"… Your Highness Friedrich. Might I have just a minute?"

"Sion. What is it?"

As I finished my morning audiences and was about to return to my office, I was called to a halt by Sion, who is now free-loading at the Royal Castle.

Dressed just like a genuine n.o.ble in n.o.ble clothes with black theme, Sion came up to me, and with his eyes clouded behind the gla.s.ses, he said in a quiet voice.

"Before… I said I would report if I feel a sense of discomfort. It's about that matter… Do you understand with that?"

Sense of discomfort.

Hearing those words, I turned my gaze to him in silence. Sion nodded with a firm expression.

"… I'll hear you out in the office. Do you mind if Alex is also present?"

"No, I'll leave it to Your Highness's judgement."

Bringing Sion who agreed with me, I headed back to the office.

However, sense of discomfort, huh.

Recently Sahaja has been moving actively, so I've been suspicious that some might have slipped inside the Royal Castle. Sahaja's a.s.sa.s.sin guilds excel at espionage. That ability is fully demonstrated when investigating foreign countries. Before you notice they sneak in and go out with all information from inside… Things like that are often the case.

I hoped the former tactician, Sion, would be able to calmly grasp it, and he seems to have indeed discovered something. Should I say it's as expected?

Using a third party rather than a complete insider should yield impartial, correct judgement. Thinking so, I appointed Sion and it was the right thing to do.

"Oh, good work, Freed. Are you done with audiences today… Why did you bring Nanaohgi with you?"

"He seems to have the report I requested of him. I want you to hear it too. Please stay here."

"…! Got it."

Alex looked surprised to see Sion, but perhaps he inferred the gist of it from the tone of my voice, as he tightened his face and nodded.

I moved to the sofa instead of the desk and looked at Sion's face.

"Please start."

"I understand… At His Highness Friedrich's request, I was investigating my sense of discomfort - that is, if Sahaja's spies slipped in."

He started with the circ.u.mstances to also explain the situation to Alex.

When I and Alex nodded, Sion took a breath and said.

"Let me state the conclusion. I discovered Sahaja spies in this castle. Moreover, not one. Multiple."

"Spies, you said? We've received no such reports."

Alex reacted before me.

Alex - rather, the Vivoir house has their own agency called Nemesis. Using them, Alex had long been investigating the Fafnir Castle, but nothing came out of it.

It was the same for me, so I was shocked speechless. I turned my eyes to Sion to confirm.

With "It's unfortunate." Sion weakly shook his head and continued talking.

"Probably they belong to Sahaja's a.s.sa.s.sin guilds but aren't members who carry out a.s.sa.s.sinations. So to speak, they're the type that specialize in sneaking into foreign countries. I heard in Tarim that Sahaja have those."

I too know of those.

For years… in the worst case for decades, they've been slipping into foreign countries to obtain information. They aren't a.s.sa.s.sins, but because they receive similar training, it's hard to catch them. If they're caught, every one of them immediately commits suicide. They don't hesitate at all, it makes me wonder if they were brainwashed.

"… You're still the former Tarim tactician, huh. However, good job noticing something I couldn't investigate, Nanaohgi."

When Alex gave a half-amazed compliment, Sion's expression loosened a little.

"Sion is fine. Lord Alexei. I paid maximum attention to those who didn't seem to be suspected by the people similarly working in the Fafnir Castle. It couldn't be helped that they did not notice. I noticed them only because I am an outsider. The current me is only a free-loader. They would by no means expect me to search for them. Even if they hid their action skillfully, I could still detect unnatural aspects by observing them closely. In that sense, they get points off for not paying the same attention to the outsiders."

Sion told us the names, but none of them rang a bell.

They're the people who serve in the Royal Castle.

The number of servants is beyond hundred. Naturally, there's no way I and Alex would remember everybody or could tell who is suspicious. And because their existence is natural, we don't know where and what they're listening to.

Really, they slipped in skillfully.

Alex too groaned in frustration.

"It's different regarding n.o.bles, but of course I don't know the faces and names of the servants. They change positions often. They don't seem suspicious."

"That's their way of doing things. I looked up their backgrounds, personal histories, and introducers, but they were surprisingly normal. Too normal… On the contrary, it made me doubt them."

"Sion…"

I was surprised by Sion's insight as he said that's exactly why he was suspicious.

"However, sometimes they moved strangely. They secretly exchanged sc.r.a.ps of paper in a way that wouldn't be noticed… and whispered something into each other's ears clandestinely."

"… Didn't you think it was something like simple lovers' talks or letters?"

Alex question was natural, but saying "No." Sion denied.

"I didn't. Lord Alexei, I believe you would understand by looking at them too, but those weren't faces of people talking about love."

"… I see. My bad for doubting you."

"No. If there is anything on your mind, I would be saved if you told me about it."

Alex nodded to Sion's words, then he turned his face to me.

"We can't let them do as they please anymore. Fred, I'll catch them. Let's save details for later. Okay!?"

"… Lord Alexei. Please calm down. Unfortunately, they are no longer here."

When I was about to reply of course, Sion's words resounded. When I stared at him together with Alex, he laughed troubledly.

"That's why I'm talking about them now. It was obvious they were suspicious, but I couldn't seize clear evidence. That's why I was waiting for them to give themselves away, but… this morning, all the people I talked about had resigned from the Royal Castle and left."

"What?"

The people who were gathering information disappeared all at once. That is to say, they are no longer necessary.

And at the same time, it means Sahaja has moved in some way.

"… We would better think it will begin within a few days."

When I said so confidently, Alex made a bitter face.

"Seriously? It's right before your wedding when the whole country is in a festive mood. Everybody is restless… and we have envoys from foreign countries coming. What would they do in such a situation?"

"Anything. They'd even wage war without hesitation. That's the country Sahaja is. You too know that, right?"

"That's… Haa. If that happens, old man will flip out…"

My head hurts, saying that Alex pressed down his forehead. I ignored him and said to Sion.

"I'm saved. It's thanks to you."

It's undoubtedly the information that we couldn't obtain. When I thanked him for obtaining results beyond my expectations, Sion said with his arms crossed in front of him.

"No. It is most important that I could be useful. I must not freeload forever either. Rena too received much help, so it would feel wrong to not return anything."

I grinned at his overly serious words. After all he's a rare existence.

From the bottom of my heart I thought that my decision to welcome him at that time was correct.

Editor: Valeria