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Chapter 3.1: Master of the Back Alleys
「Does he know? Or is he just guessing?」
We were the first to start patrolling Section 7, so there was no way he could know.
And if he had seen me release Hans, those clueless medieval fools wouldn’t be questioning me so earnestly.
「I would have been thrown into the dungeon of the lord’s castle.」
My contemplation was brief.
“I was late for the assembly because I was off duty that day, so I started with the areas that hadn’t been searched yet. That was Section 7.”
“Hmm… I see. Still, it’s absurd that there was an empty section during the search. Discipline has become lax.”
William clicked his tongue and sat back down in his chair. He then began opening the drawers of his desk, searching for something. The captain standing next to him jumped up in surprise, but couldn’t bring himself to stop him and just gaped.
“So you didn’t find anything in Section 7? I want to hear it directly from you, as that’s the only area the Inner Castle Guard hasn’t been to. Ah, here it is. Oh, it’s from the Kennell family. Where did you get it?”
What William took out from his desk was a luxurious square box containing cigars. Even to me, who knew nothing about them, they looked expensive.
His face brightening, William took one out, put it in his mouth, cut the end, and lit it.
“Haha… well… a relative gave it to me as a gift… haha….”
The captain’s face crumpled in an instant. I had to struggle to hold back my laughter, as he was a stingy captain who never even bought drinks.
“Yes. We didn’t find anything.”
I answered, suppressing my escaping laughter.
“Is that so? Tsk. This is troublesome. Hoo━ This has a wonderful aroma. Would you like to smoke one too?”
William took out a cigar and offered it to me. The captain behind him shook his head desperately. Seeing that, I wondered if I should learn to smoke now, but then I shook my head.
The people here thought smoking was good for the body and enjoyed it regardless of age or gender, but I knew that cigarettes were like paint that turned your lungs black.
“I’m fine.”
“Is that so? Alright. Why do things like this have to happen at such a crucial time when marriage talks are underway… Tsk.”
William, putting another cigar in his mouth, closed his eyes and waved his hand. It was a dismissal. I bowed deeply and left the room.
「It seems I escaped safely.」
He was a man like a tiger, not only in appearance but also in presence. Is this what it feels like to face a detective in an interrogation room?
Even if Hans were caught, I wasn’t worried. These ignorant fools would surely chop off his head without asking him anything, afraid of being tempted by the devil.
「Anyway, life is going to be tough for a while.」
Thinking of William muttering about lax discipline, I couldn’t help but sigh. Based on my past military experience, it wasn’t a good sign.
「More importantly, today is the problem.」
Usually, after working all night for several days due to an emergency, they would guarantee some rest, but in this barbaric place with no labor laws, there was no way they would show such flexibility. I had barely slept for two hours, but I had to work right away.
It was fortunate that I was in good shape. As I was about to leave the Outer Castle Guard headquarters, determined to take a bath after work today…
I ran into a woman clad in shining silver armor. Her orange hair was tied back tightly, and her expression was stiff, but it couldn’t hide her beautiful features.
I habitually scanned the length of her arms and the sword at her waist. It was a sword that seemed to have considerable weight. However, it wasn’t very long. If we were to fight…
「I could probably beat her with my bare hands, but if she draws her aura… it would be difficult. Damn aura.」
Then my eyes met hers, and I quickly lowered my head. In this era, wearing iron on your body signified your status.
Apart from the nobles, there were few people in this castle who could possess such armor. At most, the captain of the Inner Castle Guard and the knights. Among them, the only female knight was Adela.
Thump, thump.
As I kept my head down, heavy footsteps passed by. Only after the sound of footsteps faded away did I raise my head.
「They couldn’t catch him.」
Unless it was an order from the lord, there was no way a knight would come all the way to the Outer Castle Guard. The female knight’s face was also subtly creased. The emotion contained in that creased expression was clearly annoyance.
It seemed Hans was more skillful than I thought.
「Or does he really have some kind of teleportation magic?」
Well, it was none of my business now.