As the sky turned a deep crimson, Casey's steps gradually slowed as he walked down the street. He laughed irritably at the appearance of an unwelcome visitor that had ruined his pleasant walk home.
"Come out."
But the unwelcome visitor did not reveal himself. Casey's eyes narrowed. Not long after leaving the guild building, he had sensed someone following him. The stalker was so skilled at hiding, like someone who lived in the darkness, that he hadn't noticed him at first. So, he deliberately moved to a less crowded area to avoid harming any passersby.
'One on the left, one on the right.'
Casey alternated his gaze between the places where the unwelcome visitors were hiding and threw daggers at both sides simultaneously. Swoosh! Black-masked men appeared at the destinations of the daggers, which were so fast they were hard to follow with the eye.
"Since I need to go home, let's get to the point. Who wants to speak?"
He said this because he didn't want to waste time, but the masked men suddenly looked at each other.
"…?"
"…?!"
They didn't exchange a single word, but Casey could sense their confusion.
'These guys are flustered.'
Could it be, strangers?
"What? You guys weren't on the same side?"
Ha. In the ridiculous situation, Casey burst into a hollow laugh. It just so happened that on the same day, agents from different factions approached him simultaneously. The two men following Casey had similar skills and hadn't noticed each other's presence.
"I don't want to be this popular with men."
Trouble, trouble. With his hands behind his back, Casey laughed loudly while the two masked men cautiously investigated each other. But with their faces covered up to their eyes, it was impossible to identify them. The man on the left was Dominic, a knight of the Ermanno Royal Guard, who was tailing Casey, the publicly known guild deputy master of the <Evil> guild, on the orders of the Chancellor Esteban.
'I'm dead if I'm caught on the first day.'
Thinking about how Esteban and his superior, Lysandro, would scold him made his insides twist. Dominic kept his mouth shut, watching for any signs. Even if he was caught, he couldn't reveal his identity, especially with another unknown stalker present. Just as Dominic was about to sneak away, Casey spoke.
"I don't know about the left, but the one on the right… is it Devlin?"
"…."
The man on the right remained silent. Dominic glanced at him.
'Devlin?'
Casey smiled and explained kindly.
"Footwork. Devlin has a unique way of walking. Let's see, you…."
Casey's gaze turned to Dominic. Fearing his identity would be exposed, Dominic quickly left the area. Thus, only Casey and the man presumed to be from Devlin remained. As the sky darkened, Casey's eyes grew darker than usual.
"Now that one of you is gone, it'll be easier to talk. Why did you approach me?"
"I have an urgent request."
"Do people who make urgent requests stalk me?"
"I tried to approach when no one was around, but things went wrong."
"Hmm, I'll give you that."
Casey nodded. He hadn't expected the two men following him to be from different sides.
"So, let's get to the point. If we're late, the special beer at Karl's pub will be sold out."
At Casey's urging, the masked man pulled something out of his pocket and threw it. Catching the flying object, Casey immediately recognized its weight.
'Money!'
It was money. The weight of the heavy pouch gave him a rough idea of how much was inside. For someone who loved money, it was a satisfying weight.
"Where did this money come from all of a sudden?"
"It's a down payment. My master wants to hire you."
"Devlin's emperor?"
"…."
"Well, sure. Your master."
Though it was like hiding the sun with one hand, Casey decided to pretend not to notice the man's reluctance to reveal his identity. Casey smiled meaningfully and repeatedly caught and threw the money pouch. The jingling sound of gold coins was pleasant.
"Hmm. It's an intriguing offer, but…."
"Whatever the amount, I'll give you what you want."
"Devlin's throne?"
"…."
"Just kidding, just kidding."
Casey laughed and tucked the money pouch into his pocket. He then put his arm around the wary man's neck.
"This is going to be a long story. How about a drink? What do you think of Karl's pub? Their special beer is amazing."
In any case, Casey didn't want to miss out on Karl's special beer.
***
"Devlin, huh?"
