Chapter – 53
Dii asked,
“Really? What is it?”
Amila, still serious yet with mischief lingering in her eyes, looked at Jin and asked,
“May I trust the prince?”
“Me?”
Jin, who had harbored ill feelings toward Amila until recently, now nodded vigorously like a gentle puppy.
“Just say the word! I’m absolutely on Kyle’s side, which means I’m on Priestess Amila’s side too!”
“Then…”
Amila spoke quietly.
“I am actually the granddaughter of Bernadoc, the former High Priest of the Roxand Temple.”
“Uh-huh. And?”
“……”
“I already know that, so… and?”
Jin blinked expectantly, waiting for more. Amila glanced at Dii, who shrugged.
“Well… a lot of people know, probably. I heard it from a priest myself.”
Amila murmured,
“I thought that was a huge weakness of mine.”
Jin shrugged casually.
“Of course it’s a big weakness. But honestly, with your archery skills, it’s hard to tell whether it’s divine power or not anyway. There are plenty of priestesses worse than you. Honestly, there isn’t a single priest more capable than you. And Kyle trusts you.”
Amila was slightly surprised to realize that Jin—who had always argued with her—was giving her such a positive assessment. Resolving to say what she knew, she continued.
“I grew up hearing a lot about Crown Prince Sian. High Priest Bernadoc was one of his major financial backers. When my grandfather became High Priest, it was Sian who pulled strings.”
Silence fell. Dii asked tensely,
“Do you know anyone connected to that money?”
“I know a gambling ring.”
At her firm reply, Dii and Jin exchanged grins.
They were certain that if they followed the flow of money, Sian would be waiting at the end.
Jin’s eyes sparkled with the scent of adventure as he asked,
“So where is this gambling ring?”
“They’re always on the move, but I heard they recently set up a game in the capital.”
“How did you hear about it?”
When Jin asked, Amila gave him a cold look.
“Are you curious?”
“Ah—no! Not curious anymore!”
Jin shook his head frantically, then said boldly,
“Let’s go.”
Dii immediately shook her head.
“Let’s wait here and move once Kyle comes back.”
“What?”
“It’s a gambling ring! That’s scary! They sound like bad people!”
“We’re a bandit group.”
“…Oh. Right?”
Dii muttered as the realization hit her.
“To think I’ve been dining with such dangerous people. My grandmother told me to avoid dangerous folks and live a long, careful life…”
“You… you think this counts as living carefully?”
Jin asked seriously. Dii nodded.
“Can’t you tell at a glance? My deep, serious philosophy on life.”
“No, at a glance you look like someone betting everything on one big gamble.”
“Damn it. Was my foresight right?”
“Does foresight even spread like that?”
“How would foresight spread?”
Dii clicked her tongue disdainfully.
In any case, Dii—who Jin had expected to rush off immediately—turned out to be far more timid than expected. Jin looked disappointed.
“I thought you’d love adventure way more than this… Or are you starting to resemble my brother?”
“I’ve always been safety-first.”
Though Dii answered firmly, Jin didn’t give up and began persuading them.
“Can’t we just go take a look? Just see what kind of people they are—from far away. Please? Please?”
Jin, born to be the youngest, wheedled cutely. Dii flinched back—she was weak to pretty boys.
Amila said,
“We should at least go, Dii. Gambling rings move before the guards notice. We don’t know how long they’ll stay in the capital.”
“Well… in that case. Fine. Let’s at least go.”
Dii nodded.
* * *
After tracking the gambling ring based on Amila’s information, Jin’s subordinates discovered a tavern the group frequented. All three were around the same age, but since Amila and Jin had recently had birthdays, they were allowed to drink.
When Dii tried to sneak a drink while Kyle wasn’t around, Jin stopped her.
“Kyle told you not to drink.”
“…That meticulous bastard!”
Dii looked miserable as she set her glass down.
The patrons of the back-alley tavern were mostly rough-looking characters. Fortunately, Jin’s subordinates were intimidating enough that the trio faced no trouble.
Beyond Jin’s men, the gambling ring could be seen drinking at several pushed-together tables. About ten people of various ages and genders—at a glance, they looked like ordinary townsfolk.
With her keen eyesight, Amila read their lips and relayed their conversation.
