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“I’m in your debt once again.”

Count Arsene, deep in thought, let out a long sigh.

“Self-reproach in the face of an enemy invasion isn’t a good sight.”

“……Hahaha, but there’s no helping it, is there? Such self-reflection is necessary to determine the future direction of my life.”

As he said this, Count Arsene stared directly into my eyes.

“Should I just carry you around? Then I wouldn’t make such foolish mistakes.”

“How much will you pay me?”

“How much do you want?”

“Give me this country.”

“……!”

For a moment, Count Arsene flinched.

“A man should have at least this much ambition.”

“……”

Count Arsene, who had been standing there in a daze, soon burst into laughter.

“That was an amusing joke.”

“It’s not a joke. Haven’t you lived your life with such ambitions as well?”

“Well……”

“Over time, the number of mouths to feed increases. You have to protect the pride of the retainers who are part of the count’s family. To do so, you must not only maintain your current position but also gradually climb higher. Haven’t you lived your life that way? Trying to get a little closer to the center of power.”

“……!”

Once again, Count Arsene’s eyes widened.

“Across this entire country, there are few families greater than the Arsene family. Only a few ducal and marquis families surpass you. And among the counts, you’re number one.”

“……”

“So, don’t blame yourself too much.”

“……”

“You’ve worked hard, fighting alone in the capital.”

Count Arsene’s eyes twitched slightly.

“This ability to penetrate a person’s heart…… it must be a talent, right?”

No.

This isn’t a talent.

It’s just a path I’ve walked before.

So, I’m simply a bit more familiar with it than others.

“Anyway, save the self-reflection for later. Let’s talk business first.”

“……Alright.”

“First, write a letter immediately.”

“A letter?”

“Now that we know their scheme, we should inform our allies of what we’ve discovered. We can take some credit for it too.”

Count Arsene was quick to understand.

“You mean to write to His Majesty?”

“The palace must be fully prepared. Their goal is to usurp the throne.”

Count Arsene nodded immediately.

“I’ll send a telegraph through the Magic Tower. That will be the fastest way.”

“The Magic Tower is not an option.”

“……Why……?”

“The Empire is involved in this matter. It’s clear they are secretly assisting the Marquis of Foltaine. In such a situation, using the Magic Tower, whose allegiance is uncertain……”

“……There’s a risk the information might leak?”

“Even the assassin guilds have already fallen into the emperor’s hands.”

Only then did Count Arsene groan.

“Then what should we do?”

“There’s still one fast, reliable, and certain means of communication left.”

“……Ah!”

Count Arsene let out a small exclamation.

“Of course. The Mask of Night.”

Satisfied with his response, I nodded naturally.

“I’ll take care of the request. Just make sure the seal is properly stamped and hand it over to me.”

“Is it necessary?”

“You’d give them whatever they ask for, wouldn’t you? Ah, I’m talking about the commission fee.”

Count Arsene quickly raised his hand.

“Wait. Is that something that can be negotiated?”

“Negotiation is a skill. At the end of the day, they’re merchants, after all.”

“Hmm, then I’ll leave it to you……”

“In exchange, I’ll keep half of the money saved from the negotiation, okay?”

“……”

Count Arsene looked at me in silence.

I took it as his affirmation.

“Thank you. Now I’m really motivated to work.”

“……”

“I’ll go meet Viscount Rodri for a moment. Write the letter while I’m gone!”

“……”

I felt a sharp gaze on my back.

Of course, I ignored it.

‘I should earn as much as I can while I can.’

There will be countless expenses in the future.

***

Viscount Rodri was immediately taken to the interrogation room.

Even if I was going to give him a chance, I still needed to confirm what information he had leaked so far.

I headed straight to his solitary cell.

Creak.

“……It’s you.”

As soon as he saw my face, Viscount Rodri gave a bitter smile.

“How old was the child?”

“If he had lived, he’d be about your age. The same age as the late Young Master Hersen.”

Was it because we were talking about children?

A deep sorrow settled on Viscount Rodri’s face.

“Come to think of it, Young Master Hersen’s birthday is coming up.”

“You remember that too?”

“Because I feel guilty.”

An ‘uncontrollable accident’.

From Viscount Rodri’s perspective, Hersen’s death was probably like that.

Even if he had allied with the enemy, he couldn’t have known all the infiltrators within.

‘There wouldn’t have been much loyalty between them.’

It was a simple give-and-take relationship.

Viscount Rodri hid the enemy and provided information.

