Once we had finished our business at the Prime Minister’s office, Asmina and I headed towards the Imperial Palace. As we made our way through the crowds gathered at the gate, we wiped off the sweat from our brows. It was a challenging task to navigate through the throngs of people, but despite our efforts, we were unable to find any significant leads on Revan’s whereabouts, which was disappointing.
I had hoped that the Prime Minister could provide us with some information, but it turned out to be a dead end. When we punished him, I felt a sense of frustration, as we were no closer to finding Revan’s location. Our only option now was to investigate the Imperial Palace, as per Asmina’s intuition, but it was going to be a difficult obstacle to overcome.
Considering the lack of diplomatic relations between our countries and the ongoing conflicts in certain regions, it would be challenging to make an official visit to the Imperial Palace. Even if I attempted to sneak in secretly, I suspected that the palace would be well-guarded, making it nearly impossible to enter undetected. I also considered the possibility of a hidden passage, similar to the one in the Amitia Kingdom, and used my “Evil Eye” to investigate during my conversation with the Prime Minister. However, he was completely out of touch with the Imperial family and had no knowledge of any secret passages or contacts within the palace.
“How are we going to get into the palace?” Asmina panted her eagerly.
一一TThere’s no way she’s going to stop huh.
“We need to be prepared for potential conflict if we try to enter directly,” I replied, weighing our options carefully. “However, according to the Prime Minister’s information, the troops stationed there are mainly for show. Still, I’d like to avoid any confrontation since it appears that the Emperor’s faction is not involved in this incident.”
“What about sneaking in from the back?” Asmina suggested, sounding as if it were a simple stroll in the park. However, I knew that option was not feasible and was struggling to come up with a viable plan.
Asmina seemed to sense my apprehension and quickly reassured me, thumping her chest energetically.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got everything under control. I asked Hari to scout out potential infiltration routes as soon as we arrived in the city.”
As Asmina spoke, Hari, a sacred beast that resembled a stoat, poked its head out from her chest.
“We’ll be able to find my elder brother by following this child, no matter what obstacles we face,” Asmina declared, exuding unwavering confidence. However, I couldn’t help feeling apprehensive since we had faced a similar situation before, which had resulted in Asmina being hung upside down.
“Oh boy, that sounds challenging for a novice,” a familiar voice interjected from the sidelines.
“一!!”
I quickly sprang away from the spot, holding Asmina tightly in my arms as I assumed a battle stance, drawing ‘Gilles de Rais’ from inventory.
Kagerou, the one who had called out to us so unexpectedly, casually tipped his hat. He was dressed in typical street vendor attire, resembling any other peddler selling miscellaneous items like cheap rings and accessories on a street corner.
“Hello, long time no…wait, we met just the other day, didn’t we? Well, it’s still quite a coincidence, isn’t it, young lady?” Kagerou greeted us with an air of familiarity.
His attitude was as if he was meeting an acquaintance,一
“…Do you know him?” Asmina asked the same question her brother Revan had asked before.
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“He’s the assassin who attacked Revan and his entourage,” I replied.
“Wh一!?” Asmina’s complexion visibly changed upon hearing this revelation. Kagerou, on the other hand, turned towards her and squinted his already narrowed eyes.
“Nice to meet you. I’m a merchant by profession, but I also do assassination as my side hustle. I met your big brother the other day during my part-time job. Well, since you’re with the young lady, best regards,” Kagerou greeted us with a hint of mischief in his voice.
I stepped forward, positioning myself in front of Asmina and closely observing Kagerou’s every move as he introduced himself without any hint of shame.
“You’re still in this city, huh? I thought you would have left by now. Are you here to get revenge on the Prime Minister?”
“You’ve got it all wrong, milady. I was fired from my job, leaving me to fend for myself and make ends meet. I’m just trying to earn a bit of money and I have no interest in what’s happening with that old man. In fact, it was quite amusing to see his state.”
…So he had been keeping tabs on the situation.
“If the Prime Minister wasn’t the real mastermind behind that attack, then are you now working under the orders of the true mastermind?”
“No, no, that’s not the case at all. It’s actually quite a coincidence that I ran into you today. I just happened to see my lovely young lady here and wanted to have a secret conversation with her.”
Asmina seemed uncomfortable with Kagerou’s pretentious gestures and asked from behind me, “Is he your stalker?”
“Yeah.”
“Wah, so heartless…” Kagerou dramatically covered his eyes with his hand, shaking his shoulder and exclaiming,
Asmina then observed, “Wait, he’s crying.”
I warned her, “Every act of this person is basically a lie just so you know.”
Despite our calm reactions, Kagerou quickly changed his attitude, raised his completely dry face, and diverted the conversation by saying, “Well, we can always talk it out in the future…”
“I happened to overhear your conversation earlier, something about that boy being in the Imperial Palace. Is it your doing, Young lady Hiyuki?” Kagerou asked.
“…That is a trade secret,” I replied.
“Okay, I give up,” Kagerou raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“What are you planning to do with this information? Are you going to cause more harm to my brother Revan than you already have?” Asmina’s voice was filled with anger, her fangs bared like an enraged cat.
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一I mean, it’s only speculation at this point that Revan is in the Imperial Palace. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions and assume that he’s definitely there.
“Nay~ I’m done with that task already. I don’t consider an incomplete job as a stain on my reputation since I’m not a professional. I won’t be doing anything more, and I’m not even getting paid,” Kagerou said nonchalantly, shaking his hand in a dismissive manner.
Asmina looked at Kagerou suspiciously, with a slightly disgusted expression. She then turned to me, seeking validation of Kagerou’s words.
Well~ it’s difficult to determine the validity of his statement since this person’s honesty is as fluctuating as a firefly’s glow, constantly shifting between truth and falsehood. In fact, he’s more of a habitual liar than an ambitious individual.
Kagerou kept talking, relishing in the discomfort he was causing me by rubbing his hands together.
“Well, you see, I’m currently out of work but still have expenses to cover and a lot of free time on my hands. How about you hire me to sneak you into the Imperial Palace? I promise to get you inside safely. And no, it’s not a trap or anything like that.”
Asmina and I exchanged looks upon hearing Kagerou’s proposal.
“… It sounds like a trap,” I said.
“… I agree, it definitely seems like a trap,” Asmina added.
Surprisingly, we both arrived at the same conclusion.
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