I got a job and a fiancé

In this world, there is a position called a song beggar.

The reason why she used the somewhat ominous phrase "in this world" was because it seemed that Nea Harley was a lost child who had been summoned from another world, but at this point, that wasn't a big issue.

Of course, it is a very important part of the history of the person called Nea Harley.

However, it was a rather serious problem that was difficult to change, and Nea had decided that she was currently in a situation where she had no time to think about it, so she decided to quickly put a lid on the fact so as not to end up with a stomachache in her new home.

This woman, who would do anything to stop at nothing, prioritized immediate safety over the nobility of who she was.

However, there are some very sad circumstances that force us to do so.

In this world, it is assumed that visitors who are dropped off from unknown places are, without exception, possessing rare beauty or magical abilities, but unfortunately, Nea was a very average person who did not meet any of the criteria for a lost child.

As a result, she was not recognized as a lost child when she was picked up.

(It's an incredibly sad story, but this seems to be a wealthy country, and they apparently have a solid system in place to help people without relatives. If I can get a job that will allow me to support myself, I don't think there's any need to cause trouble...)

The reason why Nea, who had been protected, made this decision was probably because of the job placement that was currently taking place in front of her.

I made the decision after being read a written oath about the profession of song begging, a job I had never heard of before, and I had no regrets about my full-blown laissez-faire attitude.

(...song begging...)

I once again ruminated on the job title I had just heard.

The job of song begging that was offered to Nea, who was in such a position, was apparently a very special occupation, even though it was well known in this world.

Fortunately, they have a good chance of gaining social prestige and privileges, and they make a good living.

It seems like a much more wonderful position, offering far more freedom than accidentally revealing your identity and being collected as a rare lost animal, or being held captive under the pretext of protection.

Thinking this, Nea chuckled to herself, and was currently in a luxurious room in a magnificent building, meeting people she had never met before and receiving instruction on how to behave in the future in order to become a song beggar.

(...The culture here doesn't seem all that different from the country where I was born and raised. Even though it's a world where people travel by carriage, there are knights, magic, the plumbing is solid, and it seems like the indoor spaces are heated...)

Thinking about such things, Nea was sitting in a plush, luxurious chair. Just a few hours ago she was in her own mansion in the country where she was born and raised.

It was a quiet, still morning.

Nea, or Nea Harley, noticed that there was no more tea in the house, and with a frown, she brought over the remains of the tea bag she had boiled the night before. She wondered if she could squeeze it into hot water to make tea-flavored water, and she glanced sadly at the stove, which she couldn't light.

Still, this morning I have some thinly sliced buttered toast.

I had to give up tea to buy the butter, but what a happy day it was to think that I would be able to enjoy the golden brown butter soaking into the baked bread for the first time in a month.

Sometimes humans must make sacrifices for the greater good.

This morning, I exchanged it for buttered toast for a tea bag that had been so overused that it no longer colored the water.

However, the season when things get expensive is fast approaching.

Thinking that perhaps it was time to try out the things growing in the gardens and parks to see if they could be used to make a fragrant tea, she closed her eyes for a moment, wondering if she would continue to live like this, alone and in poverty, for the rest of her life. Her heart ached with loneliness, but when she opened them again, she found himself standing alone in a beautiful forest.

And now I'm being introduced to a job in a completely unfamiliar world, so you never know what life has in store for you.

This facility, which houses the Nea protected in the forest, seems to be something like a villa.

The people who protected Nea didn't go into great detail about the history and customs of this land, as she was unfamiliar with them, but instead prioritized washing her hands and feet and changing into warm clothes appropriate for the land.

In that respect, it seems that the country is full of very gentlemanly people.

After getting ready, I was shown to a room that was even more magnificent with a high ceiling than I had expected from a villa.

The walls and pillars, a color that seems to be a blend of white and an infinitely transparent light blue, are made of stone that I have never seen before, and the carved sculptures and colorful ceiling paintings are beautiful and luxurious, as if they were from another world.

However, what caught Nea's eye more than the man-made luxury was the indescribably beautiful deep forest outside the window.

It is said that fairies and spirits have lived in this forest since ancient times, and from this window you can see beautiful lights floating about in the depths of the forest.

