Chapter 137

“Conteano Del Conti will be our accountant, Amethus.”

“An unexpected result. Can he be trusted?”

“Are you crazy?”

I glared.

“I can get rid of him anytime if there’s even a hint of him trying anything funny. He knows that himself.”

Even though Kukulo fled, the Del Conti family remained. Meaning Conteano had a family to protect.

They couldn't enjoy the same luxuries as before, but enough wealth remained for them to live on.

I did not even take that away.

When taming a beast, you must leave it a breathing hole.

So that it doesn't bare its fangs when cornered.

“More importantly, is it alright to let Tibel Bartole go, Shion? Pneuve Frieira aside, that woman is……”

Amethus lowered his voice.

We were in a secret hideout concealed in the basement of Art Gallery Lamponé.

There was no worry of our conversation leaking out.

Yet, he hesitated to speak his mind.

“…A spy from Cordis.”

“What’s there to be anxious about? All her reports have been diverted and are right here.”

I tapped the table.

There was a thick pile of letters.

They were reports Tibel Bartole had sent to her superior.

Of course, it wasn't that I was her superior or anything; I had intercepted them midway so the reports couldn't be delivered.

I was a former prince of Cordis and Amethus was the head of the Security Bureau's special operations unit and a confidant of the next emperor.

Therefore, we were well-versed in Cordis's secret communication methods, and diverting Tibel’s reports was not difficult.

“She won’t even know our names, let alone what happened in Merion.”

“She’ll know about the fall of Del Conti.”

“That can't be helped. We diverted all the external businesses. It's too much for the two of us to control other cities as well.”

Still, we had somehow managed to swallow Del Conti in five days.

We hadn't even left a gap for Cordis to interfere.

“And now it’s time for Shion of Merion to be revealed. There's no reason to hide anymore.”

“Hmm. Still, was there a need to keep her alive?”

“Hey, Amethus. You don’t know much about the Cordis intelligence agency, do you?”

Well, coming from the Security Bureau, I suppose that’s possible.

“Do you know how thorough and cruel they are? It’s only because it’s you and me that we can play with them.”

Think about it from their perspective.

“They notice reports from Tibel haven't come for a while, and then they hear Del Conti has fallen. What’s the first thing they’d do?”

I grinned. Cordis is the greatest empire on the continent.

Obtaining outside information is important, but they consider preventing inside information from leaking out to be far more important.

“They’ve probably already caught up.”

***

Kukulo and his two retainers could run no further.

It was because several men had surrounded them.

The men all wore crude wooden masks.

They looked quite grim under the shadows of the trees.

Pneuve stood as if to protect Kukulo.

Tibel, however, closed her eyes gently as if accepting her fate.

“……”

One of the masked men gestured with his chin.

He appeared to be the leader.

Another man threw a few beads on the ground.

He muttered something, there was a flash of light, and a fog arose.

It was a simple barrier that created a space cut off from the outside.

“The black curtain has been laid.”

“Stand back.”

The men’s voices had a subtle tremor, making them indistinguishable.

It was a magic cast on the wooden masks.

Tibel knew the man in the center was her superior.

She had met him several times already but knew neither the face nor the voice beneath.

“Tibel Bartole.”

“…Yes.”

A glare burned even from behind the mask.

“I will give you a chance to explain.”

“I apologize, I did my best, but the opponent was……”

“Opponent? What are you talking about?”

“…Pardon?”

The masked man continued.

“I am talking about this month's missing regular report. It has been 15 days since it was due, so I came to find you myself.”

“…What do you mean?”

Tibel Bartole stammered in confusion.

She almost unconsciously fiddled with the hair by her ear.

It was a habit she had gotten rid of during her spy training in Cordis, but it came out without her knowing when she was flustered.

“…I, I’m sure I remember sending it according to procedure.”

“It did not arrive.”

“In that case, did you not receive the emergency reports either…?”

“You sent emergency reports?”

The man tilted his head. Tibel Bartole opened her lips very carefully.

“Then when was the last time you received a report from me…?”

“Last month’s regular report. 45 days ago.”

