Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre

“Kyaaaah!”

Fortunately, the frightened Vivian had screamed out my share of shock.

Meanwhile, Sir Penadel took appropriate measures to keep the intruder, or rather, Terry, from getting any closer to me.

Unexpectedly, Terry raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, seemingly familiar with the situation, and said, “First, will you listen to what I have to say? I’ve come to report on how I handled the task you entrusted me with.”

“You are expecting me to believe this after sneaking in like that.”

“There’s a reason for sneaking in. Would you at least hear me out? If I were in your shoes, I’d be curious enough to listen without kicking me out. If you do kick me out now, when you’re lying in bed tonight you’ll be thinking all night long, ‘Ah, I wonder what she was going to say,’ and won’t be able to sleep.”

Anyway, she had a way with words.

With a casual gesture from me, Penadel put away his weapon. That’s when it happened.

“Heuk.”

Leo hiccupped.

He seemed greatly surprised, frozen in the position he was in, about to put a macaron in his mouth.

Out of the corner of his eye, Leo took in the atmosphere of the adults, and with a hiccup, he placed the remaining macaron on his plate.

Then he spoke in an innocent voice.

“Um, heuk, should I, heuk, give her one macaron?”

* * *

On the second floor of the annex, in the study.

I stared at Terry with a displeased expression, looking at the crumbs of macaron on the corners of her mouth.

I couldn’t believe she’d eaten it when he offered it to her.

“You seem to be in a bad mood,” she observed.

“Get straight to the point.”

“You’re so mean.”

Terry pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to me, looking disappointed.

Inside, it briefly but clearly described how the Rats worked with the Hounds to handle the current situation.

The names of those involved were listed, with the weighty word “deceased” written next to all of them, except one person, Bruno.

‘He got the hint and fled to the Magic Republic.’

Bruno’s ending was a bit of a bummer, but overall, it was a neat and ruthless job of handling things befitting the slums.

I nodded in satisfaction.

I didn’t immediately get a window telling me that the ⟨Cecil’s Lullaby⟩ quest was complete.

But I wasn’t too worried.

The news was that my exclusive Fanthistle was selling fast.

As soon as Vivian’s potion replaced Bruno’s in the slums, the quest would complete itself. By that time, Vivian’s patent application for “Cecil’s Lullaby,” carried out in her name, would be completed.

Afterward, even if “Cecil’s Lullaby” was released in the market, it would be placed under strict surveillance to prevent misuse according to patent law.

Never again would the same thing happen as with Bruno.

“So, the report is finished. Now, explain why you snuck in.”

Let’s see how plausible you can make it.

Terry cleared her throat and then spoke in a very solemn and heavy voice.

“Don’t be surprised by what I’m about to say, Master.”

‘Since when am I your master?’

I furrowed my eyebrows, but Terry didn’t even flinch.

Instead, she started pouring out her words with a neat smile, like a skilled door-to-door salesperson.

“The security in this annex is very, very poor! I broke into the master’s mansion in broad daylight to prove it. There are at least thirty or forty different routes of entry that I’ve seen. But don’t worry, Master. I have a way to keep you safe!”

Wow, what an amazing story.

I didn’t even know where to begin to point it out.

Luckily, Sir Penadel intervened on my behalf, in a short but ferocious rant.

Rolling her eyes at him, Terry quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, of course, when the knight is by your side, Master, your safety is guaranteed. But let me ask, Sir Knight! What will you do if Master is attacked by an assassin while changing clothes or taking a bath?”

Why does this premise involve me being attacked by an assassin…….

There was no point in answering, so I thought Sir Penadel would ignore her words as well. But surprisingly, he seemed to be carefully considering his response.

No, I understand that men and women are different, but my life should be more important, shouldn’t it?

What followed was a response that seemed quite uncharacteristic of Sir Penadel.

“I’ll make sure the mansion is inaccessible to intruders.”

“That’s strange, because I had a dream two nights ago that I was breaking into this mansion and stealing things from the master’s drawers.”

“…….”

“Oh, perhaps it wasn’t a dream?”

Wow, how cheeky.

That smirk of hers was the real deal.

“Well then, Master. Let me introduce ways to protect you from assassins’ attacks. But before that, as you may know, I am a senior member of the Rat clan. My specialty is assassination, and my hobby is poisoning.”

“……?”

“In the view of a professional assassin, the Master is exposed to a deadly threat, especially since this annex is not even guarded at night. What do you think about that?”

I don’t understand what she’s talking about.

More than that, did she just say that her specialty is assassination, and her hobby is poisoning?

“Indeed, you seem to have a lot of concerns. As they say, ‘treat poison with poison.’ The only ones who can protect you from the threats of assassins are assassins themselves. Therefore, I am applying to be the butler of this annex. Here, I have also brought a letter of recommendation.”

An assassin giving me a letter of recommendation, huh.

I was reluctant to open it, but I calmly took it and read it.

Surprisingly, it contained meticulously written records of various service and technical positions, where she had received recognition from superiors.

It seemed like the perfect resume for a butler…….

‘What am I doing right now?’

I almost laughed.

I looked at Terry with a disdainful gaze as I tossed the recommendation letter aside.

Even if I discovered she was an assassin, I shouldn’t show any signs of being intimidated. I have Sir Penadel, the human bulletproof glass, by my side.

“I don’t let rats into my house.”

“Oh, well, don’t worry about that. I’m no longer a rat.”

What is she saying now?

“I’m not sure if you’re aware, but our rat family is running a business through family management. When people hear ‘family company,’ they tend to think the hierarchy is a mess.”

Continuing, Terry defended herself as if feeling truly unjust.

“But that’s not true! I was cut off. I went on a rampage, so I stayed in seclusion for a few months and now I’m back.”

Well, if you were cut off, then you were cut off.

To stay in seclusion and then come back, isn’t that a detriment to the family business?

“So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to pay the debt back, Miss Belinda.”

“Repay the debt?”

“In this industry, it’s an unwritten rule to repay a debt with double the vengeance and four times the gratitude. So, I’ve come to repay the favor, the debt for the information you mentioned.”

Repay the debt four times over.

Terry’s determination became so heavy that it started to feel frightening. I would have been satisfied if she just repaid it with money.

Why did she come up with this strange way of repaying the favor?

“Of course, I considered compensating with money as well, but aren’t you a Blanche? Money is worth as much as a pebble on the road. After thinking all night, I concluded that the most suitable way to repay my debt and express my gratitude is to protect your life, Master. This is the best option.”

“Why is my life assumed to be in danger?”

“Even if you ask such a challenging question, it’s useless. I’m no longer underestimating you like before. Haven’t you already learned that your personal information has been shared with some assassin guilds? That’s why you appointed a knight from the North to serve as your escort, isn’t it?”

I don’t know. What is that? It’s scary.

My personal information has been shared with assassin guilds.

Does this mean my life is in more danger than I thought?

As I stood there speechless, Terry smiled, as though satisfied that I had accepted her offer.

Then, following the etiquette of a noble, she took my hand and placed it on her forehead, making a knight-like oath.

“Until the debt is repaid, I swear that I will prioritize protecting you over my own life, as long as you desire it.”

“…….”

“……Master?”

Ah, now I don’t even know. I opened my mouth almost in resignation.

“You have my permission.”

“Thank you.”

And so, I ended up hiring an assassin on leave as my butler.