Survivor of the Fallen Kingdom
The Empire's Second Star.
Scarlet Frausia studied the man standing before her, trying to read his intentions.
Kyle Amillan.
These days his reputation as the Empire's First Star and as a wanted fugitive drew more attention, but the title that had once defined him was the Unfortunate One of Raziel.
He was the sole survivor of the Raziel Kingdom, a land now completely destroyed and reduced to a contaminated wasteland where contaminants and the occasional demonic realm appeared.
Because of that, countless people had bombarded him with questions about the events in the Raziel Kingdom, yet Kyle had never given a single answer to anyone.
He had even radiated killing intent toward those who dared to ask.
That dense, oppressive killing intent had been so intense that, for a brief moment, Scarlet had mistaken him for someone of her own kind.
'And I went and told a man like that about the appearance of a ghost from the past.'
Scarlet knew people did not change so easily.
If someone seemed to have changed, it only meant they were a different person altogether, or wearing a very convincing mask.
One's true nature never changed.
So what kind of reaction would a man who had poured out such relentless killing intent at the mere mention of the past show when he heard this particular piece of news?
Even though his current combat ability was noticeably lower than before, he was still the person who had once claimed the position of the Empire's First Star ahead of her.
If she faced him right now with her exclusive weapon, Red Blood, drawn, she would win seven times out of ten.
Conversely, however, it also meant that even in his weakened state there was a chance she could lose three of those bouts.
'Well then. What will you do?'
Scarlet barely managed to suppress the thrill and excitement seeping into her expression as she gazed at Kyle.
Although she had already declared she would not subjugate him, the situation would be entirely different if the target came charging at her of his own accord.
Even if the finished product had a small scratch, the dessert's flavor was still guaranteed. If he rushed in himself, Scarlet was always ready to savor that taste.
Besides, this was Kyle, usually so cold and rational, now visibly lost in emotion.
It would surely be an exquisite delicacy she would not easily taste again.
Scarlet prepared to draw her sword at any moment, eagerly awaiting his reaction.
However.
“The survivor of the Raziel Kingdom...”
“Yes.”
“I see. Is that all?”
“......?”
Kyle's reaction was so completely unexpected that even the normally expressionless Scarlet widened her eyes in surprise.
“There is another survivor from the Raziel Kingdom besides me. That is certainly surprising. But I doubt you brought this up for such a simple reason.”
“W-well, that’s true.”
Though momentarily flustered by the response she had not anticipated, Scarlet quickly regained control of her features.
A Sword Master transcended ordinary humans in every respect.
That principle held true for emotional control and maintaining one's expression as well.
And in that particular area, Scarlet had always been exceptionally gifted.
Having swiftly concealed her confusion, Scarlet spoke again.
“A cooperation request has arrived from the intelligence department. It concerns protecting the identity of the Raziel Kingdom survivor.”
“A request from the intelligence department to protect an identity. It must have been routed through the special forces, then.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“In that case, couldn’t you simply send one of the members from your own unit? Unless the intelligence department has lost its mind, they wouldn’t have specifically requested you as the protection detail.”
Kyle looked at Scarlet with a puzzled gaze.
No matter how often he called her a crazy bitch, on the surface she was still known as the Empire's Second Star.
In addition to commanding the entire Imperial Knight Order, she naturally possessed at least one unit within the special forces that she could personally manage and operate.
“Ah, the thing is...”
From the way Scarlet hesitated, it appeared there was indeed a problem with that unit.
Watching her struggle to answer, Kyle immediately understood the issue.
“Did you hold group sparring sessions again?”
“...Yes. Since you weren’t around, there was no suitable opponent to exchange swords with.”
“And the unit members?”
“They are all currently in the hospital. The priests said they will need roughly a month of recuperation each.”
What a bunch of weaklings.
Seeing Scarlet grumble like that, Kyle let out a deep sigh.
They probably weren’t actually weak, just as she said.
The special forces.
Anyone assigned to a unit under one of the Empire’s Stars would be an elite among elites.
The only problem was that their sparring partner happened to be a Sword Master.
