“So what do you make of it, Sir Talion?”
It had been two days. Elmira was walking with Ras to the Mercenary’s Guild when she turned and asked that question. She was referring to the report from a member of the Silver Fangs that the pair had recently received.
“I’m not sure,” said Ras. “It seems like most of the kingdom’s subjects really do dislike Princess Tishna.”
“Indeed. Which matches what we heard from those two fellows the other day,” replied Elmira in a businesslike tone.
Elmira had changed the color of her hair using auramancy, because a dead ringer for the late Princess Fiarca was sure to raise a fuss walking around town. She considered this “keeping a low profile,” but as it happened, Elmira still turned heads wherever she went. This was because she had merely downgraded from a heart-stopping beauty to a normal one.
“And yet,” said Ras, “none of what she’s done has actually been a net negative for her country.”
“Quite right. According to this report, while her behavior seems selfish, it always ends up to her people’s benefit. For example, when she spent lavishly on a new royal villa, it created many new jobs for impoverished subjects, and when she selfishly ejected a minister she didn’t like from the court, that minister turned out to be a Registani spy. All information that only came to light after the fact.”
“Fiarca… I bet you knew about all this, didn’t you?”
Ras’s smile was grim. Tishna’s attitude was undeniably that of a spoiled princess, and yet if one looked only at the results, it painted the picture of a kind and caring leader. She was a truly baffling individual. He realized now why Fiarca had been so evasive regarding Princess Tishna’s personality; it was a real headache to explain.
“Even these desserts that Koko is so fond of were originally Tishna’s idea,” Elmira explained. “She demanded the royal cooks bake them for her, and from there, they gradually gained popularity among the commoners as well.”
“Mmph?”
Koko looked up, her mouth full of cake. The three of them had passed by a stall selling them earlier, and Koko had made such a fuss that they couldn’t move on until Ras bought her one. It was a type of thinly spread pastry known as a galette.
“This is yummy! I like the princess!” said Koko, beaming a jam-caked smile before returning to her pastry. Ras could almost swear she was a real girl and not a man-made war machine.
“This pastry is unique in that it is made with a variety of grain called buckwheat,” Elmira explained. “It grows well, even in poor-quality soil. Last year, ordinary grain harvests were exceptionally poor, and many nations faced famine…but they were all saved, thanks to the recent proliferation of this plant.”
There was a deeply conflicted expression on Elmira’s face. Princess Tishna had saved her country, yet no one would give her credit for it, because it was all done selfishly in the pursuit of sweets.
“It’s all too perfect to be a coincidence,” said Ras. “But if Princess Tishna really planned this, then her foresight must be incredible. Even Fiarca would have a hard time pulling off a feat like that.”
“Surely you jest, Sir Talion. Her Highness could manage a scheme like this in her sleep. Have you not been paying attention to her genius? I can hardly believe Her Highness was to be wed to a man so utterly lacking in dedication. This nation’s ‘Wicked Princess’ is a much better match for a cur like you.”
It seemed Elmira’s blind devotion to Fiarca caused her to take significant offense to Ras’s mild remark. His suggestion that maybe Fiarca wasn’t the smartest person in the world was tantamount to blasphemy for her.
“Right, yes, sorry. Anyway, she can’t be doing this by herself. There has to be someone pulling her strings—maybe even a whole team.”
“On that point, at least, we agree.” Elmira nodded.
If Princess Tishna truly intended all along for her acts to benefit her people, she had no need to dress them up as selfishness. That implied someone else was controlling her without her knowledge. If that was true, then this shadowy society would need to be quite powerful. Perhaps that was even the true reason there was an assassination plot against her.
“So what do you intend to do now?” asked Elmira, wiping Koko’s mouth with a handkerchief. They were almost at the guildhall and could see it just ahead.
“I want to know more about the princess, but that’s none of my business. Right now, we need to figure out who’s handling this assassination.”
“And how are we going to do that? Even the Silver Fangs have failed to locate the assassins’ base of operations. Which can only mean that whoever is aiding them…”
“Yep. It’s got to be a member of the royal family,” said Ras.
It was no simple matter for a group of foreign assassins to infiltrate the royal capital without leaving so much as a trace, especially during a period of high alert. Only a member of the royal family, or someone with that level of influence, could help achieve such a feat. If that was the case, it would be impossible to pick up their trail using normal means.
“I had hoped not to cause a scene, but we’re out of options at this point.”
“What do you mean by that, Sir Talion?”
Elmira shot Ras a worried look, but he declined to elaborate. Instead, he strode through the guildhall doors; however, rather than going to the tavern like usual, Ras walked straight up to the front desk, where a petite young girl was standing.
