“Inspection!”
Gasp—
Jake took a sharp breath.
An inspection at this late hour? And what reason would knights have to come all the way to an old inn on the outskirts of the capital? Jake instinctively sensed that the knights’ visit would be harmful to him and quietly hid his body beside the door.
“What’s the matter?”
Klad answered on behalf of the cornered Jake. Through the door, he could feel the knights falter, taken aback by his confident voice that wouldn’t be out of place for a noble.
Usually, the ones staying at such shabby inns were mostly penniless mercenaries from other regions. But in the unlikely case that someone inside was a noble having a secret rendezvous while avoiding others’ eyes, they shouldn’t carelessly open the door. If they dared to do so, their heads could fly for the crime of learning the truth.
But instead of leaving with a greeting, the knights stood outside the door, fidgeting and unsure what to do.
‘Did they receive orders that are hard to disobey?’
There were only two in this capital who could give “orders that are hard to disobey.”
The Emperor, and Duke West.
“I asked what the matter was.”
Klad’s voice urging an answer was laced with irritation. The knights explained their purpose for coming here in a more courteous tone.
“A violent criminal has escaped from the dungeon of the Duke’s castle and we are searching for them. We ask for your cooperation for just a moment.”
Duke West sent the knights? As expected.
If the search had progressed even to such a remote place, the Duke’s people must already be spread throughout the inner capital. If Jake had obediently left the inn when told to get out, he would have been caught and dragged away before he could walk a few steps.
‘Is he really walking a separate path from the West family?’
Although he had rescued Jake and brought him here, it wasn’t because he believed everything he said was true. Klad had thought Jake might be bait thrown by the Duke West family.
But just moments ago, his thinking changed.
“This is bad, Klad. Knights have come.”
Klad couldn’t figure out how to interpret Jake, who was pressed close behind him and whispering. Jake was neither cunning nor meticulous enough to be bait for the Duke West family.
‘It’s a different story if everything he’s said so far was sincere.’
If this was all an act, he decided to applaud the acting ability that could fool him and go along with being deceived.
Klad organized his thoughts and grabbed the door handle.
“Wait, Klad!”
Click.
“If you open the door now, you’ll be treated as an accomplice and taken away too!”
Even with a knife at his throat, he didn’t want someone present to be dragged into his affairs and meet an innocent death. Of all the actions Jake West had shown so far, this was the most pleasing.
Creeeak—
But regardless of being pleased, Klad opened the door without hesitation.
“Excuse us.”
Along with Jake’s silent horror, the knights poured into the room. The West family’s insignia was clearly engraved on their armor.
Jake lowered his head deeply and turned his body as if he would jump out the window at any moment. However, because Klad was gripping his arm tightly, he couldn’t move a single step.
“Let go of—”
“You’ve come at this hour and disrupted a good night, so I’d like to at least hear the circumstances. Something about what criminal?”
“P-pardon us! The criminal Jake West, who was being held by the Duke West family, has escaped. If word gets out that the Hero has disappeared, it will cause great chaos, so before that… Gasp, what am I saying…!”
The knight who had been chattering was greatly startled and covered his mouth.
Jake was equally flustered.
‘They… don’t recognize me?’
Those who came looking for Jake couldn’t possibly not know his appearance. Yet this knight wasn’t showing any interest in Jake who wasn’t even in disguise, focusing only on Klad. When his eyes met Jake’s, he even averted his gaze as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.
“Whether it’s a prisoner or whatever, if the check is done, I’d like you to clear out now.”
“P-pardon us!”
The knights barely conducted an inspection before hurriedly leaving the room.
Thud!
Once they left, Klad calmly closed the door as if nothing had happened.
“What’s going on, Klad? Why did they pretend not to know me?”
“They didn’t pretend not to know. They genuinely didn’t recognize you.”
“How? There’s no way the knights of our family wouldn’t recognize my face.”
“What they’re looking for is a blond noble escapee, and right now you’re a common commoner with brown hair.”
“What do you… could it be magic?”
“Yes.”
Klad responded as if it were no big deal and sat back down on the sofa.
“Even if my hair color changed, they would have been suspicious if they saw my face, but they wouldn’t even look at me. Was that also magic?”
“They were probably being cautious since their heads would fly if they carelessly confirmed the face of a noble lord’s lover.”
