Episode 92
Cesar had met the guild leader once before.
He had heard that a new organization handling secret requests from high-ranking nobles had appeared and, thinking it was necessary to investigate, he had ordered a background check.
As someone running an information network disguised as a trading company, he was always sensitive to and wary of sudden changes.
But the guild leader had approached him first, requesting a meeting. Intrigued, Cesar agreed, and the guild leader appeared before him and Wilhelm, acting submissively.
‘Don’t mind us. We won’t do anything to displease the high-ranking nobles.’
He spoke as if he already knew who was running the information network. Cesar was wary, not knowing where he got that information.
He later found out it was connected to the Empress. He had been tempted to crush the Empress’s pawn, who was watching him, but decided against it.
He had no intention of getting involved in the power struggle between the Crown Prince and Second Prince factions. He would maintain his neutral position as the head of the noble faction.
So he had just left him alone, concealing some information.
But they had crossed the line.
‘I can no longer tolerate that woman scheming behind the scenes to put her foolish son on the throne.’
He noticed the morning dew forming; he had spent more time here than he intended.
‘It seems you’re planning on hiding until the time is right.’
It was a foolish choice. He had once searched the entire Empire for someone. Unless she was hiding with a changed appearance and identity under someone’s protection, finding someone wasn’t impossible for Cesar.
And he had various methods.
“A rat hiding in the back alleys. I’ll just flush it out.”
If Lily had heard that, she would have been horrified and stopped him, but she wasn’t by his side now.
As he was chanting the spell for a wide-scale magic attack,
“My, my. Are you planning to burn everything down?”
The person he was looking for appeared before Cesar. He was acting submissively, but his eyes shimmered with amusement.
Cesar scoffed.
“I knew you’d be nearby. Your guild is probably being burned to the ground by my men right now. You’re quite relaxed.”
“Do you think those who do dirty work live long? They’re just dogs easily discarded after a single failure.”
His words were amusing, believing he wouldn’t be abandoned despite pledging loyalty to the Empress.
“You’ll meet the same fate.”
“Her Majesty is certainly fickle. But she won’t kill me so easily. She’s also a coward.”
He wondered what kind of dirty work he had done to be so confident.
Cesar suppressed his surging mana, wanting to crush the man’s face. He had information to extract.
“It seems you were planning on appearing when I became desperate. That’s a shame.”
The man shrugged at Cesar’s words.
“It is a shame, but what can I do? I can’t just stand by and watch this place be destroyed. How about we make a deal?”
As if a deal had been his intention from the beginning, his eyes softened.
“What are the terms?”
“It seems you’re quite fond of a certain maid. I’ll gladly get her out of the Seirthe Marquisate. And I’ll tell you how to bring down Lady Seirthe in one fell swoop. Her Majesty enjoys anything that harms the Crown Prince, after all.”
“Are you suggesting a collaboration between the Seirthe Marquisate and the Clovis Dukedom?”
“That’s a rather hurtful way to put it. My true intention was simply to maintain a friendly relationship with the Clovis Dukedom. Lady Seirthe’s request was just… a side job.”
The man before him didn’t doubt that Cesar would join forces with him. Because he wasn’t on good terms with the Crown Prince.
“Does the Empress know that I’m fond of a maid?”
“It’s just lust, isn’t it? You’re probably just planning to make her your mistress. I didn’t think it was necessary to report such trivial matters.”
“So you acted on your own.”
“I also felt it was too risky to serve only Her Majesty.”
Cesar, who had been silent for a moment, burst into laughter.
If it were just lust for a woman he intended to make his mistress, he wouldn’t be so anxious, his mind racing, filled with murderous intent.
He was barely holding onto his reason, disgusted by the way Lily was being used as a tool for this man’s survival.
“I thought you were quite clever.”
Cesar, having approached him, suddenly grabbed the man by the throat. The man’s eyes darted around nervously.
“Show me what you’re capable of. You’re a guild leader, aren’t you? I need to crush something struggling to survive to calm my anger.”
“G-gah… You… you want to find… that woman, don’t you?”
