The Princess's Sudden Impulse
A cold, gentle tone. "Jena."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I am a princess, am I not?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Then, how are noble students who attend the same academy usually expected to behave?"
"They are expected to come and pay their respects."
The notion that everyone at Carmion Academy is an equal student, regardless of status, and should focus on studies and training without regard for rank—that kind of nonsense did not exist in this world. A commoner seeking equality because they are a student? If they were stabbed by a noble’s guard, the case wouldn't even reach a trial; it would be dismissed as a natural death. Teaching commoners that they cannot share a table with noble and royal blood is part of the curriculum. Moreover, the academy’s founding philosophy was, [For nobles to fulfill their noble duties.] The reason commoner students were allowed to study here was merely an "afterthought." Naturally, the class system remained firmly in place. That was why Princess Lilit could not understand the current situation.
"Could the young duke... be ignorant of etiquette?"
"It is a possibility."
Carix, the current young duke, had no history of appearing in high society. The only time he had ever shown his face was at a small birthday party held at his own estate. Even then, he didn't send out invitations, so there was no excuse for anyone to go. His deceased older brother, Deolis, had been active in high society and the academy as the heir, and had even crossed paths with the princess at royal parties. But Carix, who was not the heir, had lived as if he were dead, neither helping nor causing trouble for his family.
"Even so, does this make sense? It’s been a week. Shouldn't we have at least bumped into each other in passing?"
"It is a rare case, but I believe it is not an impossible situation."
In truth, Jena knew exactly why this was happening, but she kept her mouth shut. 'He never leaves his quarters, so of course, you wouldn't run into him.' Princess Lilit, who harbored a pathological curiosity toward various forms of strength, had become intrigued by the young duke’s power after seeing him that day. Jena was worried about that, which is why she had been monitoring the young duke’s movements herself. The problem was that he didn't move at all, leading to the absurd situation where Jena spent a week just staring at his quarters from afar.
'If he just keeps not moving and gets expelled, that would be the best outcome.' She understood the reason for his actions that day, but his methods were far too cruel. Honestly, her first instinct was that he was a man who was better off not being involved with the princess.
"Hmm... Could it be that he has such power and talent, yet is stuck listening to boring liberal arts classes? But he still has to show up for the common subjects. He hasn't even appeared for the common noble courses..."
Since the entrance ceremony, most students had finished paying their respects to the princess. Those from minor or newly risen noble families had sent gifts and polite letters. The heirs of powerful families capable of forming political factions had led their groups to pay their respects in person, following proper etiquette, whether they were pro-royal or pro-noble. Now, only one person remained: Carix, the heir to the politically neutral Valentia Duchy.
"Jena."
"Yes."
"Honestly, I didn't want to go this far, but I have no choice. Call his attendant or guard. I need to convey my thoughts regarding his rudeness."
"Your Highness... he has no guard."
"Then he must have an attendant."
"He only brought one maid. And she is a commoner who, I hear, is just managing his quarters like a mouse."
"He is the second son of a duchy. His older brother was murdered while attending this academy. He is the only remaining heir."
"That is how it is."
In reality, Jena knew the truth. He hadn't brought a guard; he had turned his guard into a noble and enrolled him to follow him around. But how could she say that?
-'The count and knight currently serving as his student guard is the one who slaughtered a 4th-grade mage and burned his entire family to the ground.'
If she reported that honestly to the princess, who was obsessed with strength, she would surely shout, "Wow! That sounds fun! Bring him here! Bring them both!" It would be like sticking one's head into the maw of a magical beast to avoid a sword.
".........I can't let this go."
"You cannot."
"I haven't even said anything yet."
"You are thinking of going yourself, aren't you? That is not proper etiquette for a royal."
"I am the princess, and I wish to see my subordinate. What etiquette is there to speak of?"
"I believe you have never even met Young Master Carix. Even if you are in the same space, it is standard etiquette for him to come and greet a lady first. Yet, despite the lack of such basic procedure, you wish to go and see him? It will lead to frivolous rumors."
Jena had spent every day worrying about how to stop this curious princess, never knowing when she might lose her temper. What she was saying now was a bit of a sophistry, but if one considered royal etiquette and law, it wasn't entirely wrong. They weren't in the same building, but weren't they in the same vast space called an academy? What gentleman would make a princess reach out to him first upon their first meeting! Jena recited the excuses she had spent days crafting with the eloquence of a flowing river, confident she had succeeded in stopping the princess's impulsive behavior...
"What does it matter? My brother will be king anyway, and I’ll be lucky if I’m not sold off as a diplomatic commodity to some old foreign royal. If that’s the case, don't you think it’s better to settle down as the mistress of a domestic duchy? Then you, Jena, who are close to me, can just join the duchy’s knight order."
"...Pardon?"
