I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 37

After wrapping up her schedule and heading back to the castle, Ariel suddenly spoke up.

“Not much time left now.”

“What do you mean?”

“About entering high society. Mom said we should do it next year…”

Next year, huh. Really not much time left at all. Only about two months, and it’ll probably fly by in the blink of an eye.

“Right. You’ve improved a lot, haven’t you? Creed told me.”

“Not bad. I mean, my teacher is incredible.”

Hearing that compliment, rare as it was, Edgar scratched his cheek and passed the credit to his teacher.

He wasn’t exactly wrong, after all.

It’s a class personally taught by the esteemed captain of the Royal Knights, considered one of the best in the Empire. It’s probably an invaluable experience that you’d struggle to buy even with a fortune.

And thanks to her soaking up knowledge like cotton soaking up water, Edgar’s martial arts skills had risen to a level where comparing them to six months ago would be a joke.

“Still haven’t changed your mind about that, have you?”

“You mean about wanting to be recognized and standing next to you?”

“Yeah.”

Ariel kicked a small stone lying on the ground while gazing at the sunset sky. Feeling unsettled as if she was measuring her friend’s determination, she deliberately turned her eyes away.

“Seems like it.”

“Well, that’s just like you.”

Expecting no different reaction, Ariel remained unfazed. It was just saddening for her to realize she had nothing to offer her childhood friend, who was traversing such a difficult path.

And on one hand, she felt grateful.

The fact that he chose this thorny path was for her sake, after all.

If it was just for a bright future, he would have chosen an easier route.

I always feel like I’ve received a lot from him in every aspect. Even if it’s not material.

But it was a shame I couldn’t express my gratitude because of my embarrassed feelings.

“Are you coming tonight?”

“I’ll go tomorrow. You must be tired after playing all day.”

“Just pretending to look after me. You just don’t want to come because you’re tired.”

As if she could see right through him, Ariel scoffed, and he awkwardly laughed, wondering if he’d been caught. He promised he would definitely come tomorrow.

It might be nice to soak in hot water tonight and unwind, then hit the hay early.

All part of recharging for tomorrow.

“Don’t go back to your room and open up a book for no reason. You’ll wear yourself out.”

“Hmph, I know, okay? You think I enjoy staring at books every day?”

“Of course, not that I’m saying you hate it.” Ariel added.

Edgar couldn’t help but smirk at her demeanor.

“It’s out of duty.”

That might not be the only thing keeping her going, but it’s true that the pressure of being the only heir to her family was weighing her down.

And for Edgar, it was deeply regrettable that all he could do was tell her to keep her head up.

“Enough of the heavy stuff, let’s just head back to the castle. We’ll see each other again tomorrow anyway.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

Ariel, who had dashed ahead a bit, forced a bright tone while crossing her arms behind her back, and Edgar nodded, quickening his pace.

As they drew closer to the Robeheim Family castle, which had felt so distant, they were just trying to weave through the crowd.

Bump.

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

“It’s fine, no worries about that.”

Suddenly bumping shoulders with someone approaching from the opposite direction, Edgar was surprised.

No matter how distracted he was, it was rare for him not to notice someone right in front of him.

It meant even with his heightened senses from training with Creed, he hadn’t sensed anything.

As Edgar hurriedly apologized, the other person waved it off casually, turning to walk away.

Then, *clatter*.

At that moment, something dropped from the stranger’s pocket and rolled to a stop at Edgar’s foot.

It was a small octagonal object, not bigger than the palm of his hand, but it looked quite valuable.

“Uh, you dropped this.”

“…Ah! Thank you. It’s an important item.”

As Edgar finally picked up the dropped item and handed it over, the other person frantically patted their body, realizing the item was missing and expressing thanks.

Edgar told Ariel, who was walking ahead, to wait a moment and as he reached out to return the lost item to the stranger, suddenly—

“……!?”

A sudden wave of déjà vu washed over Edgar, causing his pupils to widen dramatically.

‘What is this?’

He couldn’t quite express it, but the moment the item passed into the man’s hands, the presence of the person standing in front of him intensified dramatically.

Until just a moment ago, his presence felt faint, as if he could vanish if left unnoticed.

“…? Why are you like this?”

“Oh, nothing. Just your hat looks great.”

“Haha, thanks for the compliment. Well then…”

Amidst his fluster, Edgar somehow managed to mumble through, and thankfully, the stranger accepted the item without further suspicion and quickly vanished from view.

As Edgar stared blankly at the stranger’s retreating figure, he began to ponder while fidgeting with the hand that had just handed over the item.

