episode_0067

“…Alright.”

There was no point in arguing any further.

I turned my back.

“Are you really… convinced?” Oneroi asked.

“Do I seem convinced to you?”

“…I’m sorry it turned out this way.”

“I don’t want to see your face, so leave.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Oneroi turned back.

Even after she was gone, I stayed in place for a while longer.

“Rasiwood.”

Kona called out to me, perhaps feeling uneasy about my silence.

“Kona.”

“Yes?”

“I’m really sorry about this.”

“…?”

“I don’t think I can quietly walk away from this.”

“It’s okay. I think this is unreasonable too.”

I took Kona back to her grandfather Rabbani’s house and knocked on the door.

“What? Did you forget something?”

“Just… I want to leave Kona here for a bit.”

“Huh? Leave her?”

“Yes. I have something urgent to attend to. I’ll probably be back by the end of the day.”

“What is it?”

“Please let Kona stay alone near this area tonight.”

“Why? Why leave a child alone outside?”

“To prevent you from being caught.”

“Wait, hold on. What do you mean? What are you planning to do that involves getting caught?”

…”

I hesitated for a moment.

I didn’t have time to think long now.

I had to follow my instincts.

I took off my helmet.

“…!”

Rabbani, seeing my hair color and eye color, flinched.

“You… you’re from the Ebony tribe?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard rumors about the Ebony, but… the queen who came from Loreldia…”

…”

“Hey, what are you planning to do?”

“I’m going to save that queen.”

“…”

“If you think you can’t leave Kona with me, then I understand. You have the right to do so.”

“Ugh, really.”

Rabbani sighed deeply and scratched his head.

“Today has been an unlucky day. Getting involved in all this.”

“Are you going to report me?”

“No. Even if I wanted to, you would stop me.”

“True. But if I take Kona with me, you won’t stop me.”

“Kona can’t live in this country anyway. That’s why your siblings took her and fled the country. I have no choice… but I won’t risk my life for this. I have a family to take care of.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You better be! Ugh… I’m tired of these troublesome matters.”

“I will try to hide the fact that you are involved in this. That’s why I asked you to take care of Kona for a while. Send her out around dinner time. I’ll come back and take her with me.”

“Um…”

Rabbani looked at Kona with a sigh.

Kona smiled vaguely and nodded as if to say it’s okay.

“Well, we’re already in this mess. Fine. Fine. I’ll send her out in the evening, okay?”

“Okay. But… I’m sorry I can’t give you anything right now.”

I took out the sandalwood and resin I had bought earlier.

“What’s this?”

“I’m sorry for involving you in this. I can’t give you anything right now, but I will make amends through a friend later…”

“Ah… forget it. Just forget it. Don’t give me anything, and don’t say anything about me either.”

Rabbani waved his hand, declining.

“Okay.”

Of course, if I searched my pockets more, I could find a little more gold.

But I couldn’t afford to spend the money needed to cross the continent back to the Labyrinth City.

“Please take care of her.”

I handed Kona over and turned away.

…”

But something tugged at my clothes slightly.

It must have been Kona.

Did I forget something?

“Do you have to come back?”

“Absolutely.”

Only then did Kona let go of my hand.

I left Rabbani’s house.

…”

Of course, it could be a lie.

But I had no intention of getting caught.

Failure is equivalent to death, or an even more dreadful fate.

However, I don’t feel rushed at all about the decision I’ve made.

It’s not something I must do, it’s not more or less than that.

Even if it means turning a whole country into an enemy.

***

After ensuring that no one was watching in the dim alley, I swiftly took out a magical item from my pocket.

It was a small bottle the size of my finger, containing a simple magical liquid with a powerful effect.

As I poured the contents onto my armor after opening the bottle, the black armor quickly turned into a deep brown color.

This item, obtained from an acquaintance working at the Alchemy Guild in the Labyrinth City, changes the color of the touched object entirely.

The changed color is neither beautiful nor permanent, making it a discontinued technique, but those who know its true value continue to use it regularly.

Even if it’s the same type of armor, changing its color makes it unrecognizable to the vast majority.

With my armor now brown, I headed back to the heart of the capital, where the bustling city was located.

Of course, infiltrating during broad daylight like this was extremely tricky, but not impossible.

In a world without surveillance cameras or sensors, if you can find a gap, there is always a way in.

“…”

I walked around the city walls, searching for that gap.

There was a pipe running in a direction quite far from where people lived.

Probably where sewage was discharged.

In simpler terms, a conduit for dumping all kinds of filth.

Following that would lead me into the bustling city.

I bought the cheapest ragged cloak from the market, tore it up a bit, and draped it over my armor.

Then, I walked straight towards the end of the sewer.

Naturally, places where such filth is discharged are located as far away from human eyes as possible, and those who guard such places are usually just on duty.

The end of the pipe was connected to a river that was out of the city center, and there was a guard, but again, it was not a proper security measure, just a middle-aged man in casual clothes.

