Chapter 399: A Meeting of Five
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 399: A Meeting of Five
After leaving the Sapphire Palace, I didn't return to the Ruby Palace. Instead, I deliberately fled outside the castle walls.
This was a world completely different from Earth, so I had no idea how they would pursue me.
It wasn't all bad, though. It gave me a chance to calm the intense emotions from the battle and organize the memories I had absorbed.
Although they were only fragmented memories, they gave me a clear idea of which nobles from the Noble Faction I needed to eliminate.
Other gains included the location of their hidden slush fund and the reason the Second Queen had abused Elisabeth for the past ten years.
As expected, there was no grand reason.
It was the clichéd backstory of a villain from some third-rate drama: she was simply displeased that the First Queen, a princess from a fallen kingdom, had monopolized the king's affection.
‘Good thing I killed her.’
I tipped back my beer mug.
Perhaps because it was the capital, quite a few shops were still open late at night.
But the atmosphere in the tavern was far from pleasant.
-Check over there!
-Damn it, what a pain in the ass to be doing this in the middle of the night!
-You there! Stop right now!
Likely because of the Second Queen's assassination, armed soldiers were combing through every corner of the capital.
Even the drunks seemed to know they'd be mercilessly hauled away if they got caught up in this, so everyone kept their mouths shut.
‘I've cast perception-hindering magic over the entire tavern, so that won't be an issue.’
Soldiers passed by the front of the tavern time and again, but not a single one came inside.
Of course, it also meant no new customers could enter, so I felt a bit sorry for the owner.
Tap, tap, tap—
‘Still, to think so many members of the Neutral Faction were in bed with the Noble Faction...’
I tapped the table, lost in thought for a moment.
According to Marquis Laxion's memories, the majority of nobles in the Neutral Faction were practically puppets of the Noble Faction.
It seemed the rot ran much deeper than I had anticipated.
Of course, that didn't mean I planned to eliminate all of them.
After all, how many nobles were there who had never taken a bribe?
If I started eliminating nobles just for taking bribes, the entire state administration might grind to a halt.
‘Still, I'll have to pay a separate visit to the ones involved in drugs, human trafficking, and tax evasion.’
Sipping cheap beer and nibbling on dry snacks, I finalized the kill list in my mind.
I left the tavern two hours later.
“S-Sir! This is way too much for a tip!”
“Consider it compensation for the business I disrupted.”
“Huh? What do you mean...”
Leaving the bewildered owner behind, I returned to the royal castle.
Perhaps due to the Second Queen's assassination in the middle of the night, the castle's security was several times tighter than usual.
Knights were patrolling in place of soldiers, and the court mages were sweating profusely as they focused on repairing the barrier.
The atmosphere was ironclad, as if not even an ant could slip through, but none of that mattered to me.
‘If they wanted to catch me, they should have brought a 7th-circle mage.’
I casually slipped through the barrier and the security net, crossed the castle grounds, and headed straight for the Ruby Palace.
My Ghost Divine Art reached the 4-star level during the fight with Marquis Laxion.
Unless they specialized in detection, not even a 6th-circle mage would be able to catch me.
Of course, the Ghost Valley Master was caught by mana detection despite being at the 7-star level, but that was because he was ignorant of the concept of mana.
I, on the other hand, was confident I wouldn't be caught by mana detection even at the 4-star level.
A short while later, I arrived at the Ruby Palace and opened the door to the drawing room.
Slam!
“I'm back!”
“Hyun-woo!”
The moment I entered, Iris ran toward me with a radiant smile.
I opened my arms wide and pulled her into a hug.
Elisabeth and Sylvia shot me displeased looks, but right now, no one could interfere.
I buried my face in the crook of Iris's neck, savoring the happiness of the moment.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“As you can see.”
She must have been worried while I was gone. Iris held my face with both hands, busy inspecting me from head to toe.
Thanks to that, intense gazes were flying at me from all directions.
“Ahem!”
Elisabeth, in particular, was staring daggers at me.
Her ruby-like eyes were filled with unmistakable anger.
I chuckled at the sight. Iris, perhaps thinking she'd done enough, let me go.
I slowly approached Elisabeth, knelt on one knee before her, and lightly kissed the back of her hand.
“Your servant, Kang Hyun-woo, has returned after eliminating the princess's enemies as commanded.”
“I never gave you such an order!”
Elisabeth shot up from her seat, fuming.
But perhaps because she was short, even that looked adorable to me.
I wasn't the only one who thought so. A fond look, like one would give a younger sister, crossed everyone's face—except for Sylvia's.
Seemingly aware of their gazes, Elisabeth let out a long sigh, then crouched down to meet my eyes at my level.
Peck—
In that moment, I felt a soft touch on my forehead.
“...Anyway, I'm just glad you're back safely.”
“I came back safely, so won't you do it somewhere else?”
I grabbed Elisabeth's hand as she tried to pull away.
What's that saying? A stone thrown in jest can kill a frog?
The words, meant to lighten the mood, earned me a murderous glare from Sylvia that bored into my temple.
I swallowed dryly without realizing it.
But only for a moment.
“I-I'll do it later...”
A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek, which was flushed as red as a ripe persimmon.
Honestly, I was a little surprised.
Given Elisabeth's personality, I never imagined she would say something like that in front of other people.
