As I massaged the lower back of my employer, my mind raced with ways to extract information from her and possibly escape if the need arose... at least, that was what I should have been doing, if not for the constant chatter in my head from my oh-so-"helpful" guardian.
"Ara~ you’re so baaad. Let me guess—you’ll seduce her, make her fall hopelessly in love with you, then get her to spill all the Rothschild family secrets and maybe even the other great families too?"
Laura’s unusually high-pitched voice rang in my mind, sounding more like a middle schooler sneaking a look at her first R-rated novel than an actual guardian.
’No,’ I shot back telepathically, though I grudgingly admitted her plan sounded good. ’That plan has too many holes. I need something cleaner. My goal is to keep massaging her until she trusts me. That way, when I leave, I won’t have unnecessary enemies chasing me while I try to survive and grow stronger... if I even manage to grow stronger at all.’
I mumbled the last part under my breath.
Laura, clearly unimpressed, replied in a lackluster tone. "Well, that’s no fun."
My mouth twitched. ’My survival isn’t supposed to be fun, Laura.’
Sighing out loud, I refocused on Miriam. She’d been unusually quiet all this time, which struck me as odd, but before I could wonder too much—
The once proud and condescending Miriam was rubbing her legs together like... like a woman in heat. A development that I definitely did not like, especially since she was supposed to be my information ticket. Trying to put a stop to it, I willed my skill [Magic Fingers] off.
[Skill has been deactivated]
The host can reactivate this skill at any time by simply thinking its name.
I don’t know what you’re planning, but you’re sure being dumb →_→
I ignored the rude jab from my system and glanced down. Sure enough, Miriam’s body slowly calmed as the effects faded. The heavy blush on her cheeks receded, her trembling legs steadied, and she looked more confused than embarrassed. Still, I wasn’t about to reveal my hand this early.
"Madam, is everything alright?" I asked politely, keeping my tone respectful as my hands continued their work.
Not to brag, but I was a damn good masseuse in my past life. A stiff body like hers was nothing but a treat to me, and I wasn’t about to let this chance at gaining valuable information slip away.
"Ooooh~?" Miriam let out a moan that was equal parts relief and confusion, her back arching as I loosened her stiff muscles. Perfect time to strike.
"Um... Miss Miriam," I began, still working my hands across her back.
"Hm? Wha—ooooh... what is it?" she asked between little moans, her body melting under my touch.
’Honestly, I could just get a job as a masseuse if this whole "main character" thing doesn’t work out,’ I thought, suppressing a laugh.
"When I passed out... I lost some of my memories," I lied, sweat breaking out on my forehead. "Could you help fill in the blanks?"
I was never good at lying. This was all new territory for me.
"Hm? Sure. Ask away—but don’t stop massaging." Miriam’s voice dropped to a low hum as she rested her cheek on one hand, visibly relaxing.
’Let’s gooo!’ I screamed inwardly. Her answer was like an angel’s blessing.
"So, could you tell me where we are? The kingdom too?"
Now, you might be wondering why my so-called "guardian" Laura hadn’t already given me this info before tossing me into my first mission. Simple: she refused.
Her exact words were: "You need to figure things out yourself, silly~ I’m only here to make sure you don’t die, tee-hee-hee."
"The memory loss must’ve been pretty bad, huh? Well, no problem. We’re in the Rothschild manor—the third most powerful family in the human domain," Miriam said with pride, a smug smile curving her lips.
She continued, "There are five other major families, plus countless smaller ones I can’t be bothered to remember. For the big names: Vandemire—red-haired freaks, always looking for test subjects. Stay far away. Then Decker—low-key, but a pain in the ass if you cross them. Ashcroft—my mom’s from there, they’re decent. Gravesend—necromancers, don’t go near their manor alone. And finally, the Belvedan family. They’re royals. King Matthew Belvedan rules the domain."
Her words flowed effortlessly as I worked her back, filing the knowledge away. Laura was suspiciously silent the whole time—probably waiting for me to piece things together myself.
"Thank you very much, Mada—"
"Miriam. Call me Miriam. I hate the whole ’Madam’ thing," she interrupted.
’Well, that makes things easier,’ I thought with a shrug.
"So, Miriam," I continued, "could you tell me about the other kingdoms?"
Honestly, even if she refused, I wouldn’t be upset. She’d already given me more than I could’ve hoped for. But to my surprise, she sat up, stretched, and smirked.
"Ugh, that’s too much work. How about I just transfer the memories to you?"
"Memory transfer?" I repeated, startled. ’Right. Fantasy world. Guess stuff is normal here.’
"Yeah. Just relax your mind, and—"
Two fingers pressed against my forehead.
Burning, mind-numbing, bone-grinding pain ripped through me before she even finished her warning.
’Wait—this is what MCs in novels feel when they get power-ups? But I’m just... getting memories?’
I couldn’t think straight as fragments of raw knowledge forced their way into my skull.
[Memory Transfer in Progress]
[Error: Insufficient Mental Capacity]
[Forcefully Expanding Mental Capacity... Successful]
[Memories Accepted from Character #261od]
[Synchronization 1%... 20%... 50%... 100% Complete] Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on n0velfire.net
[Host has successfully received the memory files.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the first hidden mission!]
[Calculating Reward...]
"Well, you didn’tdie," Laura finally chimed in, smug as ever. "I’ll call that progress".