“Ah?! Ah, sir?! I just paid?! Kyaah!? It hurts!”
The street vendor had grabbed her by the hair.
The woman, bewildered, struggled to break free.
“Hmph.”
As people started paying more attention, Isaac approached and held out some coins.
“Boss, here. I’ll pay.”
“No, this wench needs more than just money! How dare you interfere in someone else’s business—!”
“I and my companion will also be eating here. Let her go at this point.”
“Hehe, hello there!”
Jonathan, standing behind, waved and greeted. Upon seeing him in the Helvint knight’s armor, the vendor quietly released his grip and accepted the money.
The woman, along with the skewers, entered through a gap formed between the rows of street stalls.
“Ahem, thank you for your consideration. But try one of these skewers. You’ll see that my words were worth their weight in gold-!”
The still flustered woman stopped mid-sentence and stared intently at Isaac’s face.
“…Are you not already smitten?”
“Shut up, will you.”
Pushing Jonathan, who had whispered in his ear, aside with his elbow, Isaac handed over a skewer.
Leaving Jonathan munching loudly on two skewers beside him, Isaac sighed.
“I helped you this time, but next time, don’t eat if you don’t have money.”
“That’s a misunderstanding. I thought I had money. I’m not shameless.”
“…”
“That said—”
The woman smirked with her arms crossed.
As if she had caught on to something, she gave a little shrug and then pointed at Isaac with her fingertip.
“Isaac Helvint. You just returned from the north, didn’t you?”
She had correctly identified who Isaac was.
“Wha?!”
Jonathan, shocked at how she figured it out, opened his mouth wide. Isaac barely went outside the estate.
Because of that, even the people living in the towns within the Helvint territory didn’t know much about him.
The woman turned her back with a mysterious smile.
“To wear earrings made from Frost Silver—it’s quite extravagant, wouldn’t you say?”
Seemingly pleased to emphasize her special and mysterious aura, she lightly walked away.
Isaac sighed and called out to her retreating figure.
“Your Highness, what brings you here?”
“…!”
The woman flinched.
Turning her head with an awkward expression and a bead of sweat, she responded.
“No, n-nothing at all!”
—
The three of them were still crouching in the space between the stalls, facing each other.
“How did you know?”
The princess of Albyon Kingdom.
Clarice Evangel Legardia.
The direct descendant of the Legardia royal family.
“Frost Silver is only handled by Caldias and the royal family.”
She mentioned something about the earrings Silbern had given her.
“There’s no one outside the north who can recognize Frost Silver, right?”
If someone recognized it, it meant one of two things.
Caldias, or the royal family.
“Externally, you looked like someone who could be the princess.”
“…I guess my cleverness tripped me up.”
A dejected Clarice.
Isaac smiled wryly as he looked at her.
Actually, if he were to be a little more honest,
they had an acquaintance in his past life.
Ever since their first meeting, he had been pondering how best to explain how he recognized her.
It was lucky she stumbled over her own words.
“Well, it’s a good thing. I thought it might be a tough job on my own.”
Clarice drew a circle on the ground using a nearby pebble.
“This is Blackhand. Thanks to the report you gave me, Isaac, we discovered the existence of the Transcendental Tribe, an unknown entity.”
“…”
“Currently, we’re covertly preparing to take down Blackhand. It’s likely to happen soon, after the Sword Festival.”
“Is it going to be that fast?”
“This is already delayed. We have no clue what the Transcendental Tribe might do.”
Clarice sighed.
A question arose, which Jonathan conveniently asked.
“But, why are you here for the Sword Festival? You must be pretty busy.”
“That’s exactly it.”
Clarice smiled and drew a line.
At the end of the line, she drew a triangle and tapped it with the pebble.
“There’s someone within the Helvint household suspected of conspiring with the Transcendental Tribe. I’m here to investigate it covertly.”
“…The princess herself?”
“I’m capable, you know. Had it not been me, you might not have known Helvint was conspiring with the Transcendental Tribe?”
The smug princess.
“It’s so secretive on their part. I went through a lot of trouble?”
And then, with a slouched posture, she complained.
“I thought it would be easier not to know sometimes. The Sword of the Kingdom, Helvint, conspiring with the enemy?”
“Who is it?”
Isaac was genuinely curious.