Jena had overlooked the fact that she was a sword-wielder, not a politician, and that the princess had been raised politically from birth, receiving high-level royal education. When it came to rumors, public opinion, or politics, Lilit, the princess, calculated much faster than Jena, the sword-wielder. She had instantly calculated Jena's words and reached the conclusion: 'His appearance was decent, so if it connects to a marriage deal, the young duke is fine.' Of course, not a shred of romantic feeling or love was added to that conclusion.
"~♬"
"Y-Your Highness!?"
Jena's resistance failed, and the princess began to charge ahead.
*****
"There was only one person who fit the conditions the young master mentioned."
"And the information regarding family, relatives, and lovers?"
"Here it is. I have also gathered information on his close personal acquaintances outside the academy and their families."
The information written on the paper handed to me was clean and perfect, beyond reproach.
"Leng. When I become duke, just throw away your sword and be my secretary."
"Are you saying that while telling me to think for myself every time?"
"You're a kid who can be taught. You've been working with me for six months now; at this rate, I'm confident I can turn you into a proper human being within a year."
"Uh... have I not been a human until now?"
"Yeah. You were more like a beast of burden."
"A... beast? Pardon?"
Do as you're told, do only what you're ordered. Don't think. Honestly, it’s not hard to find people like that. If you pay them enough, anyone can do it. But it is truly hard to find talent who can deeply understand their master's orders, even if only a little, and work harder on every single task. And yet, do so carefully, without making mistakes. As luck would have it, Leng Dust seemed to be someone who could become such talent.
"Hmm. I knew it, but the academy is rotten too."
"Yes. I was surprised when I read it. How could a guy like this be working in a place with young students..."
"Well. It happens. Think of Count Berzen. Even a guy like that was a core retainer because he was a collateral branch of a duchy. Let alone the academy, where the interests of dozens, hundreds of dogs and cows are tangled. Even if he were a serial killer, if he has a guy with strong influence backing him, he can hide in a minor post."
And because of that, this was also dangerous.
"How much did you pay for the hush money?"
"Pardon? That’s about the same as the assassins we used before..."
"The people who sold this information will probably all be dead or gone. Your information might have been passed on too."
"Pardon? No. Why would that happen all of a sudden!?"
After quickly scanning and memorizing the documents Leng brought, I handed him only the paper detailing the criminal history and spoke.
"Mid-teens, molestation of a commoner woman. Late teens, rape of a family maid. In his twenties, molestation of a nun from the church. Attempted rape of a noble female student at the academy. These are heavy crimes that would lead to the revocation of his title, physical castration, and labor in the mines if even one were discovered. But a guy who is just the second son of a viscount, a fool who only manages carriage ledgers at the academy, committed these crimes alone? Or do you think he could have covered them up with just his parents' family influence?"
These were crimes that would be hard to cover up even if I, who had the backing of the duchy and my father, had committed them. And yet, even though this information is easily floating around, he is still working at the academy. This was a level of crime that couldn't be explained unless he had, at the very least, a powerful noble in the capital, or at worst, a border count or warlord noble behind him who was beyond the reach of the royal family and the duchy.
"Leng. The stakes have gotten higher. We’re going to catch and crush the guy behind this bastard first. If we can't kill them first, your head will be the first to roll."
"What?! ...But why are you talking as if only my head will roll?"
"Because it really will only be your head. I can just return to the western territory, but you can't, can you?"
"What are you talking about!? You have to take me with you!!"
"What are you talking about? Count Dust. You should go to your territory."
"Argh! I've been used and discarded!!"
Leng despaired, pulling at his hair. As expected, he’s a guy who’s fun to tease.
"I'm joking. Don't worry."
"I won't believe you! I won't believe the young master's words anymore even if you said you could make bread out of wheat...!!"
"If you don't do as I say, you will definitely die. They’ve started investigating the people they used as pawns; do you think they’ll let you live?"
"Wh-what should I do? I really don't want to die."
Feeling like I might have teased him too much because he seemed genuinely angry, I patted his shoulder and told him the solution.
"That... isn't that a real crime?"
"What’s the problem with committing a crime against a criminal?"
"Oh...? Is there none?"
"None."
If you don't care about the means and methods, you won't even be able to imagine a way to lose.
*****
The Valkart Kingdom had one of the most renowned assassin groups on the continent. Their name was [Silver Teeth]. They were those who had lost their homes, caught in the war between the overflowing magical beasts and humans. The origin of the assassin group's name was that, unlike gold teeth, no one looked for them even if they were embedded in a corpse, and it meant that their own lives were existences that could be discarded anywhere, like silver teeth. Simply put, they were people who sold their deaths for money.
"A big spender has arrived."
"......"
However, the reason they were truly feared was that only a handful of people in the entire kingdom knew of their existence properly. They were people looking for a place to die, they hadn't received proper training, and they had no connections anywhere. Even if they succeeded in an assassination, if they were tracked, they would stab their own throats and commit suicide without hesitation or resistance. If they failed, they would naturally commit suicide. Even when a traitor emerged and they were almost wiped out at once, they all committed suicide in an instant. Therefore, they were an existence that even the Valkart royal family could not properly grasp.
