Chapter 153

Before the start of Stage 4. 

Just after recruiting Aegis Special Forces Team 8, who were there for Godhand.

I had given an order to Aider.

"Be on the lookout just in case, and report if anything happens."

"Me?!" 

Aider had asked in surprise.

"Of course, you are the only free resource we have. We who are constantly caught up in defense battles and explorations can't do it."

The Aegis Special Forces Team 8 was composed entirely of elves, all of them were convicts sent from the capital.

The measure was taken as a precaution, as the existing party members were hesitant and uncomfortable with them.

However, they were loyal, fought valiantly and won the trust of everyone. Eventually, they integrated fully into this frontline against the monsters.

They were no longer 'Aegis Special Forces Team 8', but my 'Shadow Squad'.

I had also come to completely trust the Shadow Squad.

So much so that I had forgotten about assigning Aider to keep watch over them.

***

But on the eve of Stage 5, Aider came to me with a trembling face.

"Your Lordship. I think you need to look at this information."

And what Aider showed me was a video, shot like CCTV footage.

"After you ordered surveillance that day, I've been using the remaining system resources to monitor the Shadow Squad... This is what I caught today."

On the screen, there was the Lord's mansion, where the Shadow Squad was staying.

It was the archery training ground behind the mansion. Godhand was out there alone.

"Coming to find me will cause trouble."

With an awkward look around, Godhand spoke softly.

"If anyone sees us, they'll discover our connection."

"Everyone in the castle will be too busy preparing for tomorrow's defense. They won't even notice me. But what about this? What are you going to do about this?!"

The one who had come to find Godhand and was saying these things was...

Saintess Margarita.

"My assignment from the capital was only to monitor the dynamics of this fortress city! But now I've been made to stand on the frontline! Isn't the inner reconnaissance of the front line your Aegis Special Forces' job?!"

With these words, everything became clear.

Godhand, and Margarita.

Both of them were spies for the royal family.

As Margarita was hysterically screaming, Godhand looked around and asked,

"Did Prince Ash also request your participation in the battle?"

"Yes! He said he wanted me to participate as a reserve. This... this... damn it! This is not the mission I was given! I came to treat the sick, not to fight monsters!"

"Calm down. Someone might hear."

"Calm down? How can I! When I was first dispatched here from the capital, they said the monster invasion was dwindling and it would be safe, but not only is the invasion intensifying daily, now I'm being placed directly on the wall!"

After venting for a while, Margarita seemed to calm down a little and took a deep breath.

Godhand, who had been listening quietly, nodded his head.

"Don't worry. I will protect you."

"Really?"

"Yes. If that's something I can do..."

"No, that's not enough. I need to contact the capital directly. No more-"

That's when it happened.

"Godhand?"

From the direction of the mansion, Bodybag approached, her voice tinged with suspicion.

Surprised, Godhand turned around in a panic, and Margarita hastily lowered herself and ran toward the forest behind them.

"Bodybag? What are you doing here instead of resting in the mansion?"

"I just thought I'd get some fresh air... What about you, Godhand? Who were you talking to..."

Margarita desperately fled into the forest behind the archery training ground, and Godhand blocked the path leading in that direction with his body and coughed.

"Conversation? Ahem! I was alone. I was just talking to myself."

Click.

"That's all."

Aider stopped the video and chuckled wryly.

"Your Lordship's insight in ordering the surveillance was accurate. I almost blindly trusted the Shadow Squad, they're such reliable fellows..."

"Forget about the Shadow Squad. What about Margarita?"

"Huh?"

"Did you stop surveilling Margarita after this?"

Aider looked startled.

"I shifted the target of the surveillance to Margarita after their conversation ended. But she's just been praying in the temple, she hasn't done anything else-"

"Show me."

"Huh?"

"That prayer. Show it to me."

Aider turned the screen.

In the central hall of the temple, Margarita knelt in prayer before the statue of the goddess. 