Remembering the beauty of the forest she had seen before she was rescued, Nea was excited by the extravagance of the scenery that could only be described as another world, and was itching to explore such a beautiful forest.

If possible, I would have preferred to be given a little more free time in the forest before being protected.

(beautiful...…)

There must be some bad and scary things in that deep and old forest.

But beyond that is the realm of fairy tales.

It would be impossible to ask Nea, who has wandered into this world from a world without any magic, not to be curious.

"The song beggar must carefully consider the content of the pledge with the country, depending on the nature of the monster they are making the contract with. The first thing to do is to complete the contract."

The one who told this to the rather unfortunate song-beggar, whose gaze immediately wandered towards the window, was a girl who said she was a shrine maiden of oracles.

She is a beautiful girl with black hair and golden yellow eyes, but when you combine that with the way she speaks, which hints at the cunning of a long life, unfortunately, the impression of her cuteness disappears.

Nea carefully organized the details of the pledge she had been given in her mind because she was wary of this girl's cunning and should not be fooled by her childish appearance.

"Song beggars summon monsters with songs, make a contract with them, and receive benefits according to the monster's characteristics. ...From the impression I get from the word monster, will there be any troublesome negative effects on us?"

It wouldn't do any good to be seen as cautious.

(But this is a different world to me, so there are so many things I don't know, which is a big problem...)

Nea asks timidly, trying to come across as timid.

For some reason, I suddenly realized that I would be living here forever.

And I'm sure that I'd be more disappointed if I was told that this was just a dream.

So I thought it would be great if that premonition came true.

(If you think about living here, it's inevitable that you'll have to ask lots of questions to gather information.)

If that's the case, then if you can get them to recognize that you're a timid and cautious person while asking questions, then even if you make a huge mistake, they'll probably be more lenient with you because it didn't seem like you were very good to begin with.

After all, the people facing Nea were all people who likely held important political positions and seemed to be skilled in these types of negotiations.

It may be natural since they are accepting people of unknown origin into their territory, but it would not be good to make such people wary of them by saying or doing unnecessary things.

I know it's cunning, so please forgive me as it's the best way a weak, ordinary person can get by in life.

Given the handicaps of being in another world, perhaps it's okay to be cunning like that sometimes - Nea thought, accepting her own cunningness and stealing a glance at the baked goods on the table with envy.

It's been a while since Nea, who couldn't even buy tea, has come across something so wonderful, but now is not the time to fill her stomach.

"That's true. Without exception, mirror monsters become extremely attached to the song beggar. They are drawn to them, after all. So, regardless of the gender or race of the monster you make a contract with, you will not be able to find a spouse or children. But you will receive protection that more than fills your loneliness, so song beggars are truly blessed."

(...Suddenly, all normal happiness was shut down...)

Since this was the condition that was first brought up, this was probably the least of the drawbacks, and Nea felt like gazing into the distance.

Although she could already sense a slight stomachache, she simply muttered "Well," still putting on a harmless smile.

Incidentally, in the world Nea has lived in, she has never suddenly encountered former royalty or shrine maidens, so she is careful with what she says, as she thinks that speaking too much like a commoner might be seen as disrespectful, but unfortunately she does not have the foundation for aristocratic behavior to use in serious conversation, so she is sure to make some mistakes eventually.

But fortunately, for some reason this way of speaking felt very familiar to me.

It was much easier to keep a certain distance and speak politely than to speak in the same casual language as everyone else, something she had been forcing herself to do up until then, believing that this was how normal should be, and Nea felt a little happy about this small discovery.

It's a different world.

Because it is a different world, you can start your life over again as a brand new person.

There was something exciting and mysteriously appealing about being able to throw away all the troubles and suffering I had been carrying and rebuild myself from scratch in an unfamiliar world.

For example, you might be assigned a mysterious job that you don't really understand.

And even if they weren't allowed to have a family, those things were taken away from them and never came back.

So, this time for sure.

I can only dream a little, hoping that this time it will work out.

However, to do that, one first needs a foundation strong enough to greedily enjoy that environment, but if one has nothing, that's a relief in itself, the careless Nea sighed.