In return, the Marquis of Foltaine must have promised to help him with his future revenge.

“It was something I desperately wanted. But after the lady died and Master Hersen met the same fate……”

“Don’t say it was in vain.”

“……What?”

“Revenge is pointless? That’s nonsense. You’re only thinking that because you’ve already achieved your goal.”

“……!”

“If the lady had not died, your dreams would have been haunted every night by your dead child.”

Viscount Rodri stared intently at my face as I spoke.

“Anyway, I’m saying that I understand your actions.”

“……You’re a strange one.”

Finally, Viscount Rodri let out a faint laugh.

“More importantly, you came to tell me something, didn’t you?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“I can guess what it is.”

Viscount Rodri nodded.

“You want me to take responsibility and block the north gate, right? So that the enemies who have arrived right in front of our camp will be caught off guard. If we launch a surprise attack amidst that chaos……”

“No.”

“……Huh?”

“Quite the opposite, actually.”

“What……?”

“Act according to their plans. Open the north gate completely and assist the enemy in entering without resistance.”

“……!”

Viscount Rodri’s eyes widened.

If he couldn’t understand even after this explanation, he wouldn’t be fit as a commander.

“Draw them in completely and annihilate them from within?”

“Yes.”

I’m going to perfectly recreate the events of the day I was killed.

Even now, there might be spies from the Empire watching.

‘I’ll make it so familiar that it makes their guts churn.’

Having said my piece, I turned to leave.

“Then, good luck with the investigation. I’ll see you later.”

“……Wait.”

Viscount Rodri called out, stopping me.

“What’s the final reason?”

“Excuse me?”

“The reason I’m a spy. You mentioned ‘five reasons’, didn’t you?”

“Ah.”

I nodded.

“Have you ever been betrayed?”

“……I can’t recall any such event.”

“Once you’ve been stabbed in the back, you become more observant.”

I raised two fingers to my eyes.

“It’s a kind of lesson you learn from experience.”

“And?”

“You behaved exactly like a traitor.”

“What?”

Viscount Rodri asked with a face of disbelief.

“When the lady died, you didn’t actively work to catch the spies like you’re doing now, did you?”

“……Are you saying my acting was insufficient?”

“In that sense, I must ask you once again.”

A faint smile spread across my lips.

“Act convincingly this time, so they don’t suspect a thing.”

***

It was right after I returned to my room.

“Oh?”

I quickly encountered the person I needed to meet.

As I opened the window where I sensed a presence,

“……You look like a bat.”

Narakas was hanging upside down from a tree, glaring at me.

“Thanks for the advice. Although it wasn’t very helpful.”

“……Hmph. You’re a puzzling fellow……”

“Keep observing. Let’s get down to business.”

I immediately handed him the item I had in my hand.

“What’s this?”

“Can’t you tell? It’s a letter.”

“You think I’m asking because I don’t know?”

For a moment, a vein bulged on Narakas’s forehead.

“It’s probably a letter meant to extort something from the king of this country, right?”

“Extort? That’s a crude way of putting it. I prefer ‘an exchange of information’.”

“Setting aside my evaluation of you. No, now that I understand you to some extent, I’m certain.”

“Certain of what?”

“I won’t be doing any more business with you. Dealing with you only leads to losses.”

“Come on, don’t be so stingy.”

“Stingy? Would you still say that if you were in my shoes?”

“I didn’t lie. The location of the relic was accurate, wasn’t it? You know that better than anyone.”

To reiterate, Narakas had an exceptional ability to read people’s psychology. His skill at distinguishing truth from lies was unparalleled…… No, perhaps unique on the continent.

“……If it had been a lie, you’d be up there by now.”

Narakas pointed towards the sky.

“Enough of that. Are you really closing up shop? Will you take the job or not?”

“……”

“You understand the situation. This letter needs to get to the palace urgently. Every second is precious.”

After a moment of silence, Narakas responded gruffly.

“500 gold.”

I hesitated, my eyebrows naturally knitting together at the unrealistic number.

“Did I hear that right? 500 gold just to deliver a letter?”

“Shall I imitate you?”

“What?”

“First, the recipient is the king of this country, who could be deposed in a coup at any moment. If the rebellion succeeds, we’ll be targeted by the new regime. Second, such places are dangerous. It’s like running into a burning house, so I’ve added a hazard pay. Third, the fee varies depending on the client. As the seller, I set the price. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it.”