- I simply wish to be faithful to the task I've been given...

Margarita gazed up at the statue of the goddess with a desperate look in her eyes. 

- What should I do now...

As if the statue of the goddess would actually respond. 

- Please... guide me...

She crouched down and continued her prayers. 

Damien watched her from a distance, a puzzled look on his face captured on screen. 

At this point, Aider paused the video.

"From this point onwards, she just remains kneeling in front of the statue."

"..."

I squinted my eyes, staring intensely at the screen. 

"When she was talking with Godhand, Margarita clearly said..."

"Yes?"

"'I must make direct contact with the central.'"

"Ah, yes. She indeed said that."

"So that means Margarita has a way of communicating with 'the central.' But she's not contacting anyone, just offering up endless prayers...?"

She hadn't sent a messenger. She hadn't written a letter. She was just praying before the statue of the goddess. 

I glared at the statue on the screen. 

Could it be...?

"Aider, can you continue to monitor Margarita?"

"The system resources are limited, so I can only monitor one at a time."

"Then from now on, only monitor Margarita. You can ignore the Shadow Squad."

Thump. Thump. I unclenched my fist and growled softly.

"I'll have to hook Margarita soon."

"Hook...?"

"Spread false information. Startled, Margarita will report to the central immediately, and the central will react to the false information."

I twisted one corner of my mouth into a grin. 

"Then it'll reveal itself. Both Margarita's means of contacting the central and the true identity of this 'center'."

I had a feeling. 

Both of these things would be incredibly useful to me.

***

At present.

In the lord's mansion. Reception room.

Godhand and Margarita were on their knees in front of me, captured. 

"Looking back, there were suspicious circumstances about you two from the beginning."

Sitting in a chair with my legs crossed, I twirled the staff in my hand. 

"Godhand, when you lost both arms in the Gargoyle Legion's defensive battle, you underwent surgery by Margarita."

"..."

"But you didn't really cut off both arms then, did you? You lost them before you arrived on this front line. When you earned the name Godhand."

That day, outside Godhand's operating room, Bodybag said this:

- Godhand lost both hands in an operation two years ago.

- Both lost hands were replaced with metallic prosthetics. As a metallurgist, he had no problem manipulating the prosthetics like real hands.

- After replacing both hands with prosthetics, he changed his code name to Godhand.

"That day, the arm you lost and the one you cut off, both were not real arms but metal prosthetics."

"..."

"Margarita acted like you made a great sacrifice to win our trust. Isn't that right?"

Upon hearing my words, Lilly looked at Godhand with a pale, shocked face.

"Is that true, Godhand...?"

"..."

"But that day, you lost your arm to save me..."

Godhand, who had been silent, slowly opened his mouth.

"It's true that I was injured by the Gargoyle and had to amputate more of my arm that day."

Strangely, he seemed to be speaking to Lilly, not me. 

"However, most of what you said is correct, Your Highness. I exaggerated a minor injury as if it was a significant one, to gain trust on this front..."

"..."

"But Lilly, everything I told you that night was true-"

Lilly didn't wait to hear any more, she stormed out of the reception room.

Godhand, who had been looking at the space where Lilly had disappeared, silently shut his mouth and lowered his head.

With a sigh, I watched the scene, then shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't care if any of you are spies for the royal family. It would be strange if there were no spies."

The Everblack Empire covered more than half the continent. 

It's natural to scatter spies throughout the world, even within their own territories.

Especially if a royal prince is messing around in a borderland, it is inevitable that they would be under surveillance.

"If you pledge loyalty to me, fight on the front lines, and risk your lives, I wouldn't mind briefing you about the current situation."

I growled at the two of them.

"But you should've remained undetected."

"..."

"..."

"Once exposed like this, who on the front lines would trust you? You're not comrades battling monsters together but potential spies carrying unknown intentions."

The relationship between the royal family and me, the third prince, was not so bad at the moment. 

