“Let’s go. Sibellon. Kevin.”
I deliberately pronounced the names strongly as I stepped forward.
As soon as we entered the restaurant, a manager in neat attire with a catfish mustache came out and greeted us warmly. He seemed to completely mistake me for a noble because of the clothes I was wearing that nobles wore. The fact that there were two attendants who looked like knights behind me seemed to help as well.
“Did you make a reservation, young master?”
“I didn’t make a reservation, but I heard there’s a special dish here, so I came on purpose.”
“Our special dish would be tomato paste and….”
“Fried boots.”
I caught the manager’s eyes suddenly changing in an instant. At that look, Cesare and Cain tensed and moved their hands close to their swords. However, the manager soon asked back politely as if he knew nothing.
“…Guest? What do you mean?”
“I came to order fried boots. Now, Sibellon.”
As I arrogantly clapped twice, Cesare in his robe hesitated.
“Hah. Sibellon. Is your head not working that well? When I hint, take the hint! Do I have to move myself? Really stupid!”
“……!”
I could hear Cesare inhale. Cain’s back also shook slightly as if he was holding back laughter. Ending the joke there, I took out money from my pocket and put it in the manager’s hand.
“Ah. So you’re a young master who wants the special menu. Please come this way.”
Only then did the manager smile broadly and let us inside. The three of us followed him into a deep room inside the restaurant, having a conversation with lip movements and eye contact.
‘This really seems to be a Dark Guild contact point.’
‘Your grandfather is amazing. To even know about this.’
‘Lionel, what was that just now?’
‘This place is really fascinating.’
‘Right? It feels like we’ve become spies.’
‘What was that just now, Lionel.’
It was Cesare’s finger poking my waist discontentedly.
“Ahem. Sibellon. Stay still.”
I swatted away his finger with my palm like brushing off a bug and glared at him. With eyes asking if he wanted to be caught, I glared at him fully, and Cesare shut his mouth as if realizing his mistake.
“You seem quite young, young master. What brings you here?”
“I enjoyed a secret meeting and got into a bit of trouble. There’s something you need to cover up for me.”
“That’s our specialty. Who referred you here?”
“Someone I met at a gambling den.”
I answered as vaguely as possible with some bluster to give the impression of someone well-versed in these back-alley affairs. If they found out I was an academy student who didn’t know the ways of the world yet, there was a high chance they’d look down on me.
Only after descending into the basement with a musty smell, following the stairs that appeared when the secret wall of the private room inside—a private room even—was opened, did the manager open an iron door.
– Creak.
Along with a wooden table, a middle-aged man who looked suspicious at first glance was looking at us with narrow eyes from across the table.
“Today’s chef for fried boots is ‘Number Four.'”
The manager politely bowed his head to introduce him and then retraced his steps. As the iron door closed firmly, Cain quickly stood with his back to the door, guarding it.
“I haven’t seen you before. Please have a seat. If you’d like tea, I’ll have it brought.”
After exchanging a slight glance with Cesare, I spoke.
“I want to entrust work to someone other than you. I know someone in the Dark Guild.”
I cautiously broached the subject of Sylvia as we had planned in advance.
“The rule is that only the chefs scheduled for that day take requests. And you shouldn’t have acquaintances here.”
“It’s an important matter, so I want to entrust the work directly to the leader. If not the leader, then even his daughter would do.”
“The leader has no family. It’s also been a long time since the leader took on requests directly.”
It was a voice where I couldn’t tell if it was a lie or the truth. Not knowing what to do with the man’s answer as he spoke with a grin, I glanced at Cesare. He slightly tilted his chin as if telling me to move on to the next question.
Equipping arrogance again, I asked him.
“Do you also sell information here?”
“We can’t immediately provide information we don’t know.”
At his slightly uncooperative attitude, I took out two more small money pouches. Immediately putting the money in his inner pocket, he said slyly and smoothly.
“The down payment differs for each piece of information, but for a young master like you… it seems it would be different.”
“The assassination attempt on His Highness the Crown Prince that happened recently. There’s a rumor that this place is behind it—is that true?”
“…Ah. That.”
The man stared at us intently, then raised the corners of his mouth grotesquely high, revealing his teeth as he giggled.
“Hehehe. I don’t think I got an introduction earlier—which family’s young master did you say you were?”
“…House Borss.”
I got goosebumps at the creepy man’s appearance but gave the name of a small baronial family from the frontier.
“It seems you’ve looked into a lot of things… well… House Borss…. Then it wouldn’t matter much if you disappeared here without a trace, would it?”
The man who had been giggling suddenly became serious, then abruptly stood up and kicked the table.
– Crash!
“……!”
I ducked my head sharply and squeezed my eyes shut at the sudden turn of events.
“How dare you try to harm our young master, you’ve got guts.”
“Are your eyes decorations? Or is that head that just looked down on us because we look young the decoration?”
As I slightly opened my eyes at Cesare and Cain’s murderous voices, the man was instantly pressed against the wall, subdued by the two with their swords.