“……!!!”

Goosebumps rose on her skin and she trembled.

45 days ago was when Shion had begun to catch Del Conti's eye.

Why the reports went missing—all the circumstances pointed to one person.

To think he would go to such lengths.

‘…He’s terrifying. It’s truly a miracle I’m alive…….’

Shion, Shion, a fearsome name.

What secrets did he hold to have brought down the Del Conti family in just five days?

What kind of man was he to defeat a giant-form magi-soldier by himself and even intercept intelligence from the Cordis intelligence agency?

It was impossible to think of him as a mere human.

“How many reports have you sent since the regular report 45 days ago?”

“One regular report, six emergency reports.”

“Do you have copies of the reports?”

“…No, I destroyed them all. I must write them anew.”

Tibel Bartole said hastily.

“If you just give me some time, I can quickly……”

“Troublesome.”

The masked man took something from his bosom and threw it.

At first, she thought it was paper and a pen, but it was too sharp.

It was a dagger.

Its blade was extremely sharp.

“Kill them and then kill yourself, Tibel Bartole.”

“……”

She quietly looked down at the blade.

“You know what to do. Cut the vein in your neck cleanly. If the brain is damaged, it’s difficult to view the memories after death.”

“…Can’t I report directly?”

“There’s a possibility your mind has already been contaminated. It would be difficult to ascertain the veracity of the information. We will analyze your brain with magic.”

“…There’s no other way.”

Tibel picked up the dagger.

It was the all-too-familiar method of the Cordis intelligence agency.

She took the dagger and approached Pneuve and Kukulo.

It’s just that she never had a reason to step forward, but she was more skilled than Pneuve Frieira.

Kukulo and Pneuve looked at Tibel with anxious eyes.

Tibel Bartole smiled brightly at them and raised the dagger.

And then she slit the throat of one of the masked men.

It wasn’t her superior, but another one.

With a gurgling sound of boiling blood, the man whose throat was cut went limp.

The leader asked in a grim voice.

“…Tibel Bartole, what are you doing?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s insubordination. And this is in place of a resignation letter.”

She threw the dagger.

The leader lightly dodged it.

Tibel chuckled as if she knew he would.

“I’ve worked hard my whole life, couldn’t you just let me retire quietly?”

“…Know your shame.”

“Is there anything more shameful than being a spy?”

Laughter came out strangely.

Even she herself didn't know why she was acting this way.

Whether it was because of her yearning to go to the southern island, because she had gotten entangled with Shion, the weirdo of all weirdos, or if she was originally this kind of person.

Tsk. The masked man clicked his tongue and drew a blade.

The pressure he exuded was immense.

It was the same for the men surrounding them.

“Pneuve!”

Tibel Bartole glanced behind her.

“What are you doing! Join the fight!”

“I have to send the lord off first!”

A magical light shimmered behind Pneuve Frieira's head.

The Magic of the Two Stars, ‘Woodpecker's Step’.

A tap, tap, then a tatatatak.

Pneuve plunged his sword into the heart of one of the masked men.

A momentary gap appeared in their encirclement.

“Go!”

“…No, no!”

“Go, you old cuckoo!”

Pneuve practically shoved Kukulo away.

It was worth having lived.

He thought he would never play the part of a knight again after leaving Erta.

But to have a chance to lay down his life for his employer.

He was even filled with gratitude.

“Farewell, my lord!”

“Farewell, my lord!”

***

Kukulo Del Conti was miserable.

It was a feeling that could only be described as miserable.

He ran and ran for about three hours.

Not being a man who lived an active life, he couldn't help but hit the limits of his stamina.

But the fear of his pursuers was too great to sit down and rest leisurely.

Just then, a small cave came into view.

It was big enough to enter if he ducked his head.

Using some knowledge he had picked up somewhere, he blocked the cave entrance with branches and leaves.

The stench inside the cave was severe.

It seemed to have been the lair of some beast.

Moreover, there were many insects that continuously crawled up his body or into his hair.

Yet, he couldn't even let out a moan in fear and just stayed curled up.

As the sweat on his exhausted body cooled, he felt a chill.

