Chapter 5: Paladia Kingdom Infiltration
Two days ago—the same day Renji battled Lucius...
After fighting Nidoll Proxia, Rio left the imperial castle and immediately returned to the inn. When morning arrived, he checked out like a regular customer and left the imperial capital.
His next destination was the Paladia Kingdom, located to the east of the Proxia Empire. The Paladia Kingdom was one of the small kingdoms north of the Galarc Kingdom that was constantly in conflict with its neighbors over disputed territory.
Considering where and how it was obtained, he had his doubts about his information. But after causing such a commotion in the castle, he couldn’t just sneak back in the next day for more. Information was still information, in the end.
There wasn’t anything particularly strange about Lucius selecting this kingdom for his mercenary activities, so without any other leads, Rio had no choice but to head for the Paladia Kingdom.
According to the emperor, the first prince should know something... The problem is how I should make contact with him, Rio thought while he flew. He would probably be granted an audience if he introduced himself as the honorary knight of Galarc, but with his goal being what it was, he didn’t want to involve his official noble position by going through the formal route.
Which left his only option as infiltration, but—
I’ll probably be able to sneak into the castle, except...
If he was to sneak inside, he’d have to wait for the dead of night, but the private rooms of royalty would probably be heavily guarded. If the prince had a wife and children, he’d probably be sleeping with them, and it wasn’t rare for royalty to sleep in bedrooms without windows in order to prevent intruders.
It was possible to force his way through by making the guards sleep, but recalling the commotion created by his fight with Nidoll made him feel reluctant to do that.
...But this isn’t the time to be thinking that. For now, I’ll sneak in and see how it plays out. I’ll have to wait for a chance to approach him.
With a tentative plan in mind, Rio increased his speed slightly—an unusual sign of how restless he was feeling.
The next afternoon, after a slight delay in locating himself amongst the disorderly, crowded small kingdoms, Rio arrived at Paladia Kingdom’s capital.
So this is the Paladia Kingdom, huh?
Rio looked around at the townscape as he walked. The city was spread along a lake shore and looked plain, but had the bustling activity of a larger kingdom’s suburban city. There were several merchants along the trading area of the city shouting for customers to look at their items.
It’s pretty normal... That was Rio’s first impression of the country.
I’ll stay at an inn like yesterday and wait for sunset, then head to the castle right away.
He came to an abrupt stop and looked up at the castle, located on a small hill beside the lake. With its tall and solid castle walls, it looked more like a fortress than a castle. It was also much more compactly sized than the castles in Beltrum and Galarc, which were larger kingdoms.
The possibility of Lucius being inside the castle right now was enough to send him into a bloodthirsty rage, but he calmed himself with a deep breath and went to prepare an inn.
Once the sun set, the Paladia Castle closed its front gate and prohibited anyone from entering or exiting. However, under the cover of darkness, there was one shadow that easily made its way past the patrolling soldiers and over the castle wall.
Rio was dressed in his black coat, hood over his head and mask over his face.
The security’s pretty tight.
He looked down from the top of the wall and observed the security below. There were torches illuminating every corner of the grounds, with many guards patrolling in extremely strict security.
Let’s try the upper floors for now.
Entry through the ground floor looked rather problematic; the residential area of the royalty was probably on the upper floor anyway. With that thought, Rio decided to enter the building from above. Enhancing his physical abilities, he nimbly ran up the wall of the castle. He then stood on the rooftop of the Paladia Castle. There wasn’t a good foundation to stand on, but he stood steadily as he looked around for an entry point into the castle.
From a defensive perspective, castles were normally made without any windows on the lower floors, but as the Paladia Castle was made more like a fortress, there were no windows that could be entered on the upper floors either. They were all windows so narrow, not even a child could fit through them. While there were larger windows every now and then, they were all locked from the inside.
Not even Rio had lockpicking abilities, so he had no way of opening locked windows other than physically breaking them. But that would leave clear evidence of a break-in, which he wanted to avoid. There would be more ways in if he just looked, anyway.
Seems like I can enter through that watchtower.
Rio identified a watchtower as a point of entry. There were soldiers standing guard in the tower that connected to the building, but it didn’t seem like there were any other entry points, so he didn’t have any other choice.
