Midnight Operation Begins
The letter arrived with an unexpected guest and his grumbling.
“This is too much, Lady Pay. How could you leave me out of this?”
“Ah…”
Pay wore an awkward expression. Raphael Orleans, a man who should never have been here, someone who must never learn the full truth of the matter, had come.
He strode forward, dropped to one knee before her, and declared with solemn gravity, “I, Raphael Orleans, as a member of the Crow Knights who protect the imperial family of the Arkan Empire, swear to uphold my knight’s oath until the end of my days and never betray my principles.”
He could not possibly be unaware of what would happen tonight. After committing this act, even if the truth about the gold dust came to light, the Orleans family’s lost trust could never be restored. Yet he had come willingly after hearing the truth from Crown Prince Silas.
He had come to join in the very deed that would bring ruin to his own house.
“Sir Raphael…”
“I am disappointed.”
“Will you truly be all right if you come with us?”
Astaine’s eyes also looked slightly downcast, but Raphael’s blue gaze shone with an unusual pride.
“If I have done something deserving of punishment, then it is only right that I bear the consequences. Both as a knight and as a noble of a meritorious house, I must do what is proper.”
“……”
He was rather impressive. Pay found herself thinking so without meaning to.
She had long since grown numb to the Klein ducal house; the thought of it collapsing no longer stirred anything in her. In truth, she would probably only offer a cold smile if they fell into ruin. But Cassel…
If her revenge meant bringing misfortune upon the only family she still had left, she might have hesitated. Yet Raphael stood before her now, fully aware of the outcome, and had still chosen to walk this path.
Being a knight was truly difficult.
Seeing the conflict on Pay’s face, Raphael spoke quietly while still kneeling. “Lady Pay, even if the discovery of the gold vein is kept hidden, the Orleans ducal house will not face annihilation. We may not escape punishment, but that is simply the consequence of our actions.”
“…I know that.”
A gentle, serene smile appeared on lips that had sometimes been called frivolous.
“You need not worry. Once this is over, I will make sure my parents can no longer stir up trouble in the capital. In fact, this incident will give me the justification I need to step forward, so they will have no choice but to accept it. Now, shall we go? Hm…? Where is Momo?”
“Right here.”
Lucius, who had been leaning against a tree in the corner listening to Raphael’s lengthy speech, rose to his feet.
Raphael raised one eyebrow. “Wait, so the Drakan we rode was actually you?”
Lucius glared at him. “What nonsense are you spouting? The coordinates are already set, and I’ve even deployed a mage’s eye. There’s not a single person on guard nearby.”
“Pardon?”
Raphael tilted his head, having missed the part about spatial magic in his haste to arrive.
Astaine carefully pulled on the leather cap to hide her hair and greeted Lucius. “Please take care of us, Mage.”
“Hmph.”
“…Lucius! Stop that and explain properly.”
“You come here first.”
Astaine, ever thorough in her preparations, looked pleased, while Lucius’s gaze, which had been regarding Raphael like an insect, softened the moment it landed on Pay.
He pulled Pay’s hood up so the wind wouldn’t tousle her hair and wrapped a long scarf around her neck. As he tended to her with his own hands, his dark, deep eyes seemed to pour out endless honeyed syrup, leaving her with a sweet, hazy feeling.
Ah, no. If he looked at her like that, those two sharp-eyed people would figure everything out in an instant!
‘Lucius, really!’
Pay had no idea what to do with herself, yet she honestly felt happy. Well… she had been the one to hug him first, but after leaving the Forest of Origins they had held hands, embraced again, and he hadn’t stayed still either… um… and then what else?
…That was it?
‘Huh?’
So what exactly were they to each other?
The sudden question about their relationship made the obsidian ring on her little finger feel strangely awkward.
Back then, Lucius had been so nervous confessing his identity that he could only apologize, admit his mistakes, and say he would accept whatever punishment she gave. And… that was all. He had been gentler since then, but something important was missing…
He had given her a precious elixir, sent her a bouquet of flowers, and even connected her with the illusory unicorn. But all of that had been before he confessed who he really was.
After that…
Nothing.
‘What? Really nothing?’
Pay was left stunned by the realization.
“Sir Raphael, I heard we will use spatial magic to travel to the river where the gold vein lies. Since the Saintess is arriving at the imperial palace tomorrow, we cannot fly there on a Drakan and risk alarming everyone.”
“Ah, I see. Indeed, the Drakan’s movements would be visible from the capital, so the chance of being discovered… Understood.”
Meanwhile, the conversation between Astaine and Raphael reached her ears clearly.
Ah… now wasn’t the time for this.
Pay, slightly flustered, looked at Lucius as if nothing were wrong and said, “It seems we’re mostly ready. Shall we depart?”
“…Yes.”
Having grasped the situation, Raphael stood up at once and said cheerfully, “Come to think of it, Sir Cassel isn’t accompanying us this time. Well, with the Saintess arriving at the palace, it’s only natural he can’t leave his post while reorganizing the guards and knights.”
“Sir Cassel will be busy.”
“His eyes are probably bloodshot by now, buried in work? Haha, then let’s hurry. I’m counting on you.”
“Hmph.”
