Chapter 121 : Chapter 121

Chapter 121: The Secret Envoy from the Imperial Capital

The shop wasn’t very spacious.

The two people sat across from each other at a small table tucked in the inner corner.

“Yes, come on in.”

…Damn it.

I ended up coming in like this after all.

I sat down at an empty seat that caught my eye, stealing a glance at the two.

‘An old man, a young woman.’

Their faces weren’t clearly visible under their robes.

Both were cautiously scanning their surroundings, but they didn’t notice that I was watching

them.

Tap.

“Enjoy your meal.”

At that moment, the server placed a deep bowl in front of me and left.

The hot steam rising from the bowl warmed my face.

This place didn’t seem to offer much choice in the way of food.

“What if he’s left Conwell?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. He’s the one who made the greatest contribution in the civil war. The lord must have promised him immense rewards. Some Conwell citizens I’ve run into now and then were confidently saying he’d receive a title and settle here.”

“I heard somewhere that in the Empire, there are people who transcend worldly matters and live freely. They’re called ascetics, right? Kind of like the Wild Dogs and Sewer Rats…”

“Hmph. Your voice is too loud, Cecil. Let’s eat for now.”

Hmm, this pretty much confirmed that the person they were looking for was me.

But who were they?

People are secretly tracking me like this…

It was then.

“Pfft!”

“Keck!”

It happened almost simultaneously.

As if choking, they sprayed the food in their mouths onto each other’s faces.

How’s the taste of hell’s monstrosity, you careless fools?

“Ahem, ahem!”

“S-Sorry…”

The burly blacksmiths sitting around glanced at the two.

Under their gazes, the pair kept bowing their heads repeatedly.

Such spineless, insignificant people were secretly following me?

I couldn’t get a read on what kind of people they were.

Bang.

The sound of the door opening made my head turn instinctively.

It wasn’t just me—everyone’s eyes in the shop shot toward the door.

The man who entered made the burly blacksmiths around him look small with his sheer size alone.

An overwhelming presence.

His face wasn’t visible at first due to the light behind him, but the moment I saw his bulk, chills ran down my spine.

‘Bolero.’

For some reason, I pulled the brim of my hood forward.

It was probably the compulsion to stay quiet until the coronation ceremony had ingrained itself in me.

“Hic!”

“Eek!”

The room fell silent.

Like thieves caught red-handed, the old man and the woman screamed at the same time.

“Heh heh heh. Found you, you little rats.”

Bolero smirked, lifting only one corner of his mouth, his white teeth and scalp glinting simultaneously.

He strode over and yanked off the robes of the old man and the woman at the same time.

“Eek!”

“You puny little things, not even worth a punch. You dared to steal a holy relic?”

…Petty thieves?

“N-No, it’s a misunderstanding! It’s actually not like that…”

“Misunderstanding, my foot. Deli! Krnock! Get in here and search these two thoroughly. I might break their bones if I touch them.”

Two bald men and women in monastic robes entered from outside.

They seemed to be Solari priests, their eyes brimming with determination.

“Ahem, uh, in someone else’s shop…”

“Sorry about that. We’ll be quick, so don’t give us too much grief. You folks, just mind your food and don’t pay us any attention.”

When Bolero spoke soothingly, everyone turned their heads and looked away.

The rugged blacksmiths had all turned into docile sheep in an instant.

“Found it!”

The male priest said.

He handed something shiny, pulled from inside the old man’s robe, to Bolero.

Bolero’s face instantly flushed red, as if it might burst.

“Hahaha… Man, this old geezer must have no attachment to life, huh? Guess I’ll have to beat him until he wants to live.”

“I-I’ll explain everything. J-Just, let’s get out of here first.”

From what I overheard earlier, the old man had gone to the Litania Order looking for me but came up empty-handed.

This was getting interesting.

Mysterious thieves looking for me had gotten caught red-handed by Bolero and were about to get beaten to death.

As I watched, the female thief suddenly let out a trembling, tearful voice.

“N-No way. Orlen, is this for real…? Did you really steal it?”

“Cecil, I’ll explain, so don’t get any weird ideas.”

“How could you! The honor of the Imperial Family…”

“Cecil!”

The old man’s sharp rebuke brought a chilling silence for a moment.

Bolero, despite appearances, was quick on the uptake.

He probably caught the same word I did and perked up.

“You’d better come quietly, you thieving cats.”

Bolero went outside first, with the two priests each grabbing one of them and following.

I kept a low profile, left a generous amount of silver coins on the table, and stealthily followed them.

* * *

Bolero stopped in a dimly lit alley.

There was an open space in front of a dead end, the kind of place anyone could tell was perfect for something secretive to go down.

‘He sure knows how to find a spot like this.’

Was it his street-fighter instincts?

I muttered to myself while glancing at the ground below.

I had followed them by the rooftop, concealing my presence, so even someone like Bolero wouldn’t notice me.

“Deli, Krnock. Stand guard out there and make sure no one comes in.”

“Yes, Priest.”

The two priests turned and ran off without a word.

Bolero waited until they were completely out of sight before slowly opening his mouth.

“Alright, let’s continue, you little thieves.”

“….”

I sat cross-legged, arms folded, watching.

It felt like I was getting a free show.

“B-Before that…”

“Hm?”

“Are you really Bolero, the Solari priest? The martial priest called the Fist King around the Imperial Capital?”

“You’re an ill-mannered old man. Get a grip on the situation. Shouldn’t you introduce yourselves before asking who I am?”

