NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13
The large knight’s face hardened.
“Lady Trentia finished her training today and went directly to the Western Palace, then came straight here to the Crimson Crescent Palace.”
I snapped back without giving him time to formulate a rebuttal.
“Do you really not understand that there was neither time to steal the relic nor time to hide it?”
Barbatos shook his head.
“The Imperial Palace is vast. There’s a possibility she could have handed it to someone she encountered along the way.”
“Then we need to find that someone quickly. Even if it’s not Lady Trentia who has anything on her.”
“…….”
“Is what I’m saying wrong?”
“No.”
I didn’t miss the troubled look on his face.
Stepping closer, I lowered my voice and said, “I know too. I know. By now, His Majesty must be furious. You understand the urgency to catch whoever it is, regardless of who they are.”
“……!”
“Moreover, the Western Palace was originally overseen by your Black Iron Knights, right? I understand you might want to regain control of it through the Platinum Knight Order.”
The large knight gritted his teeth.
In an instant, an unrestrained murderous intent radiated from him.
I trembled but didn’t avert my eyes.
“Is it right for knights like you to be tearing at each other like this? There must be a reason His Majesty doesn’t confine you all to one place.”
Competition can foster growth in organizations and individuals, but too much of it can lead to self-destruction.
Hearing my words, Barbatos reined in his murderous intent.
“Your Excellency is right. We’ve shown disgrace.”
Is that enough?
“But since when did you become so astute, Your Excellency?”
“……!”
“I heard rumors of you becoming a bandit a few months ago, but it seems those were just baseless allegations.”
The large knight’s beast-like eyes narrowed.
I picked my words carefully, sweating cold.
This is critical.
A bandit is someone who acts on desire without thought.
From the start, I shouldn’t be under suspicion.
The moment anyone keeps an eye on me, all my plans will fall apart.
I moved even closer to Barbatos.
I could feel my body brushing against his plate armor.
Some knights placed their hands on their sword hilts or cast suspicious glances.
It was an era where the authority of the royal family lay in the dust.
Feeling those gazes, I nonchalantly whispered to Barbatos.
“Are you really going to do this?”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you know how hard I tried today to get along with Lady Trentia?”
The large knight’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I stuck by her during training, whispering sweet words, even offering that expensive wine.”
Barbatos glanced at the incense I had lit.
Once again, I could see the disdain in his gaze.
He seemed ready to shout, “What kind of person are you?”
That was exactly why I insisted on lighting it.
I struggled to find a position that would be visible to him but not to Trentia.
“But did you really have to barge into my room at this hour? Of course, I know His Majesty must have been enraged.”
Still, I continued.
“After all, she lives not at a private residence in the capital but at the knights’ quarters. Couldn’t you have come tomorrow instead? Tonight should be focused on finding that unknown infiltrator.”
I mixed the right words among the disgraceful and sordid remarks.
That tone has a certain power that makes right feel wrong.
“Your Excellency. You are quite bold.”
Barbatos said, astonished.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I responded with a wry smile.
Barbatos frowned.
“Lady Trentia.”
“Yes, Sir Barbatos?”
“Please wait in your room until summoned. Our knights will be with you.”
“I understand.”
As I watched her rise from her seat, I thought it was a successful outcome.
In my previous life, I had been dragged out and thrown into the underground prison of the main palace immediately.
“And Duke Valencius.”
“Yes, Sir Barbatos? What is it?”
“If you continue like this, a day will come when you will face trouble. Don’t think His Majesty will continue to tolerate your bandit-like antics.”
“How absurd.”
I scoffed.
Barbatos’ expression soured as Lady Trentia approached me.
“Your Excellency. What is going on?”
“It’s such a waste of good wine.”
“I think Sir Barbatos has misunderstood, so I’ll be released soon. May I come again then?”
“A beauty like you is always welcome.”
Especially if she is a future sword master.
Lady Trentia chuckled lightly and left the room alongside the Black Iron Knights.
Barbatos stared at me until the end.