When Lucius lightly tapped the ground with his toe, an intricate magic circle began to form.
Just before departure, Pay sought one last confirmation from Raphael. “Sir Raphael, are you truly not going to regret this? Even if you say you’re going as a member of the Crow Knights, in the end this concerns the family that gave birth to and raised you.”
Raphael brought a hand to his lips and whispered conspiratorially, “Do you know something?”
“Yes?”
“If my honor is tarnished by this incident and my father steps down from his position…”
“…Steps down?”
“……?”
Lucius, who had finished the spatial magic circle and was waiting to activate it, frowned at the strange exchange.
“I will become the duke.”
Raphael wore an expression brimming with pride.
“……”
Completely oblivious to the chilly atmosphere, he added one more thing. “Lady Pay, would you like to live this life boldly as the Duchess of Orleans? You won’t regret it. Our house will overflow with gold coins and honor, and as your husband, I will overflow with love.”
“Pfft…!”
Pay had tried to hold it in, but it was simply too funny. When she let out a small laugh, Astaine, who had finally realized it was a joke, sighed.
“One can never tell where Sir Raphael’s sincerity ends and his jokes begin.”
“A joke? I am always sincere in front of women!”
“So you’re always lying to men?”
At Lucius’s pointed remark, Raphael looked wronged. “No, why does it feel like Sir Cassel is here even though he isn’t?”
“Let’s really go now, all right? We need to finish before dawn.”
At Pay’s urging, the three men fell silent. Without realizing it, they were all being led exactly as Pay wished, and they accepted it as natural.
The four of them stepped into Lucius’s magic circle one after another, and the spell activated without fail.
At that very moment, Cassel’s eyes, buried in paperwork because of the Saintess’s imminent arrival, were bloodshot. Red veins stood out clearly against the whites beside his crimson irises.
Only one thought occupied his mind. It had to be only one thought.
Work… work… work…
It wasn’t that he disliked working. He had to do it, he needed to, yet he shouldn’t be here right now…!
Crack.
Unable to hold back any longer, Cassel snapped the sturdy pen and let out a long sigh.
“Haa…”
He must not think of Tiana or Pay. He had to trust that they would handle things well and focus on his own duties… but it wasn’t easy.
He already missed her.
‘Huu.’
Just as he sighed as though the ground might cave in, the spatial magic succeeded without incident. Having arrived within a small branch of the Driana mountain range, they looked at one another and whispered softly.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone around!”
“It’s the middle of the night, so the mining work must have stopped.”
“This way… perhaps?”
“Over here, come.”
Lucius took only Pay’s hand and began walking.
Even in the dead of night, the capital never went completely dark because of buildings lit by lamps and patrols moving about. But this place was different.
Aside from the pitch-black darkness and the starlight overhead, almost nothing was visible. The glow of fireflies or lanterns left in windows was nowhere to be found.
Using magic to create light would be dangerous if someone spotted it from afar.
Pay’s toes unconsciously tensed.
“I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”
Lucius spoke quietly, just loud enough for Pay, who was pressed close behind him, to hear.
“…Y-yes. Okay.”
She had so much she wanted to ask him, yet she couldn’t bring herself to speak. Neither the place nor the timing was right.
“I can hear the sound of water over there. If we follow it, we should be fine, right?”
Astaine, whose curiosity remained undiminished despite the lack of visibility, pointed somewhere with her finger. Their eyes had adjusted somewhat to the darkness, and they could now make out one another’s silhouettes.
“Let us proceed.”
“You stay in the back. If you slip, we’ll all be in trouble.”
Lucius stopped Raphael, who had tried to take the lead as a knight, and went ahead himself.
Even near the river, there wasn’t as much grass as expected, and since leaving fewer traces was better, they walked slowly and carefully.
After some time, their night vision improved and the tension eased. Raphael spoke in a low voice. “Hm, I never thought I would come here like this.”
“Do you know every corner of the territory? That’s impressive.”
When Pay expressed admiration, Raphael answered confidently. “Of course not. I simply didn’t realize such a place existed.”
Indeed, sending the sole heir of the family into such a sensitive border area was unusual. Cassel… her brother was truly a special case.
“R-right.”
“We’re here. That’s the river flowing beneath the vein.”
The sound of the flowing water had grown noticeably louder as they drew closer.
Pay asked with quiet concern, “If we scatter the gold dust here, won’t it all be washed away before tomorrow?”
“The current is strong, but not that strong. Besides, spreading it in several places will make it easier to spot.”
“I see…”
“Let’s begin.”
Pay took out the pouches she had prepared in advance and handed them to Astaine and Lucius. When she loosened the strings, a faint sparkle glimmered even in the darkness.
However, Raphael did not accept the pouch offered to him.
As expected… even though he had come to provide cover, actively participating in the act that would ruin his family must be difficult…?
“What… is that?”
Raphael was pulling something heavy from his own bag!
“Gold nuggets.”
“G-gold nuggets? Bigger than gold dust?”
“Yes. I thought they would be easier to find this way.”
Lucius, who had been carefully hiding the gold dust beneath pebbles and in rock crevices, spoke up. “Momo might actually get greedy and eat them. He’s the type who can digest gold, so just leave them. You’ll only be wasting money.”