Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Incompetent Minister Wants to Retire
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Siegfried was feeling an overwhelming sense of anxiety.
‘Damn it all. I am forced to head back to the kingdom tomorrow, yet I haven’t accomplished a single meaningful thing...’
The high-stakes and risky operation to deploy elite spies into the heart of the capital had been seen through by the minister before it could even launch. It was an absolute failure.
Other critical and strategic plans could not even be attempted because he was stuck outside the palace, held captive by the stiflingly tight security.
“Your Highness, I implore you, let me handle this matter alone.”
Unable to endure the stagnant situation any longer, Jennifer made the desperate suggestion, but Siegfried shook his head with firm resolve.
“After the calculated move the minister pulled at the banquet, you are more conspicuous than me in a way. The very moment you slip away, he will notice your absence right away.”
Convinced that the seemingly casual greeting had been calculated precisely up to that specific point, Siegfried felt both a chill of dread and a reluctant surge of admiration for the minister.
‘Just how many moves ahead does that unfathomable man see? I cannot even begin to imagine the depth of his foresight. If a man like that were on my side, toppling the Empire... no, unifying the entire continent would not be a mere pipe dream.’
Siegfried knew full well that pining for a treasure he could not possess was a pointless endeavor, but a rare treasure was still a treasure nonetheless.
Great minds of that caliber had always been worth their weight in pure gold, or perhaps far more.
If he could somehow pull the minister to his side, he would fork over a king's fortune without a moment of hesitation.
‘But he would never bite. He is simply not the type of person to be swayed by mere money.’
His cryptic words, deliberate actions, and flawless track record made him barely seem human to begin with.
If he had to put a label on the man, he was a terrifying monster cloaked in the delicate skin of a human.
“There is no helping it. We ventured into enemy territory unprepared. It is entirely our own fault.”
“Your Highness...”
“Do not fret. This outcome was not entirely unforeseen, and with the minister behind the failure, no one in the kingdom can truly pin the blame on us.”
To start throwing accusations around, the Labor Kingdom’s own Intelligence Department would have to be severely punished first.
They had not even noticed the prince’s most personal intelligence getting stripped bare by the minister, after all.
As Siegfried’s mindset shifted and his mood lightened, allowing him to console the visibly fretting Jennifer...
“Your Highness.”
“I know. They are here.”
A measured number of heavy footsteps approached the room where they were staying.
A sharp, authoritative knock soon echoed throughout the interior.
“Who is it that calls?”
“Erwin Barrmut, Minister of the Acherus Empire’s Intelligence Department.”
At that precise moment, the brief sense of ease settling over Siegfried and Jennifer turned back into churning stomachs and cold dread.
“You have journeyed a long way, so it would be a profound shame to just hole up within the palace walls. Allow me to personally show you around the wonders of the capital.”
Prince Siegfried gladly nodded at my seemingly thoughtful and generous offer.
“...I am much appreciated. But is it really permissible to wander so freely?”
Hm? What on earth is the issue here?
Ah, perhaps the prince had not officially gotten permission to step out of his quarters?
If that was the case, he came off as surprisingly innocent and timid beneath his royal facade.
“Of course it is. The Empire has no draconian laws that lock our esteemed guests in their rooms.”
“...I see. And what of those knights gathered over there?”
“That is the Empire’s 3rd Knight Order. And this lady here is Captain Francesca Chirner.”
Even by the highest continental standards, the capital’s public safety was top-notch, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.
So I had asked Francesca if she could tag along as an escort for the pitiable prince from afar who had been cooped up indoors, and she had happily agreed.
I had not expected the entire 3rd Knight Order to show up in force, but hey, more knights never hurt anyone’s security.
“That said, too large a crowd hampers our movement, so I apologize, but it would be best to leave your personal guards behind, Your Highness.”
“...I understood. We shall do as you suggest.”
And so, we set off on a grand tour of the capital with Prince Siegfried and his future bride, Jennifer, in tow.
“Are there any particular spots or landmarks you would like to see?”
“...None in particular, really. It is my very first time in the capital and all.”
I figured as much—it is always tough to pick specific destinations in a vast city you do not know.
Alright, it is time for me to take the point and lead the way.
"Then let us begin with a loop around the vibrant central market."
"...I shall leave the itinerary to you."
The prince’s grand tour of the capital progressed smoothly and without incident.
As we walked, Siegfried and Jennifer’s eyes darted about with wonder, clearly fascinated by the architectural styles and the vast array of foods so different from their home in the Labor Kingdom.
They were enjoying it this much, yet no one had bothered guiding them throughout their whole stay? Even as an imperial subject myself, I could not help thinking it was rather callous of us.
We had walked, eaten, and drunk our fill of sightseeing by the time the sun began to set in the west.
“For our grand finale, I would like to show you my personal favorite haunt, if that is alright with you?”
“Your favorite...?”
Crowning the entire tour was the quaint cafe I had visited with Christina before—my own regular spot.
“That hand-drawn picture...”
“It is a white pony. The owner mentioned it is a tribute to a horse he raised many ages ago.”
“Ha.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Hahahahahaha!”
Stunned by Prince Siegfried’s sudden and explosive laughter, I looked up at the sign again in confusion.
