Camp of Pretty Boys

The guards stationed in the security office were all assigned to Ada, and unsurprisingly, the ones she had chosen formed a veritable camp of fair-faced young men.

“Pastries from Liu’s Famous Old Bakery, generously sponsored by our beautiful little sister! Fresh out of the oven, first come, first served!” She held the bag high above her head, and in a flash, was surrounded by a pack of wolfish, green-eyed figures. Clearly, the combination of a pretty girl and Liu’s Old Bakery had one hundred percent warrior appeal.

Pleased with the crowd she’d summoned, she distributed the food while casually asking, “Has anything happened to the Second Young Lady lately?”

As they ate, the warriors responded, “What could happen? The occasional petty thief or assassin, but we’ve handled them all!”

“Exactly! Those scrawny little arms and legs weren’t even enough for a warm-up before they were done for.”

“Bragging again, are you? You’ve only been here a few days. How many did you take down?”

“Hey, believe it or not, ever since I arrived, the number of thieves has actually gone up. It’s hard to keep a low profile like this!”

They all burst into laughter.

Warriors were warriors, fair-faced or not, their manner was still boisterous and rough. She joined in their laughter for a while before catching onto a particular phrase: “Wait, there have been more thieves lately? Isn’t it dangerous for me to patrol alone?”

“Don’t worry, little sis! With us here, nobody can hurt you!”

“That’s right! Nothing to worry about!”

“So, have there only been more thieves recently, or is it always like this?” She put on a frightened expression, as if still shaken.

“Now that you mention it, it is odd. I haven’t just been here a year or two—there’ve always been the occasional thief or assassin, but never this frequently.”

“I thought it was just me, but you think so too?”

“Don’t scare her,” one of them said as she shrank back for effect. “Are you serious? Do you know exactly when it started?”

“Why would I lie? It started getting really bad about two weeks ago. If you don’t believe me, check our records—it's all written down in black and white!”

“That’s true. You young ladies should be careful and not try to show off. No matter how strong your magic, you can’t fight off a pack by yourself. If anything happens, remember to call for help, alright?”

Having gleaned what she needed, she exchanged a few more words and then excused herself. Two weeks ago—wasn’t that the day she’d just joined the Grant family? Clearly, one of the new arrivals was trouble. With a target in mind, she hurried off to her next destination.

Arriving at Peach’s room, she saw her tidying up, preparing to go out. Unaware of the morning’s commotion, Peach had barely stepped out with her basket before someone knocked her out and dragged her back inside. By the time she awoke and rushed to apologize to the Second Young Lady, the latter was already having breakfast, saying it had been delivered by her. Peach was secretly pleased—she just knew her friend was kind enough to cover for her and deliver breakfast without waking her.

It wasn’t in her nature to ruin such a good deed, of course. In fact, she was ready to do Peach another favor. “Peach, have you rested enough today? I can help you deliver dinner, too!”

Peach smiled. “No need. I slept too long today. A bit of exercise delivering dinner will do me good.”

“Really? Then let me help you carry some. Dinner is always heavy and varied, and it’s not easy for you to do it alone.”

Walking and chatting, they soon reached the kitchen. The Grant family’s kitchen wasn’t far from Ada’s little castle, but Ada insisted that only the lovely Peach could bring her meals, refusing to eat until the table was perfectly set. The first time she heard this reason, she could hardly believe Ada hadn’t starved to death from her own fussiness.

During dinner, the kitchen was bustling. She made a round and managed to fill herself up. The butler in charge was the same loquacious servant who had announced the final candidates from the stands, evoking her nostalgia.

All the men chosen by the Second Young Lady seemed to be cast from the same mold—fair faces, quick hands. She approached the butler, striking up conversation and flattering him expertly. As the saying goes, you can never flatter too much, and the butler, quite taken, soon provided her with the list of new guards.

“You new batch of little mages are all so sociable!” the butler remarked.

“What do you mean?” she asked, curious.

“Just recently, Aisha also asked me for the list, saying she wanted to connect with skilled mages. Such a friendly girl!” the butler said.

Aisha? What did she want with the list? Not knowing the answer, she tucked the question away for later. Just then, Peach called her to help with the dinner trays. She had barely stepped out the door with her share when the butler chased after her. “Come visit again, Mage!”

