The sunlight beamed down on my face, forcing my eyes open. At the same time, a pounding headache hit me like a surprise attack, causing me to groan.
Well, it’s only natural after spending the whole night on paperwork.
“Ugh…”
Since my performance at the Hunt Festival, a ridiculous pile of documents has stacked up.
From simple merchant product recommendations to invitations for engagement ceremonies.
Even though I sorted them by importance and handled them quickly, the mountain of paperwork showed no signs of disappearing.
“Where am I…?”
In the rose garden. I hadn’t been here in years due to my hectic schedule, so how did I end up sleeping in such a place?
I circulated my mana throughout my body to help shake off the grogginess. As my fatigue lessened, memories began to trickle back.
Turning my head, a memo stuck to the table caught my eye.
“Don’t overdo it; get some sleep. Sleep is important, you know.
P.S. You don’t need to return the coat.”
A coat?
That’s when I finally noticed the fur coat draped over me.
Come to think of it, I had come to the garden last night to listen to Adele’s troubles. I was worried about her complex thoughts lately.
And here I was, falling asleep at the scene and receiving such kindness.
“Get yourself together…”
I had been so absorbed in the recent tasks that I completely ignored my health.
It was a bit iffy to entrust things to Allen, so I took it upon myself.
Naturally, pushing myself like this would cause wear and tear on both my body and mind.
In the end, it was my fault for not managing my condition properly. After all, as she said, sleep is important.
Still, thanks to the coat, I was warm and my fatigue had significantly eased.
‘…I’ll have to thank her later when I see her.’
If she hadn’t draped that coat over me, I would have caught a cold for sure.
No matter how much of a grand sorcerer and sword expert I might be, overworking myself wouldn’t be different from an ordinary person.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I got up and entered the duke’s residence after passing through the garden.
The now-familiar desolate atmosphere of the lobby welcomed me.
I suppose it’s because I sold off all the lavish items. It would be ridiculous to start indulging again now.
“You’re up.”
“..Yeah. It seems I woke up a bit late. Allen.”
“It’s alright. You seem to have gotten enough sleep, so I’m relieved.”
With that, Allen let out a chuckle, looking like a retired grandpa.
Somehow, his gentle words made me chuckle. After all, he had been taking care of me like family all this time.
If it weren’t for him and Laura, I might have gone completely bonkers in this mansion by now.
As I continued to think, Allen seemed to recall something and spoke up.
“By the way, I believe there’s some news from the guild.”
“News?”
“Yes. They said they found a clue about the inheritance.”
Inheritance… Is he talking about that? I thought it might take longer, but it seems they found it faster than expected.
“Got it. Let’s go right away.”
“By the way, breakfast…”
“Sorry, but I’m a bit busy.”
“Adele is waiting for you.”
At Allen’s words, I involuntarily halted my steps. Could it be that she hasn’t eaten breakfast until now just because I was still asleep?
I wanted to hear about the inheritance as soon as possible, but…
I was also hesitant to disregard her just like that.
“Ugh… Didn’t you say something like eat first?”
“Of course I did.”
Sighing once again at the sight of Allen smiling, I finally conceded.
“..Alright, I’ll eat something first.”
As if he had been waiting, Allen headed to the dining room with me. Upon entering, familiar faces came into view.
With black hair and red eyes reminiscent of rubies, my fiancée and the protagonist of this world, Adele.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Of course. Thanks to the coat you draped over me, I slept soundly.”
“Glad to hear that.”
Seeing her relaxed demeanor made me feel a bit awkward.
‘Is she worried about me?’
I could retaliate with cynicism, but receiving such pure goodwill left me feeling strangely embarrassed.
Especially since our relationship started as a contract marriage without any ulterior motives, Adele’s kindness felt oddly unaccustomed.
Initially, it was just a simple contractual relationship, yet somehow we had ended up exchanging worries for each other.
If the Hunt Festival was the trigger, then it certainly was…
‘I don’t know.’
As I pondered, breakfast was served on a tray. The options were sausage, fried eggs, and bacon—quite a hefty amount for a breakfast.
Adele gingerly picked up her fork and knife, beginning to eat properly.
Thinking back to when she devoured food without a care, this was a remarkable improvement.
“..Did I get something on my face?”
“No. I’m just glad to see you mastering proper etiquette.”
“Is that so? I’m relieved.”
With that, Adele returned her focus to her meal.
How much can that small frame of hers actually hold?
As a foodie in both my past and present lives, I was genuinely amazed by how much she could eat.
“You sure have an appetite, Adele.”
“…Allen said that’s not a compliment.”
She shot me a sulky glare, looking rather hamster-like, which made me stifle a laugh.
“I meant it as a compliment, so don’t worry about it.”
“Are you sure you’re not just eating too little?”
“I’m naturally a foodie, so there’s no need to worry about me.”
As our casual banter continued, just as breakfast was coming to an end, Allen approached me.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“What’s up?”
“They say the Crown Prince is at the Information Guild.”
I had asked to be informed when the Crown Prince came to the Information Guild. What a coincidence that it happened right when I needed to visit.
Lucky me this morning.
“Something urgent has come up, so I’ll head out first.”
“Okay. Take care.”
“Yeah. You too, be careful, Adele.”
With a quick remark, I activated my teleportation magic.
There was no need for any complicated calculations.
One of the best perks of my space magic was that I could teleport anywhere I had been before without restrictions.
As I turned my head, a shabby wooden building came into view.
‘It’s still the same.’
The sign hanging from the building’s pillar was cracked and on the verge of collapse, and cobwebs hung beneath the roof, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
To anyone’s eye, it looked like an abandoned house, but that made it the perfect spot for the Information Guild.
I pulled a mask from my dimensional space to wear.
It was a mask enchanted with a stronger-than-usual suppression magic compared to ordinary ones.
Having spent quite a bit of money to acquire this, it was worth every penny.
Knock knock knock knock.
After knocking four times, a voice from beyond the door answered.
“The hawk that crosses the moon,”
“Can it cross the sun as well?”
Due to its periodic changes, it was a pain to memorize the passphrase every time.
Most likely meaningless random words combined into a somewhat plausible sentence.
“Come in.”
With that, the door opened. Inside was a surprisingly cozy space, contrasting sharply with the menacing exterior.
A warm fireplace heated the interior, and people were casually drinking, while others seemed to be gambling for fun.
The Information Guild handles all sorts of information floating around the Empire and serves as a kind of intermediary connecting clients with hired help.
Thus, it was common to see many troubleshooters hanging out here.
Unlike typical information guilds, this one required a certain level of achievement to enter.
As I continued to lose myself in thought, a man guided me somewhere.
“It’s been a while, Kain.”
“Yeah, long time no see. Is that scar still there?”
Kain, huh?
It had been quite a while since I last heard that name. I had created it as part of a new identity to navigate the underworld.
Ever since I started using crows to gather intel, I hadn’t been called by that name.
“Yeah, well. They say potions can’t do a thing about it.”
The man scratched the scar crossing his right eye as he spoke.
While I don’t know his name well, we had worked together a few times and built some rapport.
“How’s the new guy?”
At the mention of Luke, the man paused for a moment in thought. Then he nodded as if he remembered.
“Ah… that sharp guy? He may be a bit uptight, but he gets the job done neatly.”
“He seems solid.”
“Yeah, well. Since he’s someone you recommended, his skills are undoubtedly reliable.”
Of course it is.
That’s what being the Emperor’s Sword means.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