What on earth was that?

He’d never encountered such a sensation when facing someone before.

The only comparison that came to mind was when Ariel released her magical power in front of him some time ago; that had been somewhat similar, albeit with some differences.

Back then, the presence had felt like it surged from 10 to 100, while now it felt like it dipped from 0 to 10.

He had maybe heard a similar example somewhere recently.

Definitely, at that time Ariel…

“Ed! What are you doing, hurry up!”

“Ah… right. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Just as he was about to continue his thoughts, Ariel’s loud voice brought Edgar back to reality, and he hastily picked up his pace.

Although he still felt uneasy, he figured he could ponder that over once they got back to their quarters.

* * * * * * *

After nearly causing a major incident, the man was struggling to catch his breath as he returned to his hideout and contacted the person who had given the orders.

Soon, he received confirmation, and a figure appeared on the opposite wall.

Although it was merely a figure, the face was obscured, revealing only up to the chest, yet it was clear that the presence was quite lean.

The man hurriedly bowed his head and began to recount what had just transpired.

“I apologize. We crossed paths.”

– The princess of the Robeheim Family, you say?

Noticing the displeasure in the other person’s voice, the man quickly shook his head firmly.

“No, I’m not sure if they were a guard or a friend, but I bumped into the boy who was with her.”

– Then it’s of no concern. But be more careful next time.

One mistake is forgiven, but two mistakes usually lead to immediate execution.

The man was aware the words carried more warning than mercy, and he bowed his head deeper.

– How’s the condition of that item?

“It’s functioning properly. I can definitely feel the magical power circulating through my body.”

The man pulled out the octagonal object from his pocket to assess his own state.

He could distinctly feel the flow of magical power that he usually didn’t.

Though it was putting a lot of strain on his body to force the stagnant magical power to circulate using this tool, that was of no concern to him.

His only allowance was to obey his mission.

For that, he wouldn’t mind giving up his life tomorrow with no regrets.

– Unless they’re exceptionally powerful, they shouldn’t feel any discomfort with your physical condition right now. To them, you’ll probably just seem like an ordinary person.

For those who work in the shadows, what’s most important is skill, but if they had to name another, it would be ‘ordinariness.’

Appearance, height, build, even magical power.

The closer to the level of common folks, the harder it becomes to find you when mixed in with the crowd.

The utility of the object in the man’s hands was similar.

– You’re managing to keep your magical flow in check, right?

“Of course. I bet to any average skilled person, I’ll look no different than an ordinary local resident.”

The weak flow of magical power could also imply a weak presence, but in other terms, it meant being someone different as well.

When everyone has a presence of 100, would having a presence of 50 truly make you invisible?

No. Just like hiding a tree in a forest, to blend in among 100 people, one must also become a person of 100.

Those who had to solve everything discreetly, without being noticed by others, were keenly aware of this truth.

– I see. Just be mindful; this operation is one that only you can carry out.

“Yes, I’ll engrave it in my bones.”

Having been born with a unique constitution that doesn’t allow his natural magical power to circulate, he had to put in all sorts of training to compensate for the difference, yet in the end, he’d spent much time without receiving any significant duties within the organization.

During that time, he learned that there was a mission he could accomplish with this seemingly useless body.

No, rather, it was a mission he could accomplish because it was him.

After all, the only thing that could demonstrate a life deemed nameless was the mission entrusted to him.

And the more he covered up his past with darkness, the brighter the path ahead seemed to become.

“Lord, may I kill anyone who stands in the way?”

– Go ahead. But the goal is to capture alive, no matter the circumstances. A corpse holds no meaning.

“Yes.”

From the outset, this mission only served as a foundation for a larger undertaking.

To do that, capturing the goal alive was absolutely essential, and the man was well aware of this, heightening his tension even more.

Killing a target would be easy, sneaking in to cut their throat while they slept or ambushing them while they traveled would suffice, but capturing someone alive was a different level of difficulty.

Moreover, the target’s residence was the heavily fortified castle that prided itself on the strictest security in this northern region.

‘But therein lies an opportunity for carelessness.’

Perhaps no one would anticipate that someone would break through their proud barrier in such a manner.

The decreasing numbers of guards patrolling the castle at night served as evidence of their confidence.

The man quickly donned the hat that had been placed on the table and exited the hideout.

The moon, which had risen, was exceptionally dark that night.

And, on the other hand, it felt like a good omen for the success of his mission.

For them, there was no more ominous symbol than a bright moonlit night.