Chapter 57: Mission
Although the Saint Floris Church is affiliated with the royal family, it is still a distance away from the Royal Garden. Reluctantly, Alman can only take a carriage, swaying along as he heads to the church now controlled by the Second Prince.
The First Prince and the Second Prince are quite interesting figures. One has the Commander of the Knight Order under his command, wielding military and political power, while the other has the well-packaged hero, Scarlet Crow, who is known for robbing the rich to help the poor in the hearts of the people. Together with Saint Floris, he holds both religious authority and public support. One thrives on materialism while the other leans towards idealism; they are adversaries but also complements to each other.
However, even amidst such power, interference is inevitable. Just as the Second Prince can send the Knight Order to far eastern expeditions, the First Prince can have the Royal Knights stationed at Saint Floris under the pretext of guarding it, but everyone knows it is merely a form of surveillance.
Alman, as the Commander of the Knight Order, finds himself inundated with duties—pulled by the Second Prince on one side and pushed by the First Prince on the other. It is during these times that he most wishes to retire.
“Come on, don’t make that long face,” said Carly, who was with him.
“Ahh—I really don’t want to go.”
That’s the Second Prince’s territory. With the First and Second Princes’ current clear division, their Royal Knights might face many disdainful looks there.
“It’s not like they’re leaving you behind; we’re just going for an on-site inspection today.”
“Sigh, I really feel sorry for whoever gets sent there.”
Although Alman himself is not staying there, someone still has to be sent to guard it. The people who frequent that place are all from the Second Prince’s faction, and the Royal Knight Order won’t be welcome there.
“This is necessary for faction competition. When we went to the battlefield before, it wasn’t voluntary either.”
Carly’s words sounded light, but his expression was serious. Everyone knew going to Saint Floris equated to entering a den of tigers. While no one would dare to harm the members of the Knight Order openly, in political struggles, public sentiment can be frightening; who knows what disgusting things might happen.
“……”
After that, Carly and Alman exchanged glances and fell silent. Carly leaned on his hand, looking out the carriage window, while Alman, as usual, leaned back in his seat to rest.
The carriage clattered along, taking them to Saint Floris. Though it was not yet shrouded in the smoke of war, they all knew that hidden arrows are the hardest to defend against.
Even Carly and Alman, while passing through a wooded path in the carriage, became alert, as their carriage had been attacked more than once. Furthermore, this was still the Second Prince’s domain.
Meanwhile, Evelia had finished dressing for her outing and stepped out of her dormitory. As always, she calmly nodded and greeted the passing servants and knights, walking out of the manor gate.
Although Alman had his informants carefully tailing Evelia, she was no ordinary assassin. Such following was full of flaws in her eyes. Whatever they needed to see, Evelia would act out. If they wanted to see a diligent maid, she’d diligently bury herself in work. If they wanted to see a calm girl doing nothing, she’d lounge under a tree doing just that, but her mind would be formulating her next plans.
As she went out, she always visited Anna’s boutique first. She had even noticed knights deliberately going there, seeming to treat that boutique as Evelia’s safe house. Thus, Anna became a shield for Evelia. She lingered there just to distract those tailing her from suspecting her. Once they relaxed a bit, she could do what she wanted.
However, her first destination today was not Anna’s boutique, but an ordinary market.
“Boss, I’m here to buy tomato sauce. Do you still have the stock from last time?”
Of course not. Every type of tomato sauce Evelia had was meticulously numbered, and she wouldn’t really come to buy tomato sauce until the specified date.
“Yes, miss. The batch you reserved has arrived. If you find this flavor suitable, we’ll procure a larger quantity for you.”
The seemingly honest old man smiled as he led Evelia into the bustling market. Though she couldn’t see behind her, she knew the knights were following her in. However, there was nothing to get tense about; to outsiders, it was just a common “transaction.”
Moreover, if Evelia wished, it would be easy for her to shake them off.
Interestingly, Evelia could clearly sense that there were fewer eyes on her lately. Whether it was her performance that pleased Alman or if those following her had been reassigned, it was all good news for her.
“Is this the one?”
She followed the vendor to the shelf, watching him pick up a well-packaged bag of tomato sauce and hand it to her.
“Is this sweet or sour?”
This was their secret code. Sweet indicated to fetch something, while sour meant to take someone’s life. If it was spicy, it probably meant to wipe out a location.
“Sour, please have a taste.”
“Um……”
Evelia lightly acknowledged, twisting the lid to smell the contents. The scent of tomato sauce was strong and decidedly sour.
For Evelia, tomato sauce was a proof of her longing for freedom, but if the Second Prince found out about her fondness for tomato sauce, it ironically became a signal—a tool of communication with the Second Prince when she believed it was the only thing he couldn’t manipulate her through.
Yet Evelia accepted it amicably. That’s just how she was; there was no way to avoid being discovered by the Second Prince, as she was his most loyal dog.
“Which manufacturer’s?”
“To the west of the palace, there’s a little alleyway, quite twisted, but as the saying goes, good wine fears no deep alley. This tomato sauce is the same; no matter how deep, it can still be found by those who know what to look for. What do you think?”
In just a few sentences, the old man revealed the target’s location.
“Um, that sounds fine.”
Evelia took on the task.
“Then I’ll have it ordered for you.”
“How long until it’s delivered?”
“It’ll take some time; the factory is quite busy. It’s not something you can just say and have it done.”
—Meaning there are many tasks currently, and with knights following nearby, caution is necessary to avoid alarming anyone.
“You need to give me a timeframe; I don’t want to waste my legs running around.”
—She can’t come here too often or she might raise suspicion.
“By the day of the celebration, it should be ready.”
“The Prose Celebration?”
“Exactly, by then the factory won’t be as hectic, as the celebration is more important.”
—Because the celebration requires more guards, it would allow Evelia to operate more easily then.
“Got it. How about the factory owner’s character? I don’t want to end up with a subpar product.”
—What has the target done?
“I’ve heard he’s a knowledgeable person, a tall man with brown hair. He was here the other day pitching to us, so he should know quite a bit. That’s why he can make such uniquely flavored tomato sauce; you’d like it.”
—The target is a brown-haired male with knowledge beyond what he should know, threatening the Second Prince with such information that he must be silenced. Only you can handle this.
“Alright, have it delivered once it arrives. I’ll pay when the time comes.”
—I will complete the mission.
After their conversation, the vendor gifted Evelia the pack of tomato sauce as a sample. It was indeed a lovely pack of sauce, a little perk for the employee.
Since Evelia took on the task of contacting Alman, the Second Prince had not given her any missions. But suddenly, one day, when someone informed her that tomato sauce was a signal, she knew another task awaited her. This trip marked her first assignment since becoming “Evelia.”
However, she saw this mission as quite easy.
For there is nothing simpler than assassination.
