33
Chapter 33
"What is this 'Blue Mist'? And I have no idea what you're talking about regarding an underwear thief."
"Are you planning to play dumb? I don't want to waste my energy, so I'll just tell you. I met Count Daph today."
I tried to act ignorant to find a way out, but if she had met the Old Man, there was no escape.
Honestly, I'd expected this since she mentioned a true culprit.
After all, no one except the Old Man and myself knew the true identity of the underwear thief.
"How did you find out?"
"Before the rumors even spread through the Academy—before I was even notified—May already knew the culprit had been caught."
So that's where it went wrong.
Come to think of it, May and the Princess had become quite close after my explanation.
I had told May in advance to focus on the selection matches, and it seemed she had relayed everything.
I hadn't thought much of it since the information would have become public within the Academy a day later anyway, but now I regretted not telling her to keep her mouth shut.
"An acquaintance at the Intelligence Agency..."
"Are you still trying that? Even after the incident, not a single staff member, instructor, or trainee has gone missing from the Academy."
"There's no guarantee the culprit was someone from inside the Academy, is there?"
"No. The external security system was operational at the time, so the culprit must be someone from within. Count Daph already spilled everything."
That damn old geezer.
"May was struggling with the rumors, so I was just trying to distract her with another topic. And then your underwear..."
"That's enough. Don't say another word!"
"Yes. I truly had no idea what I was doing. Had I known, I would never have taken your underwear..."
"I told you to stop saying the word 'underwear'!."
Her face turned red, looking as if it might explode at any moment.
..No matter how royal or brilliant she is, an eighteen-year-old girl is still just a girl.
"I'll overlook this incident if you become my exclusive instructor."
"My exclusive instructor?"
"Is that too hard to understand? Just be an instructor solely for me, the way you helped May improve her skills with supplementary lessons."
"I understand that part, but as for being an instructor... are you telling me to return to the Academy?"
"It's currently break, so we'll start at the Training Hall in the Imperial Palace, and then head back to the Academy together once the break ends."
...I had made a mistake, and it was a crime for which I could be executed without complaint, so her offering to overlook it in exchange for my teaching wasn't an unreasonable request.
In fact, there wasn't much to actually teach.
Since she asked for the same treatment as May, I could just dig up a few roots of wild ginseng and feed them to her.
Of course, finding wild ginseng isn't easy, but if I searched patiently, I should be able to find a root or two.
But returning to the Academy...
"Why aren't you answering?"
"I can help you improve your skills, but I have no desire to be an instructor at Belliard Academy."
After everything I went through to escape that place, she wants me to go back?
Absolutely not.
"If you don't want to be an instructor, are you planning to enroll as a student instead?"
What is she talking about?
"That's not what I meant. I just hate being an Academy instructor—no, I hate the Academy itself."
"Then you're telling me to come here every day? That might work during the break, but I'll be at the Academy during the semester. How do you plan to help me then?"
"The time I spend teaching you won't be that long."
"Baronet Bio, that is not for you to decide."
Seriously, just how much does she plan to work me?
"Then how long must I help you? Surely you aren't suggesting I do this until you're satisfied and tell me to stop?"
"Hmm, let's make it until this time next year."
...It's not the absolute worst, but a year is by no means a short time.
Moreover, since she told me to come to the Imperial Palace to teach even during the break, the conditions are far worse than being an Academy instructor.
At least instructors get a break.
"Why are you talking so much? You should just do as the Imperial Princess commands."
I was already starting to feel a surge of irritation, and that female knight just poured gasoline on the fire.
When I looked at her, she responded with a venomous expression.
She's been grating on my nerves for a while now; I completely understand why she thinks poorly of me, seeing as she knows I'm the Princess's underwear thief.
But the Princess she serves is in such a desperate position that she's asking me for a favor, so isn't this attitude a bit much?
No matter how much I'm in the wrong, to act like this even after learning my true identity...
*Sigh*, I guess it really has been a long time since I retired.
"And what happens if I refuse?"
"Why ask something so obvious? You and Count Daph will be executed for deceiving the Imperial Family."
...Fine, I'm retired so whatever, but she wants to execute the Old Man?
