Alimo (2)
Chapter 178
The Emperor had indirect memories of someone else’s experiences, specifically those related to Casillas.
There were some records left in the royal archives about Casillas and Resina, so the Emperor roughly knew what kind of story the Gardi Viscount family held.
Although there was no information anywhere about the World Tree’s divine artifact, it wasn’t entirely strange that such an item might exist within the Gardi Viscount family given the circumstances.
However, this wasn’t a significant issue for the Emperor.
The World Tree’s divine artifact, which was thought to have lost most of its functions, wasn’t particularly valuable to the Empire.
While there was a possibility of misuse, it didn’t resonate clearly with him.
Moreover, the Emperor was aging.
He lacked the energy to handle even the matter of imperial succession, let alone worry about trivial issues.
“If you don’t object, I will entrust this matter to you. I’ll order the Intelligence Bureau to cooperate, so you can handle it as you see fit.”
“If we succeed in recovering the World Tree’s divine artifact…”
“The decision is yours. If you consider it a major issue, discuss it with Poibos. By then, the Crown Prince will have ascended to the throne.”
“…Understood, Your Majesty.”
Ernst bowed respectfully before standing up.
It wasn’t polite to take too much time from the aging Emperor.
*
Inside the office of the Prizzran Clan fortress.
Ernst spoke towards Ray, who sat opposite drinking tea.
“There’s been a report of an elf crawling on all fours observed in Phillip’s County.”
Ray clenched his mouth shut to avoid spitting out the tea.
Ernst quietly gazed at Ray before asking in a low voice,
“Is this also due to the ‘curse’ you mentioned?”
Ray internally cursed Mineher while nodding slightly.
Since Mineher’s concealment had been exposed because of Titi’s transferred curse, the fact that she was crawling on all fours could indeed be attributed to the curse’s effects.
After rationalizing it, Ray swallowed the rest of the tea and composed himself.
Ernst bringing up Mineher was a kind of warning.
It indirectly told Ray not to entertain any strange thoughts since he had people planted even in Phillip’s County.
Ray didn’t find this particularly unpleasant.
This level of pressure and surveillance was something he had anticipated and considered acceptable.
“Haha… Right now, there aren’t many people as trustworthy as Ernst besides me.”
Ernst had a firm grip on Ray’s weaknesses.
Furthermore, knowing that Ray was on borrowed time, Ernst likely felt no need to restrain Ray from seeking power.
In that sense, Ray was a highly reliable card for Ernst.
Ray cleared his throat and asked,
“Could you send me to Alimo?”
“…Very well. As you wish, I’ll arrange for you to contact the local Imperial intelligence operatives.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s too early to celebrate.”
“Huh?”
“The intelligence operatives stationed abroad are hard for the Empire to control. Do you understand what that means?”
“They probably won’t listen to me very well, huh?”
“Yes. They often pretend to be active but disobey central orders or act arbitrarily. We must always consider the possibility they may assimilate locally and betray us. Moreover, you’re not even part of the Intelligence Bureau, so they might look down on you.”
“Do I need to establish dominance first?”
“Decide for yourself. Whatever situation you find yourself in, stay vigilant and don’t trust anyone deeply.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Ray handed Moros to Ernst.
Ernst, who had received the Empire’s new sword, stored Moros in A-Space.
After a brief silence, Ernst nodded toward Omega Series hanging at Ray’s waist.
“Bring it over.”
“Yes.”
As soon as Ray handed over the sword, Ernst placed the Omega Series into a silver case lying on the table.
Ernst closed the case and looked at Ray.
“Do you know what this is?”
“Not really.”
“A one-time-use A-Space storage artefact.”
Ray was quite surprised.
A one-time-use A-Space storage artefact functioned exactly as its name suggested; after storing an item in A-Space and retrieving it, the artefact would shatter, but the contents inside would remain protected. It was a nearly confidential artefact used for missions where weapon possession was impossible.
Ernst calmly handed two silver cases to Ray.
“I hope you don’t die out there.”
“I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”
“I’ll assign two knights to you. Their skills aren’t outstanding, but they have ample mission experience, so they should be helpful.”
At Ernst’s signal, two knights entered the office.
Both knights had distinguished themselves in the battle against Eridanus, so Ray was familiar with them.
After bowing to Ernst first, the knights greeted Ray with utmost respect.
Once Ernst dismissed the knights, he asked,
“Did you say you’d go with a girl with blue hair? If you need a mage, I can arrange for one.”
“No, it’s fine. Luna is the person I trust the most, and she’s highly skilled.”
“…Understood.”
Ernst had personally witnessed Luna handling two upper-level spirits simultaneously.
Even if her magical abilities were lacking, having two upper-level spirits equated to almost graduate-level combat power, with far better versatility.
“I’ll prepare cover identities for both of you as third-circle mages. The local intelligence operatives will also be aware of this.”
“Thank you.”
“Prepare to depart.”
Ray bowed slightly.
*
After finishing her daily training, Johanna washed herself and changed clothes.
Feeling refreshed, she was about to return to her room when she hesitated and went back to the training ground.
Her recently-used training pants hung neatly on the wall of the training ground.
Johanna stealthily picked up the damp training pants.
Living in borrowed accommodations, it wasn’t feasible to wash or replace her leather training pants every day.
Thus, Johanna had been wearing the same unwashed pair for several days.
It was inevitable that the pants would soak in sweat.
Until recently, she hadn’t noticed this, but after a recent mishap, Johanna started worrying about the state of her pants.
