Chapter 7, Episode 30: Hudom’s Reasons
~Hudom’s Side~
Once I informed him that I was giving information about him to His Majesty, he asked me again, “Does that mean you’re a spy...?”
“We do have those departments, of course, but I’m just His Majesty’s personal errand boy.”
It looked like I’d better start at the beginning. I expressed this sentiment, and he permitted me to take my time. I wasn’t going to drag it out, but this was going to take a while regardless. It all started in my school days, after all. Just before my graduation.
“At the time, I was fighting with my dad almost every day. He was adamantly against me pursuing martial arts or traveling to test myself... I told you a bit about my family before.”
“They were a generation of royal gardeners.”
“That’s all you need to know. One day during that time in my life pops called me out to his office.” I was younger back then, and I was just mad at him... I thought he was going to boast about the job and scold me for entertaining the ridiculous aspiration of mine... “I didn’t want to go, but blowing him off would have felt like running away. So I showed up as I was told, and His Majesty was waiting for me. I discovered there that His Majesty and my pops had secretly been close since he was a gardener in training. When pops told His Majesty about me, he saw an opportunity.”
“Opportunity?”
“His Majesty received piles of reports containing various pieces of information from all over the country. Those, however, had been sorted and refined by several subordinates and deemed worthy of His Majesty’s time and attention. That was partially because His Majesty could never get through all of the reports on his own, but he wanted more unrefined information. Straight from the horse’s mouth. The uncensored voice of the people.”
His Majesty had been notoriously free spirited since youth. He had made friends with my dad because he was hiding in the garden to get away from his studies.
“That certainly speaks to the king’s character,” my boss said. “And the relationship between you and your father... No wonder you’re his errand boy.”
“Right. Naturally, once His Majesty inherited the throne, it was much harder for him to sneak out of the palace. So, I would travel the lands and regularly report to him the status of the cities and areas I passed through. In exchange for me taking on this task, His Majesty helped convince my father to allow my departure.” And just so he knew... “The information I give is only things a normal traveler would see. Mostly the atmosphere of the city and any rumors going around. The espionage you’re thinking of is reserved for professionals trained in that department, and that doesn’t include me.”
Something seemed to click with the boss. Before I could ask what that was, he threw another question at me.
“Why did you choose my laundry shop for your cover? I remember hearing that you helped Chelma the cook, and that led to the job... And that you needed to make some money before resuming your travels.”
“That was a coincidence. I had come to Gimul under His Majesty’s direction, but I happened to help a lady in need and decided to walk her back since the city didn’t look too safe. Not to mention, I needed the money. The only payment I received from His Majesty was him persuading my father.”
“Really?”
“He offered, but my father and I refused. My father did kind of goad me into it when we were ironing out our deal... My journey was supposed to be my chance to improve myself. There was no point in embarking on it if someone else had to foot the bill.” That reminded me. “In exchange, I guess, I have been given the freedom to choose where I go, for the most part. This is the first time I’ve been asked to go to a specific city. And, the information I gather is usually sent in a letter to my father, which is then passed on to the throne. This time, though, a contact is stationed in the city. I received a response to my letter one time, so I assume the contact or someone else uses space magic to deliver my letters to His Majesty straight away.”
“The throne is more involved this time... Can you tell me why?”
“Apparently, the rumor that crime is rising here has been quietly spreading among nobles. His Majesty caught wind of it...” All of a sudden, the boss’s expression darkened, now looking quiet but ominous.
“The rumor’s widespread. I rushed back to Gimul after hearing the same rumor in Fatoma.”
Come to think of it, he seemed even more on edge now than he was when we first met... Not that I needed to quell his anger, but I decided to add, “It’s not uncommon for news of scandals to spread quickly. Especially if the rumors are backed up by fact.”
“And if not, facts can be manufactured.”
“Exactly.” He was quick to catch on... I was a bit worried that the glimmer in his eyes seemed to fade out. “Boss?”
“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking of something... Next question. You’re telling me that your job was to report on the city, but I’ve heard that you were looking into me. Can you explain this?”
“It’s true that I was looking into you specifically, but I can explain that.”
“Go ahead.”
I finally got to say what I had been thinking these past few days. “It’s because you’re doing too bloody much!”
I mean, I wasn’t lying that my assignment was gathering intel and rumors about the city, but still!
“I go out into the city to gather information, and all everyone can talk about is you! What choice do I have but to look into you?!”
When I asked people what was troubling them, most mentioned the laborers or rise in crime, which inevitably led to the security company and trash plant that he started, or about the rezoning of the slums. When they talked about him, they told me everything: how close he was with the duke, how he used incredible magic and kept a countless variety of slimes, and even where I could usually find him at any given time or day; things I hadn’t even asked about. “It was no more an investigation than it was confirming public knowledge! No matter how far I dug, I got no further than what the lady at the grocery shop told me at the start! Why don’t you post everything about yourself in the town square while you’re at it?!”