I met his gaze without blinking.
As the door closed, I muttered to myself.
“What an impressive knight.”
Barbatos, the captain of the Black Iron Knights.
A leader who cherishes his subordinates more than himself.
Though he would later be known by the infamous name of the Tyrant’s Hammer, he was a good father and a decent superior.
In my past life, I died at the hands of Lady Trentia, who had become a sword master.
In this life, I will ensure that the two of them fight side by side.
“Rudi. Help clean up the room. The floor is a mess.”
I called toward the side door.
The side door creaked open, and Rudi, who had been hiding in the small gap of the corridor, stepped out.
She had a complicated expression on her face.
“Are you angry?”
“…….”
Without a word, she tossed the fake incense into the cold fireplace and brought out a mop to clean the floor.
I chewed my lips as I tidied up the unfinished drink and snacks.
As the floor began to shine like a mirror, Rudi spoke up.
“You knew that incense was completely ineffective, right? No, you must have deliberately made me buy something that would have no effect?”
I answered without hesitation.
“Yeah.”
“Were you trying to show it to Sir Barbatos?”
“Is it exactly a bandit act for royalty to try to seduce the opposite sex? That’s the least I can do.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“…….”
“You made me resent Your Excellency, thinking you were a truly bad person. Why did you make me think like that?”
I hesitated, unable to say a word.
The childhood memories I could only reclaim after dying once.
I didn’t want to relive the worst moments of my life in front of someone.
Even when I was being pointed fingers at by everyone, I could grin if they whispered it was all acting; but I wanted to show only the good side to you.
However, it was a world where I had to act like a bandit to survive.
“I’m sorry.”
Still, I hated lying more.
So I just said it like this.
“It’s okay. It’s my fault for being disloyal.”
Rudi’s green eyes sparkled.
“I think I was a little scared for a moment. You’ve changed.”
“Yeah.”
“I felt like I was talking to the Baron I knew, but also like I wasn’t. It was strange.”
“Right.”
“It seems to be sorted out now. I’ll trust whatever you show me going forward.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re trying to clear Lady Trentia’s name, correct? Is there anything I can help with?”
I recalled the events from my previous life.
At this point, I would have been suffering from the aftereffects of torture.
Still, I remembered a few things because it was such a significant incident.
It was a case linked to a maid in the Western Palace and a poverty organization in the capital, entangled with unidentified individuals who instigated and bribed them.
It would be best if I could find the actual culprit who instigated and bribed, but that was still unrealistic.
“You said you have a friend in the Western Palace?”
“Yes.”
“Are there any attendants or maids who stay in the Western Palace even in the early morning?”
“Not many, but there are a few.”
“Find out a list of those kids. I need to know who could go out freely beyond the Imperial Palace.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Don’t strain yourself too hard to find out. We only need to clear Lady Trentia’s name.”
I could already consider that half-successful.
In my previous life, Lady Trentia had been confined only to her quarters instead of being dragged to the underground prison.
If I conducted my investigation properly, it would soon become clear that she couldn’t have gone anywhere else.
Then the knight who could become a sword master would not be chased away from the palace.
* * *
The next day, I met Sir Bonnel at the training ground of the Platinum Knight Order.
Perhaps because last night’s events had already become a topic of discussion, the expressions of the “platinum” knights were not bright.
“Lady Trentia would never do such a thing.”
“I think so too. We can’t just sit idle.”
Sir Bonnel frowned.
“Do you have any strange thoughts?”
“How about you all start a petition among yourselves?”
Sir Bonnel raised his eyebrows as if he had misheard.
I continued calmly.
“His Majesty is a reasonable person. He might already know that Lady Trentia isn’t the true offender.”
“Um.”
“But if he were to release her immediately, what would that mean for Sir Barbatos’ face?”
It would come off as if he had indiscriminately arrested the same knights, driven mad by results, making him look foolish in the process.
“But if you all petition, he can let her go reluctantly due to your petition, which would help save Sir Barbatos’ face.”
