Count Mirhi, the External Cooperation Officer, who was called in early in the morning, had the honor of observing a living hell under the pretense of a routine training inspection of the Royal Knights’ Capital Defense Command.
After witnessing the regular security inspection of the Royal Knights’ Capital Defense Command to the surprise mental training session of the Royal Knight’s Information Division, he answered in a tired voice to his evil employer who had dragged him around all day without giving him food.
“The free meal service in front of the Grand Plaza is a volunteer activity held by the Temple. It is said that they provide one meal a day for the homeless and war orphans.”
“Are there still people in the capital who are starving? Those three fools. Tell them to stop wasting time making useless rules and regulations, and focus on doing their jobs properly. It’s been ages since a decree to send relief was issued.”
“I also starved all day….”
“What?”
“That, isn’t it….”
“Nooooooooo!”
As Mirhi swallowed his words, rolling his purple eyes, a sorrowful cry was heard across the square.
The young man with the dazzling blond hair lifted his sharp gaze, and a young boy, tearing at his hair in distress while standing in front of the free meal service, entered his blue orbs.
‘A red-haired boy?’
The eyes of His Majesty the Great Emperor, who was apathetic toward everything and showed no interest in most matters, sparkled with curiosity for the first time in a long while.
* * *
At the southwest entrance of the Grand Plaza in front of the majestic Royal Palace, where a breathtaking sunset had fully settled, a handsome young man with striking blue eyes and dazzling blond hair was engaged in a small scuffle with a fragile-looking young man with silver hair.
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Yes.”
“No, Your Majesty. It’s not possible.”
“Yes. There’s nothing in the world that can’t be done. Everything is possible.”
“That’s….”
The young man with silver hair looked around with a tearful expression. However, there was no one who could help him. Who in the world could stand in the way of this person before him? Perhaps only someone like Lord Lian would be able to.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
Mirhi reluctantly extended a hand to Ian, whose eyes sparkled as if he had discovered an interesting toy in the dull routine of everyday life.
“Then please….”
“….?”
“If you just wander around like that, you’ll stand out too much. Just now, the guards dragged away all the people who recognized you.”
“So?”
Mirhi said with a small sigh.
“If Your Majesty isn’t planning on arresting all the citizens of the Empire who recognize you, then at least take this with you. It’s a pill that changes the color of your eyes and hair. It supposedly alters the overall pigmentation of your body….”
The young man with blonde hair, who had been carefully examining the small pill, snickered.
“Can this really be trusted? Isn’t there supposed to be unspeakable side effects or something?”
Mirhi opened his mouth after understanding his concern.
“Actually, it’s a medicine to reduce hair loss. It just so happens that it causes pigment change as a side effect…”
“….”
“Your Majesty, all medicines are originally developed like that. Nevertheless, it is a pill made by a famous master of modern pharmacology in Myuta, it’s definitely effective. 100% guaranteed effectiveness, with 200% non-refundable policy.”
“How long is the effect?”
“I’ve heard that it’ll last for a day as long as you don’t use magic. Once you release mana, it will wear off immediately, so just be careful about that.”
“Got it.”
The young man tossed the small pill into his mouth before gesturing with his hand.
“Alright. I’ve taken it, so hurry up and go inside. If anyone asks, just say I went straight to the Inner Palace.”
“Yes.”
As Mirhi headed toward the grand gates of the ruling palace, he couldn’t help but glance back repeatedly, concerned about the Emperor, who remained alone behind him.
“But His Majesty is different from Lord Lian… It’ll be fine, right? Nothing bad will happen, right?”
Mirhi, who had no siblings, had no idea. Blood is thicker than water. Siblings are bound to resemble each other in the end.
The young man, left alone in front of the Grand Plaza, took steps toward the noisy free meal service area. His dazzling blond hair turned a deep brown, and his once-vibrant blue eyes shifted to a dull green. His skin tone also darkened slightly, and even his overall appearance seemed to blur a bit.
Ian threw his elaborately decorated coat to the young siblings sitting in the plaza. They were probably war orphans…
“!”
“Go to the tailor shop at the back and ask them to exchange it for money. It should be enough to cover a few meals.”
“Thank, thank you! Your Majesty!”
