Chapter 66

The one thing I absolutely had to avoid was having my face exposed. It would cause trouble for Lady Clara, and things would get messy if word got out that the Royal Capital City Guard was investigating the Saint.

Though, I suppose I should probably be more worried about my life first.

Given that they didn’t kill me instantly, they likely wanted to figure out who I was. I suppose I could thank “Courage x6” for allowing me to analyze the situation this calmly. When I first received it, I thought it was a trash skill, but looking at it now, it’s actually incredibly useful.

Now, I just had to break out of this pinch.

My left hand was still touching the arm of the guy holding the sword to my throat. In that case…

A Paralysis spell at zero range wasn’t going to miss. My stiffened opponent collapsed onto the ground where he stood. Simultaneously, I spun around, manifesting my magical power into a staff.

“…”

The enemies surrounded me without uttering a single word. Every one of them seemed accustomed to rough business.

Professionals…

Including the fallen man, there were six enemies in total. But who exactly were these people? If they were affiliated with the Count’s house, they would have shouted for help, but it was bizarre for them to remain silent even after a comrade was taken down. Moreover, all of them were masked, just like me.

“Are you lot bandits?”

No one answered my challenge. Well, that made sense; no masked person was going to answer honestly. I was wearing a balaclava precisely because I didn’t want my identity known, after all.

Just as I thought that, one of the people facing me lowered their weapon.

“That voice… and that magic just now… Could it be you, ‘Senpai’?”

Eh?

I’d only been called that by one person in this world. If I recalled, we met during the journey to the Royal Capital…

“The lady I gave a massage to?”

Sorry, I’d forgotten her name.

“Yeah, it’s Elke.”

That’s right, Elke. I didn’t know if that was her real name, though.

“I’m fairly certain you were serving in the military with the Royal Capital City Guard, Senpai…”

I did remember mentioning something like that back then.

“And what about you, Elke? I thought I heard you were heading to the city of Bremen.”

I sensed Elke’s eyes narrowing behind her mask.

“I don’t think we’re enemies. Can we change locations and talk?”

Being told we weren’t enemies while having weapons pointed at me wasn’t exactly persuasive. Still, it was certain they weren’t from the Count’s house. And with the odds at five-to-one, things were a bit disadvantageous for me.

“If that’s the case, how about putting the weapons away? We don’t need swords for a conversation, do we?”

There was a brief silence, but then every one of the people surrounding me sheathed their blades.

We left the Cebarai estate and found a small bridge a short distance away. Beneath the bridge, a river about four meters wide flowed between the buildings on either side. This was a perfect spot for a talk. If things went south, I could use “Water Walking” to run across the river and escape.

“Let’s talk on this bridge. By the way, where are we?”

“This is Reimund Street…”

The bridge on Reimund Street, huh? As long as I knew that much, I’d be fine. There was no point in hiding it anymore, so I pulled off my balaclava. Elke removed her mask as well. I had Elke’s companions stay a short distance away, at the edge of my line of sight.

“Should I introduce myself again?”

“No need. You’re the attendant of Lady Clara Ansbach, Knight Bachelor of Ebba-berg, right? I heard about you before.”

She had a good memory. But “Senpai” wasn’t actually my name. She must have overheard Akito calling me that and misunderstood. Well, no harm in not correcting her.

“Impressive. You remembered someone you only met once during a trip.”

“It’s a talent that comes with the job.”

“And what exactly is your job, Elke?”

Elke fell silent for a moment, appearing to choose her words carefully.

“I am a member of a certain organization within the Court. When we met in the town of Bugendorf, I was working to uncover the corruption of Baron Kammerstett—the one you had that duel with.”

An intelligence agency or an inspectorate-style organization, perhaps?

“Are you an inspector, by any chance?”

“Nothing that high-and-mighty. We’re the ones worked to the bone as their arms and legs. We’re called the ‘Eyes of the Shadow.’”

I wasn’t entirely sure, but was that some kind of secret operational unit? Like ninjas.

“So, Senpai, what were you snooping around for? I assume peeping isn’t just a hobby of yours.”

I didn’t mind talking, but it galled me to be the only one giving up information.

“If you tell me what you’re doing here, Elke, I’ll speak frankly as well.”

Elke shrugged her shoulders, looking exasperated.

“You’ve got a lot of confidence. Even with one man unconscious, there are still five of us surrounding you. I’d rather not get rough, so it would be a big help if you just cooperated.”

She likely thought she’d cut off my escape by placing people at both ends of the bridge. Apparently, she didn’t expect anyone to dive into the river in this freezing weather.

“You’re acting pretty bold yourself…” I countered.

“Your specialty is Paralysis magic, isn’t it? If you try to hit five of us at once—”

“Who says Paralysis is all I’ve got?”

That was a total bluff, of course. When it came to magic, Paralysis was literally all I had. Man, I really wanted a new magic Skill. In reality, a five-on-one fight was a losing battle.

“…Fine. I’ll talk.”

Elke nodded slightly without breaking her composure, gesturing for me to proceed. Now, let’s see how much time I could kill.

“It all started three days ago. My superior is a Sergeant Major named Emma Petersen. It started when she told me about the Saint of Grossel…”

From there, I began a rambling, nonsensical story. It was a complete fabrication about how the Saint I’d heard of was the spitting image of my long-lost sister.

“I didn’t think the Saint was actually her, but I wanted to see my kind sister one more time. Then, when I saw her for the first time today, I was certain. There’s no doubt—she is my sister.”

God, this was a mess. Elke’s eyes were starting to look genuinely scary.

“You’ve been talking nonsense for a while now… I take it you have no intention of sharing real information?”

A murderous tension filled the air on the small bridge. Just as I was thinking I’d have to make a run for it, the voice I’d been waiting for finally crackled in my earpiece.

“Senpai, sorry to keep you waiting.”

It seemed Akito, who had circled back, had arrived. From the moment I’d headed toward the bridge with Elke and her crew, I’d held down the talk button on my radio to keep Akito updated on the situation.

“Regrettable, but I’m going to have to detain you, Senpai. I’d prefer it if you didn’t resist.”

I looked Elke straight in the eye as she drew her sword.

“Elke, if you want the truth, identify your superior and your affiliation. If I deem you trustworthy, I’ll talk properly.”

“…The negotiations have failed, then.”

Before Elke could even finish her sentence, massive walls of fire erupted on both sides of the bridge. Using my “Gecko Hand,” I lunged from the railing and clung to the building wall, scaling it instantly before firing Paralysis magic down at my now-immobile opponents. It was my classic gold-standard pattern.

“You saved me, Akito.”

I blinked in surprise as Akito emerged from the shadows of the building.

“It was the Art of Fire, my lord!”

“When did you buy a ninja outfit?! That’s cheating!”

“I bought it in Nakano, my lord!”

The “my lord” bit was a little annoying, but the ninja gear was actually cool. Was he wearing chainmail under there instead of a traditional mesh shirt? And were those rubber-soled waterproof tabi socks on his feet?

“So, what’s the plan?”

“We’ll take only Elke to the sewers in the carriage and interrogate her.”

“What is this, some kind of adult game plot?!”

“Idiot! We’re just going to talk to her.”

I had no intention of doing anything untoward. I planned to release her as soon as I got the information. If it turned out we could cooperate, I was even open to sharing what I knew.

We loaded Elke into the wagon and moved through the night city. It’s a secret that I felt a tiny bit of excitement while tying her up with the rappelling rope.