"This time, the job is... quite big."
"Hahat. When have we ever taken requests while weighing the size? When we killed the fleeing nobles last time, over 30 of our comrades died. If you pay for our lives properly, we will even jump to kill royalty. Of course..."
"I know you mean if the amount is right. That’s why I’ve prepared a really large sum this time."
That was why Leng had felt a chill when he first met them on Carix's orders. How did he know the code to meet them, and how did a second son of a noble who had only been in the duchy know that the broker receiving the requests changed their location every day? He truly felt like an existence of mystery.
-Thud! Crack.
"...?"
The payment. As it was raised, the sturdy wooden table in front of the broker screamed and began to collapse.
"It’s a gold chest. If you sell it, you’ll get 300 million Karts (the currency unit of the Valkart Kingdom)."
"Crazy. Are you asking us to kill even royalty? I misspoke. We can't kill royalty. Their guards are beyond our ability..."
"I know that your individual skills aren't that great. I’m not asking for such an unreasonable request in the first place."
"You're saying the amount you brought will make it unreasonable?"
The broker of the Silver Teeth giggled as if he had lost his mind. He had met quite a few big spenders so far, but he had never seen a human like Leng. He had always seen cheap clients who brought a few million, ten million at most, and asked to kill some noble or get rid of some family member. But Leng always offered the largest request fee in history when requesting them. Even during the Count Berzen incident last time, he had raised it to 100 million, asking to track down and kill all the fleeing bastards. Honestly, the shock of that time still hadn't faded, but this time it was 300 million. It meant that if things went really wrong, the assassin comrades he could use right now could be wiped out.
"Are you saying you won't take it?"
".........Sigh. Since you’re always updating the first in history. I think we need to test the waters for the first time in history too. What kind of request are you thinking of making? Even so, I can't accept a request that asks us all to die."
"I want you to kidnap the daughters or wives of the noble families written here. Without a scratch."
"Kidnap? How many families?"
"All the families written here."
".........13. Quite a lot."
"Is 300 million not enough?"
"Wait. Let me look at the families..."
Originally, they were people who would do it if you found them, gave them money, and said, "Do this," but the amount was the amount and the target was the target. The broker carefully examined the names of each family one by one, as if he had no choice but to approach this very carefully this time.
"...300 million."
"More?"
"No. It’s just right. It’s actually slightly excessive."
The broker clicked his tongue and spoke. If he had asked to do such a big job for 100 or 200 million, he would have refused immediately. If he had brought around 200 million, he would have worried negatively. If it had been 250 million, he would have even bargained. But 300 million. It was exactly the amount that would take a large profit at the level of the life value they calculated. It was as if he knew exactly how they were calculating their life value, and it was an amount that pierced it perfectly.
"Many will die."
"I'm sorry."
"Kick! You’re the only person who apologizes every time while giving us such large sums to life-value merchants like us."
The broker neatly took the box containing the gold chest, and before long, a boy who looked like a vagrant ran up and delivered a letter to him. "Request accepted. We start working from today."
"How long will it take?"
"Since there are quite a few numbers. It will probably take about a week."
"......Crazy. Accurate."
"Huh? What is."
"Talking to myself. Then, excuse me."
If you pay 300 million and entrust it, it will take about a week. Leng felt a chill at the reality that matched exactly what Carix had said. 'But really. It’s okay to do this, right?' The scale was no joke last time either, but this time it was truly on a different level. He didn't have all the criminal records or evidence of the other party, but he was trying to trigger a truly crazy incident.
'It’s driving me crazy.' Wouldn't the knights who betrayed him and died be rolling around in hell more comfortably than him? Leng began to fear the reality of following Carix, the young duke.
-Click.
"!"
And as if to say it was a mistake that Leng's conscience and insides weren't completely shattered, a greater disaster befell him.
"Don't look back. If you roll those dirty eyeballs even a little, you won't even have time for your head to say goodbye to your torso."
The knight Leng couldn't even feel the presence, but the tremendous killing intent that appeared suddenly from behind. It felt like if he moved even a finger, his neck would fall off immediately... No. Even now, while she was letting him breathe, a woman's low voice, feeling as if it were disgusting, pierced Leng's ears like a blade.
"Who... are you?"
"Only I ask questions. What did you just request? Who did you ask to kill? What on earth is the young duke thinking, doing something like this..."
"Hey, hey. You know."
""!!!""
A bright voice cut into the coldly pouring questions. A woman with a small physique who appeared boldly in front of Leng, who had been looking only forward because she told him not to turn his head. The blue hair, permitted only to a single name in this country, began to tighten Leng's heart.
"What is the Valentia young duke thinking, asking to kidnap noble wives and young ladies? I’m so curious. You’ll tell me, right?"
The most noble woman in this country without a queen. Lilit Valkart. Leng wanted to die rather than face the fact that the princess, whom he had never seen in his life, had seen the crime scene he was committing.