“Right. I thought it might have gone like that... Can’t argue with you there.” At least he was self-aware of how much attention he was drawing. He also seemed satisfied with my defense. “Thank you for letting me know. I think that’s about all I wanted to ask... Well, one more question. Not that you can do anything about it now, but are you okay with telling me everything like this? You didn’t even hesitate.”
“I thought being honest was the best option for me.”
Every noble knew that the king and the Jamils (especially the current duke) were close. My boss could easily verify everything I just told him, including my history and my family. My job wasn’t something I should brag about, but it also wasn’t important enough to try and conceal. “As soon as you lured me in here, I had nowhere to run. Any half-baked lie would only hurt me in the end.”
“I understand. Thank you,” he said, and slowly waved his hands.
Immediately, an armed group came flooding in from the doors on all four sides. I thought they were coming to restrain me, but—
“Please lower your guard, Master Hudom. If you remain calm, so will we.” A calm voice rang in the courtyard. It came from Lulunese, the maid who showed me to the courtyard; I just recalled her name when I saw her face behind the armed men and women. True to her word, the group had only surrounded me but made no further move to arrest or hurt me. “I ensured that we could hear the conversation between you and Master Ryoma.”
“That’s true,” the boss politely said to me before turning to the crowd. “What do you all think of Hudom’s explanation?”
The men close to him answered first. If memory served, they were the ones sent by the duke; I had seen them around the laundry shop a few times.
“I don’t think we need to take him by force, at least. You guys got way too into your match, anyway. Looking like you were having a blast. Took the wind out of our sails.”
“S-Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine, as long as you’re safe. When it comes to his story... Jill?”
“Invoking His Majesty’s name is a serious matter. Depending on the situation, the mere mention of his name without his permission could constitute a crime... Which would be highly likely in this case. This would lead to damaging his family name if word got out, and many houses would cut off or severely punish anyone who committed such a crime. His punishment would be far less severe to pretend he did it for the money.” He opened his mouth to add something, but said, “No, we should make sure of it first. Now, Hudom. You are going to come with us. We were watching you during your conversation with Ryoma, which he had insisted on organizing. As a result, we see you as much less of a threat than before. That being said, we can’t let you walk free just yet. We’ll need to ask you some questions of our own. You understand.”
“Of course.” He made it sound like he wouldn’t take no for an answer towards the end, but I deserved that implication in this situation. I showed that I was ready to follow without a fight, and he ordered the group to move indoors.
“All right... Thank you. I had fun, and I appreciate your consideration.”
“I only wanted to satisfy my curiosity. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After he left, I simply followed the way they showed me as I wondered what awaited me.
“What’s with the weird look? Do you regret it?” Hughes asked.
Did I really have a weird look on my face?
“I don’t regret it.”
I had agreed to work for His Majesty of my own volition. Even if it was just relaying little rumors, I did feel joy and pride that I was directly serving the king. Moreover, the work allowed me to live my life as I wanted to. I didn’t regret my decision, but... “I had a lot of fun tonight. I only have myself to blame, but I’m sorry things had to end this way.”
“You said you were honest about why you started traveling, and you both looked genuinely happy.”
“It wasn’t much fun for us watching from the shadows.”
“Cut him some slack, Jill.”
“No. The match never would have happened if I had my way. Ryoma’s safety is our top priority, and we let them duke it out one on one... What if he had been the type of person to take Ryoma hostage?!”
Ha! I had to agree, it wasn’t the safest option. But... “I couldn’t have done it if I tried.”
“True, Ryoma has incredible strength, especially for his age. But nothing was guaranteed.” He seemed a bit overprotective, despite his stoic attitude.
“He was stronger than I had expected.” I had given it my all in the way of martial arts and improved my skills over my journey. While I knew I was still young, I had experienced plenty of fights, wins and losses, and I felt that I’d earned some confidence through my experience. I gave it my all, and he crushed me. Like I was a child challenging an adult.
I felt a sort of history through his technique, but more so the skills required to wield those moves in combat, and even more so the training he must have undergone to build those skills. I felt that weight behind every move. I had always thought that he didn’t act like a typical child his age, but towards the end, I saw no child at all. All I saw was a man who had honed his skills for decades. He just happened to take on the form of a child. Maybe that doesn’t make sense. Maybe my brain was still recovering from the exhaustion of our match. But, somehow, I had gotten that impression. This helped me accept my defeat, and admitting it out loud came easy. To meet someone like him was why I set out on my journey in the first place, and my greatest pleasure to do so.
I didn’t know what punishment I would face. Fired from the laundry shop, for starters, I assumed. I might not be allowed near him again. Getting involved with any noble issue, not just the Jamils, always spelled trouble... I doubted they would go as far as to kill me, but it was possible that I would be detained for a while. What was I going to do...?
■ ■ ■
The next day, after spending the night in a room within the security company’s headquarters, I was shown to a different room after breakfast.
“Good morning. Oh? Did you get some rest last night?”
My boss was there, acting like nothing had happened.
He even added, “Hudom, I’m reassigning you. Going forward, I would like you to guard me, instead of the laundry shop. Sorry I couldn’t give you more advance notice.”
How did it come to this...?
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