He was covering his nose and mouth with a cloth to block the smell of sewage, staring endlessly at the river.

“…”

I cautiously approached him from behind.

And as the distance closed, I quickly wrapped my arm around his neck with force.

The man was taken aback by the sudden attack, but soon he slumped.

Simple but difficult.

If you apply too much force for too long, or press too lightly, no matter how long you hold on, they won’t faint.

It’s been a while since I used this technique, but thankfully, it seemed to work well.

It was Misty who taught me this technique.

I carefully sat the guard back down on the chair and entered the sewer.

When the passage was blocked, there was no other way but to clear it manually, so even with armor on, there was enough space to enter.

“…”

The foul smell of sewage was bearable, but the problem was the darkness.

I had entered in a hurry, but now I had to navigate through this darkness without knowing exactly where this sewer led to.

Of course, suddenly acquiring a map of the sewer system in the bustling city would be much more absurd.

“…”

However, even in this darkness, sounds could be heard.

Mostly the sound of dirty water splashing and the cries of insects, but if you focused your ears, you could faintly hear distant sounds.

After walking in the darkness for a while, I finally heard the sound of light and people’s voices.

But… not yet.

This doesn’t seem to be it.

Probably something said by a commoner.

The intonation or atmosphere is like that.

I have to go further from here.

Ignoring that sound, I continued to move forward.

How long do I have to walk in this darkness?

The nauseating smell that made my head spin was nothing, but the growing anxiety of the increasing danger as time passed was unavoidable.

“…”

A wall.

No, is it a vertical standing pipe?

I raised my head and saw a small hole about 2-3 floors high, where light was coming in.

It feels good.

The upper floor bathroom is mostly used by high-ranking individuals.

But not by royalty.

Since ancient times, excrement has been used as an indicator of health, and it is common practice to collect samples separately to confirm the royal excrement.

A person of high status, but not royalty.

While Steria could be considered royalty based on her status, since she has not officially married the king of this country, she can be considered a guest.

I inserted the tip of the gauntlet’s finger into the wall of the pipe and climbed up.

The pipe may be damaged and eventually break, but I don’t know.

As I approached the toilet hole, a different scent, no, fragrance, tickled my nose.

Perfume.

“…”

No sound can be heard.

No one is here.

I continued to climb up and crawled out.

Looking around, in the cramped space, there were several luxurious handkerchiefs stacked on the side.

Indeed, it’s a bathroom used by high-ranking individuals.

But… whose room is outside the bathroom?

Someone must be staying here, judging by the scent of perfume…

It would be nice if it were Steria’s room, but could it be another royal’s room?

Does the king of this country, Slone, have any relatives or siblings…?

“…”

If the next person to come in is someone other than Steria…

I might have to consider the worst-case scenario of a hostage situation.

No, that’s probably too extreme.

If the other party gives up the hostage, it will only cause trouble.

“…!”

A sign!

Someone is coming this way!

I quietly placed my hand on the sword at my waist.

“What’s that smell?”

A voice that seemed to be slightly annoyed.

And the door of the bathroom opened.

“…”

“…”

Our eyes met.

Black eyes and…

“…Long time no see.”

I said quietly.

“Why are you here?”

“You should know.”

I reached out my hand to her.

“Let’s go. Steria.”

Black hair, black pupils.

But unlike Linde, her eyes were sharp.

A true kin meeting after hundreds of years.

“You’re ridiculous.”

Steria said.

“It’s been a long time, and you’re all covered in shit. Who are you offering that hand to?”

“I can’t help it.”

“At least come at night. You could have sneaked in quietly, even if it took time.”

“I don’t have time. I have to leave now.”

“Fine. I’ll pretend I didn’t see you, so just go back.”

“I talked to the elves.”

“So?”

“If we’re going to have offspring, I’ll do it. You don’t have to.”

“Fine. You’re finally marrying the king, so why should I go with a shitbag like you?”

“…”

“I heard you came to the Labyrinth City.”

“…”

“I’ll protect you.”

“How? Do you really not understand the situation? If I run away now, what about Loreldia? What about the Kapasella family I’ve been with for a long time? And the rest of our compatriots will be in a very difficult situation.”

“Briegal’s promised mine is ruined. Mining is impossible because of the monsters. It’s a scam.”

“I know. But it’s an opportunity to increase our compatriots, and the elves have promised support…”

“Throw away those lies. An opportunity to increase our compatriots? If you really wanted that, you would have done it sooner. And if you really care about Loreldia and Kapasella, shouldn’t you properly protest Briegal’s lies?”

“…”

“I understand that you heard some strange stories and rushed here in a fit of anger, but there’s nothing good that will come out of this.”

“There is.”

“What’s good about it?”

“You.”

“What?”

“You don’t want to get married, do you?”

“What? I never said I would.”

“Steria…”

I reached out my hand to her.

However, Steria drew a dagger from her waist.