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Chapter 42
2-1. Sure, you have skills now, but nobody ever said you can use them as you please.
Translated by Yonnee
The moment I saw those eyes, beautifully curved into two crescent moons, I literally shrieked and stumbled a few steps back. Hiiiek, hiieeek
 Loud gasps, almost to the point of suffocation, leaked through my open lips.
When I desperately stepped back and tried to get away, my face probably entirely pale as though I had seen a ghost, the smile on Adrian’s face was wiped off.
His expression now was left with only a formal smile. He looked like a statue carved from wax—handsome, but hard.
“Surprised?”
“H-How come, here
”
“I startled you a lot. I didn’t mean to.”
“B-B-B-Because you suddenly appeared like that
”
This jerk really is a devil, just popping out of thin air

“I’m sorry for surprising you.”
“Huh? N-No, it’s alright. You don’t have to apologize, Young Master.”
I got so flustered that I stammered again, not expecting that he would apologize. After cursing at him inwardly, I felt like I was too mean to him now. And really though, in this world, Adrian didn’t need to apologize at all, even if I tripped and fell after he surprised me like that.
「 You met Adrian for the first time out in a village. You gained 2,000 EXP. 」
The EXP bar filled up a lot today because of the critical hits, and now it reached level 9, around the middle of the bar, filling up until past the second half. I’m so, so close to level 10 now.
This reminded me of the time I managed to raise myself to level 4 with just the pure labor of weed pulling. Admiring my growth, tears welled up in my eyes.
It’s so difficult to raise my level like this, but there’s not even any reward for every level in this garbage, flop game

“Hilda?”
Slightly tilting his head to the side, Adrian stared at me. The sun’s bright, golden rays streamed down over him and made him shine all glittery like a jewel.
If I didn’t know who he was, maybe green fields or even the innocent springtime would have flashed before my eyes. When looking at him like this, I couldn’t help but somehow smell fragrant flowers from him.
But that was just Adrian’s shell. And it was all very poisonous.
There’s a snake within him. A snake that would flit out its forked tongue, biding its time while waiting for a chance to strike.
“Why are you looking at me like that again?”
“It’s just like I told you before, sir. It’s because you’re handsome. You’re the same today as well.”
“Handsome?”
“Absolutely. Seriously, Young Master, with that kind of face, you shouldn’t even be smiling at anyone. Whenever you look at me, Young Master, it feels like all the light in the entire world is blinding my eyes.”
When I automatically complimented him again, the white letters appeared right on time.
「 Adrian’s favorability has risen by 1 point. 」
「 Adrian’s favorability : Lvl.1 (4/400) 」
“Really? I think so, too. But still, thank you.”
Still as ever, looks like you know exactly how handsome you are, huh. It’s obvious that flattery was still also effective towards a boss. I wonder though. If I compliment him 100 times a day and wouldn’t buy him any gifts, would this work smoothly enough and raise his favorability?
“Hilda, you really show everything you’re thinking of on your face, you know.”
“Hu
uuuh? What do you mean
”
“No, it’s just. I’m saying this because you really do look so innocent.”
He’s the one smiling so innocently like this, but he didn’t look innocent at all.
What the, so you know what I’m thinking because it’s all being shown on my face? I have no idea just how much this devil knew, or if he really meant what he said.
I’m someone who knows the game’s backstories and scenarios, but I’m getting all confused like this. It must be a piece of cake for him to fool the NPCs.
But at the end of the day, the truth was harsh only towards those who knew.
“By the way, what are you doing here in town, Hilda? You originally don’t come all the way out here very often.”
“I’m here to do some errands for the kitchen. But I wasn’t actually asked to get this much.”
“Yeah, that looks heavy.”
“I stopped by only a couple of stores, but it became like this in no time. People kept saying that it’s because I’m working at the Pfalzgraf household, that’s why they gave me so much. All the people in this village just open up their store at the first mention of the Pfalzgraf family.”
“Of course, since my father takes good care of this village since it’s near the manor. House Pfalzgraf is famous for its charity for many generations.”
“The villagers didn’t just praise His Lordship, but also you, Young Master. Everyone kept saying that you’re like an angel who came down from the heavens
”
“An angel, huh.”
When I mentioned that word, I tried to look closely at his expression, watching for any change at all. But frighteningly enough, nothing changed. It’s like telling a dog’s owner, ‘Oh, what a cute cat you have there.’
Even so, it’s only natural that he wouldn’t let anything show. Because whatever people thought of him, he would still, in the end, kill.
Uh, uuugh. I’m getting scared again just thinking about it. I tried to step back inch by inch, but then something from the shadows came partly into view.
Come to think of it, his hands were behind his back. What do you have there? Something that looks sharp
?