Chapter 122
Translator: Kell Editor: Weasalopes
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Alice Sunborn’s Plan
Ah, she’s an idiot… Hikaru thought when the girl—who somewhat looked like a boy—asked him to punch her master .
「I-I’m not an idiot!」
「Oops . I was thinking out loud . But yes, you’re an idiot . I just let you go . If you just up and disappeared, that would make you a third-rate spy . Second-rate if you tailed me . But asking for a favor is plain stupid . 」
「It just hit me, okay?! What do you want me to do about it? By the way, what does it take to be first-rate?」
「Why don’t you use your brain?」
「Ouch! So mean!」
How am I mean? You should be grateful I spared your life!
Hikaru’s basis for his rating was whether or not a spy could carry out their original mission or not .
If a spy escaped after being let go, that only meant they failed their mission, which makes them third-rate . Tailing Hikaru to gain intel is a good move, but still only second-rate . After all, she didn’t notice that she was being followed . Therefore she can’t possibly tail Hikaru successfully . The first-rate move is to get as much information as possible . In that sense, she’s not wrong in keeping the conversation going longer . But she’s actually seriously asking for a favor which is nothing short of absurd .
「Please, I’m begging you! I always thought there’s no one in this world who can give him a good beating, but I think you can do it . 」
「What kind of master is he even…」
「I’m glad you asked!」
「It was a rhetorical question!」
「My master is invisible! He’s so good at making himself disappear!」
「………」
「He just vanishes in the blink of an eye . Literally . 」
Hikaru grabbed Alice’s hand in spite of himself . 「Sounds interesting . Tell me more . 」
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After hearing about her master from Alice, Hikaru formulated a theory . He was most likely right, but he didn’t need to tell Alice about it .
Her master called himself Keikai . As to why she provided information non-stop, it was because she realized Hikaru wasn’t from Ponsonia, their enemy . He also spared her, but her job class played a part .
Ordinary Soul Color Distinction God: Soul Reader, a fairly rare five-character job class . It allowed the user to get bits of information regarding the target’s feelings towards them or whether the target was trustworthy or not .
But fear seized Alice when she realized she couldn’t read Hikaru’s emotions . It was the same for her master so it definitely had something to do with his Stealth, but Alice didn’t know that much .
Hikaru finally believed her story when she showed him her job class . Her soul card was issued in Quinbland .
Either way, Ponsonia can’t avoid a civil war . But if everything goes well, there will only be a bloodless coup . After that, it’s all up to the nobles .
Depending on the outcome of the insurrection, the special forces who were after Lavia might even get fired . Hikaru could beat up the king anytime so he decided to go see Alice’s master for now .
Someone like me, huh? I wonder how they will act .
Hikaru knew there was still a lot to learn about his Stealth . He wanted to use a predecessor as a reference .
「Take me to where your master is, then . 」
「Wait, really? You’re coming?!」
「Yeah . Your master will get mad at you for failing your mission . He’ll chew you out, even . So you want to use me to avoid that, right? And get your revenge while you’re at it . 」
「Ugh… I-I didn’t expect you to see through everything…」
For a beginner spy, Alice was quite competent . Unfortunately she was also an idiot . But that also meant she was easy to deal with .
「Wh-What should I call you?」
「Silver Face . Let’s go . 」
「O-Okay, Silf!」
「Don’t shorten it like that . 」
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「Silsil…」
「How about I kick you?」
「Ouch! You already did!」
Alice’s plan went like this:
They would head to the meeting spot and Alice would report her failure to her master who would most likely explode in rage . Hikaru would attack the master before or after that happened . Alice said he didn’t have to kill her master; one or two… or three to four hits was enough .
You must hate him so much… Even Hikaru was taken aback by her grudge . So I just have to make sure I don’t kill him?
Their meeting place was in front of a huge boulder deep in the mountains—the kind of place that only local hunters knew, with only animal trails .
So Quinbland is this knowledgeable about the local geography…
Hikaru cautiously strode onward, but he felt a little worried if he could find his way back to town in this darkness . Alice said he could follow the nearby river down to make it back, however .
He had his Stealth on already . All he could see with his naked eye was a boulder, but his Mana Detection showed there was someone there—Keikai . They probably had their Stealth on as well .
「That didn’t take long . 」the man said .
「Eek! M-Master? I didn’t know you were already here . 」
「I needed to wait for you intel . So how did it go? Was Gafrasti N . Valves there?」
「Ah, yes, he was . But I got busted right away . 」
「They did?! How?! Don’t tell me you didn’t conceal your presence like I told you to?!」
「I-I did! I wouldn’t have made it to the loft if I didn’t! The man you described to be Gafrasti N . Valves and Margrave Grugschilt were indeed there . Gafrasti’s assistant and a beefy dude with trimmed blonde hair as well . 」
Come on, don’t call him beefy . Hikaru approached Alice’s master from his blindspot .
「The assistant—a woman—and the beefy guy sensed me right away . So I couldn’t listen to their conversation at all . 」
「Wait a minute . Tell me more about this beefy… I mean, well-built man . 」
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「O-Okay, sure . 」
Alice explained Lawrence’s appearance in detail . She actually managed to get a good look despite the fact that she didn’t have much time and she had to peek into the dimly-lit room through a small gap .
「That sounds like Lawrence D . Falcon . I’m surprised you made it back alive . 」
Her master quickly realized it was the Order of the Knight’s Captain who was in the room with Gafrasti and the Margrave . Then…
「Who’s there?!」Keikai drew his dagger and prepared himself .
A boy wearing a silver mask stood before him . He’d deactivated his Stealth .
「Are you the supervisor of the Empire’s spies?」the boy asked .
The distance was enough for Hikaru to summon the man’s Soul Board .
【Soul Board】Unken F . Balzack
Age: 211 Rank:51
47
【Vitality】
. . 【Natural Recovery】2
. . 【Stamina】5
. . 【Immunity】
… . 【Magic Resistance】1
. . 【Perception】
… . 【Smell】1
… . 【Taste】2
【Magical Power】
. . 【Mana】6
【Physical Strength】
. . 【Strength】9
. . 【Weapon Mastery】
… . 【Short Sword】6
… . 【Bow】3
… . 【Throwing】4
… . 【Armor】2
【Agility】
. . 【Stealth】
… . 【Life Obfuscation】2
… . 【Mana Obfuscation】2
… . 【Imperceptibility】2
……【Group Obfuscation】1
【Dexterity】
. . 【Dexterity】3
. . 【Tool Mastery】
… . 【Pottery】2
【Willpower】
. . 【Mental Strength】3
【Intuition】
. . 【Instinct】4
. . 【Detection】
… . 【Life Detection】1
「What’s Pond’s Adventurers Guild’s guildmaster doing out here?」
It was none other than Unken, the man who taught Hikaru how to dissect monsters . It was just as he expected, though . Based on Alice’s description, and the fact that they were a master of Stealth, Unken was the only person that came to mind .