Hired several adventurers in secret.
They didn’t inquire about the employer, were tight-lipped, and were seasoned adventurers who had taken on many such missions.
I mixed them in, making them look like a mob stirred up by the remnants of Aias.
They would attack the Prime Minister’s residence on Aias’s orders, but when my signal dropped, they were to scatter and escape immediately.
Now, all I had to do was wait for Serika to issue orders.
-Employer? Something feels off about the princess!
Just as I was getting anxious, Jin’s communication flew in.
“What’s going on?”
-Well, I can’t pinpoint the exact situation, but there was a small commotion. It seems the aides suddenly rolled up the princess in a carpet and are trying to kidnap her.
“Is that what you call a small commotion…?”
This was serious.
The aides, sensing something suspicious, were attempting to whisk Serika away.
Clearly, they were trying to force Serika, who insisted on leading the assault, to flee.
It was obvious.
If that was the case, there was no other choice.
I had to resort to a bit of force.
“Jin. Get Serika out. No casualties.”
-Um… Are you aware of how unreasonable that request is right now?
“Hertlocker is on the way, too.”
-It’s not the manpower that’s the issue—
“An additional bonus of one million Tirion.”
-Yes! I’ll accept the mission!
My head started throbbing.
No matter how reliable Jin’s abilities were, with this approach, it felt like money was pouring out like a bottomless bucket.
I vowed once more never to hire Jin again.
.
.
.
“Hey! Let go! Let go of this! You sons of bitches! Who paid you off!”
“For the princess! Stop squirming…! Ugh!”
In a dark alley at night.
Serika, wrapped in a carpet with her arms bound, kicked frantically.
Yet the aides carrying her didn’t stop running.
“Hey! Do you know this will be the end? What if Schlus Hainkel gets angry!”
“We have no choice. We might be captured or tortured, but the princess must not be harmed. As long as the princess is safe, we can start again…!”
“You bastards!”
The whole thing felt suspicious.
It didn’t seem like Schlus Hainkel was just playing with us for kicks.
I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being used as mere pawns for a bigger picture.
Of course, I had no intention of moving according to his wishes.
To him, we might be expendable tools, but without the title of Aias’s princess, we’d never be able to rebound.
So, I chose the path that would go against Schlus Hainkel’s intentions.
I chose the path of ruin.
Save the princess and let Aias’s remnants crumble under Schlus Hainkel’s hands.
I decided to dream of the day when the princess would lead other forces in revenge.
“Why are you falling behind! Hurry up!”
“Yes, yes!”
Though they struggled to keep up, one person consistently lagged behind.
He kept disappearing on the winding roads and barely managed to catch up each time.
Everyone thought, “Was he always this weak?” but they weren’t focused on that as their priority was getting Serika to safety.
*Thud!*
“What?!”
“Who are you?!”
At that moment, someone plummeted from above, blocking their path.
A large man with his face covered in cloth.
The aides, startled while carrying Serika, drew daggers from within their clothes.
“Huh?”
“My body… won’t move…!”
But their hands, holding the daggers, couldn’t release them.
They stood rigidly in place, as if frozen.
At that moment, Serika’s expression turned to one of shock as the man charged at them.
“Graaaah!”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
The man relentlessly targeted their necks.
With unsettling sounds of *thud, thud*, all the aides fell.
“Ahhh!”
“What?!”
As Serika, still wrapped in the carpet, fell, the last person at the back barely caught her.
Giving out an unexpected scream that didn’t match his robust appearance, he couldn’t hold onto Serika and collapsed.
In the end, Serika’s head hit the ground with a *thud*, her eyes rolling back.
“Ah…”
As the man lifted the cloth from his face, Hertlocker’s face appeared with a sigh.
Among the sprawled aides, the one who had let go of Serika made a gesture, transforming into a red-haired human woman looking down at Serika.
“She isn’t dead, right?”
“No, no way! Oh, come on…”
“If you become a crow and are that weak, what’s the point?”
“You know I’m not a brawler. You should have jumped in quickly and caught her.”
“Sigh… It’s fine.”
Hertlocker took a deep breath and crouched down, gently slapping Serika’s cheek.
She gradually regained consciousness, her dazed gaze lifting up.
At some point, Jin had transformed back into one of the aides.
“W-What happened?”