In his past life, he was unaware that Helvint conspired with the Transcendental Tribe at all.
If pressed, it was about Aloys’ transformation, which was supposed to happen after Aloys was exiled from the Helvint family.
‘Who could it be?’
Isaac didn’t know much about this.
So, he asked the princess.
“The person within Helvint conspiring with the Transcendental Tribe is—”
The princess grinned and boldly declared,
“Sharon Helvint!”
Isaac sighed, tapping his forehead.
Clarice Evangel Legardia.
She was undoubtedly a brilliant individual.
She and Rianne stood as equals, contributing until the very end to safeguard humanity.
If Rianne was the kingdom’s final sword, she was the kingdom’s remaining pride.
A commander of humanity and an innovative strategist.
However, just like Silbern,
it seemed her talents hadn’t fully blossomed yet.
“No, no! It’s true! I’m not irrational! Two months ago, Sharon Helvint sent her maids out in an oddly unnatural manner! Every single day! She never did that until now!”
It was because she was looking for star cookies.
Since Isaac had been dispatched to the north, she sent the maids instead.
“Not only that, but she even traveled out herself. Look, some of her trips even included areas near Blackhand!”
Perhaps she went looking for star cookies.
“Moreover, she even encountered the Transcendental Tribe this time in the north! Based on information I obtained separately, Sharon Helvint even volunteered to be sent to the north—!”
Alright, he had to acknowledge her skills.
‘Her information-gathering is no joke.’
How in the world did she learn all that?
As Isaac stared blankly at her, the voice of Clarice, who had been passionately asserting that Sharon was a conspirator, gradually quieted down.
“…Perhaps not?”
She cautiously glanced at Isaac’s and Jonathan’s expressions.
Clearly, she was considering the possibility that she might be wrong.
“No.”
Isaac’s firm denial prompted Jonathan to interject in an attempt to smooth things over.
“Ah, it’s probably because you haven’t met her yet! If you meet her in person, you’ll see she’s definitely not someone who would do such a thing!”
“Is that so?”
Clarice exhaled and slowly stood, her lips slightly pouted.
“I see. Information is indeed insufficient if it’s merely gathered second-hand.”
On the contrary, Clarice’s expression brightened.
A mischievous competitiveness was visible in her sly smile.
“We have to experience it firsthand. It’s exactly as I imagined. It’s amazing that I even anticipated my shortcomings.”
“….”
“….”
“Then, you two! Please help me. Let’s uncover the conspirator in the Helvint family.”
“Sure.”
Isaac also stood up.
In truth, he was also curious if there really was a conspirator in Helvint during this period.
According to his knowledge, apart from Aloys, there was no one else in the Helvint family who conspired with the Transcendental Tribe.
‘What if there’s a doubt about Arandel’s terminal illness as well?’
If Arandel could survive, it would equate to the creation of a war deterrent.
“Would you like to come with me to the mansion?”
Clarice is royalty.
Of course, she must have received an invitation to the Sword Festival, and those who receive invitations stay at the Helvint mansion during the festival.
“No, I’m going to scout around a bit more. The information gained by my personal efforts is invaluable. You two are also looking forward to it, aren’t you?”
“….”
“….”
“Hmm, I am a princess, you know?”
“We’re looking forward to it.”
“I would appreciate a report from you both.”
“Yes! See you at the mansion!”
Clarice appeared as suddenly as the wind and stormed off like a whirlwind.
Watching her go, the two could only feel bewildered.
—
The carriage came to a stop at its destination.
“Hah.”
Although anticipated, he hadn’t foreseen returning this way.
Sighing, Isaac stepped out of the carriage.
In view was the massive and majestic Helvint mansion.
The other carriages lined up belonged to various nobles who had received invitations.
With the welcoming ceremonies ongoing, no one took notice of Isaac’s return.
Except for one.
“Master! Master!”
Awkward steps approached.
Aloys, leaning on a cane, smiled as he walked toward Isaac.
“Master! Lady Sharon seems to have some strange misunderstanding— Master?”
“….”
Isaac couldn’t contain his smile and covered his mouth.
“Could you teach me how to use the cane? Your technique is a bit sloppy.”
Isn’t that where your expertise lies?
“…I’ll get better soon.”
An annoyed Aloys snapped back through gritted teeth.
