The Girl Who Looted Tomorrow

Aside from everything else, the thing that impressed Freya most that week was how quickly Euphemia’s cooking had improved.

On the first day, Euphemia bought a cookbook, studied it briefly, and managed to prepare a meal that was at least edible.

By the second day, her cooking was already close to Freya’s level.

On the third and fourth days, she completely surpassed her.

Now, on the seventh day, Freya stared at the beautifully arranged breakfast in front of her and took a bite.

She rested her cheek against her right hand as an expression of pure bliss spread across her face.

It was absolutely delicious.

Was this the learning ability of the Scholar Path?

Euphemia felt immensely proud as she watched Freya nibble away like a tiny hamster.

Taking advantage of Freya’s good mood, she suddenly made a suggestion.

“Why don’t you take the day off?”

“Skip your patrol and come shopping with me. You could use a break.”

“Well…”

Freya hesitated.

A full week of intense patrols had genuinely worn her out.

Seeing her resolve begin to waver, Euphemia continued persuading her.

“Just think of it as keeping me company. Please?”

Euphemia then pulled three coins from her pocket.

“How about I perform a divination for you?”

“If the result says today is a good day to rest and go shopping, you’ll come with me. Deal?”

Freya tilted her head slightly, allowing a strand of hair to fall across her forehead.

“Sure?”

“Great!”

Euphemia tossed the three coins while muttering under her breath.

“Come on, give me some good luck.”

Clink. Clink. Clink.

The coins struck the floor.

Euphemia recorded which sides had landed faceup, picked up the coins, and tossed them again.

She repeated the process six times.

After recalling the results of all six throws, she fell into thought and silently interpreted the divination.

Then her eyes suddenly lit up.

She beamed at Freya.

“The divination says today is a perfect day to go shopping.”

“Something good is going to happen.”

Freya had no idea how this form of divination worked.

She also had no way of knowing whether Euphemia had interpreted it honestly or was simply trying to fool her.

None of that mattered anymore.

Freya smiled.

“All right. We’ll do as you say. I’ll take the day off.”

Euphemia immediately packed her things and changed her clothes.

A short while later, she emerged wearing a wide-brimmed navy hat decorated with a blue satin bow.

She had paired a short blue coat with a white shirt, black slacks, and heeled ankle boots.

The outfit made her look sharp, elegant, and effortlessly confident.

Euphemia grinned and spun her cane around in one hand.

“Well? Don’t I look dashing?”

Freya nodded.

“To be precise, you look both dashing and beautiful.”

Freya gave her verdict and started walking toward the door.

Euphemia immediately stopped her.

“Wait, wait. You’re going out dressed like that?”

“Aren’t you going to change?”

“I put this much effort into my outfit. You can’t just leave me hanging.”

“Hmm…”

Freya considered it for a moment.

“Fine. Give me a minute.”

She returned to her bedroom.

The clothes she was wearing were no longer the same ones she had worn seven days earlier.

Freya herself no longer had to worry about getting dirty, but her clothes certainly did.

On the second day, she had found time to return home and collect the new clothes she had bought from the clothing shop in reality.

Freya removed her clean shirt and shorts, then looked through the wardrobe.

She did not own many clothes, so there was not much to choose from.

In the end, she took out a pale blue dress and put it on.

She had originally bought a matching pair of shoes with the dress, but she obviously had no need for them now.

Once she had changed, Freya returned to the living room.

She lightly held the sides of her skirt, turned in a circle, and looked at Euphemia.

“How about this?”

“You look adorable.”

Euphemia hurried over and could not resist gently squeezing Freya’s cheeks.

“You’re so soft and sweet. How can you be this cute?”

Before leaving, Freya still needed to put on the Invisibility Cloak.

She would remove it once they were clear of Third Cross Street.

This time, Euphemia did not call for a carriage.

Instead, she took Freya’s small hand, and the two of them walked through the streets together, chatting and stopping whenever something caught their interest.

“Freya, we’re pretty close by now, aren’t we?” Euphemia asked.

