episode_0126

Fortunately, the acting was natural.

“I guess that’s just a monkey’s game.”

“… It doesn’t make sense that such creatures evolved into humans.”

The monkeys all gathered together and did things like jumping rope with snakes.

Because he showed behavior that was completely incomprehensible.

We step inside, pretending to observe the curious southern creatures.

We took a quick detour off the trail and entered a dense forest of trees.

There are hardly any southern creatures around.

The mana of the four people following behind was clearly felt.

“Teacher.”

“Yes, I’m sure your highness felt it too… .”

“The trap is ready. We can catch them all now.”

“… … ”

I thought it was great that he had noticed the stalking even now.

But Elin is a genius who surpasses Luke.

The trap has already been prepared.

“Excellent.”

I was purely amazed.

There really is nothing more to teach you.

There is a problem that it is so great that it is starting to become difficult to handle… Anyway.

Luke held up his thumb and turned away.

“Why are you following us?”

Of course.

In the quiet forest, no answer came.

Rather, I see that the mana is gradually fading away.

It seems he is good at hiding his presence.

“I know you’ve been following us for a while now. If you don’t come out quietly… .”

Luke winked at Elin.

When Ellen snapped her fingers.

Chorrrruk-

The floating chain forms a large circle.

It looks like a giant arena.

Phagejik-

Not stopping there, Elin sent lightning elements flowing through the chain.

Woof-

A dome-shaped barrier surrounds the sky.

They laid down a lot of chains so that if you take a wrong step, you’ll be dragged away.

It’s a real dilemma.

It was a structure that you could never escape from unless you learned spatial magic.

…I didn’t know you prepared this many traps?

Luke tried to hide his embarrassment and lowered his voice.

“I have no choice but to hold on by force.”

The opponent didn’t move at all, as if he was flustered.

Still no answer came back.

Do we have no choice but to catch him and check?

When trying to signal Elin again.

Damn it.

I heard footsteps.

But the figure was not visible.

It was clear that it was coming this way.

All four of them, avoiding all the chains on the floor.

Are you trying to come and attack me like this?

“Remove the invisibility spell.”

Exactly.

He floated a mana sphere and stood guard.

Let’s compress it to the extreme so that we can fire at any moment if we do something stupid.

Swish.

A stalker who takes off his mask at the front.

The sky ripples and the figure is revealed.

“!”

Luke, of course, and Elin too couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Since when have you known?”

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard such a dry voice.

An expression that doesn’t show even an inch of panic.

“Leo?”

The eldest son who escaped from Bertain.

Captain of the Imperial Secret Service.

Leo appeared, looking unusually gaunt.

* * * * *

Luke is not a soft-spoken person who lets his guard down just because he knows someone.

Moreover, he had once kidnapped Elin.

For those who are secretly following you from a strange land.

He said this while still aiming at the mana sphere.

“Everyone, take off your masks.”

Leo is the only one who has been able to turn invisible.

It was possible that the other three were preparing to attack.

“… Take it off.”

The three take off their masks at Leo’s direction.

“It’s been a while, senior.”

Next to Leo, the barrier magician, Tristin, was frozen with a nervous expression on her face.

“… … ”

“… … ”

Behind me, a man and woman with crossed eyes, whom I was seeing for the first time, were raising both their hands.

I think the other two agents were always wearing masks.

“Everyone, please drop your weapons.”

Ding-ding-

Everyone, without exception, laid down their weapons.

I looked around to see if there was anyone else there.

“No one, sir.”

“Yes. I don’t feel anything in particular.”

I felt relieved when Ellen and Aurora said that.

Seeing him disarm so readily, I wonder if he has any intention of talking.

Luke opened his mouth only after kicking the weapon he had put down with his foot.

“Have you been leading and following the secret task force until now?”

“You’re very thorough.”

“Answer the question.”

“Yeah. I kept following him. I don’t know how much of the teleport scroll value was broken.”

…teleport scroll?

“Weren’t you in the South?”

“The capital and the west. And when I arrived in the south, I followed along.”

Is it because they’ve already been caught?

Leo confessed without any intention of hiding anything.

“This spirit… Are you the people I met in the North?”

To everyone’s surprise, Aurora recognized Leo.

When we met in the North, he must have had his face covered.

