123 — Ian Departs For Vacation.

Several days passed, and before he knew it, June had arrived. Ian was in conversation with Viscount Rubingston, who had come to see him. The topic was not particularly pleasant.

“Have you still not found them?”

“My apologies. While we were on their tail, even the intact traces we had completely vanished, making the pursuit difficult.”

“Hundreds of agents scoured the capital, yet you cannot follow their trail—so we have completely lost them.”

It was not a very satisfying result. In the meantime, however, a sweeping investigation into corruption was underway, and soon a major purge would follow. The number of offenders was not as massive as expected—perhaps one-fifth compared to the past?

‘If we reset things this time, it should be fine again for a while.’

Even so, the unknown secret organization still weighed on his mind. He wanted to go out and hunt them himself—just like when his younger sister had been abducted by a serial killer in the past—but with no target to pursue, there was nothing he could do.

“Leave only a few and pull the rest back. It looks useless to keep searching.”

“Understood..”

“Wait it out. Groups like that always move again sooner or later. When they do, catch them fast and do not let them slip away.”

“Of course. Next time we will capture them for certain.”

Perhaps thinking a second failure would amount to incompetence, Viscount Rubingston’s face was set like stone. Ian smiled, as if to tell him to relax.

“Ease your face. Scowling won’t make them any easier to find.”

At that, Viscount Rubingston forced his expression to soften. After seeing him out of the office, Ian decided to savor a brief, honeyed moment of rest. He picked up the drink on the table. Condensation beaded on the glass—some of the ice had melted, making it look very cold.

He gulped it down, and a cool sensation washed away some of his accumulated stress. As the ice clinked and he set the glass down, Ian rubbed and stretched his neck, feeling a touch of fatigue.

‘It feels like I’ve done nothing but work for a while.’

Come to think of it, it was vacation season, and many people were going somewhere to rest and return. He had guaranteed ample vacation time, and the ministers were taking turns to go with their families.

“Your Majesty, is your neck sore?”

“I’m just a bit tired.”

“Perhaps you should rest from your morning duties?”

When his secretary, Mardin, said that, Ian shook his head. Pushing work back did not make it disappear. He did not hate it enough to avoid it; he intended to finish his tasks and then have lunch. Still, thoughts of a vacation slowly grew.

‘Should I take a trip?’

The year had begun, and he had worked straight through five months—surely he could go now. Last year he had neither vacationed nor rested, what with granting independence to the colonies and holding his engagement. He thought it would be good to go with his mother and his younger sister this time.

‘Come to think of it, there was said to be a royal villa by a lake with breathtaking scenery, wasn’t there?’

It would be quite lavish and large—something used by his elders. Whatever it was, if it existed, he could use it. Having decided, he would finish his tasks and bring it up at lunch. He rolled his shoulders and stood.

“Let’s finish what remains. And please gather information on the best of the royal villas.”

“Ah, are you finally taking a vacation?”

“Heh, ‘finally’? Are you that happy I’m going on vacation?”

“N-no, Your Majesty. I should accompany you to attend to you.”

“Perish the thought. You’ve worked at my side without rest for so long. Take this chance to vacation with your family. I’ve no wish to earn their resentment by keeping you chained to me.”

“N-no, it’s fine. My family will understand.”

“Understanding, nothing. If not now, when will you go? You’re going—this is a royal command from your king.”

Hearing the king invoke a royal command just to make him vacation, Mardin realized he was being sent no matter what. Awkwardly, he agreed—and, truth be told, a vacation sounded nice.

Ian finished his work and headed to the dining room at lunchtime, where his mother, his younger sister, and his fiancée, Princess Adrina, were waiting. Seeing them, Ian flinched.

‘Ah—right. She’s here too.’

On his way to propose a holiday, he remembered she couldn’t be left out. Then his mother greeted him.

“Come along. You must be hungry.”

“I am a little. Let’s start with lunch.”

At his glance, the attendants and maids immediately brought the food. Lidded dishes rolled in on carts and were placed on the table in sequence.

When the lids were lifted, today’s lunch proved to be butter-grilled lobster. Ian took his seat, and the three ladies sat as well. Rubbing his hands together, Ian said:

“Let’s eat first.”

They began to dine. The butter-grilled lobster was rich and exquisite, and the meal went on with a light wine. Ian decided to bring up the vacation after eating.

It was a fairly quiet meal. Princess Adrina, trained in imperial etiquette, displayed a very formal bearing. His mother and his sister, Charlotte, also minded their manners.

‘They must be trying to be more formal because of Princess Adrina.’