Rio activated a certain wind spirit art—by permeating his magic essence into the surrounding air, he could create a unique space that couldn’t be visually observed. However, this technique couldn’t erase sounds or the essence being released, so moving quickly or touching things would cause the spell to come apart. He had to proceed with extreme caution.
Rio slowly shuffled along the wall, moving below the watchtower. He then activated an additional spirit art, releasing a soft wind laced with magic essence to probe the inside of the watchtower.
Three, huh? The security really is strict. Are they on some kind of emergency alert?
Three guards stood on watch in the tower. However, Rio hadn’t given up on his break-in. He grabbed a handhold and climbed the wall just enough to peek inside the watchtower.
While the three of them are looking the other way...
Rio swiftly and smoothly descended into the tower. Fearing the space would distort and become noticeable, he canceled his optical disguise for a brief instant. At the exact same moment of his landing, he reactivated the spirit art and disappeared in the blink of an eye—it was a magnificent show of skill.
“Hmm?” The closest soldier reacted with a twitch, having picked up the sound of his landing. Rio crouched down on the spot.
“What’s wrong?” another guard asked curiously.
“No, I just thought I heard a noise... Must have imagined it.”
Since there wasn’t even a shadow to be seen, he dismissed it. After checking there was no one in the watchtower other than themselves, the guards diverted their attention again. Rio cautiously stood up and slowly walked through the watchtower and down the corridor leading to the castle.
Right, time to find the first prince’s room.
Pulling himself together, Rio moved through the shadows before canceling his optical disguise spell.
While he didn’t want to walk around the castle visible to the patrolling guards, there could be sorcerers in the castle sensitive to magic essence, or artifacts and barriers made to detect essence reactions.
That was why it was wiser to avoid walking around with magic essence constantly flowing out. Instead, he’d watch for the presence of others, detecting any suspicious essence reactions, then hiding himself as needed to cleverly avoid the eyes of the security.
As someone who had broken into many royal castles already, Rio was a veteran at this. He knew that intruding like this sometimes needed recklessness, so he stepped forward without hesitation. He descended the staircase leading to the tower and reached the main castle building.
He passed several patrolling guards along the way, but he hid himself in the shadows and against the ceiling to avoid their detection. The floor Rio came out on was the second floor. He started walking around to gain an idea of the castle’s interior and state of security.
While the castle wasn’t as big as those of major kingdoms, the guards didn’t leave any blind spots. However, that made things easier to predict. He memorized the areas with the most soldiers and analyzed the construction of the building to determine where the highest-ranked people would most likely be located.
That seems to be the bedroom of the first prince the emperor of Proxia mentioned.
Rio finally located the room of his target. Hiding in the corner of the corridor, he sounded out the situation. The door to the room was closed, and three knights stood guard in front of it. This made entering rather difficult.
“Hah, I want to go back to my room and sleep. Prince Duran sure has it nice, having fun on the other side of that door.”
He heard one of the knights muttering that.
Since he had learned the first prince’s name was Duran at the inn he was staying at, he knew there was no mistaking that information. Apparently he was very famous throughout the city for being quite the military man.
“Did you see the new woman Prince Duran brought today?”
“Yeah, she was pretty cute for a commoner.”
“Apparently she’s a famous poster girl for an inn downtown. She came to watch the festivities today.”
“He really does have it nice, swapping women one after another. I want to be in a superior position too. His infidelity is officially approved too, right?” the knight who first mentioned Duran’s name muttered.
“What infidelity? You’re single. You have to find a bride before you can dream of cheating on her. That, and you’d better achieve as many military exploits as Prince Duran to climb the ladder of success.”
“Sh-Shut up. I was just speaking hypothetically.”
The three seemed to be friendly colleagues, as their conversation was unreserved. However, they seemed to be trained quite well, as they showed no sign of letting down their guard despite this. It was proof of their high experience.
“But there might be a way to climb the ladder without military success,” one of the knights suddenly said.
“Oh?”
“It was mentioned at the festivities today, no? Whoever can withstand one blow from Prince Duran will receive a reward. They’ll be holding it again from noon tomorrow. There are no limits to the participants, so even we could apply.”
“...Don’t joke about that. I don’t want to die yet—there’s no way I could survive a hit from Prince Duran’s enchanted sword. Not in a million years. He probably wouldn’t even hold back against us if we applied.”
The bulky knights shrunk in on themselves in fear.
