Volume 5 Chapter 40 You Can't Just Act On A Whim
Meanwhile, as time rewinds, Randy was transitioning from a playful nap to deep sleep... Cedric was swaying in the carriage with Miranda.
The journey north is surprisingly smooth and peaceful.
The main road connecting Central and Marquis Waldner's territory is well-maintained, with hardly any sight of bandits or even beasts.
Cedric and the others hired [Iron Falcon Steel] as protection, but they had no real work and were struggling to stifle their yawns.
During this leisurely journey, Liz focused on the taught Multiple Chanting, while Catherine repeatedly ran simulations, each spending their time as they wished.
Of course, Cedric and Miranda too... but it was a long, peaceful wagon journey.
As Cedric swayed in the carriage, it was only natural he would doze off.
After all, this was the most relaxed time he had experienced recently.
Even as they traveled north, the carriage was extremely warm thanks to the kotatsu from Catherine they had brought along as a sample.
Although not its intended use, it was portable, and they discovered that it could gently warm a space the size of a carriage, making this journey worthwhile.
──Comfortable vibrations and a cozy warmth.
These 2 sensations enveloped the exhausted Cedric.
As Cedric dozed, he was awakened by the sound of a knock on the door.
Though they weren't going fast, someone was knocking on the door of the moving carriage... and it was a sound he recognized...
Cedric immediately wakes up, and Miranda slowly opens the window.
The sun was already setting outside, and the letter was thrown in along with the north wind waking me up.
Miranda picked up the letter that had fallen on the floor, read it, and handed it to Cedric, distorting her face and saying, "Sir Cedric──."
'Possible connections to the Empire'
At that brief sentence, Cedric sighed deeply and looked up at the ceiling.
"I want to believe that Father 'misread' it."
"It's hard to think that Sir Lucian would do that. Moreover──"
Cedric turned his gaze outside, responding to Miranda, who hesitated to speak, with "Right?"
Cedric intended to sound cheerful, but his reflection in the carriage window revealed a face twisted in disgust.
"The eeriness of keeping silence... If he abandoned the country early, it indeed makes sense."
Cedric mumbled as he glanced down at the letter again.
In fact, Cedric and the others also found Marquis Waldner's silence strange and had looked into it several times.
They even speculated that he might have forsaken the country and allied with the Empire.
Amidst all this, only Lucian firmly asserted, 'That can't be the case.'
And until now, no evidence had emerged to suggest otherwise.
That's why Cedric decided to accompany Catherine this time.
Not just for business opportunities but to gauge their thoughts as well.
At such a moment, the shadow they had been neglecting finally caught up.
The reason behind the long-standing silence had finally been acquired like this... but Cedric couldn't celebrate with open arms.
"The timing is just too perfect, isn't it?"
"Indeed."
The two of them sighed, and were right: the timing was just right to get the information.
Just as they were about to head north and begin trading, they received information that the Marquis Waldner family was in league with the Empire.
The timing is just like trying to thwart their advances.
"Could this be false information spread by the government?"
The Marquis Waldner family and the Marquis Braubelg family.
False information spread by the central government, which does not approve of the two families joining forces.
Cedric wants to doubt it, but Miranda's expression as she hesitates and says, "It's probably not zero..." tells the whole story.
"Well, I guess so"
He knew it, so now that Miranda has denied it, he hasn't no way out.
Cedric looked up at the ceiling again and let out a big sigh.
The disadvantages outweigh the benefits of Central leaking such information.
If false information about an alliance with the Empire reaches [North Wall], it would only lead to their wrath.
Are they planning to trap them with nonsense?
The opponent is likely a top warrior in this country.
Annoying him with foolish lies would only make it easier for Cedric and the others to sway him.
If the government were to leak information, it would likely be about Cedric and the Empire cooperating.
Information that is completely opposite would never be leaked by the government.
And the fact that evidence that couldn't be found before has now come to light at this timing is concerning.
Indeed, there is no complaint about the reason for maintaining silence.
However, the timing is just too convenient.
Not from the government, yet this timing... could it be a third party?
Cedric let out a grand sigh, and Miranda nodded, saying, "Probably."
In other words, someone is trying to frame Marquis Waldner or doesn't want him allied with Cedric.
It's uncertain which, but for Cedric, it would have been much easier if Lucian's intuition was wrong──if they truly were allied with the Empire.
They only need to worry about Waldner and the Empire.
If this is a third party's interference, they need to be wary of Waldner, the Empire, and the third party from multiple sides.
They are the kind of people who don't hesitate to leak information that would make Waldner angry.
There must be some rumors going around among Waldner's people about Cedric and the others that are not true.
Before Randy could get information about the third force, Cedric had also spotted the invisible enemy.
But like Randy, it's still just a vague shadow.
They still don't know the other person's background or purpose.
I need to pull myself together, Cedric thought, turning off the prototype kotatsu that was moving at his feet.
"I wanted to go to a relaxing class reunion..."
Looking out the window, Cedric could see the walls of the town where he was staying and the snow that was just beginning to fall.
* * *
Time goes back, and Randy, who destroyed the invaders,...
"Over there! He's gone over there"
...In the nighttime capital, hr was being chased by a ridiculous number of dark sides.
No wonder.
His clothes were nearly burned away by their magic, so he took the clothes of those he killed and remade them with Craft, but there was hardly anything usable.
In short, the clothes were incredibly tight.
If a large man in black tights appeared in the nighttime capital, he would be nothing but a suspicious character.
Of course, even Randy knew this outfit was bad, so he covered his striking red hair with a suit.
...Thanks to that, he looked even more suspicious, which is a bit of a charm.
After all, this is a fantasy otome game world where he is 'Moji M*ji-kun from Tunn*ls no Minasan no Okage deshita.'
It's unreasonable to expect him not to stand out.
By the way, Randy himself intended to be 'C*t Eye from comic,' which is troublesome too.
Besides, a blood-stained cloth wrapped around his waist formed a dark red scarf.
If he was going to make something like that, he should have at least given it a better shape.
It was unfortunate for Randy that there was no one to point this out.
Of course, with such a conspicuous outfit, going through the gate was out of the question, so he ran up the castle wall instead....
Because of the people in all black, dark sides and knights were on high alert in the capital.
Even with Randy's skills, there was no way to completely hide his presence against the guards, dark sides, and the knight group──especially since his full-body tights made him stand out even more.
So, this is where he find himself in the midst of a chase with dark sides and knights in the nighttime capital.
"Damn... this is a traditional phantom thief fashion. It's perfect for the evening."
Randy was swearing, but when he heard a voice say, "I found you! It's over there!" he ran away again.
On the rooftops, in the back alleys, around the corners of main streets.
Wherever he goes there is a dark side and a knight.
And they are just doing their job to keep the peace in the royal capital.
Killing animals unnecessarily is bad, so it's a good idea to run away.
"Damn... I should have killed them a little more gently"
It's too late to regret.
He might have rummaged through the wardrobe.
Feeling guilty toward Liz, he went a bit overboard and turned the enemies into mincemeat, which was a mistake.
Still, this is the result of collecting usable items from those who survived.
I'll say it again, if he made something other than a scarf, it would still be...
"There they are! Don't let them escape!"
The chase through the night city continued until around dawn.
And because Randy kept running, the rumor that the perpetrator of the explosive incident that shook the city was a pervert in full black tights spread, but that's another story.
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