“A protection detail, huh. What’s the daily allowance?”
“I believe it is two million per day.”
“Two million...”
Objectively it was a large sum, but to the current Kyle it wasn’t particularly impressive.
Just three days ago, through a special delivery commission, he had earned a massive twenty million cells.
Unlike high-efficiency requests that could generate money quickly with enough effort, imperial protection missions usually turned into long-term assignments.
The biggest drawback was that they didn’t pay by the day like special deliveries. In the worst case they could stretch into weekly or even monthly contracts.
Moreover, when he considered the debt already piled on him that exceeded billions, it became even less appealing.
Having finished his calculations, Kyle prepared to give Scarlet his answer.
But then.
“Ah, if the allowance is what concerns you, I will cover it from my own salary.”
“...What?”
“The amount… would forty million cells be appropriate?”
“I accept.”
The sum Scarlet offered was simply too large to refuse.
After accepting Scarlet’s request, I headed straight for the southern region of the Empire.
I had already met with her, and I saw no reason to linger any longer at the Arlaxis mansion.
Count Arlaxis, his wife, and their daughter had all looked disappointed, but the relationship between a client and a mercenary was nothing more and nothing less, so I felt no particular attachment.
“The southern part of the Empire, you say?”
Upon arriving in the south, the first thing I did was contact Beatrice.
Of course, there was no advanced scientific civilization like the one in the world I originally came from, but this was a world where magic had flourished.
Long-distance communication was therefore accomplished through magic.
Magic stones obtained from monster byproducts. Magitech devices created by channeling the mana from those stones through high-tier mages’ magic circles.
Staring at Beatrice’s face floating above the device—which reminded me of an Earth beam projector—I frowned.
She smiled first, then hid her expression behind her fan.
It was like looking at a fox with multiple tails.
“You already guessed I would deal with the demon contractor and sent me anyway. What choice?”
......
When I recalled the extra reward the count’s family had given me, my mouth closed on its own.
It was true—the reward this time had been substantial.
On top of the original two million cells for the special delivery, the count had added another twenty million cells.
In effect, I had received double the original commission fee.
'I wanted to give you more, but after purchasing the Goddess’s Tear we no longer had the funds. Instead, please know that House Arlaxis will never forget your kindness.'
I didn’t particularly care about the polite words that followed. The important part was that I had received forty million cells.
Since the original payment had come through the commission format, I still had to pay Beatrice a twenty-million-cell brokerage fee. However, personal rewards were not subject to commission.
Adding the forty million cells I would receive from Scarlet to the money I had already earned, the debt I needed to repay would be exactly one hundred million cells.
Of course, one hundred million cells was still a huge sum, but compared to the original amount I had owed, it was enough to bring tears of gratitude to my eyes.
Yet I did not cry.
I would only shed tears the moment this damned debtor relationship finally ended.
“Where exactly do you get information like that?”
I wished there had been even a little exaggeration in those words, but the most frightening part was that they were true.
The fact that a mere merchant possessed information-gathering capabilities comparable to an entire nation’s intelligence agency.
I knew only too well how monstrous that was.
“...No, that won’t be necessary.”
I let Beatrice’s bewildered voice wash over me and turned my gaze through the open window to the scene outside.
A clear blue sky, a gentle breeze, clustered buildings, and a wide street where people had formed a large circle around someone.
My eyes naturally moved to the center of that circle.
An appearance so striking it seemed to steal the light from everything around her simply by walking down the street.
She possessed no mana or divine power, yet her naturally flawless skin created the illusion that she was radiating a halo.
A face I could never forget no matter how hard I tried.
And on top of that...
“Ah, thank you.”
“May blessings be upon your kindness.”
“I hope your day has been good.”
Kindness that did not match her station.
A woman who never forgot the favors she received and always tried to repay them, yet still carried herself with grace and nobility. I watched her for a moment before speaking her name.
“Arleah de Raziel.”
She was not simply a survivor of the Raziel Kingdom.
She was a princess of the Raziel royal family—the same royal family that was said to have been completely wiped out in the disaster.
Among them, she had been the greatest: the First Princess.