Evelyn

  ***

  Looks like I’m joining the military! No, not really. In truth I’m going to be working with Uncle Aaron for the Regents. Apparently Uncle Aaron works in some sort of bck-ops spy thing. That’s right I’m reted to a spy! He’s so cool! Anyways, I’m starting off with training. Rather, I’ve been training. For the past few months, between my work as a Magical Girl, I’ve been training in stealth, without the use of magic of course.

  The reason for doing so was simple. Goddess Celestia gave me my powers and she doesn’t want to see me abuse them or harm others. However, given that I’m in a different world where there are actual bandits prowling roads, the same standards from Earth don’t exactly hold up. If someone came to kill me, I can’t just call the police. I’ll probably just have to stab the attacker. Unfortunately my original contract with the goddess still remains despite being reincarnated, so I’m still being held to Earth standards. I’m not naive enough to think that I’ll never cross that line. The day may come that I may eventually lose my powers, even if by accident. Even if that happens I still want to protect others, so I’ll need to do my best even without the goddess’ magic. With that possibility in mind, I have been training with the so-called Shadows!

  So, on this dark and windy night, I’m currently clinging onto the underside of Aunty’s carriage as she’s coming back from a shopping trip. Yep. My current training assignment is to tail Aunty, infiltrate a noble’s mansion without being detected, and simute assassinating her, by entering her room as she sleeps or feeding her “poison”. Nearing the estate, I knew the normal security checks would catch me, so I need to act now.

  Right as the road transitioned from one type of stone pathing to another, I released my grip and nded with my back on the road. Hopefully my drop went unnoticed. As soon as the wheel passed me, I rolled to the side, off the road. Luckily the estate was somewhat secluded from town by a small managed forest, so no one was around to see me. Springing to my feet, I ran through the grass, letting the noisy horses cover for what noise I did make.

  Already knowing what room she would be in, my main concern was how I could enter. The estate was surrounded by tall iron fences with hedges growing on them. Not only that, but they had magical arms in them so I can’t simply climb up them. How can I enter…? Digging under was a no go as that would take too long, leave evidence behind, and simply wouldn’t work as even below the ground, the fence extends underneath for a good depth. My only option was to go above it, but how?

  Well, that was simple. Back on Earth, I watched various movies and T.V. shows, along with pying games. With only the wind, what can I use to silently enter the estate? The answer was a kite! Opening up the magical bag full of tools I had Uncle Aaron prepare, I pulled out a rge sheet of sail fabric with various ropes on the corners of it. This stuff is specially made and enchanted to focus wind into it making it significantly more efficient than traditional sails. Moving away from the main road, I waited a moment.

  With plenty of clouds out, soon the moons were blocked and visibility was significantly reduced. Opening up the sail, it quickly caught wind and I felt it pulling on me. Before it became too much to bear, I tied the ropes around me and was soon taken into the air. The higher I got, the wind picked up and the colder I got. Looks like my clothes aren’t made for cold weather. Let’s hurry it up.

  In my, not quite, kite, I sailed high into the sky until the wind direction changed. Now I was heading towards the estate. Now that I think about it, what would I have done if the wind was going the other way? Looks like this thing still needs some work. Okay, so as I flew above the estate, I realized another problem. How do I get down? Drats. I didn’t want to do this since it is expensive, but it looks like I’ll have to. Pulling myself closer to the sail, I took out my knife and made a small cut into it. It was harder than I thought, but eventually I managed to do it.

  With a cut in it, I began to fall. No, that's not quite right. It was more or less a controlled descent. I wasn’t in danger of anything aside from nding in the garden, which looked to be deserted at this time. Not wanting to stay in the air for too long and give the clouds a chance to move, I put another cut into it. Oh, that might be too fast. Let’s aim for the bushes.

  …

  Landing successfully! I didn't break of my bones or damage anything aside from the cuts in the sail! With it still catching wind, I was having trouble putting it away, but I eventually managed it. Making sure I wasn’t spotted, I quickly moved to hide. Good, looks like I’m alone. Now, what would be the easiest way to enter? Since I live here, I could simply walk inside and tell the guards that I was wandering the garden, but I don’t think that’s what Uncle Aaron wants me to do. Okay, so now what? Aunty’s room is on the third floor, same as mine so I need to get up there. Looking at the light from the windows, I can tell that she’s getting ready for dinner. I know I won't be able to poison her at dinner, so the only real option is to get her in her sleep.

