Chapter 275: You Are Like Sand (16)

No way... I haven't been discovered, have I?

A chill of panic ran through me.

If the Demon King's blessing could be stripped away this easily, then what was the point of forging that contract in the first place? Is this where it all ends?

I froze for a fleeting moment, but then I sensed the hurried footsteps of a human rushing in from outside. Relief washed over me.

A knight brushed past me and flung open the office door.

Clack!

Leandro must have sensed this man instead.

The knight barged in, voice raised with urgency. "Commander! A letter has arrived!"

It was a gamble. If I were caught here, then the elite knights of the Blue Lion Order would cut me down instantly. Yet, as soon as he entered the room, Leandro showed no signs of noticing me. My concealment was absolute.

Unbelievable. If even the effeminate duke had received the same blessing of concealment...

I recalled Leandro's corpse dangling from a meat hook. A blade had pierced cleanly through his heart and throat. At the time, I couldn't fathom how he had been slain so flawlessly. Now, the answer clicked into place.

What if the effeminate duke killed him with a single thrust?

If one side was granted the perfect chance for an ambush, then that was beyond an advantage in a duel.

Slipping behind and driving a blade into a vital spot would be an instant kill. Even against someone stronger, it was more than possible. It was a power that tipped the scales completely, more practical than Malphas' authority itself.

Leandro remained stone-faced as he asked, "What letter?"

The knight, breathless from running, answered in a bright, almost eager tone. "It's from Countess Isabelle! I hurried here so I could deliver it as quickly as poss..."

Thud.

Another knight behind him casually kicked his heel, shutting him up. The mood chilled instantly.

Leandro gave the messenger a cold stare. "Is it an official document?"

"No, sir. It seems to have been sent personally..."

"I don't have time for such things."

Leandro tore the envelope without hesitation. The neatly folded paper inside was shredded into pieces, scattering across the floor.

"Commander...?"

The messenger's face went pale, but he wasn't the only one. Even I was startled. A memory resurfaced in my mind.

Does the defendant admit to the murder of Isabelle Simone? The defendant stripped armor from a countess's corpse! Do you admit to murder, desecration, and theft of personal effects?

Isabelle Simone. When Leandro had killed me, he had obsessed far more over Isabelle and Miyu's deaths than even the Emperor's. Now, he ripped her letter apart without a second thought.

Why?

I recalled Isabelle blushing furiously the moment I had invoked his name to warn her to flee from the imperial guard.

Nonsense! Don't you dare speak his name so lightly!

Perhaps there truly had been nothing between them, and her memory was only exaggerated after death. I had assumed their relationship was special enough to be his weakness. I even ordered the Necron Society to investigate further.

Was all that effort wasted?

No, it was better to wait and see.

On the surface, Leandro was unflinching, unyielding.

"Am I expected to receive every pointless scrap like this?"

The messenger bent down, trying to gather the torn fragments, but Leandro stopped him.

"Leave it. Don't intrude on the janitor's duty."

Leandro casually pressed his boot on the shredded paper. "Didn't you hear me? Return to your posts."

"Commander, but..."

"No, I should be the one leaving."

"Not at all, commander! This will always be your office. At least allow us to give you the reports we've compiled so far."

A middle-aged man with a stiff gait handed him a bundle of documents.

"This is..."

This time, Leandro accepted without complaint. He leafed through them carefully, then nodded.

"Well done. These are thorough."

From behind, I caught a glimpse of a detailed record of multiple individuals' movements at the time the regent diamond disappeared. However, they clearly had no lead on the true thief yet.

The regent diamond... Among the loyal subordinates listed, one name was absent: Knight Rayleigh. With that, the threads aligned.

I recalled the tavern gossip in the capital.

But after the regent diamond theft, the thieves' guild was crushed. That's when Rayleigh caught Leandro's eye and became a knight.

Of course Rayleigh wasn't here. He had once been a rising star of the thieves' guild that had stolen the imperial regent diamond.

What was that guild's name again?

For a moment, I considered revealing it, but the thought passed quickly.

Why help Leandro?

This man had killed me over and over again. Even if I told him, he would hardly be grateful.

Better to simply watch.

"I'll be leaving soon."

The knights filed out one by one.

Alone at last, Leandro lifted his boot from the letter scraps. Then, he bent down.

What is he doing?

Piece by piece, he put the fragments back together. It was nothing but a simple letter. There was no code or secret, yet Leandro's lips curved in a faint smile.

"

Hmph

."

He tried to suppress the smile, hardening his face again. Then he read it once more. And again. He read the letter with the kind of care someone might give to precious words, not meaningless scribbles.

At last, he bit his lip and clenched the letter in his fist.

Whoosh!

Blue flames erupted from his hand, consuming the letter whole. He did not use magic, but sword aura conjuring elemental force. No ash remained. Leandro stared blankly at his own hand.

Doubt turned into certainty. There was the fleeting smile as he read line by line and the wistful gaze at the hand that had burned her words. The depth of expression he showed was far more than he had ever revealed.

Yes, Isabelle Simone was the key. The front he had shown moments ago had only been an act, a shield to protect her name because he knew she was his weakness. I had been right to direct the Necron Society to investigate.