“And give me the cloak.”
When Ian pointed to the shabby cloak the young boy was wearing, the girl, who seemed to be his older sister, quickly ran over and offered the black shawl draped over her shoulder.
“My brother’s cloak is too dirty. If you don’t mind having this shawl….”
Ian nodded slightly, accepting the shawl and draping it around his neck as he walked down the street. As long as it covered his face a little, that was all he needed.
In any case, the eyes of the young siblings and the children nearby sparkled at the sudden windfall.
“Hmm.”
Ian, wearing nothing but a black shawl over his shirt, admired his face reflected in the glass window of the free meal service shop.
“Interesting. I should ask him to get a few more of these.”
He looked like an ordinary young man. In fact, even by the standards of ordinary people, he appeared to be quite handsome. However, since his pigmentation had changed, he was much less conspicuous compared to when he used to display the symbol of the Perza Royal Family. In addition, the presence of his mana and the oppressing aura were completely subdued.
While Ian was touching and groping his face and body with a somewhat satisfied expression.
The same red-haired boy, wearing a look of someone who had lost their country, approached and suddenly placed a hand on Ian’s shoulder.
‘What?’
Ian was caught off guard, as he hadn’t expected the boy to lay a hand on him. He was momentarily flustered.
Moreover, though he hadn’t sensed it from afar, Ian now felt a subtle presence of a mana emanating from the boy. It was the mana of fire, carefully controlled, with a high-level rune at that. Even if he searched the entire continent, there might not be more than ten advanced users of such power.
The corners of Ian’s mouth slightly went up.
‘Fire Magic… So there are people like this even in the capital.’
As the young man with green eyes stared intently at the boy, whose hand was still on his shoulder, the red-haired boy opened his mouth, his eyes devoid of life.
“It’s all over now. They’re not giving us food anymore.”
“Ah.”
“It looks like you’re here for food too, but today’s a bust. They’re finished serving food.”
“…..”
Ian, watching the boy trudging away after patting his shoulder a couple of times, followed the boy without even thinking about hiding the growing smile on his face.
Whether the young man followed her or not, Klisha, too hungry to care about anything else, leaned against the fountain in the Grand Plaza and sat down.
‘Ah. I’m hungry.’
The young man with green eyes observed the boy for a moment with his arms crossed from across the fountain near the clock tower, and couldn’t help but let a slight smile form on his handsome face.
Though his appearance was somewhat shabby, the boy’s striking features stood out—his vibrant, voluminous red hair, flawless skin, along with a small, round forehead…. His cheeks were still chubby, not yet losing their baby fat. His neatly arched eyebrows, soft and clear eyes, and small, cute lips…. And a delicate, rounded chin.
And a slender neck, delicate enough that he could easily grasp it with a single hand if he wished.
‘A woman.’
Ian slowly walked toward Klisha. Though, he didn’t know why she was dressed as a man, but that was something he could figure out in time.
“Hello.”
“?”
“I have a simple part-time job I can offer. Would you like to try?”
“…..”
“The payment is free meals….”
“!”
Klisha jumped up from her seat and grabbed Ian’s hand.
“I’ll do my best at anything you ask. Boss.”
“Okay.”
“And as for the menu, I’d prefer meat. Boss.”
“….”
Her sparkling almond-colored eyes. There was something slightly off about it.
* * *
“Count Mirhi.”
Knight Lian, with his dazzling blond hair identical to the Emperor’s and his eyes shining like the summer sea, waved his hand as he approached.
‘Damn it.’
Mirhi, who was about to leave work after finishing up the piling up work at the palace, swallowed a dry gulp before answering.
“Lord Lian.”
Brushing back his luxurious locks, Lian opened his mouth.
“Where is His Majesty?”
“His, His Majesty probably went to the Inner Palace first….”
“Hmm?”
Lian tilted his head slightly and continued.
“I’m actually returning from the Inner Palace.”
“….”
“Weren’t you two supposed to return to the palace together?”
Gulp.
Lian took a step closer and spoke softly.
“That’s fine. It’s not like it’s the first or second time. Where did you part ways?”
“At the Western Sunset Tailor boutique….”
“Aha.”