It was a late autumn night after the harvest.

The already cold wind seeped into the cave, into his bones. He was steadily dying.

“……”

Not even tears came out.

In his utter misery, he was just dazed as if in a nightmare.

His heart felt as bent as his curled-up body, and he just kept mulling over how he had ended up in this state.

Until five days ago, he was the lord of the Del Conti family.

He had ambitions to take over not just Merion but the entire Bururade Peninsula, and it had nearly happened.

Loyal subordinates, two beautiful wives, cute children, and even a captivating mistress.

But in just five days, he lost it all.

It was because of Shion.

He didn't hate him; he was just scared.

Just recalling those blue eyes made fear surge up as if a knife was stabbing his side.

Just then, he heard a rustling sound.

“……!”

He held his breath even more.

The rustling sound grew closer.

Someone was approaching, stepping on dry grass.

But because he had covered the cave entrance with branches and leaves, he couldn't see anything.

His thin, dry lips trembled with cold and fear.

Anxious that a moan might escape, he clamped his mouth shut and grabbed a large stone lying around.

The person who approached headed straight for the cave where Kukulo was hiding and cleared away the crude branches and leaves in one go.

Kukulo let out a shout that was close to a scream.

“…Wh-wh-who are you-!!”

Kukulo, who was about to throw the stone in his hand, froze.

It was because it was a familiar face.

A blood-soaked Tibel Bartole forced a smile.

“Hehe…, it’s me, my lord……”

“Tibel……”

“…Were you scared? How cute……”

She limped closer. Her left shin was mangled, and the bone was visible.

“What were you doing without even starting a fire……. The nights are getting cold……”

“I was afraid they might see……”

“…It’s alright, it’s alright……. I have a flint… ah, I can’t get it out with this arm……. Could you get it out for me……?”

Tibel looked down at her own shoulder and chuckled.

Her right shoulder was empty, her arm having been cut off.

Her left hand had only three fingers remaining.

“……”

Kukulo searched her clothes, found the flint, and started a fire.

Thanks to the dry grass, the fire caught quickly.

“…May I lie down for a bit……”

“Oh, of course, of course… lie here……”

Kukulo willingly offered his leg as a pillow.

Tibel collapsed onto it.

Her face was revealed in the light of the campfire.

Kukulo, who was carefully picking off dried scabs of blood and strands of hair, swallowed a groan.

“……”

Half of Tibel Bartole’s face was practically melted.

It was as if she had been doused with some strong chemical.

Of her once captivating face, only half remained.

He felt grateful for the fact that he enjoyed strong liquor.

He carefully poured the liquor on Tibel’s face and cleaned the wound.

Tibel Bartole felt excruciating pain but didn't even have the strength to writhe, only letting out moans.

“Ugh, a little, gently……”

“Yes, I’m sorry, I’m sorry……”

“Hoo, hoo hoo……”

Tibel Bartole smiled in her battered state.

“…Still, it was worth the fight. To think I got to kill that bastard with my own hands……”

“Stop talking……”

“…Pneuve was really amazing. He awakened to the Magic of the Three Stars just before he died……. Ah, thanks to him, I’m still breathing, like this……”

Kukulo finally shed tears.

His past life was filled with nothing but regret.

He couldn’t bring himself to ask where Pneuve was.

Tibel Bartole’s eyes searched the empty air.

She muttered, chasing the faint light of the campfire.

“My lord……”

Kukulo held Tibel’s hand.

As two humans full of regrets, as wretched people who had only lived making mistakes, there was nothing to hold them back.

“To the warm southern island… Can I go……?”

“Oh, ohh… I’ll send you, I’ll send you for sure……”

The thin-lipped man held her tightly.

He couldn't bear the fact that Tibel’s body was growing colder and colder despite being by the campfire.

He muttered emptily.

“Do you think this Kukulo can’t even do that much… I am Kukulo, Kukulo Del Conti, just trust me……”

“The villa in the Hanchamus Islands… with my lord……”

Tibel Bartole closed her eyes.

“Ah, I’m looking forward to it……”