“Welcome!”
“We sell delicious fruits!”
Rozelia Duchy Heros is a thriving commercial city.
Due to the nature of a commercial city, the population density is extremely high, and Heros has a population density comparable to that of the trading city of Orkeon.
“Hey there, miss! How about some tasty black tea?”
“We’ve got fresh fish!”
Voices echoed from every direction.
The atmosphere was bustling and lively.
The market in Heros was vibrant to an extent that it was on a completely different level than that of Arcadia.
Well, it makes sense. Arcadia relies heavily on agriculture for its main income, so the difference is to be expected.
“It should be around here.”
I was wandering the main street of the market all by myself.
I hadn’t brought any guards along.
In the first place, I had come to Heros alone at my father’s command, without any attendants.
Reina had insisted that I shouldn’t send a guest off alone, but in the end, she conceded to my stubbornness.
“…Well, it should be fine.”
I set my thoughts aside and scanned the surroundings once again.
The shop I was looking for should be around here somewhere.
I was sure of my memory, but since it was my first time here, a bit of confusion was inevitable.
“Could it be here?”
Finally, I discovered an alley for the first time.
In such a lively market, this alley felt oddly quiet.
Without hesitation, I stepped inside.
“I found it.”
There was only one shop situated in the brick line of the alley.
The sign had a perfume motif with the name ‘Arin’ written on it.
Taking a breath, I slowly opened the door and walked in.
“Welcome!”
As soon as I entered, a strong scent of perfume enveloped me.
Looking around, the interior was adorned with numerous cosmetics and perfumes lining the shelves.
“I found it properly.”
“Did you come alone?”
“Yes.”
The one who spoke was a woman with orange, roll-bun hair.
Her soft smile left a strong impression.
“It’s rare to see a man come alone. Are you looking for a gift?”
“Yes. …Could I please have the perfume in the blue bottle?”
I knew almost nothing about perfumes, so I chose the most eye-catching bottle next to the counter.
“Oh! You have a good eye! Would you like to try a sample?”
“Try a sample?”
“It’s to smell the fragrance beforehand.”
“Well, if you insist, I’ll give it a try.”
“Yes! Just a moment!”
The attendant bowed her head for a moment and pulled something from under the counter.
It was a piece of white paper about the length of a finger and a small bottle.
She opened the bottle cap, dipped the paper into the liquid inside, and the end of the white paper was stained blue.
“Just sniff the very end of this.”
I accepted the paper she handed me and sniffed the blue part.
A sweet yet refreshing scent filled my nose.
If I were to express the feeling of immersing oneself in the blue sea through fragrance, this would be it.
“It’s nice. I like it.”
“Really? I’m glad! In fact, this product is my own handmade perfume.”
“…Are you the shop owner?”
“Yes. It’s been my dream since I was little, and I opened this shop recently. The location isn’t great, and it’s not a famous place either, so there aren’t many customers yet.”
But if you work hard, you’ll definitely succeed!
She spoke with a bright smile.
“I hope for great results for you!”
“Thank you! How would you like the gift wrapped?”
“I hope it’s something that sparks excitement as soon as they see it.”
“Sure! I’ll wrap it as cutely as possible! You’re a woman, right?”
“Yes. I’m counting on you.”
She turned around to gather a box and wrapping paper.
I glanced at her back and casually asked.
“Owner.”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know ‘Avatarara’?”
“…Ava, Tara? Is that a new perfume or cosmetic line?”
For a moment, puzzlement danced in her eyes as she looked at me.
“Yes. I heard it was a new cosmetic line that just came out. So I was wondering if you sold it here.”
“Well, this is the first time I’m hearing about it. I can check the suppliers for you, so could you come back another time?”
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. I feel like I’ve caused you trouble.”
“It’s fine. If I can gain a regular customer, I should be the one thanking you.”
Her expression, which was completely casual, gave off no hint of deception.
Could it be that the timing isn’t right?
If that’s the case, it might be better to have someone from the family on standby.
“Sir, we’re all set!”
As I pondered this, the attendant was already handing me the packaged perfume.
“Ah, thank you.”
The packaging, tied with a silver ribbon on a deep blue box, didn’t feel dark or gloomy at all.
Instead, it had a strong sophisticated allure.
Just looking at the box felt like it was attractive enough.
“I hope the person receiving it will be happy!”
“I think they’ll be more than happy with this.”
“Then that’s a relief! The total price is six gold coins!”
Six gold coins, is that around 600,000 won?
I was a bit flustered by the unexpectedly high price, but I couldn’t let that show.
Thinking just about the amount, I could definitely afford it.
The problem was that currently my whole wealth amounted to just five gold coins.
I hadn’t planned to spend so much money at the market anyway.
I guess there’s no choice.
“Owner, I’m sorry, but is it possible to put it on credit?”
“Credit? Hmm, about that…”
“Please consider this.”
I pulled a handkerchief from my back pocket and handed it to her.
On a corner of the handkerchief, a scale was drawn, balancing a sword and a shield on each side.
