If asked what the largest and most splendid building in Ermanno was, people would mention three places. The first was, of course, the pride of Ermanno, Ermanno Castle, the second was the Duke Javier's capital residence. The Duke's residence, adorned with all sorts of collections and treasures, glittered from the outside. The last third building was the capital residence of Baron Miteron. ...which had now become the hideout of an information guild.
"Hmm, hmm."
Humming a tune, Casey's steps halted as he entered the Deputy Master's office.
"The, the Master?"
There sat the Master, who had said he would be absent for a few days due to personal matters. Casey felt a surge of anger as the Master, sitting in his splendid chair, looked quite fitting.
"I don't think you were busy with guild affairs. Why are you here?"
"I was just out looking for some pocket money..."
"I know the Master takes good care of you."
Indeed, the Master here referred to the 'real Master,' Mable.
"......Well, that's true."
Caught red-handed at his second job, Casey averted his eyes. He had no good excuse, especially since, as Eidan said, his treatment in the guild was truly the best. It seemed Mable liked him, and he was well taken care of. For those who worked hard, there were enormous rewards, and for traitors, there were cruel punishments. Eat well! This was one of the guild's operating principles, which Mable had set. The guild members thought Eidan had set these principles and often wondered about them. The wages of the guild members were the highest in the industry, and the welfare was excellent, with a staff canteen and dormitory within the mansion.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Really, a Master I like."
"I don't think you leaked the guild's secrets. There's nothing to gain from it."
Casey was a greedy person. He had the wisdom to weigh the benefits of staying in the guild versus joining the Devlin Empire.
"The Master you think is the Master. I was just checking out and giving some useless information to get money."
In fact, he had managed to get enough money to drink Karl's special beer to his heart's content. Free drinks were always good.
"Stop dealing with Devlin."
"But... he was a good mark..."
"Stop it."
"Alright, alright."
Feeling as if he had just received a death sentence, Casey moved heavily toward the request room where the prince was waiting. ***
Oscar, who had changed his hair to pink and his eyes to light blue using magic, entered the hideout of Evil, the former capital residence of Baron Miteron, which was excessively large and splendid. Despite being newly established, the guild was surprisingly well-organized. When he revealed his fake identity as a client, a waiting staff member guided him to the request room.
"Please wait a moment."
"Sure."
When the staff member left, Oscar was left alone in the request room. It seemed that each room was assigned to one client to maintain confidentiality. While looking around to see if there was anything he could learn about the guild, the door opened, and someone entered.
"Did you wait long?"
"Not really."
Oscar observed the person. According to his investigation, this was undoubtedly the Deputy Master, Casey. He seemed familiar, but since he rarely left the castle except when visiting the Donovan capital residence, he thought it was just a sense of déjà vu. It was hard to remember someone he had only seen briefly.
'Sending the Deputy Master from the start means my identity has been exposed.'
Given that the guild dealt with information, this was expected, but it still felt disheartening. Casey leaned forward, sitting opposite Oscar.
"Let's get straight to the point. What information do you want?"
"Can you provide any information?"
"As much as our capabilities allow. With money and time, of course."
"I have plenty of money, but not much time."
"Sometimes, time can be bought with money."
Oscar smiled faintly at Casey's business-savvy attitude. He liked the straightforward approach. Oscar then got straight to the point.
"I heard you're an excellent guild, so you must know my real identity and have a rough idea of my purpose. One of your members was tracking the carriage I was in. Who was the client who hired them?"
Casey smiled calmly but broke out in a cold sweat.
'Oh no.'
He couldn't deny that he had taken the request, nor could he fabricate a fake client.
"Why aren't you answering?"
"I can tell you the client, but that would violate the principle of confidentiality. It's a difficult decision."
Casey no longer pretended not to know Oscar's real identity. Oscar also shed a layer of his disguise.
"Even though you know my identity?"
"Yes. After all, pressuring us won't benefit the royal family. We pay our taxes well."
Under normal circumstances, he would have sold the information for a high price, but since the client was himself, it was different. After a brief silence, Oscar quickly gave up.
