43
Chapter 43
After leaving the Intelligence Agency, I came to his house to find Blue Mist.
I heard he had already gone into hiding, but I thought he might stop by if he had left all his belongings behind.
The chances were slim, but it was the best I could do right now.
The Director of Intelligence, whom my father respected, said Blue Mist was the only one who could help the Imperial Princess.
To be honest, I still don't think he's all that impressive, but I can't be the first to give up after telling the Princess not to.
Thirteen years ago, my mother's chronic illness worsened, and we summoned healers from all over the country, including those from the Imperial Palace.
One healer was familiar with her condition, but unfortunately, the illness had progressed too far to be cured.
Fortunately, there was a medicine that could slow the progression of the disease, so my father traveled everywhere to gather the ingredients.
His Majesty the Emperor also helped, and thanks to my father's hard work, the ingredients were gathered quickly—except for one: a branch from the World Tree.
At the time, most of the nobles in the East were on bad terms with the elves due to logging issues in the East Great Forest.
Some had even defied His Majesty's orders and captured elves to sell as slaves, making the relationship between the two sides absolute worst.
My father tried his best to negotiate, but the elves refused to even listen to him....
Left with no choice, my father tried to enter the World Tree by force, but he failed.
When my father returned completely broken after being defeated by the elves, my mother's condition deteriorated further.
On the day my mother lost consciousness, I saw my father cry for the first time—a man once called the greatest talent in the empire, who had always been like a mountain to me.
My younger siblings were too small to understand that they would never see our mother again and continued to laugh, while Imperial Princess Helena reached out to us just as my father, my strongest pillar, had fallen into despair.
Princess Helena, who was only five years old at the time, heard the news of my mother and sent a staff made from a branch of the World Tree—a keepsake from her own mother—via a Palace Official.
She included a letter saying she had been very sad when her own mother passed away early, and that she hoped the Duchess would live a long, long life.
As the healer had said, it wasn't a complete cure, but my mother, who was expected to survive less than three months, lived for three more peaceful years.
Among her final words, she told me to make sure I repaid the Princess for her kindness.
Of course, I intended to do so even if it hadn't been her dying wish.
He seemed to have no interest in wealth or fame, so I worried about how to persuade him, but an idea came to me as soon as I arrived.
For a moment, I wondered if I really had to go this far for someone I disliked so much that I didn't even want to associate with him, but it couldn't be helped.
I would do anything to repay the grace I received from the Imperial Princess.
****
I walked toward the window and peeked inside to find a pit trap had been triggered, leaving a gaping hole in the floor.
It looked like a thief's work, which meant they'd be at the bottom of the pit.
I usually keep spikes at the bottom, but I figured it would be much better to hand them over to the Justice Bureau than to deal with a corpse.
I'm glad I removed them, because if the house had been empty for this long, it would have smelled and attracted bugs.
Anyway, I tried to open the door to go inside, but the handle was broken.
The thief must have broken it.
I went in and looked down into the hole, and... huh?
A very familiar woman was crouching down there.
"What are you doing in there?"
"Help me... Bio? Bio!"
As I thought, it was Shine, the Escort Knight for Imperial Princess Helena.
"...I came to visit three days ago... Get me out of here!"
Isn't it normal to just leave if the person isn't home?
It seemed she had broken in to search the place and ended up like this.
'Isn't she really stupid? She fell for the same trap she already hit once before.'
'True.'
I thought about saying something to her, but she looked like she was in bad shape after being trapped for three days, so I pulled a rope ladder out of my Subspace and lowered it.
"Come on up."
Seeing her climb up slowly as if she had no strength left, I considered helping her, but then I decided against it.
Why would I bother helping such a brat?
"Like last time, why do you have these traps in your house...."
I knew this would happen.
She started grumbling the moment she climbed up; I was right not to help her.
"Don't you think you should apologize for breaking into someone's home without permission first?"
"......I'm sorry about that."
She didn't sound sorry at all.
*Gurgle—*
That sound didn't come from my stomach.
I'd just eaten a huge meal at the dining hall.
She lowered her head, her face turning beet red; then I remembered she'd been trapped for three days.
"You must be starving. I've been away for a while, so there's nothing to eat here, but would you like this?"