“……All good reasons, but there’s a hidden jab in the last one, isn’t there?”

“Our Mask of Night values grudges and favors.”

Narakas then flashed a triumphant smile.

“Most importantly, we’re the only ones who can handle this job right now. Fourth— in other words, we’re irreplaceable. Considering that, I think it’s a reasonable price.”

This was an undeniable fact.

Of course, no matter how valid the reasons, I couldn’t just pay the full amount.

“Let’s settle on 300 gold.”

“Impossible!”

“I have to buy something important. It’s not like we won’t see each other again. Don’t overcharge a valuable customer.”

“……”

Narakas finally fell silent.

From his perspective, who am I?

A prince of a nation.

Moreover, the successor of the greatest hero on the continent.

Naturally, every move I make is ‘money’ to them.

Most importantly, they can’t forcefully extract the knowledge in my head.

Knowing that, the leader of Mask of Night was sticking around despite the potential losses.

“Even so……”

“Just charge me the cost price. I’ll make it worth your while in the future.”

“……Make it worth my while? You? For me?”

Why did that sound like a mocking question?

“Geez. If you keep being petty, how can I request additional jobs from you in the future?”

“……Additional jobs? You mean there’s more work for us?”

“Of course. And it’ll be several times more expensive than this one.”

Swoosh!

Narakas swiftly dropped from the tree and slipped through the window like a flying squirrel.

“Let’s hear it. What’s the job?”

“Two 4th-class magic scrolls and five sets of armor made from blackworm. The scrolls are urgent, so I need them now. The armor can come later.”

“Scrolls, fine. But blackworm armor? Are you trying to increase your chances of survival in the war or something?”

Narakas questioned in disbelief.

Blackworm. As the name suggests, it referred to a black silkworm.

This creature was native only to the far eastern regions of the continent.

Furthermore, it was extremely rare.

Armor made from blackworm silk was considered one of the rarest treasures on the continent.

It was resistant to blades without mana, fireproof, and even waterproof.

I was ordering five sets of such precious armor.

“Aren’t I a big spender? Get them at the most reasonable price. That’s the specialty of the best, the Mask of Night, isn’t it?”

Since the items were expensive, the middleman’s profit margin would be high too.

“It’ll easily cost at least 10,000 gold.”

“That’s why I told you, I’ll have a lot of expenses.”

After a brief thought, Narakas nodded.

“I’ll deliver the letter as a service.”

“As expected of the best!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Earned 500 gold.’

The Count’s house would cover the cost of the goods for the operation anyway.

“What 4th-class scrolls?”

“Mass Illusion and Growth of Plant.”

“……Those aren’t very common scrolls.”

“Why act surprised now? You always carry scrolls of this caliber. You’re the leader of Mask of Night.”

“……Is such detailed information in Ancelot’s records too?”

Narakas sighed and rummaged through his waistband.

Soon, a masterpiece developed by the Magic Tower appeared: a subspace pocket.

Two scrolls that looked anything but ordinary came out.

“I’ll add 20% to the regular price from the Magic Tower. You know that’s not a high markup.”

That was true too.

With the rise of demand, so does price.

Battlefield supplies fetched whatever price was asked.

“You’re planning to set a trap, aren’t you? I’m curious to see how you’ll handle them.”

“The enemy will rush towards the north gate. They’ll be burning with excitement. At that moment……”

I smiled, holding up the two scrolls.

“……We’ll cool their excitement with these.”

***

Thud, thud, thud!

Thick smoke billowed into the air.

An elite force of five hundred knights, and the pride of the Marquis Foltaine’s household.

The White Lion brigade had just arrived near their destination.

“There it is, the Arsene County castle!”

“Finally……!”

It had taken them less than two days.

They had driven themselves hard, cutting rest time to a minimum to hasten their advance.

“Arrogant bastards. We’ll crush them all.”

“I can already see them falling back in shock, hahaha!”

“Leave it to me, Captain. I’ll bring back Count Arsene’s head!”

The entire White Lion Brigade was burning with excitement.

However, their captain, Tripier, worked to calm his emotions.

“Tell the members to refrain from any disgraceful actions.”

“Yes, sir.”

“War is ultimately about legitimacy. I’m sure it wouldn’t happen, but crimes against civilians are absolutely forbidden.”

Tripier, who had repeatedly emphasized this, now looked straight ahead.

“Our top priority is to capture Count Arsene.”

His now steady voice echoed around him.

“Today, we change the flag on that castle with our own hands.”