Chapter 335

(335)

The Comprehensive Workshop also had the concept of leaving work at the end of the day.

Of course, due to the sleeping quarters inside the workshop and the overwhelming research projects, the general consensus among the apprentices was that going home was a purely theoretical concept.

However, there were those who, once in a blue moon, actually brought this concept to life.

“I’m going to head home.”

“Alright. It’s been two weeks, hasn’t it?”

“Things sure have improved. Back in our days, we couldn’t even think about leaving before the hundred-day mark.”

“Tsk. Do you realize that once this junior leaves, it’s your responsibility to clean the experimental equipment again? Not only are you failing to do it properly, but you’re also spouting nonsense.”

A young apprentice with a cheerful demeanor stepped out of the Comprehensive Workshop.

With light steps, he headed toward the Street of Learning.

Pop! Pop!

The moment the sun completely set, bright streetlights lit up all over the street.

These were the divine streetlights, which emitted stored sunlight during the day and faint divine energy.

The Street of Learning was a place far removed from law and order. The student council president, Jin, had pleaded with Valenciaunos to prioritize the installation of the divine streetlights, and Valenciaunos, who regarded the student council president as a reliable collaborator and elder nephew, granted the request.

Of course, Sayah Yan had no idea about these inner workings.

‘If I get any closer, I might be spotted.’

She inwardly grimaced and pushed off the ground.

She was exactly two steps behind the young apprentice.

Puff!

Sayah Yan dragged the young apprentice along and headed toward Rudi’s cart.

“Have you captured him?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. He’s here.”

She made the young apprentice sit in the middle of the seat.

Hair bind.

Tsu tsu tsu tsu.

Her hair extended and slithered into the young apprentice’s clothes.

His limbs were tied, and the ends of her hair pierced like needles into the major blood vessels.

Thump, thump.

The sound of the young apprentice’s rapidly beating heart could be heard.

She grinned sadistically and whispered into his ear.

“Are you going to apologize properly tomorrow after giving the right answer here? Or would you rather die here pierced a thousand times by me?”

A low, androgynous voice pierced like a bone scraper.

“Hykhh…”

The young apprentice mumbled incoherently while furiously nodding their head.

It was the typical reaction of someone whose limbs were bound, facing the threat of dying pierced a thousand times.

Satisfied internally, she asked.

‘Yes, this is the normal reaction of someone facing me.’

A warm feeling filled her chest.

“Who sent you?”

“Yeon, Seong Workshop.”

Sayah Yan could read the truth in the person’s words by observing the blood flow in the face and neck, the subtle changes in expressions, the movement of the pupils, and heart rhythm.

She gave Rudi a slight nod.

‘That’s correct.’

Rudi spoke in an exaggerated theatrical tone that both could hear.

“Yeon Workshop… an artifice workshop funded by the Zahan Alliance, it seems. Their interest in the magic engineering of the Comprehensive Workshop probably grew after that unfortunate incident with them, didn’t it? The movements of the bourgeoisie lately haven’t been ordinary. This confirms my suspicions.”

“Did you know about this?”

“It’s possible that all of this, including this capture and confession, was part of the plan. Alright, let’s release him now. Princess Sererassie will take care of the rest. It’s up to his usual conduct whether he’ll don the lab coat again for experiments or become the next test subject.”

A question about whether killing was a part of the plan lingered on the tip of Sayah Yan’s tongue.

But she didn’t question Rudi’s decision, and promptly opened the cart door, throwing the young apprentice out.

Swish.

“Why don’t you gently lower him, huh?”

Rudi said with a sly smile.

“Understood.”

Sayah Yan pondered for over ten minutes whether that comment was a joke.

Rudi pulled out the revolver Agate from the folds of her emerald dress and proceeded to reload it.

“Alright, then let’s go.”

Yeon Workshop had high walls not far behind on par with the Comprehensive Workshop, guarded meticulously by ten chimeras and dozens of elite mercenaries.

“Grrrrr.”

“There’s not even a single rat on the first floor!”

And within ten minutes, Sayah Yan infiltrated undetected, capturing the workshop leader’s neck without alerting a single one of the chimerae.

“Well done.”

When she descended, Rudi was already standing in front of the workshop gates.

The mercenaries were trembling in each other’s arms, and the ten chimerae all had their heads exploded.

