Chapter 4 | The Assassin Adopts His Merchant Identity
The festival was only three days away, and the city was rife with excitement. All who were here to do business had determined looks in their eyes, whether they were part of a large company or selling products as individuals. The bigger the festival, the more money to be made. This was no ordinary celebration, either. It was being held in the holy city, and the Alamite Church had reached out to all countries for cooperation. This was a perfect opportunity to gain fame.
I was taking a stroll through the city on my own. Nobody addressed me. That wasn’t because the Lugh Tuatha Dé boom was over. On the contrary, the craze had worsened—the book was flying off the shelves, and plays and puppet shows were gaining popularity.
I moved unnoticed because I was disguised. No one has any idea who I am. Looks like my fame is going to have no impact on my assassin trade. I concealed my identity both to avoid being swarmed and to see if people would recognize me. This was the epicenter of my sudden popularity. If no one here saw through my facade, I’d have no trouble continuing my assassination work.
I wasn’t thrilled with the option, but I could alter my face with plastic surgery if my disguise wasn’t sufficient. Changing the contour of my face, the length of my nose, or the shape of my eyes would make me look like a completely different person. I would have done that without hesitation in my past life. I’d changed my face multiple times, in fact.
I didn’t want to do that anymore, however. I didn’t want to betray the love of my three fiancées.
“What are you doing, Lugh Tuatha Dé?”
I gasped. The voice sounded like a man’s, but it was a little high. Did someone see through my disguise? I hid my agitation and kept walking, ignoring the voice like an unrelated person would.
“I’m talkin’ to you, buster. You really think that disguise is gonna work?”
The person addressed me again. Their voice was a little higher this time; they were straining their voice to change it. It was likely they were a woman. I didn’t know why they were pretending to be a man… Wait. I know what’s going on here.
This was a prank, and I knew the culprit.
“Stop joking around, Maha. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
I turned around to see a beautiful girl who appeared wise beyond her years. She was wearing light makeup, and her clothes were modest but fashionable. The male voice I’d heard earlier came from her. Maha had no talent for combat, but I’d trained her in various other fields. She knew how to change her voice.
“Drat, you found me out.” Maha smiled with a ladylike grace that could not have been more at odds with the gruff male voice she’d produced.
“You’ve still got a ways to go,” I responded.
“I’ve been too busy to practice. I admit defeat… Anyway, welcome home, dear brother.”
“It’s good to be back, Maha.”
This obviously wasn’t my home, but I could tell Maha wanted to have that exchange, so I obliged.
The Alamite Church called on businesses from all over the world, so naturally, it reached out to Natural You, the cosmetics brand rapidly gaining popularity all over.
Maha and I were in the store Natural You was using during the festival. Lower-ranking companies had to share the floor of a building with other enterprises, but we were given an entire store with a good location. We’d have to meet some high expectations.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Illig and Ms. Maha.”
Everyone we passed greeted us with hasty bows. I was currently disguised as Illig Balor, the illegitimate, prostitute-born child of the Balor Company’s president. I founded Natural You under this identity with support from the Balor Company. That was why everyone addressed me so formally.
Maha and I entered an office and locked the door.
“I’m impressed you made it. It usually takes longer than a week to travel here from Milteu,” I said.
Horse-drawn carriages were much slower than one might think. A horse couldn’t run for half a day without getting tired, and they could only manage about twelve kilometers per hour, slower than a bike. No matter how much you hurried, it took at least a week to make the trip from Milteu.
“You have no idea the effort it took. Instead of a carriage I raced here on horseback, trading for the fastest horse I could find at every village I passed. Whenever I couldn’t get a horse, I strengthened myself with mana and ran instead… It would’ve been a lot easier if you made good on your promise to give me a hang glider,” Maha replied.
“Sorry. I haven’t been able to find the time.”
In an era where even the main roads weren’t well maintained, being able to ignore topography and move at high speeds in the air was incredibly useful. That’s why I wanted to make a hang glider for Maha, but I kept having to put it off because of all the recent trouble. Maha’s elemental affinity being water was also an issue. Figuring out how to power the hang glider would be difficult.
“Don’t worry, I know everything you’ve been through… I have to apologize as well. Duke Romalung approached me personally and pressed me into admitting what I do for you and the existence of the telecommunications network.”
“There was nothing you could do once he found you. Not even I can hide all my secrets from that monster. I’m at fault for underestimating him.”
“Had I known there was such a formidable person out there, I would’ve taken the proper measures to ensure he didn’t discover me.”
“Act too carefully, though, and we lose our greatest weapon—the speed at which we gather information.”
Certain restrictions were necessary to prevent an information network’s secrets from being discovered. It was a trade-off between safety and results. The information network wouldn’t turn up much if we played it overly safe because of Duke Romalung.
“Yeah, that’s a difficult balance.”
“For now, he’s an ally. Just make sure you’re not discovered by anyone else. Let’s maintain the status quo.”
“You got it. I admit I also gave him documents because he said he needed them to save you.”
“I was at the meeting when he used them. They did end up saving me. You made the right call.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
I doubted that Maha gave Duke Romalung the documents simply because of a threat. As my information network’s manager, Maha saw all information collected. That enabled her to confirm my situation and decide that sharing the data with the duke was the best decision. I left her in charge because she could make calls like that.
Maha was the best person I knew at information analysis and decision-making. She wasn’t fit for combat, but honestly, her talents were much rarer. She was irreplaceable.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you,” I said.
Intel was your sword and shield against political schemes. I had no choice but to work Maha to the bone on such occasions. Overseeing Natural You was a significant burden on its own, but Maha was the only person I could trust to handle my company and information network.
“No need to thank me. I was doing my job, and I’m happy to be of help to you… But I will accept an apology if you insist,” Maha responded.
I smiled. She always tried to play it cool when asking for things from me.
“I do insist. What can I do to make up for this?”
“Hug me tight and kiss me. I’ve been so lonely without you.”
I embraced Maha’s thin body and kissed her. She put her tongue in my mouth. Clearly, she’d been studying hard.
We moved apart after we finished kissing.
“I forgive you.” Maha tried to appear mature and calm, but her flushed cheeks and the tremor in her voice gave away her embarrassment. I found that side of her adorable.
“Is that really all you need? It’s not like you to let me off the hook so easily.”
“…Hee-hee, you’re right. Stay by my side a little longer.”
Surprise showed on Maha’s face for a moment, but she quickly resumed her relaxed act and took my outstretched hand with ladylike grace. She hesitated and blushed slightly when our hands touched. Maha didn’t have it in her to be a bad girl.
“I’ll stay with you as long as you like, my princess.”
“I’m no princess… But thank you.”
A spring entered Maha’s step. She was in a great mood. Evidently, I’d see plenty of her cute side today. I wanted to spoil her as much as I could, and not simply because I frequently worked her so hard.
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