Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Preparation (2)

“Oh, by the way, brother. I have something to tell you.”

Although it was a crucial moment, I was still pretending to be calm. Aron, who was unaware of the situation, spoke to me.

I lightly tapped my index finger on the table once. It was a pre-arranged signal.

“Go ahead.”

“It seems Mary wants to go to college.”

“College? That’s fine. Mary will do well there too. I’ll look into it once this job is done.”

I was planning to use Mary as administrative staff in the long run anyway. She showed more potential than I initially thought.

Our organization also lacked suitable people for such tedious work.

College is a good option. She’ll do well enough, and she just needs to learn rather than get tied down with things like theses.

“But it looks like she’s being a bit hesitant.”

“Why is she hesitant?”

“She thinks she might be a burden to you, brother. When I said I’d tell you, she tried to stop me.”

“There’s no need for that.”

I shook my head lightly.

“Your growth directly benefits me. Tell her not to worry. And in the future, if there are things like this, speak up right away.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Aron replied with a happy face. I clinked beer glasses with Aron and turned my attention back to the other side.

After taking a swig of alcohol, the 3rd Prince’s confidant let out an appreciative “Ah-“. Mateo smiled in front of him.

“How’s the taste? Is it good enough to make up for the long wait?”

“Yeah. It’s this taste that makes me work hard to earn money, isn’t it?”

“I’m glad. It was worth the trouble to get it.”

“Good. I’ll pay for the effort you put into getting this too.”

“Why state the obvious? Of course you should. I got this from the west, which is in the middle of a war, you know.”

The confidant, grinning, placed a money pouch on the table. Mateo opened it right there to check.

From what I could see, the amount didn’t seem abnormal. Rather than a secret money transaction, it looked more like an action to make it seem real.

After that, no more conversation took place. This was because Mateo turned his attention to other customers.

The confidant sat quietly, sipping his drink.

A considerable amount of time passed like that. When the confidant had nearly emptied a bottle of alcohol, Mateo approached him again.

“You’ve finished already? You should savor precious things.”

“If you save things too much, they might become useless.”

“That’s an unusually profound statement coming from you.”

The confidant tapped the bottle lightly with his finger.

It seemed like a meaningless action, but it was oddly out of place. I felt it was some kind of signal. I focused more intently.

“Is this one bottle all you got?”

“Yes.”

“When will the next one come in?”

“It won’t be coming in for a while. The merchant group is reluctant to go to the west, which is in the middle of a civil war.”

“Hmm.”

“The noble lords might find a way to get it somehow, but commoners like us have no choice. We’ll have to wait at least a month.”

“What? A month? That’s too long. I don’t like it being prolonged.”

“Can’t be helped, can it?”

Alcohol. That alcohol seemed to be a code word symbolizing their meeting. The one month probably referred to the date of their next meeting.

In a month, it’s the coming-of-age ceremony. It clearly meant to come back after carrying out the operation.

I wondered if they had already established all their plans for the coming-of-age ceremony.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t tell him to come after the ceremony.

Well, it’s a plan to assassinate the princess, even using a bomb hidden in fruit.

They must have already worked out the major plans.

‘It’s going to be harder to get information.’

If they were still in the planning and discussion stage, I could eavesdrop using Winds or search rooms to get some information.

But if the plan is already complete, they would have destroyed most documents and won’t open their mouths.

It’s getting a bit of a headache. I quickly racked my brain. Still, it’s too early to give up just yet.

For now, I should start frequenting the bar and build a rapport with Mateo. I might catch some unexpected connection.

Of course, I needed to check the 3rd Prince’s side too. It seemed he had completely lost support and joined hands with the devil worshippers.

They probably approached him first.

The 1st and 2nd Princes don’t seem to be involved. Surely all three princes couldn’t be connected to them.

But whether those two princes were plotting some other schemes was still unknown.

“Let’s go.”

For now, it seemed difficult to gain anything more here. Let’s go back to the lodging and think calmly.

***

Ten days passed. I visited Celeb’s bar about four more times, but unfortunately, there was no gain.

No notable person appeared after the 3rd Prince’s confidant.

Even when I met Celeb, the conversation felt like it was wrapping up. It was clear that preparations were finished and they were just waiting.

In the remaining time, I also observed the 3rd Prince’s side, but I couldn’t obtain any useful information there either.

It’s not that there was nothing at all. I could hear the 3rd Prince’s words.

-Sigh. The waiting time is torturous. I wish I could quickly…that woman…

-Your Highness, please be careful with your words.

In fact, this was information I was already certain about, so it wasn’t that meaningful.

Considering I had infiltrated the palace to observe the 3rd Prince, it wasn’t a profitable venture.

The 3rd Prince didn’t have any notable supporting nobles, so there weren’t any close aides to squeeze information from.

Now, there was about 3 weeks left until the coming-of-age ceremony.

‘I feel like I’m going to die of exhaustion.’

It wasn’t just Mateo and the 3rd Prince that I was monitoring. I also kept an eye on Blancheot and Celeb whenever I could spare a moment.

Naturally, I hardly got any sleep. It was a physically and mentally draining time.

I couldn’t even pay much attention to Aron and Jofor’s marble training after setting them to it. I just entrusted the follow-up to Denif.

I only heard that Aron won. Denif and Rina were also busy helping with my work.

‘I don’t think there’s much meaning in searching further now.’

This was the conclusion I reached after much deliberation. I should minimize surveillance on the devil worshipper side.

I already know about the bomb.

There probably isn’t anything beyond that. At most, maybe an assassin.

Since I know the location of the bomb, it seemed better to respond according to the situation as the coming-of-age ceremony approaches.

Endless surveillance would only lead my physical condition to the worst state.