  Given that my sail can no longer lift me up, I’ll need to climb. Making my way to the main building, I was surprised by how little guards there were patrolling. A duke lives here, so there should be more security. No, actually there are probably those Shadows here watching me. Given how no one called me out yet, they must have been told about my training. I wonder if they are enjoying the show? Pressing myself ft against the wall, I searched for the best pce to start climbing. This whole part of the building is lit up. Who knows if someone will look out a window and spot me. I’ll need to climb up one of the storage buildings.

  Making my way over, I ducked into bushes a few times to avoid patrolling guards. One of the bushes I ducked into was a rose bush, so the thorns got me. Looks like these clothes aren't even protective against pnts. I’ll need to tell Uncle about that. Once I was in the clear, I crawled out and continued on my way. As I did so, I couldn’t help but notice the distance between the buildings. There is no way I could jump this. With magic it’ll be no problem, but I can’t do that without breaking my promise with Celestia, not that I was actually killing anyone. I’ll hope that my sail is still good enough to carry me a short distance. If not, well, I’m sure one of the shadows will catch me.

  Arriving at the storage building, I climbed up the gutter and made my way onto the roof. That was easy. Too easy… Maybe this is an oversight in the estate defenses. Regardless, I have a job to do. Once more, I took out my sail and inspected the damage. It still caught wind, and the wind was blowing towards where I needed to go, so that’s good. I tie myself to the sail again and look towards the main building. You know, this is probably closer to a parachute rather than a kite now that I think of it. With a particurly strong gust of wind, I was being dragged along the roof. Looks like I’ll need to jump. There are no clouds to obscure me, but there are also no guards under my path, so I should be fine.

  Running along the roof, I make it to the edge and jump with all my might. Pulled into the sky, I flew across the gap. This is so dodgy! I feel much safer flying myself! Regardless, the wind kept up and I made it to the roof of the main building. Actually I was above it. Okay, so it looks like the sail is going to take me out of the estate. Grabbing my knife, I cut myself loose and nd with a roll along the tiles. My sail took off into the night sky, gaining altitude and disappearing into the clouds. That must have been expensive… Let’s not think about that. It’s a good thing I don’t need to escape.

  Judging where I was, I moved along, low to the roof to keep hidden. Making it to the edge, I looked over the edge. Aunty’s room has a balcony, but she had it boarded up because a very fat bird hit and cracked the gss the other day, so we haven't yet repced it. Looks like I’m in the right pce. Now, I follow the roof and end up at a small trap door type thing. This was one of the entrances to the crawl space. Normally it was used for maintenance, so it wasn’t like it was unknown to the staff, but again, who is going to come up here at this hour? Checking it, I frowned to find that it was unlocked. Did the people that Aunty hire have any brains at all? What if someone wanted to assassinate her?

  I shook my head as I entered the crawl space. Closing it above me, I silently moved through the dark. Okay, so how do I get to her room? I have the time, so let’s take things slowly… For the next forty minutes, I kept getting lost until I saw tiny beams of light coming through the floor. Uh-oh, was I discovered? No, it doesn't look like it. Where is that light coming from? Carefully crawling over, I listened to what was below me.

  “…ht… ly… er.. rrow…” A muffled voice said.

  Yep, that sounds like Aunty. I can’t exactly tell what she’s saying or who she’s talking to though. Waiting a bit, the light eventually went out. Waiting a moment more, I took a peek through where the light was coming from. In the floor were several small holes. It looked like maybe a chandelier or something was hanging from the ceiling. Looking through I saw Aunty ying in her bed. Although I didn’t have a good view of the room, I was certain that she was alone. Rather, I know that there is probably a Shadow in here, but other than that, she’s alone. Now how do I “poison” her? Well, I have a pn.

