The Greenhouse Trap
They are now using flowers as bait, pests disguised as butterflies trying to enter the greenhouse. At my words, King Carlos II seemed to have caught on to something. “…Does that mean the prince has joined hands with those vile groups?”
“Surviving among monsters without any real skill isn’t usually an easy feat. Yet if he’s trying to win over the people by claiming he’s subjugating them, he’ll need a force behind him. For example, he could use the Demon God Worshippers scattered everywhere to stage a convincing performance.”
“That…!”
Carlos II shot up from his seat, ready to speak, but soon seemed to realize my words held merit. He slowly sank back down and let out a deep sigh. “…Is it true? Is there a high possibility of that?”
“I can’t say for certain. But it’s high. Very high. Who am I? The one who trained the Heroes. From what I can see, if he had the talent to awaken in a place crawling with monsters, he would have done so long before. At the very least, someone would have noticed. Did you see any such signs in the prince? Be honest.”
“….”
The king thought for a moment before slowly shaking his head. Of course. That was only natural. If someone with real talent had been in the royal family, the game developers would have dropped some hint. They could have given him decent talent and spun a story about a sword fighting for the king. But there was none of that. So how could someone without talent survive on his own in a monster-infested land? And yet he returns triumphantly, claiming to have subjugated them and riding the wave of public support? That meant there was a hundred percent chance someone was backing him. And if those people were reaching for the royal family, the most likely culprits were the Demon God Worshippers, who had been waiting for a chance to slip into the Royal Capital.
“…Even if you are the Heroes’ master, those words are dangerous. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do. After all, I’m accusing a direct member of the royal line of being a traitor threatening the kingdom.”
“If this turns out to be false, even the Heroes’ master must pay the price.”
“Well, if that’s what you want, I’ll let myself be arrested. Whether my disciples will stand by and watch is another matter, but I’ll do that much. However, Your Majesty.”
I hadn’t only learned martial arts from staying by my master’s side for so long. I had also learned to see the world and its people from a broader, farther perspective. On top of that, I possessed a user’s insight that let me grasp things faster than anyone. From what I could see, the one who was most afraid of and suspicious toward his own son was none other than King Carlos II himself. He simply hadn’t been able to confirm it, and no one had given him the push he needed, so stepping forward himself had been too great a burden.
“Your Majesty. In truth, you already know, don’t you? If there’s a devil here, it’s none other than your son. The one who tried to covet his own sister and sent her to die, only for her to return alive.”
“….”
“Not me. Your son. Or rather, the thing that can no longer be called your son.”
All that was needed in moments like this was a single, gentle push from behind. The ministers could never say such things because of their positions. But I was different. I bore no responsibility for whatever I said here. I wasn’t the king’s subject, and he wasn’t my king.
“That is…”
“Before it’s too late. Or perhaps it already is. He’s supposed to arrive at the Royal Capital by afternoon. We can’t stop his return now, so there are only two options. Either let your son into the palace, or arrest him by royal decree.”
“….”
“The decision is yours, Your Majesty.”
After saying that, I quietly stepped back. I had given him the push, said what he wanted to hear, and reminded him that the choice was his. All that remained was to watch what decision the king would make. If he refused to allow it, I could simply act on my own. I could disguise myself and ambush the prince on his way to the Royal Capital. What if he turned out to be a good person? A man who tried to take his sister by force could never be a good person. But if the king decided, permitted, and carried it out, I could simply watch the situation unfold without any burden before stepping in. After all, if forced to choose between the prince and princess, Carlos II would likely pick the princess. Removing an unstable rival for the throne could even be a golden opportunity.
“…What should I do? I’d like to hear a bit more of your opinion.”
“It’s simple. Stop him before he enters the Royal Capital. Tell him that due to the recent string of disturbing incidents, everyone is being thoroughly searched and inspected. There will surely be those who protest. At that moment, say this: even the Heroes had to disarm and submit to inspection when entering the Royal Capital. If they have nothing to hide, they’ll accept it. If they don’t, then you’ll know what to do.”
“What if they accept without any fuss?”
“Well, it’s possible, but from what I can see, they won’t agree so easily.”
Even with Daisy’s defensive magic, the kingdom’s strongest Royal Guard knights, and brave soldiers, none of it would matter if they didn’t move properly. According to the memories Iris had shared, there had been no real resistance. That was why I suspected enemies were already hidden inside. I had been searching the Royal Capital for traces of them until now. But after hearing Daisy’s words, another possibility had occurred to me. Someone who could enter without any obstruction or search, someone the Royal Capital itself would open its gates wide for. All they had to do was stay close to that person and slip inside quietly. Especially for someone as shady as him, it would be the perfect offering. Everything fit together perfectly.