“They think the capital guards are onto them. They’re saying we should move tonight to the northeastern coast. Sounds like their base is there.”
“The northeastern coast… that’s where Kyle is right now.”
Dii turned to Jin with satisfaction.
“Perfect timing. Jin, you guard the royal castle. Amila and I will head northeast and tell Kyle to regroup.”
“What? You’re leaving me behind?”
“Your job is guarding the castle in Kyle’s place. Since Kyle’s already there, it’s more efficient for us to join him.”
At Dii’s cold dismissal, Jin pouted.
“Let’s just wait a few days. Kyle will be back soon. Once he returns, we leave the castle to him and go on an adventure—just us adventure lovers.”
“Kyle won’t be back soon. He said it’ll take at least a week because the pirates keep hiding their ships.”
Dii spoke confidently. Jin slumped, defeated. As Dii patted his back sympathetically, she lowered her voice.
“But there’s a guy in that gambling ring who’s totally my type.”
“…What?”
Amila reacted sharply. But since Amila was always sharp, Dii continued casually.
“You see that guy in the dirty white clothes? Totally my type…”
Both Amila and Jin stared at the man in question without saying a word. Feeling their intense gazes, the man frowned, glanced their way—and upon seeing their murderous looks, hastily turned back to his beer.
Jin grimaced.
“That totally average guy is your type?”
“Average? He’s handsome.”
Dii tilted her head. Then Jin narrowed his eyes and studied the man carefully—looking away, then back again.
After several checks, Jin was certain.
From a distance, the man vaguely resembled Kyle.
Face shape. Overall style. The harsh aura. Even the scary expression.
So she’d started unconsciously fixating on Kyle, huh?
Grinning, Jin stood.
“In case Kyle comes early and misses you, I should send him a letter asking him to wait at the northeastern coast.”
“Oh! That’s a great idea.”
Dii praised him approvingly.
* * *
Petton’s soldiers marched nonstop toward the northeastern coast, searching for pirates who looted and vanished swiftly.
While Kyle waited briefly for scouts to report, Jader approached.
“Your Highness, a letter from Prince Jin.”
“Jin?”
Kyle frowned. Urgent messages usually required mages—and that was expensive. This meant it was likely serious.
Kyle opened the letter.
Kyle! It’s your beloved younger brother Jin. Nothing’s happening at Petton Castle. Must be because I’m doing such a great job.
“…Why would he send this garbage at a time like this?”
Clicking his tongue, Kyle continued reading—and froze.
The only noteworthy thing is that Dii found a man who’s her type. Oh, and when you come back, I want something to eat—
Kyle crumpled the letter.
At that moment, a scout came running, reporting that the pirates were looting and setting fires.
Kyle normally believed in chasing them down on land, but today he didn’t have time to deal with pirates scattering in all directions. Thinking how Dii would resolve this quickly, he turned to Jader—the fastest and best at disguise.
“Jader, I need you to do something.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Go ahead first, dress like the pirates, and blend in with them.”
“E–Excuse me?”
Startled, Jader listened as Kyle explained the plan. He soon nodded, dismounted, and ran toward the village under attack.
The fire was worse than expected.
“Everyone dismount and put out the fires first!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Kyle left five elite soldiers mounted and charged into the village with them. Seeing Petton’s crested armor, the pirates panicked and fled.
Strong at sea, weak on land—the pirates’ horsemanship was nothing compared to Petton’s cavalry.
Above all, the name Kyle Clayce was like a demon to them. Seeing his face meant only one thing: run.
Yet today, the demon seemed off. Even the soldiers’ horses felt strangely slow.
The chase was tight. Only when both groups reached the coast did the soldiers finally catch up.
But as the pirates neared their ship, they whistled, summoning their comrades aboard.
Arrows rained down from the ship.
“Damn it, we’re too late!” Kyle shouted. “Fall back out of range!”
The soldiers retreated, and the pirates on land boarded the ship laughing.
Then—
One pirate jumped into the sea.
“W–What’s that guy doing?”
“Is he surrendering?”
Having never used deception himself, Kyle hadn’t imagined placing a spy among them. The pirates, too, looked confused.
At that moment, one of Petton’s archers fired a flaming arrow—striking the sack the pirate had left behind.
