I Became the Older Brother of a Villainess - Chapter 8.2
Thanks to this, I became a master at opening and closing status windows. Now, I could view the status window with the transparency, size, and timing I desired. My reading speed also improved.
I learned something else in the process: “While everyone’s personalities varied, most people didn’t have traits.” It seemed like they weren’t the main characters of this game. Muriel and the head chef might appear a couple of times in the game, so they might have traits. Today, I confirmed how much traits could influence a character. Traits must be a crucial factor in distinguishing important characters in this game.
So, it’s a good idea to pay attention to people with traits. People with excessively low favorability are also suspicious.
“Who’s that?”
“Five black hearts.”
My steps abruptly halted. Five hearts? Why would there be five? Until now, no matter how much I checked, it was always two black hearts. Did this five-year-old commit some heinous crime? I looked down at Daria. She was just a kid, even with a bit of a runny nose.
“Hey, come here. Daria, you’re good at nose-blowing, right?”
While Daria used a chick-patterned handkerchief to blow her nose, I decided to inspect the dubious employee. Without a valid reason, it’s hard to hate an innocent five-year-old so much. After all, Daria is the future villainess. They say you can tell a good tree by its leaves. I wonder if the author who noticed the color of Daria’s leaves, yellowish-green like a forsythia flower, had some foresight.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The employee who hurried over had a seemingly mild appearance. Oh, this somehow feels like Daria’s fault. Well, kids are inherently innocent, so they don’t feel guilty no matter what mistakes they make.
Somehow, I found myself filled with sympathy. I approached with a warm expression, pretending to have just noticed, and scrutinized the status window…
=================
Name: Coca Ambria
Occupation: Novice Spy
Personality: Arrogant – Permanently receives a defense reduction effect, but can quickly increase likability
Characteristic: Assimilation – Easily blends into the surrounding scenery, increasing evasion rate
=================
“Oh, what’s your name?”
“I’m Smith.”
“Well, um, should I say occupation… What tasks are you assigned?”
“I’m in charge of cleaning the annex. Lately, my efforts have been recognized, and I’ve even been called to the main building by the head director.”
“Hmm…”
I checked his status window again. As nonsensical as the job title ‘spy’ sounded, the name ‘Ambria’ was as clear as day.
Most of the mansion’s servants didn’t have surnames. Unless they were someone with a significant rank, like Dandel, it was common for only the name to be casually displayed in the status window.
On average, people who dislike Daria more than usual usually have a surname. It’s a suspicious combination.
I locked eyes with Daria. Daria whimpered at me, as if trying to confirm an assassination.
“Five. Black.”
“What? Black, five? What do you mean by that?”
The spy, who didn’t understand Daria’s words, asked.
Should I kill him now? I hesitated, then shook my head inwardly.
If he’s Ambria, he might be useful later. Let’s keep him alive for now. If I can use the information or skills he possesses to my advantage, it might be beneficial.
Yes, discovering a spy could be considered a harvest.
I smiled warmly and turned to the butler. The butler had an expression of complete ignorance.
“Alberto?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Take this friend somewhere.”
“Oh! Is there somewhere you need me? I’ll do anything!”
Ambria approached me with bright eyes. Even upon closer inspection, he had a genuinely kind face—a face no one would suspect.
I gestured to the butler and lowered my voice.
“Take him somewhere and interrogate him. He’s an intruder. Don’t let him slip away. If you can’t catch him, kill him.”
The butler, without a change in expression but with a slight grin on his mustache, guided him somewhere.
Can I trust the butler? Could he be involved?
Upon closer examination, the butler’s personality keyword was ‘loyalty.’ For now, I had no choice but to trust him.
“Hoo.”
Even so, having a spy openly wandering around the house—what kind of security was that? Who knows where a more significant threat might be lurking.
I carried Daria like a keychain, checking if there were any more spies around. Fortunately, there was only that one spy.
Before the day was over, I fired twenty-two employees. Now, it was time to decide whether to dismiss or kill the twenty-third employee. To make that decision, I headed to the underground prison of the mansion, leaving Daria quietly in the room.
***
“Speak up! Who sent you? What’s your motive?”
The voice of the butler echoed through the underground prison. Even though we were deep underground, it was loud enough to mistake it for an earthquake.
“It’s a misunderstanding!”
The spy was huddled in the prison, shedding pitiful tears. Just to be sure, I checked his status window again.
=================
Name: Coca Ambria
Occupation: Novice Spy
Personality: Arrogant – Permanently receives a defense reduction effect, but can quickly increase likability
Characteristic: Assimilation – Easily blends into the surrounding scenery, increasing evasion rate
=================
Nothing had changed since before. Moreover, I noticed that this guy’s likability towards me was at rock bottom.
[♥♥♥♥♥]
He was a fair one, disliking both Daria and me at the same time.
A spy working for money wouldn’t detest me to this extent. Therefore, it was clear that someone with a grudge against the Glutoni family had been recruited as a spy. Congratulations to the one who found their calling at such a young age, but it was unwelcome news for me.
