CHAPTER 46………………………………..
The goal, of course, is to protect my family!
“And to do that, first we’ve got to defeat Berthold!”
Now I can really do it!
With such wicked—no, amazing—people by my side, I’m not afraid of anything!
“Alright then.”
Soon after, we all crouched together deep inside the bushes, just in case someone might come near, and started to talk.
For the record, to avoid another disaster like earlier, Derek’s dad volunteered to keep watch this time.
When it came to sensing anyone’s presence, no one could beat him.
“So, let’s hear your brilliant plans first—how should we gather evidence?”
“Me!”
I shot my hand up and started talking.
“We have the invisible cloak, right? What if we use that to secretly follow Berthold around?”
“Rejected.”
Kyle’s dad shook his head violently the moment he heard it.
Huh? Why?
“Agent Sisi, who in the world still uses such an inefficient method?”
Then he wagged his finger from side to side and explained:
“What if your target schemes at dawn? You gonna tail him till sunrise? And if you’re invisible all day, you think Harzen and Yuria won’t notice?”
“Hmm…”
“And most importantly—when would you eat?”
“Uh… right…”
Yeah… that really was a terrible and inefficient plan.
“Hmph.”
As I hung my head in defeat, Derek’s dad suddenly spoke up.
“Torture.”
“Simple and effective, I’ll give you that,” Kyle’s dad said with a bright smile.
“But I’d still like to keep my head attached to my neck.”
“……”
“Can you please think before you talk? You want to just grab a royal and torture him? And one that Harzen actually trusts?”
I nodded in total agreement.
Even if our slogan is ‘Down with Berthold!’, that’s going too far.
Not just crossing the line—erasing it entirely.
“…Understood,” Derek’s dad nodded slowly.
“Good grief. I have to gather evidence with these two idiots.”
Kyle’s dad muttered with genuine pity.
“But fear not, my pitiful little lambs. For I am here.”
Then he reached into his coat and rummaged around.
It was one of his masterpieces—his “Anything-Fits Pouch.”
“I shall share the gift of civilization with you.”
He poured something out of the pouch with a clatter.
I tilted my head at the small round things scattered over the grass.
“What’s that?”
“What else?”
Kyle’s dad grinned mischievously.
“Bugs. As in, eavesdropping devices.”
“Ooh!”
That was perfect for gathering evidence… but wait.
“Why did you even bring something like that to the palace, Dad?”
You couldn’t have known we’d need it.
“Tsk, tsk.”
He frowned as if hurt by the question.
“Why do you sound just like your mother, Sisi?”
“Uh… fair point…”
So, he never planned to behave properly at the palace from the start. Got it.
“Anyway, we’ll plant these all over the palace. That way, if that guy or any other creep acts suspicious, we’ll know.”
He started explaining again.
I raised my hand cautiously.
“But won’t palace staff just remove them? I saw them cleaning every corner the other day.”
If we just stick them under tables or something, they’ll be found in no time!
“Do you know who I am?”
Kyle’s dad puffed out his chest proudly.
“Watch closely, Sisi.”
Then he picked up one of the devices and pressed down on it.
“Huh? It disappeared!”
The round gadget that had been in his hand was suddenly gone without a trace.
I gasped and peered at his palm from every angle.
“It didn’t disappear. I just made it invisible to others. Borrowed a bit of that gentleman’s magic.”
“Whoa…”
“It can store surrounding sounds for up to a day. Bit of a hassle to switch them out daily, but, well—he’ll handle that part.”
Derek’s dad nodded in agreement.
“We’ll review the collected recordings together.”
“That’s awesome!”
My eyes sparkled as I looked at the bug, then another thought hit me.
“But, Dad.”
“Yeah?”
“What if they don’t talk—what if they communicate through letters?”
“……”
Kyle’s dad froze, staring at me blankly.
I smiled faintly.
Looks like there are three idiots here after all…
“How did I not think of that?” he muttered, still dazed.
“Was I too excited about causing trouble again? Or have I just gotten dumber living with these two? Or maybe I’m just really tired…”
“Calm down, Dad.”
“How can I calm down when I missed something that basic?!”
He started grinding his teeth anxiously—just like Mom this morning.
I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Dad.”
“What part of this is okay?!”
“You’re still the smartest one among us.”
“Wow. That’s… not helping, sweetheart…”
He groaned and buried his head in his hands.
I patted his shoulder and whispered:
“If the smartest one here falls apart, what happens to the rest of us?”
We’d be doomed without you.
“…You’re right.”
He lowered his arms and looked up again.
“I’m the only one who can lead this hopeless team.”
“It’s not hopeless, though…”
“Still, we need to rethink this. Like Sisi said, they might not talk aloud—and there could be secret rooms in the palace we don’t know about.”
“Ohh.”
That idea—hidden rooms in the palace—was actually kind of smart.
He’s getting sharper again!
“Maybe we should just steal the full palace blueprint, secret passages and all?”
“That exists? Where is it?”
“Gotta find out.”
…Okay, maybe not fully back to normal yet.
I ruffled his hair, hoping his intelligence would return soon.
He must’ve dropped it somewhere while rushing to come find me.
“Hey, I was kidding. My brain’s fine, don’t go looking for it.”
He laughed, picked me up, and set me down beside him.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Phew, close call. I almost smacked him to reboot his system.
“Also, just realized—we can’t possibly listen to all the recordings ourselves.”
Finally regaining his wits, Kyle’s dad began revising the plan.
“Each device holds 24 hours of sound. It’d take forever to go through it all.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Ugh. Maybe bringing these was a mistake.”
He frowned in frustration.
I quickly shook my head, gathered all the bugs into my arms, and declared:
“No way—I need these!”