“The hidden mana is the same.”

It seemed that the saint’s sensitive intuition could tell the difference.

“But what if it’s a secret task force… … ?”

“The secret organization of the imperial family.”

“You mean you can’t let anyone outside find out?”

Aurora, who had been whining about being involved with something strange just a moment ago.

She crossed her arms and smiled affectionately.

“I don’t know why you followed me, but why don’t we just pretend we don’t know each other?”

“… … ?”

“I haven’t officially visited the South, so wouldn’t it be difficult for you if your identity is revealed?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Leo answered in a voice that showed no emotion at all.

Zero opened his mouth.

“Are you going to ignore the saint’s offer of mercy?”

It was unpleasant for the Holy Nation.

The fact that the secret organization of the Imperial Family was following the Saintess would be a breach of trust between the Empire and the Holy Nation.

What if we tell this fact to the Empire and the Holy Nation?

The secret task force was likely to be dragged away quietly and become mysterious.

But the reason for this attitude is… … .

“Ahem, I think there’s a misunderstanding. We’re not targeting the saintess.”

Of course it was there.

Tristen, who had been holding up her hand next to Leo, chimed in with a cough.

“No way?”

“Well, what should I say? Strictly speaking, I was protecting it.”

“No one asked you to do it?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“… Yes?”

“Sigh.”

Tristin lets out a deep sigh.

Aurora was rather embarrassed by the nuance that she didn’t want to do this either.

No way, the thought crossed Luke’s mind.

“Are you following the princess around?”

“Yes.”

“… … ”

A look of contempt appeared on Luke’s face.

The fact that the secret task force was secretly following us was discovered thanks to Aurora.

Well, I’ve been following you all this time.

Could it be that Luke didn’t notice?

If you were always following behind Elin, saying you were protecting her.

There was no horror like that.

“Somehow the timing of his appearance in the North seemed strange… .”

“There seems to be some misunderstanding.”

“Do you still want to be my older brother?”

“… Didn’t you say there was a misunderstanding?”

Instead of making excuses with his insecure words, Leo.

Showed it with action.

Bam.

Degururur.

It was sent rolling by someone’s head.

A sight so horrible that it takes your breath away.

Did you just get your throat cut?

Hot blood was flowing out.

“What are you doing?”

Luke frowned and covered Elin’s eyes.

Knock knock.

Elin patted the back of Luke’s hand as if to say that it was okay.

He lifted his chin and peeked out his eyes.

He pointed with his finger at the corpse with only the head remaining.

“Teacher. Isn’t that the same pattern as the one at the entrance?”

“Yes?”

It really was.

Let’s take a closer look at the head.

There was a small mark drawn on his forehead.

According to Bertain, it must be a letter that goes into the Demon Resurrection Circle.

“Are you devil followers?”

“Do you even know that?”

Leo blinked as if in surprise.

That was enough of an answer.

“You mean… the demon followers are chasing the princess?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you doing that?”

“That’s… ….”

“Oh, just come out, Captain. It’ll take ages just to explain, really.”

Tristin pushed Leo away.

He pounded his flat chest as if he was frustrated.

“We don’t know the exact reason either. What we do know is that the demon followers kept trying to assassinate Princess Elin. We kept stopping them from behind.”

“… … Are you after me?”

Elin with her stupid hair shaped like a question mark.

Glance at Tristin’s petite chest.

I decided to listen seriously.

“Yes. At first, I thought it would be over after just one treatment.”

“Are there multiple assassins?”

“Senior, you’re still pretending.”

Tristin nods.

He finally had a relieved expression on his face, as if he was finally able to understand.

“When you think things are okay, he shows up, and when you think he’s really taken care of everything, he comes after the princess again. We’re going crazy too.”

Luke’s mind became complicated.

I’ve figured out that the devil’s followers are doing some creepy things.

But why are they after Elin?

Now that the curse has been completely lifted, Elin is just an ordinary genius magician.

Because I’m lost in thought.

Leo spread his fingers.

“9 from the capital. 6 from the west. 2 from the south.”

“… What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“The number of times Elin was almost assassinated.”

“… … ”

But it was a dry voice.

“The number of assassins we killed.”

The content was incredibly creepy.

Only then did I understand why Leo’s face looked so haggard.