Interlude ◆◆◆ The Chancellor and the Leader

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Guided along, the Chancellor was taken to an abandoned house not far from the Tidros royal castle.

Strictly speaking, it was more of a shack.

The Chancellor frowned at its dilapidated state.

The man guiding him seemed to plan to wait outside, snuffed out the lantern’s flame, and silently nodded toward the interior.

Wearing his hood still over his head, the Chancellor stepped inside, treading over a fallen, useless door.

There was nothing here that could be called a light source. Only the moonlight coming in through what used to be a window frame provided any illumination.

“Sorry for making you come all this way,”

a voice came from the dimness, and a man stepped into the moonlight.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t change the meeting place,”

the Chancellor spat bitterly.

Originally, they had planned to sneak one of the man’s comrades somewhere into the Tidros royal palace to exchange information.

“My bad, my bad,”

The man laughed cheerfully, wearing a cotton shirt and a linen vest. A pouch hung from his leather belt, and for some reason, a flute was tucked behind his back.

He looked to be in his early forties, or maybe a bit younger.

His deeply carved face was handsome, but whether in Luminous or Tania, his features gave off a foreign vibe somehow.

“Typical Tidros, huh… It’s been pretty tough getting my people inside the palace. Having you come out was quicker. Welcome to the Tidros Kingdom base of the assassins.”

The man smiled creepily—he was the leader of the assassin group known as the Cleaners.

The leader perched partially on the window frame. The whole shack creaked sharply, making the Chancellor flinch, but the leader paid no mind.

“Don’t worry. Two of my men have gotten in. Just in time before the final day, phew.”

“What do you mean ‘phew’? How many times have you failed?!”

Despite numerous failures, the leader’s lack of urgency made the Chancellor’s frustration boil over.

Even though he’d shared every plan, the first attack was a failure, leaving behind evidence pointing to involvement by the Luminous Kingdom.

They also gave away the order of the carriages they intended to attack.

The Chancellor scolded sharply while the leader just grinned foolishly.

The Chancellor clicked his tongue, stepping closer. Sometimes he couldn’t read this man’s true intentions.

“There’s no second chance. That prince is already starting to be affected by the dragon crest.”

At the quiet words, the leader’s smile finally faded.

He fixed a piercing gaze on the Chancellor’s face beneath the hood.

“You mean… that girl with the dragon crest is the real deal?”

“No doubt about it. Only Shitoen seems to have memories specialized in medical knowledge, but if she shares other memories, it’d be troublesome.”

The Chancellor ground his teeth.

The dragon crest bearer.

The Chancellor first encountered this secret when his beloved King Noie became the representative of the Caravan Union Kingdom.

The trigger was truly accidental.

A friend in the Tania Kingdom said, ‘I’ve got something to tell you,’ so he went to visit, combining the trip with a break.

This eccentric man, obsessed with the hidden history of Tania, had left his wife and children behind and was living in Tania, gathering information. He wasted no time with greetings and spoke excitedly:

“I’ve found a common trait for those gifted with the dragon crest! It’s only given to those with memories from a past life.”

The Chancellor had listened skeptically at the time.

He thought the dragon crest was just a strange custom unique to the Tania Kingdom. Nothing more than that.

But his friend spoke passionately.

“Then tell me—where did all those sudden ancient technologies in the old Tania Kingdom come from?”

Sturdy terraced rice fields that appeared out of nowhere.

Irrigation facilities impervious to disasters.

An accurate and flawless calendar.

Techniques to fully utilize mineral resources.

Where did this knowledge come from? Who brought it here?

‘A black dragon tied deeply to the founding of the Tania Kingdom is transporting its soul from another world to help the kingdom develop.’

The friend spoke enthusiastically and continued:

‘If a union between a dragon crest bearer and the Luminous royal family happens… that knowledge could benefit our country.’

Of course, the Chancellor couldn’t just take his friend’s every word blindly.

He soon left and started investigating himself.

But everything was so well hidden he learned almost nothing.

He began to doubt whether his friend’s claims were nonsense.

Then, the friend brought a noble from the Tania Kingdom.

‘I’m beaten by your friend. Well… my time is short because of illness. But if you promise to keep this secret, I’ll tell you a little.’

The noble smiled wryly and showed the dragon crest on their calf to the Chancellor.

‘…What knowledge of past lives do you have?’

The Chancellor bowed politely and asked. The noble smiled gently.

‘You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you. More likely, you wouldn’t understand.’

‘What do you mean?’

In front of the Chancellor’s furrowed brow, the noble dropped their folding fan casually.

‘Why did the fan fall just now?’

‘Because… you let go of it…’

‘Right. It fell because you let go, pulled down by gravity. What if there was no gravity? Or what if I told you there’s a world without gravity floating above this sky?’

The Chancellor stared blankly at the noble.