But the future was unpredictable. For instance, when issues related to the succession of the throne arise.

If another prince, holding real power within the royal family, decided to assassinate me.

These spies could sabotage the front lines and assassinate me - a plausible scenario.

They were like a ticking bomb the royal family had put around my neck.

"...Your Highness."

Godhand, who seemed to have made a decision, looked up at me with gritted teeth.

"The truth is that I was given a secret mission when I was sent here. However, Your Highness, none of my subordinates knew about this."

I glanced towards Bodybag and Burnout, who were tied up in the corner of the reception room.

They were trembling with surprise at the situation.

Godhand continued.

"Most importantly, I have already decided to dedicate my life here. My loyalty is genuine. Please believe me, Your Highness! And..."

"Enough! Godhand, I'll listen to your story later."

I cut him off and turned my gaze.

"I have to listen to our Saintess now."

"..."

Saintess Margarita was quietly closing her eyes without any reaction after being captured. As if she had given up on everything.

"When I declared my rebellion and gave you time, Saintess, you immediately ran to the temple. Not even knowing that my subordinate was watching you."

"..."

"I was curious. How you were contacting the upper ranks. And the identity of that 'communication device' was quite surprising."

***

A little while ago, when I gave them an hour of respite.

Margarita immediately ran to the temple.

I continued to monitor Margarita through the surveillance screen of the system window.

She sat down in front of the goddess statue in the central hall and just started talking, completely abandoning any pretense of praying.

- I report. Prince Ash has declared rebellion. I repeat, Prince Ash has declared rebellion.

After a long silence.

A low-quality buzzing voice came out of the goddess statue.

- Rebellion?

It sounded like a very poor quality phone call, but it was clear.

- Say it again, exactly.

- Prince Ash has declared rebellion.

- Is it true? This matter is of utmost importance. There can't be a single mistake.

- It's true. I heard it clearly with my own ears.

Margarita reported my declaration of rebellion without a single mistake.

- ...

The goddess statue was silent for a moment and then spat out words.

- Prince Ash ordered to gather again in an hour?

- Yes, that's correct.

- Then, after joining Prince Ash, continue to monitor him. Whether he is really planning a rebellion, and if so, what method he is using, observe in detail and report again.

- But, this isn't my job anymore! I'm just a priestess...!

- Everything is for the goddess and His Majesty the Emperor. Don't be petulant.

- ...

- I'll be waiting for the next report. Contact me before midnight. That's it.

The conversation ended.

Margarita looked up at the goddess statue with resentment and left the temple.

And then she returned to my mansion.

***

I chuckled.

"I couldn't believe that there was a magic communication device capable of long-distance communication. Moreover, it was in the form of a 'goddess statue'."

"..."

"How could we tell whether you were earnestly praying in front of the goddess statue, or reporting the situation here to the higher-ups?"

Communication magic is a famous ancient magic known to have disappeared along with teleportation magic.

But it seems that it didn't disappear; the royal family monopolized it and allowed only their spies to use it.

While we had to resort to sending messengers, writing letters, and releasing doves whenever we needed to communicate from afar - a total mess - these damn spies had the audacity to set up ultra-high-speed communication lines for their own use. The audacity of these bastards.

Margarita bit her lip hard. I brought my face closer to hers, dodging her averting gaze.

"Saintess. No, Margarita."

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Beating the palm of my other hand with a short cane, I murmured ominously,

"I don't doubt your faith. Your dedication to treating the sick, your nobility in providing medical care in these remote regions."

"..."

"But you were a pawn of the royal family, and a spy. And you hid that fact from me. You deceived me, the son of the Emperor, the commander of the southern front, and the lord of this city."

Thud.

I gripped the cane resting on my palm as if to shatter it, and I smiled softly.

"You'll have to pay the price, right?"

"..."

Margarita slowly opened her mouth.

"Are you... going to kill me?"