It was the emblem of the Akses Duke House.
“You recognize this emblem….”
“As you can see, it’s the crest of the Akses Duke House. I’ll vouch for my identity with this.”
I couldn’t reveal my identity directly.
I wasn’t here as a second son of my family.
“Hmm, alright. But could you please pay me within three days?”
“Thank you.”
After receiving the paper bag with the box, I slightly bowed my head and turned away.
For now, it was an unexpected expense, but maybe I should get a gift for Reina.
“….”
I spread my magical power, which I had been preparing for some time, throughout my entire body.
With a sensation of my muscles awakening, I turned around.
And immediately, I drew my sword and swung it upwards.
With a sound of metal clashing, the dagger flew away.
“What the—!”
I caught sight of the panicked face of the woman.
“As expected, as expected.”
There was no need for anticipation.
I quickly followed through, slicing the arms of the attendant, no, the organization member of Avatarara, with my sword.
A high-pitched scream echoed through the shop.
I had prepared for any magic that might come my way, but as expected, there was no counterattack.
It makes sense; in the original story, this character was not a professional combatant but an information broker.
“Who the hell are you?”
With her limbs severed and collapsed on the floor, she looked up at me, gritting her teeth.
It must hurt a lot, but is she perhaps not feeling it because endorphins are kicking in?
Seeing her trembling all over, it’s clear that’s not the case.
“You not only know the name of the organization but are also part of the Akses Duke House. The organization shouldn’t have been discovered!”
“Don’t worry. I’m the only one who knows.”
“What?”
“Just think of it as having bad luck.”
“What kind of crummy…!”
Her words couldn’t continue to the end.
Not wanting to hear more, I cleanly severed her throat.
“Haah.”
The heroine’s past is revealed, and Reina gets dumped by the Crown Prince.
But it wouldn’t be so simple for Reina to be completely isolated by that.
If the Akses Duke House is a family of knights that have sworn loyalty since the foundation of the Empire.
The Rozelia Duke House consists of merchants who have been loyal since the founding as well.
From being the financial backers of the early Empire, to distribution, economy, and public sentiment managing.
The Rozelia House has been responsible for almost everything that can be done domestically within the nation, and their influence has continued for over hundreds of years.
If the Akses Duke House is the sword and shield protecting the Empire, the Rozelia Duke House is its pillar.
“That’s why it’s no surprise they are one of the second-generation Duke Houses.”
Reina is the eldest daughter of such a family.
No matter how much the heroine is a Saintess.
Even if she were to endure hardship at the hands of that heroine.
Even if the Crown Prince declared their broken engagement on that grounds.
Considering the standing of the Rozelia Duke House, it would be impossible for her to be isolated.
If the heroine is the Saintess of the Empire, then Reina is one of the pillars supporting it.
But even such a standing of the Rozelia Duke House becomes difficult to wield in an incident that involves Reina.
That incident is the Avatarara.
An organization working to destroy the Astria Empire.
Of course, at this point, they are operating in the shadows, so it’s not known at all, but starting three years after the heroine joins the Arcana, they will start to make their name infamous.
And this shop, Arin, was one of the branches of Avatarara.
The problem was that Reina was a regular customer of this shop.
Based on that fact, overlapping with several incidents from the past, rumors began to spread that Reina was one of Avatarara’s collaborators, and she was quickly isolated.
I’d read about that situation in writing, but looking back now, it was truly a horrific witch hunt.
No one would listen to her.
Even if she brought forth evidence, they wouldn’t look at it.
Thus, Reina became an outrageously convenient invisible person.
She became a trash can that emotions could be discarded into unilaterally.
Holding onto the truth that no one knew and the irredeemable malice that couldn’t be erased, all alone.
“If you hadn’t opened a shop in Heros, none of this would have happened.”
I quietly spoke to the corpse that could no longer hear me.
“….”
My body was trembling.
The first murder.
No matter how much of a villain she might have been, even knowing that it was something I had to slowly get accustomed to, the tremors wouldn’t stop.
The feeling of cutting into a person was sticky, the discomfort surged, and an unknown fear surfaced.
I wondered if I could truly get accustomed to this sensation.
“Scary.”
But what terrified me more was the fact that you could suffer another worst outcome.
So I need to familiarize myself with it.
Somehow, little by little.
“I’ll cancel the credit.”
As I said that, I threw the paper bag into the air and slashed it.
With the blue mist, a sweet scent slowly enveloped the crimson shop.
Surely my movements had become much faster and stronger.
If it were the old me, I wouldn’t have even been able to react to the ambush.
Even if I did react, I wouldn’t have been able to win without great difficulty.
This method was truly the right one.
I wanted to test just how strong I’d become, and my luck really held out.
With this level of strength, I’d have enough chances in the preliminaries next week.
I composed myself, shaking from head to toe, and stepped out of the alley.
“Aike sir?”
“…Anna.”
In front of me stood Reina’s personal maid, Anna.
