Ch. 259
Following Rovenin, it didn’t take long to reach a deserted back alley.
It was the kind of gloomy, unpleasant place a low-ranking member of the Information Guild might use as a hideout. The moment I stepped in, damp, humid air clung to my skin—as if sunlight never reached here, even in broad daylight.
‘A good place to summon a Water Spirit.’
It doesn’t make a huge difference, but if I had a choice, humid was better than dry.
It would be even better if I could lure Rovenin somewhere like the sea or a lake.
If he fell into the water, it would be my world. I could disintegrate him right there.
‘Do I have no choice but to aim for when he’s bathing? But I really don’t want to see that bastard naked…’
I walked the dark passage, where even narrower alleys branched off like veins, and kept my senses razor-sharp.
Because I’d lost Rovenin. The bastard showed no consideration for me keeping up, and I had no intention of saying something pathetic like, “Wait for me.”
Which alley did he slip into?
Even with my guard up, when he appeared behind me, I almost screamed again.
“It’s here.”
[Gah!]
I got through the moment by grinding my teeth, but Rai didn’t. I turned around, forcing myself to look composed.
“…I knew that.”
“Don’t bluff after you’ve already walked past it.”
“I was checking if anyone else was around.”
“If you could sense presences, you would have known that without looking. How pathetic.”
I’ve trained too, you know.
You’re just on an entirely different level.
My stomach twisted with irritation, but I didn’t make the mistake of getting worked up at Rovenin again.
To keep my reason intact, I forced a smile that didn’t match what I felt.
“I, on the other hand, am sensitive to the aura of magic. Much more than you.”
“Are all mages all talk, like you?”
“Are all swordsmen as infuriating as you?”
“Ha. Aren’t you embarrassed to walk around looking so flimsy? You’re dressed in a way that’s completely useless for combat.”
“What do you know! I don’t dress like this all the time! And wearing pretty clothes puts me in a good mood!”
“You have it easy. And what’s that trash on your head?”
Just as I was repulsed by the fact that he was breathing, he seemed to hate everything about me from head to toe.
“This? Ash made it for me.”
“I meant the trash that is the head on your neck.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You were talking about the flower crown.”
“No. His Majesty is quite skilled.”
He changes his tune fast.
“You irritating bastard… If it weren’t for Ash, I wouldn’t even bother with the likes of you.”
“Look who’s talking. If it weren’t for His Majesty’s protection, I would have sliced you to pieces long ago.”
“Hey! If you really care about Ash, you shouldn’t be showing up in public and acting like this! Akia recognized you! Are you going to take responsibility if Ash ends up in a difficult position? And who are you to boss me around? Just get the hell out of my life!”
I hate you. I hate you, you bastard.
I screamed with my entire being, but Rovenin didn’t care. More than anything, he looked used to being despised.
“There’s something I need to say while His Majesty is not present.”
“I refuse your confession.”
“…Should someone with a mental illness be allowed to wander around?”
“What…? You son of a bitch. Look who’s talking!”
When he looked down at me with those contemptuous eyes, I wanted to strangle him and send him to the afterlife right then and there.
[Puhahaha!]
[Hey!]
And when Rai laughed—openly, without even trying to hide it—my patience snapped even further.
“You’ve just made an enemy of every wounded heart on this continent!”
“I’ve been watching you for the past few days.”
“Yes, hello, stalker!”
The infuriating bastard kept speaking without the slightest change in expression.
“Despite His Majesty’s words that you are trustworthy, my judgment is that you are extremely suspicious. A magician has been frequenting your room, and during the day, you visit the Information Guild. Several times, at that.”
“…You saw?”
A chill slid down my spine.
Especially because I was always careful to check whether I was being followed. He was a bastard I couldn’t let my guard down around.
“Why have you been frequenting the Information Guild?”
“To buy information. Is there any other reason to go to the Information Guild?”
“What kind of information did you buy?”
“Why should I tell you that?”
“Did you not sell any.”
“…Sell information? Me?”
“Yes.”
Now I finally understood why Rovenin had sought me out.
This bastard, just like Lox, suspected I might be a spy.
Lox had only cleared his suspicions after watching me cause trouble without a second thought a few times.
In a way, I’d earned his trust by being brazenly reckless. Not that I meant to.
“The brown-haired magician who visits you is affiliated with the Dmitri Royal Palace’s communications department. He was recently dispatched here temporarily because of the festival. Don’t you find that suspicious?”
“That is suspicious.”
“In all of this, is there any proof that you are not a spy?”
“Is there any proof that you are Rovenin?”
“It’s certainly clearer than your motives for following His Majesty.”
“Now that you mention it, I do seem to act a bit like a spy. I’ll admit that. I thought you were an airhead, but you surprisingly use your brain. Wait—that doesn’t mean I’m a spy.”
Sadly, my eyesight was so pathetic I couldn’t even see the moment he drew his sword.
