We were running through a deep forest.
　Winter is coming soon. The snow falls relentlessly in this region. When winter comes, we won't be able to go into the mountains like this.
　If we don't hunt and prepare dried and salted meat now, we will miss our winter table.
　I don't want to repeat last year's mistakes.
　Let's do our best to make our ten year old winter fun.
　Okay, I quickly killed a large rabbit.

'The hunt was going so well I didn't expect to find one.

Recently, I was looking for an assistant for an assassination.
　There's a limit to what I can do on my own.
　But not just anyone can do it.
　The minimum requirement is that he or she must have magical powers. Otherwise, they'll only be an impediment.
　However, it's difficult to scout a magician, as magicians are only as good as the nobles and their branch families, and they're too steeped in their own families.

........So I looked for a magician who was born into an ordinary family, which was about one in ten thousand people.
　Even if they had magical power, if they didn't know how to use it, they could spend the rest of their lives not knowing that they had it.
　It was difficult to find such a person, but with Touahade's eyes that could see magic power, he could look for them efficiently.
　Contrary to such expectations, even if I searched all over the Touahade territory, I couldn't find any magical power holders in the territory.

''........Let's look for other territories besides Touahade.

The sooner you find an assistant, the better.
　I'm at least two years into my education, and another year to get some real-world experience. I'm hoping to find one within the year.

Powdery snow has begun to fall.
　I knew it was going to be cold, but I can't believe it's already starting to snow.
　I'll go see Dear tomorrow.
　I'm not going to be able to walk the 320km over two mountains in the snow.
　I used to only go to see her once a month, but considering that I won't be able to see her during the winter, it's okay to go twice this month or so.

''.........''

I felt a presence.
　I set up my bow and then I realize that the presence is not of a beast but of a man.
　I'm deep in the woods where I am, and wolves and bears are out there.
　I'm the only one who hunts here. I dare to choose a dangerous hunting ground so that I don't end up fighting with the lords for prey.
　Wondering, I appear in front of that someone.

It was a girl. Probably not much older than me.
　It's cold enough to be powdery snow, but she's barefoot, wearing only a thin, dirty, ragged piece of cloth. She was shivering in the cold, hugging her thin, almost broken body.
　She is skinny and haggard, her golden hair and skin are tattered. He is on the verge of starving to death. I think he has a nice face, but it's hard to tell in his condition.
　It's crazy to enter such a dangerous forest without any equipment. It's a miracle that he's still alive.

........And the most surprising thing is that he has magical powers.
　There was a magician here who couldn't find every single one of the Touahade territory's lords and couldn't find them.
　However, he didn't seem to know how to handle magic power, and he just had magic power smoldering deep inside his body. This is no different than a normal person, and the girl herself would not be aware that she has magical power herself.

It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to do anything bad. So don't do anything terrible.

He appeared in front of her, and before she could do anything else, he scared her.

''Well who are you?　Why are you deep in the woods like this?
"Wow, my village was poor, and they said they couldn't make it through the winter, so they cut me down and threw me out. Even when I returned to my village, I was turned away and then I remembered what a traveler said about the Touahade territory being rich after crossing the mountain, so I tried to cross the mountain.

In the middle of the explanation, the girl's stomach growled and she wobbled, so I supported her.
　...................stinky. And it was light as a lie.

'I want to listen to you, but first you need to eat your food. You're about to collapse.

I chuckled and handed her the sandwich I'd brought for lunch.
　The girl rolls her eyes.
　The idea of accepting food from a stranger is unthinkable to her, living in a village so poor that she has to cut back on her food.

She is in a quandary, and I give her a sandwich and some soup from my homemade canteen.
　Then the girl pulls the sandwich to her chest, saying she's never going to return it, and sits there, away from my arms, gobbling it up and munching on it as she sits there.
　Forcing it down with soup.

.........I've heard that the territory next to me has a lord who is incompetent, greedy, and imposes a terrible heavy tax.
　I didn't expect him to be so reckless as to cause a village to have to cut back on its mouth.
　A girl finishes her sandwich.
　She had a very happy look on her face.
　She catches my eye and blushes. Finally, she can afford to pay attention to other people's eyes.

'Well, you seem to be heading to the Touahade territory, but I'm the son of the Touahade lord.
Is it a coincidence that it's a coincidence?

Well, it's a coincidence.
　But I think it's a coincidence.

"If you'll have a mind to. I want you to be my personal servant.　I need your help.

She was finally a magical person I found.
　Plus, I appreciated her.
　I like the way she acted after being discarded for reducing her mouth.
　She would make an objective decision that there was no use in returning to the village, eliminate it from her options, seek out and execute the possibility of survival.
　Being able to do the right thing in extreme conditions is a necessary quality for an assassin, and it's not easy to acquire.
　The girl looked up at me, ragged tears streaming down her face.

