Chapter 93: “Old Friends”
The War Chariot rolled down Longdoll Street and came to a halt in front of the grand iron gates of Vilo Garden. Guards brandished their swords, watching over the surroundings while I tossed aside the curtain and stepped down from the carriage. As I looked up, I spotted several members of the Sword of Kanli gathered at the entrance, each mounted on their Horned Horses, chatting away.
They seemed to be gearing up for something.
And there was Rect among them. The moment I stepped out, he spotted me.
With a swift wave, he greeted the others and quickly made his way toward me. As he opened his mouth to speak, it looked like he suddenly recalled something important, and like the true gentleman he was, he bowed and said, “Her Majesty the Princess, how do you do? Have you had lunch yet?”
“Cut that out.” I rolled my eyes, unimpressed. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”
I was waiting for him to pull some stunt…
“Princess, you really shouldn’t be so rude.”
The Forgiveness Head guy teased again, then followed it up with a serious face: “The interrogation results are in. Do you have time? If not, come along with me, and we might need to borrow your War Chariot. We’ll talk more once we’re seated.”
“Hey…”
The result? I barely got home, didn’t even step inside before Rect literally ‘herded’ me back into the carriage.
He then walked back to the other Sword of Kanli members, gave them a few orders, and shortly after spoke with the guards. He handed over his own Horned Horse to someone else without a second thought, threw back the carriage curtain, and plopped himself right in front of me.
“Hold on tight, Princess.”
The War Chariot rumbled to life.
I furrowed my brow. “Are you even going to tell me where we’re going?”
The guards and coachman assigned to an overseas princess were just giving this guy orders? Not that I really cared… but it was clear to everyone else that Rect’s word had priority level over mine.
Was this a tip from Viki?
What, were they worried I might run away?
I glanced at Rect with a sulky face, but he seemed completely uninterested in my feelings.
“Why are you in your academy uniform?” he asked casually, not waiting for an answer to his previous question. “You’ve already seen Principal Melville, right? So, I imagine you know about the Divine Reliquary theft.”
Huh?
This guy’s on top of things, huh?
“So we’re going to catch someone?” I asked. “Does Viki know about this? Did the academy inform the palace?”
“Waiting for those old geezers to share intel? Who knows how long that would take.” Rect shrugged. “When something like this happens, the academy’s first thought is to keep it quiet. They’re probably pulling their hair out right now trying to strategize. Unless it’s the absolute last resort, they wouldn’t dare involve the palace.”
He paused, then continued, “It was those few Choir of Saints kids caught last night; someone cracked this morning and let it slip. That’s how I found out.”
“……”
I remained silent, staring at him blankly.
“Hey, what are you thinking about?”
Rect hurriedly defended himself: “I didn’t do anything! I just didn’t let them sleep last night. Maybe scared them a little. That’s all! By morning, someone spilled the beans. Kids fall asleep easily, you know. Don’t think we did anything terrible to them…”
“I never said anything!”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not Saint Margaret. Even if you did give those kids a hard time, as long as it’s not violating human rights, I wouldn’t b*tt in. The Choir of Saints is, after all, the enemy. I can only look down on you.”
“……”
Rect opened his mouth but was promptly silenced by my words.
“Alright, enough about that nonsense.”
He quickly changed the subject: “Serious stuff—last night’s operation here at the estate was likely just a decoy. Another group from the Choir of Saints moved alongside them, heading straight for the academy. The person orchestrating these two operations was among them, and they’re not a child.”
“Who is it?”
I asked casually while picking at my nails.
“Chris the Tulip.” Rect spoke in a hushed tone. “Chris the Tulip.”
“… What?”
I was taken aback, thinking I misheard.
Chris the Tulip?
That Birdbeak Doctor!?
“You know him.”
Rect instantly picked up on my reaction: “I know he’s a Pope Knight and a remarkably skilled doctor and herbalist, but in a situation like this, how could a doctor possibly be involved?”
As he spoke, he chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Well, he’s quite the clever one. He must’ve made some kind of deal with Hogtus, adeptly exploiting the current oversight gaps in the council, hiding while everyone in the palace is focused on Rossius, and pulling a fast one on us.”
“It was you he tricked; don’t drag me into this,” I couldn’t help but tease him, and then muttered, “No wonder…”
“No wonder what?”
“Principal Melville told me that the relic had always been stored in the top floor storage room of the teaching tower.”
Recalling what the principal had told me earlier, I continued explaining to Rect: “That’s the most heavily guarded place in the Royal Academy, manned round-the-clock by the academy’s teachers. Last night, it was Teacher Lucia. In the capital, she’s one of the top performers; her skills and talents are nearly on par with yours. I even took her class once.”
I paused for a moment.
“She’s currently in a hospital bed, comatose from some deadly nightshade poison—plus some other poison, whatever it is—on the edge of dying. Yet, there were no signs of a struggle, and nothing was left behind. She was taken out in one hit, and whatever happened couldn’t have been done by a bunch of halfwitted kids.”
“Lucia…”
Rect nodded solemnly, lost in thought. “I know her; she’s indeed a formidable woman.”
“In addition to the Divine Reliquary, that storage room held quite a few other valuable items, including a moon blade. But they didn’t take anything else; they only stole the ‘Ancient Divine Language.’” I added.
“Sounds like their target was quite specific.”
Rect stroked his chin, pondering. “The old principal isn’t hiding anything from you. He wants your help in recovering the lost relic, doesn’t he?”
“The academy is already taking action.” I looked at him, crossing my legs. “But they haven’t made much headway yet, and I’m not sure I can really help either. I’m just going to wait for news.”
“Hmm…”
The Forgiveness Head was silent for a moment. “Chris the Tulip… I have indeed heard some rumors about him.”
“He’s from the Royal Academy—we don’t know how he became a Pope Knight. But he’s always claimed his identity as a doctor. He seems to have treated many tricky illnesses, and he’s the chief physician for the current Pope. He’s reputed to be humorous and carefree, never lacking women’s attention, hence the name ‘Tulip’…”
“I recall he’s not very skilled in combat, and I haven’t heard of him battling anyone. Of course, since I haven’t interacted with him, I don’t have a clear picture of who he is, nor do I know his talent for order. These rumors are just hearsay. Peilo, are you familiar with him?”
“Familiar?”
I scoffed. “Ah, he’s quite the ‘old friend.’”