“All the adventurers that participated were sent flying, after all. Those that made it out with just their armor broken were still lucky—there was one fool who tried to block Prince Duran’s downwards swing and was rendered beyond recovery.” Another knight recalled the scene with a cold smile. It seemed like the reward was being used as bait to hold an event even highly trained knights feared.
An event, huh?
Rio’s interest was piqued by that contest. The timing was a little too convenient, but Rio had never met Duran before—this development was a godsend to him.
Then there’s no need for me to risk things here.
Having decided to participate in the event, Rio quietly left the scene.
The next day, around the same time when Christina and Flora were sent to the Paladia Forest...
Rio walked easily through the main gate to the Paladia Castle. Normally, the area was strictly off-limits to unauthorized personnel, but today the grounds were open up to the courtyard. A huge crowd of people had gathered there in excitement, blocking his view of the action.
“Whoaaa!”
Cheering could be heard from afar. Rio went up the stairs of the courtyard open for spectators, deciding to watch the event from the viewing space above.
This should do.
There were two large men wielding swords. One was clearly a rowdy adventurer, while the other was wearing a neat military uniform. Both were in their mid-twenties.
Is that man Prince Duran?
Rio focused his gaze on the man in military uniform. He had an aggressive grin and a wild air about him, but his facial features were extremely refined. As proof of that, it was clear the spectating women were all watching him with heated gazes.
The adventurer and Duran distanced themselves and faced each other in the courtyard.
“Here goes,” Duran said, charging forward to slash his sword. The adventurer was hunched over a bit, but he held his sword at the ready without moving an inch.
Suddenly, Duran slashed at the adventurer’s sword. “W-Whoa?!” The nervous adventurer was unable to stand his ground and was easily blown away.
“Oooh!!” The spectators cheered passionately. Young ladies in the crowd squealed, and Duran lowered his sword with a smug look.
“How pathetic. Prattling on about joining my squad when you’re such a weak-kneed man. Is there no one out there with some backbone?” Duran glanced down at the adventurer, who was sent flying, and shook his head in disappointment. Then he looked around at the crowd and shouted to incite them. “Well, is there?! Is there no one who can withstand one blow from me, the great Duran?! You’ll be rewarded with whatever you wish!”
The adventurers who were out to get rich quick stirred noisily.
Every adventurer yesterday and today had been beaten down; while Paladia was only a minor kingdom, the reward the first prince spoke of was attractive enough to spur them into action.
As long as they held their weapon at the ready, Duran would engage them. As long as they weren’t unlucky enough to be hit from the wrong angle, there was little chance of them meeting their demise.
Even though they had just witnessed a man be sent flying moments ago, there were several people sucking in deep breaths and summoning their courage to step forward.
Amongst them, there was one person who raised his hand immediately.
“...Oh?” Duran immediately spotted them. He easily lifted a two-handed sword up with one hand and pointed with the tip.
“The man... No, the boy over there. Come down here,” he said, nominating Rio, who had been the one to raise his hand.
“...” Rio bowed once, silently, and went down the staircase to where Duran was waiting in the center of the courtyard. The spectators opened a path for him in slight shock.
“Hey, hey...”
“That brat’s dead meat.”
“But he’s got pretty good gear on him.”
The adventurers that were too late to step forward started making their usual lively remarks.
In reality, there was quite a height difference between Duran and Rio, and their body weight was quite different too. The adventurers couldn’t foresee a still-developing boy’s body being able to withstand a hit from Duran, so it was only natural they would underestimate him. However—
“Kid. What do you want as a reward for withstanding one blow from me?” Duran asked, staring sharply at Rio as though he were watching some kind of interesting prey.
“The location of the Heavenly Lions’ captain—Lucius Orgueil,” Rio answered without hesitation.
Duran’s eyes widened faintly before he grinned. “Hmm. Very well. Draw your sword.”
“Excuse me, then.” With that preamble, Rio drew his favored blade from the sheath at his waist with a flowing gesture. A sharp but clear sound echoed, revealing the gleaming blade. Meanwhile, the spectators were holding their breath in suspense. Even the lively adventurers had quieted down, leaving the courtyard in silence.
“Interesting. An enchanted sword, huh? I’ll strike you with a blow worthy of your reward. Do not disappoint me,” Duran’s proud voice sounded clearly.
“I will do my best. Ready when you are.” Rio already had his sword braced.
“There will be no signal...”