The corpses were uniformly pierced through the eyes and the backs of their heads.

‘These monsters have powerful legs. Whether it’s dual swords or ballistas, catching them with a direct shot is difficult. Just how sharp is her vision?’

Sayah Yan felt a chill creep down her spine.

She doubted even her Shadowstep technique could evade those eyes.

“Come on, we’re done.”

Rudi gestured after reloading her revolver and headed back to the cart.

Without hesitation, Sayah Yan returned to the cart.

* * *

As soon as Rudi entered the cart, she pulled out two detailed nautical charts.

“Here you go, Sayah. It’s a gift.”

The luminescent magical artifact illuminated the interior of the cart, casting a halo around the maid count’s brown hair.

The halo cast deep shadows on her face.

Sayah Yan, overwhelmed as always, took the charts.

One depicted the sea route from the eastern coast of the empire to the south, and the other detailed the southern seaway of the empire.

Hesitantly, she asked,

“Is it alright for me to take these?”

Given the detail, these charts were undoubtedly military secrets.

Rudi nodded.

“Yes, Sayah. By Lord Valencianus’s command. Receive them and act accordingly.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

At that moment, Sayah Yan felt an eerie sense of déjà vu.

She had felt this way during her assassin training in the past.

Living an abnormal normalcy.

Assignments were given.

With the excitement and tension of having obtained an opportunity, her mask would naturally fall, revealing her true self.

This was the assassin’s final evaluation.

Rudi continued conversation innocently as if she didn’t know anything.

“Tell Tarti to bring ships and warriors to the marked areas by October. We need to be cautious of possible Undersea People attacks.”

Sayah Yan’s face twitched faintly.

“Your Excellency, I don’t have a way of contacting her.”

Rudi shook her head kindly and smiled.

Click.

Suddenly, her hand had the revolver Agate, and Sayah Yan distinctly remembered that it was already loaded.

Rudi asked,

“Are you in a state of ‘No-self in Dream’? Or is it ‘Heart-to-Heart’? Perhaps ‘Transmit Vision’?”

“Your Excellency.”

Sayah Yan unconsciously swallowed.

No-self in Dream was a secret art for sharing memories through dreams, Heart-to-Heart for sharing emotions, and Transmit Vision for sharing what one sees.

Of course, she too couldn’t use all of them.

How the imperial maid, Rudi, knew about these techniques was beyond her understanding.

Rudi chuckled as if reading her thoughts.

“Lord Valencianus is quite intelligent. He knows all the peculiar secret arts of the Eastern Continent. Hurry and deliver the message. His patience isn’t infinite, you know.”

Sayah Yan bowed her head deeply.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

‘He knew everything all along…’

A chilling fear spread down her spine.

Rudi extended a hand and idly touched Sayah Yan’s neck.

The neck marked with the thorn tattoo.

Though her hand was gentle, Sayah Yan felt it as sharp as a razor.

“I promised to do anything for him. To follow him to the ends of hell.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Sayah, don’t you have such a lord?”

“…”

“Then, you should understand my feelings, right?”

Sayah Yan tightly closed her eyes and reopened them.

Rudi’s voice, lulling like a lullaby, echoed faintly in her ears.

“You’ve worked hard today. Though you might have had many questions, your silence was impressive. Though it’s bothersome to keep secrets, I’ll still spare your life.”

So…

“You may raise your head, Sayah.”

Sayah Yan slowly lifted her head.

‘Damn.’

Rudi tucked the revolver back into her dress.

“Don’t forget. You owe me.”

* * *

Sitting on the couch in the annex room, I gazed out at the night garden through the glass window.

The light from the divine streetlights dimly illuminated the magnificently stretching evergreens between the trees.

Rudi approached me, offering a glass of sangria with ice.

“Lord Valencianus.”

Despite the scorching weather, the glass was covered in a thick layer of condensation.

I tilted the glass and listened to her report while the sweet and tangy liquid flowed smoothly down my throat, carrying a pleasant chill.

“…You mean, it was a dream. The ‘No-self in Dream’. Impressive. The ability to converse at this distance simply by aligning soul frequencies in advance is remarkable.”

“I apologize for taking the liberty to forgive her myself.”

Rudi bowed her head, looking defeated.