There was poverty there too.

Fortunately, it seems like I'll be given work here, so if I don't have any, I can just build it from scratch.

Even if something goes wrong and I end up feeling disheartened, just being able to see the magic and fairies that only existed in storybooks in such a beautiful world will allow me to finally say with pride that I have no regrets about my life.

(First, should I choose a monster to be my partner for this job? If so, if I can successfully make a contract with that monster, it might become my most trustworthy companion...?)

Although I am prepared to give up completely if I fail, I want to do as well as possible.

Thinking this, Nea told herself that she would carefully assess the people she would meet from now on.

Dropped into this unfamiliar world, the first thing Nea tried to do was to stay calm.

In a situation like this, I thought that the most troublesome thing would be to make a fuss as a foreigner and be suspected of being mentally unstable, so I tried to avoid that, but the situation had developed so suddenly that I no longer had any criteria to judge who could be trusted or not.

(I've already learned that this is a different world where magic exists and monsters exist, and that this country is governed by a monarchy. ...And then, I learned the meaning of the word "lost child." I also learned about the occupation of "song beggar" and its explanation. ...But, I've only been here for about half a day, so maybe I shouldn't make any hasty judgments... Also, I wonder if they serve delicious food...)

The reason she knew that this country, Verclair, was a monarchy was because the person sitting across from Nea was none other than a member of the royal family.

In reality, he had already given up his right of succession as the second prince, and now wields independent authority as a mysterious highest ranking magician of some organization whose name was too difficult to remember, and whose special title she couldn't quite remember.

Additionally, an organization run by this man named Adalia appears to be in charge of controlling the song beggars.

Each country is limited to one such song beggar at a time, and the country of Verclair has just lost its previous song beggar, who was the third prince's fiancée.

Furthermore, it seems likely that Adalia is very dissatisfied with Nea, the new singer.

With pale silver hair and auburn eyes with olive green irises, his beautiful face revealed a faint smile, but underneath it a cold look of disgust could be seen.

(I had a bad feeling the moment I saw this color scheme.)

From what I know from storybooks, a harmless, pure-bred, kind-hearted prince would never look like this.

Horrified by this overwhelming prejudice, Nea secretly sighed in her heart, realizing that her premonition had come true.

(I don't really understand, but since he has such clear, sharp eyes, I'm sure he has some mysterious, otherworldly talent and can at least guess at my potential from my raw materials. Not to mention, if he were a highest-ranking magician... he'd probably analyze it even more deeply. Hmm, I'm sorry...)

Even though he had stepped down from the throne, there was no doubt that this man was in a position that involved him in part of national politics, something that Nea could never understand.

The quality of the song begging performed by the one person in a nation will likely have a significant effect on the balance of power.

Even Nea could tell how serious the situation was, since they were welcomed in a carriage with eight horses and the royal crest.

If that is the case, then the profession of song begging must be an important role that contributes to the national interest to some extent.

I think I understand myself well, so I would like to apologize and say that unfortunately I don't seem to have the necessary qualifications, but if I apologize, it will become clear that I understand the subtleties of the matter.

I'm sure that if this sorry cat is exposed and it becomes known that she is incompetent, she will face strong criticism.

Nea had learned enough to realize how safe it was to not know, even in her original world where she was never exposed to such dangers.

A long, long time ago, Nea was the only child to survive, selected for her ignorance because she was still young.

That's why they are adept at staying vigilant, hiding, and secretly observing their surroundings.

"The previous one passed away at a very young age."

Since I don't want the negotiations to come to a halt, I deliberately ask without reading the atmosphere.

Judging from the words of the Oracle Priestess named Einbrea, it seems that there are still secrets to be revealed about the position of Song Beggar.

"Your predecessor, Alistel, served for three years. Of all the song beggars in the past, and of all the song beggars in this country, she captured the highest-ranking monsters. That probably meant there were many times when she had to wear herself down. However, looking at the elements of your magic, I don't think you'll be able to capture a monster on Alistel's level. If you leave the front lines to the other song beggars and stay in the rear, you won't be worn down as much."

"...what?"

