EP.27
From the darkness of the sewer, footsteps echoed.
We held our breath in silence.
As we waited in that state, a blurry silhouette approached near our hiding spot. Thankfully, since we had hidden ourselves in a corner where not even a ray of light could reach, we weren’t caught. However, given the complete stillness of the place, even the slightest sound could have betrayed us.
Tension gripped my muscles, and it seemed Maria felt the same; she fidgeted slightly.
Tap, tap.
As their shapes came closer, now clearly visible, Maria activated the crystal orb. With a gentle vibration, barely noticeable as she was pressed against me, the orb reflected their figures.
Three men, seemingly adult, examined each other cautiously.
“Heaven?”
“Wave.”
“Red.”
Confirming their identities with the countersign, they let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew, looks like everyone made it out safely.”
“Damn it, Baron Ulm seemed so confident, and now look at this mess.”
“What the hell was he thinking provoking the Princess directly? If he was going to do that, he might as well have not hidden at all.”
It seemed they were members of the Empress Faction. The appearance of these men might serve as valuable evidence proving the connection between the Baron and the Empress, causing Maria’s heart to race with excitement.
“Well, what’s done is done. No use dwelling on the past. More importantly, this place is definitely safe, right?”
“I’ve watched this place for the past few days, and no one’s come here. The Baron probably kept it thoroughly secret.”
“That’s a bit lacking. Do you have any connections with the Inspection Team?”
The two conversing turned to the noticeably silent one.
“I haven’t heard of the Inspection Team discovering this place. Their focus is not on such meeting spots; it’s on the families listed in the ledgers.”
I squinted and scrutinized the man who spoke with narrowed eyes.
This man was calmly admitting to having someone in the Inspection Team. I had a gut feeling that knowing who he was became crucial for the other two.
Although it was too dark to see his face clearly, I could somewhat gauge his build from his silhouette.
He was lean but not frail. He was slightly shorter than me, which was still quite tall compared to the average in this world.
His voice was undeniably male.
Still, I decided to confirm with Maria just in case.
“Is there a magic spell for voice modulation?”
Since I couldn’t speak, I traced letters on the back of Maria’s hand with my finger. She did the same on mine in reply.
“Yes, but it hasn’t been used. I can’t feel any flow of magic.”
Since even Maria, who excelled at magic, replied that way, it was clear no magic was being used here.
In that case, this man was definitely male. I etched his form firmly into my memory.
“Thankfully. Well then, let’s安心and get to the main point.”
It seemed the other two had grown accustomed to such situations and smoothly shifted the discussion to another topic.
“So, have you brought the items you were asked to?”
“Hmm, here you go.”
The man with a somewhat unsettling vibe handed over a type of chest.
‘Are they using this place for smuggling?’
Indeed, just as Maria said. Among the members of the Empress Faction, it appeared this place was considered very secure. Therefore, under the assumption they were dealing within their own ranks, there couldn’t be a better place to exchange questionable items than here.
However, what was strange was that the person who received the chest didn’t even check whether he got the items properly; he just let it slide.
This could be for one of two reasons: they were either not cautious enough to bother with such verification or, more likely, they had enough trust to feel it wasn’t necessary.
In this case, it was definitely the latter. They seemed to have a solid grasp on who they were dealing with. Since their faces were hidden, once they identified each other with the countersign, a level of trust bordering on certainty emerged.
‘It’s clear. I don’t know who that person is, but they’re definitely closer to the core of the Empress Faction.’
This person had connections within the Inspection Team, enough to gather inside information about the Team. If this person was even a mere subordinate, it would be reasonable to assume that the Empress was manipulating the world with a pyramid scheme of blindly loyal followers.
‘Should I strike now?’
I asked Maria. But she rejected the idea.
‘I don’t know who they are. From what they’re saying, it’s obvious they’re all nobles with titles, but…’
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Merely meeting in this secret location with the crystal orb was already like securing evidence. If I could take them down here, I could deliver them directly as criminals to the Emperor.
But the problem was that they were nobles.
More specifically, the issue was the surprisingly high percentage of magicians among the nobles.
Of course, Maria was stronger than most magicians. However, her combat abilities were somewhat lacking compared to her magical prowess.
Unlike elsewhere, there were nobles in the capital working in departments related to magic, which elevated the proportion of magically inclined nobles even further.