‘They’re really amazing!’
I had only seen brief sparring at the academy, but witnessing their actual combat swordsmanship, a thrilling sensation and exhilaration rushed through me as my heart tightened. Especially Cesare—I thought he’d be clumsy in real combat since he’s a mage.
‘So being handsome has its worth….’
While I was in a daze, Cain pressed his large greatsword to his neck and growled lowly.
“If you treat us nicely, we’ll treat you nicely too, mister. Right? Kids these days are different from your time—they have no one they’re afraid of and don’t think about consequences~.”
“M-my lords…! P-please calm down!”
“You calm down and just answer what the young master asks. Before today’s chef becomes today’s dish?”
Cesare also threatened him with a well-sharpened rapier as a warning.
‘But… doesn’t our academy prohibit bringing in real swords? Where did those swords come from?’
Where would they come from! They must have bought them with my money and hidden them! Damn it. I felt bitter at the fact that those guys really were dangerous elements. Anyway, I asked the trembling, subdued man.
“I’ll ask again—who attacked His Highness the Crown Prince at the academy? Who commissioned you?”
“…Ugh. Commission? Everyone in the empire knows that Judre, that mage, was caught as the culprit.”
“I already know Mahoff Judre isn’t the culprit. Tell the truth.”
Cesare threatened the man by pressing the blade even closer.
“Why… why do you think we were… involved… the reason…!”
“Because someone from the Dark Guild was there.”
I answered, recalling Sylvia I had seen at Homecoming. Cain was also suspicious because that woman, who wasn’t on good terms with him, had no reason to deliberately come to Homecoming.
“Th-that can’t be…! We definitely ‘refused’ that commission several times!”
Refused? Does that mean a commission for the Crown Prince’s assassination did come in?
“I’m asking again. Who made that commission?”
“Th-that’s not my area, so I don’t know! Really! I only heard about it!”
Gone was his dismissive and arrogant attitude from just moments ago—now with two swords at his throat, his life must be important after all, as the man desperately cried out and shook his head.
“I’ll pay. Spit out everything you know about that commission.”
– Thud!
Cain grabbed the man by the collar and threw him to the ground. He clutched his throat, coughing and starting to ramble.
“On the day of the Royal Academy’s event, *cough*! To infiltrate and orchestrate an assassination of His Highness Cedric… definitely! We didn’t accept it!”
“You refused that job? The compensation must have been substantial—you guys who are crazy about money refused it?”
“Oh, my lords! We’re people trying to make a living in the empire, so if we attempt something that determines the empire’s fate, how could we continue business!”
Grandfather had also said something like that in his letter. That even if blinded by money, they wouldn’t have manipulated an assassination incident. My head throbbed, thinking we might have come up empty. Pressing my forehead firmly, I asked him.
“Is there a way to know who commissioned that job?”
“In the Dark Guild, even chefs often don’t know each other’s identities…! Really, I don’t know anything…!”
The man answered while trembling, his head bowed all the way to the floor. Thinking I might have scared him too much, I spoke in a calm voice.
“Sylvia. You know the woman who currently holds the position of Countess Astol, right? That woman was at the academy at the time of the incident. We know she was involved and… came….”
Suddenly my legs gave out slightly and my body swayed. A splitting headache struck my head.
“…Ah….”
“Young Master Mel? Young master!”
“R-Rye?”
Cain and Cesare looking at me in surprise appeared in double vision. As I tried to correct my dizzy physical state, I suddenly realized that instead of the musty smell that had been vibrating in the room, a sweet scent was flowing from somewhere.
For a moment I caught a glimpse of the prostrate man’s face. While pretending to be prostrate, he was covering his nose and mouth.
‘We’ve been had….’
– Thump!
Behind my blurring vision, several people noisily rushed in, and I felt someone roughly grab my head.
“If you want your young master to be safe, stay put.”
* * *
Ugh. My head. As I slightly opened my eyes at the splitting headache, Cesare and Cain, bound all over, called out to me.
“Lionel! Are you okay?!”
“Rye! Don’t move from there! You demonic bitch! Touch even a fingertip of Rye and see what happens!”
At their urgent voices from somewhere, I properly focused my shaking vision and looked around. Then I saw the blade of a dagger thrust right next to my neck. Holding the dagger’s handle was a slender woman’s hand wearing silk gloves.
As I swallowed empty breaths, my dazed vision slowly brightened and I caught a glimpse of a woman’s face I’d seen before. Her ominous gray eyes also turned toward me.
“…….”
“…….”
Whether she had come out in a hurry, she wasn’t wearing heavy makeup and fancy clothing like last time, but she was a beauty that any man would turn to look at at least once. However, she was giving off a dangerous atmosphere, so I instinctively smiled obsequiously and asked.
“…Are you Cain’s noona? No, younger sister…? Ah. Ha. Ha….”
Then the corners of the woman’s red mouth rose in a grin and the dagger that had been aimed at my throat instantly disappeared.
“Sylvia Astol has saved you.”
