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Indomitable Pride and the Clash of Stealth Blades – Part 04

“What’s your point? I do things after judging it’s feasible. Flower Face wished to stay, so I decided to wait.”

“She did what? Did Count Dred ask the Wandering Saint for help?”

“So you know that the daughter of this house is suffering from the effects of the Phantom Butterfly.”

“We had no conclusive proof, but that was the assumption. We saw the doctors come and go.”

Hikaru pondered this information. The target of the intelligence department, or rather, Emperor Kagurai, was Count Dred. They suspected that Count Dred was involved in the Phantom Butterfly, and once that was confirmed, he would be punished.

“I get it. All right, I gotta go now.”

At that moment, Hikaru felt the activation of a powerful magic spell from the basement. It was probably Paula. She had said she saved Kamori’s son, so she wouldn’t fail.

“You will wait here. If the Wandering Saint is only here for treatment, she should come out soon. And the job’s done.”

“Are you stupid?” Hikaru scoffed. “Do you seriously believe Count Dred will just let Flower Face, who has seen his daughter suffering from the Phantom Butterfly, leave like that?”

When Paula and Hikaru discussed the matter at Kamori’s mansion, she didn’t talk about the danger involved in treating her, and Hikaru didn’t mention it either. They both understood that treatment itself was very risky.

Still, Paula had said she wanted to do it, and Hikaru agreed. Now that Paula had accomplished her part, all that remained was for Hikaru to ensure her safety.

“Ah, I guess you’re not that stupid.” Kutsuwa drew a dagger. “Don’t cause a disturbance here. Count Dred is already twitchy after what happened yesterday. Until we have definite evidence of his involvement with the Phantom Butterfly, we’ll leave him be.”

“I’ve already told you: I’m here to get Flower Face back.”

“We appreciate Flower Face’s contributions, but she only saved a few hundred people. It was the intelligence department that saved ten thousand people by bringing back the antidote for the Accursed Toxin.”

“…”

“I heard you helped with gathering intel, too. I appreciate that. But if we leave Count Dred to his own devices, the capital will be thrown into even greater chaos.”

Kagurai had told Hikaru that in the Empire, it was widely believed that it was the intelligence department, not Hikaru, who infiltrated the Tower in Agiapole and stole the antidote for the Accursed Toxin. But he was unaware that the same story was being told within the department itself.

Is getting all the credit really that important?

Hikaru found it ludicrous, but with gatherings of people, such things were common. He felt a little sorry for Kagurai and Luvain, both leaders of their own organizations.

“If you want to blame someone, blame your own lack of foresight for siding with Bios.”

Kutsuwa sprinted silently across the sloped roof. Hikaru parried the swift dagger strike with his short sword. Attack, attack, attack. Counter. Dodge. Parry. Sparks flew in the darkness with each clash.

“Ugh!”

Hikaru had almost no experience fighting on a sloped roof. He lost his footing, and he momentarily staggered. Kutsuwa’s dagger came in to strike him. Hikaru rolled across the roof, narrowly avoiding the strike.

“…”

Hikaru quickly got to his feet, breathing heavily.

He’s strong… As expected. I don’t stand a chance with my undeveloped combat skills.

Hikaru had grown too accustomed to fighting with Stealth, and a battle that involved a lot of back and forth was taking a significant toll on him. Furthermore, he hadn’t slept a wink since yesterday.

In contrast, Kutsuwa showed no signs of fatigue. His body was relaxed, and his breathing was steady.

Sprinting down the slope, Kutsuwa unleashed a powerful rocket-like kick toward Hikaru.

Oh, yeah? I’ve got a weapon too, you know!

Kutsuwa’s boots seemed to have iron plates attached. Hikaru evaded the spontaneous kick, then swung his short sword at Kutsuwa’s ankle.

“Huh?!”

The blade stopped as it touched Kutsuwa’s boots, and the short sword snapped from its hilt.

Kutsuwa didn’t miss Hikaru’s brief moment of disarray. The momentum almost threw Kutsuwa off the roof, but he managed to stop himself just in time. Swiftly, he made a U-turn and stepped on Hikaru’s toe.

