“I have a lot of work to do, Your Highness the Third Prince.”
“It’s important. We need to seize the ledgers while the enemy is in disarray.”
“Ledgers? Your Highness, are you taking over the shady back alleys without my knowledge?”
When Ian nodded, Deus waved his hands in refusal.
“Oh dear, you’ve got the wrong person for that. If you’re heading to such places, you should take a knight with you. Why bring a magical engineer who knows nothing but research?”
“As far as I know, Deus is still more famous as an Elementalist, isn’t that right?”
“Elementalist Deus? I sold my soul to magical engineering. Look for someone else.”
“Why is our Magic Tower Master’s best disciple trying to back out? If your master tells you to go, you should go.”
Deus used magic to distance himself from Ian and spoke in a resolute voice.
“Detector, scanner, tablet—I don’t have enough time to research all night!”
Despite Deus’s protest, Ian smiled and said,
“How did you create that distance just now? Impressive.”
“A type of magic.”
“That’s exactly the kind of ability we need. Stealth and camouflage are your specialties, so I don’t think you need to worry.”
Deus, flattered by Ian’s praise, replied,
“That’s one of my skills. This magic used to irritate my master a lot.”
Embarrassed by his self-praise, Deus kept clearing his throat.
“So, you’ll come with me?”
“Isn’t it dangerous for me to go alone? I think we should take at least one strong knight.”
“Don’t worry about that. We always have someone watching over us.”
Ian glanced around lightly, causing a shadow that always watched him to flinch slightly.
“Ledgers sound illegal and dangerous.”
“When the lord goes to a dangerous place, it’s the duty of a comrade and servant to accompany him, right?”
“Yes, yes, of course. Have you located the ledgers?”
“Alex found them.”
“The youngest of the Frank faction you mentioned last time? Can we trust him? He even forgot to convey your message to the Katarina faction.”
Deus laughed, remembering Ian’s expression from that day.
“If he messes up again, you can show him what fire magic on his butt feels like. Simple enough, right?”
“Sure, but isn’t this something Alex can handle on his own?”
“I think the Frank faction is pretty tightly connected to Duke Blake, so their security will be strict. If Alex could handle it alone, there probably wouldn’t be any ledgers there.”
Deus thought for a moment before speaking.
“Could it be a trap, even though Alex was part of the Frank faction?”
“If Alex were the type to set traps, he wouldn’t have joined the Katarina faction. And aligning with a prince is better than siding with a back alley leader, right?”
“If I had to choose between Duke Blake and you, I’d still lean towards Duke Blake.”
“Very few people know about Duke Blake’s connection to the Frank faction. An uninformed Alex would naturally side with me, wouldn’t he?”
“Given your rising popularity, I suppose. Besides me, who else is coming along?”
“People from the Katarina faction and the knight I mentioned.”
Deus sighed deeply, realizing he had no choice.
“Alright, I’ll get ready. When do we leave?”
“Tonight. We need to move quickly. Since we’ve shaken the enemy, we need to attack before they can recover. If Duke Blake moves first, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”
As Ian was wrapping up his conversation with Deus, Tom reentered the room, speaking in a trembling voice.
“Y-Your Highness, there’s something…”
“Calm down, Tom, and speak slowly.”
Tom steadied himself slightly at Ian’s words and spoke in a calmer voice.
“Your Highness, the servant who delivered the letter was found dead.”
Ian’s expression darkened at Tom’s report. It seemed they needed to hurry more than he thought. If Duke Blake had already noticed and moved, both the ledgers and Alex’s life could be in danger.
Ian quickly headed to the Katarina faction with Deus.
***
“Lady Katarina, His Highness the Third Prince has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
Katarina greeted Ian with a playful tone.
“I’ve heard the back alleys have been quite tumultuous lately, and it seems Your Highness has finally decided to move your heavy butt.”
“As expected of an information network. As you know, the servant delivering information from the Rose Inn was killed. While I was the one pressuring the Frank faction, their quick response indicates we need to move fast. There’s a high probability that the Frank faction will ‘destroy evidence’ within a few days.”
