Chapter 53

Vice-captain Helena's morning began with high-quality Fre leaf tea.

It was an item not common in the Empire, something that one couldn't easily taste unless they were a noble.

Therefore, every sip was precious.

The leaves she had brought when she left the West were also starting to run out.

As she was smelling the fragrance of her hometown, she heard the chirping of birds.

She slowly went over the previous night and made plans for the day.

And she thought of the blonde kid who had joined them for the time being.

‘Who on earth could he be? It seems certain that he is one of the elders.’

He knew the name Daltur Denoebang.

And on top of that, he had even mentioned her father.

An elder of the West, perhaps even a member of the Brotherhood.

‘In any case, I'll have to treat him with the utmost respect.’

It seemed breakfast was already ready.

She savored the rest of her Fre leaf tea and walked out of her lodgings.

The members were all gathered around the table, holding their spoons.

There were a few who were not seen, and Shion and the twins were among them.

“Henry.”

She called the man with the round glasses sitting next to her.

Henry Horbi was like a confidant to Helena and held a rather high position among the members of the acrobat troupe.

After all, not just anyone could become a high-ranking operative of the Erta Security Bureau.

“Have the twins not come out yet?”

“It seems so.”

“The newcomer, Shion too?”

“Ah, yes.”

Henry Horbi adjusted his glasses.

He seemed to have already finished his meal and was puffing out smoke, sucking on his pipe.

“It seems they're trying to establish discipline. Anyway, those twin brats, they have such bad personalities.”

“…Establish discipline?”

“Yes. I heard sounds of fighting from inside.”

I did roughly tell them from the outside to keep it moderate.

Henry Horbi said, as if it were no big deal.

Helena's face immediately turned pale, and she shot up from her seat.

“…I have to go and see.”

“Pardon? What about your meal?”

She did not answer Henry and moved her feet.

Helena considered Shion to be a high-ranking person from the West.

He didn't seem to lack skill, but the twins were also trained operatives.

If Shion were to really be beaten up by the twins, it would be a huge mess.

“Roten! Rite!”

She quickened her pace.

As she was tall, her legs and stride were also long.

Henry Horbi stared at Helena's back.

She soon reached the twins' tent.

Just then, Shion was coming out.

He waved his hand at Helena and greeted her.

“Good morning, Vice-captain?”

Shion was smiling.

Helena looked Shion up and down.

He let her do so.

He didn't look hurt anywhere.

Rather, his face was glowing as if he had slept very well.

She swallowed the respectful words she was about to spit out and then asked a question.

“…Was last night, alright?”

“They were interesting friends.”

“Did they, by any chance, make any mistake?”

“No, it's alright.”

I waved my hand.

I had fallen into a deep sleep.

Though the out-of-his-mind Roten had rushed at me in the middle of the night, I was not one to be taken down by that much.

Far from being taken down, I had even spanked his bottom.

Soon, the twins came out in a line.

Every one of them looked extremely tired.

There were even red marks beyond the sleeves they had pulled down.

The usually so noisy ten twins were quietly watching my expression.

“We've gotten quite close in just one day.”

When I turned around with a bright smile, they flinched.

Not a single one could meet my eyes.

“Isn't that right, seniors.”

My gaze was on the only real ones among the ten twins, Roten and Rite.

The boy and girl hastily opened their mouths.

“Yes! That's right!”

“W-w-we are close!”

I shrugged my shoulders, and Helena let out a small sigh.

“We look close, don't we?”

“…You certainly do.”

It was a needless worry.

Helena muttered.

***

I quickly blended in with the Juet Acrobat Troupe.

The first reason was the continued interest of Vice-captain Helena, the second reason was the help of the ten twins and the third reason was that I had known about the Juet Acrobat Troupe well before my regression.

Even though they had hurried their movement, it would look suspicious if the acrobat troupe did not perform.

Every time they stopped in a city, they performed for at least three days.

It wasn't a bad thing.

