Chapter 24
I could see Retsi fidgeting nervously, clearly feeling guilty and watching my reaction.
Sir Hael walked up beside her, his face twisted in irritation.
Letting out a sigh like someone resigned to playing along with his master’s whims, he spoke.
“That is correct. This person is a Shadow Knight of the Kuizen Empire—serving Her Majesty Emperor Scarlet. She stepped outside the Imperial Palace today on an important mission. I apologize for startling you, Lady Evanroar.”
“Ah… I see. No, it’s fine. I’m the one who should apologize. Earlier—um—your shin… Is it okay?”
“……”
Hael fell silent for a moment.
His eyes rolled up toward the sky, then slowly dropped to the ground.
“It’s perfectly fine. I may not look it, but I am one of His Majesty’s honored guard knights. Th-that kind of soft kick… hahahaha.”
“That’s a relief. Whew. I was a little worried since you didn’t get up very easily earlier.”
“H. Ha. You must have been mistaken. I stood up very easily.”
Oh. I must have imagined it.
That’s good.
Whew—imagine if I had seriously injured the Emperor’s guard knight.
Letting out a relieved sigh, I glanced sideways at Dazhar, who was staring down at me with displeasure.
He had been listening with a scoff, then stepped in front of Retsi—no, the Emperor—and spoke.
“Shadow Knight. Tell your master to rein in that reckless behavior.”
“What did you say?”
“She should sit quietly on the throne instead of deliberately sending out bait. Tsk.”
“You know as well as I do.”
Retsi bristled at first, then spoke again in a quieter, more controlled voice.
“Their movements are suspicious. The Order might be right.”
“……”
“Ruben may have truly appeared.”
I thought, “This sounds like something I shouldn’t be hearing,” and took a cautious step back—
Then froze at the word that left Retsi’s mouth.
‘Ruben.’
She did say Ruben, right?
Dazhar responded casually.
“If that were the case, there’s no way I wouldn’t know.”
“……True. You are a Siastor.”
If Ruben appeared, Dazhar would know.
So what exactly was the relationship between Ruben and Dazhar?
I leaned in slightly, trying to listen more closely—but Retsi glanced at me and lowered her voice even further.
“Strange things are happening all across the continent. The sudden increase in assassins and the food issues you’re handling as well. They may try to interfere with your work.”
“Please tell her there’s no need to worry about that.”
“Good. Then we’ll learn who’s behind them through interrogation. It’s almost the Day of the Rift, isn’t it? If anything unusual happens, report it immediately.”
“Understood.”
Dazhar nodded, and Retsi added one last thing.
“And please—cooperate with the other transcendents.”
Dazhar’s face twisted.
* * *
After parting ways with Retsi, we caught a passing carriage and headed back to the Imperial Palace.
Retsi had brightened and suggested returning together when she saw me—but once Dazhar inserted himself between us, her expression clearly soured.
(It was hard to tell under the yellow cloth, but her lips looked visibly twisted.)
In the end, none of us knew what to do, and we parted awkwardly.
“I’ll send you a letter, so please reply for sure, Cillia!”
Retsi said shyly, her voice trembling slightly, before disappearing with Sir Hael.
“Uh—Lady, please say something nice to our lord for us. Hehe.”
The Black Hawks, who had been standing around like background scenery, scratched their heads and left.
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say nicely about.
Leon slipped me a piece of candy as he left, calling it a bribe.
I threw that bribe to a worm crawling on the ground earlier.
And then—
“Is it okay if we stop by somewhere real quick?”
“What? Where?”
After helping me into the carriage, Dazhar tilted his head in confusion as he climbed in.
Inside the carriage bearing the massive crest of House Siastor, I confidently pointed into the distance.
“I need to prepare to eliminate a threat that endangers the safety of the world.”
“…What?”
Dazhar’s face hardened instantly.
His jaw tightened like stone, and his eyes turned sharp and cold.
