Chapter 165: The Hooves of Horses and Deer are Hard 3
*
After starting to walk through the Sewers—or rather, the underground waterways—I didn’t know the way, but I quickly figured out the path I should take.
There were signs indicating the direction of the exit.
The Margrave’s meticulous preparation was starting to creep me out a little.
What was he anticipating that made him put up signs pointing to the exit in a place only specialized contractors would enter?
I didn’t understand the Margrave’s intentions, but regardless, I was grateful.
There was light, but the passage was too narrow and dangerous to run through using Physical Enhancement, so I walked at a brisk pace.
I tried my best to calm my racing heart.
“Shin.”
The prince called out to me from behind.
“So, that’s how it is with you, after all.”
What are you to me?
Are you trying to be my understanding buddy?
But I understood the prince’s feelings too.
An impatient heart is intensely stressful.
If there was someone nearby to talk to at a time like that, even I would strike up a conversation.
“What is?”
“You have no intention of returning to Faltar, do you?”
I snorted at the prince’s abrupt question.
“The fact that you’re asking it as a question is already messed up, isn’t it?”
I sensed the prince tilting his head behind me.
“The woman I love gets Exiled, and you think that option would even cross my mind?”
A brief silence followed.
Only the echo of our footsteps against the walls marked the passage of time.
“That was a foolish question.”
Indeed, it was.
Into the continuing silence, the prince said something unexpected.
“My apologies.”
“What did you say?”
I couldn’t help but turn around.
“What happened to Erika Solntsalri was regrettable for me as well.”
His face was as arrogant as ever, but I sensed sincerity in his voice.
“By the time I realized the situation, a proper resolution was already impossible. It’s no excuse, but it exceeded my expectations. The enemy of the woman you love is quite troublesome.”
I felt my pace quicken involuntarily.
This guy… so, this guy means…
“Are you saying some damn bastard’s target was Erika?”
Is that what he said?
Did this guy just say that?
Not something about the relationship between the Prime Minister (honorific) and the Royal Family.
Did he say that Erika herself was the target?
The sense of him nodding ignited my anxiety.
“The goal wasn’t to create discord between the Royal Family and the Prime Minister (honorific), but Erika herself was the target?”
I couldn’t help but ask again.
Is he an idiot? Isn’t this guy an idiot?
Why is he so abrupt?
Give me some foreshadowing, you moron.
Is falling into the Sewers some kind of switch for you?
Ah, I fell into the Sewers. Right, shall I reveal a little truth? Is that what you thought?
“You may not believe it, but We of the Royal Family had absolutely no involvement in that plan.”
Rather—clear regret tinged the prince’s voice as he said this.
“By the time I found out, it was too late for everything. Judging by the skillful instigation and meticulous preparation, they’re certainly not small fry, but we couldn’t even grasp their tail.”
Hearing the prince’s voice, sarcasm escaped my lips involuntarily.
Not because I couldn’t believe him, but because I realized I was starting to.
“From the prince’s perspective, Erika must have been a nuisance.”
The prince snorted unpleasantly at my sarcasm.
“I wouldn’t do anything that would sadden the woman I love.”
Besides, the prince added, in the tone of a teacher explaining reason.
“Do not lump me in with those tasteless fools who try to eliminate obstacles in love instead of being fired up by them, my Longdagger.”
“I see, my apologies. You really were an idiot.”
“Hmph, Longdagger,” the prince nodded in satisfaction at my apology.
I seriously wanted to ask what this ‘Longdagger’ thing was all about.
“With that in mind, let me ask again. Shin, do you have any intention of returning to Faltar?”
This time, I didn’t deny it but questioned him back with my gaze.
“Although it’s infuriating, your enemies lurk among my vassals, and not just one or two. We, the Royal Family, may have the kingdom’s strongest Knights Order, but we possess no hidden blades. We need a Dagger, a Dagger that reaches far.”
“So it wasn’t just a pretext,” I muttered to myself.
The “Kingdom Assassin” was a dark element that the Royal Family alone could not mobilize.
The Royal Family does not possess a dark side.
This was a shackle placed upon the Royal Family after long court struggles.
I had assumed it was just a formality.
“Of course, I will not force you. If you cannot trust the culprits We uncover, you may act on your own judgment at that time.”
I thought about it without stopping my feet.
For him to approach me like this probably meant that Erika’s father, the Prime Minister (honorific), hadn’t believed his story.
If the Royal Family and the Prime Minister (honorific) teamed up, while not certain, they could likely employ the “Kingdom Assassin”.
The fact that he was turning to me instead meant the Prime Minister (honorific) probably didn’t believe the Royal Family’s account.
Or perhaps he was in the middle of verifying it?
Well, putting that aside for now.
I considered the prince’s proposal.
To dispose of every last one of the people who forced misfortune upon Erika.
That would feel pretty damn good.
“I refuse.”
But no, I couldn’t.
“May I ask why?”
He asked back, but his voice held a tone that suggested he already knew.
“Let me ask you instead: would you choose to fight secretly in a place unknown to the woman you love? And then, when you collapse, die smiling, filled with self-satisfaction?”
Ha!
An arrogant laugh echoed off the walls.
“Ridiculous! I’ll die spectacularly right before the eyes of the woman I love! I’ll become a man she can never forget for eternity! Protect the woman you love from the shadows? Die openly before her eyes!”
“Right!?”
We agreed on something strange.
For Erika’s sake, whether I was covered in blood or mud, it was absolutely no problem.
No problem, but that was a separate issue from leaving Erika’s side.
Simply put, I didn’t want to.
Rather than leave Erika’s side, I’d brush off the sparks that fell on her and go up in a huge blaze right before her eyes.
No, let me be more honest.
Fighting for the one you love in an unknown place might be fine; I understand that aesthetic.
But if I’m going to do it, I want to show Erika my good side! I want to show her how cool I am!
I want Erika to pat my head while I’m covered in mud, blood, and whatnot!
Isn’t that the best!? It’s the best!
I want Erika to say I’m cool, or even wonderful! I want her to fall for me, to pamper me.
“If you’re going to die anyway, it should be in the arms of the woman you love!”
“Hmph, hmph. Truly, you are Longdagger.”
The prince nodded, satisfied.
And then, as we rounded a T-junction, his face twisted spectacularly.
He didn’t throw up the second time, huh?
“I see,” the prince muttered, deep wrinkles forming between his brows.
You switch gears pretty fast too, huh?
No, considering he suddenly started talking about the backstory of the Exile drama like it was casual chat, maybe it wasn’t that he switched gears quickly, but rather that he wasn’t thinking at all.
“I wondered what the warning was about, but this is it.”
The shadows cast by them writhed as if they were a single living creature.
Just how many are there?
As I debated whether to count them, a truly arrogant voice came from behind me.
“Is the number ‘sufficient’? Longdagger.”
You really know how to provoke someone, you damn prince.
“Are you unarmed and haven’t wet your pants? If you tell me honestly, I’ll keep quiet about it, okay?”
—Ha!
“If you think there’s anything We of the Royal Family—no, I—should fear while having you attend me, Longdagger, then bring it on!”
I drew my Sword.
“I don’t have the slightest intention of attending you, but fine, Prince. I like that provocation.”
Get out of the way, dammit!
We charged into the swarm of Majin.
I’ll kick to death anyone who interrupts guys talking about love!