ETHTKE chapter 33

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“Is Ken doing well with the reconnaissance?”

As I stared at Baek Yigang, who was working, I casually asked him. His busy hands came to an abrupt stop.

“He hasn’t found any significant signs yet.”

“Maybe they ran off after seeing the Imperial knights on patrol?”

“They wouldn’t retreat over something so trivial.”

Baek Yigang dismissed my hope with a blunt expression.

But “they wouldn’t retreat over something so trivial”?

Have I ever told him who that terrorist group is?

I probably haven’t.

Then how does he know to say something like that?

“But Yigang, do you know who they are? How…?”

“It’s obvious since the opposition to the current Imperial power is always led by the same people.”

It seemed like a guess, but he was almost certain.

I wanted to tell him exactly who the culprit was, but if I revealed everything, I wouldn’t be able to prepare for the “what if” scenarios, which would be a disadvantage for me.

Since I’ve interfered with the original plot, I can’t guarantee that everything will unfold as expected.

In any case, Baek Yigang was busy as usual.

Still, he answered my questions promptly, though his responses were rather curt.

Now that I think about it, Baek Yigang seems to be quite annoyed by my questions, even though his expression remains unchanged.

Or is it just my imagination?

“Yigang, am I bothering you?”

“Not really.”

But whenever I ask, he only says no. Something feels off, though.

“Asel, I’d like some water. Could you give me a cup?”

“Yes.”

Asel nodded and poured water into a cup, then suddenly took a sip.

“…Asel, what are you doing?”

While I’ve been confined, Asel has personally inspected all the food that goes into my mouth.

Since the second prince is targeting me, he’s taken it upon himself to thoroughly manage everything that comes into contact with me.

But did that really have to include the water?

“I’m confirming that the water is safe.”

“I understand, but you didn’t really have to drink it, right? After all, it’s just water.”

“There could be a colorless poison in it.”

Asel responded calmly, as if it were no big deal, and after checking twice more that the water was safe, he handed me the cup.

This is ridiculous, like having my very own Imperial taste-tester.

Now he’s even testing the water. Isn’t this overprotective?

“But what about you, Asel? If there’s poison, wouldn’t you be at risk too?”

“I’m immune to poison, so it’s fine.”

Now that I think about it, they did say the Imperial family is immune to poison…

But Asel isn’t royalty, is he?

“Immune to all poisons?”

“Not all, but I’ll be fine.”

What on earth is he talking about?

That’s impossible… There’s no way anyone would be fine against a deadly poison!

This is driving me crazy!

So, is it true that Piel tried to kill me?

But I haven’t even done anything yet. I certainly haven’t done anything to make him hate me.

Could it be that he’s trying to kill me just because I’m near Baek Yigang, even though we haven’t even met yet?

Sure, I made a similar guess before, but that was just a “what if” scenario.

I never thought he’d actually try to kill me for that reason…!

There are other minor reasons that come to mind, but none of them are convincing.

I guess I’ll have to meet Piel in person to find out the truth.

Whether Baek Yigang will allow me to meet Piel is another question, though…

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“The record of the Magic Department visits you requested earlier, sir.”

“Oh, did you get it?”

Since I got stuck here, I couldn’t visit the Magic Department, so I ended up asking Asel to retrieve the visitor log on my behalf.

I needed it to catch the lunatic who sent me all those creepy gifts under the guise of a present.

I still haven’t given up on finding the culprit.

Whoever they are, I won’t let them get away with it.

Of course, the culprit might have tampered with the list, but if they purchased so many items from the Magic Department, their name would have to be on it.

“Yes, here it is.”

The document folder I received from Asel neatly listed the names of people who had visited the Magic Department over the past few days.

Finally, I was about to uncover the identity of that perverted original.

I quickly scanned through the list until I found the names of the visitors from that day, two weeks ago.

There were names of people I knew, like myself, Blue, Reggie, and other relevant personnel…

“Let’s see… Hmm? It’s just a bunch of familiar names.”

I glued my eyes to the paper, thoroughly examining the list, feeling like something was off.

Then, something caught my eye—some oddly faint writing.