Still, since they were traveling by carriage, it was a much faster pace than walking alone and it was also good for avoiding the eyes of the Security Bureau's Special Operations Unit.

I went to Helena and asked her to entrust me with a simple performance.

I ended up doing things like tightrope walking with the ten twins.

It wasn't difficult.

If it seemed like I would make a mistake, I would just casually use the ‘Fantasy Finger’ or Valziart.

And there was an unexpected gain.

‘This is quite a workout.’

The body of an eleven-year-old child was extremely weak.

How much had I grumbled right after my regression?

But as I was trying my best to perform in the acrobat troupe, I could definitely feel my stamina improving.

Looking back, there had been no opportunity to train my body in the Imperial Palace at all.

‘At this rate, the third secret will also be… not long now.’

I had once obtained the silver dragon's scale from the First Princess, Leniar.

The power contained in the scale was more immense than I thought, and there was some left over even after opening the second secret.

As I gradually trained my body, the remaining power began to gently knock on the third secret.

If I was given just a little more time, I could also regain the third Ars.

‘A month since joining the acrobat troupe. It was a very good choice.’

Mekeros was not far off.

The capital, Lutilium, and the Great Palace were now far away.

Joining the Juet Acrobat Troupe had brought several gains that were greater than expected.

I had been able to loosen up my body a little, and I had also obtained various secret information.

Above all, there was a bit of joy.

Seeing the ones who had been my comrades before my regression like this again, I couldn't help but be glad.

It was because there were also some whom I could never see again.

Therefore, I couldn't help but smile.

Something welled up in my chest, and I couldn't help it.

‘…Not yet, not yet. I'm doing well. There's no need to hurry……’

Cordis, this damned name.

A hatred that welled up hundreds of times a day, but I barely endured it.

A thousand-year empire that I couldn't stand without destroying.

Whenever my heart softened even a little, it was always like this.

The past events came crashing down with a scream, telling me not to forget them.

‘…Don't rush me, because I won't forget. Because I can't forgive. But please, just wait……’

The ‘Fantasy Finger’ rampaged.

Even though I hadn't called for it, it was twisting around me as if dancing.

Some of them seemed as if they would grab my neck.

So I had no choice but to remind myself.

Of the flame that had sunk deep in my blue eyes.

‘…I will definitely destroy the Empire.’

***

The meals of the Juet Acrobat Troupe were decent.

It was because they were not a real acrobat troupe, but an elite spy group.

There were many times when they couldn't have a proper meal if they were to be deployed on a full-scale mission.

Therefore, they wanted to have high-quality meals even in normal times, and Helena was faithful to the members' demands.

‘I want to eat pumpkin pie.’

I poked a piece of meat.

Even if the meals were decent, they couldn't possibly be compared to the food of the Cordis Great Palace.

I had only been in the Imperial Palace for a few months, but it seemed I had been influenced.

I felt a little pathetic for my weak body.

My body was crying out for something sweet, but I didn't listen at all and stubbornly moved my fork and stuffed the meat into my mouth.

“Is it to your liking?”

“Yes. It's very delicious.”

“Eat a lot.”

I ate, sitting to the left of Vice-captain Helena.

Most of the members didn't pay much attention.

Everyone knew that the tall woman, Vice-captain Helena, was the owner of a kind heart that didn't suit a spy.

It seemed they thought that such a sense of pity had been exercised this time as well.

However, only Henry Horbi kept glancing at me and the vice-captain.

I had felt his gaze a long time ago, but I didn't bother to say anything.

I had expected a little suspicion.

The meal ended quickly.

Since they were all secret operatives, they never dragged out their meals for long.

As I was clearing my plate, Helena casually opened her mouth.

“Shion, let's see each other for a moment. Henry, you too.”

Helena headed to her tent.

Her tall back made me unconsciously think of a reed.

Henry must have had a similar thought, as his eyes met mine.

“Close the door.”

As soon as we entered the tent, Henry firmly closed the tent door at her words.

Henry and I stood side by side, facing Helena.

