Chapter 12
Chapter 12
“Why did Your Highness the princess take part in such a dangerous matter?”
Before we began the investigation, I asked her why she was personally involved.
This was strictly something that should have been handled by one of the imperial departments, the Security Division.
Of course, I already knew the reason.
Because of her memories from her previous life.
Still, I wanted to hear it from her own mouth.
Written words and spoken words carried different weight.
“I’m a royal. Isn’t it only natural that I step forward when my people are suffering?”
“What a noble answer.”
“…I, I mean, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
She turned her head away slightly, looking embarrassed.
Even so, she wasn’t fooling anyone.
“Anyway! Let’s change our clothes first. If we go like this, the criminals will notice us right away.”
“Understood, Your Highness Yuria.”
“Ah, so that’s why you prepared these plain clothes.”
Cecilia Sylvester pulled a large leather bag out of the carriage.
As expected, the princess had prepared everything thoroughly.
“But even if we change clothes, what about our hair and eye colors?”
That was the real issue.
In the Rosehill Empire, white hair and golden eyes belonged only to the royal family.
Blue hair and heterochromatic blue-purple eyes belonged only to House Sylvester.
“Wigs and contact lenses should be enough, right?”
Smack.
“?? Damian, why did you just hit your own forehead?”
Right. I had forgotten something important.
The problem with this investigation was exactly that.
Wigs and contact lenses.
“These things can come off from even minor impacts, Your Highness.”
That was the core issue.
We were heading into a criminal investigation. We could not ignore the possibility of exposure.
“If a wig slips off or a lens falls out, even one of us, the disguise is over.”
“If we secure them tightly…”
“Have you two ever actually used these kinds of disguises before?”
If you avoid intense movement, wigs and lenses can work fine.
But during running or combat, wigs easily fall off.
And if someone trips or gets hit, lenses can easily dislodge.
That’s why professionals used specialized disguise tools designed not to come off under any condition.
Because exposure meant failure.
“…In short, those aren’t suitable for this operation.”
“So what, we just go back?”
“No. There is a solution. An artifact.”
Mercenary work sometimes involved infiltration missions.
I had done plenty of them, and I had used many disguises.
But after obtaining artifacts like the Ring of the Wind Spirit, I no longer needed such tools.
“This artifact is called Change Once Image. It can alter the appearance of the user or a designated target.”
“There’s something like that?”
“For mercenaries, artifacts are basically lifelines.”
“Wow… that’s amazing.”
Yuria Rosehill looked curiously at the ring on my left hand, engraved with a clown-like design.
“Is it really okay to show something like that so easily, Sir Damian?”
“I’m already an imperial knight. And I don’t see a reason to hide it from people like Senior Cecilia, who serves the same master as Your Highness.”
We were going to work together from now on. There was no need for secrets.
More importantly, I trusted both Yuria and Cecilia completely.
They would never betray me.
Not unless I betrayed them first.
“Did you just call me your master?”
“You told me to become your knight, didn’t you? Then you are my lord.”
“That’s true, but… I didn’t expect you to accept it so quickly.”
“What I’ve done over the past few days…?”
“Well, that’s just what imperial knights are supposed to do, isn’t it?”
It wasn’t wrong.
Protecting royalty was the duty of an imperial knight.
But what I was doing went beyond that.
I wasn’t just protecting her.
I was eliminating threats at their root.
That was something usually done only to gain a lord’s favor.
‘I thought that was obvious…’
Now that I thought about it, Yuria’s reaction made sense.
She had only seen fragments of what imperial knights did.
Most of her knights had died, been reassigned, or gone missing.
Only Cecilia had remained by her side.
So her understanding was limited.
“Your Highness, imperial knights don’t normally handle investigations or root out conspiracies. We protect the royal family and the palace. That’s all.”
“That’s correct, Your Highness. We don’t go beyond our assigned orders unless explicitly commanded.”
“Is that true, Cecilia?”
“Yes. Only those who serve a lord they personally recognize as their master go beyond that. Exceptions are made only for matters involving His Majesty the Emperor.”
Cecilia was right.
If the Emperor was targeted, imperial knights would immediately investigate and eliminate the source.
Without waiting for orders.
“I see… that’s actually reassuring.”
A soft smile appeared on Yuria’s face.
Not the usual one.
This one was different.
Like a full moon shining clearly in the night sky.
◈
“This artifact is insane…”
Yuria looked at her reflection in the mirror, stretching her cheeks with both hands.
She still couldn’t believe it.
‘She’s kind of cute like this.’
The Yuria I knew was intimidating and cold.
But now, she looked almost harmless.
Maybe this was her true self.
‘My little sister used to be like that too…’
For a moment, I thought of Yuki when she was younger.
She had been cheerful and affectionate back then.
Just like the Yuria in front of me now.
‘Will she go back to being like that when she grows out of it?’
“Sir Damian, what are you thinking about?”
“Both of you change very well. This artifact reflects the image you associate with a person. Sometimes it produces unexpected results.”
“Maybe it just chooses a normal face you’re used to seeing? Even Your Highness ended up like that.”
That was probably true.
Still, it was surprising that both of them turned into such beautiful women.
“Have you ever used that appearance in mercenary work?”
“This one? Yes. During a raid on an illegal slave auction house.”
My current appearance was that of a middle-aged man with a long scar across his right eye.
A rough, intimidating face.
Perfect for infiltration.
“I used it to enter an illegal slave auction operation.”
“That explains it. That face would scare off most people.”
Cecilia nodded.
But then—
“Old man~ if you’re that aged, you should just leave the ladies and go home~”
“Unless you want trouble.”
People still tried to provoke me.
Even like this.
“Excuse me?”
“What was that~? He still doesn’t get it?”
Click.
The man pulled out a dagger hidden in his sleeve.
“Hand over the women behind you. They’ll sell for a good price—”
He lunged.
Fast.
But not fast enough.
Grab.
I caught his wrist mid-strike and twisted it.
“Ghhk?!”
“Pick your targets more carefully next time, friend.”
My instincts confirmed it immediately.
This man was connected to the criminal organization.
And now—
‘I’ll interrogate him and find their base.’
That was all I needed.