Chapter 136: Scout and Scout
In the darkness, a man was hiding behind a shadow.
His black attire would have stood out during the day, but at night, it perfectly blended into the background.
Combined with his skills, he had concealed himself so well that he could only be detected from a very close distance with a stare.
The man was acutely aware of his need to suppress any presence while listening intently to the sounds coming from the tent in front of him.
“Just as expected, Your Majesty, you drink quite heartily. Come now, please drink more!”
“Ahahaha, this time Alice, it’s your turn to serve me!”
“Oh, come now, it’s fine, it’s fine.”
“Geez! Not yet, it’s too early!”
“Oh? [Not yet], huh? Ahahaha! Alright, I’ll show you something nice.”
“Something nice?”
The sounds coming from behind the tent followed the intel he had received beforehand.
The Emperor had brought his favorite concubine to the battlefield and was engaging in debauchery.
While it wasn’t entirely unheard of for a powerful ruler to bring a woman to a battlefield, the man, due to his profession, didn’t jump to conclusions until he verified it himself.
But now, with the chaotic revelry echoing from the tent, he was convinced.
His finely-tuned nose hadn’t yet picked up the scent of intimacy between the man and woman, but he suspected that was due to the thick, rich smell of alcohol that was overwhelming his senses.
Considering that the stench of alcohol was emanating even through the tent, he concluded that he had fully confirmed the Emperor’s debauchery and believed that half of his mission was accomplished.
“…Alright.”
Once he confirmed this, he decided to make his escape.
The man had been a scout for many years. His primary duty was to return safely with information.
So he took his time.
He was meticulous about the act of “returning.”
He carefully observed the patrolling soldiers, waiting for a safe and opportune moment to exit without being noticed.
Eventually, an opening appeared.
He seized the opportunity and slipped out of the imperial army’s campsite, melting into the dark expanse of the grassland.
…
……
……………
Two men had been silently watching from the shadows.
☆
“He left.”
“Umm.”
After confirming that the enemy scout had departed, I stepped out from the shadows alongside Henry.
“Finally, he arrived.”
“Indeed. Combined with the information we’ve spread, they will no doubt believe that His Majesty is a wicked lord.”
“Right.”
The main reason I brought Alice was to deceive and lower the guard of the enemy forces.
I had been feeding them information directly and indirectly, anticipating that if their commander was competent, they would send out a scout to verify.
Tonight, the long-awaited scout came and successfully returned with the information about my “debauchery.”
With this, the first phase of our plan was clear.
“Fortunately, it helped that Eila Nouf was unfamiliar with us.”
“The Nouf family is quite a distant branch.”
“Indeed.”
“However—”
“Hm? What is it?”
When I turned, I found Henry looking at me with a contemplative expression.
As if he had just bitten into a bitter insect, yet somehow impressed.
“I never imagined that there were such uses for His Majesty’s skills.”
“It’s merely a slight adaptation.”
I chuckled lightly.
What Henry referred to was the “distraction” technique.
I had diverted the gazes of all the people in the direction the scout was escaping.
The scout had taken great care and, at the very moment their attention was diverted, slipped away.
Thanks to my support, the scout managed to escape safely.
Of course, I instantly recognized that the scout’s technique for suppressing presence and sound, as well as their infiltration and exitial technique, were considerable enough to have allowed them to escape regardless, but I reinforced the escape just to be sure.
“To think it could be used for others as well.”
“Ultimately, it’s designed to divert others’ attention. My involvement is not a prerequisite.”
“Truly impressive… There seem to be many more applications.”
I smiled softly.
As Henry said, there are various scenarios where this could be useful.
I had already thought of several, and I was confident that in situations like assisting the scout, it could be used without any issues.
I am convinced that this technique will be useful in various ways in the future.
“More importantly—Henry.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“If it goes too smoothly, they’ll become suspicious. Let’s carry out a light pursuit.”
“Pursuit… you mean? But…”
Henry said this and looked into the darkness where the scout had disappeared.
I had almost perfectly let the scout escape.
In this dark, there’s no way to find him.
If we pursue now, it would definitely look suspicious, Henry was saying.
“I will set off fireworks to win the favor of the woman I brought, even though we are in the encampment. Fireworks that bear her name.”
[Hmm… yes, let me show something good.]
“…Yes.”
Since it was to ensure the safe return of the scout, Henry was understandably close by at that moment.
I suddenly remembered the words I had uttered.
“Awesome… that’s how it works…”
“That’s the idea.”
“Understood!”
Henry bowed his head and hurriedly ran off.
After seeing him off, I raised my hand.
