The Empror's Trap

"Damn it, these two were vicious. They stabbed without saying a word," said the injured guard, his voice trembling from pain as his colleague pressed on his wound and bandaged it.

He had been the first to catch up with the pair. He hadn't wanted to use force immediately, instead asking them to come with him. The two had stopped and walked toward him.

Thinking the situation was under control, he was about to call his colleagues to help escort the two to the Grand Marshal when they suddenly attacked, stabbing at him while muttering something that sounded like they were preparing a spell.

He could only call for his teammates while avoiding their attacks, but he still got wounded. These guys were clearly aiming to kill with every strike.

"Well done," Kenji said, examining his wound. "Take this money for your recovery. Don't let any complications develop. These days, Royal Guards like you are hard to find."

"Thank you, Grand Marshal."

The Royal Guard's eyes lit up at the sight of five gold coins. Although Royal Guards received good salaries and benefits, plus frequent bonuses, five gold coins was still a substantial amount. One gold coin could support a family of three comfortably for an entire month.

"This is for your treatment. Don't try to save money by neglecting your wound. If it doesn't heal properly and you get dismissed from the Royal Guards, don't blame me," Kenji warned.

"Don't worry, Grand Marshal! I definitely won't! Should we take these two back to the palace? Will they be interrogated?"

Kenji examined the tightly bound assassins. They clearly had Vishi features, and wore no decorative items or church insignia on their chests. Apparently, they had forgone such identifiers for their assassination mission.

Yet Kenji immediately recognized them as church Executioners. The distinctive short dagger that had just been pulled from the Royal Guard's arm was typical church-issue equipment.

They had thick calluses on the inside of their middle and index fingers. This came from their alternative way of wielding the short dagger—gripped between two fingers when making a fist.

This technique, combined with church fighting styles, offered more variations and was harder to defend against than the conventional grip.

In the West, encountering tight-lipped, dangerous individuals with calluses on those two fingers and carrying short daggers meant there was at least a 60% chance they belonged to the church.

"Take them back. You should know the interrogation procedures. Ask where they're from, who sent them, what they intended to do, and what their future plans are."

"Will they talk? They don't look cooperative."

A nearby Royal Guard asked while adding an extra iron chain to the captives.

"Of course they won't be cooperative. I suspect your interrogation will likely be futile. These people are absolutely devoted to their faith and almost never reveal any information."

"What should we do then?"

"What do you mean?" Kenji gave him a wry smile. "You don't actually think I can extract information from religious fanatics, do you? Even if something could be extracted, it certainly wouldn't be through your usual methods."

There were specific ways to deal with fanatics, but Kenji doubted these Royal Guards could get any useful information.

"Then what's the point of capturing them alive?" the Royal Guard asked, confused.

"Capturing people alive isn't just about intelligence gathering," Kenji said dismissively. "Forget it—this isn't your concern. Conduct your normal interrogation, and if you discover anything unexpected, tell me or Commander Sonya if you prefer. I'll handle it later."

"Grand Marshal, do you have other business? We've already caught them..."

"I need to protect Her Majesty."

Kenji wasn't trying to get closer to Pluvia; he simply wanted to ensure her absolute safety. Although they had captured two assassins, nearly half the Royal Guards would now be occupied with guarding the prisoners (those two Executioners were like fighting machines). This would weaken the protection around Pluvia, and he needed to fill that gap.

Pluvia sat in an ice cream shop on the street, savoring a frozen dessert.

Whether in Camelot or the Vishi Empire, frozen treats were rare during summer. Although people had various techniques for making and storing ice, it remained a scarce resource in summer. Consequently, the cold drinks and frozen desserts at Vishi Empire's ice cream shops weren't cheap.

Faced with an array of frozen delicacies, Pluvia chose an orange sorbet—the safest-looking option. Beside her, Sonya took a bolder approach, ordering a glass of fruit wine with ice.

She chose this because she was still on guard duty; otherwise, she would have preferred something stronger.

Just then, Kenji pushed open the door and entered the shop.

The place buzzed with activity. As one of Vitnan's few ice cream shops, it frequently attracted customers. Despite the high prices, wealthy patrons and curious first-timers regularly came to sample the treats.

When Kenji entered, Pluvia glanced up at him briefly before returning her attention to her sorbet.

He walked directly to Pluvia's table and stood there.

"No need for formalities. Sit down," she said without looking at him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Kenji sat down, nodded to Sonya who was drinking nearby, and said, "Your Majesty, I was concerned, so I followed you here."

"Did you succeed?" Pluvia asked calmly after eating her last spoonful of sorbet and wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

"I'm not sure what Your Majesty is referring to," Kenji replied, puzzled.

Pluvia's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked up, examining this familiar minister. The sorbet cup still radiated a slight chill.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Or do you find deceiving your emperor amusing?" she said coldly, placing her hand on the table and tapping it lightly.

"I haven't deceived Your Majesty."

"I might have believed that if you hadn't arranged for me to go out with only Sonya," Pluvia said, pointing outside. "Tell me, how many of our people are stationed outside the shop right now?"

"...Only four," Kenji admitted.

It was better not to stubbornly deny it. From Pluvia's attitude, she appeared to be questioning him but wasn't truly angry. Rather than genuine reproach, she was creating an atmosphere that put him at a disadvantage.

This suggested she actually approved of his actions.

"What were the results?"

"We captured two alive. They've been taken to the palace awaiting judgment," Kenji answered.

"You know, Kenji," Pluvia moved her cup aside, her face unreadable, "sometimes I don't actually oppose your methods. On the contrary, certain tasks are best accomplished by you. But I want you to understand something clearly: I'm not a pawn in your game. I'm willing to cooperate, but that doesn't mean you can keep me in the dark. Understand?"

"I'll remember that, Your Majesty."