  From the holes, I moved up a bit and got to the approximate pce in which her head was. I have two options. The first is that I drill a hole through the wood and hope that I’m above her and that none of the wood shavings wake her up. The second is that I try to remove the board to get to her, but if she were to open her eyes, I would be done for. How should I do this?

  …

  Having thought about it, I decided to use the drill. It’ll be risky, but I have to try. Taking out my small hand drill, I get to work. My progress is slow since my drill has a habit of wanting to squeak. Not only that, but I stop every so often and move away the wood shavings so they don't fall on her. Eventually I get to a point where I feel as if I’m going to break through. Carefully taking my drill out, I used my knife to gently pry the wood away. Taking care to avoid any pieces of wood falling, I opened up a small hole. So close! Almost directly above her face! Okay, let’s make another hole.

  …

  Done! With another hole ready, I opened up my bag and pulled out a spool of thread. Unwinding it, I feed it down through the hole and slowly bring it closer to Aunty’s mouth. Ah? Her breath is knocking it away. Okay, let’s put a small weight on the end of it. Let’s try again! Lowering it again, now with a small gss, teardrop shaped fishing weight, brought it above her mouth. Now is the moment of truth! Taking out a small bottle of water as the “poison” I drip the liquid down the thread. Slowly… Slowly… Almost… There! Got her!

  A drop of water fell onto her lips. That should count! Right? Let’s drop a few more just to be safe… Okay, now with my job done, time to get to Uncle Aaron’s office to tell him the news! Taking care to bring the thread up, I put my tools away and crawled away. Now, how do I get to his office from here?

  Shadow 38

  ***

  Lady Evelyn has been training with us for some time. Obviously given that she’s only seven, her training is slightly different when compared to that of an adult’s, however she is still making remarkable progress. Her sparing in particur is rather good. Although I don’t want to admit it, even I have trouble when it comes to our fights. If magic was allowed things would be different, however given the nature and time it takes to use spells, very few of them can be used in one on one fights. Besides, we mostly sneak around and stab people when their backs are turned.

  Not only that, but given the restriction of her goddess, she cannot use her magic to kill. Well, she may be able to use her birth magic soon, so that might not even be a problem. However she hasn’t shown signs of them awakening yet, which is a bit worrying.

  Another thing is that she is rather skilled in her problem solving and creativity. Before her training even began, she was picking locks and crawling in through windows and ceiling panels. She says that she sees her goddess in her dreams, so could she be teaching her? It is possible, but she doesn't bring up her goddess much. She even refuses to even say her name. The most that we got out of her was someone called “The Raven” Who this person is, we don’t know. Lady Evelyn has many skills and talents that don't seem to be reted to her training as well.

  Firstly, as a child who cks even a single tutor, she is incredibly intelligent. Aside from her reading and writing skills, she knows a fair amount of math, and even proper manners rivaling that of royalty. Although she rarely seems to use the tter. Again, I don’t want to admit it, but she is better than me in math. After all, you don't need to calcute anything when you stab someone who is sleeping. That being said, more than a few of us have started studying after seeing her work.

  With all of her training, and diet changes to get her in better shape, she’s growing up to be quite the young dy. If she didn’t talk, she would be the embodiment of nobility. That being said, she is a child after all, so I have no intention of bming her for her wild statements. All of that aside, Lady Evelyn is undergoing her first test of skill. Her training consists of infiltrating the estate and “poisoning” Lady Apine. I, along with other Shadows have been tasked to keep watch over her, but to not interfere. Keeping watch from a high vantage point, I spied Lady Apine’s carriage. Not knowing Lady Evelyn’s pn, I could only guess how she would enter. After security checks, the carriage entered the property. Looks like she didn’t try to enter from there. I look to the fence in search of her. None of the arms seem to be going off, so she has yet to enter…

  Catching a reflection of the moons' light from across the estate, a signal from a fellow Shadow, I saw something descending into the garden. It looked like a big sheet? Wait, no that’s Evelyn! How did she get there? Stuffing that sheet into her magic bag, I watched her hide behind some bushes. The estate guards didn’t patrol the garden at this hour, we now know that to be a mistake, so she won’t be spotted just yet.