“If you hear our circumstances… you’ll understand.”

Bolero crossed his arms in front of his chest and let out a heavy snort, as if venting his boiling anger as steam.

“Fine, I’m Bolero. Listen up, old man. If you spout nonsense one more time, I’ll crack your skull open. You know you’ve got no excuses if you die here, right? Stealing a Solari holy relic wasn’t enough, and you dared mention the Imperial Family and worst of all, you pissed me off. Any one of those is enough to cost you your life, and you’ve done all three.”

The woman standing next to the old man wobbled on her legs.

Even from here, I could see her trembling visibly.

…Well, Bolero wouldn’t go easy on a woman either.

“We are officials from the Imperial Household Agency.”

“…The Imperial, what?”

“We were sent here on a special mission from Chief Attendant Ternien, who serves His Highness Aleos!”

The old man thrust his arm forcefully toward Bolero’s face, showing something like a badge.

“Wha…”

Bolero stared at the old man’s hand, his mouth gradually opening, blinking as if his soul had left him.

My expression might’ve been somewhat similar.

‘Not petty thieves, but officials from the Imperial Capital?’

Had my instincts dulled from not wielding a sword for so long?

Anyway, that aside, why were these people after me?

“Why would the Imperial Household Agency steal a Solari holy relic…?”

“Ahem, ahem! W-Well, my apologies for that. Since we’re not accustomed to such tasks, we needed proof for the Attendant that we hadn’t neglected our mission, and it just so happened that the item we grabbed was something valuable…”

At that moment, the woman beside him, perhaps relieved, gave a shy smile.

“Orlen, I almost lost faith in you. I thought you stole it for personal gain.”

“Hey, enough of that.”

Bolero barely regained his composure, now looking like he was trying to figure out how to process this situation.

I felt the same.

I had no connection to the Imperial Capital right now.

“My name is Orlen, and this is Cecil.”

“…Please forgive my earlier rudeness.”

“No, I did something to cause a misunderstanding first.”

“By the way, what brings the Imperial Household Agency to a place so far away…?”

“Oh, right.”

The old man slowly stroked the white beard peeking out from his robe, as if hesitating about where to begin.

“According to our information, Bolero, you’re close friends with Bihen Benkou. Is that correct?”

It was the woman named Cecil.

Her voice was bold now, as if she had nothing to fear.

“…Of course. We fought together.”

I narrowed my eyes to get a better look at Cecil’s face.

She gave Orlen a subtle glance, as if asking, ‘Is it okay to say?’

Orlen spoke up, as if it were his turn.

“We have an urgent message from Attendant to deliver to Sir Bihen.”

“The Attendant, to Bihen? What kind…?”

“If it were something we could easily reveal, we wouldn’t have been branded as thieves. The situation is extremely urgent. Could you possibly bring Sir Bihen here? Please, I beg you.”

Bolero and I simultaneously rubbed our chins. Telepathy, perhaps?

“Hmm, you’re not asking me to deliver a message but to bring him here… Well, for starters, I don’t even know where Bihen is right now. His whereabouts are strictly confidential among Conwell’s higher-ups and more importantly, Bihen is an Imperial citizen. Even if I find him, it’s questionable whether he’d come along just because Attendant is looking for him.”

“Sigh… Bolero, isn’t there some way?”

“Ahem. How about coming with me instead? Bihen will show up for the coronation anyway…”

“N-No, that’s impossible!”

“…What?”

“T-That’s absolutely not an option! Even now, we’re being watched…”

At that moment, a frantic shout from the alley’s entrance cut off Orlen’s words.

“P-Priest—!”

The two priests Bolero had sent earlier came running, out of breath.

The problem was what followed.

A group of shadows rapidly closed in, alternating between kicking off the walls of the buildings on either side.

And then.

‘…Below!’

Thud—Boom!

It was at my feet.

Someone burst through the roof’s wall, surging upward.

A gleaming blade whipped through the dust.

Kiiing—!

It slashed right above my head in an instant.

Not an ordinary foe.

They’d managed to slip into my range while radiating killing intent.

Tch!

No choice in a pinch.

Blood Points infused with the subtleties of Kampringen.

Guided by Ghost Eye, I grabbed the attacker’s arm directly.

Crack!

Clang—

Even with their bones broken, they didn’t make a sound.

Only the metallic clatter of the dropped sword echoed.

Wearing a robe and a mask, all that was visible were the heavily wrinkled corners of their eyes.

“Who are you?”

“…Tch.”

They were blatantly trained as assassins.

But getting people like this to talk was my specialty.

I placed one knee on the center of their back and leaped down.

Thud—!

“Haaagh!”

“Kyaaa!”

Orlen and Cecil nearby screamed.

I’d deal with them later.

Boom—!

Two figures rushed at Bolero, but by the time I turned my head, each was already caught by the neck in Bolero’s hands.

Crack!

With a gruesome sound of bones snapping, both their heads went limp.

‘Wait, if he just kills them outright…’

No helping it.

I flipped over the one pinned under my knee.

‘…’

This one was already dead, eyes rolled back. Hmm.

“Hey, Bihen! Didn’t expect to run into you like this!”

It was Bolero.

I’d forgotten my robe had come off when I landed.

Oh well, no big deal. I wasn’t planning to stay hidden forever anyway.

“Haaagh!”

“Kyaaa!”

Orlen and Cecil’s screams were even louder than before.

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