Duran’s aura sharpened. The atmosphere was no longer that of recreation, but a real battlefield. The moment someone spectating gulped noisily—
“...” Duran kicked off from the ground without a sound. He closed the ten-meter gap between himself and Rio in a single instant, swinging his sword down from above.
“Wha...?!” The spectators lost sight of Duran as his speed surpassed what they could follow with their eyes. It was the moment they finally understood how much Duran had been holding back until now.
Meanwhile, Rio saw through Duran’s movements perfectly. Since the rule was to stop the blow, he couldn’t avoid it; instead, he held his sword ready to guard.
Zoom! The sound of the impact reverberated. Rio held his ground as he caught the blade of Duran’s enchanted sword with the blade of his own.
“You... What did you do?” Duran asked in confusion, his sword still held aloft.
“I just caught your blow,” Rio replied curiously as though he didn’t understand the question.
“Caught my blow, you say? Bah!” Duran burst into hearty laughter. “Then what was that lack of resistance I felt just now? What did I just try to cut?”
Duran corrected his question. He had definitely struck Rio’s sword with his own, but there had been no resistance.
“That’s probably because I redirected the force...”
“In a single instance? To a blow from me?” Duran often redirected the power of an opponent’s blow behind him as well, so he understood the logic. However, his eyes were wide as though he couldn’t believe it.
“Yes,” Rio nodded calmly.
“Ha. Bwahahaha!” Duran cackled.
“...” Rio stood there somewhat awkwardly.
After laughing for a while, Duran collected himself and hummed. “If it’s Lucius Orgueil’s location you want, you’ll need to wait a while. I should be able to tell you by tomorrow.”
“You know his location?”
“He’s nearby, is what I can tell you. He’s also searching for you, kid... No, Haruto Amakawa—the Galarc Kingdom’s Black Knight.”
“...”
How does he know my identity? Rio watched Duran warily.
“I simply received a message from him—one that said you would most likely visit me in search of him. I’ve hired his services out of convenience quite a few times, but we’re not allies by any means. Though I’m not a neutral party either,” Duran said suggestively, then chuckled.
“Why can’t you tell me now?” Rio asked.
“I received his message as part of an agreement—one where I was ordered not to say anything unnecessary—and I’m a man of my word. I’ve told you he’s in this country somewhere, but I actually do not know his exact location. I’m expecting him to send word today of a location to give to you. It could arrive right after this. And that’s all I can say on the subject.”
“...”
“Any objections?” Duran grinned at Rio’s silence.
“...No,” Rio said, shaking his head slowly. With his movements anticipated to this extent, it was almost certain that Lucius would have set up some kind of trap to make the first move—but in this situation, there was nothing he could do about it.
“Where are you staying?”
“I’ve rented a room at an inn in town.”
“Then I’ll have one of my knights follow you when you return. Once I’ve received word of Lucius’s location, I’ll send a messenger there. That, or I can prepare a room at the castle if you’d like to stay here?”
“...I’ll be at the inn. I won’t run or hide, either.” Rio was rather taken aback at the bold declaration of sending someone to tail him.
“What a shame. I would have liked to talk to you over drinks...” Duran sighed in disappointment.
What an odd guy.
Based on their conversation so far, Duran didn’t seem like a two-faced kind of person. He drew a line where he needed to, but it seemed like he was merely curious about Rio.
“There’s no helping it. I would risk breaking my contract with him as well. Go now.” Duran looked almost hesitant, but he sent Rio off bluntly as though to sever himself from his indecision.
“...Right.” Rio put the royal castle behind him, not feeling entirely satisfied.
Several hours later, in the forest west of the Paladia Kingdom’s capital, a man arrived at the cabin where Christina and Flora had teleported to.
“...” The man opened the door to the silent cabin. There was no sign of anyone inside. With the lamp in his hand to light the way, he marched in. After confirming that the building was empty and that the food in the storage and sheets on the bed were gone, he concluded that someone had stopped by the cabin.
“Heh, so they chose to run. I didn’t think such sheltered princesses would have the guts.” The man—Lucius—sneered as he left the cabin, then looked around carefully at the ground outside. Two amateurs were traversing the forest—they’d definitely leave tracks of trodden vegetation.
“It’s been a few hours at most since they left the cabin. They won’t get away.”
Like a beast hunting down its prey, Lucius started treading through the quiet forest.
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