Chancellor Esteban, who received the report from the guard Dominic, rested his chin in thought. During the last outing with the children, someone had followed their carriage. According to Oscar, the stalker was a member of the information guild <Evil>, and he was in the middle of investigating. But he hadn't expected to be caught so soon.
"Dominic."
"…Yes."
"Do you feel the inadequacy of your skills?"
"Yes…."
"Then punishment is necessary."
"Yes."
Dominic nodded humbly. He had expected to be punished for not completing his mission properly.
'Pay cut? It's fine. I have savings. House arrest? Good, I can rest.'
Whatever the punishment, Dominic was prepared to accept it. Finally, the punishment was announced.
"Stay away from Mabel for a month. You must not see my daughter. I'll assign someone to watch you."
"Wait, just a moment."
"Get out."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Please, not that!"
Dominic pleaded. He had expected a pay cut or house arrest, but a ban on seeing Mabel was completely unexpected.
"I earn money to pay fines!"
Mabel, the 'walking fine' of the royal city, was what he meant. Esteban looked at Dominic, who boldly declared his intention to abuse fines, and nodded.
"Get out."
There was no mercy. *** I tilted my head at Lysandro, who had just switched shifts with another guard.
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen you for a few days…."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Dominic. The guard who shakes hands with me every day!"
"Oh, that guy…."
Lysandro sighed. I tilted my head, but he wouldn't tell me where Dominic was.
'He must have been rejected for always asking for handshakes.'
Excessive law-breaking lightens your wallet. I put Toto down, ending our playtime in the garden.
"Toto, I'm going."
[Water the plants tomorrow. Yum yum.]
"Okay…."
Groaning, I got up and started walking.
"Alright, let's go to the meeting."
"Yes. What about Eidan?"
"I sent him on an errand."
"Really, that guy always gets away with it."
"Lysandro, don't scold Eidan."
"Isn't that being too lenient on Eidan?"
Lysandro, who followed me, started grumbling again. He seemed to have a lot of pent-up feelings about Eidan. I put my hands on my hips and scolded the grown man.
"Well, Eidan is still a child. You have to be lenient with children."
"But Your Majesty is still a baby, too."
"I'm not a baby anymore! I've grown up!"
It had been nine years since I was born, but I was still treated like a baby. I was grown up enough. But Lysandro laughed mockingly.
"Yes, yes. Our Majesty is very mature. You've grown up, you've grown up."
"Tsk. I haven't…."
"Yes, yes."
My arguments were treated as mere childish tantrums. I glared at Lysandro and quickened my pace.
'I need to drink a hundred cups of milk a day.'
I'll grow big and strong. As I passed the training ground with a loud thud, I caught a familiar face in the corner of my eye.
"Oscar!"
Oscar, who seemed to be in the middle of training, didn't turn to look at me. Even though it was a break time, not a training session, he was swinging his sword, drenched in sweat. Each swing of his sword cut through the air fiercely, surrounded by an aura.
"Why is he training so hard…."
Hearing my mutter, Lysandro smiled and answered.
"Oh, that. The sword tournament is coming up soon."
"Is Oscar participating?"
"Yes, he is."
"Why is he training so hard? It's okay to lose."
"He must have something he wants to protect."
"What is it?"
I tilted my head, but Lysandro smiled meaningfully and poked my cheek.
"What do you think?"
"I'm asking because I don't know."
"It wouldn't be fun if I told you. Ask him yourself."
Hmm. I looked at Oscar again. Seeing him so serious about the tournament, he must have a wish he wants to make.
'If it's something I can grant, I'll grant it.'
But Oscar's hard work was a pleasure to watch, so I left the training ground with a contented smile. *** Veron's confidant, who had returned from Ermanno, knelt and bowed before him. Veron, seated on the throne, asked with his chin resting on his hand.
"How did it go?"
"It will happen as Your Majesty wishes."
"It must."
Veron smiled. Thinking about the emotions Eidan would feel when the plan was complete made him laugh.
'And I can also teach that damn Ermanno Chancellor a