“You delivered quite a blow, as you said you would. But coming to see me before the night even fell after the meeting means time is of the essence.”
“It’s likely because of the ‘ledgers’.”
Wiz guessed Ian’s intentions and spoke the exact word he wanted, causing Deus to comment in surprise.
“Ian, does he have the ability to read minds? He said the word you wanted before you even mentioned it.”
Recognizing Deus, Wiz bowed and greeted him.
“I am honored to meet Deus, the esteemed disciple of the Magic Tower Master.”
Deus blinked in surprise at Wiz’s immediate recognition.
“You’re impressive. I look forward to working with you.”
Ian shook his head at Deus’s casual tone and spoke to Wiz.
“Wiz, since you seemed to know what I wanted to do, have you prepared for it?”
“Yes, Lady Katarina, myself, and some of her direct troops will be moving with you.”
Seeing Wiz’s preparedness, Ian felt reassured. Working with capable people was indeed valuable. They anticipated his moves and prepared accordingly.
‘Still, it’s a bit creepy…’
Ian felt a chill thinking that those not fully integrated as his subordinates might be fully aware of his movements.
‘I thought they only knew the colors of the nobles’ underwear, but they might know mine too.’
“Don’t worry, Your Highness, we have no interest in your underwear color.”
Katarina smiled seductively, causing Ian to try and maintain a composed expression while Deus burst out laughing.
It was best to change the subject quickly in such situations.
“What have you decided about the porters detained in front of the inner city?”
“As you suggested, if the Frank faction’s downfall is certain, we plan to incorporate them. We’ll need more manpower to fill the void left by the Frank faction.”
“What about the captain of the inner city guards? I’d like to hear your thoughts.”
Ian planned to use Shilder, the captain, to shake the noble faction by showing the fate of those abandoned by their supposed allies. This could create a crack in the loyalty of the nobles’ followers, making them realize they could be sacrificed at any time.
“There’s no need to use a sword meant for an ogre to catch a kobold. It would be better to hand them over to the opposition. No need to dirty our hands.”
Ian laughed at Wiz’s suggestion, which mirrored his own thoughts.
“That seems fitting. I’ll leave the transportation to you.”
Meanwhile, Deus watched Ian with newfound admiration. Seeing Ian handle matters more maturely than he expected reassured him that his choice was not wrong.
“If there’s nothing else, we’ll go prepare. We’ll provide a room for you to rest.”
“Oh, I almost forgot to mention something.”
As Ian was about to add something, Wiz and Katarina looked at him.
“Remember, this mission includes not only retrieving the ledgers but also rescuing ‘Alex’.”
Katarina smiled and replied,
“You don’t need to worry about his life. I just received word from my subordinates that he’s still alive and well.”
“He’s a tough one.”
“He survived under my leadership; he won’t die on the streets. And the payment for this mission is the information in the ledgers, right?”
“Is that enough?”
“Of course. You know the power of the information in those ledgers, don’t you?”
“Honestly, what’s the success rate?”
Katarina thought for a moment before speaking.
“If Duke Blake hasn’t moved yet, there’s no chance of failure. But if he moved right after the meeting, our success depends on how quickly we can seize the ledgers.”
“Understood. Duke Blake will certainly make a move. We’ll head out as soon as night falls.”
Katarina agreed with Ian’s opinion and commented on his appearance.
“Your Highness, you’re not planning to go looking like that, are you? We’ll provide a disguise and clothes, but your hair and features are too recognizable. The nobles will surely notice.”
Before Katarina could finish speaking, Deus stepped forward.
“Don’t worry, that’s why I’m here.”
Deus, eager to show off his skills, used illusion magic to change Ian’s appearance.
“He looks strangely similar to Wiz, or is that just my imagination?”
Unable to see his reflection, Ian frowned and approached Deus, who made excuses.
“It’s not our actual departure yet.”
After a brief “behavior correction” session using a headlock, Ian headed to the room Wiz showed him, contemplating escape routes in case of unexpected events during the ledger retrieval.
‘I should discuss this with Wiz just in case.’
Cliche Novel 