Though all of this was for the Empire’s citizens and not the Emperor, his energy drained when the Empire’s master reacted like that.
‘Should I be grateful I’m at least not alone?’
Since long ago, Jake had been accustomed to being alone.
Now he wasn’t alone and even had a reliable ally, so he couldn’t be disappointed for not receiving the help he’d expected.
Though it was shocking that the one who refused help was the Emperor, that’s precisely why he had to gather more strength.
Because now the only ones who could solve this problem were himself and Klad, just the two of them.
“I should rest a bit and organize future plans. I need to think about where to go… Klad? What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing.”
“For nothing, isn’t your face too red?”
“My face is naturally red.”
Jake had never once seen his face this red since meeting Klad. Worried he might have scraped it while falling to the ground, Jake tried to examine it, but Klad turned his head away.
“If you overexerted yourself because of me, you must tell me.”
“What city is close to the capital? Is it this way?”
Klad walked away, obviously changing the subject so blatantly that even Jake, who was dull at communication, immediately noticed. But given the situation, Jake decided to focus on future matters instead of pressing him.
“It would be fortunate if the Emperor simply doesn’t want to get involved in noisy incidents and accidents, but if he’s in league with the Duke, heading to the breakwater village or Baron Nolson’s territory would be dangerous.”
“I agree. Even if future schedules become a bit complicated, it would be better to move away from Baron Nolson’s territory. Since His Majesty the Emperor might look for me, it seems best to hide for a few days.”
There’s a saying: to hide a tree, hide it in the forest; to hide rice, hide it in the granary. For Jake to safely hide, a bustling large city was better than a small village where outsiders would stand out just by visiting.
Fortunately, there were many large cities around the capital, and all were located on the opposite side from Baron Nolson’s territory.
Klad took Jake to the nearest city among them and hid in a cozy inn. It was a quiet place where Jake could rest deeply without interference from the Duke or Emperor.
“I need to rest a bit. Thoughts… after that…”
Perhaps tension had released and fatigue rushed in—Jake fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the inn bed.
Klad sat in the chair across from the bed as always, watching Jake.
“…Haah.”
It was equally difficult for Klad to organize his thoughts.
***
Jake, who woke after resting deeply, regained his energy. Perhaps he regained his will as fatigue disappeared—he looked ready to rush out immediately.
“I thought a bit about future plans during last night.”
He’d been sleeping all night long, so when did he think about it?
“How about taking some risk and infiltrating Duke’s castle to find out Father’s plans?”
“Are you planning an all-out war?”
“That would put us at too much disadvantage. Wars are typically started by the side that thinks they have the advantage. Starting a war when we have absolutely no advantages would be an unwise action.”
“If the Emperor is in league with the Duke, yesterday’s events would have already been reported to the Duke. Knowing we’re lurking nearby, they’ll be prepared, so if we openly invade enemy territory, how is that different from declaring all-out war?”
“My opinion differs slightly, Klad. His Majesty the Emperor didn’t defend Father because they share the same intentions. Simply… he must find it bothersome.”
Jake neatly categorized the Emperor as ‘an incompetent ruler steeped in bothersome laziness who doesn’t even care for the Empire’s safety.’
“If His Majesty the Emperor won’t interfere with us, wouldn’t it be worth trying? Tell me your opinion.”
This was the first time Jake had spoken so beseechingly since he’d insisted that Klad become his companion.
That’s how frustrated he must have been about what happened at the imperial palace. More than anything, he must be frustrated to learn that the Emperor, who should worry about the Empire’s safety above all else, wasn’t of that mind. To prove he could accomplish something despite repeated failures, he’d want to dig up the Duke’s schemes even if it meant pushing himself.
But that wouldn’t do. Though he understood Jake’s feelings, going to Duke’s castle for such reasons could lead to greater danger.
Of course, Klad had the ability to save Jake no matter what happened to him, but various restrictions might prevent him from using his power when actually needed.
So he should clearly explain this point and propose making a more cautious plan.
Jake’s manner of speaking couldn’t exert any influence whatsoever in making decisions.
“Won’t it work, Klad? Hm?”
“Let’s do as you say.”
Oh no. Words different from his thoughts popped out on their own.
“Good. I’m very pleased our opinions align. I’ve even planned ahead for after sneaking into the castle, shall I tell you? First, Father’s office…”
While Jake chattered on about his plans, Klad inwardly cursed his tongue that had spouted words on its own.
But he couldn’t reverse his opinion when Jake was so happy like that.
