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Chapter 259

Chasing after the escaping Kuzeon, they were heading to the central streets where mansions of nobles were lining up .

But as expected, being far from the city walls, it’s natural that attacks from the Monarchy army doesn’t reach .

However, it as well couldn’t stay completely uninfluenced . The surrounding buildings were all lit up, and the people walking down the normally quiet streets were unusually more noisy .

Ardis and the others walked down the streets passing by several carriages and private soldiers on the opposite running somewhere hurriedly .

While that happened, Marrieda advanced in the central streets . Ardis was starting to suspect that they were heading straight to the central street where many nobles live at .

「I’m getting a bad feeling but……… . Can you tell me where are we heading already? 」

「Do you know about Count Emires」

「……I heard about him . 」

Ardis knew the name that Marrieda mentioned . It’s one of the names that Ardis heard from Sharu after asking her to investigate 『Nobles that looks like escaping』 .

「That Count Emires or something is the culprit? 」

「That’s right . He’s the perpetrator that had killed my parents just for the sake of monopolizing Litte’s newly pioneered gold ore trading route . Kuzeon was just an ambitious lackey that followed the Count’s plans . 」

Ardis cringed his face at the direction of the story . Hearing it on the way, he came to understand her will for revenge painfully well .

However, if the opponent is a noble, then her revenge doesn’t end easily . The class difference in social status is not easy to get rid of .

「So? Don’t tell me you’re filing a complaint to the Count guy? 」

「Of course――」

Ardis who knew the answer but asked it anyways was replied with Marrieda’s mutter .

「――He will pay for what he did . 」

Although he had expected it, Ardis asked Marrieda again after understanding that it’s gonna be a handful .

「Hey, Marrieda . 」

「What? 」

「I’m hired as an escort, right? 」

「That’s right . 」

「But what I’m doing next looks more like a bad guy’s job though? 」

Ardis brought up a term that would always be mentioned by the archer Norris .

「That’s not my intention . The bad guy is me, Ardis-kun is just there to protect me . 」

「Though it’s obvious they will regard us similarly . 」

Ardis was stupefied at Marrieda’s explanation .

「Well well . You can just stay back and protect Ojou . I will play the role of a sword . 」

Nicole from the side hit Ardis’s back strongly .

「However, it’s troublesome to make a move on a noble you know? Leaving aside myself, if the two of you living in this country killed a noble―― aah, that’s why it must be now huh . 」

Ardis was glaring at Nicole for a bit while grumbling but, he came to realize Marrieda’s intentions in the midst .

「Yes . If it’s now when Reiten is getting invaded, it will be thought that the Monarchy army was the one that killed the Count . And luckily for us, the Count is actually one of the more powerful figures in the Reiten army . It’s easily imaginable that the enemy army would send an assassin to kill him . 」

「And in the first place, if Reiten lose, nobles or royalties what not, their power will be meaningless . And when the Monarchy army comes inside the city, no one will see who killed who in the chaos . 」

Nicole added on after Marrieda’s explanation . Leaving aside during peaceful times, it will be a different story when it’s an emergency situation .

In this situation that a country might get destroyed, one lone noble’s life or death is insignificant .

That’s why, Marrieda had chosen this timing to exact her revenge .

「Don’t worry, since neither Ojou nor myself has any intentions of involving innocent people . The enemy is just the Count and Kuzeon . Naturally, their escorts might get in the way but, as long as they don’t come for us, we won’t make a move . 」

Hearing Nicole’s words, Ardis was more or less relieved . Even though for a revenge, Ardis don’t wish to involve non-combatants that aren’t even related .

If Marrieda is not going to cross that line, then Ardis has nothing more to say .

「That’s Count Emires’ residency in question . 」

Eventually, the three arrived at a large eye-catching building even among the others in the central streets . And it’s not like there’s only one mansion there .

The building itself is ten times larger than the Litte’s building, and besides that, there were also villas and gardens in the residency .

