Ch.258While That NPC Is Away. (4)

“So, the contact? I only cut off one hand. You’re not dead, right?”

At my call, the man who was trembling while clutching his severed hand and trying to stop the bleeding with some scrap of cloth from who knows where, looked at me with a start. What, why? Keep applying pressure, or you’ll die. I didn’t cut off one finger as a courtesy, so you’re not allowed to die, okay?

“W-who… Who are you…”

After this absurd question that came as soon as he finished stopping the bleeding, I tilted my head in confusion. What, you don’t even know your country’s royal family?

“Y-you’re… R-really Lady Ragni Bluemoon Ottoman?”

“Who else would I be? I heard you all talking about kidnapping me from the beginning. I may not resemble my father much, but my blue hair and red eyes are quite recognizable, aren’t they?”

“Gulp! B-but… I was told you couldn’t fight…”

There it is again. I’m genuinely concerned about the state of the Empire. How did their intelligence gathering capabilities fall to such a pathetic level? I’ve been fighting with guns for over a year now, and I’ve been using a sword for nearly five months. Ah, perhaps the Chancellor did his job too well?

I shrugged and retrieved my weapon from the corpse of the man who had taken my gun earlier. Sigh, even though it was to deceive them, having something Jack gave me taken away felt absolutely terrible.

“W-why… Why is the Empire’s princess cooperating with Natie? Natie is evil—!”

“Minister Salver is the one in league with demons, and Father only wants to use me as breeding stock before killing me. Do you really think I have any reason to side with the Empire?”

After tidying myself up, I sat on the back of the carriage they had intended to transport me in and looked down at the kneeling man. He just widened his eyes as if he couldn’t understand what I was saying. Well, whatever. It’s not like I was venting to you specifically.

“The reason I kept you alive is because I have a request. Right now, I want you to contact the other imperial spies and tell them I’m here…”

“PFFT!!”

“Hmm?”

When the man suddenly broke into laughter while sweating profusely, I tilted my head in confusion. He continued laughing loudly as if something was genuinely amusing.

“HAHAHA!! Your Highness. Don’t tell me you’re trying to throw off the Empire’s pursuit to escape from Natie?! It’s pointless. The Empire will never let you go…!!”

“What are you talking about, blockhead? Are you dreaming? Has blood loss given you delusions?”

I frowned at the man who was clearly misunderstanding something, and he squinted his eyes as if my words made no sense. Or was he squinting from the pain of his severed hand?

“T-then… Why would you want me to contact others about your whereabouts? If you’re not trying to confuse us to escape, then why…”

“Sigh, you saw my abilities just now and you’re still saying that? Why on earth would I need to run from the likes of you?”

True, the old me might have needed to escape. But now, I’m completely different. I’m not the helpless girl who only relied on Jack’s protection anymore.

“Get it? You didn’t find me. I found you. Now, stop with these useless delusions and quickly call the other—”

“Heh… Yes. If that’s what you wish, I actually did so already when my arm was cut off.”

“Huh? What?”

What is he talking about? This man clearly didn’t do anything after his arm was cut off except kneel there and try to stop the bleeding. As my mind processed this, I suddenly arrived at the answer.

“Wait. Are you a skill holder? Contact? Can you use something like telepathy?”

“…Haha, they call you the Blue Wisdom of the Empire for a reason. You’re truly remarkable. To think you’d know about skills that are only just beginning to spread among the central nobility of the Empire…”

What is he even saying? I was royalty, above all those nobles, you know? I knew about this years before you did. This guy is truly stupid. But still…

“Good. Here, eat this. I was planning to kill you after you contacted the others, but I think I’ll make use of you a bit longer.”

“Ack?!”

I tossed him a low-grade potion from my pocket, which he caught with his face before staring blankly at the fallen potion and then back at me. I waved my blade to urge him to drink it quickly. If he’s thinking about suicide, I’ll just cut his head off myself. After watching the man drink the potion…

-CRASH!! CRASH!! CRASH!! CRASH!! CRASH!!

“Oh my, they’re here already?”

All the small windows in the dim room shattered, and smoke-emitting magic stones began to obscure the view. Well, even if I heard about their combat capabilities from that man, I’m still a delicate woman. If men rush in all at once with shields and overwhelm me physically, I probably couldn’t match their strength.

