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Palton still calmly conversed with the person in front of the building. The person also responded naturally and effortlessly.
“Haha, yes, how is your daughter doing?”
In front of the target building, a small market had been set up, appearing calm and ordinary to anyone unaware of the situation.
‘They still haven’t noticed.’
The knights from the Mosae Kingdom and the Empire in the vicinity seemed oblivious to what was happening.
Meanwhile, Palton’s inner thoughts were constantly changing.
[Palton]
Thoughts: How much bribery has been involved, and how many knights have they mobilized…?
Clearly, someone had conveyed a message to him, perhaps through magic or using seemingly ordinary conversation as codes.
[Palton]
Thoughts: I should pretend to enter and then escape through the secret passage inside. I need to get out of here for now.
Witnessing Palton’s decision, Siervian stood up suddenly without realizing it herself.
“What’s wrong, Your Highness?”
Since she had been sitting low to conceal herself, her sudden movement caught attention. Although she hadn’t been noticed by the enemies due to her small stature, it was a close call.
“Roid, we need to launch a surprise attack right now.”
In response to the knight’s confusion, she spoke urgently.
The place they were observing was a complex market district where buildings intertwined and pressed against each other due to continuous expansion. If Palton were to use a secret passage there, they might lose him in an instant.
“Yes? Hmm, understood. Everyone, proceed with the operation immediately.”
Surprisingly, Roid didn’t question her conviction and issued the order without hesitation.
[Adante Roid]
Mood: Trust.
Thoughts: She must have a reason.
The knights dispatched from the palace were the ones who appeared perplexed. They stared at the sudden turn of events, different from what was discussed, but it was already too late. Since they were already prepared to launch the attack, there was no other choice but to act together.
“Your Highness?”
Prince Abrel also called to her, standing near her with a puzzled expression.
‘What should I say to explain this?’
In her haste, she had blurted it out without thinking. She needed to come up with a plausible excuse, but how could she do that now?
However, a commotion occurred near the enemy’s building just at that moment.
“Darn!”
Surprisingly, as soon as the knights revealed themselves, everyone in the vicinity turned their attention toward them.
It wasn’t just a matter of being surprised by the knights’ appearance. They all had drawn their swords and were actively preparing to attack.
“They’re all enemies! Charge!”
Siervian finally took a moment to assess their situation. As she had focused solely on watching Palton, she hadn’t thought of checking the status windows of those around her, but now she realized something was highly suspicious.
She overlooked the merchants, no, the other thieves on the market…
“Don’t hesitate, subdue them!”
“Roid, we need to capture that guy first!”
As soon as the knights appeared, Palton fled into the guild’s building. It was clear he was heading toward the secret passage. The ledger he held was the most important evidence. Without clear proof, it would be problematic.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Let’s go together!”
In her haste, she quickly ran in a different direction from the knights. Though she didn’t know where the secret passage was, she was certain that Palton would try to escape in the opposite direction from the knights. Naturally, Roid stuck closely behind her.
Suddenly, the brave prince also unsheathed his sword.
“Where did he go?”
In front of the con artist’s building, chaos reigned. Merchants were throwing flowers and food while resisting the knights. Seeing their lack of affection for the items they were selling, it was clear they weren’t truly merchants.
“There might be an alleyway over there.”
At that moment, Prince Abriel pointed to a spot slightly away from where the knights were engaged in battle. Siervian looked in the direction he was pointing, but all she saw were tightly packed buildings.
[Abriel Garambell]
Thoughts: Judging by the appearance, there might be a passage leading to the neighboring building.
However, due to the favor he received from his grandfather since childhood, Prince Abriel, who had often visited the Mosae Kingdom, had a different perspective.
“Your Highness, please take the lead!”
“Ah, yes!”
If that’s the case, she should follow the expert’s words!
Without hesitation, Siervian promptly followed the prince’s instructions. Even though Roid had doubts, his judgment changed as soon as they entered a narrow alley. It was as the prince had said—the path from the guild building led precariously to the rooftop of another building.
“There, I see him!”
At that moment, Roid, who was taller than them, spoke in a low voice. Despite being a bit out of breath from running, Siervian also looked in that direction. Indeed, Palton, leaning against a dusty tapestry, was fleeing toward the rooftop of another building in a precarious manner.