“Bahamut.”
As if almost immediately, a small, translucent dragon appeared in front of me.
Although small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, it radiated a majestic aura wrapped in flames.
[Did you call?]
“Were you listening to the conversation just now?”
[Every bit of it.]
“I’m sorry to have you imitate a juggler. Can you do it?”
[Not a problem.]
The flame dragon Bahamut.
It soared into the sky while remaining in its small form.
It separated from my hand and blended into the moonless night sky.
Moments later…
Fireworks exploded into the sky.
Bahamut, lord of flames, launched not inferno but fireworks into the sky.
The fireworks burst in the air, literally blooming into a grand flower.
From the center of the flower, Alice’s name emerged.
The fireworks inscribed with Alice’s name illuminated the night sky.
And on the ground, it shone bright red, as if it were daytime.
Immediately after launching, a stir rippled through the campsite.
Just after, incredulous voices could be heard from various directions. A few seconds later…
“There! Stop! Who goes there?”
Henry’s voice echoed from afar.
Accompanying it were loud footsteps charging forward.
“That’s enough, Bahamut.”
I whispered, and it seemed to reach Bahamut in the sky, causing the fireworks to stop abruptly.
I waited at the spot for a while.
A few minutes later, Henry returned.
“How was it?”
“Yes, thanks to Your Majesty’s strategy, we successfully lost them.”
“I see.”
I let out a small laugh.
It was night now.
To begin with, it was a moonless night, giving the scouts a chance to escape easily.
Once the fireworks stopped, it only made sense that it would return to darkness and become easier to flee.
Humans are fascinating creatures.
Even if it’s exactly the same thing, they feel the one they struggled to obtain holds more value.
The information brought back by that scout will surely be treated as valuable.
“That was a good confirmation. I caught a glimpse of the scout looking up at the sky with a cold laugh.”
“Ahaha, it seems they looked down on me quite a bit.”
I thought it was good that the plan had gone well.
I changed my expression and once again focused my gaze on Henry.
“Well then, Henry.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“From tomorrow, tighten the security. No mouse should be able to sneak in.”
“Understood. I will ‘reflect’ and ensure that any attempts to infiltrate are met with strict consequences.”
“However, the consumption of alcohol and luxuries is expected to increase.”
“As expected of Your Majesty, I will follow your commands accordingly.”
“I will be away for a while.”
“Eh?”
Henry, who had complied with my orders every time, looked at me with a surprised expression.
“Being away… what do you mean?”
“I mean it literally. From tomorrow, the carriage and tent will be empty. Do not let anyone realize I am gone.”
“Where are you going?”
“On a scouting mission.”
“Eh?”
Henry stood there, mouth agape, speechless.
After nearly ten seconds of being frozen, he finally seemed to understand my words.
“Absolutely not! His Majesty himself—it’s unthinkable!”
He protested vehemently.
“You’ve seen the effectiveness of distraction firsthand.”
“Even so, it’s not acceptable! If anything were to happen to Your Majesty…”
“Don’t worry about it. More importantly, I want real information.”
“Real information…”
“I want to know exactly what people think of me. If possible, I would like to sneak into Eila Nouf’s chambers. I could eavesdrop on their bedtime stories.”
I said the last part a bit teasingly, but Henry continued to try and push back.
“But…”
“Henry.”
I looked straight at him with a serious expression and called his name.
He flinched slightly and responded, “Yes.”
“I could leave without saying a word. With that power, it would be easy to slip away. Right?”
“W-well…”
“I am talking to you now because I trust you.”
“…………Your Majesty is impressive… and also a bit cruel.”
“Hm?”
“That’s a completely different matter, but if you put it that way, I have no choice but to comply.”
“I see.”
I smiled again.
Henry is a clever man.
What I said about trusting Henry was undoubtedly a diversion of my true point.
Just because I trust Henry doesn’t lessen the danger of what I plan to do. It doesn’t provide any additional assurance that Henry might accept my decision.
Recognizing that clearly, Henry reluctantly accepted, saying, “If you put it that way…”
It’s that kind of character that makes me trust him even more.
☆
Henry watched Noah return into the tent intently.
A complex expression filled Henry’s face from the depths of his heart.
In Henry’s mind, memories of the evaluation of Noah he had exchanged with Oscar before the expedition resurfaced.
[His Majesty is not like a human..]
“Your Majesty, you… you overestimate me…. humans too much.”
The words, uttered in a complex expression, were drowned out by the noise of the camp and did not reach anyone’s ears.
There is –>discord<— to get update notifications and releases? I am a bit lazy these days.
Thanks for the treat. 👍