‘Wanted…… Me…… Me…… Why?’
Klisha’s face turned red with embarrassment as whispers from around her drifted to her ears.
“Wow. A prisoner who escaped from the Royal Guards. I don’t know who they are, but they seem like a guy?”
“A guy? It’s definitely a woman.”
“A prison escapee from the Royal Guards is a woman. Isn’t that even more impressive?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a wanted poster. And the bounty is 10,000 ruel? She must be quite a dangerous criminal, huh?”
“I’ve heard there are a lot of idle guilds now that the war is over. I wonder who will try to catch this woman.”
“I heard hunters are coming for this too. Well, it’s true there hasn’t been a bounty for a while.”
“…….”
Thanks to the passersby who were carelessly spilling unnecessary information, Klisha’s mind became clear.
‘Prison of the Royal Guard!’
‘Blonde Knight!’
Klisha recalled the blue-eyed knight she had met on the outer wall of the Inner Palace last night. The one who used the Wind Rune…….
Grit.
Klisha clenched her lower teeth.
‘You said you’d let me go! Wasn’t that the plan?! This damn bastard…!’
To let her go and then putting her back on the wanted list? He definitely reeked of bad intentions.
She could already feel the eyes watching her from all over the place.
‘It’s okay. Don’t be scared…… Just, act like nothing’s wrong. And, find the money first.’
Klisha, having made up her mind, clenched her fists tightly and entered the bank entrance. However, the security guard stopped her and scanned her up and down.
“Excuse me, customer. I’m sorry, but there’s a direct order from the higher-ups that requires identity verification for all entries starting today…..”
“!”
“Haha. So… where is your ID? Haha, ha…”
As Klisha took steps back and moved away, several gazes crossed behind her.
* * *
And. Present.
‘Wow, damn. Those bastards. Why are they so persistent? And how did they even know? I don’t even have anything on me that stands out, right? That’s strange.’
Klisha didn’t know.
To find the red-haired escaped convict, even the seven most renowned guilds in the capital, along with bounty hunters and small to medium-sized intelligence factions, were all mobilizing!
And the reason was the enormous bounty that Homer Ryuiken, the 14th leader of the Ryuiken corporation, personally added on top of the bounty issued by the Royal Guard.
「Shasha Rin, red hair, female. She wears shabby clothes, making it unclear whether she’s male or female, but for now. Female.
※ Bounty: 100,000 Ruel. An additional 100,000 Ruel will be paid if delivered to the Royal Guards with all limbs intact.」
Soft music flowed in the 15th-floor sky lounge of the Ryuiken Hotel,「Ryū (Flow) Bar」.
As the elderly man with a dignified gaze gestured, the music abruptly stopped. He looked down at the city’s dazzling neon signs.
“What happened?”
“So far, three guilds have given a positive response.”
“……Tell the others to join in as well. Tell them we’ll increase the amount a bit.”
“Understood.”
The elderly man muttered as he silently set down the wine glass in his hand.
“An escaped convict… and on top of that, with a delusional disorder. Absolutely unacceptable. It seems like the Archduke is taking an unusual interest due to his youthful impulsiveness. It’s something even the late Emperor couldn’t have done. I’m sorry, but…..”
The old man slowly shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Lady. But it seems prison is better for you.”
The place where Homer Ryuiken stood,
A crumpled copy of the ‘Report on the Personal Information of the Suspicious Person (ver. FINAL)’ was left behind, with no clue as to where or how it got there.
* * *
Across the plains of Schmarin in the central and southern part of the Empire, where red reeds grow year-round, the Emperor’s knights rode their horses.
With the blond knight in the lead, who laughed heartily and enjoyed the wind brushing past his ears.
The two knights and one civil official following behind had expressions as if they were about to die, tightly gripping the reins.
“Why does everyone look so down? Is there a problem?”
“……Are you asking because you don’t know?”
“It’s already spilled water. Enjoy the moment. And who knows, If you’re lucky, you might be able to catch it.”
“I hope we do.”
“Hmm?”
“Whether we catch it or not, we’re worried either way. If we catch them, we’ll be unlucky for at least three years, and if we don’t catch them, we’ll probably be unlucky for thirty years….”
Mirhi couldn’t help but think of someone who was very similar to the knight in front of him, someone equally unlucky, but far more troublesome.
The harsh words…… The beating…… The brutality……
In that moment, a chilling sensation flowed from the top of his head down his spine, causing Mirhi to shudder uncontrollably.
“…….”
“What’s with that look? It’s kind of making me uncomfortable.”
Lian chuckled lightly, then turned his horse around and approached Mirhi, patting him on the shoulder.
“Go to sleep. Relax. Have fun while you’re on the way. OK?”
“…….”
The knights, Huin and Morona, who followed behind, hadn’t said a single word from the capital to here, as if their mouths were glued shut.
That’s right. These are the ones!
The capture party dispatched by the Emperor to Schmarin.
The assistants in charge of capturing the guardian bird of the Viscount’s house, the guardian bird ‘Karkas’.
* * *
“You have come a long way.”
“…… My apologies, Viscount.”
“If my health were better. Cough, cough. I would have gone to fetch my daughter myself. Cough. Strangely, this illness doesn’t seem to be getting better. Cough, cough. It’s probably because I was injured during the war. Cough, cough.”
‘But you are completely fine…….’
Watching the Lord of Schmarin, Issac Mezerine, whose face had turned completely red from the persistent forced coughing, the External Cooperation Officer, Mirhi, spoke up.
“Your Grace, the Emperor has repeatedly instructed us that we must apologize to you, and asked for your understanding regarding this matter.”