If commoners can build their houses within the residency, then it’s not a surprise that a few hundred can live inside comfortably .

「Don’t tell me we are going in from the front right? 」

「Rest easy, that won’t happen . 」

Ardis asked just in case, on the other hand, it was Marrieda who answered stupefied .

「In any case, it’s not easy to infiltrate with that many guards on watch, there’s probably a need to be a little forceful to get to the Count’s place . 」

Hearing Nicole’s words, Ardis had an idea as he said 「If that’s the case」 .

「I can make some disturbance nearby to make it easier . 」

「It’s not a good idea to involve unrelated people . 」

「Don’t worry . It’s not like I’m going to hurt someone, and the one crying is not the commoners either . 」

Ardis wiped off Nicole’s worry, and Marrieda then asked .

「Are you going to make some disturbance in the nobles’ residencies? 」

「It’s just stray attacks from the Monarchy army landing somewhere within their residency with no one nearby . On top of that, somehow only targeting nobles with infamy . 」

「That’s……」

Interesting, Nicole who had such a face refrained from saying more .

「So can you give me some time? 」

「……Alright . I trust Ardis-kun . 」

Despite saying so, he could still feel Marrieda is impatient .

Ardis can relate as the chance of fulfilling her revenge is right in front of her eyes .

「I will return within ten minutes . 」

Specifying a time for Marrieda’s sake as well, Ardis walked away from the two .

And then, after getting to a corner with no one around, he called out the girl’s name who was a secret company .

「Sharu . Are you here? 」

「I’m here . 」

From the darkness, Sharu with her town girl getup appeared . Since there’s not much time, Ardis went into the main topic immediately .

「You know which nobles’ residency is it that had been doing some shady business? 」

「There’s more or less shady business with every noble . If not, they can’t keep being one . 」

Was it a set rule, or her own values, words of prejudice came out of the girl . Ardis looked at Sharu with a complicated expression, and then rephrased his question .

「……Then, what about the residencies of the nobles that are the worst? 」

「There’s two, three . 」

「Take me there . There’s not much time, so let’s go up . 」

Saying so, Ardis did not wait for a reply from Sharu and carried her with one hand and flew up the sky . Below is the night town of Reiten brighter than usual getting sieged by the Monarch army .

With flame magic continuously fired from the Monarchy army, there were buildings near the city walls going up in flames here and there .

「There and there, that one there also has bad fame . 」

「Got it . 」

Confirming the residencies that Sharu pointed out, approaching one of those, Ardis waited for a timing . An attack from outside the city walls flew inwards .

There’s no way their attack would ever reach the central streets . What he needed was the timing when they attacked .

Ardis matched the timing with the attacks from outside, creating fire balls, and shooting them towards the residencies that Sharu pointed to .

Naturally, Ardis didn’t do it with intentions to hurt innocent servants or escorts . The fireballs landed on places that he confirmed was void of any human presences like empty building or the garden .

「Alright, next . 」

But whether the Monarchy army’s attacks can reach or not, it’s not something Reiten could ever know . As long as he matched with the timing of the attacks from outside, the people would just believe easily that the Monarchy army’s attack can reach the central streets .

And just like that, Ardis circled around residencies that Sharu pointed out, and then blew fireballs into empty places .

The sudden explosion brought chaos in the surroundings . Chaos started spreading in the central streets that had been sitting peacefully without getting involved in the fire that the downtown suffered .

Ardis who confirmed the result landed back on the ground, separating from Sharu and returning to Marrieda and Nicole .

「Now, even if a few more stray attacks hit the Count’s residency, no one would be suspicious . 」

After briefly explaining to the two, Ardis similarly made a fireball and blew it within the Count’s residency where there’s no one around .

There were several villas in the Count Emires’ residency . And the fireballs landed on one of them directly .

