"A noble lady's bodyguard?"
Silas frowned.
"Yes."
Fors sat stiffly on the sofa, exchanging a glance with Xio.
"We'd like to ask your sister to help protect Miss Audrey."
Seeing that Fors was too nervous to speak up, Xio took the initiative.
"Although you're stronger, Miss Audrey comes from a distinguished family, so a female bodyguard would be more appropriate."
After the two of them arrived, they'd explained their purpose for visiting Silas.
It turned out that a certain noble lady needed to hire a Beyonder for personal protection during an outing, and she was hoping they could help find a suitable candidate through their connections.
The compensation was quite tempting too: 30 pounds for a single escort job.
Silas thought for a moment.
"Then why doesn't she hire you two?"
The noble lady was more familiar with Fors and Xio, so by all rights, she should prioritize them.
Both women immediately showed embarrassed expressions.
"We didn't pass the test."
Becoming a bodyguard required passing an assessment, and both of them were newly advanced to Sequence 8.
There was simply no way they could defeat the well-trained Beyonders in Earl Hall's manor.
Although Audrey felt somewhat disappointed about this, she still asked Fors and Xio to inquire within the Beyonder circles they knew, helping her find a sufficiently powerful Beyonder.
To this end, she raised the bodyguard's compensation from 20 pounds to 30 pounds.
Moreover, if they could help find a suitable candidate, the two would receive a commission of 50 pounds.
Short on money as they were, the pair had made the rounds of all the reliable Beyonders they knew in order to earn that commission.
However, none of these people had managed to pass the manor's guard trials. With no other options, they finally thought of coming to Silas.
"I'm sorry to say that Cecilia is only Sequence 9, not even as strong as you two."
Silas glanced at his sister and answered for her.
"Huh? Really?"
Fors was stunned.
She'd personally witnessed this girl easily slaughter a large number of cultists, and with her brother being a mid-Sequence powerhouse, she'd naturally assumed that this black-haired girl was also a formidable Beyonder.
She never imagined she was only Sequence 9, even lower than herself.
"That's right. Plus, my brother still needs me to take care of him, so I can't be away for too long."
The black-haired, blue-eyed girl replied.
"That really is too bad."
Xio ruffled her messy short hair, feeling in her heart that something wasn't quite right.
This stunningly beautiful girl named Cecilia before her eyes clearly gave her a feeling of being even stronger than herself.
Since this person couldn't take the job either, it seemed they were destined not to receive that commission.
"All things considered, who exactly is this Miss Audrey?"
Silas asked casually.
"She's the daughter of the wealthy Earl Hall, and also a Beyonder," Fors answered. "She often hires us to do various things, and she's very generous."
Hires?
Silas's heart stirred, suddenly remembering something.
He looked at Xio Derecha.
"Then was your previous injury related to one of her jobs?"
He asked.
"...I'm sorry, I can't say."
Xio glared at Fors, and only then did Fors realize her slip-up.
She quickly covered her mouth.
So it was related.
Based on their reactions, Silas made his judgment.
He'd originally thought their encounter with Lanevus was just an accident and hadn't pursued the matter at the time.
He never imagined there was something he didn't know about. But how did Audrey Hall, a noble lady, get involved with Lanevus?
It seemed an investigation was necessary.
"Alright, I'll take this job."
"...Huh?"
Fors instinctively froze for a moment, then she and Xio simultaneously widened their eyes.
"But Miss Audrey needs a female Beyonder..."
Fors mumbled.
She understood in her heart that with Silas's abilities, he could definitely defeat the manor's guards, but this didn't meet the requirements.
Silas smiled at his sister.
"Brother, are you going to hide in my shadow?"
He saw that his sister only thought for a moment before quickly understanding his intention.
"That's a great idea!"
Fors's eyes lit up.
Having Silas secretly help from within the shadow would allow them to defeat those Beyonder guards, and it would also keep Silas constantly by her side, making it convenient to take care of him.
"It really is a good idea, but we need to report back to Miss Audrey first.
If she agrees too, then that would be perfect."
Xio cautiously expressed her approval. "We should have an answer within a day or two."
"Fine. Just let me know when the time comes."
Silas replied.
"Fors! What were you thinking, actually revealing Miss Audrey's business!"
After leaving the house Silas was renting, Xio couldn't help but snap at her companion.
"That's not in line with our professional ethics!"
"Sorry, sorry."
Fors awkwardly smoothed her curly hair. "I just blurted it out without thinking..."
Actually, this really wasn't an excuse.
Because she'd already identified Silas as a favored one of The Fool and could be trusted, she hadn't thought much about it and just spoke freely.
Now that she thought about it, Miss Audrey's affairs really shouldn't be casually told to others.
That's why she was being criticized by her companion like this and didn't dare talk back.
After all, it was usually her who teased Xio.
"You'd better learn your lesson. If something goes wrong in the future, it'll be a huge problem..."
Xio continued admonishing her as the two walked away.
"Sorry, Cecilia. I decided things without consulting you."
Silas said to his sister.
He'd just been focused on considering the matter of Lanevus and forgot to ask his sister's opinion.
"It's fine."
The blue-eyed girl shook her head, her black hair swaying with the movement.
"You're investigating Lanevus, aren't you? Since there's a lead, you should seize it. I'm happy I can help."
"However," she continued, "you need to restrain yourself a bit, brother. You absolutely can't lose control in the Earl's manor."
"I'll try my best."
Silas smiled bitterly.
Yes, if he fell into a rampage inside the Earl's manor, that would be a real mess.
He hoped it wouldn't come to that.
But speaking of which, his sister's Sequence was indeed too low. It was time for her to advance.
"Cecilia, it's about time to advance to Sequence 8. Once I find the remaining auxiliary materials for the potion, we'll start brewing it."
"Mm..."
Hearing Silas's words, the girl showed a slightly troubled expression.
"Brother, I actually don't want to..."
"Rustle, rustle."
Just then, a sudden movement came from Silas's chest, something stirring inside.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pea.
It was shaking, breaking through its shell and sprouting a bud, emitting a soft and cheerful song.
The Queen's gathering was about to begin!
The unique pea from before had been crushed and was gone. Before leaving last time, she'd given Silas another ordinary pea.
Silas was startled, then smiled.
He'd just attended the Eye of Wisdom's gathering a few days ago, and now the Queen's gathering was starting again.
Perfect. Last time at the gathering, he'd only met with the Queen and hadn't actually seen what a high-level gathering was like. This time he could experience it properly.