Kill the Emperor

Translator: AkazaTL

Pr/Ed: Sol IX

***

Chapter 99 : Salon, Mystic (2)

The place where the woman guided me while linking arms with me was a secret room that could only be reached by going down a winding staircase three levels.

Click.

In a place where a subtle scent lingered as much as the scent emanating from the woman's body, the first thing the woman did was lock the door.

Pour.

After pouring the prepared fruit wine into my glass, finishing all preparations to talk, the woman smiled and said.

"Now, shall we take some time to hear the reason why the renowned Grand Duke of Zodiac visited this humble place?"

The smile hanging on the woman's lips was still attractive, but,

Now that appearance reminded me of a beast hiding its teeth rather than a blooming flower.

"You can relax. There is no way the story told here will leak outside. We are quite thorough with security, you see."

As the woman picked up the glass placed in front of her and swirled it, a fragrant scent spread in all directions.

"I have so many things I want to ask. How on earth did you know that this place is the hideout of our clan? And even the code words we use."

"Didn't that white-haired young lady I met in the Forest of Spirits tell you? What was the method when I first contacted you guys."

"Ah, of course I heard that story."

The woman's smile deepened a little more.

Yes, she had definitely heard.

That the messenger sent by the Grand Duke abruptly appeared at their safe house and handed over a letter.

"Well, it wouldn't be strange for someone who found a safe house hidden deep in the border area and sent a messenger to know about Mystic. Ah! Is it okay if I call you Your Excellency?"

"Whatever is comfortable."

"So, what is the reason why His Excellency the Grand Duke, who knows the secrets our clan hid thor. ough. ly., visited in person? Don't tell me just out of boredom?"

The woman burst into laughter, making a sound like jade beads rolling on a silver tray.

However, those eyes were meticulously observing my every move.

"Since I received something, I came to discuss how to pay the price. It's in my nature that I can't live with debt."

"Oh my, if it was something like that, you could have had your subordinates do it."

"Anyway, it's the first day I'm paying since the deal was made, so I should at least show my face in person like today."

"Seeing you speak like that, it seems you liked the item we prepared. What a relief. I was very worried about what would happen if we disappointed Your Excellency."

"I am very satisfied with the quality of the item. Could you pass on my thanks instead?"

"Oh my, don't mention it. Hoho."

Just as I said, the magic stones sent by the Clan of the Night via the Reichart territory were truly satisfying.

The quality and uniformity of the mana concentrated inside.

It was incomparably superior to the previous ones brought in through Mikal and Tombstone.

"And I also wanted to confirm it with my own eyes."

"What did you want to confirm?"

"How the Akrishion branch of the intelligence organization 'Aurora', which is said to dominate the continent's night, is being operated."

"……!"

The moment the word 'Aurora' came out of my mouth, the woman's expression hardened for a moment.

But the woman quickly regained her brightness.

"You really know a lot. Your Excellency's schemes are so deep that at this rate, our business capital will run out."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Shall we talk about the payment first?"

"Shall we? Actually, we were also very worried about what if Your Excellency just took the goods and ran off."

Perhaps intending to lighten the mood, the woman burst into laughter once again.

"I told you, didn't I? It's my personality that I can't live with debt. Since the talk about the price is finished, I think we just need to agree on the payment method."

I took out a small plaque about the size of a business card from my bosom and held it out.

"Make the recipient carry this nameplate and send them to the Grand Duke's residence in Abysin or the Haken Knight Order Headquarters. Then they will be connected directly to me."

"Hmm, Your Excellency. Just in case, you are aware that a somewhat complicated procedure is needed to receive the item we agreed to receive, right?"

At the woman's words, I nodded.

What they need is blood.

And it was blood flowing in the body of a person who had not been dead for long.

'Since you can't take the blood as it is, you will process it into the form of a blood stone and transport it.'

Without my arrangement, it would be close to impossible for them to secretly extract blood from corpses.

"We will check the specific details again then. If it is possible, I will cooperate."

"Oh my, how cool! I really like men who are straightforward."

The woman showed somewhat exaggerated body movements and grabbed my hand abruptly, bringing it to her cheek.

"Then let's consider this story agreed upon here. Since I came all this way, shall I entrust one request as well?"

I pulled out the hand the woman was holding, put it in my bosom, took out a request form, and held it out.

"Who is it? This person?"

"In the past, he used the name Belfodil, but I don't know his real name either. I don't know if he might be using a different name now."

"Hmm……."

The woman received the request form and carefully read down the recorded personal details of the figure.

Belfodil, aged in his 30s, sturdy and burly build, beard covering his face, green eyes that didn't match his brutish build.

And…….

"Asentic Workshop? Then is this person a disciple of Sir Gunnar?"

"As far as I know, yes. But if you visit the Asentic Workshop and ask the same question, they will deny it."

"Why?"

"Because he is an excommunicated disciple."

The master artisan 'Gunnar Pabarov' who passed away 10 years ago.

Since the history of the continent began to be recorded, he is a truly legendary master artisan who ranks within the top five among the greatest blacksmiths.

Numerous masterpieces produced in the workshop 'Asentic' he created himself embroidered various places on the continent, and the disciples he raised also showed dazzling achievements across the continent, elevating the names of their master and Asentic.

"I haven't heard that Sir Gunnar had an excommunicated disciple……."

"If it were a fact that many people knew, there would have been no reason to come find you and make a request."

"You want this person's tracks and location?"

"Something like that."