"It seems the Imperial Princess's escort knight needs to be more careful with her words."
Since she's the Princess's escort, she must have decent skills and a respectable family, but that last comment definitely crossed the line.
Even a Duke wouldn't dare say such a thing so easily.
Count Daph may hold the title of Count, but his actual power rivals the Dukes—in some ways, he's even above them.
The Intelligence Agency reports directly to the Emperor.
No one except the Emperor can, or should, interfere in the agency's affairs.
I'm not just praising it because I used to be there, but the Imperial Intelligence Agency is truly the only organization in the Empire that fears nothing but the Emperor.
It's utterly absurd for a mere escort knight of a princess to mention the execution of the head of such an agency.
"Why you...!"
Whether she was enraged by my remark or not, she drew her sword and pointed it at my throat.
"Your habits with your hands are as bad as your habits with your tongue."
I could have easily dodged or blocked it, but I intentionally left it be.
The timing and location were perfect.
I felt the cold sensation of the steel, but I channeled my mana and gave a light flick of my finger.
Thump—
In an instant, the floor gave way, and the escort knight vanished without a trace.
"Shine!"
The Princess rushed toward the hole to check, but I flicked my finger again with mana, sealing the opening.
"Baronet Bio, what on earth are you doing?"
"A dog that barks recklessly in front of its master needs training. Please don't worry too much. She probably didn't die."
The trap was originally designed so that iron bars at the bottom would finish the job, but I had removed them all when I left the house.
It's a structure that reacts to mana, and I worried the Village Chief or his wife might accidentally trigger it while cleaning.
"Why do you have such a trap in your home...?"
"Didn't you come here knowing my identity?"
It would be disappointing if she came to the home of the former top black agent, Blue Mist, without expecting at least one trap like this.
'Is it okay to do this to the Princess's escort knight?'
'It's not like I'm doing it to the Princess, so what does it matter?'
In fact, depending on how the Princess behaves in the future, I'm considering making her suffer a similar fate or dealing with her.
'Are you actually planning to kill the Princess?'
Ark is getting quicker at reading the room.
'Depending on how she acts.'
She's not the Crown Prince, just the Eighth Imperial Princess; as long as I have the help of Old Man Daph, the Director of Intelligence, I can easily cover it up.
Between her crime of selling my information and the possibility of me claiming I can't live like this and switching to Quasar, it's entirely possible.
The Old Man is known as the most loyal person in the Empire, but his loyalty is not to the Beluga Imperial Family, but to the Emperor himself.
If he really refuses to help, I can simply discard my identity and defect to Quasar, just as I threatened.
It's a bit of a waste to give up my pension and noble status, but I have the money I made from selling artifacts.
Pursuers?
I know exactly who would be capable of coming after me.
Anyone who actually knows me would never even accept such a mission.
In the first place, the Old Man wouldn't send them.
Even if the Emperor pushed him to send some distant juniors who don't know me, I'm confident.
Some time has passed, but the title of the Intelligence Agency's strongest isn't something won through a game of cards.
"Baronet Bio! Get Shine out of there this instant!"
"I refuse. And from now on, I'll be the one asking the questions."
As I spoke in a low, heavy tone, the Princess flinched.
"Do you really think you'll get away with this?"
The mana in the air began to fluctuate; it seemed she was about to cast a spell.
I channeled mana into my feet and struck the floor four times.
The turbulent mana calmed instantly, and a look of utter bewilderment took over Imperial Princess Helena's face.
"What... the magic power..."
"In the home of Blue Mist, an Anti-Mana Field is a standard feature."
As I spoke with a smirk, the Princess's expression froze.
Perhaps because she is intelligent, she seemed to realize exactly what I was planning.
"Then for my first question: did you notify anyone before coming here?"
"Ev... everyone knows. So if you release Shine right now and beg for forgiveness..."
Too easy.
The stuttering speech, the trembling body, the wavering eyes.
Every reaction told me that she was lying.
"You're lying. But actually, it doesn't matter if you did. With the Intelligence Agency's help, fabricating the truth is a simple task."
"Do... do you really think Count Daph would betray the Imperial Family to help you?"
"Are you closer to the Old Man than I am? He's quite the calculated one."