She cautiously spread the crotch area of the pants and brought her nose close.
“Keukh!”
Coughing, Johanna tightly shut her eyes.
Holding the pants in one hand, she grabbed her head with the other and jumped around in place.
“Really, I’ve gone crazy… I’ve gone crazyaaa…!!!”
The smell, concentrated and matured, had soaked deep into the fabric.
She had directly pressed this smell into Ray’s face.
While Johanna was miserably trembling alone, the door to the training hall opened abruptly.
“Johanna, there you are!”
Alesya approached happily, only to notice the training leather pants Johanna clutched tightly in her hands.
Curious, Alesya approached Johanna quickly.
“Why are you holding these pants?”
“Uh? W-Well, it’s…”
Before Johanna could stammer out an answer, Alesya stealthily brought her nose to the pants and sniffed.
Moments later, Alesya staggered backward, muttering,
“No matter how much it’s a training uniform, please wash it before wearing it again…”
“A-Alright! But why are you here?”
“Oh! Ray is looking for us!”
“Ray?”
“Yes, come along.”
When Alesya dragged Johanna to Jenkins’ ward, everyone from Phillip’s County was already gathered.
Once Johanna arrived, Ray briefly explained the situation.
“There’s been an issue with Lord Gardi. To resolve it, Luna and I will be going out for a bit.”
Jenkins and Didier looked uncomfortable.
It felt embarrassing to the knights that Ray was risking himself by traveling far away just for matters concerning Ulte Gardi.
However, since neither Jenkins nor Didier could accompany Ray to Alimo, they quietly listened to Ray’s explanation.
“…So, it’ll take a few months to return. While I’m gone, try not to cause trouble and take care of yourselves. Oh, and obviously, what we discussed here is confidential, so don’t tell anyone else.”
Karen and Alesya both wore deflated expressions.
Despite the children pleading with Ray not to leave, he firmly refused.
After quickly finishing what he needed to say, Ray exited the ward.
As Ray was about to return to his room, Johanna called out from behind.
“Ray.”
“Uh, Johanna? What’s up?”
“…You’re taking Luna but not me. Why?”
Caught off guard by Johanna’s unexpected question, Ray was momentarily flustered.
Johanna confronted him further,
“Is it because my skills aren’t good enough? Am I not as talented as Luna? That’s why you’re only taking her?”
“Hmm…”
Ray scratched his temple as he answered.
“It’s not solely about skill…”
Johanna had made significant progress by staying in this fortress.
She learned new sword techniques, sparred with excellent knights, and honed her skills against peers, allowing her to advance to the next level.
However, Luna was different.
Luna didn’t need new knowledge or mentors anymore.
What Luna lacked was time to refine herself and “varied experiences.”
That’s why Ray intended to bring Luna along whenever he moved forward.
“Y-you still have a lot to learn here, Johanna. Not like Luna. That’s why.”
“…Do you really have to wander around like this while your body hasn’t fully healed?”
“For heaven’s sake, I’m not wandering around!”
“You are though. I don’t get it. Why don’t you just quietly stay in Phillip’s County? Why do you keep seeking hardship?”
Johanna’s voice rose.
“Becoming stronger is good, and eating delicious food is great too… But I love Phillip’s County the most. If I could laugh and chat with friends without any worries like in the old days, I’d give up becoming stronger and eating delicious food.”
“Johanna, you shouldn’t be trapped in nostalgia. You won’t move forward that way.”
“Why not? Why do we have to keep moving forward? Isn’t it exhausting?”
Ray chuckled softly.
Though it seemed childish at first glance, Ray fully understood Johanna’s feelings.
Even in his previous life, Ray had attended one of the top universities but lived a rather relaxed life afterward because he didn’t enjoy the stress of constantly competing with others.
Johanna was saying something similar.
Just because someone has extraordinary talent doesn’t mean they’re obligated to develop it, right?
Though Ray agreed with this sentiment…
“The world is harsh.”
Unfortunately, this was a world destined for destruction.
“Johanna, if you don’t move forward, the world will consume you. That’s why I’m doing this.”
Johanna had done well until now.
Despite complaining occasionally, she had kept moving forward without stopping.
Because of this, Ray trusted that Johanna would continue to do well in the future.
“You’re doing great. I’ll return as soon as possible.”
“…Don’t get hurt this time.”
Though overwhelmed with complaints, Johanna’s face twisted with concern.
Ray smiled faintly and extended his hand but retracted it, thinking Johanna might not like it.
At that moment, Johanna irritably grabbed Ray’s hand.
Pulling Ray’s hand forcefully over her head, Johanna glared at him with a hint of annoyance.
Chuckling nervously, Ray ruffled Johanna’s hair before turning away.
Now, he needed to head to Alimo, grab Ulte by the collar, and drag him back.
*
“Additional personnel are being dispatched?”
“Yes, and they’re not from the Intelligence Bureau either.”
“Tsk…”
The man scratched his head and reviewed the documents.
As he read through the text, irritation welled up naturally.
“We need to find a missing frontier noble? Disguised and entered Alimo, then disappeared? Sigh… They’re making things unnecessarily complicated.”
“What should we do?”
“We have to make it seem like we’re following orders. When the new ones arrive, just shuffle them around aimlessly in quiet areas and send them back eventually. They’re not from the Intelligence Bureau anyway.”
“Hehe, got it.”
The woman nodded and then drew a new card from the center of the table.
Having formed a fairly strong hand, the woman worked hard to hide her emotions.
