* * *
“Gazette?”
“Yes, have you never heard of it?”
Alexander blinked and shrugged, as if it wouldn’t be surprising even if Kaindel hadn’t.
Kaindel slowly shook his head. How could he not know Gazette?
He was just caught off guard by the name Alexander.
If it was Alexander, then he was supposed to be the editor-in-chief of Gazette.
Besides, there was no media company in the kingdom as big as Gazette, so as long as one lived in Hadelber Kingdom, it was impossible not to know its name.
There was even a joke that if you picked up any newspaper sold on the street, there was more than a fifty percent chance it belonged to Gazette.
“No, I know it well.”
“That’s a relief.”
Alexander smiled, as if genuinely reassured.
He must have thought that Kaindel, of all people, might truly not know what Gazette was.
Kaindel silently observed Alexander, who made no effort to hide his satisfaction, before speaking.
There was something that came to mind upon hearing Alexander from Gazette.
“Now that I think about it, I heard you’re close with the Pope.”
“The Pope… you could say that. After all, we did travel together.”
“Enough of that. What do you want from me?”
Back when the Pope was still a High Priest, he had once gone in search of the Great Calamity and failed.
It was already well known in the kingdom that one of his companions on that journey had been the editor-in-chief of Gazette.
So the moment Kaindel saw Alexander, he immediately pictured the Pope.
Close with that Pope?
Kaindel muttered inwardly, swallowing down the distaste that threatened to surface.
That man, with his perpetually inscrutable gaze, was an insufferable presence to him.
No matter how desperate he was to find Isa, he had no desire to get entangled with the temple—especially not with the Pope.
At that moment, Kaindel unconsciously furrowed his brow.
“I heard you’ve allied with the princess.”
Alexander’s words carried an unmistakable implication.
He, too, was involved in the princess’s plans.
Even if he wasn’t, he likely had some knowledge of what she was scheming.
Kaindel concealed the slight grimace that formed at the mere mention of the princess.
“…And?”
“Well, that’s why I’m here. I thought I should at least introduce myself, since we’ll be working together.”
“Ah.”
So that’s how the princess knew Gazette was the source of information.
Kaindel pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek as the puzzle pieces clicked into place.
Now he understood where the princess had been getting her information.
The real question was—what kind of information?
More importantly, had she sent him here just to meet Alexander?
Kaindel cast a sideways glance at Alexander, who was watching a gambling table with mild interest, and sank into thought.
Much like the Pope, Alexander exuded an air of suspicion.
He clearly had no intention of revealing anything to him.
If he knew something about Isa, he wasn’t showing it.
Whatever the princess’s reason for arranging this meeting, it didn’t seem like it would help him find Isa.
A waste of time.
‘I should’ve gone to Aiden Village instead.’
Kaindel was just about to mutter a curse under his breath when Alexander, still observing the gamblers with curiosity, suddenly changed the subject.
“I didn’t expect you to enjoy places like this, Sir Hero. I had thought you were… a bit more reserved.”
“Reserved? If you knew the rumors about me, you wouldn’t say that.”
“Well, rumors are like that.”
“Like that?”
Kaindel unconsciously repeated the words.
He wasn’t quite sure what Alexander meant.
Maybe it was because of the unreadable expression he wore, but even his most straightforward statements made Kaindel pause.
Alexander chuckled, his eyes briefly crinkling with mischief before returning to their usual neutrality.
“Rumors focus more on entertainment than truth, and they thrive more on malice than substance. But sometimes, if you spin the rumors that once cut you down, they can become armor instead. That’s what makes them interesting.”
“……”
“There’s no greater power than the press, after all.”
Alexander spoke as if stating an undeniable fact.
He wasn’t wrong.
Even in a kingdom with a clear power structure, the influence of the press was not to be ignored.
But what was odd was that Alexander, who had allied himself with the princess, was openly making remarks that undermined the royal family’s authority.
“…Are you on the princess’s side?”
“I am on no one’s side.”
Kaindel took a moment to think before asking, and Alexander’s faint smile faded.
It was as if every expression he had shown up until now had been a mask.
“Isn’t that obvious? If someone in the press takes sides, it’s a failure. The press exists to report facts—if it ceases to be neutral, that would be a serious issue.”
What the hell is he saying?
If he knew about the princess’s plans, then he was her man.
Yet now he was claiming the press had to remain neutral? What was he getting at?
Just as Kaindel was trying to make sense of Alexander’s cryptic stance, the man smirked.
His lips curved up at the corners in a distinctly mischievous way.
“But if I had to choose a side, it would be the more entertaining one.”
“…That entertainment.”
Kaindel, who had been silently listening, suddenly felt his thoughts clear.
Now, he understood exactly what Alexander was trying to tell him.
“I think I can guarantee that.”
He knew about the princess’s plans and was assisting her, but he still wanted to maintain neutrality because of the power of the press.
However, if something more interesting came along, he was willing to switch sides.
To put it simply, Alexander was extending his hand.
If Kaindel could offer him something more entertaining, Alexander would help him in return.
“…Would you be interested in working with me?”
“Are you suggesting a double contract?”
“Is that a problem?”
In other words, Alexander was offering him a deal.
If Kaindel could provide him with entertainment, he would share the information he knew.
“That’s not such a bad deal for you, is it?”
“Hmm.”
“If you don’t like it, say so now.”
“No, I was just curious—what exactly are you planning?”
As expected, Alexander didn’t reject the proposal outright.
Instead, he leaned in slightly, as if he had been waiting for Kaindel to continue the conversation.
Kaindel, now certain that his instincts were correct, clenched his fists slightly.
“I…”
He repeated the word before lowering his gaze for a moment.
From deep within, buried emotions began to surface.
As he looked inside himself, he saw the raw, simmering rage that had been there all along.
He had played along with the princess’s plans.
He had smiled politely in front of the nobles.
He had acted the part the king wanted—appearing to get along with the princess.
And yet, the anger never faded.
“I don’t want any of them to get what they want.”
“…What?”
“The king. The princess. Neither of them.”
Alexander blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Kaindel’s blunt declaration.
Seeing his surprise, Kaindel grinned—a rare, genuine smile.
“It’s tiring, playing the hero.”
“…Are you betraying the princess?”
“Betrayal?”
Strictly speaking, the word “betrayal” wasn’t the right choice.
From the start, his relationship with Kerelona had never been one where betrayal was even possible.
“With Isa gone, this contract has essentially lost its purpose.”
The only reason he had agreed to help her was because of Isa—nothing more, nothing less.
If it hadn’t been Kerelona who spread the rumors surrounding Isa, he wouldn’t have volunteered to be her partner in the first place.
And now that Isa had disappeared, he had no reason to continue aiding Kerelona.
“Very well.”
As if understanding Kaindel’s stance, Alexander’s expression shifted.
“Then I suppose I should tell you what I know first.”
Muttering to that point, Alexander swept his gaze over the crowd, all of whom were too absorbed in their gambling to pay them any mind.
Then, he took a step closer to Kaindel and lowered his voice.
“Go to the temple.”
* * *