"What do you mean by...?"
"Between the Eighth Imperial Princess, who has little value once you strip away her royal title, and Blue Mist, the former strongest black agent of the agency—which one would he choose? As a hint, I'll tell him I'm defecting to Quasar if he doesn't cooperate."
"Hmph, I know what you did in the Quasar Empire. Do you really think they'd welcome you? That's absurd..."
Oh, she's still trying to use her head.
It's pointless.
The initiative has already shifted to me.
"Why is it absurd? With the intelligence I possess, the Quasar Empire could swallow one-third of the Beluga Empire's territory. They aren't fools."
"Do... do you not realize you'd just be used for your information and then discarded...?"
"I'll just feed them the information piece by piece. Blue Mist isn't so foolish as to be used and thrown away."
"Are... are you threatening me right now?"
She attempted to push back, but the strength in her voice had vanished.
She finally seemed to realize who held the power here.
It's typical for a goblin to bite an ogre when backed into a corner, though it's quite pitiful.
"I wonder. Weren't you the one who threatened me first, Princess? I believe I mentioned that I didn't commit those mistakes with ill intent."
The Princess's face darkened further.
"Fine. I'll leave without bothering you, so release Shine."
"It would have been better if you'd done that from the start. What a shame."
"What... what's a shame about it? I just said I'm leaving!"
"You were free to come in as you pleased, but leaving is another matter. Why on earth should I just let you go so easily?"
She might retaliate later.
Or if I just send her back, there's a high chance the Imperial Army—no, the Royal Guards—will come looking for her.
"I promise."
"I told you a moment ago, but why should I believe you?"
"I don't do cowardly things."
"So, exploiting someone's weakness to get what you want isn't a cowardly act, then?"
As I took a step toward her, the Princess stood up from her chair and retreated two steps.
"I'll make an Oath of Mana."
Hmm, an Oath of Mana. It's a powerful constraint since breaking it means losing all one's magic power.
I used it instead of a witness when I made a bet with Amelia before.
But it won't work for the Princess.
"I'm afraid an Oath of Mana won't be enough... Doesn't the Imperial Family possess an artifact that can nullify the Oath of Mana?"
"Ho... how do you know that...?"
Look at this.
I thought she might have suggested it without knowing, but if she did know, it means she truly intended to betray me.
"Because I'm the one who recovered the one a palace official stole and sold on the black market."
'Are you actually planning to kill her?'
'I'm still thinking about it.'
I had snapped out of irritation, but I hadn't fully made up my mind yet.
Killing her would be the cleanest option, but the aftermath would be incredibly complicated.
I'd have to persuade the Old Man, and if things went south, I'd have to defect to Quasar...
'Is there any other way?'
'If killing her is too hard but you want her mouth shut, you have to hold a definitive weakness over her. I know a great method, want to hear it?'
I asked just in case, and as expected, Ark had an answer.
Come to think of it, he said an Oath of Mana didn't exist in his time, but there must have been some way to guarantee a promise back then.
'What is it?'
'Strip her completely and take photos with a crystal ball... Right, that female knight needs to be silenced too, so if you take photos of her as well...'
'Shut up.'
He calls that a method?
I'd rather just kill her cleanly than do something that disgusting.
I thought about it for a moment and reached a decision.
Having made up my mind, there was no reason to delay, so I cast binding magic on the Princess.
Crack—
Blue vines burst through the wooden floor, winding tightly around the Princess's ankles and climbing up to bind her body.
The Anti-Mana Field was active, but I had naturally excluded my own mana when I set it up.
"Wh... what are you doing?"
Seeing her face turn completely pale, it was obvious she already knew, yet she asked a redundant question.
"Le... let me go this instant!"
Without answering, I opened a subspace, pulled out a dagger, and infused it with mana.
A blue aura began to swirl, soon completely enveloping the blade and emitting a brilliant light.
"An... Aura Blade? A Sword Master? P... please spare me. I really won't say a word..."
She was completely terrified, tears welling in her eyes as if she were about to burst into sobs.
I took one step, then two, approaching the pleading Princess until I was right beside her, and whispered into her ear.
"It'll be a clean cut, so it won't be that painful."