Imperial Palace.
The Crown Prince, leading the procession with the coffin on his shoulders, knelt on one knee and lowered his head.
“Grandfather, I have retrieved Henderson’s corpse.”
“Well done.”
The old man with long whiskers and white hair waved his hand dismissively, letting out a *hmm*.
Gustav Friedrich von Freya.
He was the Emperor, who had led the Freya Empire for 40 years at its peak.
Gustav glanced down at the coffin for a moment.
By the principle of the Imperial Police, the corpse of a suspect is never released, but this one was a hard-won recovery of Henderson’s corpse through negotiation by the Crown Prince.
“Shall we open it?”
“Forget it. I don’t want to see it.”
“Shall we burn it, or should we cut it up and feed it to the beasts?”
“Do as you wish.”
“······.”
Aaria pouted slightly at Gustav’s indifferent response.
This was the corpse of the guy who mercilessly killed the Emperor’s son.
She thought there would be a strong reaction upon seeing the body, yet…
Suppressing a twinge of hurt feelings, the Crown Prince finally spoke.
“And I met with Schlus Hainkel.”
“Schlus Hainkel…”
Only then, when a topic of genuine interest was mentioned, did Gustav’s eyes widen.
Schlus Hainkel.
Suddenly appearing like a comet, he ranked top at the Imperial University, thwarted a large-scale terror attack, and captured Henderson…
It was a tale of a commoner doing nothing but eye-catching things.
“What kind of person is he?”
“I want to talk about it just between us.”
“······Come inside.”
With the Emperor’s consent, the ministers began to murmur.
They heard the Crown Prince had met with Schlus Hainkel.
They were curious about the Crown Prince’s evaluation.
But the fact that he wanted to speak only with the Emperor piqued their curiosity further.
Could it be something of utmost secrecy?
The ministers could only watch the Emperor and Crown Prince enter the room, suppressing their urge to know.
*
“Can I stretch my legs, Grandpa?”
“Go ahead.”
“Can I lie down?”
“Do as you please.”
“*Ughhhh*…!”
Only after confirming the door was closed did the Crown Prince let out a loud sigh and flop down.
It was a sight unbecoming of someone who’d never shown it to anyone but his grandfather.
Despite that, Gustav simply rested his chin on his hand and watched his granddaughter with a pleased expression.
He thought that it wouldn’t hurt to relax and let loose from time to time.
“Wow. I really walked a lot today, Grandpa. Feels like I walked a hundred thousand steps.”
“Is that so? Good job.”
“I met the Imperial Police, had an audience with the Great Forest ambassador… Ah, it was really busy.”
“Rest now. Take your time and tell me about that commoner.”
“Got it. *Ughhhh*!”
The Crown Prince stretched and gathered his thoughts. What should he start with?
In reality, there wasn’t anything to hide from the ministers.
He just didn’t want to show this frivolous side of himself.
Imagining the ministers stumbling over themselves, speculating about the top-secret information caused him to want to laugh.
“About Schlus Hainkel, he’s a complete weirdo.”
“A weirdo?”
“Yeah. He seems to think the royal authority is nothing important.”
“······.”
Gustav’s expression stiffened.
It wasn’t because of the cursing that slipped from his granddaughter’s lips.
It was due to her evaluation of a commoner upon whom he intended to bestow a medal personally.
“The nobles were right. He was incredibly rude, completely devoid of dignity.”
“*Heh*…”
Gustav let out a troubled sigh.
He would be summoning him to the palace to personally award him a medal in front of many people.
If he caused trouble there, it would surely tarnish the royal dignity.
“In a word, he is lacking in manners, is that it?”
“No. He had the basics of etiquette down, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“He had some manners, but just barely. To put it badly, he was rude; to put it nicely, he was confident.”
Listening quietly to the Crown Prince’s words, Gustav fell deep in thought.
It was true that his granddaughter, famous for her troublesome personality since childhood, wouldn’t let a commoner disrespect her, and that meant he didn’t cross the line.
In other words, he spoke his mind without overstepping boundaries.
For the Emperor, it sounded like Schlus Hainkel wasn’t someone to be subdued by the royal authority, but someone who said exactly what he wanted to say.