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“What should we do?”
As someone who couldn’t use a levitation spell yet, Siervian had no way to follow him. While she was fretting, Roid took a step forward and calmly asked, “Princess, can your magic reach him?”
“Yes! But Siervy is not good at offensive magic yet…”
“It’s okay. You can just immobilize his feet for a moment.”
“Okay, I can do that!”
Siervian briefly considered then quickly used a spell. She twisted mana in various ways to form the desired shape, and aimed it at Palton who was now trying to disappear into another building.
“Now!”
A bright cluster of light extended from her hand and moved forward. It was different from the spell she used to save Jane from the monster. This time, the sphere swiftly flew and adhered tightly behind Palton’s knees.
“Ugh!”
When he fell flat on his face, Sir Roid moved like lightning. Swiftly kicking off the wall and leaping, he reached the rooftop of the building where Palton had fled.
“That’s enough!”
Having completely knocked out the fallen guy, he returned to Siervian’s side not long after.
* * *
A few days later, the operation against the con artist guild went more smoothly than expected.
“According to the ledger he had, he embezzled almost half of the funds….”
“That much?”
Although Siervian already had a rough idea, she played innocent to Marco’s comment.
“Yes… we should have suspected the very foundation of the ledger. The calculations seemed accurate, but we were too focused on examining it.”
The news of their plan to eradicate the con artist guild spread not long after from the Mosae Palace. It was the result of the bribed people witnessing knights being mobilized and then discreetly leaking the information.
Naturally, those persons faced severe punishment, and she even received a direct apology from the King of Mosae.
‘I hope this works in favor of the grain agreement.’
Once again in a commanding manner King Mosae expressed his gratitude to Siervian. She had provided the decisive information about the swindler’s guild that had been pursued by the kingdom for a long time.
Numerous victims were discovered, but the important thing was to uncover information about the guild. Hence, it was easy to pinpoint the headquarters of the specific guild to which Palton, one of the crooks, belonged.
“It’s all my fault… now that I think about it, the shady merchant and the entire market were all part of it…”
Having learned the full extent of the situation, Marco’s demeanor had been dismal ever since. His face had become so gaunt that it was unpleasant to look at.
“Are you alright?”
“I feel deeply ashamed, Your Highness.”
[Marco William]
Mood: Utter despair
Thoughts: This is a problem that goes beyond simply reviewing ledgers in the Ministry of Finance.
There was a reason why his father warned him that it would be difficult. From beginning to end, he was completely deceived, and he seemed to have lost all confidence.
However, in Siervian’s view, Marco was a capable one. From the start, he didn’t blindly trust the ledger given by the guy. He made sure to carefully investigate the actual market situation. However, it was inconceivable that the entire guild of con artists could deceive one person.
“The way those mercenaries conducted business seemed skilled. There must have been more victims like you.”
The people in front of the con artist’s guild were all easily subdued. They never expected that so many knights would be mobilized due to the joint efforts of the princess and the prince at the palace.
“Bring in anyone with ambiguous affiliations from now on. I’ll handle them.”
Siervian knelt and sat beside Marco who kept blaming himself for his mistakes. She had been worried because Marco didn’t listen despite her telling him it was okay.
She didn’t forget to pat his shoulder as well.
[Marco William]
Favorability: +50
Mood: Touched.
Thoughts: I can’t believe Princess is so forgiving of me…!
On the verge of tears, Marco quickly corrected his posture as the princess sat beside him.
Then, he became curious and asked, “Thank you, Your Highness. But how did you know he was a con artist?”
Siervian knew this question would come and confidently presented her prepared answer. It was an excuse she had used several times since she was young, and surprisingly, it worked well.
“His face looked very suspicious.”
“Ah, I see.”
Knowing the famous stories of the princess, Marco nodded with a wry smile and soon accepted it. Because she was a mage and a princess, it might be possible. He just accepted her reason.
Fortunately, even the Mosae Kingdom didn’t inquire deeply about it. They probably thought that Siervian’s actions involved the Empire’s intelligence and magic, and that prying into the Empire’s secrets would cause trouble.
‘It could have been a big problem.’