"Alright, forget that. I'll ask for other information."
Just tracking a carriage wasn't a threat. What he was more curious about was this guild, Evil.
"Other information?"
"I want to buy information about this guild. Including the Master 'Eidan.'"
"......!!"
At this unexpected request, Casey lost his usual smile. He had stirred up a hornet's nest by trying to uncover the Master's identity.
'And now he wants to sell information about the Master?'
Eidan wanted to keep his identity hidden, so this was definitely a bad move. ***
After a long time, I sat across from Duke Donovan in the greenhouse for tea. We ate a cake from a famous patisserie that the Duke had brought.
"It's delicious, Duke Donovan!"
"I'm glad you like it."
"I like sweet things. ...Isn't this too much like an emperor?"
I was elated but quickly became dejected, thinking that an emperor who liked sweet desserts lacked dignity. The Duke put down his teacup and looked at me calmly.
"Don't say that. What the Emperor does is what makes him an emperor."
"Isn't the Duke being too lenient with me?"
"Do you feel I'm being lenient?"
"Because you say I can do anything..."
In the past, I was just afraid of the Duke's cold expression and our ambiguous relationship, but after a few years, that barrier had largely broken down. The Duke had never shown regret towards me and had always been kind. Even though it wasn't obvious from his expression, if he disliked me, he wouldn't often come to talk.
"Hehe, Duke Donovan..."
I looked at the Duke with a smile, but she stiffened her lips and picked up her teacup again.
'But I didn't hear an answer...'
While I was dejectedly eating the cake, a rat appeared suddenly.
[Chirp!]
The maids were in an uproar.
"A rat, a rat!"
"Get it! We can't let it approach the Emperor and the Duke!"
"How do we catch it, me!"
The rat, startled, started running around the greenhouse garden.
[Chirp! I'm going to die, chirp. Save me, chirp!]
"Get the rat!"
"There it is! There it is!"
The servants joined in to catch the rat. I was afraid they would really catch it, so I stood up.
'Come here, chirp!'
[Sniff, chirp. Save the rat, chirp!]
The rat ran to me, crying. The servants and maids screamed and shouted, causing another commotion. The Duke, who had been watching silently, stepped in.
"Give it to me, Your Majesty. I'll kill it."
"No, no."
'Please consider my feelings, Duke Donovan...'
I wrapped the rat in a handkerchief and slowly backed away.
'What should I do?'
To the people, the rat was a bad animal that invaded the kitchen and ruined food. But for me, the rat... no, I...
'I am a slave to chirp!'
Regardless, I had to protect the rat. I hugged it, pretending to be pitiful.
"You can't kill something so cute. We should send it back to its family..."
Even I thought it was absurd. I expected them to take the rat away, saying it was impossible, but to my surprise:
"Oh, our Emperor. What a kind heart!"
"We didn't know..."
"Great. Let's find the rat's family together!"
As everyone gathered to find the rat's family, the rat cursed them.
[Sniff, chirp. You evil humans, all of you die, chirp.]
"......"
...Finally, the commotion subsided, leaving only the rat and me.
"Is something wrong?"
[Give me something to eat, chirp. I'm tired and need to eat, chirp.]
"Alright, alright."
I gave the rat the food I had stored, and it started eating enthusiastically before speaking.
[The red-eyed one asked me to deliver this, chirp.]
"Deliver what? I don't have anything."
[Where did it go, chirp?]
"Didn't you drop it in the garden?"
[You're right, chirp.]
"You're so confident about losing it..."
I finally found the note the rat had brought in the garden. It was written in Korean, which only Eidan and I used. [Oscar approached the guild. Moreover, Deputy Master Casey has figured out his identity.]
"......Huh?"
I doubted my eyes. While it was possible for the Deputy Master to figure out Eidan's identity, Oscar approaching the guild? No, no way.
"The organization I told you to show your strength to... is my guild?!"
I remembered how I had cheered for Oscar without knowing anything. 'Whatever the organization is, you're dead!'