The blond knight let out a small chuckle as he brushed off Mirhi’s clothes.
“You don’t need to be so cautious with me over something like this. It’s a little! No, actually, quite! Annoying, but well, I can just go and bring him back.”
“There’s no need for you to go out of your way, Lord… His Majesty said he would return in time.”
“Hmm.”
Lian lifted his head and glanced at the beautifully arranged garden beside the corridor before speaking.
“Normally, that would be the case. But since he planned to…..”
“….?”
“No. Then I’ll take my leave.”
As he watched Lian’s figure receding with his disciplined stride, Mirhi lightly scratched his cheek and muttered to himself.
“What’s the guy thinking?”
* * *
“You’re saying I should chase him?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t he just an ordinary person?”
Of course, That was what she was asking as she pointed toward a passerby.
Ian smiled faintly. But since his face couldn’t be seen, he answered softly.
“That man is suspected of violating the anti-bigamy law by having an illegal affair behind his wife’s back.”
“Oh.”
“You need to follow him and….”
Klisha cut off Ian’s words with a curious expression.
“So, what you’re saying is, Boss, you’re like a private detective hired by the poor, unfortunate wife? Then am I currently acting as the detective’s assistant?”
“Yes. You can say so.”
“Hehe. I’ve always wanted to try something like this.”
“….”
Ian watched Klisha, who was smiling brightly and eyes sparkling with excitement, for a moment, then quietly pulled the black shawl up to cover his nose and spoke slowly.
“I can’t use magic right now due to certain circumstances. So, if it comes down to it while we’re chasing, you might have to…”
Klisha lifted her deep almond-colored eyes and scanned His Majesty the Great Emperor from head to toe before speaking.
“You just don’t have any mana, do you? It’s not that you can’t use it due to circumstances, it’s that you can’t use it at all…”
Ian, having perfectly controlled his mana and aura of the rune, slightly clenched his fist before relaxing it and opening his mouth.
“Yeah. Let’s take that as truth.”
When they turned their heads, the man had already disappeared into the dark alley.
Ian raised his long, elegant index finger and pointed toward the entrance of the alley where the man had disappeared.
“Go now. Shasha Rin.”
The two of them, who had already exchanged their names with their own aliases, ‘Shasha Rin’ and ‘Ray Vaughn’ began to move secretly, more secretly than a mouse, and followed the mysterious man.
* * *
The man, walking through the dark alleys that were like a maze, kept looking back at the unsettling gazes that had been following him since a while ago.
‘This is.’
It’s not like today’s deal has been exposed, so why does it feel like someone’s following him? Even though he has intentionally tried to erase his presence as much as possible, the back of his neck keeps tingling. On top of that, he kept hearing constant whispers about ‘infidelity’, ‘affairs’, ‘trash’, and such, as if someone was talking behind his back.
“That’s strange.”
The truth was, he was the sales manager of the illegal auction house ‘Lucky Box’. He was heading to a meeting spot for a deal with those who were looking for various items, following the notorious ‘rumor’ circulating ominously through the capital.
‘But, the assassination of His Majesty the Emperor. Hoo-hoo. If we do it right, we can raise the stakes quite a bit. I smell a jackpot.’
The man nodded to himself and walked away, then soon released a rune and disappeared into a narrow alley.
Klisha, who was following the man walking down the alley from the roof of a three-story building next to the alley, looked at Ian with a rather surprised expression.
“Wow. Detective. Did you see that? He can use magic.”
“….”
“Then he must have already noticed that we’ve been following him, right?”
“….”
“Wow. I guess these days, you need to learn how to use magic just to have an affair. Nothing in this world is easy.”
Regardless of what was being said next to him, Ian, who had been watching the movement inside the alley with sharp eyes, jumped down from the roof before Klisha could even react.
“!”
Ian stretched out his arm toward Klisha and said.
“Jump down. I’ll catch you.”
“….”
Klisha dodged Ian’s outstretched hand, leapt down with a graceful movement and shook out her clothes before speaking.
“Detective. You, who don’t even know martial arts… You should get out of the way. Rather.”
“….?”
“Hehe. I’ll take the task.”
“Ha.”
Ian let out a hollow laugh and slowly turned around.