“F-Found it! Purpose of visit: purchase of items, total: 69… Name: Piel Dirzio.”

…What?

…Excuse me? Who did it say? Pi… who?

“Who?”

Baek Yigang, who had been frowning at the name he overheard, also looked at me in disbelief.

It seemed he was just as shocked, as even his hands, which had been busily moving just moments ago, froze on the papers.

Piel Dirzio… Piel is the second prince, right?

Why is his name here?!

I mean, sure, I knew the Magic Department wouldn’t just let anyone in.

So he couldn’t have sent a subordinate.

“Still, if it’s Piel, wouldn’t he be able to manipulate the list with ease?

How could he so confidently put his name on it?

It’s like he doesn’t even care about hiding the fact that he’s the culprit!

So, is Piel really the one who sent that to me?

But how did he know I like Dillx?!

…Well, not that I like it, but anyway.

“Cheong Dowoon.”

“Huh, what?”

When I looked up, I saw a face with a strangely troubled expression.

Hmm, Baek Yigang must be feeling pretty conflicted too, right?

He probably never imagined his younger brother would have such preferences…

“If you happen to meet Piel… run.”

My eyes widened at the sudden statement.

A brother telling someone to run if they meet his sibling—there’s something unsettling about that.

“What? How am I supposed to do that?!”

“You’re good at teleporting. Just do that.”

There was an inexplicable displeasure in his voice as he spoke.

And he’s so indifferent!

Does he think teleportation is just some easy trick?

But looking at him again, it didn’t seem like he was upset about his brother’s preferences.

Rather, it seemed like he was annoyed that Piel’s name was even mentioned here.

I’ve known for a while that Baek Yigang doesn’t get along well with his brother Piel, but this seems to go beyond mere dislike.

After all, they’re still blood-related.

“Answer me.”

“…Okay.”

Does he really think I’ll be able to teleport away the moment I meet the Second Prince? Easier said than done. If I just disappear in front of Imperialty like that, it’d be a serious crime!

A prince who has never experienced the power of authority wouldn’t understand!

Anyway, I was planning to get back at the culprit behind the Dillx incident, but if it’s Piel, I can’t even think about revenge.

If I try to get back at him, who knows what kind of trouble I’ll get into. That guy may be Baek Yigang’s brother, but he’s not exactly the gentle type.

Still, I’m not giving up. One day, I’ll definitely pay him back for this humiliation!

Anyway, Baek Yigang is handling the statue incident, the Imperial Knights are on patrol, so… it should be okay.

The Dillx incident is a bit of a letdown, but since I’ve identified the culprit, I guess that’s enough.

I thought the case was more or less wrapped up, and a peaceful routine was about to follow.

But peace was short-lived; trouble eventually arrived.

“Cheong Dowoon, do you know when the attack will happen?”

“Hmm, they’ll plan it about nine days before the Founding Festival, and carry it out two days before the opening.”

That day was two days before the opening of the Founding Festival.

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“Cheong Dowoon, nothing has happened yet.”

Asel, who had been watching my anxious state since early morning, gently offered a word of reassurance.

“’Yet’ being the key word…”

Today is two days before the Founding Festival.

According to the original story, today is the day when the emperor’s statue gets its head blown off by the terrorists.

I have to stop this to improve Baek Yigang’s iWizard. And if I catch the culprits too, his reputation will definitely rise.

More importantly, if I manage to get through this ordeal, I might even receive a thank you from Baek Yigang.

If I can give him advance warning and help him prepare, even someone as ungrateful as Baek Yigang would probably say thanks.

“It’ll be fine.”

Asel offered me another comforting word just as a loud thunderclap shook the sky outside, echoing violently.

The lightning flashed so brightly that for a moment, I almost thought I saw Baek Yigang’s chilling gaze reflecting through the window.

“…Rain, all of a sudden?”

“Oh, now that you mention it, they did say it might rain today. No one believed it because the weather was so nice yesterday… but here it is.”

Asel looked outside with curious eyes.

And I was equally stunned.

Thunder and lightning out of nowhere? In the original story, it didn’t rain today.

“This… this is completely unexpected.”

I can feel it. Something is going wrong… a bad omen.

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