37 – Incongruity
Somehow, on the way back to the castle after finishing the schedule, Ariel suddenly spoke out.
“It’s not long now.”
“what?”
“Initiation into the social world. Because my mom told me to do it next year… … .”
it’s next year There really isn’t much left.
It’s like two months at most, but it’ll probably pass in the blink of an eye.
“right. You said your skills improved a lot? Creed told me.”
“Not bad. Maybe it’s because the master is so good.”
At her praise, which is rarely heard, Edgar scratched his cheek and passed it to his teacher.
Because it wasn’t exactly wrong.
It is a class taught by the leader of the knights, who was one of the best in the empire.
It is probably a valuable experience that is difficult to receive even if you give a thousand gold.
And thanks to absorbing it like cotton that absorbs water, Edgar’s martial arts level has risen to the point where it would be rude to compare it compared to half a year ago.
“Is that still the case?”
“You mean that I’m recognized and will stand by your side?”
“yes.”
Ariel kicked a small stone that was rolling on the floor while looking at the sunset sky.
I was in a bad mood because I felt like I was weighing my friend’s decision, so I tried to divert my gaze elsewhere.
“I guess so.”
“Well, that’s like you.”
As expected, Ariel did not show any reaction.
I was just saddened by the fact that there was nothing I could do for my childhood friend who was going through a tough road.
And at the same time, I was also grateful.
It was for his own sake that he had chosen this thorny path.
If it was just for success and a prosperous future, I would have chosen a more comfortable path.
I always feel it, but I received a lot from him in many ways. Even if it is not material.
It was just a shame that I couldn’t express my gratitude.
“Are you coming tonight?”
“What are you going to do tomorrow? You must be tired from playing all day.”
“Pretend to be taken care of. You said you didn’t want to come because you were tired.”
When Ariel snorts as if she can see through it, he responds, ‘Did you get caught?’ He smiled shyly and left a promise to go tomorrow.
Tonight, it would be nice to go to bed early while soaking in hot water and relieving fatigue.
It’s all part of recharging for tomorrow.
“You too go back to your room and don’t open a book again and go to sleep. Then you get hurt.”
“Hey, I know? Do you know who likes to wrestle with books every day?”
‘Of course I don’t hate it.’ Ariel added.
Seeing this, Edgar’s mouth naturally smiled bitterly.
‘It’s a sense of duty.’
It may not be the only thing that supports her now, but it must be true that the pressure of being the only heir to the family is holding her back.
More than anything, it was a pity for Edgar to not be able to convey anything other than to tell her to cheer up.
“Let’s stop talking about heavy things and go back to the castle for now. I’ll see you tomorrow anyway.”
“… Yes, you are right.”
Ariel, who ran forward first, spoke brightly with her hands behind her back, and Edgar nodded obediently and hurried his steps.
The castle of the Loveheim family, which seemed so far away, was getting closer and closer, and he was just about to get out of the crowd.
Took.
“Oh, sorry.”
“no. What are you doing with this?”
Edgar suddenly bumped shoulders with a person approaching from the other side.
Although he may have been distracted, it was rare for him to fail to recognize the person approaching right in front of him.
It meant that even his senses, which had been bristled through repeated training with Creed, could not detect it.
When Edgar hurriedly offered an apology, the other person raised his hand and didn’t take it seriously.
Degur.
At that moment, an object from the other person’s pocket rolled and stopped at Edgar’s feet.
It was an octagonal object smaller than the palm of my hand, but it seemed quite worth it.
“Hey, you dropped this.”
“… ah! thank you. Because it is important.”
When Edgar belatedly picked up the fallen item and handed it to him, the other person hurriedly ran his hand around his body, realized that the item was gone, and thanked him.
The moment Edgar left a message asking Ariel, who was walking ahead, to wait for a while, and the moment he reached out to hand over the lost item to the other person,
“… … !?”
Edgar’s pupils widened at the sudden feeling of déjà vu covering his entire body.
‘what?’
I couldn’t express it clearly, but the moment the item fell into the man’s hand, the presence of the other person standing in front of me suddenly stood out.
A little while ago, it was a faint presence, as if it would disappear at any moment if I didn’t recognize it with my eyes.
“…? Why is that?”
“Oh, no. The hat you are wearing is cool.”
“hahahaha, thank you for the compliment. then.”
Even in the midst of panic, Edgar manages to somehow manage to gloss over it.
Fortunately, the other person accepted the item without any doubt and quickly disappeared.
Edgar, who was staring blankly at the back, immediately clasped the hand that handed him the item and was lost in thought.
