Chapter 36: You, Go Spy on the Emperor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 36: You, Go Spy on the Emperor
Just as Thanatos stepped out of the palace, a scene was unfolding in a corner of Carlos Lilanka.
"Aaaah! You bastard, Edward! Tell me where my Xiao Baibai is right now! It’s been exactly two days, three hours, and twenty-eight minutes since I last got my fix of that sweet, soft little loli...!"
Cecilia was currently pinning Edward to the ground, her dagger dancing dangerously close to his throat.
"Stop, stop, stop! Cecilia, calm down, hey! I don't even know where Miss Bai went myself, so how am I supposed to tell you? Whoa, wait—put the knife down! Put it down!"
Edward struggled with all his might, trying to escape the threat of Cecilia’s blade.
"Anyway, the mission that old geezer Roland assigned is finished. Since he’s not here, I can just gut you right now, can't I...?"
"Holy crap, for the love of god, woman, don't say such terrifying things! I really don't have any info to cough up... Wait, wait, wait! Put the knife down already!!"
Just as Cecilia was about to plunge the dagger into Edward’s neck and arrange an early grave for him, a familiar voice drifted over.
"Edward?"
Hearing the voice, Edward immediately whipped his head around.
"Ellie!?"
It was indeed Ellie. She looked at the two of them with a confused expression.
"What... what are you two doing?"
Hearing the commotion, Cecilia abruptly froze her dagger mid-air. After glancing at the newcomer, she quickly analyzed the situation.
Then, the corners of Cecilia’s mouth curled into a smirk.
Under Edward’s incredulous gaze, her eyes turned slightly red, a bitter smile tugged at her lips, and her voice began to tremble softly.
"Edward-gege... so that's how it is. I was so stupid; I never realized... I always thought that because you were so gentle with me, I was at least a little bit special to you. Now I finally understand. That kindness was probably just because you're a good person—you're like that to everyone... Even what you promised me that day was just... to save me from embarrassment, wasn't it?"
Thump.
Edward’s heart nearly stopped.
Son of a...
This woman was trying to get him killed!
In the silence that followed, it felt to him like Ellie had gone quiet. Sensing that things were going south, Edward broke into a cold sweat.
"Ellie! Don't listen to her nonsense! She’s not some ordinary girl; she’s a total maniac! Look at her hand! Look, she’s still clutching a knife! Help me, for real!"
As he spoke, Edward stole a glance at Ellie.
Contrary to his fears, Ellie wasn't provoked by Cecilia’s words. Instead, she gave a soft laugh and spoke in a natural tone.
"Alright now, little sister. I know Edward is incapable of doing something like that. Besides, the 'sincerity' in your words feels a bit thin. You can't fake the look in someone's eyes or the tone of their voice when they truly like someone. What you just said sounded more like you were reciting lines from a script."
Bam!
For a split second, Edward thought he heard the sound of someone’s heart taking a direct punch.
"Ellie, while I'm glad you're standing by me at a time like this, that’s not the main issue right now..."
As he spoke, Edward jerked his head aside, just barely dodging the dagger that came crashing down.
Looking at Cecilia’s dark, silent expression and the crater the dagger had smashed into the ground beside him, he felt twelve-tenths doomed.
However, Ellie wasn't finished.
"Little sister, since you're so good at saying things like that, have you been masking your true feelings like this all along?"
In that moment, Edward suddenly felt that the weather today was exceptionally refreshing.
Cr-crack...
The dagger, which had been buried in the ground, was now being forced through the stone by Cecilia’s sheer strength, inching its way toward Edward’s head.
"Ellie, I beg you, stop talking! Someone’s gonna die! Crap! The knife! The knife is moving toward me!!!"
Just as Edward’s head was about to be pulverized by the encroaching blade, another familiar voice saved him.
"Edward... and Cecilia. What are you doing here?"
Hearing this voice, the ominous and terrifying Cecilia stopped her movements.
"Oh, if it isn't Master Roland. What wind blew you here?"
Seeing Cecilia suddenly return to "normal," Edward let out a long-overdue sigh of relief.
"Whew..."
Thwip!
Cecilia yanked the dagger out of the ground with such force that the trajectory of the blade sliced off a lock of Edward’s blonde hair.
Looking at the shaken Edward, Roland’s expression was somewhat complicated.
"Sigh. Cecilia, come here. I have business with you. As for Edward... you stay here by yourself for a bit."
With that, Roland led Cecilia away from the scene.
Once Cecilia was far enough away, Edward scrambled up from the ground, panting.
"Phew... I really thought I was a goner... Right, Ellie, you—"
Suddenly, the gentle and cute Ellie underwent a total shift in atmosphere.
With a plastic smile, she grabbed Edward by the ear. Her tone was sweet, but it didn't contain a hint of warmth.
"Alright, now that there’s no one else around... Edward-gege, would you mind telling me what that 'little sister' was all about?"
*
"Master Roland, I wonder why you called me here so suddenly~"
Cecilia followed behind Roland with a beaming smile, as if the heart-stopping scene from moments ago had never happened.
Step.
Roland stopped in a dark alleyway. After a moment of thought, he turned to face Cecilia.
"Cecilia, it seems you completed the previous mission very well. As per our agreement, I will arrange a legal identity for you to stay in Carlos Lilanka, along with a residence."
Hearing this, Cecilia became even more delighted.
"Oh my, it was nothing! This little lady didn't really do much. I just hacked a few minor undead. I wasn't even the one who solved that big crisis at the end."
Roland looked confused.
"The crisis at the end wasn't solved by you two?"
Faced with Roland’s question, Cecilia struck a thinking pose as she recalled the events.
"Hmm... I only remember a bunch of gold-glittering undead popping up at the end. They were immune to holy attacks—totally terrifying. But those golden undead only appeared for a few seconds before a massive shockwave wiped them all out. The scene was so intense that neither Edward nor I could react in time."
A group of undead immune to holy magic... and a massive shockwave that insta-killed them?
"Did those undead eventually resurrect?"
"No."
Roland immediately fell into deep thought.
A group of undead immune to holy magic was terrifying enough. But what was even more frightening was that someone could kill them all and even suppress their resurrection...
That’s at least at the level of a God. Could it be someone from the Wheel of Fate?
After a moment of reflection, Roland decided to set the matter aside for now.
"Don't worry about that for now. Cecilia, I called you here because there is something else."
Cecilia immediately looked surprised.
"Eh? Am I not retired yet...?"
Ignoring Cecilia’s feigned look of sorrow, Roland continued.
"This time, you will be assigned to another dangerous mission. If you succeed, I will recommend you to a better place—somewhere you will have access to more resources and opportunities."
Faced with Roland’s promise, Cecilia looked a bit dejected.
"Ehhh... more work? And the terms of your promise are way too vague. I don't want to go..."
"In that place, I can ensure you will be able to ignore the threats of the Assassin Association. You might even have the chance to strike back at them."
Hearing this, Cecilia’s eyes suddenly lit up.
"Strike back? As in, kill them all? Master Roland, you aren't joking, are you?"
"I am not."
Roland paused for a beat.
"I guarantee it on my status as the Royal Chief Alchemist."
Having received Roland’s confirmation, Cecilia’s tone immediately became much more cheerful.
"Since Master Roland is so certain, this little lady will reluctantly accept. By the way, what exactly is the mission?"
Roland looked at the smiling Cecilia and spoke at a measured pace.
"Infiltrate the Golden Dragon and spy on Emperor Atoris."