She waved back. “Of course! Just don’t tell anyone I asked for the list.”

Hand on his chest, the butler promised solemnly, “Don’t worry. I’ll guard your secret as faithfully as Aisha’s!”

She stumbled a little as she walked away.

That evening, in the room shared by Jane and Aisha, Jane had gone for her nightly patrol, leaving only the shy little Aisha inside. She switched off the light, looming over Aisha and using her figure to cast an intimidating shadow. “I hear you’ve gotten friendly with the butler lately?”

Aisha, sitting on the bed, looked puzzled. “No, I haven’t.”

She planted one foot on the edge of the bed, tilting her head with a roguish air. “Is that so? Didn’t you ask him for the list?”

Faced with her menacing demeanor, Aisha grew wary at once. “What list? I don’t know what you mean!”

She lifted Aisha’s chin with a wicked grin. “Stop pretending. Tell me now, or you’ll regret it, darling.”

Aisha’s body trembled slightly. “I’m not afraid of you!” she snapped, conjuring a water orb in her hand and hurling it straight at her.

She leapt back nimbly. Her magic might not be impressive, but her survival instincts were well-honed. With a “click,” the room’s lamp switched on, flooding every corner with bright, white light. Startled by the glare, Aisha instinctively shut her eyes—and at that very instant, she knew she had lost.

Tick tock, tick tock—the clock carried on with its duty. Aisha slowly opened her eyes. The vase was still on the table, the picture frame still on the wall, and the once-fierce figure now sat serenely on the sofa like a visiting guest, holding an empty teacup.

“Aren’t you going to serve me tea? That’s no way to treat a guest~” she said with a goofy smile, as if nothing had happened.

Aisha, still wary, poured her some tea. She cleared her throat and asked, “Ahem, where did you buy this tea? It’s quite good.”

“Third Street.”

“Oh. So, have you eaten?”

“Yes.”

“What did you have?”

“Steak.”

“Was it good?”

“So-so.”

“How about the sizzling beef I made last time?”

“That was great!”

“Shall I add more chili next time?”

“Sure!”

“And try a different sauce?”

“Yes~”

“How is Ada’s task coming along?”

“Good—wait!” Aisha clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late.

She patted Aisha’s shoulder sympathetically. “Child, you’re still too green~”

Boom! Aisha, on the brink of losing control, unleashed a massive magical water cannon straight at her.

On February 22, 1222 of the Imperial Calendar, in Whiteedge City, within the Grant family estate, a large-scale explosion occurred, destroying one house but causing no casualties. The cause remains unknown.

Cut to the garden, where she sat on a wooden stump, drenched and disheveled but steadfastly staring at Aisha. “So this is the conclusion you reached after all your research?”

Aisha, equally soaked, was panting with exhaustion, her face pale. “Yes, there’s no mistake!”

She stared at the ground in silence. Minutes before, Aisha’s wild water cannon had missed her but blown a hole through the supporting wall of Aisha and Jane’s house. The rest of the walls, unbalanced and unstable, had simply collapsed.

She dragged Aisha out the window, waved off the guards with the excuse of a magic duel, and then spent ages convincing Aisha that she too was one of Ada’s laborers. Of course, our diligent and naïve Aisha didn’t much care for the term “laborer.” “Following the Second Young Lady’s orders is only right. Why wouldn’t one obey their master?” she said, with the earnestness of a youth.

As it turned out, Aisha made a very useful laborer. Ada had given both of them the same task, and Aisha had gathered all the information and reached a conclusion in just one more day than her.

“Since the day we arrived, the Second Young Lady has been attacked frequently. During this period, only three people have acted suspiciously—and they share something in common!”

“What is it?” she asked, intrigued.

“They’re all low-level mage guards!” Aisha declared coldly.

“Well, that’s a shame. But Aisha, I deeply admire your willingness to confess!” she said, feigning emotion.

“Are you talking nonsense?” Aisha replied sternly. “The only ones behaving oddly are Jane, Nock—and you!”

Stardust Chronicles 005_005: The Fair-Faced Encampment—End of update!