episode_0158

As expected, the interior of the inn was dirty.

– Clatter! Sizzle!

Broken plates rolled on the floor, dust covered the tables, and mice scurried through holes in the walls.

Fortunately, the smell wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated, so it was bearable.

Perhaps the lack of customers made it rare for the smell to linger. The stench of the inn was mainly due to the lazy guests who didn’t bother to clean up, the innkeepers who made pizza on the floor, and the lovers who were too busy making babies.

“A room for two… with a bed… and a window. Second room on the second floor. Twenty coppers.”

The room rate was quite cheap. Staying overnight for 20 coppers in this neighborhood was almost like staying for free.

Maybe it was because the inn didn’t offer meals, drinks, or even a bath? Honestly, it wasn’t that cheap if you thought about it.

Well, it didn’t matter to me since I would just discard the inn after meeting with the organization members.

I climbed the second-floor corridor and opened the door to the second room on the left.

– Creak.

Unlike the worn-out corridor, the room was surprisingly clean. The only furniture was a shabby bed, typical of a cheap inn.

“Ugh, is that even a bed… If I have to stay here for a few days, I should look for another inn. What do you think, Freide?”

“That’s right! If it’s an inn, it should at least have a bath!”

I didn’t know how long it would take to finish this job, but if it wasn’t going to be over today or tomorrow, I would have to sleep elsewhere.

With heating, food, and a comfortable bed in a proper inn.

Of course, staying in a place like this was better than sleeping on the streets, but we weren’t broke, so why bother with such thoughts?

Even with the travel expenses Veloren provided, I could afford to rest for a week in an inn with a soft wool bed and a private bath.

I didn’t plan on indulging in such luxury, but if I had to stay here for a few days, I wanted to stay in a better inn than this.

…Anyway, that’s not important right now.

“Let’s rest for now. And prepare for a fight.”

“Are we going to fight today?”

“Well, we’ll have to meet Arghantir’s subordinate first to find out.”

I followed the instructions I had heard and placed feather decorations on the window sill, laid out my weapons and armor for maintenance, and waited for the Shadow organization member to make contact.

While I was doing that, Freide took out the supplies she had packed in her bag one by one. Potions, bandages, emergency rations, and daggers.

I don’t know if it was because of her experience as a hero party member or her life as an adventurer, but her meticulous inspection of the supplies was cute to watch.

◆◆

Night fell.

I started to regret not buying the lake pig meat earlier when I roughly prepared dinner.

– Tap, tap.

A man covered in a black cloak gestured for me to open the window gently, showing a ring with a hawk emblem on it.

Finally, he had arrived.

Although his face was hidden behind a hood and a mask, the hawk emblem on the ring indicated that he was a member of the Shadow organization.

Still, just in case, I needed to stay alert. There was always a possibility of an imposter killing a member and taking their place.

“Freide.”

I signaled to Freide to be on guard and approached the window to unlock it.

“Excuse me. Lord Creamhilt.”

Opening the window and taking a few steps back, a man slipped in as if gliding and greeted me, placing one arm on his chest.

“So, you already know who I am. Did Argantir tell you? If you know that much, there’s no need to boast about your grandiose alias.”

“What’s your name then?”

“Uh… you can call me Edgar.”

Clearly a pseudonym.

Well, I’m no different with my alias. It’s crazy to go around using your real name while doing this kind of work.

“I, I’m Sigfried!”

…No, it’s Freyda. If you say it like that, what does that make me? You unintentionally made the hero look like a crazy person.

“Uh… yes. Nice to meet you, Sir Sigfried.”

Look at Edgar giving that questioning look. It’s like he’s telling you to read the room.

“Sigh… Freyda, come here.”

I let out a soft sigh and gestured for Freyda to come to my side.

Freyda, with his head held high, walked over from the corner of the room, gripping the hilt of his black steel greatsword tightly behind his back.

It was a message that if he showed even the slightest suspicious behavior, I would cut him from the forehead to the groin.

“Let’s get to the point without wasting time. I’ve come here as instructed, so what do I do now?”

“Well, first of all… this is the directive sent by that person.”

Edgar took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to me.

“That person really seems to like letters. Seems like words would be enough.”

I took the letter with my gauntleted hand and checked the contents under the moonlight.

“Let’s see…

‘Dear Harold, when will our next meeting be? Every time the moonlight shines bright like today, I remember that night and my body burns with…’

…Wait, what is this? Some kind of code?”