It was the exact opposite of the types his Crown Prince despised, who would bow and scrape at the mere mention of royalty.
“You seem to like him a lot.”
“Oh really? How did you know?”
“I can tell just by looking at your face.”
The Crown Prince was smiling broadly as he spoke about Schlus Hainkel.
Her emotions were clearly written all over her face, revealing she was eagerly anticipating a reunion with him.
“So, what title are you planning to grant him?”
“I asked him what he wanted, and he requested the title of Duke.”
“D-Duke!”
Gustav cleared his throat.
A Duke’s seat was not something to be easily traded like that; it could lead to civil war if handled carelessly.
…Though he already was on the brink of civil war.
“No! That won’t do!”
“I said no too, and then he requested something else.”
“Something else?”
“The treasury in the basement of the palace. He wanted to look over the treasures inside and choose.”
“Ah, I see…”
Gustav rubbed his beard, his expression turning serious.
The basement treasury. It was a place to store valuable treasures of no real use.
But there was one priceless item, something that couldn’t be traded for anything…
“He said he’d take whatever he chooses. Is that alright?”
“Er… probably.”
There was no way he would choose that item.
A commoner wouldn’t have the slightest idea of its true worth.
Moreover, it was buried deep within, and passing past the dazzling treasures would be enough to keep him from even thinking about it.
There was no way he would request that.
Gustav answered absentmindedly, but for some reason, an uneasy feeling crept into his mind.
“Your Majesty! Urgent news!”
“······!”
Just then, a loud voice from a minister came from outside the door.
The Crown Prince, eyes wide as saucers, instantly rose and knelt.
As the door creaked open, she quickly adjusted herself into a proper stance to report to the Emperor.
“How dare you. Do you barge in without permission?”
“I ask forgiveness for my rudeness. There is something urgent I must report…”
“Speak.”
“A commotion has arisen in the south involving subhumans. One of the castles is on the brink of capture.”
“Ha. Have the beasts finally gone mad.”
The Emperor’s brow furrowed.
Things were not looking good.
It was a real risk of civil war starting.
*
“Hainkel-san. Over here.”
“······?”
As I returned from class, Emilia handed me a letter envelope with both hands.
It was a shiny gold-embellished envelope.
Without needing to open it, I could easily guess where it was from.
“From the royal family?”
“Yes. A court magician brought it to me.”
The moment I roughly tore open the seal and pulled out the letter…
“······.”
“······.”
My eyes met with Emilia, who was holding a letter-opening knife.
Pre-embarrassed, I coughed awkwardly and handed the crudely ripped envelope back to Emilia.
Then, I began to read the letter from the top.
-Schlus Hainkel. Due to your efforts in preventing human casualties on the Day of Magic and removing threats to the Empire. And for intercepting the Empire’s enemy, traitor Henderson, the royal family hereby…
I felt a yawn coming on and glanced away halfway through.
In summary, they were acknowledging that I had done well, hence they would award me a medal.
It could have been one line, why drag it out so long…
No matter what, the most important part was at the end.
The date and time of the ceremony.
“Ha.”
“What’s wrong?”
“They are planning the award ceremony tomorrow at the Imperial Palace.”
“Tomorrow… That’s really soon.”
Emilia was slightly surprised, or rather, pretended to be surprised, flinching.
To notify just a day prior was exceedingly rude.
It couldn’t be that the Emperor Ariana was that petty.
It’s likely the notification staff deliberately delayed the letter.
In that case, I would have to blow up at them tomorrow.
I had to engrain in them that I’m someone you can’t treat flippantly.
“Then I’ll clean the mansion during your outing tomorrow.”
“No, you will come with me.”
“Excuse me? To the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes. Emilia, you know etiquette better than I do. Please keep an eye on me so I don’t make any mistakes.”
“If that’s the case… Alright. As you command.”
Emilia nodded slightly in response.
Oh. Hearing this phrase really feels like I’m commanding a maid.
Though, in fact, she is a watcher who could kill me at any moment.
“Should I get you new clothes?”
“Excuse me? You mean to dress me in casual clothes?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Of course there is. I’m following as an attendant. The only option is maid clothes.”