In the end, Klad couldn’t say a single word until Jake finished explaining the entire ‘Duke’s castle infiltration plan.’
However, fortunately for Klad, one hour later, an incident occurred that required completely revising the plan.
***
[An emergency wanted order is issued for Hero Jake West, who infiltrated the imperial palace and attempted to assassinate the Emperor.]
“That’s ridiculous!”
KWANG—
Jake couldn’t contain his anger and struck the table. People eating in the restaurant on the inn’s first floor all turned at once to look at Jake causing a commotion.
Klad returned to their room before Jake could cause a bigger scene.
“How can this be? Did His Majesty decide to follow Father’s will? What reason could there be for insisting on attacking me!”
Not long after making plans to infiltrate Duke’s castle, a wanted order came down from the capital. Jake, who had happily come down to eat, couldn’t help but feel absurd seeing the official notice posted on the restaurant wall.
What reason could His Majesty, who hadn’t received even a small scratch let alone a fatal wound, have to turn Jake into an enemy while even telling such lies?
They even specified the wanted person was a ‘Hero,’ revealing he belonged to the temple before being a person of the Duke’s house. Their determination not to involve the Duke’s house in this matter seemed firm.
“I thought if I reported the truth to His Majesty, he would help set the world right. But to actually interfere instead. It’s frustrating. My head hurts from frustration, Klad.”
Klad brought his hand to Jake’s forehead. Along with a cool energy flowing in, his insides that had felt stuffily blocked became much more comfortable.
“Clearly His Majesty didn’t want to get involved in this matter. Yet to change his mind in just a few hours…”
The Duke and Grand Temple alone were burdensome, yet now they had to face the Emperor too. It was practically the same as facing the entire Empire.
“We’ll have to cancel plans to go to the capital, Klad. If it became known that we broke through and entered the imperial palace, security will have become even tighter. At least it’s extremely fortunate we didn’t mention demonization in front of His Majesty. We almost revealed to Father that we have information about it.”
Klad felt relieved at the decision not to enter Duke’s castle.
“It actually worked out well. At Duke’s castle, there might be situations where I can’t protect you because of the covenant.”
“Ah, the covenant. I’d forgotten that existed.”
“If the Duke knows about the covenant, he could try to use it, making it more dangerous.”
Jake noticed from the previous statement that the one Klad made a covenant with wasn’t his father, the current Duke West.
He knew Klad was old, but how long ago did he make the covenant… No, now wasn’t the time to deduce Klad’s identity.
“There was nothing in Duke’s castle’s hidden records about someone who made a covenant. If the one you made a covenant with isn’t Father, there’s a high possibility he doesn’t know about that fact.”
“How fortunate.”
He was so reluctant to enter Duke’s castle, so how did he end up living in Duke’s castle basement? Jake became newly curious about Klad’s past.
Though he couldn’t be deducing that.
“Without information, the road ahead is blocked.”
Trusting rumors spreading through the world made him worry they might have passed through the Duke’s hands once, and gathering information through the Information Guild had a high probability of their information being leaked in return. A man who looked exactly like the Hero trying to dig up information about the Duke’s house, differing only in hair color. If that news reached his father, it would be game over right there.
But they couldn’t sit idle or arbitrarily deduce the Duke’s next move and relocate.
“Isn’t there someone who knows about the Duke?”
“Hmm.”
“If there’s someone who’d betray the Duke, or someone who was digging around trying to find a weakness, we might be able to find out something… Aren’t there any nobles who usually harbored complaints about the Duke’s house?”
“Those with complaints about the Duke’s house usually fall into two types. Either they hide their complaints and pledge loyalty to the Duke’s house, or they show it outwardly. If the former, they’re useless, and if the latter, they’d have fallen out of Father’s favor and wouldn’t wield great power. They wouldn’t be much help in the current situation.”
“There could be someone who hid their complaints but didn’t pledge loyalty.”
“Someone who has complaints but conceals their emotions with ambition, or doesn’t strive to change the situation by fighting against it. Beyond useless to pathetic, they’re not even in consideration.”
Klad nodded as if understanding.
Then it would be better to hide until the murmuring from the wanted order quieted down, then pursue the Duke’s next plan when he took action.
It would be a great loss time-wise and a fight where they yielded the first move to the Duke, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Then…”
“Just one person. There’s someone who could help us.”
Klad, who was about to propose securing a decent inn and waiting while training in swordsmanship, immediately changed his words.
“Who is it?”
“Neria.”
“…Neria?”