''What's wrong?''
I'm so happy. This is the first time I've been told that I need it, and everyone told me I didn't need it, and I was treated like a hindrance, and then I was thrown away... so I needed it.

Perhaps the words are a trigger.
　She cries as if she were bursting with emotions she had been holding back for a long time.
　I hold the girl in my arms.

'It's disgusting,'
Yes, but you'll shine through.
I'll do my best. So, you see.
'Yeah, you'll always be working for me. Because I need you.

Yes, the girl is dirty now. But she's a diamond in the rough.
　The girl trepidatiously hugs herself back.
　It was a good find. I'll take it home and raise it slowly. As an assistant in the assassination business.

You are going to be my assistant in the assassination.

Someone is rocking my body.

Rise and shine, Master Rouges.

Soft hands. It's warm and comfortable.
　I dare to continue raccooning off to enjoy this feeling.
　There was a girl with bright blonde hair.
　She is twelve years old and wears a servant's uniform. She is ostensibly my personal servant.
　She is very pretty and always attracts the attention of visitors, especially men.

"Master Rouges, I mean, if you don't get up, you're going to get into trouble.

The girl who's shaking me in a voice that seems to disappear says that. On the other hand, don't say something that makes me not want to get up.

'Good morning. Tart.
Good morning. Master Lugue, it's very unusual for you to sleep in.
You're going to need a little help.

I have [Super Recovery] and I almost don't need rest, but it's because I was so reckless yesterday that I couldn't keep up with my recovery.

''Breakfast is ready, sir. Today's is a confident one!
That'll be fun. Let's go.
Yes!

They head into the living room side by side.

"Tart, I had a dream. A dream I had two years ago when I first met you.
'........Ugh, I'm a little embarrassed. I was dressed amazingly well back then, and I was just bone and skin.
'I didn't think you'd be this beautiful when I picked you up.
'......　Mr. Lugue, I'll put some yogurt and fruit for breakfast!

Over the course of two years, the skinny girl has regained a healthy body and a dainty figure.
　She's now reasonably fleshy. Or rather, her development is good for her age.
　........I don't plan to use those kinds of moves, but I'm sure she'll look good enough to use a woman as a weapon in the future.
　Taking a seat, the tart serves and stands behind me.

'As I've said before, a servant's job can be skimped on. It's just an excuse to be by my side to begin with.

I talk to her as I eat the breakfast Tart made.
　Breakfast is bacon and eggs and yogurt with bacon from the territory. Both are my favorites.

''No, I won't skimp on them. Because I'm Rougu-sama's personal servant!　We need to be diligent in our efforts to ensure the comfort of Mr. Lugue's life.

I want to keep them by my side to support the assassination. In order to do that, being a personal servant is convenient.
　So, as long as I could learn to behave in a manner that wasn't unnatural for a servant, that was fine.
　There was no need for her to be a servant on a regular basis for anything.
　And yet she tries to do both the training of an assassin's assistant and the work of a servant in this way.

''Tart, you're really doing a great job.

He's not talented or intuitive.
　But she's hardworking and honest to all intents and purposes. That's why she keeps growing and is reliable.

So, I owe my life to Master Lugue.

It's not a sycophantic remark to my employer, it comes from the bottom of my heart.
　I stand up and stroke the tart's soft blonde hair. Then the tart leans his weight on me as if to spoil me.

'I'm glad. I need the tart.'

Every time I say I need her, she seems really happy and will endure even the hardest training.
　In fact, in just two years, she has grown up to be an assassin, and she's become well-educated enough to be the resident servant of a nobleman.

When I explained to my father that I was going to pick her up and raise her as an assistant assassin, I made two promises to him.

First, I would take personal responsibility for guiding her. My father would not be involved in Tart's education.
　Two, that I would be responsible for killing her if she betrayed me because I was giving her the skills of Touahade out of the gate, and I would be responsible for killing her if she betrayed me.

The first is probably because teaching them helps them understand better.
　The second also makes sense. It's dangerous to give skills to something that isn't your blood relative.

....Only, the tart will not betray you.
　Because of how we met in the first place, she is fascinated by me.
　In addition, she has spent two years applying the brainwashing techniques she possessed before her reincarnation to make me feel her absolute loyalty.
　Tart's emotions towards me appear to be worship and loyalty, and from the outside, romantic feelings, but those feelings don't exist.
　They are a hindrance to our relationship.

'Your husband told me to come to the study when I finished eating. He said he had something special to tell you.
All right. Let's go.

Is it a special story?
　Is it finally time for a real battle instead of a training exercise?
　I'm grown enough and I've got an assistant.
　I was confident that I could do whatever it took to accomplish the task.