It was only then that I realized she was conscious of the other women.
“I'll be looking forward to it.”
As I stood up with a slight smile, something familiar caught my eye.
It was a corpse wearing a mask.
“What's that?”
“An assassin who showed up about an hour ago.”
Iris said it calmly, but there was a whole pile of bodies.
Clean sword marks where vital points had been struck and deep dagger wounds in their chests and heads were clearly visible on the corpses.
‘Looks like Sylvia and Tina took care of them.’
I put the bodies into my inventory.
The floor was soaked with blood, but thankfully, Iris must have used magic to preserve them, as there was no particular smell.
After tidying up, I sat down next to Iris.
“Y-You did well.”
Amelia was sitting to my right.
She smelled nice.
As if enchanted, I rested my head on Amelia's shoulder.
“H-Hyun-woo...?!”
“I'll just borrow this for a moment.”
You could call me shameless, but Amelia was the one who'd been tucking her hair behind her ear to show off the earring I gave her, desperately looking at me for attention.
I could feel Amelia's body stiffen.
“Then I'll give you a massage.”
Iris took my hand and began pressing on my palm with her slender fingers.
“That feels good.”
“I'm glad.”
To be honest, I couldn't feel anything, but it was a nice gesture.
With my eyes closed from Iris's hand massage, I buried my face in the crook of Amelia's neck.
Sniff, haa...
“Hiccup?!”
Amelia's body flinched.
But I paid her no mind and kept smelling her.
It felt like my mind and body, exhausted from battle, were starting to calm down.
“Did you know? You smell very nice, Amelia.”
“R-Really...?”
“Yes, so much so that I want to use you as a body pillow and take a nap—”
Thwack!
Just then, a cushion flew into my face.
“Hey! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!”
Elisabeth yelled.
After a moment of feigning innocence, a laugh escaped my lips.
‘Busted.’
*
“To get straight to the point, I've taken care of the First Prince, the Second Queen, and Marquis Laxion. As a bonus, I also found the location of their hidden slush fund.”
“...Is that really true?”
After getting beaten with a cushion by Elisabeth for a while, I meekly nodded.
“Having lost their core figures overnight, the Noble Faction will be in chaos for some time. I plan to use that opening to eliminate key members of their faction, including Count Klude.”
I handed Elisabeth the kill list I had prepared.
It contained a list of the nobles I would eliminate and a detailed account of their crimes.
Elisabeth's expression soured as she read through the notebook.
“Viscount Debranshu, who is known for his character, has been kidnapping his own people and selling them into human trafficking...? And Baron Lichten, Viscount Wizroa, even Count Bellafiore...?”
“They were as close as sworn brothers. It seems they used the money they made to bribe Marquis Laxion and the Second Queen.”
“...”
Elisabeth was silent for a long time.
I stood up quietly to give her time to compose herself and gather her thoughts.
“Iris, do you have a moment?”
“Yes?”
I left the drawing room with Iris and entered a secluded study.
The room was a bit chilly, so I took out a blanket and draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you.”
Iris gave me a bright smile and patted the seat next to her.
When I sat down, Iris wrapped the blanket around my shoulders as well and snuggled up close.
“This is much warmer.”
“...Yeah.”
I squeezed Iris's hand.
Her fingertips were a little cold.
She had taken an elixir as a temporary measure, but due to the effects of the restraints, her condition was worsening by the day.
For a moment, the words got stuck in my throat.
But I had to say it.
“...I'm sorry.”
“Huh?”
I bowed my head to Iris.
“The Empire's army could march on Peledeia at any moment, yet here I am, wasting time helping Elisabeth, someone I just met.”
A letter of recommendation to cross the border?
With my current abilities, I wouldn't have had any problem crossing the border without one.
In fact, the time spent crossing the border itself was a waste.
Besides, it's only been a day since we arrived in Rogen, the capital of the Nivia Kingdom. If I hadn't offered to help Elisabeth, we would have been on our way to the Orsia Duchy by now.
“Once this is over, I swear I won't get sidetracked again. We'll head straight for the Santala Kingdom...”
“Hyun-woo.”
Thump!
Just then, Iris grabbed my face firmly with both hands.
“I told you before, didn't I? You don't have to apologize to me. If it weren't for you, Hyun-woo, I would still be locked in that prison. In my life, where there wasn't a single ray of hope, you were nothing short of a miracle.”
“...I think you're giving me too much credit.”
Iris shook her head firmly.
“It wouldn't have been strange at all if I had developed a normal religious faith in you, you know?”
“It was that serious?”
“Of course.”
Iris gazed into my eyes silently for a moment before gently pressing her lips against mine.
In that instant, a strange current began to flow between us.
“...Her name is Elisabeth, right? Although I can't presume to understand the pain she's been through, there is one thing I'm certain of.”
Iris rested her head lightly against my chest, then snuggled into my arms as if burrowing into a warm blanket on a cold winter day.
“That to her, you are also a miracle and a hope that appeared out of nowhere. And hope is not something that can be monopolized by any one person. So, Hyun-woo.”
Iris smiled more brightly than ever before.
It was a smile so dazzling it took my breath away.
“Just as you changed my fate when I was destined to die alone in a prison no one would ever visit, please change her fate as well. And please, don't apologize to me anymore. For me, it's enough just to have you by my side.”