「We’re under attack! 」

「Attack!? 」

「It’s a stray fireball! The other residencies around were hit as well! 」

「Their fireball can even reach here!? 」

There were angry yelling here and there within the residency . As Ardis planned, they’re thought to be fireballs from the Monarchy army .

「Their guard would loosen now that they’re busy with that . 」

「That’s helpful . I thought we were going to start cutting down people but, it’s easier for me too if we avoid unnecessary fights . 」

「There’s a gap there . Let’s get inside . 」

While confirming the guards’ movements with mana detection, Ardis constructed an infiltration route in his mind .

***

At that time, Count Emires was meeting a man in his office . However, the two are in fact not the same class of people . One of them is a noble holding the count peerage, the owner of the residency, Count Emires .

And the other is Kuzeon that had just escaped from the Litte’s warehouse .

「So that little girl saw through your plans, and you’ve escaped to my place huh . 」

The elderly man who was sitting on a luxurious chair did not try to hide his displeasure as he criticized .

「I-I’m terribly sorry . 」

While shrinking back, Kuzeon was apologizing from a desk apart . Naturally, he was standing .

「Has she realized my involvement? 」

「As expected, she couldn’t have……」

Fuu, as the Count sighed deeply and laid back on the chair .

「It’s already eighteen years huh . And you said it during that time, that 『Litte is already as good as in my hands』 . Am I mistaken? 」

「N-No…… . It’s as Your Excellency said . 」

Kuzeon answered despite looking afraid . Even if it was the Count’s mistake in memory, he is not in a position to point that out . Even more so when the Count was speaking none other than the truth .

「And I have said so as well . 『Get it under control within three years』 . 」

「Y-Yes……」

「And so? Not just three years, it’s already more than ten years, but you did not succeed . Not just that, the grown little girl got her position back . It seems like you were awfully confident on your own capabilities but……, in the end, you’re only this much huh . 」

「Something like that……is……」

「It’s great that the gold ore trading route is within my hands now . However, the reason I personally made the effort is that there was profit to it . Don’t tell me you don’t understand that much . 」

「……」

It was at the time when Kuzeon was stuck for words and the Count was sighing . Suddenly, a tremble passed through the mansion, and the whole building shook .

「W-What happened? 」

The Count’s question was answered immediately by a servant that arrived to the office reporting .

「The east villa took an attack from the Monarchy army and is burning! 」

Hearing the report, the Count stood up .

「What!? Here is the central streets! There is no way their attacks can reach so far! 」

「However, it certainly landed . And not just this residency, residencies of other houses were also affected . 」

「Guh……, what a mess……」

The Count stood up at the unbearable situation but, he immediately gave out instructions to the servant angrily .

「What are you standing there for, quickly go put out the fire! The villa there is my predecessor’s favorite! Never allow it to be burnt down! 」

「Yessir! 」

Seeing the servant exiting the room quickly, the Count sat back on the chair violently .

「That…… Your Excellency . 」

「Annoying! Shut up now! 」

「Y-Yes……」

As he yelled at Kuzeon, the Count put his arm on the desk and started muttering .

「What kind of army they’re moving? Crossing over oceans . Attacking day and night . Magic that can reach this far…… . Reiten is already―― hopeless―― escaping in time――」

Eventually, his thoughts were compiled, and the Count rang the bell, waiting for the escort standing outside the room to reply .

However, the escort that should have responded immediately did not . Replacing that, there was a dull sound coming from the door of the room .

「Nn? 」

Once again, the Count rang the bell, but even as he waited for a while, the door to the room didn’t look like it’s going to open .

「Oi, is there no one! 」

The Count losing his patience yelled out, and then finally, the office door slowly opened .

「There’s no one coming . 」

What came back was an unexpected girl voice . The door that opened showed a figure that shocked both the Count and Kuzeon .

「Y-You……」

「I’m sure this is our first time meeting, so I suppose I should greet you . But I’m sure you know who am I, and also why I’m here right? 」

With a chilly smile, the young president of the Litte business association was walking into the office .