It’s time for selection and concentration. Although 3 weeks remained, we don’t know what situation might unfold. I need to take care of my body too.

That doesn’t mean I plan to rest completely. There’s still the 1st and 2nd Princes’ side left.

‘Although the chances of these guys making a move aren’t high.’

They’re both candidates after the princess. They’re likely to avoid creating situations that could get them in trouble. Since they keep each other in check.

However, we should consider the possibility of them joining hands.

My head is complicated. I’m not even sure if my current judgment is correct. It’s not a good situation.

Lack of judgment is something a spy should avoid.

Of course, if it’s really an extreme situation, it can’t be helped, but this was the result of me pushing myself too hard.

17 days.

That’s how long I’ve been observing the enemies while taking short naps. Both my body and mind were at their limit.

‘Still, considering it’s Worst Condition, I’ve endured quite long.’

Given the situation, my survival instinct was stimulated, allowing me to do this. But now it’s really time to rest.

My concentration has noticeably dropped. If this continues for a few more days, I might make a big mistake.

Even yesterday, when I went to the palace to observe the 3rd Prince, I made a mistake I would never have made normally.

Kicking a small stone was the first problem, and then I couldn’t even stop the sound. It was a chilling moment.

‘Let’s rest.’

And I devoted exactly two days to resting. On the first day, I just ate meals and slept.

The remaining day was focused on rest and efforts to bring my body back to normal condition.

And today, the third day.

As soon as I opened my eyes early in the morning, I couldn’t help but be surprised. I was in top condition.

‘Damn, why now of all times…’

It was the best condition I’d experienced in a long time. It had been over a year since the Empress assassination incident.

It had been quite long. Sometimes it came as early as 6 months.

Curses came out from inside. The regret was also great. Why is it coming now of all times? If it had been a little later, it would have been good.

If the best condition had come to match Erendil’s coming-of-age ceremony, I would have had nothing to fear.

‘Well, it rarely matched the timing anyway.’

The day I killed the Empress was the luckiest day since coming to this world.

Usually, it came on meaningless days like today.

In another sense, it was also ambiguous. I clearly remember the swordsmanship of Rudehrn’s Swordsmanship and Mondegreen’s.

I was trying not to imitate that.

So, when the best condition came, I was thinking of focusing on the sword all day.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, now was the time to observe the surroundings.

Whether I should look at the sword or go observe the movements of the princes. It was a brief conflict, but the answer was set.

‘It’s better to focus on the sword than on the 1st or 2nd Prince, who have lower risk.’

In fact, from another perspective, it was also good fortune. The best condition made all the fatigue from the past 17 days disappear.

Also, it’s an opportunity to properly check my swordsmanship before a big event. Let’s think positively.

‘Since it’s already happened, I should make the most of it.’

It was early dawn, earlier than others’ wake-up time. I immediately went out the door. Namir was awake.

Even though we had established a base here, we were still taking turns for night watch. You never know what might happen in the middle of the night.

“Oh? Boss, you’re up early. Is something wrong?”

Namir, looking tired, got up from his seat to greet me. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at me.

“Hm? You look strangely refreshed. You looked so tired until yesterday.”

“That’s right. Don’t bother me today. If the kids look for me, stop them. Don’t even call me for meals.”

“Pardon?”

Namir, who asked back, opened his mouth.

“Oh, could it be… that day?”

Namir tilted his head. Denif had mentioned ‘Carlyn’s strange day’ to the kids.

There’s no need to talk at length. In fact, even this time was precious.

I’m taking preemptive measures because I’m worried the kids might disturb me. I quickly nodded.

“That’s right.”

“Oh, go in quickly then! Don’t worry about outside. I’ll make sure to convey the message.”

Namir, becoming more urgent than me, didn’t know what to do and pushed me into the room.

He knows that for a swordsman, time to gain enlightenment is more precious than anything.

“Namir, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes. Boss, don’t worry about anything. I’ll guard the door.”

I nodded and entered the room. After a light face wash, I sat cross-legged and focused on the Moonlight Technique.

The moon rises in my inner world. The moon in my chest still hasn’t become a half-moon.

It’s been quite some time since I reached 4-star. I fought with a Sword Master and learned from another Sword Master, but I haven’t reached 5-star.

Originally, the next stage gets farther as you progress in these things. In fact, I thought it would be soon.

The moon seemed to be waxing bit by bit. It was a time when enlightenment was flickering.

Especially after meeting Mondegreen.

The reason I couldn’t progress further was probably because Rudehrn’s swordsmanship remained like a lingering worry. Today, I might surely reach 5-star.

‘No more distracting thoughts.’

I sank into my inner world. In the inner world, Moonlight rises under the moon. The surrounding wind are warm.

In the darkness, I recalled the past.

On the day of my best condition, the bloody fight with Rudehrn came first. In my mental image, I cross swords with Rudehrn once again.

Of course, in a different way from then.

I don’t know how much time passed in there. I didn’t think about it, nor did I have time to think about it.

I only thought about Pelia, who opened the power of darkness, and Mondegreen after Rudehrn.

And at the end, I returned to my sword. Through the mistake of trying to draw waves behind the moon. Things I couldn’t see before started to become visible.

‘Ah…’

And at some point, something penetrated my mind. The complex things that filled my head suddenly became clear.

The moment I faced the mistakes I had failed to recognize even after hearing about them, the stepping stones I needed to move forward became clearly visible.

At the same time, the mana of the Moonlight Technique began to circulate fiercely through the circuits in my body. A sense of elation ignited.

In that state, I focused on the flow of mana.

Five rounds. When the fierce circulation ended, I realized that the moon in my chest had become a half-moon. I had reached 5-star in the Moonlight Technique.

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