Helena tapped her table a few times with her finger and then opened her mouth.

“We're going to Beribelom.”

Henry Horbi tilted his head.

“Wasn't Mantera first? And we were supposed to stop by Derkus too.”

“We can't go that way.”

“Why did the Special Operations Unit do something?”

“It would be nice if it were just that much……”

Helena shook her head and held out a letter.

It was a letter from a contact residing in the Mantera area.

‘The Special Operations Unit is holding the checkpoint.’

‘A man and a woman have joined the Special Operations Unit, and they seem to be their leaders.’

‘The man has jade-green eyes.’

Henry Horbi, who was reading through it, cried out in surprise.

“…Jade-green eyes!”

Henry Horbi shivered.

“Don't tell me, the fortuneteller has returned……!?”

“I don't know if he's completely back, but it's certain that the recent movements of the Special Operations Unit are because of him.”

“Damn it! He became the next emperor's confidant and yet why……. No, perhaps it's because of that side's work……”

The Juet Acrobat Troupe was a group of spies, operatives sent from the West to spy on the Empire.

Their biggest enemy was the Imperial Security Bureau, and among them, the most dangerous was the Special Operations Unit.

And the legend of the Security Bureau's Special Operations Unit, the fortuneteller Amethus.

How many dozens of comrades had been caught by his ghost-like intuition and monster-like swordsmanship.

‘…Amethus.’

I took a deep breath.

I was greatly surprised, but it was to avoid showing it.

To think he was in the next city, had he followed me this closely?

He couldn't have been sure that I was alive yet.

‘He always surprises me……’

If I had been just one step late, we would have met.

If that had happened, it would have been the end.

Destiny and all, I would have been dragged before Ferbias and Ferbias was not a great man who would spare his half-brother who had deceived him.

The thought that my 19-year regression could have turned to nothing gave me the chills.

“Damn it, a fortuneteller……”

Henry had already taken out his pipe and was puffing out smoke.

The smell of the smoke was strong.

Helena wrinkled her nose and then flicked a finger.

Henry Horbi, as if he had expected it, took out a pouch with a pile of dried leaves and a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over.

Helena rolled the dried leaves with the paper and then licked the end and stuck it.

After skillfully rolling a cigarette and putting it in her mouth, a butterfly of fire flew to her.

There were now two people puffing out smoke.

I wanted to ask what they were doing in front of a child, but I didn't bother to say it.

The name Amethus held that much of a threat.

In fact, if I weren't pretending to be a child, I would have wanted a puff myself.

“I understand that we're going to Beribelom. But why me and this kid… Shion?”

At Henry Horbi's question, Helena took the cigarette from her mouth.

“Beribelom is a gateway city. The strictness of its checkpoints is different from other places.”

“Are you telling me to show off my skills?”

“The other brats may be used to it, but Shion is a newcomer and needs help. This is your role, isn't it.”

“I thought so.”

Henry Horbi swung his pipe a few times.

“What should I do?”

“I'd like his features to be a little blurry. Other than that, I'll leave it to you.”

“He does have a noticeable face.”

Henry gestured at me.

“Kid, Shion, come here.”

I approached him without a word.

Henry Horbi still knew me as just a child with a little training, so I planned to play along.

“Stay still.”

He puffed up his cheeks and blew out smoke.

An amount of smoke that was hard to believe came from one person billowed out and covered my entire body, and then stuck to my skin.

My appearance, covered in smoke, was quite different from before.

My fair and fine skin became as if it were sun-tanned and freckles appeared on my cheeks.

My sparkling blonde hair also became dull.

My girlish features remained the same, but they were no longer as noticeable.

Henry Horbi nodded his head in satisfaction.

“How about this, Vice-captain?”

“Excellent. As expected, your illusionism is not ordinary.”

“Because it's different from magic. It can't be easily detected. However, the flaw is that its effect weakens as soon as you move away from me.”

Henry put the pipe back in his mouth.

“So Shion, stick right next to me while we're passing through Beribelom.”

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