‘We tend to think language is perfect, but sometimes words can’t convey meaning. It’s culture, or a minimum of shared knowledge that’s missing. So, I often tell your friend…’

The noble smiled awkwardly.

‘Even if you get a dragon crest bearer, whether you can use that knowledge is another matter. There are conditions. And to be frank, I don’t think the current Luminous Kingdom has the tolerance for that.’

The offended Chancellor frowned, while the noble took up their fan and muttered:

‘For example… among dragon crest bearers, some are special. They can pour their memories into someone else to share them.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The saying ‘seeing is believing’ isn’t it? I mean that by seeing the world I lived in, you might understand what I’m talking about.’

The noble tilted their head slightly.

Such dragon crest bearers rarely appear. If one is tied to the Luminous Kingdom… you better take good care of them.

The noble stressed at the end, “This must not be told to others.”

The Chancellor learned that the noble passed away a few days later due to illness.

(If what the noble said were true…)

The Luminous Kingdom might gain incredible technical knowledge.

The Chancellor immediately sought to acquire a dragon crest bearer.

If there was a daughter of proper age, they had to prevent her from leaving the country.

The Chancellor did not tell King Noie of Luminous the true meaning of the dragon crest but submitted a request: “Is it acceptable if a marriage alliance with the Tania Kingdom happens?”

Noie answered, “Agreed.”

The Chancellor used every connection and money available to get one.

A dragon crest bearer, the clever and beautiful Shitoen Barimore, daughter favored by the Tania King.

“Shitoen was the real deal…”

The Chancellor clenched his fist.

His shoulders trembled with anger and frustration that the foolish Crown Prince and the shallow girl had thrown her away.

“So what now?”

The voice sounded as annoying as someone asking about tomorrow’s lunch, making the Chancellor glare sharply at the leader.

“We have no choice but to wipe her out! If she doesn’t become ours, she must become no one’s! That prince… he seems confused and unaware for now.”

Saryu was indeed affected by the dragon crest. He seemed pulled by some memory.

But he did not know the cause. The Tidros royal family still didn’t know the true secret of the dragon crest.

The Tania Kingdom and Shitoen herself probably said nothing about it during the marriage alliance.

“Before the Tidros royal family obtains the secret, we must kill Shitoen.”

They were already a major power. They couldn’t afford to let them get advanced technology too.

“And that meddlesome Meil, who just irritates me by sight, should go with her.”

The Chancellor spat out her name with contempt.

Why even wise King Noie was willing to accept such a girl as the Crown Prince’s fiancée was beyond him. Such a girl joining the royal family would be the start of collapse.

Suddenly, the leader burst into laughter, making the Chancellor grit his teeth and glare.

“Yeah, yeah, my bad. You really hate Meil, huh? She’s a good kid. Bright and innocent.”

“Shut up!”

“Oh yeah, about tomorrow’s attack,”

The leader casually shifted the topic, standing up from the window frame, folding his arms, and looking at the Chancellor.

“After the ball ends, my men will seize the chance to finish things off. We might use smoke bombs then. Don’t worry, no harm to the body, but your vision will be impaired, so be cautious.”

“I want to ask you something.”

“Anything.”

“About the carriage attack. Why target the third one too?”

The Chancellor fixed his gaze on the leader’s grinning face.

The plan was to attack only the second carriage.

The carriage originally supposed to carry Saryu and Shitoen.

Because Meil blabbed unnecessarily, the passengers had changed, but Shitoen was still in the second carriage.

“Looks like the passengers changed, sorry. I messed up.”

“You didn’t drop the mace on purpose, did you?”

The Chancellor studied the leader carefully.

Was this carefree, unrepentant man lying?

Or was he trying to betray him?

“It’s true. My men messed up, and I’m sorry, I swear.”

The leader pressed his right fist to his left chest and bowed deeply.

The Chancellor watched silently for a while but finally said, “Make sure it succeeds this time,” and quickly left the shack.

Stepping out, the Chancellor was led back into the Tidros royal castle.

After confirming this, the leader muttered,

“Wipe out, huh.”

He pinched his chin, squinting.

There was a noise, and a comrade entered from the entrance.

“Boss, I’ve got the thing you asked for, reporting in.”

The man dressed all in black gave him a bag, which the leader grabbed carelessly and pulled something out.

It glittered.

Bathed in moonlight, it shone brightly enough to pierce the leader’s eyes.

“Uh-oh, no mistake here. A golden buckle and a jade pendant.”

“Unfortunately, the rumors were true—Monet and Roze were apparently tortured to death. Given that none of our info leaked, they probably didn’t give up any secrets to the end.”

“Ah, so the girls are dead.”

Saying it so plainly, he noticed his comrades lost their words.

Should have I added some emotion?

Maybe tears?

Was that the normal reaction? The leader thought, but it was too late; trying to fake crying now would only push them away.

