BIWMD 19

Chapter 19

Infiltration (1)

The sun rose high, brushing over every corner of Zikrit’s plaza.

Fresh air. A pristine sky. Even the breeze felt cool and refreshing. The trees, wildflowers, grass, and lake all seemed beautiful and peaceful. Any trace of last night’s commotion had long since vanished…

And yet, despite this paradise-like scenery—

Klisha, who hadn’t eaten or slept all night, radiated a faint but deadly aura. Like a sharpened sword, her energy was cold and piercing…

When you’re hungry, everything in the world feels hateful. Everyone becomes annoying. That’s just how it goes.

But of course, no matter how intimidating she looked, that sort of killing intent didn’t work on untrained vagrants.

“Hey, newbie. Move. That’s my spot.”

“The world’s really going downhill. Young people don’t even want to work these days.”

Watching the other vagrants walk past and shake their heads, Klisha ground her teeth in frustration.

She was mad. Furious.

But what could she do? If they told her to move, she had to move. That was the sorrow of being a newcomer…

As Klisha trudged away with the box she had picked up earlier at the corner of the plaza, she heard a small voice calling out to her.

“Um…”

Klisha raised her deep almond-colored eyes and turned toward the voice.

“If you’re going to make me move again, I swear I’ll—huh?”

A young boy, who didn’t even reach her chest, extended a grimy hand holding a piece of stale bread.

“Here. You can have this.”

“Huh?”

“It’s okay. My sister and I already ate.”

The boy beamed at her, and before Klisha could react, she felt tears well up in her eyes.

Seeing this, the tiny boy stood on his tiptoes and patted Klisha’s head.

“Don’t cry, okay? I’ll bring you more if we get any.”

And with that, he scampered away happily. He must’ve given me his share…

“…”

Biting into the tear-soaked bread, Klisha thought, Leaving home is supposed to be tough, but this? This is too much. I mean, come on—I’m a noble, okay? The daughter of a war hero!

Her resentment turned toward the culprits of her suffering.

First: that unknown husband bastard! Second: His Almighty Majesty the Emperor! Oh wait, one and two are the same jerk… And third: that scammer detective with the handsome face! You promised me food and just vanished?!

Her almond-colored eyes gleamed with fury.

“They’re all going down! I’m going to get revenge! I’ll turn evil!”

Sipping freshly brewed tea while gazing serenely down at the garden, the old hero’s peace was interrupted when the butler, Hans, quietly spoke up.

“Do you think the young lady arrived safely?”

“…”

The topic of Klisha’s escape had become practically forbidden in the Viscount’s household. Even Hans, who had served Lord Mezerin for many years, spoke cautiously.

“She may act bold, but she’s surprisingly naive… I worry she might face some trouble on the way to the capital.”

“…”

The viscount’s lips twitched.

Hans, trying to read the mood, continued.

“No matter how skilled she is at, er, combat—or should I say, physical prowess—outside matters can’t all be solved by strength alone. And the young lady has a knack for turning simple things into complex disasters… Who knows what mess she’ll get caught up in this time…”

Without taking his eyes off the garden, the viscount replied:

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“My lord, shouldn’t we send someone after her? She probably doesn’t realize it, but she’s always been discreetly guarded on every outing.”

The viscount gave a faint smile.

“You’re more overprotective than me sometimes. Let her be. Maybe if she struggles a bit, she’ll finally appreciate her father and the loyal retainers.”

Hans couldn’t hide his surprise at the viscount’s cold attitude toward the precious daughter he had always coddled.

“Still… shouldn’t we at least notify the capital?”

“About what?”

“Well, if she’s gone to the capital, she’ll likely head for the temple or the imperial palace…”

“…”

“And then… cause a scene…”

At the word “scene,” the viscount paused before replying.

“Send a letter to the secretary’s office of Count Euton, the Minister of State. Write that Klisha is missing due to emotional distress, but we plan to find her and bring her to Rakai Island within the deadline. That should be enough to excuse her appearance in the capital without being seen as defying the imperial order.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And another thing.”

Hans stopped and turned back to Isaac.

“When delivering the letter… casually mention that I was so shocked I’ve taken to my bed.”

Hans eyed his master up and down. You look far too healthy for that…

Still, trusting the old hero had his reasons, Hans nodded a few times and left the room.

