A Faint Sense of Unease
Ariel suddenly spoke up as they finished their schedule and headed back toward the castle. “It’s not long now.”
“What isn’t?”
“My debut in high society. Mother said we should do it next year, so…”
Next year. It really wasn’t far off. At most, two months remained. It would probably pass in the blink of an eye.
“That’s right. I heard your skills have improved a lot lately? Creed told me.”
“It’s not bad. My teacher is just exceptionally talented.”
At the rare compliment from her, Edgar scratched his cheek and gave all the credit to his instructor. It wasn’t an exaggeration, after all. The lessons came directly from one of the most renowned knight commanders in the entire empire. It was a priceless experience that even a mountain of gold might not be able to buy.
And because he had absorbed every lesson like a sponge soaking up water, Edgar’s martial prowess had risen to a level that would make any comparison to six months ago feel almost insulting.
“You still feel the same way about it, right?”
“You mean my decision to earn recognition and stand by your side?”
“Yes.”
Ariel gazed at the sunset sky and lightly kicked a poor, innocent pebble rolling across the ground. The thought of gauging her friend’s resolve left her feeling strangely unsettled, so she deliberately turned her eyes elsewhere.
“Of course I do.”
“Well, that does sound like you.”
Having expected the answer, Ariel showed no particular reaction. She simply felt a quiet sorrow at the reality that there was nothing she could properly do for her childhood friend as he walked such a thorny path. At the same time, she was grateful. The reason he had chosen this difficult road was none other than for her sake. If it had simply been for success and a bright future, he would have taken an easier path.
As she always felt, she owed him so much in so many ways. Even if it wasn’t something material. The only regret was that her own embarrassment kept her from expressing that gratitude.
“Will you come tonight?”
“I’ll come tomorrow instead. You played all day, so you must be tired too.”
“Look at you pretending to be considerate. You’re the one who’s tired and doesn’t want to come.”
When Ariel snorted as if she could see right through him, he gave an awkward laugh and said, ‘Busted?’ before promising that he would definitely come tomorrow.
Tonight, it might be good to soak in hot water, ease his fatigue, and go to bed early. Everything was part of recharging for tomorrow.
“When you get back to your room, don’t open any books. Just sleep. You’ll ruin your health that way.”
“Hmph, I know that. Do you think I enjoy wrestling with books every single day?”
‘Well, it’s not that I dislike it.’ Ariel added silently. Seeing her like that, a bitter smile naturally formed on Edgar’s lips.
‘A sense of duty.’
It wasn’t the only thing supporting her right now, but it was true that the pressure of being the family’s sole heir weighed heavily on her. The fact that all he could offer her was encouragement left Edgar feeling more frustrated than anything else.
“Let’s stop with the heavy talk and head back to the castle. We’ll see each other tomorrow anyway.”
“…Yeah. You’re right.”
Ariel, who had run ahead with her hands clasped behind her back while trying to sound cheerful, prompted Edgar to nod obediently and quicken his steps.
The castle of House Robeheim, which had once felt so distant, gradually drew closer. They were just about to leave the crowd behind when—
Thud.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. No need to apologize for something like this.”
Edgar had accidentally bumped shoulders with someone coming from the opposite direction. Even though his mind had been elsewhere, failing to notice a person approaching right in front of him was extremely rare. It meant that even his sharpened senses, honed through training with Creed, had failed to detect the man.
When Edgar hastily offered an apology, the other person raised a hand to show it was nothing and turned to continue on his way.
Rattle.
At that moment, something slipped from the man’s pocket and rolled to a stop at Edgar’s feet. It was a small octagonal object, smaller than a palm, and it looked quite valuable.
“Excuse me, you dropped this.”
“…Ah! Thank you. It’s quite important.”
When Edgar picked up the fallen object and handed it over, the man hurriedly patted his pockets, realized the item was missing, and expressed his gratitude. Edgar told Ariel, who had walked ahead, to wait a moment, then extended his hand to return the lost item.
“……!?”
A sudden wave of déjà vu washed over his entire body, causing Edgar’s pupils to dilate dramatically.
What was that?
He couldn’t quite put it into words, but the moment the object returned to the man’s hand, the presence of the person standing before him suddenly sharpened. Just moments ago, the man’s presence had been so faint that it seemed he might vanish if not actively observed.
“…? Is something wrong?”
“Ah, no. I was just admiring your hat. It looks very stylish.”
“Haha, thank you for the compliment. Well then.”
Despite his panic, Edgar somehow managed to brush it off. Fortunately, the man accepted the object without suspicion and quickly disappeared from sight.