“…Very well.”
At last, a note of resolve slipped from Carlos II’s lips. Rising from his seat, he immediately began issuing orders.
“Summon the Royal Guard at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“And place all soldiers guarding the Royal Capital on emergency standby.”
“As you command!”
The attendants waiting outside the audience chamber rushed off one after another to deliver the news. Carlos II exhaled deeply, as if organizing his thoughts, then slowly turned to me.
“If your words prove true, then you and your disciples—the Heroes—must also prepare, mustn’t you?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll handle that ourselves.”
My disciples were probably still scouring the Royal Capital for suspicious individuals even now. Even my master was likely hard at work. I hoped they wouldn’t have to worry about this side of things.
When Namgung Hyeon thought his disciples and master were busy searching the Royal Capital, the very same disciples and master were causing an uproar inside a dress shop.
“Grandmaster! Please calm down! Calm down, calm down! Senior! Try to stop her!”
“I don’t particularly want to die along with her.”
“If something really happens, Master will kill us!”
“Ah, I’d rather not.”
Only after Iris’s words did the other Iris finally cling to Cheon Yeon-hwa and try to stop her. Thanks to that, the female clerk who had been caught in the Heavenly Demon’s grasp and had been gasping like she was about to pass out was finally able to escape the threshold of death.
“Grandmaster! It’s not like that. It just means we’ve welcomed an important guest!”
“…Then speaking would have sufficed. Why ring the bell?”
“It must be more effective this way! Please withdraw your killing intent! You’re really going to kill someone at this rate! If a murder happens in the Royal Capital, Master will be in trouble!”
At Iris’s earnest pleas and the mention of Namgung Hyeon, Cheon Yeon-hwa finally relented. Of course, that didn’t mean she had completely dropped her suspicions toward the clerk.
“Hey, are you alright?”
“Cough! Keck! Kehek!”
Of course she wasn’t. She had either nearly suffocated to death or had her neck nearly snapped—either way, the road to the afterlife had been certain. Iris knew exactly what to do in times like this. What could bring someone back from the depths of despair? There were many methods, but right now, this was the best one.
“Here, take this.”
“Keck, kehek! Keck?!”
The clerk, who had barely begun to calm down, started coughing violently again at the sight of what Iris held out. Not one, but ten platinum coins. That was equivalent to her annual salary. Staring at them, the clerk forgot even the moment her life had hung in the balance and thought: whether it was this woman or that woman, they were all customers who deserved the highest treatment.
“I’m sorry. She’s a bit sharp-tongued.”
“Cough! Ah, no! Khek! Keck! I-I must have done something wrong!”
Moderate compensation only stirred anger, but overflowing rewards had a way of covering up mistakes. Knowing this, Iris was able to smooth things over without incident. Meanwhile, other clerks appeared. At first, they looked extremely flustered, wondering what was going on. But after Iris’s generous gesture, they all wiped away their expressions and smiled.
“Welcome, dear customers. Have you come to look at dresses?”
“Yes. I wanted to see if a dress would suit this person.”
Iris made sure not to mention anything about wanting to try one on herself. She only wanted to see the utility of these so-called dresses. Why people wore them, whether they suited someone—that was all. She emphasized this while protecting Cheon Yeon-hwa’s pride. The clerks naturally agreed that it would suit her and guided the three women inside. There, instead of the reasonably priced, reasonably made dresses near the entrance, was a VIP room displaying only the highest-end products.
“I think a red dress like the one you’re looking at now would suit her well.”
“Hmm. What do you think, Grandmaster?”
“How would this seat know anything about such clothes?”
“Just tell me the color. I think both red and black would look good.”
At Iris’s words, Cheon Yeon-hwa was about to say that anything was fine. But then her gaze was unconsciously drawn to one particular dress. She didn’t know why, but that dress strangely caught her attention. Even though it didn’t suit her at all, it kept bothering her.
“…That one.”
“Yes?”
“I want to try that dress on.”
The dress Cheon Yeon-hwa pointed to was pure white. Like the first snow, spotless and pure. It was a garment that gave off an incredibly clean and innocent impression. Looking at it, Cheon Yeon-hwa thought it could never suit someone like her, drenched in blood. Yet, strangely, she couldn’t stop her eyes from being drawn to it.
“….”
Iris watched her for a moment before nodding. “We’ll take that dress, please.”
“Understood, dear customer!!”
“Please be careful when assisting her. She’s a very important person.”
Keeping track of your lives one by one is exhausting. The last part didn’t leave Iris’s mouth.