“Oops?! Uh, I, I made a mistake! That’s not it, this is the one…!”

Surprised, Edgar frantically rummaged through his pocket and pulled out another letter.

That explains why it was strange, it wasn’t a code, just a personal letter. Seems like he’s receiving love letters too. Good for him, good for him.

I quickly read the new letter Edgar handed me.

– Swish.

Huh, it’s not one page, it’s two.

I thought it was one page when he handed it to me, but after receiving it, I found that two letters were overlapping.

Let’s see, so…

‘Harold! Why have you been so distant lately? You’re not thinking of taking my first time and irresponsibly leaving, are you?’

…What the. This seems far from being a directive.

And the handwriting is different from the previous letter too.

“…Seems like this is a personal letter.”

I neatly folded the letter with a threat of releasing the soldiers if there was no contact and handed it back to Edgar.

Edgar’s pupils shook as if an earthquake had occurred. It was the look of a woman who had been caught posting inappropriate selfies by her boss.

Of course, Edgar was not a woman but a man.

A man who, as an assassin, disguised himself as a woman and was quite the ladies’ man. One of them seemed to be a maiden from a well-off family.

“You seem to be quite popular.”

Seems like you’re really enjoying life. Is it okay for an assassin in a secret organization to do that? Not so much jealous as just bewildered.

“I, I apologize for my rudeness…”

Edgar hung his head low. It wasn’t meant as a criticism, but it seemed that way from his perspective.

Well, getting caught with a scandalous personal life in front of a superior must be nerve-wracking. It’s none of my business, really.

Whether an assassin has two legs or eight legs, it’s not my concern.

Peering briefly at the letter from the side, Pride looked at Edgar with a disdainful gaze as if he were looking at trash, but for me, it was really none of my concern.

More importantly, reading the final letter was a hundred times more important.

Because this is probably Argantir’s directive.

Of course, if even this turned out to be a love letter, I might end up looking at Edgar with the same eyes as Pride. With a mind that thought, “Is this guy really an idiot?”

/ Have you finished the rendezvous, Creamhilt? Although the operation has been entrusted to the field, there are some information you need to know before carrying out the operation, so read it. /

Fortunately, the final letter confirmed that it was indeed Argantir’s directive.

Well, rather than a directive, should I say it was more like a personal letter?

The contents of the letter were more about details regarding this operation, rather than conveying information to me personally.

Information such as Gunter returning to Burgund and the follow-up to the task I requested, things like that.

According to the contents of the letter, the plan of the Kuma Eokcheonhoe that I sold to him ended in a perfect failure.

The Line Kingdom army did not even approach the border in pursuit of the ‘fake Brunhilde’ he created, and the Abyss priests, realizing that things had gone awry, disbanded, waiting for the next opportunity.

They might have even fought among themselves over the responsibility for the operation’s failure, leaving traces behind at the scene.

In any case, it was a mess. They may be individuals who are impossible to find camaraderie with from the start.

Anyway, among the Abyss priests who disbanded and returned to their hideouts, the third finger, Ganaegel, unfortunately ran into the Heid Party and was destroyed.

Although he managed to escape and run away in desperation, he left traces behind in his haste, and was exposed by the Shadow of the Raven upon arrival.

Heid is also on his way to Svinland to chase after his trail, but it may take some time to arrive due to an accident along the way.

Before Heid arrives, deal with Ganaegel and escape. It was a good thing to hurry and come looking for me.

Even though I came on horseback, I have to finish the job within three days. If I had leisurely walked here, it could have been a disaster.

◆◆

Ah, I was wondering what the fake Brunhilde written in the letter was, it seems that I disguised a skilled woman as myself, used her, and then killed her.

I used her under the condition that I would spare one prisoner.

Anyway, the fake Brunhilde that was born that way lured the Line Kingdom army near a cliff, where she met her death.

She activated the self-destruct magic tool Argantir gave her, causing everything above her waist to be blown away. In any case, it was malicious.

Thanks to that, the Line Kingdom currently thinks I’m dead and has completely removed my name from the wanted list.

Should I be grateful for this or is it too extreme?

/ Just in case, I informed a friend of Matap about my survival. It could be troublesome if he goes on a rampage thinking it’s revenge. /

Still, it was quite meticulous.

Seeing as the sorcerer of Matap could cause trouble if he harbored a desire for revenge, I informed Amy of my survival.