“I hadn’t thought of that…”
“Get moving. The captain of the Platinum Knights is probably anxious right now, and you need to make your mark.”
“Thank you. Your Excellency, please sign too.”
“No, I can’t do that.”
Sir Bonnel looked puzzled again.
“I only met Lady Trentia that day, just the two of us. I might easily become the one accused of stealing the relic.”
“That makes sense.”
“His Majesty is already looking at me with suspicion; it wouldn’t be good to be too noticeable.”
“I thought you were just a mindless bandit.”
“What?”
“Turns out you’re a thoughtful bandit.”
Having thoughts doesn’t make one a bandit.
Sir Bonnel laughed lightly, and I internally sighed in relief.
“Yeah. A villain with many thoughts.”
It was almost time to meet Rudi, who was investigating the maids in the Western Palace, so I was about to step back.
“Where are you going?”
Sir Bonnel, wearing training armor and carrying lead weights, stopped me.
“I’m tired from staying up too late last night. Can’t I get some rest today?”
I said, sweating profusely, and Sir Bonnel smiled brightly.
“Your Excellency, do not speak such nonsense.”
“This isn’t the time for that. You need to get the petition circulating.”
“They’ll all come out for training at the barracks. I should be here to gather signatures.”
“Is training absolutely necessary?”
“With all the seniors wielding swords, I can’t just be scribbling notes by myself, can I?”
“Duke Valencius, help me out.”
After finishing training, I felt completely drained.
“Your Excellency—!”
“Rudi.”
Rudi, who had rushed over, helped me back up.
I returned to the carriage with her support.
“Lie down. I’ll tell you what I found out.”
Rudi patted her thigh.
“I’m drenched in sweat right now.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
I carefully laid my head on her thigh.
“I’ll start with what the missing relic is.”
“Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Rudi took a light breath and began to share.
“The ‘Penpoint of the Giant Urglim’ has gone missing.”
“His Majesty would be rightfully enraged.”
So that’s what was lost.
I sighed.
The giant Urglim, who wanted to know the world, roamed it and drew maps throughout his travels.
Tired of staring only at paper before beautiful landscapes, Urglim cast ancient magic upon his pen.
That pen became a magic tool that analyzed the surrounding terrain and drew maps by itself.
Now, Urglim had become a name in legends, and only the metal penpoint remained, rotting away.
But the ancient magic still resided within that penpoint.
“The item was located deep within the Western Palace, so no one even knows exactly when it went missing.”
“It was certainly there up until the night before, right?”
“Yes, it seems to have been definitely there the night before.”
“Which among the Western Palace attendants or maids could go out freely?”
“There isn’t anyone. Most live at their quarters and can only go out on weekends.”
The Western Palace was not where royalty lived.
Most of the attendants working there came from low-ranking noble backgrounds without any connections.
“I have a feeling one of the attendants must have slipped it out.”
“Most of the knights think so too. I agree with that.”
Rudi nodded.
“Is there a chance it’s hidden somewhere in the Imperial Palace? They could dump it somewhere else and plan to retrieve it later.”
“None of them would have that kind of guts. My friends are extremely timid. Their anxiety would be written all over their faces.”
I closed and opened my eyes several times.
“Then how did they manage to smuggle it out? The penpoint of Urglim is rather big, isn’t it?”
The giant’s penpoint was bigger than two palms. Anyone unfamiliar might mistake it for a spearhead of a giant.
“If I were a maid and had to sneak something out, I would ask a trader who frequently comes in and out of the Palace.”
“Like when you sold my grimoire?”
“Yes. But there aren’t exactly any merchants who fit that description in the Western Palace.”
“Then?”
“I would ask a friend who could move freely outside. The maids serving the royal family. They could disguise it as an urgent parcel…”
The moment Rudi continued, her face gradually turned pale. I swallowed hard and asked.
“Rudi.”
“…….”
“Didn’t a package get delivered yesterday morning?”
We’re in trouble.