Klisha’s beloved horse, Choux Cream, who had spent almost every waking hour with her—except when eating or sleeping—hadn’t seen his owner in days. A thought suddenly occurred to him:

My owner (♀) abandoned me.

…

…

I’m so thrilled!

Placed in the “Collateral Management Program (special_Ⅳ)” provided by Toma Horse, Choux Cream was living his best life.

Not only did he receive premium A++ grade beef at every meal, but he also enjoyed luxury spa services for body and soul, expert grooming by professional handlers, and even light exercise classes in a horse gym… To Choux Cream, it felt like heaven.

Don’t worry about me, owner (♀). I’m doing just fine.

As a caretaker gently tended to his hooves, Choux Cream looked up at the clear blue sky.

I don’t know where you went, but… I hope you take your time. Or don’t come back at all.

He didn’t know that all of this was being charged to Klisha’s debt under “collateral management expenses.”

If Choux Cream had known what this meant—or the financial hell that awaited him in the near future—he would’ve used every ounce of strength to escape this gilded prison. But as of now, he had no clue. He was just happily living day by day.

Saturday morning.

The plaza in front of the imperial palace was packed with cheerful people, gathered in excited little groups.

Having become fully accustomed to hunger and poverty, Klisha felt like everyone else was enjoying life except her—and that only made her twisted mood even worse.

Screw it all.

She lay back down on the box in a corner of the plaza. In her head, she was mentally organizing her hit list, but to others, she looked exactly like a flawless, textbook homeless person.

“Mom, look at that guy. He’s good-looking, but he looks so pitiful.”

“Don’t stare. Let’s go.”

“…”

Klisha figured it didn’t matter. Whether she went to the temple or the palace like this, she’d just be chased out. She didn’t even have the energy to lift a finger. All she could do was lie here until the banks opened on Monday.

Time left until the free meal… six hours.

“Kyaaah!”

A sudden scream broke the air. Klisha smirked, wondering if she’d accidentally said her inner thoughts out loud. What the hell…

“Stop! Please stop!”

But then came another scream, and Klisha slowly sat up.

“What the hell is going on in broad daylight…”

And then she saw it—

The boy who had shared bread with her lay thrown to the ground. His sister—presumably—was crying, her hair being pulled by a brutish man.

Seeing this, Klisha’s eyes instantly sharpened.

“You son of a… I’ve been pissed off all morning. You picked the wrong target today!”

With a swift leap, she launched herself forward.

“Hey! You bastard! You think that’s something you can do to kids?!”

The man, dressed finely but lacking any class, sneered as he saw Klisha flying at him.

“What’s this? Do beggars have some kind of code now?”

It had started when the boy had tripped and dirtied the man’s clothes.

“Do you even know how expensive this is? How are you going to pay for it?!”

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it! You little punk!”

The man kicked the boy, who had collapsed.

His sister rushed to shield her brother, crying out.

“I’ll pay! I’ll pay for the clothes—just don’t hit him anymore!”

“You think you filthy beggars have money to pay for anything?”

The girl pulled out a small pouch from her clothing.

“This should be enough! Just let him go. Please stop!”

The man grabbed the pouch with a greedy grin. It held a fair amount of silver coins.

“Well, well. You must’ve stolen this, didn’t you?”

“No! A kind gentleman gave it to us!”

“Who the hell would give beggars this much money? Clearly stolen goods. I—argh!”

Grinding her teeth, the girl rammed her head into his chest. One of his guards immediately yanked her by the hair.

That’s when Klisha arrived.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing to kids?”

“Did you just say you to me, you little—?”

With a smug smile, the young man gestured, and his bulky bodyguards stepped forward.

Even though it was Saturday and the plaza was crowded, no one dared intervene. The man was clearly someone of influence in the capital.

As expected, the crowd quietly backed away to form a circle.

Klisha grinned.

“Oh? So you’re kind of a big deal around here?”

“…”

Well guess what? I’m a big deal too. At least in this line of work.

Klisha discreetly put away the dagger she had pulled out.

“I’m already pissed, so this works out perfectly. Let’s do this the old-fashioned way—with fists.”

“Aaaaargh!”

“Gyaaaa! I-I’m sorry!”

“Please! Have mercy! We’ll serve you forever, boss! Just forgive us!”

From the alley beside the imperial plaza came a constant stream of screams and groans.

Like a mystery theater on a midsummer Saturday.