Edgar stared after the man’s retreating figure for a long moment, then clenched and unclenched the hand that had held the object, lost in thought.
What had that been? It was the first time he had ever felt such a sensation while facing someone. The closest thing he could compare it to was when Ariel had released her magic in front of him before. That had felt somewhat similar. The difference was that back then, it had felt like a presence going from 10 to 100, whereas this time it had gone from 0 to 10.
He was sure he had heard a similar example somewhere recently. It was definitely when Ariel had said…
“Ed! What are you doing? Hurry up!”
“Ah… yeah. I’m coming right now.”
Snapped out of his thoughts by Ariel’s loud voice, Edgar barely managed to shake off his reverie and resume walking. The lingering unease remained, but it was something he could continue pondering once he returned to his quarters.
His breathing refused to calm. The man realized he had nearly caused a major disaster. Gasping for air, he returned to the hideout and immediately contacted the one who had given him the order.
Permission was soon granted, and the figure of his superior appeared on the opposite wall. Though only from the chest up was visible and the face remained obscured, it was clear the person had a rather slender build.
The man hurriedly bowed his head in a respectful greeting and began recounting what had just occurred.
“I apologize. I ended up running into them.”
> Was it the Robeheim ducal princess?
Realizing displeasure colored the other party’s voice, the man immediately shook his head firmly.
“No, sir. I collided with the boy who was beside her. I’m not sure if he was her escort or simply a friend.”
> Then it doesn’t matter. But be more careful next time.
A single mistake might be forgiven, but a second usually led to immediate execution. Recognizing that the words carried more warning than mercy, the man bowed his head deeply once more.
> What about the condition of the artifact?
“It is functioning properly. I can clearly feel the magic circulating throughout my body.”
The man pulled the octagonal object from his pocket and checked his physical state. The flow of mana, which he normally couldn’t feel at all, was now distinctly perceptible. Using this tool to forcibly circulate his stagnant mana placed a heavy burden on his body, but that was none of his superior’s concern. The only thing permitted to him was absolute obedience to the mission. Even if he were to die carrying it out tomorrow, he would have no regrets.
> Unless they are quite skilled, they shouldn’t sense any discomfort from your current state. You will likely appear no different from an ordinary person.
For those who worked in the shadows, skill was paramount, but if one other quality had to be named, it was ‘ordinariness.’ Appearance, height, physique, even mana. The closer one resembled the average person, the harder it became to detect them when mixed among a crowd.
The purpose of the object in the man’s hand was much the same.
> You are keeping the flow of mana under control, yes?
“Of course. To most skilled individuals, I should appear as nothing more than an ordinary resident of this region.”
A weak flow of mana could be interpreted as a weak presence, but it could also mean one was different from others. When everyone possessed a presence of 100, was standing alone at 50 truly the quickest way to avoid notice? No. Just as one hides a tree in a forest, to blend in among a crowd of 100, one must become 100 themselves.
The residents of the underworld—who had to resolve all matters in secret, without drawing anyone’s eye—understood this fact better than anyone.
> I see. Keep that in mind. This operation is one only you can accomplish.
“Yes. I will engrave it deep into my bones.”
Because he had been born with a peculiar constitution that prevented his body’s mana from circulating naturally, he had undergone every kind of training imaginable to compensate for the difference. Yet in the end, he had spent his years in the organization without being assigned any meaningful tasks.
Then he learned there was a mission even this worthless body of his could complete. No—a mission that only he could complete.
In a life without a name, the only thing that could prove his existence was the mission he had been given. The darker the footprints he left behind, the brighter the path ahead seemed to become.
“My lord, if anyone interferes… may I kill them?”
> Kill them. However, the target must be captured alive no matter what. A corpse holds no value.
“Understood.”
This mission was merely the foundation for a much larger operation. For that reason, capturing the target alive was absolutely necessary rather than eliminating them, and the man knew this, which only heightened his tension. If it were a simple assassination of a key figure, he could slit their throat while they slept or ambush their carriage. But capturing someone alive was an entirely different level of difficulty.
Moreover, the residence of the target he needed to seize was the Iron Fortress—the castle with the strictest security in the entire northern region.
‘But that also means they are more likely to let their guard down.’
Surely no one would anticipate that their proud barrier could be breached in such a way. The fact that the number of patrolling guards inside the castle decreased noticeably at night was proof of that very confidence.
The man placed the hat that had been on the table back on his head and left the hideout. The moon that had risen was unusually dark tonight. And in a way, it felt like an auspicious sign foretelling the success of his mission. After all, there was no worse omen for them than a bright moonlit night.