I was shocked by the ominous words and the unfamiliar words, but the former Prince of Adaria was replaced by the shrine maiden princess Einbrea who took over the explanation.

"A song beggar can receive a boon from the monster they make a contract with, in the form of the magic of that monster's control. However, for each boon, they must grant the monster's wish in return. For some reason, the wishes of the monster they make a contract with don't harm the song beggar, but the monster's wishes still hurt the song beggar, and they are very selfish. ...And this is more pronounced the higher the monster, but the monster you make a contract with won't be much of a threat."

"Umm, I heard that there can only be one song-beggar in a country."

"There is only one song beggar who is chosen by oracle and serves as the face of the nation. However, the job of song beggar itself is not that rare. It is natural that a song beggar who appears among the people will work to make a living or serve the country."

At this point, Nea realized one thing.

It seems that the expression "appeared" is used when asking for a song.

Since he doesn't say he became a song beggar, it may not be a profession that can be desired and achieved.

"But you look like a foreigner. Judging from your appearance and the way you looked when I found you, I wonder if you're a servant who has run away from somewhere? Where were you born?"

"ah..."

Fortunately, through that exchange I was able to gain some knowledge about what a lost child was, and I was relieved that they weren't able to find out the details.

I couldn't immediately come up with a safe name for the country, so when I tell them the truth, the two of them tilted their heads in confusion.

"I've never heard of that country before, but after the great powers that were constantly at war were defeated in the west, several new small countries were established. They are emerging countries, perhaps."

"Maybe. Sorry, I don't really know. I suddenly found myself lost in this country, so I don't know how I got here."

It was extremely suspicious, but the absoluteness of oracles written from the wisdom of magic was unshakable, and no matter how suspicious Nea's circumstances were, it seemed that this treatment would not change.

"There are also slave trades that use teleportation. It seems that poor teleportation can damage memories and conditions. You are probably one of the victims. It doesn't matter if your history cannot be traced."

"Hmm... But is it really okay to entrust the duties of a nation to such an unknown person?"

"You don't have much of a sense of magic, so you probably wouldn't understand, but oracles are verbal magic. Once they are expressed in words, they are bound by the laws of magic. No matter what happens, the fact remains that you are the song beggar of this country."

The number of confusing and scary rules had increased, and Nea felt like holding her head in her hands.

Being an optimistic person, I don't usually read the details of documents such as certificates in my daily life, but this doesn't seem like a kind world.

(Give me the manual!)

And it was immediately after that that Adaria made a bombshell remark to Nea, who was overwhelmed and troubled by the number of unique and mysterious things in this world.

"By the way, due to a troublesome custom, you will be my fiancée for a while from now. The lifespan of a song beggar is short, so you can think of this as a temporary position for the time being. However, for someone with your upbringing, this will likely be a burden. I will release you when the time is right, so I would like you to bear with me for a while."

(That's a declaration that you can't stand yourself, so you're going to take away my status, which is supposed to be my barrier...)

He must be a beautiful man.

For Nea, who has no tendency to self-harm, the position of being his fiancée was not appealing in the slightest.

However, as a very powerless person, I think I need as much security in a title as possible.

In this case, if there is going to be a reward, it might be best to quickly organize your affairs and escape.

If she pretended to have died in an accident somewhere, they would probably be happy and not pursue the matter further.

Thinking this, Nea struggled not to frown at the number of problems that lay ahead, and began plotting evil in her mind.

Blissfully, they are unaware that what they are dealing with here is not an innocent, childish girl, but an evil human being.

(...But, since there are mysterious tools like oracles and things I don't really understand, wouldn't a lie like that be exposed immediately in this world?)

"Don't worry, we'll help you select the monster you want to summon. We have some connections in this country too. We can also assign monsters that other song beggars are familiar with."

However, as soon as I was comforted like that, my mind was made up.

(...If things continue like this, the opportunity to gain my only ally will be closed.)

You just need to avoid being targeted by the demons of people who aren't kind to you.

This will likely be an important turning point that will determine Nea's future fate.

(First of all, I have to hold on here, even if it means dying...)

That day, I was almost in tears at the unreasonable turn of events, but I made a weak resolve.

Indeed, that choice greatly changed Nea's destiny.