“I see. That was well done,” I denied firmly. “Rather, show Sayah Yan such gentle moments more often in the future.”

“Eh?”

“She would never follow me even if it cost her life. Emotionally, that’s just impossible.”

“Then… should I kill her?”

Rudi blinked a couple of times, checked my mood, and asked.

I was both grateful and had a stiff neck ache.

Who could I blame under this sky? It was all my fault.

“No. Make her follow you.”

“Aha!”

She brightened as if understanding and happily smiled.

I continued lazily.

“It must be tough coming all the way here and following the orders of someone so distasteful to look at. Build intimacy by talking behind my back. Utilize Sayah Yan that way. You’re your sovereign, and to her, you’re the sovereign.”

Rudi nodded.

“Yes, Lord Valencianus. Though I don’t want to gossip, I understand your meaning.”

“So, is everything settled with the Comprehensive Workshop side?”

“Yes. But, there was a message for Jin from the Academy.”

I paused my hand mid-lift to the glass.

“To Jin? The installation of the divine streetlights and the campus site were both proceeding without issues, weren’t they?”

“Yes, it’s about another matter.”

Whenever matters arose concerning that side, it always seemed to lead to big problems.

As I sensed Goosebumps rising on my forearms, I awaited Rudi’s report.

“One of the High Nobility students from the Eastern Region is scheduled to enroll, starting next year. They say it’s a tremendous High Nobility’s cousin. I asked if there had been any dealings with the royal family.”

A sinking feeling gripped my chest.

“If it’s a massive High Nobility from the Eastern Region, it’s likely the Asenorta clan, and if it’s Cariosa’s cousin…”

An image of a boy with orange hair, a fresh yet amiable countenance, came to my mind.

The soul sorcerer, Laurelai.

The young boy who considered his cousin sister, a now-royal duke, as his flame.

I bit my lips, remembering the sorrowful gaze with which he looked at me.

“I need to head to the south soon. After that, I have to visit the territory.”

“Have you incurred a debt?”

“…Don’t ask.”

* * *

It was around the time late summer was turning into early autumn.

Marcus was preparing Nibelungen to take me to a world where it was summer all year.

Clang! Clang!

Whoosh!

Squeal!

He tightened and adjusted the propellers with his apprentices, replaced mismatched parts, and blew steam into the tubes to clean them.

Jeilliris watched the scene with sparkling eyes, finding it intriguing.

I sat down beside her and asked,

“Your Majesty, must you leave the capital at this time?”

“Yes, it must be done.”

“If so, I shall do my utmost to escort you.”

The moment she hinted at wanting to go, that became the top priority.

Truthfully, I too wanted to remain by her side.

“Good. I welcome your escort wholeheartedly.”

The emperor laughed like the sun, the sunlight illuminating his white teeth.

I cautiously asked,

“Your Majesty, where are the royal guards and knights?”

Jeilliris raised an eyebrow.

“You are my royal guard and my knight. What’s the problem? If I were to get into trouble, do you think you’d survive?”

…It was true, leaving me at a loss for words.

I hesitated with my lips for a moment, then pointed to Marcus who was loading a mechanical suit onto Nibelungen.

“That is the mechanical armor, Your Majesty.”

The mechanical armor, over two meters tall, was carried piece by piece onto a dedicated cart into the private workshop.

“Indeed, it looks impressive. And those are the gunners of the magic rifles?”

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.

Next, two hundred rifle gunners lined up and entered the private workshop in orderly formation.

They also wore the armor designed by Marcus.

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

Jeilliris looked at the private workshop, the mechanical suits, and the rifle gunners with a greedy gaze.

“It’s a pity we can’t mass-produce them.”

Before long, Marcus stood next to us, his mechanical arm glinting.

His respectful face radiated with maniac energy.

“It’s possible if we have the budget, Your Majesty. If slightly increased, I can offer Your Majesty-”

“Hush!”

I silenced him and accompanied Jeilliris into the workshop.

“For this ‘engine’ to warm up, we need to infuse mana here. A great deal of mana is necessary, so-”

Ummmm.

With one gesture from Jeilliris, the engine warmed up.

Marcus gaped in awe.

“It certainly consumes quite a bit, doesn’t it?” She mused calmly, her expression unchanged.