Chapter: 19
They were probably hoping I’d play strategist for them the way I had for the First Prince.
Absolutely not.
I had no desire to get involved in that terrifying battlefield called the imperial succession struggle ever again.
More importantly…
‘Every prince is a male lead candidate.’
Male lead candidates couldn’t be trusted.
After all, male leads were the kind of people who fell in love just because the heroine tripped while walking down the street.
And when that happened, no matter how useful a potato I might be, I’d prioritize saving Stella.
So instead of helping some male lead candidate, I’d work hard for Danju and protect my own future.
It had been exhausting in many ways, but the ending was satisfying.
‘I completed the mission and got what I’d been promised.’
As soon as everything was over, Luciano handed me the watch he had been wearing.
I immediately examined it like an appraiser.
‘What an incredible piece.’
The bracelet and bezel were both made of platinum.
It displayed not only the time on the Western Continent but also the time on the distant Eastern Continent, down to the second.
A crystal-clear sapphire was set in the center, and the hour markers were diamonds instead of numbers.
At least one thousand gold…
No, if I negotiated well, I could probably get twelve hundred.
But something else was even more important.
“Um… what about the other promise?”
When I asked cautiously, Luciano answered.
“I’ll take care of Gaspar. As for becoming a page, I’ll inform Esgarott as soon as we arrive.”
“Thank you so much.”
I quickly bowed.
I also made sure to remind him that they could contact San Miguel Castle regarding the page appointment.
Watching me, Ain frowned.
“You risked falling out of my favor for… just that?”
“I never thought I’d fall out of Your Highness’s favor.”
Just as I’d told Prince Luciano before, I had no intention of getting involved in the princes’ conflicts.
The only reason I’d dragged Ain into the trap was because I had confidence in him.
“Because you’re wise. And rational.”
“What?”
“You pretended to be insane. Even though people would laugh at you for it.”
“…”
“That means you know there are things more important than your pride.”
“…”
“So I was certain that, in an extreme situation, you’d choose the wisest course of action.”
“…”
Ain stared at me for a long moment before abruptly turning his head away.
“Just keep Colonel Ragoni’s mouth shut. If the Emperor hears about the assassin, I may not make such a wise decision next time.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then something occurred to me.
“Oh.”
“What?”
“What exactly are you looking for with that tracking device?”
“Ask the rich guy.”
At Ain’s words, I turned to Luciano.
He answered simply.
“The Saint.”
“The Saint?”
“That’s right. The World Tree sang.”
Ah.
So that was why all the princes were desperately searching.
Was there anyone in this world who didn’t know about the Saint?
There was an ancient prophecy said to have descended when the world first began.
When despair comes, do not fear.
The seed shall sprout in silence and bloom into a flower of glory.
The Church of Teret interpreted it this way.
“When the nation falls into chaos, the Saint will appear and bring prosperity.”
Those exact words even appeared in the game’s opening.
Which meant…
‘The Saint must be Stella.’
Was Stella in the north?
Well, Baron Yopis had been searching the northern regions for medicine because Stella was ill.
Maybe he’d brought her here for treatment.
‘I’m heading back to the capital anyway. No need to search far away.’
I didn’t think much of it.
Prince Ain, the Fourth Prince, looked at Luciano in disbelief.
“What on earth is… that?”
He was talking about Yustea.
Before reporting to the Emperor, Colonel Ragoni had come to Ain’s tent to determine exactly what had happened.
And Yustea was currently…
“Yes… yes… Prince Ain has endured so much…”
…crying rivers of tears in front of him.
She was telling him the heartbreaking tale of “Prince Ain’s tragic life, forced to pretend to be insane.”
She wasn’t even lying.
She had simply twisted the truth very skillfully.
In short, it went like this.
“Prince Ain’s maternal family wasn’t very influential, you know?
But his mother was so ambitious that she wanted to place her son on the throne…
She constantly pressured and even abused him.
But Prince Ain is just too kind.
He pretended to be insane because he feared his mother would be destroyed if she got caught up in the struggle for the throne.”
Then she finished with the perfect line to appeal to the Imperial Army’s unwavering loyalty to the Imperial Family.
“He believed that surviving was the greatest act of filial devotion he could offer His Majesty the Emperor…”
“Ugh…”
Colonel Ragoni let out a sob and soaked his handkerchief with tears.
Even hiring assassins was explained away by claiming Ain feared Gaspar or Luciano might kill him.
Yustea even jabbed Luciano in the side until he reluctantly added his own testimony.
In the end, Luciano simply said,
“…Ain and I have cleared up our misunderstanding. Let’s end the matter here.”
“That’s a relief.”
Colonel Ragoni blew his nose loudly before finally lifting the surveillance on Ain’s tent.
Even as he left, he sniffled.
“Poor prince…”
Watching Yustea resolve the entire situation in an instant, Ain let out a disbelieving laugh.
It was true that he’d pretended to be insane because of his mother.
