episode_0199

The rebels called this place their ‘hideout’.

The hideout was an underground base secretly constructed by wealthy merchants. It was said they had sensed the signs of rebellion since last year, hastily raising funds to build it.

During the war, it became a crucial passage for fighting against the nobles, but after the royal palace was besieged, it ultimately became a refuge for defeated soldiers, which was the current situation.

“Those noble bastards wouldn’t know about this place even if they died and came back to life.”

The rebel soldier said that, tipping his liquor bottle.

It certainly seemed so.

The pharmacy street. A certain shop. Its basement. And then through a dark underground waterway, back and forth.

If you were to spread out a map of Deseo and ask where this was, I wouldn’t have the slightest clue where to point.

And it wasn’t just me. The rebel soldiers were just as clueless.

Only a few guides, disguised as citizens, knew about it, which was why the nobles hadn’t found it yet.

Honestly, I was surprised.

I thought they had been miserably defeated and disappeared in the war.

To think that remnants of the new rich were still here, gathering forces to plot a rebellion.

They weren’t as incompetent as I thought.

“Come on. Have a drink. It’s cheap wine, but you should at least get in the mood, right?”

The soldier sitting beside me offered me a drink.

“Sorry. I don’t really like alcohol.”

“Well, I’ll just drink by myself then.”

He raised his glass and gulped it down in one go.

“Kihya—! So, why did you come here?”

“Me…?”

I shut my mouth.

What would be a good answer?

No, was there even such a thing as a ‘good answer’ for me in the first place?

“I came to reclaim what I lost.”

“Ohhh—. ‘To reclaim what I lost’… Puhaha! Did you write a script or something outside?”

“No.”

“This is totally a line a protagonist would say in a tragedy! Hey, whose play is this from? Biosroth? De Mont?”

I didn’t understand what he was talking about.

I had never seen a ‘play’ in my life.

The closest thing was probably seeing a short performance by a traveling troupe that visited Taildon during Thanksgiving.

The soldier tilted his bottle again and began to ramble on by himself.

“Plays that are profound and sing of lessons are usually Biosroth’s famous works. His narrative technique, which relentlessly and harshly drives the plot forward, and the characters’ calm progression, are unparalleled. Especially the climax of Act 3— *kheu*—. Which author do you like?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I’ve never seen a play.”

“……What?”

The soldier stared at me with surprised eyes, then awkwardly nodded.

“Haha… Well, my father also said plays were boring, so that’s understandable. So, is it equestrianism? Or art?”

“No.”

It seemed he finally realized we weren’t on the same page.

“Friend, where’s your home?”

“Breezedon.”

“…Ah, I see.”

His face suddenly lost all its drunkenness.

But then he quickly shrugged and said,

“Well, what’s important is ‘reclaiming what was lost,’ right? Friend?”

“……”

“Everyone here feels the same way. Slaughtering those noble bastards and reclaiming the golden age. Is there really anything else?”

He poured wine into his glass again with a gurgling sound.

The strong, pungent aroma of alcohol.

I had never seen liquor with such a fine color and elegant aroma.

But… the soldier called it ‘cheap liquor.’

“These self-proclaimed ‘nobles’ are truly the worms that infest this country. What makes them so great, anyway? Do you even know where the title of noble came from in the first place? It was given long ago for their achievements in slaughtering people on the battlefield, claiming they were good at fighting. They’re nothing but pure savages.”

He pointed to the other soldiers who were resting.

“But look here. We’re all commoners. Patriots who earned money fairly, not caring about such status. But those noble bastards just idled around, and when their money started to run out, they incited the war they were best at, and finally dragged down the king. If this isn’t savage, then what is?”

“……”

“Tch! They had no excuse to plunder, so what? ‘The rightful heir of Lycaene’? A passing bird would laugh. They caught some random girl who rolled in from nowhere and called her King Lycaene’s granddaughter! That? That trash is the Queen of Deseo?”

Honestly, I had no intention of stopping this soldier’s rant.

They too… must have experienced their own losses and pain.

They had every right to protest against this absurd world.

However.

Countless criticisms and insults hurled at my face didn’t bother me at all.

But when it pointed at ‘Tia’.

…It became a different story.

“Do you think this is something that should happen in this day and age? A ‘Queen’! This is a laughingstock even to other countries! That idiotic girl…”

“Shut up.”

“A Queen, you say…? Huh?”

The startled soldier’s eyes dropped downwards.

He probably saw it.

My right hand resting on the guard of Rosechabel.

“What did you just say to me?”

“I told you to shut up.”

“What…?!”

The moment he, enraged, threw his glass and was about to stand up.

“Ah, you were here?”

Klaus-nim, the chief of staff, appeared behind me.

The soldier who had been about to threaten me awkwardly saluted.

“K-Klaus-nim! What brings you here…?”