Even when I was focused, I’d lose him. And I’d notice nothing until the gleaming tip of his blade was shoved right under my nose.
“If you are a spy, I will cut you down right here.”
“You… you do know what a Saintess is, right?”
I tried to gently push his sword away with my fingertips, but it didn’t budge.
It was like trying to move a boulder embedded in the ground.
How could he transmit that much force all the way to the tip?
“There’s no guarantee a Saintess wouldn’t act as a spy. No—rather, isn’t that facade perfect for avoiding suspicion?”
By now, I wasn’t even surprised when he pointed his sword at me.
His tendency to threaten at the drop of a hat was similar to mine. People with similar dispositions were easier to read.
If he truly intended to kill me, he’d had more than enough time back when he appeared behind me and said, “It’s here.”
He was suspicious, but he didn’t seem convinced.
And just as Ash said, he had a more cautious side than he let on.
Was it because, as the scion of a ducal family, politics had seeped into him whether he wanted it or not?
“I’ve been hearing some interesting stories lately. News that a fake is impersonating me… and did you know your younger brother is courting me? That your cute little brother, Rashamu, has grown up and wants to marry me?”
“I’m not interested.”
“But this is the funniest of all. The fact that you think I’m a spy. A beautiful spy in the guise of a Saintess does suit me. Not that I’d do something so troublesome.”
With the Tears of Truth, if I put my mind to it, there was no one better suited to spying than me.
But anyone who knew me even a little would also know how absurd that was.
It was so ridiculous I laughed out loud.
“If you’ve been watching me, you should know. If I were a spy, I’ve had plenty of chances to kill Ash. They were literally everywhere.”
“Killing him right away might not be the goal. And he is not someone who would be easily taken down by the likes of you.”
“You think so? Then you’d better keep watching a little longer.”
“Your smiling face is exceedingly unpleasant.”
He says that to someone making the effort to smile.
I gave him an even brighter, more cheerful smile.
“If you watch for a few more days… you’ll find out soon. If I tried to strangle Ash, he’d probably let it happen while worrying about what he did wrong. If you used me as a hostage to lure him out, he’d follow you into a pit of fire. Sometimes, Ash thinks he wants to die for me.”
“You’re greatly mistaken.”
“It’s true. I don’t even need to seduce him. Ash is mine. He has been for a very long time.”
“I don’t know where you get that confidence.”
From the moment I saved Ash, and Ash saved me, he was as good as mine. Lately, I was certain of it.
“I’m good at knowing what’s in people’s hearts. And there are many things in this world that are mine.”
Even as I whispered, Rovenin’s sword stayed trained on me, unwavering.
And yet I felt more pleasure than fear—because the moment someone wants to kill you but can’t is unbearably thrilling.
I knew exactly what kind of irritation that provoked.
“…Fierce, yet bewitching. At a glance, your appearance is beautiful, but when you open your mouth, you are like a snake. A woman as untrustworthy as you should be cut down as soon as possible.”
“…Who are you calling bewitching, you sex-crazed maniac! And snakes are cute!”
[Aww! I’m touched!]
Do you think a wholesome traveler like me is common?
“You piece of trash who spouted that nonsense to me in Dmitri!”
“I did?”
“Yes, you pervert!”
“…I have no memory of it. What did I say?”
Rovenin remembered I’d won the children’s division at the tournament ten years ago, but had completely forgotten our recent encounter in Dmitri.
He remembered one thing and forgot another.
Truly a bastard with no basic courtesy.
“You suddenly asked if you and I had sex! I’ve never heard anything so rude and absurd in my life!”
“What’s the problem with that?”
“Is that something you say to someone you just met! Well, it was the second time, but still!”
“Most of the women who got angry at me did so for that reason. And it’s not something to be called a pervert for. That’s something all adult men and women do…”
“You promiscuous, filthy bastard! My ears! I’m buying new ears that haven’t heard this!”
Knowing in theory that Elan’s high society was open-minded was enough. I had no desire to learn about it from someone with firsthand experience.
“You’re being overly sensitive. As a noble, it’s stranger to be your age and have no experience.”
“…You! Ash said he has no experience either!”
“As expected of royalty. So noble.”
“Look at you changing your tune!”
“Was Dmitri that conservative? And adults having a consensual relationship isn’t promiscuous. It’s perfectly normal…”
“Shut up! Why do I have to have this conversation with you? You abnormal bastard! You’re wasting air, so just die!”
In that moment, I sincerely wished he would drop dead.
Otherwise, it felt like I’d die of indignation first.
If it was all the same whether I summoned Endairon and died slowly from internal injuries or died from anger, I’d rather die fighting.
[Yes! I’m ready!]
‘Bubble.’
Undine appeared.
With the sound of a bursting water bubble, she materialized between me and Rovenin—fists clenched, her whole body bubbling with fighting spirit.
“…Undine?”