‘She was foolish enough to provoke both the Empress and the First Consort.’
She’d created the perfect situation to get herself stabbed despite having no power to protect herself.
So he’d started acting insane to stop her.
“He knows it wasn’t out of filial devotion.”
“Of course. But stories need a good narrative. The more pitiful it sounds, the better people accept it.”
Ain chuckled and looked at Luciano.
“I can understand how someone like you ended up getting outplayed by that potato.”
Luciano smiled.
Yustea had called herself nothing more than a dirt-covered potato.
She was wrong.
That girl was a born competitor.
Her judgment was almost instinctive.
On top of that, she used that judgment to devise astonishingly clever schemes.
She had always been talented.
But after everything she’d experienced, her abilities had become truly remarkable.
If he had to compare her to something…
She was a perfectly sharpened weapon that could respond to any situation.
A weapon that changed shape depending on its wielder.
Ain seemed to reach the same conclusion.
His previously amused eyes turned serious.
“Won’t you come work for me?”
He asked Yustea.
“Huh?”
“I’ll treat you well.”
He reached out.
Holding her cheek, he gave her a sweet smile.
Even when he was pretending to be insane, that smile had been enough to make anyone stop breathing.
Yustea stared at him in surprise.
Then…
“I’m good.”
She refused.
Brightly.
Without hesitation.
Ain’s face immediately darkened.
“Oh? Then are you planning to join the rich guy?”
Luciano, who had been quietly watching with folded arms, glanced at her.
Yustea laughed.
“As if.”
“…”
Luciano silently turned his head away.
Something about his quiet profile seemed oddly dissatisfied, making Ain forget his own rejection and laugh.
“Then what are you planning to do?”
“I’m going home. I have somewhere I belong.”
“When?”
“Hmm… I don’t have to keep preparing meals for Prince Ain anymore, so I could leave anytime…”
Just then—
Screech.
The cry of a bird echoed from outside.
The Death Servant inside its cage lifted its head.
Ain and Luciano both looked toward the source.
A hawk they had never seen before had landed on the messenger bird’s perch outside the tent.
Yustea beamed.
“Now’s the time.”
“What?”
Both princes asked at once.
She smiled brightly.
“I think someone came to pick me up.”
It was the happiest smile she’d shown during her entire stay at the military camp.
With my backpack stuffed full of belongings, I said goodbye to Colonel Ragoni.
“I’m heading back now.”
“Take care…”
The colonel and his officers looked genuinely reluctant to see me go, but I quickly turned around.
My steps felt light.
The bird that had flown to the tent was Seonggwang, Danju’s hawk.
‘Good thing I contacted the Irregulars before exposing Ain’s fake madness.’
I had expected Ain to hire someone.
After all, he hadn’t brought personal guards with him.
If the hired person turned out to be overwhelmingly powerful—strong enough that Luciano or Colonel Ragoni couldn’t handle them—I wanted backup prepared.
Using Seonggwang as a perch on my shoulder, I hurried out of the camp.
A group of people stood below the hillside.
Although it was dark and their hoods hid their faces, I recognized them immediately.
Antonio’s squad.
And…
‘Danju?’
He didn’t just send Seonggwang.
He came himself?
I hurried down the slope.
I nearly tripped while running, but Danju caught me.
“You’ll hurt yourself.”
I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Why are you smiling so much?”
“Because I’m happy.”
“…About what?”
“You came to pick me up. I have someone who’ll come for me too.”
His hood hid his eyes, but I could feel him staring at me.
Antonio chuckled.
“The vice-captain offered to come, but the captain insisted on coming himself.”
“Ah…”
I was happy he’d come, but I worried I’d inconvenienced him.
Looking up at him cautiously, I heard him say,
“If one of my people gets into danger while working for me, of course I’ll come rescue them.”
Danju really was a good person.
I’d chosen my boss well.
“It all went well. I even made money.”
Excitedly, I showed him the watch Luciano had given me.
Antonio and the others smiled as though they found me adorable.
“Good. Let’s head home, miss.”
“Everyone’s been waiting anxiously for you.”
“Okay!”
Just as I was about to leave surrounded by the Irregulars—
“So those are the people you chose.”
I turned.
Luciano stood there with the full moon at his back, looking at me.
‘Why did he come?’
He wouldn’t recognize the Irregulars because of their hoods, but having Danju and Luciano so close together made me nervous.
I instinctively stepped in front of Danju.
Seeing that, Luciano said,
“If you ever change your mind, contact me.”
“Huh?”
“I take good care of my people too.”
He smiled.
“And I’m quite devoted.”
The unexpected offer left me speechless for a moment.
Luciano smiled gently.
His smile was even sweeter than the moonlight behind him.
“We’ll meet again.”
That was all.
He turned and walked back toward the military camp.
Life really was unpredictable.
Who would’ve imagined that Luciano—someone who had once been practically my enemy—would try to recruit me?