He had once suggested they eat more casually, but it did not come easily. He found himself eating the same way: chewing carefully so his teeth did not show and swallowing slowly. Ian reflected that the setting shaped a person.

‘Meals in a place like this bring out those habits.’

He glanced around the dining room. It was not the larger hall used for big gatherings, but an older one they had returned to. Even so, the wallpaper and ceiling were adorned with luxurious patterns.

The chandelier on the ceiling sparkled with opulent light. Eating boorishly here would feel like a crime.

‘I’ll eat casually at the vacation house.’

Grilling meat by the lakeside sounded pleasant. When the meal ended, they took tea. As they sipped, Ian broached the subject.

“I’m thinking of taking a vacation. How about we all go together?”

“A vacation, you say?”

“Brother, are we going together?”

“I thought we could all go and get some rest. What do you think, Princess Adrina?”

“Me as well?”

“Please come with us, Your Highness!”

Charlotte’s eyes sparkled as she urged the princess to join them, and their mother nodded. Remembering she was his fiancée, Princess Adrina quickly nodded her agreement.

“Yes, let’s go together.”

“Then we’re all going? Brother, where are we going?”

“I was thinking of a villa on a lakeshore in the central region.”

“If it’s by a lake, can we swim?”

“As long as you do it safely.”

“Of course. We’ll be perfectly safe, so don’t worry. Right, Your Highness?”

“Eh? Ah, yes.”

She was already planning to swim with Princess Adrina—her expectations were high. Ian thought he should have done this sooner. He had been so busy as king that he had neglected time with family. He felt a pang of self-reproach.

‘Becoming king has actually reduced my time with family.’

In any case, he would make preparations to depart soon. He had many duties to handle, so he would finish them in advance. He planned to spend about two weeks at the vacation spot. In his heart, he wanted a month or two—but that would disrupt state business.

June 10th.

「His Majesty the King and the royal family are setting aside all affairs of state to depart for their vacation. The period is reported to be a total of two weeks.」

「Today, they will board the royal special train and depart for the royal villa at Elter Lake, located in the central region.」

「All access will be restricted with Elter Lake as the boundary; please ensure no one attempts to approach the area.」

Chiiiiik—

The royal special train stood at the station, hissing steam. As befitted the words “royal special,” its appearance was dazzling—gold lines ran along its length, a piece of art in itself.

The eleven-car consist included a dining car, offices, and rooms as lavish as those in the palace. Separate spaces were set aside for the royal guards on escort duty.

So much was provided that it truly merited its nickname: a “moving palace.” As always, the royal family drew attention, and many journalists had come to capture the moment of their departure.

After a brief interview for the press, Ian and the three ladies boarded the train. Once they were inside and seated, fweeeet—! the whistle blew to signal departure.

The train began to move and gradually picked up speed, leaving the station. Since the capital lay in the north, they would have to travel over 800 km to reach the central region.

The country stretched 1,730 km from north to south, so even reaching the midpoint took quite a while. Its width was 1,550 km; one could imagine how large the island hosting the kingdom was.

As the royal family left for their vacation, the capital did not change noticeably. The palace itself was quiet, with the king and the royals away.

The number of royal guards had also decreased. Most had traveled with the king, so their numbers in the palace dropped. Naturally, there were those who rejoiced at this situation.

“It’s time! With the palace empty, this is the perfect moment to infiltrate!”

For those targeting the royal treasure vault, the king’s vacation felt like a heaven-sent opportunity. Of course, they could not simply break in at once. Even with the royals away, ministers came and went, and security remained ironclad.

They had already procured a secret palace map from the black market and were looking for a route. With two weeks to work, they would choose the most opportune moment.

Naturally, they would strike in the late pre-dawn hours—when vigilance would be at its loosest. Four days after the king’s departure, they fixed the date. They had not yet left their safe house.

Around 1:10 a.m.

The palace map lay on the table, and on it the locations of secret passages were clearly marked.

“Once we enter through the palace’s secret passage, we will emerge here—by this fireplace on the third floor.”

Everyone nodded. They had memorized the entire map and knew exactly where to go and where they would come out. Even so, the navy-haired middle-aged man restated it for certainty.

“Eliminate any personnel who spot us and keep moving. No mistakes will be tolerated under any circumstances.”

“Please trust our skill.”

“Royal guards or not, they’re ordinary men. They won’t withstand our blades.”

The leader nodded as the men at their belts touched their short swords. Among the infiltrators, two were rare mana users. They were not Experts, but they could exceed human limits.

“I trust you. Bring back that thing without fail.”

They all nodded. It was a little past one in the morning; following the secret passage to enter the palace would take some time, and they began their preparations to depart.