Chapter 150
Two days had passed since the assassination attempt on Minerva in the training grounds of the duke residency .
Ardis was called by the Duke, and he was told the culprit of the attempt . It was as expected, a noble . A marquis that has a daughter similar of age with the crown prince’s first son .
Although it’s a name Ardis haven’t heard before, Ardis had made sure to remember it as an enemy that had endangered his precious pupil . From what the Duke said, since Ardis was there to foil the assassination plan, Ardis himself had garnered quite some hate .
『With your ability, I suppose you won’t be taken so easily, but be careful in any case . 』
Ardis who received the unneeded warning from the Duke cringed . He wasn’t here as an escort, but an instructor, the Duke didn’t have to tell Ardis who the culprit behind the assassination attempt was at all .
The Duke probably know that as well, but still told him anyways, it was obvious that the Duke was trying to relate Ardis in this matter as well .
Of course, Minerva is not a stranger to Ardis now . Though it’s only once every three days, she’s his student that had been training for half a year . It’s natural he feels anger at the culprit .
『Well, nobles have their ways to take revenge in this kind of situation . 』
The Duke said so with a chilly smile, it was obvious he was intending on doing something to the marquis . If so, Ardis only has to deal with the attackers .
Ardis who had left the Duke’s office got together with Rona and told him .
「Can you stay by Minerva side for now? 」
「I don’t mind . But what about Al? 」
「Me? 」
Ardis laughed as if Rona was asking the obvious .
「It’s just that I’m doing the attacking now . 」
「It sounds like that’s more fun though? 」
「I can’t exactly be beside Minerva for the entire day right? And, isn’t there going to be sweets and food for you for the entire day if you tagged along her? 」
「Mu―……」
Rona put some thought into it, then looked like he gave up .
「Yeah, I got it . I will let Al have the fun this time . Leave Minerva to me . 」
「Yeah . I can rest easy while cleaning them up then . 」
The next day, Ardis had visited Minerva and told her the training will be on hold temporarily .
「I-I’m totally fine! I’m not injured, and we had a three-day rest already, I’m fully recovered! 」
「Uhh, it’s not like that . 」
Ardis explained to Minerva who seemed to misunderstand .
「I just couldn’t get some free time, it’s not Minerva’s fault . Since it’s my matter, I’m sorry but you will be self-studying for the time being, and also make sure you keep trying that homework as well . 」
「Shishou’s matter――? ……Then there’s no helping it . I will definitely clear the homework! 」
Seeing Minerva looking forward positively, Ardis nodded satisfactorily, 「That’s the spirit . 」
「Also, since I’m busy for the time being, I will leave Rona here, can I trouble you with him? 」
「Rona? 」
「I have gotten the permission from the Duke already, so no worries there . Just the servants might be afraid of Rona, so I have no others to ask but Minerva――」
「Yes, please leave Rona to me! I will take good care of Rona until Shishou returns! 」
Minerva had leaned out and took the job enthusiastically . It seems like she really like Rona .
「I see, thanks . And this, a thanks for it . 」
Ardis who had managed to arrange Rona beside Minerva just as planned handed over a sword about seventy centimeters to his pupil .
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「What is it? A short sword……? 」
「Use it for self-defense . It has my mana in it, so it’ll be better than anything you can find on store shelves . 」
Although Ardis omitted it, the one that forged that sword is Schmerz which is known as one of the best blacksmiths in the Kingdom . On top of that, it has Ardis’s mana imbued in it, making it a magic sword . Its value would probably reach a hundred gold coins in the market .
「Thank you very much! 」
Minerva who didn’t know all about that were genuinely overjoyed with the gift from her teacher . Though Ardis thought it was a little strange to find a young lady being so happy over a sword as a gift, he decided to not think too much of it .
If Rona is around her, Ardis can rest easy even if there’re more assassination attempts . After all, there aren’t many that can best his partner .
After Ardis whispered to Rona 「I’ll leave her to you」, he left the residency .
He was troubled by the other escorts three days ago, and so some of the assassins managed to escape . During then, Ardis couldn’t had left the scene but, honestly, Ardis wanted to chase after them .