“It’s sad they died, but the fact they never leaked info is impressive, even for my own children.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

The added remark was met with agreement.

The deep bows showed their respect.

The leader sighed inwardly, thinking it a hassle.

Doing this kind of job, you still need to show human sides or your comrades drift away. People fear what they don’t understand.

So the leader made it seem like he cared deeply for Monet and Roze in front of his comrades.

Or so he thought.

He had no love for his children.

His obsession with Monet and Roze was just because they shared Fiona’s blood.

Fiona and the leader first met in a back alley of the Tania Kingdom.

The leader bought the woman who was soliciting.

Though hidden under clothes, she wore a buckle and pendant far beyond her status. Apparently, a fallen noble.

The leader planned to deceive and rob her.

She was pretty, and her reaction didn’t match that of a prostitute, which amused him. After playing with her thoroughly, he casually proposed:

‘If you want money, I’ll buy that golden buckle of yours.’

It would fetch a good price. The leader planned to trick this naive woman and buy it cheaply.

Showing the amount to suspicious Fiona.

Expecting joy, Fiona instead gave a strange look.

‘Why would you want that? You can make as many as you like.’

Puzzled, the leader frowned, and Fiona spoke proudly:

‘I have knowledge from a past life. Though fallen now, my family once was linked to the royal family. So…’

‘Cut the preamble. What do you mean?’

‘In the world I lived before, you could make these things any time.’

It was alchemy.

The leader became very interested in the woman.

Fiona’s words might be a secret about alchemy.

It was well known that sometimes special knowledge bearers appeared in Tania.

They were protected by the royal family and their skills used for the state.

(I might have found something good.)

The leader was excited.

He took Fiona and gave her what she desired, even letting her have children.

But the knowledge was out of reach.

No, the knowledge was within Fiona.

But he couldn’t understand its meaning.

Electricity, radio waves, chemicals.

The leader couldn’t imagine what Fiona was talking about.

Wasn’t this magic? How was it different from magic?

He didn’t think Fiona was lying. Rather, she was frustrated at why he didn’t understand.

Later, Fiona gave birth to her second daughter, Roze, but her health declined, and she died before Roze turned one.

The leader kept Monet and Roze only because they were Fiona’s daughters.

Maybe one day they’d awaken memories like Fiona’s.

Until then, they’d be used as Cleaners.

No work, no food.

Around then, the Chancellor—one of the clients—said something intriguing about Shitoen Barimore.

‘This time, a daughter with a dragon crest is to marry our Crown Prince. It’s secret, but she has special knowledge and talents. Make sure she’s well protected.’

Upon closer listening, she was said to have past life memories.

When the leader heard this, he went wild with joy like Fiona.

This is a second chance from heaven just for me.

If the Crown Prince doted on her, there’d be no opening for me to meddle.

Thinking so, the leader egged on his daughter looking greedily at the Prince and offered her as his mistress.

Sure enough, the Crown Prince fell for the daughter and started neglecting Shitoen.

This gave him a chance to get close to Shitoen.

Planning to gently approach her alone and pique her interest,

But on the day of the engagement cancellation, the Tidros Kingdom protested and left the country.

‘Change in orders: kill Shitoen.’

When ordered by the Chancellor, the leader thought the same.

If he couldn’t use her, no one else would.

But he began to rethink when the Chancellor said something strange.

‘If Shitoen has special abilities, she’s troublesome. We must erase her quickly…’

That special ability was the power to share one’s knowledge with others.

“That’s it,” the leader knocked his knee.

Maybe now I can understand the world Fiona spoke of.

At that time, he learned Monet and Roze wanted to leave the group.

He was already starting to give up on them.

The girls had no abilities. No point in keeping them. Just a nuisance.

So he issued the final order.

The assassination of Shitoen Tidros, the third prince’s consort of Tidros Kingdom.

The leader thought the assassination would probably fail anyway.

Skilled assassins had been killed. Monet and Roze couldn’t finish her off.

The leader only had one goal.

It was to show Shitoen the golden buckle and jade pendant Fiona had.

What would she think seeing these?

Would she say, like Fiona, “Is this rare?”

The leader observed her among comrades but unfortunately, it seemed true, as the Chancellor said, that her knowledge specialized in medicine.

(But… if she has the ability to share information, that’s another matter.)

The leader gripped the buckle and pendant and chuckled.

His comrades stayed silent for a moment before cautiously asking,

“So… how shall we erase Shitoen and Meil?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I guess the order was to wipe them out.”

The leader blinked.

Silently mocking the Chancellor’s absurdity.

“But hey, think about it—Shitoen, the dragon crest bearer, has value. Or rather…”

The leader laughed harshly, twirling the buckle around his finger.

“Maybe the one without value and only a nuisance… is the Chancellor.”

The gold shimmered under the moonlight, scattering light around the room.

The leader gazed at it in rapture.