If any of them possessed the combat abilities of a 4th or 5th-tier magician, they could easily escape in this confined space.
And if I missed this chance, they would go to great lengths to hide their identities even more.
I could potentially use magic to emit light and capture their faces with the crystal orb, but that came with its own risks. If I went that far and still couldn’t take them down, the Empress Faction would do everything in its power to erase the evidence.
Our goal required patience; we needed to set up an inescapable trap for a clean sweep, as Maria advised.
“Well, with the items received, considering how tense the situation is, I’ll be heading back first,” said the man who had received the chest.
He turned to leave.
“What about the information I asked for?”
The remaining person inquired of the key figure.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find the weakness you requested. I did discover several minor mistakes, but they’re not sufficient to topple your house.”
“Tsk, that man is exceptionally thorough.”
…a prodigal?
Anyway, whether he was a prodigal or merely aiming for that status, the question was repeated back.
“Well, then, what about the drugs?”
“I sent them to your place already. To the usual location.”
“Hmm, that should suffice. Tsk, what a shame.”
“With you working so passionately for His Majesty, surely there will be rewards in the near future?”
“Thank you, at least for saying that.”
The prodigal waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave. Now only the key figure remained. He stood still, not departing even after all the others had left.
‘Damn it, when is he going to leave?’
It was already uncomfortable enough being so close to Maria like this; if we stayed even a moment longer, it could get very troublesome.
Just as I was internally cursing and waiting, I heard a voice.
“It’s time for you to come out.”
At those words, my heart sank like a stone.
Maria’s body froze rigid as well.
Had we been discovered?
How was that possible?
We had meticulously erased all traces, hadn’t we? Was there some kind of night vision magic at play? But if such a thing existed, Maria would definitely be aware of it, right?
A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my mind. Still, sensing Maria trembling slightly, I pulled her closer to calm her and waited in silence.
“Hmm, you handled the situation well.”
‘Hah.’
I nearly let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it seemed we weren’t the only ones present, as someone stepped out from the shadows. This was the very spot Maria and I had checked as soon as we arrived, turning on the lights.
There had definitely been no one there then, so this person must have entered around the same time as the three who had come in earlier.
“Do you think they’ll have any thoughts of leaving now?”
“They’ve become dependent on the gifts we provide. For the sake of their current comfort, they’ll continue to cooperate.”
“But what if their gratitude deepens more than expected?”
“Don’t worry. Your Grace will take care of that part adequately.”
At those words, my eyes widened.
An unexpected clue had popped up.
The title “Your Grace” is usually reserved for high-ranking officials, like ministers or those with equivalent standing—mostly counts or higher.
Of course, there were quite a few who could be addressed as “Your Grace” in this Palatinate. Being the center of the Empire, there were certainly a good number of them; if gathered, they would easily exceed twenty.
However, not everyone with the same title holds the same rank.
‘Even those hailed as Dukes could be subordinates of a faction.’
In fact, only a few among those addressed as “Your Grace” had the authority to adjust the scope of the gratitude being offered, especially not from the Empress’s own Inspection Team.
This significantly narrowed the search parameters.
Maria seemed to have similar thoughts, as she kept tapping my hand gently.
Fortunately, the newly appeared person seemed to have only accompanied them as a precaution, and they chatted about trivial matters before leaving.
Only after their presence had completely vanished did I finally relax my arms.
“Alright, let’s get out of this creepy place.”
As I said that, I started to rise.
Then, I noticed something slightly off about Maria’s state. I cast a simple 1st-tier spell to create a small light orb.
“…Maria?”
Maria, for some reason, had her arms tightly wrapped around her chest, clutching the crystal orb, and was completely frozen in place.
“What’s going on? Did something happen?”
This was serious. I quickly moved in front of her to check around. Since there were no visible oddities on her clothes, I became even more concerned.
Maria responded to me in a barely audible whisper.
“C-could it be that you could hear my heart beating…?”
“Hmm? Of course, I can. But why?”
At my words, Maria curled up even tighter and turned her head away.
“That’s because… I can feel Bill’s heartbeat too…”
I could feel the blood rush to my face at those words.
I had completely forgotten in my earlier tension.
We were truly hiding in an incredibly embarrassing position.
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