“Come on over! We have precious herbs found only in the southern mountain range!”
“Seafood from Calon just came in! It’s fresh and preserved with ice magic and salt!”
“We’ve also got silk from the Mclain mountain range!!”
Silk was a specialty of our kingdom, too?
Victor walked through the bustling market, scanning his surroundings.
The sudden realization that he was in unfamiliar territory settled in. Even his reflection in a mirror in the general store he passed by seemed strange.
Dark skin, brown hair, blue eyes.
He couldn’t quite get used to this face.
Unfamiliar environment.
Unfamiliar mission.
Unfamiliar face.
After spending the past week in Tahinan, the capital of the Duchy of Tahiti, comparing the information he had with the reality on the ground, he came to one conclusion.
‘Being a spy or an agent is definitely not for everyone.’
It all felt awkward to him.
If it was a relief, it might the fact that 90% of the skills required for this mission were martial prowess.
Had he not been in the guise of a rich foreign nobleman on vacation in the Duchy of Tahiti, he would have attracted suspicious glances in no time.
‘Well, it’s not like I’m not attracting any attention right now, either.’
While turning into an alley, Victor checked on the man who had been following him for about 20 meters.
Casually diverting his eyes, he walked on indifferently.
‘This is bad.’
It was the same man he had met a few days ago, posing as a merchant in the market.
They had had a fairly long conversation as the man recommended various items.
Although the man had changed his disguise, to Victor, who judged people by their energy rather than appearances, it only made him feel more out of place.
Disguised and following – that was troublesome.
‘And there’s no guarantee it’s just him.’
The man had incidentally made enough contact to leave an imprint of his energy in Victor’s memory.
As Victor deliberately surveyed his surroundings, two other suspicious figures, who were always near his accommodation, came to mind.
In a city where intermediary trade thrived and also served as a tourist destination, would outsiders be guarded to this extent?
‘That can’t be right.’
Had information leaked out?
As far as Victor knew, only his lord, himself, Damian, and Dwayne knew about this mission in Mclain.
Add to that one ally who was currently staying with him at the accommodation.
It was impossible for information to have leaked.
Those in Tria who had put up their national treasure as collateral could not possibly know who the executor of their request was.
There was no information leak on that end, either.
After eliminating all the less likely possibilities, only one remained.
“So, thugs trying to rob a wealthy tourist? Ha…”
He had chosen the identity of a noble precisely because he had heard Tahinan had its fair share of such scoundrels.
‘Don’t they say they don’t mess with nobles? Tsk. If I’m not careful, this whole thing might get complicated.’
Carrying a heavier heart, Victor entered the accommodation he had grown accustomed to over the week.
Suitably spacious and luxurious for a visiting nobleman, there was a foreign face inside, waving at him.
“Hey there. So, have you seen the royal castle with your own eyes?”
A handsome man in his thirties, blond hair and a pockmarked face. It was the transformed appearance of the magician Grik, who originally had brown hair, a skinny frame, and a tired face.
Victor responded half a beat late to the still-unfamiliar sight.
“I’ve seen everything there was to see with my own eyes.”
“…I’m not sure what exactly ‘everything’ means, but you’ve confirmed it, right?”
“Yes.”
“You’re familiar with the structure of the royal residence and the strength of the guard force?”
“Yes.”
Despite Victor’s firm response, Grik’s face betrayed a lingering worry.
Being a master mage and a disciple of the golem master Clayton, there was a reason he had come all this way. Though maintaining his transformed state was one reason, the more important one was to ensure this loyal young knight was well-prepared for his mission.
And in the few weeks of preparation, Grik had analyzed intelligence from the ‘Eye of Flame’ spy network created by Damian and realized that the defenses of the royal castle, which he had casually dismissed as being on par with a province, were far from easy to breach.
Even if Victor was an elite knight of the highest class and a prodigy of the century, Grik couldn’t help but worry.
“I mean it when I say this, but wouldn’t it be better to ask for reinforcements now?”
“I’m fine.”
“Really?”
Grik’s concern was evident, but Victor remained calm and nodded.
“You can go back, Lord Grik.”
“What?”
“It seems like flies have started to swarm around me.”
“Flies?”
As Victor mentioned that he had been followed recently, Grik’s expression darkened momentarily.
“Could it be that… the plan has been…?”
“It won’t be. They were utterly lacking in force. I sensed no aura or mana.”
“Hmm…”
Grik, aware of the young knight’s exceptional senses, finally accepted Victor’s explanation.
“Even so, wouldn’t it be better for me to stay? For any unforeseen circumstances?”
‘Maybe it won’t be as dangerous as I thought.’
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