  Watching her progress, she made her way to the residential building and began to search for a way in. Looks like she had no luck. Ah? Where is she going? Constantly ducking into bushes to avoid the patrolling guards, I can’t help but find their work to be sloppy. Lady Evelyn, although she is doing a good job, isn’t perfect. These are guards for a Duke, they should notice her mistakes. We haven’t informed them of her training, so it’s not like they are letting her get away with her mistakes. As for if they did catch her, there is no worry of her safety. Me and 84 are close by. Regardless, it looks like luck is pying a bigger part in her training than I initially thought.

  It seems she’s heading towards me. She climbed up to the top of the building I was on rather easily. What could she be pnning up here? Coming to the edge, she judged the distance. There is no way she could make this jump without magic. Taking a few steps back, she then began taking out the sheet from earlier. Just what is she doing? With a slight breeze, the sheet infted and started to pull at her. Wait a second… That’s part of a sail? What in the world is she thinking? Wondering this, she tied herself to it with the ropes and waited. No. She can’t possibly be thinking of-

  And then there was a strong breeze. Lady Evelyn jumped and was pulled into the air. As she was pulled away from the roof, I almost jumped to stop her, but she moved faster than I imagined. Casting a spell as quickly as I could, I jumped after her. We went much further than I thought. Somehow, we ended up on the roof of the residential building. Landing on it silently, I watched as she cut the ropes and rolled to a stop. What in the world is with this kid?

  Looking to my left I saw 84 looking at her in amazement. Looks like she had the same worries as me. I need a drink after tonight… Following in silence, a bit closer than we probably should have, we watched Lady Evelyn head towards the trapdoor for the building’s crawl space. There’s no lock on the outside, so I wondered how she was going to attempt to open it. And then she just opened it. Just as surprised as we were, she took a moment before she entered, closing it behind herself. That is a problem. This should very much be locked. Looking at 84, we hoped that this was simply a one time thing. Climbing down the side of the building, I tried a window. It was unlocked. Okay… A duke’s family lives here. There is no reason these things should be unlocked.

  Me and 84 entered and crept down the halls. Some servants, along with Lady Apine, walked by us unaware. We followed her into her room where 77 was waiting, already keeping guard.

  “Goodnight.” Lady Apine said. “Wake me up early tomorrow.”

  “Understood.” Said the head maid.

  These women… Given their treatment of Lady Evelyn, I can’t say that I like them. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about them. Slipping into Lady Apine’s room as she entered, we looked to the ceiling. Listening carefully, as Lady Apine fell asleep, we were able to hear some slight shuffling. Looks like she found the right room. After a moment, there was a slight grinding noise. I wondered what trick she was going to do now? Sounding as if a rat was chewing on something, Lady Evelyn worked away. Eventually the noise stopped and a slight scraping could be heard. All of a sudden, a small hole appeared in the ceiling. Was she going to pour the “poison” on her face? If she did, it would be a failing grade for her. Contrary to my belief, she didn’t do that. Instead, the grinding noise once more started.

  A moment ter, another hole, slightly further away appeared. Once it was cleared out, an almost invisible piece of thread came down above Lady Apine. It swayed with her breath, and then was pulled back up. A minute ter, it came back down with a small fishing weight on it. Once it was above her, drops of water made their way down it. Incredible… Taking a closer look, the “poison” dripped onto her lips… This pn worked… She’s done it… Looking at the other Shadows, they looked equally impressed and shocked.

  Had this been a real assassination, and had we not been here, she would have successfully taken Lady Apine’s life. Part due to her own skill, and part due to the guard’s shortcomings. Regardless, this operation of hers was a success. Slowly the thread was pulled back up into the ceiling. Well, those holes do leave a trace of her deeds, but it was such a small detail that could be easily overlooked. As Evelyn made her “escape” to Master Eytell’s office, I decided to go ahead and check the windows. It seems that they were locked. Looking to 77, she shook her head disappointingly. Looks like this wasn’t the servants’ doing. Another failure from them. After tonight, we needed to rethink the security. Perhaps get rid of a few other problematic servants as well...

  Grayburne