“Still playing with words at a time like this. I never intended to negotiate with you. Did you know? None of those I interrogated have ever refused to tell the truth. And none of them left in one piece.”
Sensing the imminent danger, the guild leader spoke,
“I-I’m under Her Majesty’s…”
“I know. That’s why I haven’t gotten rid of you yet, even though you’ve been a nuisance. But I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ll side with the Crown Prince.”
Cesar loosened his grip slightly, so the man wouldn’t lose consciousness from lack of air, and then teleported them. If the man screamed here, people would come.
There was an interrogation room for spies in the basement of the Dukedom.
He frowned as he arrived at the Dukedom after using teleportation magic. Using it consecutively made him feel dizzy and unwell.
Cesar threw the magically bound man against the wall like a sack of potatoes and looked at the knights, who bowed their heads at his appearance. They were the knights on guard duty, so there weren’t many of them.
It was late, and the servants were asleep, so he couldn’t make a commotion. Cesar, wearing gloves to avoid getting anything unpleasant on his hands, called out to two of his knights, known for their… tolerance.
“You two, follow me to the basement. We have someone to interrogate.”
“Your Grace, will we be of any help if you’re personally interrogating him?”
Cesar glared at the knight who spoke and replied,
“I called you because I don’t think I can control myself. I don’t want him to die during the interrogation.”
If he died before revealing any information… Cesar didn’t know what he might do.
“Beep…”
‘My left wing hurts so much…’
I woke up to excruciating pain, and tears welled up in my eyes. My left wing, hit by Prea’s arrow and then crushed by her hand, throbbed.
‘Can I heal my wing with divine power?’
Fortunately, I had the mana stone that appeared when I transformed back into a bird, but it seemed best not to do anything rash. I was currently locked up in a birdcage in a dark, windowless basement.
‘Trapped in a cage again…’
This was the worst. I had tried so hard to escape, and yet, what was the difference between this and my fate in the original story?
‘The gods have abandoned me. They wouldn’t have given me these trials otherwise.’
I cursed the gods of this world and cried. The more I thought about everything I had been through, the more I felt a surge of resentment.
“Beep!”
‘What did I do wrong?! There hasn’t been a single peaceful day since I was reincarnated! I woke up as a bird, and just when I finally became human and thought I could be happy, I was kidnapped!’
My pitiful chirps echoed in the cage, but the outside was silent.
My cries, meant to distract me from the pain, were filled with frustration. Like a dying will, I chirped,
“Beep!”
‘This is unfair! If the gods really exist, they should at least help me escape this crisis…! They should at least compensate me for putting a human soul in this tiny bird’s body!’
My throat hurt from shouting. As I paused to catch my breath, a gentle breeze enveloped my wing.
“Chirp?”
‘Huh?’
There were no windows here. So there shouldn’t be any wind. And this refreshing, pure energy…
It was a spirit.
My tail feathers perked up.
‘Did Heron come looking for me?’
I chirped loudly, trying to let them know where I was.
“Beep!”
‘I’m here! Save me!’
“Chirp!”
‘I don’t want to die! And I don’t want to be hurt anymore!’
Tears welled up from desperation and fell to the bottom of the cage.
Then, a voice echoed in my mind.
‘You can’t leave without permission. You have to fulfill your duty here.’
What was that? Did I hit my head when my wing was injured?
I suddenly saw the image of a white temple I had never seen before. An old man with a gentle face was speaking.
‘You have to live for the kingdom until your life ends. That is your reason for being born.’
The voice, casually talking about a lifelong servitude contract, sent shivers down my spine.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shake off the horrifying image, and when I opened them, I saw a translucent wolf circling me, emitting a faint light.
“Beep?”
‘A wolf? Are you… a spirit?’
The wolf nodded at my question.
“Chirp, beep!”
‘You’re a spirit summoned by Heron!’
The wolf tilted its head, as if puzzled, and then spoke,
—Female Master.
Heron wasn’t my “female master.” It meant the spirit was summoned by Sylvia.
‘Sylvia’s spirit came for me. Then…’
I had a chance to escape this place.