I opened my Subspace and handed her some bread and milk.
To be honest, I'd gone grocery shopping before stopping by the post office, so I had plenty of ingredients, but I didn't want to cook for an uninvited guest.
I thought she might refuse due to her pride, but she was too hungry to care and snatched them away immediately.
She devoured them like she was possessed; I wondered if she'd get indigestion.
Well, she's a knight, so she'll probably be fine.
"Do you happen to have any more bread?"
I have plenty in my Subspace, but she seemed to have regained some energy, so I didn't think she needed any more.
"I don't. I was planning to eat that for breakfast tomorrow before going shopping."
'She's been starving for three days; how much difference would a bit more bread make?'
'I wouldn't waste a single copper on her.'
Considering how rudely she'd behaved in the past, this was more than enough kindness.
"Pff... haha."
"What is it?"
Seeing the milk smeared all over her mouth reminded me of when she ate dog food and claimed it was delicious, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's nothing. More importantly, why did the Escort Knight of the Imperial Princess come looking for me alone?"
"That's... I'll tell you after I wash up."
She's ignoring the question to go bathe?
"Please leave some clothes for me to change into outside the door."
After announcing it, she marched straight into the bathroom.
I get that she feels gross after three days in a pit, but does she think this is her own house?
And asking for clothes... anyone would think I'm her personal valet.
I haven't even washed yet, and I gave her bread and milk for nothing.
I wanted to tell her to get lost, but *Sigh*, I'll bear it.
After all, today is a great day because I got my lost arm back.
I need to know the reason anyway, so I left the cheapest shirt and shorts I owned by the door.
As I cleaned the dust that had accumulated while the house was empty, I heard the bathroom door open.
She took forever.
A moment later, Shine emerged, looking a bit more lively.
"The material feels way too cheap; do you have anything else?"
Instead of thanking me for providing clothes, she's actually demanding more.
"As you can see, I'm just a poor noble living in the countryside. Now, please explain why you're here."
She pondered for a moment, then, with a determined look on her face, she began unbuttoning her clothes one by one.
Is she actually taking them off?
"Wait, what are you doing?"
I don't care how much she dislikes the clothes.
Does it make any sense for a grown woman to strip in front of a man like this?
I know she's a precious candidate for the next Duke and doesn't see me as a man, but this is going too far.
"Can't you... can't you tell just by looking? You should know. Please help the Princess instead."
She stuttered, her face as red as a beet, asking if I could tell by looking.
I had no idea what she meant by "tell by looking."
I'd already handled everything to get her to become Old Man Roy's disciple, and I'd even told the Princess I'd bring medicinal herbs to boost her mana when I had time; what more did she want?
"I don't really understand, so could you be more specific... No, I said stop stripping!"
She ignored my plea and kept undoing her buttons to the point where her underwear was visible, so I quickly looked away and shouted.
"His Majesty the Emperor has taken measures to ensure the Princess can no longer study under Lord Roy."
So the Emperor found out.
From the Emperor's perspective, Old Man Roy wasn't the one fighting the battles, so it didn't really matter if he ignored him.
"Please explain the details first."
"O... okay."
I listened to Shine's explanation regarding the Emperor's plan.
I knew he was the type to nip any potential problems in the bud, but this was overkill.
Was the issue that the news traveled faster than expected?
It would have been fine if I'd invited Old Man Roy as an academy instructor beforehand.
Actually, given the Emperor, even if he were an instructor, he probably would have fired him if he refused to be an Imperial Palace wizard.
Old Man Daph must know the Emperor's personality; if he was helping the Princess, he should have reported it more slowly.
"Um... should I start stripping again then?"
Why does she keep insisting on taking her clothes off?
"I think I generally understand the situation, but why are you doing this to me? I've already done my best to help."
Does she think it's easy to get in as a disciple to an 8th Class Wizard?
"I thought you'd say exactly that... that's why I'm doing this."
......Is she trying to seduce me with her body because she thinks I won't help?
My god, who on earth gave this brat such a ridiculous plan?
It wouldn't be the Princess, who cherishes her Escort Knight so much.
Could it be Old Man Daph?
