forcing the words back down her throat.

Provoking her further didn’t seem like it would lead to anything good.

And so, Evrys’s short, or perhaps long, escape ended thanks to Iris’s efforts.

Of course, Evrys’s expression upon meeting the dress shop madam looked darker than ever.

It was her own doing, so she couldn’t complain to anyone.

The sight of Evrys being led by Iris’s hand and handed over to the dress shop madam.

Resembled that of a fallen noble lady being sold to a s*ave trader.

But in others’ eyes, she simply looked like a rebellious teenage girl who ran away because she hated dresses.

Combined with her appearance, it didn’t seem particularly strange.

The atmosphere was reasonably amicable.

Except for those two.

When I came to my senses, I was in the bedroom.

After being caught by Iris and handed over to the dress shop people.

What followed was predictable.

Spending the whole day having fabrics draped over me.

Trying on dresses designed by the woman called Madam.

And even piling on matching accessories.

I really couldn’t keep my wits about me.

‘I never wanted to personally experience the protagonists’ monologues about being tired in novels or games.’

This time, they were seriously prepared; it was a different dimension from when I visited them directly.

Why did I have to try on tens, no, hundreds of clothes and wear gems I’d never seen before, when it wasn’t even my party?

On top of that, Iris must have been worried I’d run away again, because she sat there watching me until the very end.

…Of course, it was my fault for running away.

Still, it was a relief that her severely stiff expression had returned to normal.

When we met in the kitchen pantry, the atmosphere was so tense, it wouldn’t have been strange if someone had ended up dead…

She said it was nothing, but she must have been very angry.

I should properly apologize later.

That aside.

I shook off my exhausted mind and moved my body.

Recalling my stealthy movements during the day, I slipped out of the mansion and crept into the deserted training ground.

It was quite late, but just in case, I scanned every corner and confirmed no one was around.

Well, I wasn’t planning anything illegal, just wanted to test this body’s performance a bit.

Besides swinging a wooden sword, what else could this body do?

I wanted to check that out.

First off, seeing as I could keep pace with Iris’s steps without much trouble, my stamina seemed quite good.

Honestly, I still don’t quite understand how I managed to split that wooden dummy in two.

I vaguely assumed my physical specs were good… because I split a wooden dummy with just a wooden sword.

Thinking that, I’d been careful about how I moved my body.

But thinking back, other than my field of vision being lower because I became shorter, I hadn’t really faced difficulties in daily life.

Though part of that was because everything was taken care of without me lifting a finger.

Flipping book pages.

Or shattering a plate if I scraped it with a knife.

There were probably many other examples, but my daily life wasn’t hindered even without consciously controlling my strength.

So, I came out to the training ground to check my specs, just in case.

Thus, coming out here was fine, but.

How should I test it?

Should I try doing push-ups and squats like some people do for basic training?

Or maybe a sergeant jump?

It would be convenient if there was equipment that could measure combat power with the press of a button, but there’s no way such a thing exists.

If only there was at least a punching machine.

After standing there pondering for a while, I stood before the wooden dummy.

‘Shouldn’t I just try throwing a punch first?’

Like with the wooden sword, I spread my feet shoulder-width apart and took a stance.

The preparatory stance, which should have felt familiar somehow, felt awkward.

Recalling the memory, I corrected my posture.

Then, I thrust my fist forward.

‘Taste the fist of a Taekwondo 1st Dan!’

With a “Hup!” sound, my dainty fist struck the center of the wooden dummy.

If it shattered like it did with the wooden sword, I planned to bury it in the ground this time.

But the wooden dummy, after trembling significantly once, stood proudly intact, taunting me to hit it again.

Tilting my head at the questionable result, I threw another straight punch.

The result didn’t change.