It really was not that badly drawn in my opinion...
Compared to my own disastrous doodles, it was practically a masterpiece of fine art.
“Your Highness?”
“Kukuku. My apologies. The realization just hit me out of nowhere. Ahh, a pony. A pony, huh. My thanks, Minister Barrmut. Actually, would you mind if I called you Erwin?”
“It would be an honor.”
“Thanks, Erwin. You truly made this entire tour possible.”
We enjoyed some exquisite dessert and coffee at the cafe afterward, then we all headed back to the palace together.
The ending was a tad odd, but I had apparently succeeded in leaving a remarkably positive impression.
The future king and queen of the Labor Kingdom. Goodwill has been sown—surely they would not brush me off later down the road.
If I ever finally stepped down as minister, retiring to the Labor Kingdom did not sound half bad at all.
“Kukukuku. We were played. Completely and utterly played like fools.”
Even after returning to the palace, washing up, and stepping out of the bath, Siegfried could not stop his laughter. Jennifer smiled faintly as she gently dried his damp hair.
“You look awfully pleased for someone who got thoroughly and systematically dismantled, Your Highness.”
“When you are beaten this cleanly and decisively, what else can you possibly do but laugh?”
He had found the sudden and generous offer to guide them suspicious from the very start, and lo and behold, every single spot the minister took them passed right through old Labor Kingdom spy hideouts.
They had obviously been ransacked by the Empire’s Intelligence Department already, but they had hoped to find some stray documents.
Siegfried and Jennifer had meticulously memorized those locations from capital maps before departing the kingdom, so they knew exactly what they were seeing.
The entire route was composed of former secret hideouts.
“And the terrifying thing is, he did not even gloat over our silent reactions.”
“Yeah. To any bystander, he would have looked like he was just genuinely enjoying the act of guiding.”
Meanwhile, Siegfried and Jennifer had been hardening their resolve, struggling with all their might to keep straight, expressionless faces.
Then, at the ‘key spot of this entire operation’ finale, Siegfried had finally cracked and burst out laughing despite himself.
The white-pony cafe. More precisely, the innocent-looking building next door.
The primary rendezvous point.
The place to hand off classified documents from an imperial official they had successfully turned.
“Everything was in the minister’s palm. That poor bastard we flipped? He is useless now—probably already taken care of by the shadows.”
He felt a small twinge of pity, but it was inevitable in this game. The guy had steeled himself to betray the Empire, after all.
“Speaking of which, Jennifer. Is there any way to lure the minister over to our side?”
“Hmm. That sort of man puts personal amusement and interest over patriotism or mere cash. Craft a stage more entertaining and grand than the Empire, and he might jump ship quite easily.”
A stage more fun and captivating than the Empire.
In other words, build a nation that is at least on par with this powerhouse.
“Hrm. That is a tricky and monumental task.”
“We shall brainstorm the possibilities together. Surely we have plenty of time?”
“Yeah. We do.”
The very next day, Prince Siegfried’s entire entourage returned to the Labor Kingdom.
Nothing went as planned, but they had gained something far more valuable.
A new, driving objective.
Owl leader John Burckhardt paused for a moment, eyeing the man bound to a chair before him, who was trembling like a leaf in a storm.
He was not pondering the fate of the man himself.
His thoughts drifted instead to the sheer brilliance of their master.
‘How on earth did the minister find out about this?’
John was not questioning the minister’s prowess. It was a matter of pure, unadulterated curiosity.
This guy had been incredibly meticulous in his movements. Without catching him red-handed, the betrayal might have stayed hidden forever. He had covered his tracks with the Labor Kingdom flawlessly.
Yet the minister had somehow sniffed out the rot.
Not just the treason itself, but he had nailed the exact handover spot intended for the prince.
By letting Owl, who were shadowing the minister, spot the betrayer’s moves the very instant he paraded the prince to the site.
The betrayer still clutched stacks of imperial secrets—each one a potential catastrophe if they were ever leaked abroad.
“There is no way the minister has other tentacles besides us, right?”
Christina voiced the shared unease of the group, and the other Owl members’ faces tightened in unison at the thought.
Having other assets would not erase their own value or mean a betrayal of their bond.
But a man of the minister’s immense caliber having only the Intelligence Department? That would be the real oddity.
Still, the mere notion of others serving the minister in secret grated on them.
It was not a matter of pride or anything so noble.
It was plain, raw jealousy.
“There is no chance.”
“We would have caught wind of it if that were so.”
“Yeah, it is simply not possible.”
Alexander, Valdemar, and Sergei shot down her worry in turn. It was logical enough.
Any others, and they would surely know about them.
“No time for idle chit-chat. Dispose of the body and bounce.”
A casual flick of a blade, and the betrayer’s head parted from his neck, tumbling down to the floor.
Officially, it would be recorded as an ‘accident.’ But the word would spread through the government halls like wildfire.
Some idiot tried peddling Empire secrets and got erased from existence.
That idiot being the guy who had just ‘accidentally’ died.
Rumors always took on flesh and bone once they were started.
People would get the message loud and clear.
The true cost of betraying the Empire.
“Let us move out.”
Corpses were cleared, documents were incinerated, and every trace was wiped—the owls slipped silently back to their nest in the night.