No, the old man would definitely know that I'd never accept such a trashy proposal....
"His Majesty the Emperor himself has stepped in, so what could I possibly do?"
After treating me like dirt, now this?
"My father said the only person who can change the Emperor's mind is the Director of Intelligence. So I went to him, and he told me it wasn't him, but you... Please, I'm begging you."
......How could I possibly change the Emperor's mind?
Of course, the Emperor isn't a complete tyrant who ignores his subjects entirely.
He's known for actively reflecting the opinions of nobles in various official matters.
His personal personality might be terrible, but as an Emperor, he's not that bad.
Wait, could it be that?
Back in my active days, when I was tasked with capturing family members of a corrupt noble, I reported the truth after investigating their claims that the head of the family was innocent, and he handled it properly.
He did that often since then, but he's ruthless when it comes to personal bets.
"I think you've got something wrong...."
"You... you don't need to save face."
"What?"
"Since today's events will be a secret between the two of us anyway, you're a man, so there's no way you're not interested in a beautiful woman like me."
It was so absurd that I let out a hollow laugh.
A beautiful woman?
Well, objectively speaking, the brat isn't ugly, but I'm not sure if she's "beautiful."
Being a knight, she doesn't have much fat, but she's not exactly curvy either.
Compared to the truly beautiful women I saw during my missions—or even just comparing her to the Princess—she's not even worth the dirt under a fingernail.
She doesn't seem to have a single advantage over Amelia, whom I rejected for reasons other than her looks.
Truth is, I'm somewhat willing to provide a bit of a follow-up.
While spending the last three weeks in the desert's underground, I wondered if I'd brushed off Old Man Daph's request too casually, especially since he'd mentioned Anna.
I also had a method in mind the moment that brat started explaining.
Above all, even if I sent her away now, the old man would eventually find out I wasn't missing and come begging again.
I almost told her to put her clothes back on, but instead, I took a step toward Shine.
Shine tried to step back, but I grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Stay still."
"Wait..."
"Personally, I prefer taking them off myself."
With just those words, her already red face turned an even deeper shade, as if it were about to explode.
I gently brushed the back of my hand from her hair down to her cheek.
'What are you doing? You're really going for that brat...'
'Am I crazy?'
I had absolutely no intention of accepting her offer.
Regardless of whether she was pretty or not, a brat like Shine just wasn't my type.
Who would actually like someone who looks down on and mistreats others the moment they think they're superior?
This was simply a great opportunity to pay her back for all the contempt she'd shown me.
She trembled violently, squeezing her eyes shut, completely at a loss.
That's enough for today.
If I teased her too much and she decided to retaliate later, it would only be a hassle.
I pulled my hand away from her cheek and took a step back.
"Wha... what are you doing?"
"I'm a more trusting person than I look, so I don't accept rewards before the work is done. I'll let you know about the payment once things progress, alright?"
'He says he's not interested, but then what was that?'
'Tsk tsk, if he helps for free, that brat will just get arrogant and rude again, just like before, right?'
'He's setting a constraint so she can't act out.'
Exactly.
"O... okay. Then how are you going to help?"
"I'll have to think about that from now on."
"You can't be serious..."
Shine frowned and glared at me. Look at her.
"Should I not help then? Oh! Maybe I'll think of something if I get the reward first. So, perhaps the reward should come first after all..."
As I stepped closer, she hurriedly backed away.
"N... no, never mind."
The effect is already kicking in.
"For now, Knight, go back to the Princess and tell her to study hard under Lord Roy."
After answering that she would, Shine left the place as if she were fleeing.
She seemed terrified that I might demand the reward again.
'So how do you plan to help? Based on the explanation, it seems like nothing can be done.'
As Ark said, the situation is indeed desperate.
It was a long shot even without the Emperor's interference, and now that he's stepped in, it's even worse.
'Still, something will work out, right?'
'I thought he had a plan since he was acting so smug. Was he just winging it?'
Not at all.
While solving the core problem of defeating the Royal Guards might be difficult, I've already thought of a way to neutralize this interference.
If luck is on my side, I might even be able to solve the fundamental issue.
After all, a new arm wasn't the only thing I gained from Evankel's Laboratory.