What was it?
It was the first time in my life that I felt that way while facing someone.
At least, when Ariel radiated magical energy in front of her in the past, that time was a little similar to the moment before.
However, there was a difference even in this, but if the feeling of presence went from 10 to 100 then, now it feels like it has gone from 0 to 10.
You must have heard an example like this somewhere recently.
Apparently at that time, Ariel… … .
“Ed! Why don’t you come sooner!”
“ah… that, yes I’ll be going soon.”
As he continued his thoughts, Ariel’s high voice came belatedly and Edgar was able to escape from his thoughts and manage to move forward.
It left me feeling uneasy, but it was an idea that I could continue even after returning to the dorm.
* * * * * * *
I couldn’t even breathe at the fact that I almost had a major accident.
The man sighed and went back to the hideout and immediately sent a call to the person who gave the order.
Soon, consent fell, and the figure of the other person appeared on the opposite wall.
Even though it was a figure, the face was not properly visible, and only the chest was visible at most, but one could tell that the appearance was rather shallow.
The man who hurriedly bowed his head and bowed politely began to recite the matter that had just happened.
“sorry. We ran into each other.”
– You mean the princess of the Loveheim family?
Realizing that there was a hint of displeasure in the other person’s voice, the man immediately shook his head resolutely.
“no. I don’t know if it was an escort or a friend, but I bumped into the boy next to her.”
– Then it won’t matter. But be careful next time.
One mistake was tolerated, but two mistakes often led to summary execution.
Recognizing that his words contained more warning than mercy, the man bowed his head deeply again.
– What was the condition of the item?
“It’s working fine. I can clearly feel the magic running through my body.”
The man took out an octagon-shaped object from his bosom and checked his body condition.
I definitely felt the flow of magical power that I couldn’t normally feel.
He was putting a lot of strain on his body by using this tool to forcibly circulate the stopped magic power, but it wasn’t his business.
All he was allowed to do was obey the mission.
For this purpose, there was no time left, even if he fulfilled his order tomorrow.
– If it’s not some kind of guys, you won’t feel uncomfortable with your physical condition right now. Maybe they feel like normal people.
For those who work in the dark, the most important thing is skill, but if I had to pick one other thing, it would be ‘normality’.
Appearance, height, physique, even mana.
The more similar the level is to the culprits, the more difficult it is to find when mixed with people.
The use of the object in the man’s hand was similar to that.
– You must be controlling the flow of magical power as much as possible, right?
“of course. Probably, even in the eyes of a decently skilled person, this would be nothing more than an ordinary resident.”
A weak flow of magical power could be seen as a sign of a weak presence, but in other words, it also meant that he was different from others.
When everyone has a presence of 100, is it really a shortcut to go unnoticed to have a presence of 50 alone?
not. Like hiding a tree in the forest, to blend in with a crowd of 100, you have to become a 100.
The residents of the underworld, who had to do everything secretly and unnoticed as much as possible, were aware of this fact more than anyone else.
– Right. Please keep in mind This gig is something that only you guys can do.
“Yes, I will engrave it deep in my bones.”
Originally, he was born with a unique constitution that did not circulate his body’s magic, so he tried all kinds of training to make up for the difference, but in the end, he had to spend his time without being given any mission within the organization.
In the meantime, I heard that there is a mission that can be done with this useless body.
No, there is a mission that can be accomplished only because it is oneself.
The only thing that would prove his nameless life anyway was the mission given to him.
It seemed that the darker the footsteps of his life were covered, the brighter the future he would advance.
“Master, is it okay if I kill anyone who gets in my way?”
– Kill. However, the goal is to capture them alive no matter what. The body has no meaning.
“Yes.”
In the first place, this mission was just one foundation for the gig.
To do so, it was necessary to capture the target, not to remove it, and the man was aware of this, so he became even more nervous.
If it was simply an assassination of a key factor, it would be okay to somehow cut their throats while they were sleeping or even attack them on the way in a wagon, but capturing them alive was different in difficulty.
In addition, the target residence to aim for was an iron-walled castle that boasted the strictest security in this northern region.
‘But that’s why there’s a high possibility that he’ll be careless.’
Probably no one would have predicted that they would break through the barrier they were proud of in this way.
The fact that the number of guards patrolling the castle decreased at night was also a testament to their confidence.
The man immediately put the hat on the table again and left the hideout.
The moon, which had just risen, was very dark today.
And on the other hand, it seemed like a symbol foretelling the success of the mission, which made me happy.
Because there was no more ominous symbol for them than a bright moonlit night.