“I see.”
Oh. This was unexpected.
So that means Emilia would be walking behind me in a maid outfit.
That feels a bit embarrassing.
The people on the street wouldn’t think anything of it, but…
“Tomorrow morning will be busy then.”
“Makeup, huh? It must be tough for women.”
“Not me. An attendant can’t go overboard with grooming.”
“So, you mean—”
“Yes. You will have to put on makeup, Hainkel-san.”
“No thank you.”
I flatly refused.
…Or so I thought I did.
“Come on now, you’ll be seeing His Majesty. You should look your best, right?”
“No, I’m fine…”
“Don’t worry. I can do makeup for men perfectly!”
“······.”
Emilia, not listening to me, already began to burn with enthusiasm.
It seemed clear she was determined to put makeup on me, no matter what.
“······Yes. Please do.”
“*Hehe*. I’ll do my best!”
If I can’t escape it, I might as well enjoy it.
When else would I get a chance to wear makeup?
I decided to give in.
*
There had still been no reports about Henderson and me in the press.
Is it a plan to reveal everything together with the award ceremony?
Even now, the overwhelming attention on me is stressing me out, I can’t imagine how it will be once the articles come out.
Thinking like that made me sigh more and more.
Hoping for a mood change, I stopped by a cafe, but…
“What the heck is this.”
The state of the cafe looked odd.
The windows were cracked, and the door was ragged, almost like it had been attacked.
Could it be that Eric failed security and got caught by the intelligence agency?
“Our shop is operating normally. You’re welcome to enter.”
Just as I thought that, Eric staggered out and guided me inside.
Once I entered, the interior seemed fine.
For the exception of one shelf being empty.
It looked like there’d been quite a fuss, and the aftermath had just been cleaned up.
“What happened?”
“Hahaha. A drunk made a fuss, that’s all. Don’t worry. There won’t be a next time.”
“······.”
A drunk, huh.
That type wouldn’t even get in in the first place.
Before any ruckus could happen, Eric would have easily subdued them and tossed them outside.
Even if he’s gotten older, he has enough skill to subdue a typical person easily.
So, what could’ve happened?
‘Oh dear.’
I have a hunch.
The one causing the ruckus must surely be an agent from the kingdom’s Intelligence Agency.
The traitor who had attempted to flee with their data. It was a bit early compared to the original timeline, but it had to be him.
‘What an oversight.’
I had been too focused on what was happening at the Imperial University and had completely forgotten about the events in the shadows.
This was an event crucial for the fate of the Intelligence Agency.
The data that traitor held contained personal information about Imperial dispatched agents.
Despite its importance, how did I forget it?
If I were to give an excuse, it was because it didn’t seem to carry much weight in the original story.
It had been a short episode that passed without provoking any sense of crisis whatsoever.
In the original work, he was caught by Hertlocker before even escaping with the data.
But how on earth did he manage to escape with the information…?
‘Ah.’
It must be because of me.
Hertlocker had spotted me.
Therefore, he wouldn’t be able to come to this cafe anymore. If he did, it’d likely only be during very early morning or late at night.
As a result, unlike in the original story, when the traitor fled with the data, Hertlocker wouldn’t have been present at the cafe.
How ridiculous.
If I let him escape, the Intelligence Agency would get obliterated.
Most of the agents would likely get caught and either killed or forced to run off to the outskirts.
That would be problematic.
In order to reach the ending, I certainly need both Hertlocker and the Intelligence Agency’s strength.
I made my decision and suddenly stood up.
“My order is…”
“Today’s a bit chaotic, so I’m not really in the mood to drink. I’ll come back next time.”
“Ah, uh… But next time, I might have closed up shop after the whole fiasco.”
“Come on, there’s no way. I assure you, Master will continue business here.”
“······Thanks for the kind words.”
I left the cafe and walked quickly.
If I miss that traitor even a little, it will lead to a huge disaster.
While Hertlocker and the Intelligence Agency were likely searching for the traitor too, it must be challenging to find someone who was deliberately hiding.
“I’ll catch you, you sneaky rat.”
So, I’ll block the escape route from the start.