Hey—I was joking.
Why are you taking this so seriously?
You’re making things awkward.
“I mean the worst villains that prevent healthy rice from growing. Terrifying pests.”
At my quick clarification, Dazhar relaxed and let out an incredulous laugh.
“You really have a talent for scaring people.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Why are you looking at me like that?
If rice farming fails because of pests after solving a food crisis, that is a threat to the world.
“So these pests block the rice’s growth?”
“Yes. But there’s no such thing as pesticide here…”
“Pesticide?”
That’s right.
The reason I was heading to a shop ominously named
‘Three Seconds and I’ll Poison It for You’—
This world didn’t have anything that could be called pesticide.
‘Maybe this is why food shortages happened in the first place.’
Dazhar seemed curious about what pesticide was, but—
“There is something like that.”
Explaining it properly sounded annoying, so I ignored him and headed toward the alley where the shop was.
I pushed his cold expression out of my mind.
‘You hide plenty of things yourself. Why should I explain everything?’
When I casually asked earlier what Ruben was, he shut his mouth tight.
Well—he did say one thing.
‘Don’t eavesdrop.’
As if you weren’t talking loud enough for anyone to hear.
Judging by things, he seemed to have his own reasons for coming to the palace.
Just what was Ruben to get that reaction?
With a sulky face and arms crossed, I stared out the carriage window.
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at a gloomy alley.
It suited the shop’s terrifying name perfectly.
“Alright, I’ll be back.”
“… Are you sure you can go in alone?”
It made sense for Dazhar to ask—this place really was unsettling.
“Are you… worried about me right now?”
“As if. Though now that I think about it, I am a bit worried—for the thug who won’t recognize your iron leg and charges at you.”
“……”
“If that happens, things get annoying, so I’ll come with—”
“No need.”
I slammed the carriage door shut and walked away briskly.
I heard a dull thump, like Dazhar bumping his forehead against the door, but I assumed I imagined it and continued on.
“Hello? Anyone here?”
Inside the shop, behind a dark, cobweb-covered wooden door, the interior was surprisingly tidy.
Though animal tails and dried hides hung from the walls, giving it a gloomy atmosphere.
The sharp scent of medicine wrinkled my nose.
‘There’s already a customer?’
Someone stood at what looked like the counter—a messy desk.
Their entire body was wrapped in a robe, hiding their appearance.
The pitch-black robe matched the shop’s eerie mood perfectly.
‘The owner must be preparing something.’
Grinding sounds came from a small door beside the counter.
The waiting customer was likely having their item prepared.
‘Hmm.’
What I needed was a poison that killed pests, affected plants as little as possible, and was harmless to humans even if they ate the crops.
It was a complicated request—so I needed to talk to the owner directly.
‘I’ll wait for now.’
Since the owner hadn’t appeared, I wandered around the shop.
There were many strange items.
Feathers from a spined hawk that looked like needles.
Mushrooms shaped like fingers.
‘Whoa… what’s this?’
I widened my eyes at something inside a round glass jar.
‘A one-eyed giant’s eye?’
It looked disturbingly alive.
Ugh—feeling sick, I turned away.
Then—
‘Huh? Did the eye just move?’
I was sure the pupil contracted and expanded, as if focusing on me.
Startled, I stepped back—
—and bumped into someone.
“Oh—sorry!”
“……”
It was the customer who had arrived before me.
They turned around with a tap-tap sound.
‘Huh?’
The sound came from the staff hidden beneath the robe hitting the floor.
Matching the robe’s color, the staff was embedded with a large piece of obsidian.
It looked expensive at a glance.
“Are you alright?”
A gentle voice came from above.
“Ah—yes. I’m fine. Sorry about that.”
I bowed and looked up at him.
And froze.
‘Wow… he’s handsome.’
Before I could stop myself, that thought crossed my mind.
A truly stunning man stood right in front of me.
