/
However, the sword did not finish its path downwards.
The young man who had his hands tied in front of him suddenly broke free and grabbed Russet’s wrist.
Even Russet stood dumbfounded, unable to understand what had happened.
The same went for the soldiers of the Lunette Kingdom watching the scene unfold.
The young man opened his mouth slowly.
「— I caught you, bastard Third Prince. This war — is over……」
His gaze had been cast downwards, but now he looked up with a wide grin.
Seeing the young man’s face, Charlotte and the others wiped their grim expression and replaced it with a joyful one.
It was the one who had accepted the request from the emperor himself — Touya.
◇◇◇
Some time ago…
「Alright, how do I sneak into the imperial capital?」
Although the gates were destroyed, there were even more soldiers keeping watch there.
I could break through from the front, but if I were to cause a commotion, there was the possibility of ruining my plan.
As I went around to investigate the surroundings of the castle, I noticed the defenses were thinner at the sides, as I had expected.
I clothed myself in black and covered my face, then dashed towards the outer wall.
「Let’s see if I can climb this……」
Looking up, the outer wall seemed to be about seven or eight meters tall. There didn’t seem to be good spots for my feet or a rope to make it easier to climb. I would have to use my own strength.
I cast Physical Boost. With magical energy surrounding my body, I jumped all the way up.
I had thought that I would barely make it, but I jumped way above the wall.
「Phew…… That was more than I expected.」
I went past the wall, and landed straight in the imperial capital.
I took some damage while landing, but cast a healing spell and quickly hid myself in a nearby alley.
「Huh? Was there a sound nearby? You there, go take a look.」
A few soldiers came to investigate while holding torches, but I proceeded further into the alleyway quietly to avoid detection.
There was one person who was important to my plan.
That person was so vital that my plan couldn’t proceed without him.
After I hid myself in the shadows and changed my equipment, I entered the building that had a noticeboard with crossed swords.
That’s right. It was the Adventurer’s Guild.
I hid my presence and entered the Adventurer’s Guild. Perhaps because it was late at night, no one was supposed to be there.
However, there was a man sitting behind the desk with his legs on it, waiting.
Noticing my presence, he raised his head and relaxed his cheeks, waving his hand as if greeting a friend.
「Yo, Touya. What’re you doing so late? Still, that was pretty flashy of you…… Those gates, it was your doing, right?」
「I’m just an adventurer who’s guarding someone’s wife, you know? Also, have you forgotten that I’m a Priest, Gracia……?」
「Ahahaha, you’re right. I’d completely forgotten. Well, I don’t think we’ll be having any guests at this hour. Wanna have some tea at the back? I’d really prefer alcohol, but we’re still on the job. I guess no one’ll find out, but we’ve got some annoying people…… Oh man……」
「Well, it is pretty late, so I guess I’ll have some tea.」
Seeming satisfied with my response, he beckoned me to the second floor and showed me to a private room.
「This room is……?」
「Yeah, it’s the Guildmaster’s room. And the Guildmaster isn’t here. It’s essentially my room now. We’ll be able to talk about everything here…… right?」
As he boiled hot water and prepared some black tea, he looked back at me and smiled.
No matter how I saw it, it looked like he was plotting something behind that smile.
He poured the black tea and placed a cup in front of me, then sat in front of me imposingly, bringing his cup to his mouth.
「So, what kind of plot am I going to be a part of……?」
We were smiling at each other like corrupt officials in a conspiracy.
My thoughts can be pretty wicked sometimes, but I get the feeling that Gracia will carry it out for me. He was able to conceal an adventurer who had sustained such serious injuries, and I don’t think he bears any hatred towards demi-humans.
After hearing my thoughts, he took some time to think, then continued speaking.
「Well, I know that you’re trying to do something. You let the Emperor go, after all. And it’s pretty rare for you to use your Obsidian Battlehorse to act as a carriage horse. I may not have figured out that it was you if it weren’t for Efland’s letter.」
That old man Efland…… Just how much about me is he telling people?
But Efland is a trustworthy man. And Gracia, who was sitting in front of me, would be a vital part of my plan this time.
Without Gracia, I would definitely have zero percent chance of succeeding.
「Actually, I have a request. That’s……」
After I finished explaining, even Gracia seemed a bit bewildered, as if it was out of his expectations.
If he failed, it would put himself at risk, and his adventurers, his own friends, would be in danger as well. Still, if we succeeded, the return would be great.
To put it more accurately, the benefit would be putting an end to it all.
Not saying anything else, I reached out for the cup with the black tea.
The whole room was dominated by silence for what seemed like a few minutes, then Gracia laughed maniacally.
「You’re great, Touya. That’s fun. If we succeed, it’ll all come to an end. And I’ll officially become a real Guildmaster.」
「I thought you wanted to be a nobleman, not a Guildmaster?」
He waved his hand with an upset expression on his face.
「Now why would I be interested in becoming a nobleman? By being in this guild, it’s the same as becoming a king of a country. If I were to become a low-class nobleman, I would still have to bow down to the higher ranked nobles. I wouldn’t want that.」
I can agree with how Gracia feels. I wouldn’t want to become a noble either.
All I want — is a life of peace and quiet.
「You’ve said it. Saving up some money for a place to live in, and eating delicious food with a smile is the best.」
「Yup. And some tasty alcohol to go with it.」
We looked each other in the eyes, and laughed.
Having laughed his fill, Gracia drank the tea in his cup in one big gulp, then made a huge sigh.
「I’ll go along with your plan. The chance of success……depends on me, huh?」
「That’s right.」
「You rely on people too much. If I betray you, it’ll all be over for you.」
「I trust Efland. I’ll do it.」
It seemed as if my words had improved his mood. Grucia stood up and opened a shelf behind the desk, taking out a beautifully decorated glass bottle and two wine glasses.
「I’m in a good mood, so drink with me for a bit. Since you’re sneaking into the imperial capital, you don’t have a room to stay in, right?」
「I guess. But are you sure we should drink? You’re still on the job.」
「We’re still working now, right? Working on the plan to mop up the rats for the Lunette Empire, that is.」
「You’re right. I’ll have a glass then.」
Grucia poured the wine, then we toasted to each other before drinking.
Although the alcohol was strong, the pleasant taste spread within my mouth.