“Greetings, Miss Ines. I was hoping you could help me with something.”
“Oh…Mr. Kaylian? You remembered my name!”
The girl called Ines lit up when Ras approached. The suave and handsome Ras had struck up quite a few conversations over the past couple of days and built something of a rapport with all the guildhall employees, particularly the female ones.
Ras felt that the closer he grew to them, the colder Elmira became, but Ras took no joy in his flirtatious behavior. For him, it was all part of the job.
“Of course I did,” Ras replied. “And I like what you’ve done with your hair today; that barrette really brings out your eyes.”
“Oh…no…it’s just…”
Ines’s cheeks flushed pink, and she stared at the ground, embarrassed. All the other girls on the front desk turned jealous eyes upon her. Sensing trouble afoot if she didn’t act professionally, Ines straightened and stood at attention.
“E-er…what’s this help you need, Mr. Kaylian?”
“The truth is, I’m from the Argyll Empire, and I’m here to investigate a possible assassination plot.”
“A-an assassination?!”
Ines stiffened at the frightening nature of Ras’s admission.
“All I know is the group’s name: Eterusia,” he went on. “I want to put out a request for information.”
“You’re from Argyll…but you’re conducting your investigation in Charlgia?”
Ines looked a little puzzled. Ras nodded.
“That’s because these people are after Princess Tishna,” he said.
“What?!”
“Can you do that? I’m offering a reward. That’s a pretty normal guild job, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes, but…if you do that, won’t these gentlemen come after you?” Ines looked at Ras, worried. Then something seemed to occur to her, and she gasped. The young lady was smarter than she appeared. She had to be, to handle working with veteran mercenaries like Ras on a daily basis. “That’s your plan, isn’t it? You want to lure these scoundrels out of hiding, and you’re putting your own life on the line to do it!”
“Very perceptive, Miss Ines. I’m aware of the danger I’m putting myself in, but I have little choice at this point.”
“B-but…”
Ines cast her eyes left and right nervously, then dropped her gaze and lowered her voice to a whisper.
“I’m not supposed to say this,” she said, “but is this related to Princess Tishna’s request, by any chance?”
“No. In fact, this is the first I’m hearing of something like that. What do you mean?”
Ras returned the girl’s gaze and stared straight into her eyes. Seeing the serious look on his face, Ines was struck dumb for a second before finally finding her words.
“E-er… It’s this one,” she said, fishing a sheet of paper out of the pile upon her desk. “A request to hire a bodyguard escort. It seems Princess Tishna is planning to entertain guests with some sightseeing during the international summit, and she requested stout and sturdy mercenaries to join her in scouting locations.”
“She did?”
Ras took the piece of paper and stared at it. The request had already been fulfilled, which meant the princess and these mercenaries had already left the city.
“Hold on a second,” he said. “Doesn’t the castle have guards for this sort of thing? Why would she hire outside help?”
“I-I’m afraid I couldn’t say…,” stammered Ines, shrinking back at Ras’s outburst. Suddenly, Ras stood straight as a troubling premonition came to mind.
“She must be going to Gradage Canyon,” he murmured. “Sorry, Miss Ines, but we’ll talk about my request some other time.”
“O-okay!”
Ines nodded awkwardly, cowed into submission by Ras’s aura of urgency. However, Ras didn’t have time to worry about her. Princess Tishna had left the city with a group of mercenaries she didn’t even know. It was the perfect opportunity for anyone who wanted her dead.
“What the hell are you thinking, Tishna Lumedienne Charlgiana?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”
Ras muttered a curse under his breath and rushed out of the building. How would he explain it to Fiarca if he let the princess get assassinated while he was still scrounging for clues?
“We need to catch up with her as soon as possible. Let’s go, Koko.”
“Yay! Master’s taking me out to play!”
Koko skipped and jumped for joy, looking every bit as childish as her appearance suggested. Her true body had just been standing around in a hangar at the docks for the past few days, so she was surely growing restless.
However, Elmira hurriedly raised an objection.
“Are you taking the Vildhjärta, Sir Talion? But we can’t launch a Caladrius without express permission from the port officials!”
Even if his equipment had passed customs, air travel was heavily controlled, and it was especially difficult for a foreign Chasseur to be cleared for takeoff. A Caladrius by itself was not much of a military threat, but it could be used to smuggle contraband or perform aerial espionage, so in some ways it was even more dangerous than a regular Chasseur.
Naturally, applying for such permission was not a simple affair, and it could take several days before Ras received a response.
“Don’t worry,” said Ras, grinning confidently. For some reason, he and Koko shared a knowing glance and nodded to each other.
“We don’t need to fly,” he said.