“Noble lord? Lover?”
“Never mind.”
Klad answered half-heartedly.
He didn’t want to explain in detail that the knights had misunderstood Klad and Jake as a noble having a secret rendezvous and his commoner lover.
“I don’t fully understand this situation, but thanks to you I was able to escape danger. Thank you, Klad.”
“Don’t think this is the end of it. The Duke who set an execution date and spread the word everywhere—do you think he’ll just let the criminal meant for the execution platform disappear? Soon they’ll block the gates and control entry and exit, so if you want to leave the capital, you need to move by tomorrow morning.”
“You know my father well. Were you friends?”
“I help you and you pick a fight?”
Klad crumpled his face irritably and glared at Jake. It was a fierce-looking expression, but since there was no killing intent in those eyes, it wasn’t scary at all.
“I’m not picking a fight, Klad. I was just surprised by your accurate analysis. However, I think we need to move before dawn.”
“Your legs are shaking just from going up and down the stairs once, and you’re trying to go somewhere like that? There’s time until morning to search the entire capital, so stop talking and rest.”
“If it were only a matter of strengthening the gate control, that would be fine, but Father will never let me leave the capital, Klad.”
Jake was resolute.
As Klad said, having publicly announced before all the people that he would put the Hero on the execution platform, it would be disgraceful to change his words as easily as flipping his palm. Since Jake’s face was widely known, it would be hard to find a substitute, so the Duke would do anything to prevent Jake from leaving the capital.
“Hiding my hair color might reduce the danger, but would Father fail to predict even that? He must have already noticed that I have a reliable ally, so even more intensive inspections will be waiting for us.”
“Ally, my foot.”
“It’s clear that you’re an excellent mage, but I can’t take on such risks, Klad. We need to leave this place right now.”
“Aren’t you taking my help too much for granted?”
“Didn’t you speak first as if you would help me?”
“Haah.”
Klad sighed and rubbed his head.
At least it seemed clear that Jake and Duke West were at odds.
There was no rule that father and son must get along, but of all things, it had to be the Duke who controlled the empire and the Hero who had to save the world.
This is why the world was going to hell.
‘Should I help just a little bit more?’
Even though Jake was still the annoying and unpleasant West brat, if his actions would turn the West family upside down, he was willing to help a little. By moving together, he might be able to find out what his purpose was and what he knew.
Klad made his decision and stood up from his seat.
“Fine.”
“You want me to take your help for granted?”
“I’m saying let’s move before dawn. Be grateful for my help.”
“I shall graciously bestow upon you the honor of receiving my gratitude.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
The more he talked with Jake, the more his head throbbed.
To be able to cause headaches in others just through conversation without using magic—if that was a skill, it was certainly a skill.
“Never mind gratitude and honor, just tell me what your plans are.”
Klad pulled Jake over and sat him on the sofa where he himself had been sitting just moments ago.
He didn’t want to watch someone who looked like he was dying of exhaustion yet refused to rest, standing there swaying.
He had planned to get angry if Jake spouted nonsense like ‘I’m fine so you sit down,’ but fortunately Jake sat down without complaint.
“The first thing we need to do is find the Hero’s Sword. Klad, you must have heard the rumors, but I don’t have the Hero’s Sword. That sword was lost a very long time ago.”
“Why the Hero’s Sword? What does that have to do with finding the West family’s descendant?”
“Finding the descendant is my personal matter, but fighting against the Demon King is an important mission that only I, Jake West, who was chosen as the Hero, can do. Even if I have other goals, I cannot neglect the duty given to me.”
“You know I’m only going to help find the descendant, and you’re trying to slip in other work in between?”
“Becoming a member of the Hero’s Party means that corresponding responsibility and duties come along with it.”
“When did I become a member of the Hero’s Party… ah, forget it, forget it.”
He got nothing for being sarcastic.
“So the final plan is to catch the Demon King first and then find the descendant?”
“The order is wrong. Find the Hero’s Sword, have the West family’s descendant join the Hero’s Party, and then go to catch the Demon King.”
He was saying that since he had someone to ask for help beside him, he would accomplish both what he wanted to do and his given duties without missing either. His sense of responsibility was commendable, but to Klad, who had been chosen against his will as ‘the one to ask for help,’ it just looked laughable.
‘Shameless bastard.’