“I came to meet this friend. Was I perhaps interrupting?”

“No, sir…”

“Then I’ll excuse myself first. Ritsu, may I have a word?”

What would have happened if Klaus-nim hadn’t come?

Well. I don’t want to think about it.

Only after that dazed soldier disappeared from my sight could I finally take my hand off Rosechabel.

“Let’s go.”

We walked for quite a while.

When we came to a quiet place where no one was around, Klaus-nim spoke.

“The command staff just started a meeting about the operation. We discussed the direct infiltration into the royal palace that you, Ritsu, had proposed.”

“Yes.”

“Unfortunately, it has become a bit difficult.”

What?

Become difficult?

Does that mean it’s impossible?

“…Why?”

“Because there’s no way to enter the royal palace.”

“What? But the royal physician-nim said there was a secret passage…”

“Ah, yes. As you said, I looked into it, and there was indeed something called a secret passage. However, it was merely a passageway connecting ‘within the royal palace itself.’ Currently, there is no way to enter the royal palace from the outside.”

In other words, there was no passage that allowed for secret infiltration from outside to inside the royal palace in the first place.

I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

I had been banking on this, as the royal physician had testified that there was a secret passage.

And it only connected internally?

Then is there truly no way to enter the royal palace?

“So, I think our plan might be impossible.”

“Wait a moment.”

No.

The fact that there ‘definitely’ is a secret passage inside the royal palace means that if I can just get into the palace somehow.

I can infiltrate Tia’s bedroom without encountering any guards.

“There’s no external path, but as long as we get into the royal palace, isn’t that enough?”

“You mean to use the internal passage?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm— Actually, we haven’t ruled that out entirely.”

Klaus-nim explained, crossing his arms.

“We could, somehow, get one person into the royal palace. There’s the method of disguising you as a palace servant, or even disguising you as a gift and moving you inside the palace. However, the preparation work would require considerable cost and time. And staking the fate of this organization on you is a very burdensome matter.”

“……”

“Furthermore, so far, we have only confirmed the existence of a ‘secret passage within the royal palace.’ We don’t know where it actually is, or where it leads. Only the Queen’s closest confidant, specifically the person in charge of guarding the royal palace, would know. Recruiting such a person is almost impossible. Even if possible, it would take a very long time.”

He wasn’t wrong.

From the rebels’ perspective, this plan was absurdly unrealistic and dangerous.

Moreover, with time pressing as they were being hunted by the nobles, they wouldn’t want to spend a long time on such a gamble.

In the end, though he spoke evasively, it meant the rebels would find it difficult to help any further.

The royal palace. And the secret passage.

Should I be satisfied with just getting these clues and retreat?

From this point on, would it be something I had to do entirely on my own?

It was when I lowered my head and quietly looked down at Rosechabel.

“……!”

A good idea came to mind.

Maybe.

It might work.

“The Queen’s closest confidant in charge of guarding the royal palace… You need such a person?”

“Yes. At the very least, someone with that level of authority would know the structure of the royal palace well.”

“……”

I closed my eyes.

I had already come this far with nothing left to lose.

Even if this.

Even if it was a cowardly act betraying my memories, my friendship, and my loyalty.

“If I can bring that person…”

For the sake of revenge.

I must do it.

“Will this operation be possible?”

Klaus-nim looked down at me.

A faint smile was blossoming on his lips.

“I’d like to hear more details.”

***

“Joseph… Uncle Joseph?”

Marie asked again, her voice trembling.

“Yes. Write a letter to Uncle Joseph under your name. Say you want to meet him there, just the two of you, to talk.”

She hesitated, looking down at the letter paper placed before her.

Of course, Marie must have noticed.

What I was planning.

“…Did the rebels make you do this?”

“No. They’re helping me. It’s okay. You just need to write the letter. You don’t have to do anything more than that.”

Marie’s hands were trembling.

This girl, who had always followed my words obediently, was hesitating now.

I understand.

Uncle Joseph was the benefactor who had rescued Marie and Ruyef from the battlefield, brought them to Breezedon, and raised them.

Him, who was practically a ‘father’ to Marie.

With her own hands…

Because she was asked to lure him to a place where the rebels were ambushed.

I don’t want to do this either.

I didn’t want to drive Marie into such a cruel fate.

But if I faltered and stopped here…

We would sink even deeper into the dark swamp of fate, unable to escape.

This, indeed.

Is the only way for me to end this hellish path of revenge.

“This is the last time, Marie. Trust me.”

“……”

Marie cast her blue eyes down at the letter paper.

After a long period of thought, she picked it up.

“Alright. I’ll go.”

“Thank you.”

“Um— Ritsu Oppa…”

Marie asked in a worried voice.

“Please… don’t let Uncle get hurt too badly.”

“I promise.”

I made a promise I didn’t mean.