I nodded with a calm expression, but in fact, the inner thoughts hidden within were quite complicated.

'It will be very tricky if Belfodil's talent and the technologies he will develop in the future fall into the Empire's hands again. I must find him somehow and make him my person.'

Having witnessed the miraculous technological revolution Belfodil created with my own two eyes in my past life, I couldn't help but covet him.

In my past life, Belfodil had demonstrated his abilities for the 1st Prince under the 3rd Prince, who had the most martial tendencies among the imperial princes.

Because of that, although I never met him face-to-face, Gillian's camp had to suffer greatly during the civil war due to the equipment he created.

'This time, I will find Belfodil and get him in my hands before the 3rd Prince snatches him.'

If I can recruit him, Zodiac's armament level will go up at least 2-3 stages.

'With Zodiac's poor intelligence system, which can't even properly detect the flow of imperial politics, I won't be able to find Belfodil even if I die and wake up again.'

The reason I hadn't been able to find him until now was that there was absolutely no way to find Belfodil with the capabilities of Zodiac and Reichart.

However, if it is 'Aurora', one of the continent's three major intelligence agencies, they might be able to find the whereabouts of Belfodil, who disappeared along with Gunnar's death 10 years ago.

"How is it? The possibility of finding him?"

"Hmm, well. I can't give you a definite answer right now. About half and half."

"His known whereabouts were last seen 10 years ago. Yet the possibility of success is as high as half?"

"As I told you, I can't give a definite answer, but Your Excellency, it would be troublesome if you forget."

The woman leaned her upper body as if to show off her exceptionally attractive upper body to me and said.

"That our clan has been living off this all this time."

Because of past restrictions, the Clan of the Night cannot reveal themselves to the surface.

But to survive, enormous funds are essential.

The method they came up with to raise those funds was being information merchants.

For those whose karma is to permeate like shadows and wait only for the day of liberation, there would have been no profession more suitable than this.

"Ah, even if we succeed in finding him, or even if we fail, the process is a cumbersome task, so the fee will be quite high. There won't be any discounts for being an acquaintance. That is outside my authority."

"Rest assured, I have no intention of bothering you with such things."

I shook my head toward the woman who put on a somewhat stingy expression.

"Originally, prepayment is the principle, but for Your Excellency's request, let's make it postpaid. It seems the problem will be a bit complicated, so I don't have a grasp on how much it costs to measure. Will that be okay?"

"Do as you please. Send the bill to where I mentioned earlier."

Having finished all my business with this, I stood up from my seat.

"Oh my! You can't leave like this."

But the woman reached out and grabbed me.

"Is there anything left to say?"

"No. But Your Excellency said you are currently under surveillance, right?"

I couldn't know exactly who sent them, but it was certain that there were those following me.

"So?"

"But if a man who went into a secret room linking arms with a pretty lady comes out again in neat attire as if nothing happened, wouldn't the people following Your Excellency think it strange?"

"……."

Accepting my silence as affirmation, the woman smiled brightly and sat me down again.

"Ups-a-daisy!"

And after sitting long on my lap as I sat on the chair, she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Oh my! How can your skin be this smooth! Are you really someone who roams the battlefield?"

As her slender fingers stroked the hem of my shirt, soon a fragrant body scent seemed to seep straight into my body.

"……How many people have you seduced in this way so far?"

"Very many. So many it's hard to count."

The shirt buttons, which should have been fastened tightly, were undone futilely easily before the woman's delicate hand movements.

"Success rate?"

"All of them."

Perhaps proud to recall her splendid record, the woman giggled and answered.

"But if someone asks the same question next time, I'll have to answer that one failed."

The woman's hand, which was undoing and messing up the shirt buttons, stopped for a moment and hovered around my chest.

"Look at how he doesn't even budge. How cold."

Feeling the touch of the woman's cold lips and fangs touching my nape, I answered.

"Because my taste is women younger than me."

"Hmph! Our Excellency doesn't know anything. A woman's true charm comes out when she is ripe like me."

The woman lightly bit my nape as if she was genuinely resentful and left a lipstick mark.

"With this much, there won't be any suspicion."

I reached out, blocked the woman's lips, buttoned my shirt, and this time really stood up from the seat.

"But really, you're too much."

The woman, who laid her body long on the chair I was sitting on just a moment ago, frowned slightly and said.

"Does it make sense that you didn't even ask for my name after playing around so intensely with a pretty woman like me?"

"Wouldn't it be a stretch to say we played around to that extent?"

"Anyway, please ask for my name at least. Otherwise, I'll really be upset."

"……What is the name of the owner of Mystic?"

"My name is 'Ea'. Ea."

Ea said her name in a sweet voice that seemed to melt and added one more thing.

"And the name of my younger sister whom Your Excellency met in the forest that day is 'Eos'."

"Sister?"

"We are sisters, us. Your Excellency didn't know that, right?"

When Ea stroked her fine-textured hair, the part her hand touched momentarily turned white and then returned.

Click.

"Then let's meet again next time, us."

Her voice, full of lingering sweetness like candy, scattered behind my back.

***

It was past midnight when I returned to the quarters after visiting Mystic.

And what was waiting for me upon my return was a single letter filled with neat handwriting.

-I visited wanting to meet the Grand Duke, but I missed the timing. I am leaving a letter as I regret turning back with lingering feelings.

I will visit again tomorrow morning, so if the Grand Duke does not have any great inconvenience, I hope you can spare a little of your precious time.

The name of the person who left the letter was 'Zephyros Madkit'.