Issac smiled faintly.
“I knew the Emperor’s aides have the tendency to lie as soon as they open their mouths. But it’s not like I don’t know that His Majesty has said something like, ‘Just do as you’re told, you useless fools!’ Whatever.”
“!”
“!”
“……”
Four pairs of eyes in the reception room crossed each other at a fast pace.
“Vis, Viscount?”
“Hmm?”
The Red Lion of Schmarin, Issac Mezerine, slapped his forehead with one hand and broke into a broad smile.
“Haha. Did I just say what was on my mind? How embarrassing. I wonder if it’s because I’ve gotten older and sick. I’m not what I used to be. Really.”
“…….”
“You’re exactly the same as before… Captain.”
The knight, Morona, who had been silent and keeping his mouth shut since earlier, finally spoke.
“By really, where did our Shasha go? Is she really missing?”
Issac picked up his teacup with a bitter expression.
“She ran away.”
“You didn’t assign any knights?”
“Knights or whatever. She ambushed me and ran off, you know? She’s been training a lot lately, and with her increased strength and improved combat skills, one solid hit… Hmm. Even you can’t stand before her.”
“…….”
During the territorial war, the notorious chief aide of the Red Lion Brigade, Morona Heine, known for his notorious front-line battles. Now the commander of the Royal Guards, let out a bitter laugh at Issac’s words.
“Isn’t this all because Lance fed her whatever she could find? The reason the child became dumb was because she fed her strange things back then and got a high fever….. You should’ve stopped her back then.”
“My child isn’t dumb… no…”
“…….”
Feeling awkward for some reason, Issac turned to Mirhi and changed the subject.
“Haha. So, what brings you here today in person?”
During the time they had spent together.
Mirhi, who had been staring blankly with his mouth open at the rare sight of Commander Morona speaking so much, finally spoke as he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.
“I heard that the Grand Duke, or rather, Lord Lian, sent you a letter. Have you not received it?”
“I did receive it, but…….”
A slight sense of relief crossed Mirhi’s eyes. It would have been difficult to say out loud that they had come to capture the family’s guardian bird.
“As it is written there…”
“Capture Party.”
“Yes?”
“It only had three letters written on it…….”
The eyes of the war hero, the Red Lion, darkened.
“You don’t mean you’re here to… capture my daughter…… haha. Surely not. My daughter…… she is not some kind of animal.”
/em>Lord Lian! This foolish man, really!
“Ah, no! It’s a misunderstanding, Viscount!”
Mirhi opened his mouth with an incredibly pale face, as if to offer an explanation.
“We came to capture, no, to borrow your guardian bird, Karkas, for a while…….”
“Gurdian bird?”
Mirhi wiped his sweat repeatedly and looked around as if asking for help. Lord Huin was preoccupied with eating the snacks in front of him, while Commander Morona was lost in thought, resting his chin on his hand.
Oh really. Why…….
Mirhi, who was naturally ill-suited to be around military men, found himself repeatedly swallowing dry saliva amidst the war heroes who had once gained fame not only in the Empire but across the entire continent.
* * *
At that moment.
Lord Lian, the blond knight, who was the mastermind for creating a new misunderstanding today, was relaxing somewhere else.
In the office of the Principal at Schmarin Academy, the only prestigious educational institution in the region, he was discussing the taste of tea with Principal Belthas, who looked visibly uncomfortable.
“Oh. This one tastes pretty good. It’s less bitter than the seventh one I had, and less sweet than the eleventh.”
“This one is made by drying the red reeds, a specialty of Shumarin, and mixing them with herbs…….”
“Aha.”
“I am honored that Your Highness likes it. Then on your way out…….”
“Ssseob.”
“…….”
“I am here now as the Captain of His Majesty the Emperor’s Escort Knights. The title of Grand Duke is not convenient.”
“That…….”
Lian pointed at Belthas, who was being cautious, with his finger and spoke.
“As a knight of His Majesty the Emperor, I’m the same as any other knight. Please feel free to call me Lian.”
“Yes…… Lord Lian.”
The plump, kind-looking scholar Belthas, agreed hesitantly.
When the lunch bell rang after finishing the morning classes at the academy, he returned to the Principal’s office with light steps, intending to eat the king rib sandwich he had brought from home.
This person… If he had known he was here! He should’ve just gone out and bought something. He should’ve just headed back to classes and dealt with the students instead!
Having met a few times at the Imperial Academic Conference, which is held twice a year, alternating between the capital and the provinces, Belthas had no choice but to offer refreshments to Lian, who was waving at him in front of the Principal’s office as soon as he arrived, even if it was just out of courtesy.
“I, Grand Duke…….”
“Sseub.”
“I, Lord, Lian……?”
Damn it. That title.
Whenever it’s convenient for him, he proudly uses his title as a Grand Duke! Belthas tilted his head slightly, unable to understand why he was being so picky today.
“What brings you all the way to Schmarin today?”
Lian opened his mouth, spinning the already empty small teacup with his long fingers.
“Klisha Mezerine.”
“?”
“The Young Lady of the Mezerine family. I heard that she is a full member of an academic society affiliated with the Schmarin Academy.”
“Klisha? Why is that child… she already graduated a long time ago…..”
A question rose in Belthas’ eyes.
“Hmm. Actually, it’s like this. There’s an organization called RMNA… Among the registered groups here, there’s one like that… No matter how much our intelligence team investigates, we just can’t figure out what it is. And it’s not like they’re participating in official academic conferences either.”
“…….”
“I need your help, Principal.”
The blond knight curled up his lips in a bright smile.