Thinking it had been a rather interesting experience, I turned away as well.
“Hm?”
Danju was silently watching me.
Was he wondering who that had been?
Then it hit me.
‘I should’ve introduced them.’
Officially, Danju was the Lord of San Miguel.
Knowing the Second Prince would surely have been useful.
I hurriedly explained,
“That was Prince Luciano, the Second Prince. Should I go call him back? It’d be good for you to know each other.”
“No.”
“Huh? But…”
“For some reason…”
His voice turned unexpectedly cold.
“I have a bad feeling about him.”
“…?”
Danju wasn’t the type to dislike someone without even knowing them.
But he genuinely sounded displeased.
Well, if that was how he felt, there wasn’t much to do.
I put the matter out of my mind and followed after him.
Two days later.
I stretched lazily.
“They say anywhere becomes home once you grow attached to it.”
It was true.
San Miguel was comfortable.
After spending so long tense at the military camp, being back here felt especially relaxing.
And there was something else that put me in a good mood.
I took out the watch Luciano had given me.
“No matter how I look at it… my beautiful money.”
Since being kicked out of Andres, had I ever owned something worth a thousand gold?
Back when I worked myself to the bone for only forty copper a day, a thousand gold had been an unimaginable fortune.
I wouldn’t have to worry about money for quite a while.
“Now that I have extra money, I’d like to buy everyone presents.”
I wanted to give small gifts to the members who had welcomed me so kindly.
I looked at Charlie, whom the vice-captain had assigned as my escort.
The same Charlie from Antonio’s squad, famous for his colorful swearing.
“Charlie, could you take me to the blacksmith?”
“The blacksmith?”
His expression changed instantly.
He suddenly looked extremely tense.
“You… want to buy something?”
“Yeah.”
“Does it… absolutely have to be from the blacksmith?”
“Huh?”
“Couldn’t you get it from a general store instead? That would be much better…”
When I looked at him in confusion, Charlie swallowed hard.
Then, lowering his voice as though revealing a great secret, he whispered,
“There’s only one blacksmith in San Miguel.”
“And?”
“A money demon lives there.”
“A money demon?”
“He’s the greatest scammer you’ll ever meet. Everyone gets cheated. Someone nice like you would lose everything.”
Come to think of it, I’d heard stories about that blacksmith when I first arrived.
Apparently he’d sold fake Daegarije weapons while claiming they were the famous luxury Tekarije brand.
Still, I’d survived years in the marketplace.
“I’ll be fine. Take me there.”
Charlie looked worried but eventually guided me there.
The blacksmith’s shop wasn’t far from the castle.
Only about twenty minutes by carriage after leaving the city gate.
As soon as we entered, Charlie shouted,
“This is the captain’s daughter! If you try to scam her, old man, I’ll break your wrists!”
Judging by his reaction, the old blacksmith seemed to know the Irregulars’ true identity.
The old man, who had been hammering away at the forge, glanced at us.
“I’m telling you, it wasn’t a scam. It was perfectly reasonable business.”
Charlie snorted.
“How is selling Daegarije as Tekarije reasonable?”
“How could people like you ever afford real Tekarije? Buying something similar and believing it’s luxury—that’s the happiest you’ll ever be.”
“So that’s why you charged double the market price?”
“The seller decides the price.”
The old man shrugged before looking at me.
“So, what brings the captain’s daughter to my humble forge?”
“Oh… I’d like to commission a custom—”
At that moment—
Jingle.
The doorbell rang.
Heavy military boots echoed inside.
I turned my head.
Soldiers were entering.
Not San Miguel’s soldiers.
The golden eagle embroidered on their robes belonged to Esgarott.
The soldiers lined up in two neat rows.
A middle-aged man with his hands behind his back walked between them.
After surveying the shabby forge, he covered his nose with a handkerchief.
Frowning in disgust, he said,
“We’ve come to escort you, Saint.”
…Saint?
Where?
There wasn’t even a single strand of Stella’s hair here.
Why were they looking for the Saint?
Could it be…
Was Stella not the Saint after all?
Wondering what was going on, I listened as the middle-aged man continued.
“On the third day of last month, a wave of holy power was detected in this area.”
“And only one person in this region has received the Rite of Recognition confirming their aptitude for the priesthood.”
So Stella really wasn’t the Saint?
I hadn’t undergone the Rite of Recognition.
Then…
“Charlie… is it you?”
“Huh? No. I’ve never even gone near a temple.”
Not Charlie either?
Then who?
The middle-aged man strode forward.
He stopped in front of…
“Why are you looking at me?”
…the bewildered old blacksmith.
The middle-aged man smiled kindly.
“Please come with us, Saint.”
The old man stared at him as if he were insane and stumbled backward.
He tried to run.
It was useless.
At a signal from the middle-aged man, the soldiers grabbed his arms and legs.
The old man screamed.
“I’m a man! A sixty-eight-year-old man!”
His pitiful cry echoed throughout the forge.