“So… could I call you something a little more affectionate?”

“Maybe Faye?”

“Of course.”

Freya did not mind the nickname at all. Plenty of people already called her that.

“What should I call you, then? Effie?”

“I’d like that.”

Euphemia smiled happily.

“I’m investigating a huge case, and I have an incredibly cute girl keeping me company.”

“How could life possibly be this wonderful? Am I dreaming?”

“You’re exaggerating.”

Freya paused and looked at the delighted detective beside her.

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

“Effie, do you have any little secrets?”

“I mean something only a few people know. Something that would make you trust a person immediately if they mentioned it.”

Euphemia looked puzzled.

“Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”

Freya immediately used her ultimate weapon.

She pressed her palms together beside her cheek, tilted her head, and gave Euphemia her sweetest look.

“Please tell me. Pretty please?”

Euphemia was defeated on the spot.

She clutched her chest and stumbled half a step backward.

“Fine, fine. Let me think…”

After considering it for a moment, Euphemia began her story.

“It happened during the summer of Era 1150, about a year ago.”

“My family planned to have me take a Law Path potion and then arrange a position for me in Special Affairs.”

“But I was completely obsessed with detective novels at the time. All I wanted was to become a private detective, solve strange and unusual cases, and meet people from every walk of life.”

“So I never drank the Law Path potion.”

“Instead, I secretly fed it to one of my family’s parrots.”

“Normally, an animal that drinks a potion is very likely to die. That parrot must have been unusually gifted, though.”

“Not only did it survive, but the first thing it did after drinking the potion was fly over and smack me across the face.”

Freya’s mouth fell open.

Her face was filled with shock and confusion.

“Wh… What happened next?”

“Of course my parents found out,” Euphemia continued. “Then they both gave me the beating of my life.”

“My grandfather has always doted on me, though.”

“Once he learned what I truly wanted, he ignored my parents’ objections and gave me a Scholar Path potion.”

“He also gave me an entire collection of extraordinary items.”

“I finally got my wish. I was allowed to leave home, gain experience, and become a private detective.”

“The price was that my parents would offer me no support whatsoever. I had to make my own way in the world.”

Euphemia paused, then added with a small smile.

“That said, my grandfather still secretly sends me plenty of useful things.”

“Only my parents, my grandfather, and that parrot know about this.”

“That should fit what you were asking for, right?”

“If a stranger told me this the first time we met, I’d probably trust them.”

“I already guessed that you were the daughter of a noble family,” Freya said. “But your family can even provide potions?”

“Almost every noble family with any real history possesses at least a few potion formulas,” Euphemia explained.

“They grant extraordinary power. Who wouldn’t want that?”

Freya nodded in understanding.

However, that also meant the class divide between nobles and ordinary people was even greater in this world.

Power itself had created a gulf between them.

Once Freya had finished asking her questions, Euphemia spoke again.

“I shared my little secret with you, so now it’s your turn, Faye.”

“You should tell me one of yours.”

“But I don’t have any secrets,” Freya replied. “I’m honestly just an ordinary person.”

Euphemia planted one hand on her hip.

“I don’t believe that.”

“If you were truly ordinary, how could you know that a disaster was coming?”

“And how could you advance four ranks in a single morning?”

Freya thought for a moment.

“I can’t tell you about the first one.”

“As for the second, I honestly don’t understand it myself.”

“I only thought I might visit the Earth Church and ask them for help.”

“But the moment I walked through the door, they declared that I was their Saintess.”

“They said I carried the wishes of tens of millions of people, then arranged a complete set of potions for me.”

Euphemia froze.

“The wishes of tens of millions?”

“How old are you?”

“Even if you had spent every day helping people since the moment you were born, you couldn’t possibly have helped that many.”

Freya nodded.

“Exactly. That’s what I’ve been saying.”

Euphemia fell silent for a moment.

Then she turned toward Freya with her eyes shining.

“I have a feeling this could be an earth-shattering secret.”

“How about letting me investigate it for you?”

“If I uncover the truth, I might be able to digest my Scholar potion instantly.”