Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Competent Subordinate-3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I let out a deep breath as I emerged from the suffocating Rose Palace.
Even the princess was one thing, but when the emperor showed up, I was genuinely on edge.
One wrong word, and my life could've been over.
If my brain had frozen up back there, I might not be breathing this fresh air right now.
"Haa...!"
The tension drained from my body, leaving me limp all over, but unfortunately, there was no time to rest.
I still had to secure that spy who'd infiltrated as a maid.
'It was force majeure, but I gave away way too much information...'
Princess Rosmel's condition wasn't an incurable disease—it was a top-grade curse.
Meaning someone had deliberately tried to kill her.
The only faction that stood to gain from the death of a princess with no claim to the throne was, obviously, the Nidhogg Cult.
It was safe to assume this was an elaborate scheme by the cult to shatter the emperor's spirit.
They'd planted a spy right by her side, after all.
But their plan had crumbled just as it was reaching its climax.
Because I'd stepped in and thrown sand in the works.
The curse strangling Princess Rosmel was broken, and someone from the cult had spotted me as the one behind it.
If they reported that back, the cult would come after me with blood in their eyes.
I didn't have the power to stand against them yet, so to survive, I had to catch that spy no matter what.
My only option was to use every means at my disposal to feed them false information.
"Never thought I'd end up using the insurance I prepared just in case like this."
I pulled a crystal orb from the inner pocket of my coat—the same one where I'd kept the elixir.
It was about the size of a tennis ball, fitting comfortably in one hand.
It looked like something you'd use to divine future fortunes, but its actual function was location tracking.
A magic tool that, when infused with mana, pinpointed the location of someone from the user's memories.
Far in the future, I'd bought it in case I got kidnapped, so anyone could come rescue me.
But this time, it was unexpectedly being used for pursuit instead of rescue.
'Is this how you use it?'
Sweeping my hand across the orb's surface brought up an arrow.
A number was engraved below it, ticking up in real time.
It was showing direction and distance.
'Southeast, 4,500 meters. Damn, she's fast!'
The moment she'd been chased out, she'd seized the opportunity and gone into action.
She was probably trying to contact the cult's liaison and report what happened in the Rose Palace.
I absolutely couldn't let that happen.
But no matter how hard she ran, Heinz's sluggish legs couldn't catch up to the spy, so I headed for the stables.
Just then, the coachman youth was leading a horse into the stables, so I snatched the reins from him.
"Borrowing this for a bit."
"Wha—wait! That's a warhorse from the Songolma Knights...!"
The coachman's scream faded into the distance behind me.
He'd mentioned some knight order's name.
But this wasn't the time to sweat the small stuff, so I wiped it from my memory.
If there was trouble, Emperor Kraus or Princess Rosmel could sort it out for me.
I was the wastrel who'd earned the emperor's gratitude—and his recognition as a loyal retainer!
What in the world did I have to fear?
...The cult's assassins were pretty damn scary, though.
"Hya!"
Fortunately, Heinz's body had riding experience, so mounting up was no issue.
Even on my first ride, I handled the horse with expert ease.
I had enough leisure to hold the reins in one hand and check the orb.
His combat skills and personality might've been flawed, but maybe he wasn't utterly talentless?
"Nice! Closing in fast."
I thought things were going smoothly, but trouble hit the moment we reached the capital's streets.
The crowds made it impossible to gallop at full speed.
Pedestrians cleared out of the way for the horse, but it was still frustratingly slow.
Should a wastrel just charge through?
'Sigh! If someone got trampled and died, it wouldn't sit right with me.'
The distance to the spy: a mere 900 meters.
I dismounted, gave the horse's rump a slap to send it back.
It was well-trained, so it'd find its way home.
I sprinted in the direction the orb indicated.
From the main road into narrow alleys, twisting and turning ever onward.
Perilous, but no problem—I'd picked up a self-defense magic tool along with the tracker.
A magic scroll that unleashed a high-voltage current forward when torn in half.
I kept it in the pouch at my waist, ready to deploy at any moment.
It was lethal, not just for subduing, so I'd use it only if things went south.
'Come to think of it, she's stopped moving at some point?'
I figured the distance gap would widen again because she was so fast, but no.
She'd halted, and the number stopped increasing.
Even if it ticked up, it was just a step or two.
She was staying put in one spot.
Anxiety crept in—maybe she'd already met the cult's liaison.
No choice but to wipe them all out before it was too late, so I drew the scroll.
I whipped around the corner into the alley where the spy was.
At the same time, I unfurled the scroll and barked a threat.
"Don't move! One twitch, and you're dead!"
The alley was pitch black, not a sliver of light.
In the gloom, I spotted a faint silhouette stirring.
Thankfully, just one person, and the orb pointed right at the shadow.
She might've already made contact with the liaison.
At least I could grab the spy.
"If you don't wanna be electrocuted crispy, raise your hands and surrender nice and... Huh?"
Before I could even finish urging surrender, the shadow darted.
The moment I twisted to rip the scroll...
I froze.
It wasn't the maid I'd pegged as the spy. Someone entirely different.
Golden hair gleaming in the sunlight's reflection.
Ocean-blue eyes locked on me.
The girl scanned me from head to toe, then flashed a gentle smile.
A beauty that could steal any man's heart.
If not for the vivid blood trails streaking her cheeks, even I'd have been entranced.
"The moment I've longed for has finally arrived, Lord Heinz!"
"Uh? You know who I am?"
"Of course. How could I ever forget the one man I must never forget, even if I fall to hell?"
Her soft tone and gentle expression melted my guard away.
Then I spotted what she held, and chills ran down my spine.
A head dripping blood, and a bloodied dagger.
The blonde girl dangled the severed head by its hair—I knew that face.
Princess Rosmel's exclusive maid. The cult spy I'd been hunting.
Th-that...!"
"Oh! It's not much, but it's my gift to you! She seemed like the source of your troubles, so I cleaned her up nice and tidy!"
She held the neck stump out to me with both hands.
I frantically shook my head no.
She tossed it over her shoulder, then flung the dagger skyward.
It traced a perfect arc before embedding precisely in the spy's forehead as it rolled on the ground.
"Whoa..."
No ordinary skill. But she wasn't in my memories.
I'd memorized every female character in the Aslon Chronicles, and she wasn't one.
Especially a dainty-looking girl like this—I'd etched even NPCs into my brain.
If she wasn't ringing a bell, she either never appeared in the game...
Or she'd died before it even started.
"You Kizen's daughter by any chance?"
"Ah...!"
She clapped her blood-soaked hands over her mouth, eyes wide.
Her cheeks flushed blood-red with emotion.
Jackpot, huh?
"To recognize me at first sight...! I'm so thrilled my heart might burst!"
"I don't know many assassins."
A woman friendly to me, utterly remorseless about killing, and a master of thrown weapons? Only Lena fit.
Gender aside, Kizen too—but he couldn't have undergone rejuvenation and a gender swap.
So, Kizen's daughter it was.
Plus, she was someone I didn't remember.
"Pleased to meet you, Lord Heinz. I'm Maribel, who swore alongside my father to serve you eternally. I'm sorely lacking compared to him, but I'll strive to be of use to you, so please look upon me kindly!"
Maribel placed a hand on her chest and bowed in introduction.
The overwhelming scale that her palm couldn't fully cover made my eyes bulge unwittingly.
This girl... she's got some killer assets!