CH 80

Even though this secret passage was useful for eavesdropping in on outside voices, he still had to conceal his own voice well.

If the courtiers of the imperial palace were to move in unison, they would have to shift. Although they worked three or four shifts, their housing was practically empty in the meantime.

‘It’s because this is the entrance to the passage on the second floor.’

Zeppel, who operated the equipment quietly, opened the wall. He waited a long time and checked for the presence of others before confirming that no one was present.

The imperial family’s palaces were the only places the soldiers and knights were wary of. In this way, there were almost no guards in the quarters where the courtiers stayed.

Zeppel was also a sword master like Leonis. He was lower than Leonis, but he could sense someone was around.

Conversely, he could easily tell if he was trapped somewhere.

‘I can’t believe I was trapped in this place.’

Zeppel strode through the hallway and into what looked to be the storage room. It was a room on the right side of the residence of the courtiers.

The door was locked, so Zeppel wrapped his dagger around the blade of his sword, lightly breaking the lock. It was quiet because there was still time before the courtiers returned.

The inside seemed to be a room used as a warehouse. He could see several shelves and rows of cabinets, but there was no ventilation because there were no windows, making the air suffocating.

It seemed to be a storage area for items used by courtiers, such as sheets, blankets, and curtains. Zeppel walked across it and into the door.

A lock was used to secure the door. However, at the bottom of the door was a small iron door that could be opened and closed to allow food to be placed within.

‘I couldn’t find it because he hid her in a place like this.’

Leonis only placed a few tridents in the palace of the second emperor. Despite the risk he will face, he searches the dungeon for a maid named Lucy but can’t find her.

Zeppel managed to locate Lucy through the servants’ gossip while spying through the secret passages.

Zeppel poured water from the tray he had stolen from the imperial palace into the cup. He also put sleeping pills in it. 

The maid named Lucy seemed to belong to Princess Amelia. It would be nice if she could be persuaded, but he didn’t have time to waste. Persuasion can be accomplished by getting her out of here.

Zeppel felt a presence on the other side when he opened the small iron door beneath the door. She seemed to be clinging to the floor while peering out the window.

“Who? Who is coming? It’s already the fourth day! Get me out of here!”

He could hear Lucy talking inside, but Zeppel did not respond, instead holding out a cup of water from a tray.

According to the maids, on the fourth day, Lucy had been holding on to a glass of water a day. She must have been thirsty because they hadn’t given her even a cup of water since yesterday because of their laziness.

As Zeppel expected, Lucy put the cup to her mouth as soon as she saw it and drank in one gulp. She couldn’t get the taste of the sleeping pills out of her head, but she seemed to drink without complaint.

Bang!

Lucy, who had placed the glass on the tray, tried to look outside again, but Zeppel grabbed the tray and cup and shut the small door again.

Lucy, who had placed the glass on the tray, tried to look outside again, but Zeppel grabbed the tray and cup and shut the small door again.

“Do not be like this….Huuu, Sobs…..I shouldn’t cry……”

Lucy was sitting on the floor, dehydrated. She drank the water with the medications on an empty stomach, so the effect should be immediate.

“Ugh……Right now…..No…….Ha…..”

Lucy’s voice was faint as she leaned against the door as if the medications had taken effect. Zeppel broke the lock right away by cutting the lock.

Lucy, who was completely asleep, collapsed out of the door as it opened. Zeppel hugged Lucy and turned around.

It was time to leave this damned second prince’s palace.

✦ ✦ ✦

Leonis observed Celia’s face as they started to down the slope. She didn’t yet look worn out. It was fortunate for him, but Leonis, who didn’t want Celia to do difficult work, was struggling.

‘I can’t force you to do it.’

He’d have to get her horse and cross the mountain again if they went down to the second village. He wasn’t sure if leaving it alone for now was best because it would be a difficult journey.

“Is that the village over there?”

As his eyes followed Celia’s fingertips, Leonis turned his head to confirm, then nodded lightly.

The village was a small one over the mountains, near the summit, with no decent store. There were between only eleven and twelve rooftops.

It was a village that started as a slash-and-burn farmer village, but it was discovered that a beast came, and they asked for help, so it began paying taxes progressively.

Because the harvest was small, the lord paid taxes with herbs and dried mushrooms that could only be found on this mountain. Even so, paying taxes was difficult because it only happened once or twice a year.

If an unregistered village was discovered to be a slash-and-burn farmer, it was burned down and relocated to a farm road in another territory. They could even say they were fortunate.