He didn’t intend to let Hikaru escape.

In the next moment, a dagger was inches away from Hikaru’s nose. He barely managed to avoid the attack, but it brushed against his cheek, leaving a sensation more hot than painful.

Why am I rattled over a broken sword?!

There were tactics unique to close-quarters combat. Unable to throw punches, Hikaru twisted his body and struck with his elbow, but Kutsuwa easily blocked with his arm and thrust a dagger towards Hikaru’s belly. Hikaru’s fist, holding the broken sword’s hilt, struck Kutsuwa’s wrist.

Hikaru landed a hit on Kutsuwa for the first time. The dagger slipped from Kutsuwa’s hand, clattered on the roof, and slid down. As soon as his foot was free, Hikaru tried to put some distance between them.

“Ugh!”

Kutsuwa’s long arm seized Hikaru by the cape, yanking him down. Quick as a flash, Kutsuwa swung his leg up, using his iron-plated boots to step on Hikaru’s head. It was quicker to evade than to block. Hikaru rolled away and finally leaped off the roof.

“Tch.”

Kutsuwa dashed to the edge of the roof. If his foe fell and made a loud noise, that would cause a commotion they didn’t want.

But Kutsuwa would be in for a surprise when he got there. The garden where Silver Face should have landed was empty. Even the dagger he had dropped had vanished into thin air.

“What’s going on…?”

Kutsuwa blinked. It felt as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

---

“Phew… That went well.”

Upon landing, Hikaru activated his Stealth and retrieved Kutsuwa’s dagger, taking a moment to catch his breath.

“I should really try to avoid head-on battles as much as possible. I’m still not as strong as I should be, and it’s not even my forte.”

Hikaru touched his cheek and felt blood. Pressing a clean white cloth against the wound, he circled the mansion.

He could have dominated the battle by using Stealth to its fullest, but he refrained from it to keep Kutsuwa’s focus on him.

Hikaru’s Mana Detection saw someone inside the mansion.

“I’m coming soon, but you handle the most crucial part, Lavia.”

Paula and a few others had gathered in a room—Count Dred’s private chamber, where Hikaru had tried to infiltrate the night before. Lavia was hiding inside, prepared for any emergency.

---

Count Dred personally invited Paula and Kamori to join him, so they left the basement. This meant that the young lady’s offer of employment was on hold. For now.

When Paula saw the disheveled gray-haired man, she couldn’t imagine him as a noble if he were wearing ordinary clothes.

“It seems like my daughter has recovered. Well done, Kamori.”

“Th-Thank you. It’s an honor to hear that from you, Your Grace.”

Kamori wiped his sweat and bowed. Paula wondered why Kamori was so nervous, but then she remembered that he had planned to notify Count Dred about his intention to back out of the Phantom Butterfly business.

“Your Grace, it was Kamori’s son who recommended the Phantom Butterfly to the young lady,” the young butler chimed in. “I believe he does not deserve any commendation.”

“Wh-What? That’s not—”

“That is not the case?” The butler fixed Kamori with a glare.

“B-But…” Kamori struggled to speak, sweating profusely.

Count Dred and Kamori sat facing each other across a desk. Aside from the young butler, an older man who seemed to be the head butler, stood behind the Count. Two security knights were stationed at the room’s entrance, standing at attention. Count Dred’s subordinates watched Kamori with cold gazes.

“Stop. I know it was my daughter who convinced him.”

“But, Your Grace…”

“I appreciate your concern for my daughter, but it’s not good to bend the truth—right, Kamori?”

“Y-Yes, sir. Your wisdom knows no bounds.”

Paula wondered why instead of being relieved by the Count’s words, Kamori’s face grew even paler. The answer came quickly.

“We should be more careful when dealing with Phantom Butterfly in the future.”

“…”

The Count wanted to convey that he was willing to let this incident slide, but he should work harder on their Phantom Butterfly business.

Did the Count know that Mr. Kamori wanted to withdraw from the business?

Kamori flinched at the Count’s words, words that bordered on a threat, but he had braced himself for this moment.