「Well then . Laying your hands on someone’s pupil, I hope you’re not thinking getting away is so easy . 」
Saying so on the street where no one is around, Ardis put the three swords on his waist while walking down the street .
Finding his way to a familiar tavern, Ardis smiled when he found the person he was looking for . Though, the person on the receiving end of that smile was having a disgusted face and desperately trying to avoid his gaze .
「Yo, Chezare . 」
「……Hi . 」
Of course, he couldn’t possibly escape from Ardis . For the information broker, Chezare, Ardis is a customer both he wants and don’t want .
「……What’s your occasion here? 」
It’s likely Chezare already knew Ardis was looking for information . Chezare asked despite so .
「I need to know something . 」
「What is it? 」
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Chezare gave up and started the business talk .
「Do you know about the incident in the duke residency three days ago? 」
「Well……, I’m still an information broker after all . 」
There was a gag order on the assassination attempt at the duke residency . After all, a noble of highest peerage in the capital was hit in broad daylight, it wasn’t anything pretty to hear .
Not just for the Duke himself, it’s shameful even for the royalty, the entire Kingdom and the army for having such a loose security in the capital . In any case, leaving aside if it was an attempt in the night, it was a large-scale attack with many explosions from magic stones . Even if the related parties had a gag order, the ruckus would’ve travelled earlier than that .
Any information broker would’ve known about it . As he verified so, Ardis went straight to the point .
「I want to know about the assassins . 」
「I can sell it to you if you want but…… . What are you going to do hearing it? 」
Chezare felt it would be a troublesome outcome no matter what . Chezare had a really unwilling face .
Normally, an information broker wouldn’t be stepping into his customer’s matters, but it seems like it had intrigued Chezare, so he wanted to know Ardis’s reason .
「Nothing really, just that I thought their prank is too much . I think I might need to teach them to not play pranks that can be irreversible . 」
「It’s not like you were the one they targeted though . 」
「I have been going around the duke house for quite a while now . I can’t go in the details, but I have a paid job there . 」
「I know at least that much . 」
「Then I don’t have to explain right? They put a hand on my precious pupil . I have to retaliate at least this much . 」
Chezare sighed grandly . From his looks, Chezare probably knew that Ardis was teaching swordsmanship to Minerva .
Though many rough moments, Ardis and Chezare had known each other for quite some time . It might not be what Chezare wished, he had crossed enough words with Ardis to know that Ardis wouldn’t stay quiet in this kind of situation .
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「I will say this much first, it’s a large organization . Even if you have the duke house behind you, they still might remain even if you touched them? It’s different from dealing with beasts or demonic beings . 」
Even though Chezare warned him, Ardis just waved it away simply .
「It’s fine, fine . 」
「What is fine……」
Chezare once again sighed and signaled the price to Ardis .
Ardis had gotten the information he wanted from Chezare along with what he heard from the duke .
Despite Chezare’s attitude, the information is coming from an information broker even Ardis recognizes . As for the organization behind the assassination, Ardis knew their bases and roughly how many people are there .
It seems like they are quite well known in the darker part of the world, having influences that stretches to the Coalition and the Empire . They accept requests like assassination, spying, sabotaging, human trafficking, contraband trading, and they even have bandits among their league it seems .
『So I don’t really have to look out who I’m hitting huh . 』
Ardis said so, and Chezare had an even more disgusted face . Since an organization that would accept assassination request wouldn’t ever be anything good, Ardis decided to just hit them really hard .
After heading out from the tavern, Ardis walked along on the main street and thought of his plans .
「I can go for their main base first but…… . It’s hard to deal with them if they spread out after that . Somewhere far――, I guess the Empire will be the first huh, then the next will be the Coalition……」
Ardis confirmed the order of which base he should target first .
「Ah, there’s one at Thoria too . Troublesome . 」
Ardis face showed displeasure at the name of the place that had ill fate with him, 「Well, not like anyone can find me if I went in the night」 .
Then two days after that . The organization’s base that located in a corner of the poor street of the Empire was annihilated . Few that escaped from the spot that was hit went to the headquarters that is in the capital of Nagras Kingdom, Gran .
Though of course, they had no way of knowing they would be attacked once again few days later .