“That is, well… a story from about a year and three months ago.”

-Click! Click!

After sheathing my sword, I held guns in both hands and quietly closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of them breaking in through both entrances.

Well then, shall I show you what you’ve been so curious about—the Blue Wisdom of the Empire, no, the [Wisdom of the Blue Ruler]?

*

[Princess Ragni has two guns. Guns are long-range weapons made in Aiti, I’m told. And her swordsmanship is exceptional too. Even Mac from the knights’ order was defeated without a chance, so be careful…]

Following the contact’s voice echoing in my head as a guide, I ran through the back alleys until I saw a small building already starting to emit smoke.

“…Her Highness is in there.”

From the Empire to Natie, about five months. After running for his life, shaking off the Holy Empire’s trackers, and waiting in a village near Natie using hand signals learned from the former assassination squad and imperial agent numbers as bait—Kyaru, whom Jack called the god of cutting ties. His real name was Dolph, a senior in the assassination squad. He had finally shaken off the Holy Empire’s pursuit at the cost of his last remaining comrade, and he had been searching for her and him. And now he had finally reached the place where the princess was supposed to be.

“Hmm? Who are you? Why haven’t you entered yet?”

“I just arrived. What’s the situation?”

-BANG BANG BANG BANG!!

“…I don’t know. Fifteen men went in, but there’s been no communication. Just the sound of something exploding, and the contact keeps sending the same information.”

“I see.”

That’s good. The princess and that man, Jack, must be together. Has she learned some kind of magic too? There are constant explosion sounds coming from inside, but with that monster of a man’s abilities, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d beaten a high-level spirit into submission and contracted it.

“Next, you. You’re coming in with me. When the signal rises from behind this building, that’s when we…”

While pretending to listen to his tactical explanation, I checked the surroundings. It seems this guy and I are the last ones in this direction. Well, it’s been a while since we met. No one would blame me for repaying my benefactors.

“There’s the signal. Let’s go in—ack?”

“Sorry. I’m not here to kidnap the princess, but to serve her.”

I quietly broke his neck using techniques learned from the assassination squad, killing him instantly. Then I listened to the explosive sounds coming from inside the building, which soon fell silent. Hmm, is it over?

“…Your Highness. Sir Jack. It’s Dolph. We met in Aigram. I hope you remember me and don’t kill me.”

“…Dolph? Ah, you’re that assassin who betrayed them so well that Jack called you Kyaru?”

Speaking just loudly enough to be heard inside the smoke-filled building entrance, I heard a clear, vibrant voice that demonstrated good health. It’s the princess!

“Your Highness! I am Dolph of the Empire’s assassination squad. I’ve come to repay your kindness and to see you because the Empire is in crisis!”

Kneeling on one knee and peering into the smoke, I could faintly see red clothing and the sound of squelching footsteps. But where is Sir Jack? Or has he forgotten my voice or name? As I waited respectfully for the face to appear, a blue-haired woman emerged with her eyes closed, holding red weapons in both hands—the rightful heir to the Empire, the princess. But why are her eyes closed?

“Y-Your Highness! Are you injured somewhere…?!”

“Oh, is it because my eyes are closed? Don’t worry. The smoke makes it impossible to see anyway, so I closed my eyes to focus on sound. So, you called me ‘princess’ and said the Empire is in crisis? That’s a relief. Honestly, I thought I heard one voice left outside, and when I heard it was you, I was afraid I’d accidentally killed everyone.”

What? Is she saying she fought in this dark smoke with her eyes closed? And this means…

“What about… Sir Jack the caretaker…?”

“Hmm? Oh, my husband is out. I’m alone right now. Why, you said you came to see me, but are you not confident in me alone?”

“Not at all! That’s not what I meant!”

So, it’s really true? The princess chuckled at my response, saying it was a joke, then emerged from the dark smoke and smiled at me with those red eyes that looked like they could burn whatever they gazed upon.

“Now, Dolph. I’m quite curious about many things. What you know, and this crisis in the Empire. Can you explain everything to me?”

Two years ago, the Empire’s princess—no, the Imperial Princess who had been completely useless in combat—had single-handedly killed more than twenty selected imperial spies without sustaining a single injury, and now stood with just a few bloodstains on her face and clothes, wearing a seductive smile.