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If this letter doesn’t reach the intended recipient for any reason, it’ll affect his reputation.
However, due to his position, he can’t disclose this to Ciel.

It seems we have no other choice.

『Have him promise by contract not to disclose our relationship, then I will receive it.』
『Are you sure, Ain?』
『Even if we cannot completely trust the Hunter Guild, we can probably trust Rhavelt. And as long as it’s in a written contract, it should be fine.』
『Understood.』
「I’ll let you meet her. But under one condition.」
「Whatever it may be.」
「Do not disclose what’s about to happen right now. And have it written in a contract.」
「Understood.」

Agreeing instantly, Rhavelt then stood up and, from a shelf in the room, took out the paper sheet required for contract use.
How many times have I seen this paper again?
For some people, this is something they may never see in their life, but I’ve seen it three times in a span of several years.

Ciel receives the blank sheet from Rhavelt and writes down the contract details.
After everything is done on her end, Rhavelt immediately signs his name and adds his blood, completing the contract.
He’s showing a lack of vigilance unbefitting for the grandmaster of the Hunter Guild. Though, to begin with, he really can’t refuse our demand.

「Well then.」

Leaving with only that, Ciel switched with me.
There was no particular fanfare for the switch, so upon seeing Ciel suddenly have black hair, Rhavelt’s eyes went wide with surprise.

「Pleased to meet you, my name is Ainsel.」
「How courteous of you… I see, you really are different from Lady Cielmer.」
「You can tell?」
「Of course. Despite my appearance, I am the head of the Hunter Guild. Still, I didn’t expect to see something so astonishing this late in my life.
So this is the reason why Lady Cielmer gave those conditions back then.」
「Since you already seem to have some level of understanding, a detailed explanation shouldn’t be unnecessary. To explain it briefly, I am a being that dwells within Ciel.」
「And just as Lady Cielmer, you are also to be considered as Lady Fiiyanamia’s daughter, is it?」

I remember Mother saying something similar when I received an identity as a hunter.
The condition he’s referring to is probably the one Ciel mentioned to have me registered as a hunter.

「May I ask a question?」
「Please, feel free.」
「Is it really alright for the Hunter Guild to be treated as a mere gofer by some royalty?」
「Had this been a royal decree, we could flatly refuse it. However, since it was presented as a letter of gratitude to the one who saved the sender’s life, we have no way of refusing it.」
「Oh…」

I can’t tell if they’re cunning or just determined…
No, perhaps they actually do want to give their genuine thanks.But if that’s the case, they didn’t give it much afterthought.
Anyhow, my opinion of this royalty has plummeted.

But, well, I suppose a word of thanks from royalty is normally something to be happy about.
Even for high-rank hunters, it does give you a connection to royalty, and that’s more than satisfactory.
However, I at the very least don’t find any appeal in that, and if I want to gain connections with royalty, I probably have the status to do so on my own.

「Anyhow, I shall accept it. It should be fine now, correct?」
「We greatly appreciate it.」
「Now then, we will now head home to consult with Mother.」

So with that, I was about to switch with Ciel but just in case, I wrote on the contract that the letter had been received.
After that, I switched with Ciel and we left the Hunter Guild.

◇◇◇

「So have you read the letter in question?」
「We still haven’t read it. I can tell that there isn’t any sorcery-based tampering done to the letter, but opening this would probably just lead to some annoying affair.」

Returning to the manor, we asked Mother for time to talk and explained what happened.
For times like these, it would be Ciel out talking most of the time. But since I’m the recipient of the letter this time, I was the one to talk about it.

「Well, well, simply reading it shouldn’t be any problems.」
「In that case, I’ll read it then.」

Receiving her confirmation, I broke the seal and took out the letter.
Quickly skimming through, it was hard to read with its extensive use of roundabout expressions. But to put it concisely, it seems to say, “I’ll shoulder the expenses, so go enroll at this academy in Ostente.”
The sender is the fourth prince of Ostente.

I don’t know the specifics of how schools operate in this world, but it seems that unlike in my old world, it’s not a place just anyone can enroll in.
Actually, just graduating from a school is a status symbol in and of itself.
For that reason, perhaps having royalty shell out money for school and enrollment could be a great show of gratitude for ordinary people.

「Can I also take a look?」
「Please feel free.」

As I was pondering how to interpret it, Mother asked to see it, so I passed the letter to her.
After receiving it, Mother scanned the letter’s contents, and, for some reason, her smile grew wider as time went on.

She’s smiling, but it isn’t actually a real smile. That’s how it feels to me.
Honestly speaking, it’s scary. I’m sure the letter must have had some hidden meaning, but unfortunately, I’m not familiar enough with this world to discern what it is.

『For some reason, Fii looks scary.』
『Scary, indeed.』
『Was the letter really that bad? I’m not really interested in the academy thing, but I didn’t find it all that bad.』
『There’s likely some sort of catch. Not that I understand it.』
『I don’t get it either. How troubling.』

As I was chatting with Ciel, Mother passed the letter to Mohsa, Luna, and Mia, who were all nearby.
I don’t think it’s a letter that should be casually passed around like this, but I guess it’s fine since she is the Fiiyanamia of Central.

And after reading it, the maids’ expressions showed either chilling smiles or just unbridled anger.

「It seems it wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared.」
「Indeed. It turns out to be part of Ostente’s unique culture. They have a tradition where men of the upper class would sponsor lower-class women so that they can receive the education and training to make her a suitable partner for him.」
「So, essentially, he’s trying to court me?」
「It carries a more obligatory tone than mere courtship. This is not something a commoner can easily reject.」
「That does add up… So, he’s presuming I’m of commoner status. Well, technically, that was the case. Technically, it was only Ciel who reached B-rank as a hunter, not me specifically.」

But now we’re both A-rank and also recognized as daughters of Fiiyanamia… What was the sender thinking, actually drafting a letter like this…

Uh oh, it seems like someone just unknowingly pissed off a quasi-divine autocrat who literally owns the land where practically every neutral organization constructed their home bases. I’m no scholar, but that doesn’t seem to be the smartest move to me.

Here again, we see Ain going “No choice then” when she does have a choice, to ignore it. RIP the grandmaster, but sometimes sacrifices must be made, lol. But yeah, Ain being kind as usual. Ain
has really gotten used to the contracts, huh. Honestly, good lesson to learn: always keep everything written down, even if your documents don’t have the magical ability of compulsion. That way, the oratory legal wizards have more spells to secure victory.

Also, interesting that the sender used the “I just want to give thanks” loophole, but it does show how much power the Hunter Guild has, since they can refuse otherwise. Also also, we haven’t seen Ciel’s reaction yet…

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a nice day~!