He may be able to practice reasoning skills because he is a lord with a territory across the mountains and is far from the imperial family.

Leonis and Celia went to the village, thinking of the nobleman with the beautiful beard. The majority of the town was empty because it was midday. They went to the fields to work or to pick herbs. The only people left in the village were the elderly and children.

Since hunters were all visitors to this village, the children playing in one corner of the village looked at them curiously.

They were children who had been warned not to approach strangers recklessly, but they had a different impression from those she had seen.

“Kids, are there any restaurants or inns in this town?”

Celia stepped forward and asked, and one of the children extended an arm and pointed somewhere in town.

“Aunt Edley’s house over there sells food and rents rooms!”

“A house with a rooster sign!”

“Alright, thanks for letting me know.”

Celia smiled as she went alongside Leonis in the direction the child pointed.

Leonis looked at the children indifferently and turned away. His eyes were disguised by magic, yet children said he was scary.

It was easy to find because it was the only house in the village with a sign. It was also one of the village’s few two-story houses.

“Is anybody home?”

A fence surrounded the house, but no separate gate existed. They entered the house after seeing a shoddy rooster-shaped sign.

The wooden house had an open front door, but it didn’t look like a typical house from the outside, so they didn’t mind going inside.

“Is there anyone here?”

“Who is it? It’s a woman’s voice…… Oh, my.”

A woman in an apron came from the back of the house, most likely after feeding the livestock in the backyard. She observed Celia and Leonis’ behavior and seemed to think that they were the ones with money.

“I was lost my clothes and horse when I met a monster while travelling. Can I buy some horses and clothes here?”

“Are you not going to stay?”

The woman said in a rather shrill voice at the word she was buying things.

“If you let me know who can sell it, I might be able to give them referral fee to aunt as well. You can also offer them a good price.”

The woman’s face softened when she mentioned she would pay her a referral fee.

“Horse and clothes…….There are only two households with horses, and farming would be outrageously costly.”

“I know there’s a village down there, but is it also hard to find?”

“The situation is similar there…… You have to go to a big city to buy a horse at a reasonable price.”

The woman was convinced they were nobles just by Celia’s tone and Leonis’ attitude. In particular, Leonis’ eyes and tone were those of an aristocrat looking down on his opponent.

“Then I can’t.”

“Could you call them right now?”

When Celia asked, the aunty, the house owner, glanced at the longsword slung over Leonis’ waist and nodded.

“Sure. Would you mind if you wear my clothes?”

“Yes.”

It didn’t matter to her as long as she could wear it, even if it were too big. She hurriedly passed the fence. She seemed to be calling out to the village’s horsemen. Leonis turned to face Celia.

“I don’t suppose the chase will go this far…… I think that woman will remember us.”

“That is impossible. Anyway, we looks different.”

Celia remained silent as she awaited the woman. When the woman decided she might make a fortune selling her wares to the aristocrats, she became agitated.

It came as no surprise. This was due to the fact that aristocrats frequently spent more than the cost of living in these mountain settlements for a couple of months.

‘Wait, who would you like to talk to? Mr. Ans, don’t say anything ridiculous to the old man! I’d rather go down to the village and buy a horse there!’

So he decided they had better go to the village chief’s house. She thought she was very fortunate that there was no young woman her age.

If she had, she would have bought her clothes. Edley hurriedly ran to the field where the village chief’s son was supposed to be.

✦ ✦ ✦

The horse the village chief’s son brought was not very strong, but it was enough for two people to ride. It was the only house in a village that had two horses.

He intended to sell both horses as if he expected to be able to buy them again, but Leonis chose only one and bought it. But, the price was too high, so the village chief’s son returned with a wide open mouth.

Celia also bought a suitable set of clothes from Edley and changed into them. She had made a lot of money from her referral fee and clothes, so she was quite nice to the two of them.

Leonis carefully examined the saddle before riding the horse. Then he sat Celia on the saddle and rode away.

Edley, who had already made significant gains, was sorry to see them go. He’s aware of his cooking skills and the fact that the rooms he rents out at his house aren’t particularly nice, but he’ll do his best to serve guests if visitors stay. In truth, it was mainly because of the fact that their pockets seemed to be huge enough to buy a horse and reward them.

‘If you need it, I can even lend you my bed!’

She was fortunate to receive a sum of money that could be used for a month from selling just one piece of clothing.