ICTFF - Chapter 78

The difference between awareness and illusion (8)

As time passed, flyers were posted all over Eldern city.

< We will reward 10 million gold to anyone who captures the assassin.

However, only one person per order.

Millenia Astrod >

"What the heck! Some guy tried to assassinate our young lady?"

"I see. Oh my, I wonder if the young lady is okay."

"They protected the young lady. Isn't that why she put up these flyers?"

"But how much is ten million gold?"

A question mark appeared on the faces of the people. It was an amount of money they had never imagined in their lives, so they had no idea how much it would be.

A man quietly slipped out of the crowd.

Brown hair, brown eyes, and an unremarkable appearance. The man had an ordinary impression that would pass him by no matter how many times he saw him.

He walked leisurely with a faint smile on his face as he entered the Queens and Red Fork Inn.

"Hello."

The innkeeper looked at the man and tilted his head.

"Hmm? Are you a guest?"

"Room 309."

"Ah, customer 309. I'm sorry. I'm good at remembering faces, but strangely enough, I keep making mistakes with you."

"No problem. Can I have lunch?"

"I'm already making stew. Should I bring it to your room when it's done?"

"I would appreciate it if you would do that. Thank you."

"Oh my, your greeting is so bright. Come up and take a look."

A man bowed to the innkeeper and opened the door to room 309.

The smile that had been on my lips until then disappeared as soon as I entered the room.

The man who returned with a cold face swore softly.

"Shit."

The original plan was to have Luther assassinate Millenia with Vivian's hands.

Of course, Vivian, who poisoned Millenia, would be killed on the spot, so all they had to do was deal with Luther and leave Eldern.

'When I met Vivian at the cafe yesterday, everything was going according to plan...'

It all went to pieces overnight.

It was because Vivian told the truth instead of poisoning Millenia.

As a result, the Duke led the Knights of Eldern to rescue Luther, and Millenia placed a large bounty on the assassin.

Fortunately, the atmosphere was such that it was unclear how many assassins there were, but it wasn't good news for the man.

Because he was the one who exposed his face to Vivian.

The money I received for this commission was only 500,000 gold. The money Millenia offered was twenty times that amount.

"A million gold."

Even that was an amount that could be greedy.

If I hadn't met Vivian, I would have wanted to give my colleague to Millenia.

So it was obvious what the other two colleagues would do.

'You must be wondering how to catch me.'

Even he would have done the same. In this world where betrayal is rampant, loyalty is a luxury.

'I guess I should attack first.'

The man hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.

There were two of them. The difference in skill level between them and me wasn't that big. If I had rushed in without thinking, I could have been caught by them.

'I guess I should leave.'

The man, having made his decision, began to pack his bags.

As I was hurriedly packing my luggage into a large bag, I heard a noise outside the guest room door.

The man stopped everything and listened.

"Guest of room 309, I brought you your meal."

"Ah... Excuse me, but could you leave it in front of the door? I'm taking it off right now."

"Yes. I'll leave it here, so eat it before it gets cold."

Only after confirming that the noise had faded did the man pack his remaining luggage into his bag.

And then he approached the door silently, carrying his luggage.

If he left his meal at the door, his colleagues would notice that he was not in the room. He had to put the meal away before he left.

I stood in front of the door for a long time, but there was no sound from outside.

Only then did the man quietly open the door.

The moment he reached for the food on the floor, someone pointed a dagger at his neck. He froze.

"Hello, Adie. Where are you going?"

"Hey, you weren't going to leave without telling us? You weren't, were you? Adie?"

They were his colleagues.

***

Because I underestimated the power of the assassins, people who shouldn't have been hurt got hurt.

I'm sick and tired of people getting hurt because of me. So why not just make them fight each other?

So I threw out a bait worth ten million gold.

If the assassins were indeed the kind of people who would not hesitate to betray, as Baba said, they would not be willing to give up ten million gold to keep their loyalty.

All I had to do was sit back and wait for them to betray each other.

The problem was Kalit. He found out about the situation too late and did not hide his discomfort.

"That happened and I was the only one who didn't know? Is this what happens to your friend?"

It was more like he was upset rather than uncomfortable, but anyway, I had to comfort him.

"The situation was so urgent that I couldn't tell you. And it would be strange to wake you up to tell you something that has nothing to do with Your Highness."

"Why don't you care? Your friend is in danger."

"Hmm..."

"Have you ever thought about how I would feel if I just slept without even knowing it?"

I nodded without realizing it.

If Nadia was in danger and you hadn't told me, I would have been just as upset as Kalit.

"I'm sorry. I'll make sure to tell you next time."

"This can't happen again."

"I was short-sighted. Your Highness is right."

Kalit rested his chin on his hand and stared at me blankly.

"Are you sorry to me?"

"Sure."

"Then, from now on, call me by my name."

"How dare I..."

"We're friends."

I feel like he's using the word friend too much... Is it just my mood?

"When we're alone. I'll do as you say. But please call me by my name, Kalit."

"Yes, Millenia. Well, I think we've become a lot closer since you called me by my name."

Kalit smiled languidly, the corners of his eyes widening.

"So now all we have to do is wait for them to come to us on their own. Then, until then, let's play a game of chess. We ended up playing at our villa." 

"I wonder."

Kalit arranged the chessboard. He asked absentmindedly as he watched the pieces move freely, knock, knock.

"I haven't seen the little Duke. Where did he go?"

"After interrogating the leader you captured at dawn, you should be training with the Knights right now."

"I wonder if anyone got hurt while rescuing the child." 

"You hurt your arm, but Rahon healed it."

Kalit smirked as he placed the black king.

"You know more about the little Duke than I do."

"... I guess you know a lot about the little Duke."

"I know a little more than other people." 

When Baba raided the villa, Kalit showed her true form when she was alone with Ian.

That meant he trusted Ian. He said he couldn't show his true self to someone he didn't trust.

At the time, Kalot, who had kept her relationship with Ian completely hidden, was slowly showing her true feelings.

'Can I assume that you have come to trust me that much?'

I suddenly remembered my past life.

When Oslo drove Kalit out into the outback. I was in prison.

The prisoners' chatter could be heard all the way to the solitary cell. They were all sympathizing with Kalit.

"He told me to go with the servant. Someone saw him and said he looked like a vagabond, not a Prince."

"You didn't give me a single penny for going on that long journey. You're just saying you'll die along the way."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I'd rather be in prison. At least they give me food here."

Kalit, who would have become emperor if not for me, was reduced to a position where even the prisoners pitied him.

Thinking back on that time, I didn't regret doing anything for Kalit.

Moreover, if he is truly my benefactor, then he came all the way to hell to save me, even though he fell into the abyss because of me.

How on earth can I repay this favor? It was a daunting thought.

At that moment, Kalit, who had finished arranging the white chess pieces, raised his head. Then, he leaned back on the sofa and looked at me intently.

"Millenia, can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever told anyone else about your flower-shaped scar?"

"...!"

My mind went blank at the unexpected question.

"That's why are you asking? I remember you saying you didn't know back then."

"It was a lie. I know what it was. If he was truly my benefactor, it would be natural for him to know about the flower-shaped scar, but my heart sank."

"But why all of a sudden"

"Forget it."

"Yes?"

"It's not your domain. Don't mention it to anyone, and erase it from your mind. I'm giving you this advice because I don't want to lose my only friend."

This is not my area of permission.

It's almost like a warning to someone who knows something they shouldn't know.

What on earth are flower-shaped scars?

"Mr. Kalit..."

Before I could finish asking the question, Nadia came into the reception room.

"Miss, a guest has arrived."

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