“Princess… *ahem!*”
As the woman’s high-pitched voice emerged, Jin cleared his throat noisily.
Once he finished altering his voice, he spoke again.
“We’ve defeated the wicked ones. We are with you, Princess. It wouldn’t do for you to be absent from the call for Aias’s independence.”
“Y-Yeah! You’re listening to me!”
“Yes. Time is near.”
“Then, can you untie this restraint already?”
Serika’s face flushed with joy.
Finally, finding someone who understood her felt as if she would cry.
“Princess, please lift your head.”
“Like this? *Hahaheh!*”
With a gentle push from Hertlocker, Serika twirled and rolled onto the carpet.
After several spins on the ground, her hair a mess, she felt dizzy but quickly regained her senses.
They had to dash to the Prime Minister’s residence immediately.
Though it seemed to comply with Schlus Hainkel’s orders, she couldn’t ignore the morale boost for the people of Aias preparing to revolt.
As Serika hurriedly fled the alley, Hertlocker discreetly cast the spell for communication magic.
“Schlus. Serika has been freed. She’s heading towards the Prime Minister’s residence through the alley.”
-Confirmed.
It was time to wrap up this farce.
*
“Prime Minister! The main gate has been breached!”
“What about the second barrier?”
“For some reason, that’s been lifted too…!”
“W-What…?”
Turk’s hands shook as he looked out the window.
A crowd surged inside, like a tidal wave.
They appeared to be ordinary farmers based on their looks and arms, yet wherever they went, they broke through like hot knives through butter.
The guards hadn’t even thought to stop them beforehand and were crammed into the office, preparing for their last resistance.
Turk circled the room filled with spearmen, already sensing it would be breached in no time.
This was no simple raid prepared in just a day or two.
They were definitely adventurers disguised as farmers.
They were hired with a clear intent to take my head.
“Has Duke not made contact?”
“He says he’s already dispatched troops. Just hold on a little longer…”
Hearing the captain of the guards, Turk squeezed his eyes tight.
He could already hear the clatter of footsteps climbing the stairs.
Even if reinforcements arrived now, it would already be too late.
Only tens of spearmen would be mowed down in the blink of an eye, and I’d be dragged to the gallows by an infuriated populace.
My head displayed on the marketplace would ignite the hearts of the elves who lived like rodents in the desert development area.
A massive rebellion would break out, and Damien would brutally suppress it.
Like a child twisting a wrist.
Afterward, the guard stationed in the desert development area would become increasingly vigilant, and the elves’ long-cherished wish to reclaim their homeland would be eternally impossible.
That future swept through Turk’s mind.
“Was it destined to end up like this…?”
Turk chuckled, settling into his chair.
He had piled up karma.
Accumulated way too much.
Fate didn’t seem to allow even a moment to redeem this.
Soon, the sound of footsteps grew as if they were right in front of him, and the guards, spear in hand, were sweating profusely.
*Bang…!*
A loud noise shook the window.
It wasn’t just a loud explosion but a sound reminiscent of the sky tearing apart.
With a baffled expression, Turk stumbled toward the window.
Out there, a bluish light was expanding.
“Everyone, freeze! I don’t want to see the princess’s head rolling.”
“Schlus Hainkel! You betrayed…! Ugh! Ugh!”
Schlus Hainkel stood with an elf in a headlock, aiming a blue blade at her neck.
That immense pillar of light visible even from the continent’s edge.
As it illuminated the dark night, the faces of the populace were filled with fear.
People began to drop their weapons and scatter in all directions.
Almost as if they had prepared to flee in an orderly fashion.
None bumped into each other or stumbled; they simply vanished without a trace.
Those left in the Prime Minister’s residence were a few who couldn’t bring themselves to escape, paralyzed in terror.
*Hah…*
Turk turned around and chuckled.
The previously noisy footsteps had completely vanished.
As if by some magic, the crowd that aimed to topple this building had entirely disappeared.
Looking out the window again, he saw Schlus Hainkel gagging the princess and binding her hands and feet.
“I’ve completely been toyed with.”
“Excuse me? Prime Minister?”
“I misspoke. Forget it…”
Turk felt a chill run down his spine at the expressionless and hollow gaze looking up at him.
It felt as if his very insides were being pierced.
No matter what he tried, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was utterly at Schlus Hainkel’s mercy.
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