After a long silence, Leandro rose and trudged outside. He wandered aimlessly until he stopped at the stables. There, with a faraway look in his eyes, he stroked the mane of his black warhorse.

With a sigh heavy with unspoken meaning, he murmured to the horse, "Let's go, Miyu."

"Neigh!"

I shadowed Leandro. The horse, strolling leisurely along the main street, soon veered toward the outskirts.

Clop, clop!

The horse steadily picked up the pace and headed in an odd direction.

Shouldn't he be searching inside the capital? Where on earth is he headed now? I might lose him.

Sprint!

I chased after the rider on horseback. Fortunately, his black steed wasn't galloping, but moving at a pace closer to a heavy trot, so I could keep up. If it had been running full speed, I definitely would've lost him.

After leaving the capital, Leandro continued traveling south for quite some time.

Then, with a light leap, he dismounted. He loosened the saddle and stared out over the vast plains.

"Miyu."

"Neigh?"

"Go."

"Neigh!"

Yet the horse stood still, unmoving. Leandro slapped its hindquarters.

Smack!

"I said go. Leave."

The black horse only flicked its tail at Leandro's hand, as if brushing away a fly.

"I don't want to drag you into danger. I'll be fine without you. There are plenty of other horses."

"Neigh! Neigh!"

Miyu stubbornly stayed put, swishing its tail even faster and striking Leandro's hand.

"..."

Smack!

Leandro struck the horse's flank again, hard enough to leave a red mark behind.

"Neigh!"

Startled, Miyu tucked its long ears back against its head and sprinted forward for several dozen meters.

"That's right."

However, it soon wheeled around and came galloping back toward him, lips curled as if it were sulking or almost... angry.

When the distance closed again, Leandro let out a heavy sigh. "It's dangerous. You could get hurt, killed even, before I do. Go."

"Neigh! Neigh!"

"You don't understand anything. Please, just run far away from me..."

"Neigh!"

Miyu almost seemed to understand the words, yet it had no intention of leaving. It simply ran circles around him, refusing to be swatted again. From the way it moved, I doubted Leandro could outrun it even if he tried.

"A willful beast like you is useless. I can't stand the sight of you! Just disappear already," Leandro exclaimed.

"Neigh..."

Miyu's eyes welled with moisture. Even so, it clung to Leandro's side, unwilling to part.

Leandro sighed deeply, then reached out to gently scratch the horse's long neck. "You could just live freely on the plains... Do you really want to die with me?"

I was speechless.

What is this? Some kind of tragic tale about a marquis destined to fight the Demon Kings corrupting the Empire and his loyal steed, Miyu? Why do I have to witness this sentimental scene?

Time passed. Eventually, Leandro gave up on trying to send it away. He didn't even bother tightening the saddle. He just held it in his hand and started back toward the capital on foot. The horse trailed right behind him, unwilling to be abandoned.

"Neigh! Neigh!"

Is it... cheering him on?

The two of them walked so close together that it was as though bound by an invisible tether. After a while, Leandro scratched at Miyu's mane. The horse lowered its head, then lifted it again, tracing a circle with its neck, looking oddly cheerful compared to Leandro's grim expression.

The marquis...

He tried to drive away even his beloved horse, just as he kept Isabelle and the Blue Lion Knights at a distance. He seemed to know that it was dangerous if they stayed near him.

So he knows he's being targeted. How much does he really understand? What's he planning?

Both the Empire and Botis' agent would try to win him over, but judging from how his stories always ended in death, he clearly wasn't the type to bow his head.

The capital gates loomed ahead. Only then did Leandro seem to take notice of the eyes around him. He slung the saddle back onto Miyu, mounted casually, and rode on.

That image of trying to drive off his faithful companion before plunging into battle was striking. He must've truly cared for the beast. I still vividly remembered those glowing blue eyes crying out Miyu's name, raging that his innocent horse had been slain. He tried so hard to let it go, yet in the end it died anyway. No wonder he was furious.

In any case, I was following him this openly, yet a fighter of his caliber hadn't noticed a thing. It really did feel as though I was moving in another world entirely. Botis' authority was remarkable.

As I tailed Leandro, another thought struck me.

If this keeps up, couldn't I slip into the imperial palace itself?

Isaac had said reconnaissance was impossible because of the barrier, but maybe now I could peek inside with ease. I vaguely remembered the direction, but I quickly gave up on the idea.

The power of Concealment belonged to Botis. The Empire that bred larvae and worked hand-in-glove with him surely knew how to detect intrusions. It would be sheer stupidity to think they wouldn't notice.

If I tried something reckless, I'd lose all trust in an instant. Since that monster already knew of Rubia's existence, I couldn't risk such a gamble. For now, it was wiser to play along with his tune and focus on completing Rubia's scenario safely.

So, I kept following Leandro. If I could uncover his secrets during this pursuit, that alone would be valuable.

Who knows when's the next chance I'll get to tail him unseen? I might learn things I could use for a long time to come.

Status window.

[Perk: Concealment.]

[Time Remaining: 36:42:14...]

I confirmed his two weaknesses. I also learned that he did sense threats to his own life. Not even after twelve hours of tailing, I'd unearthed more information than I had obtained in several lifetimes.

Besides...

"Thirty-six hours left..."

I still had three times as much time remaining.