Ch 38
“Then you must be even more unrelated to trends, aren’t you?”
“Oh my, you never let a single word slide, do you?”
The man smiled awkwardly and adjusted his posture. Mia sensed he had grown more serious in the conversation than before.
“Correct. Our plans have nothing to do with trends. However, since the operation is imminent, waiting longer seems unwise.”
“A grand operation… Given that you’re seeking Grenier’s cooperation, it appears you never considered finding allies within Veridian itself.”
Mia continued after seeing the man nod.
“I assume this means you can’t risk alerting imperial factions. But Grenier also has no desire to be entangled in a conspiracy of this magnitude.”
The man smiled faintly, as if he’d anticipated her response.
“Rest assured, this operation’s success will benefit Grenier as well. That much I can guarantee.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because our goals currently align.”
Mia narrowed her eyes.
“I don’t recall ever disclosing Grenier’s objectives to you.”
The man’s smile widened.
“We intend to overthrow the Veridian royal family.”
Mia’s expression betrayed nothing.
A rebellion? If true, they’d struck at an unexpected vulnerability. Even if the Etalon Army’s true aim—including hers—was to expel the royal family, under Grenier’s banner, they’d only ever disrupted Veridian’s economy.
Every notable transaction had been orchestrated through merchants acting on rumors. No matter how cunning the current Veridian Emperor was, proving Grenier’s deliberate involvement would be nearly impossible.
‘This almost sounds like they’re referring to the Etalon Army, not Grenier.’
“If this is a civil war, wouldn’t avoiding foreign intervention be wiser?”
Mia probed. Whether Heron was a commoner, royal, or something else, overthrowing the throne could only mean seizing power himself. No ruler would welcome foreign influence after claiming the crown.
‘They don’t seem desperate enough to take such risks.’
The man’s smile didn’t waver. Though she’d uncovered his intent, her lack of information left her with few negotiating tools. Feeling ensnared, Mia met his gaze.
“True. But the wave has already crashed ashore. Wouldn’t riding it be better than fighting the tide?”
Heron couldn’t have known, but in her past life, Mia had suffered devastating losses from a premature naval deployment order—a retreat that occurred after Etienne’s death and drove her to study military strategy.
Though the wave metaphor unsettled her, Mia ultimately agreed to collaborate with Heron. Complying with a suspicious man’s demands grated on her, but his offered terms were too enticing to refuse. She resolved to watch him closely.
If he betrayed her, she’d repay him in kind.
‘If he arrives as promised, we might overturn the entire war.’
As she reluctantly bid him farewell, two familiar figures entered the shop. Her body moved before her mind. Mia ducked behind a pillar, observing them from afar.
‘Gasp.’
She recognized them instantly—the assassins from before, now disguised as ordinary merchants.
‘Another ambush? If so, is Heron allied with them…?’
Yet they seemed too calm for attackers. Her suspicion of Heron felt hollow now.
Mia checked the ‘tracker’ from her pocket. The device, meant to signal their direction, remained eerily silent.
‘Maybe it’s faulty—my first prototype. Or perhaps they haven’t seen the note.’
Waiting for Etienne risked losing vital information. Mia decided to tail them herself. Escaping danger was manageable, but missing this lead wasn’t an option.
‘If they remain unaware, following them might expose their master.’
The potential of divine power was boundless. It wasn’t limited to combat or tracking—if machines powered by divine stones could achieve certain feats, so could Mia, who wielded the power itself.
Determined to use divine power to block sound, Mia muffled her footsteps and followed them.
The place they arrived at was the basement of a building. The assassins, who had disguised themselves as commoners, pulled up their hoods to cover their faces the moment they stopped before the entrance.
If they’re going to do this, why bother showing their faces openly the rest of the time? Mia wondered. The answer could wait—what mattered now was uncovering their backers. This unexpected opportunity might never return, so she needed to extract every possible clue immediately.
I have my suspicions. Given that their attackers in Glen had been deeply entrenched in drug trafficking, Mia guessed these pursuers were also dealers. Of course, with the trade corroding the nation under Emperor Veridian’s tacit approval, the emperor’s own faction might even be pulling the strings.
Either way, infiltrating their ranks to eavesdrop was the simplest path to answers.
How did this thing work again? She recalled being told that pressing one side of the device would alter her appearance. Remembering one of the assassins who’d targeted her, Mia activated the gadget Heron had given her.
A woman fumbling with a small box in a deserted alley already looked suspicious. After transforming and donning her hood, she looked downright sinister.
“8. What are you doing here? The meeting’s starting—don’t tell me you’re slacking again?”
A stranger’s voice interrupted her scheming. The use of a number instead of a name suggested it was standard practice here—unless this man simply had an absurdly numeric name.
Given the ‘again,’ this person’s clearly not a model attendee, Mia mused. She replied with feigned irritation, her voice unnaturally low: “What’s it matter? His speeches never change anyway.”
“Exactly why you’ll never amount to anything,” the man sneered. “He’s entrusting us with a particularly troublesome case this time.”
“Then I’ve even less reason to go. Isn’t cooperating enough? I hate tedious work.”
He tsked, faux sympathy dripping from his voice. “Why so dense today? Solve this case, and He might grant His Blessing personally. With that and His endorsement, you could clear your debts—become free.”
“Assuming you’ve the spine to escape,” he added mockingly, though the jab slipped past Mia’s focus.
A Blessing? Like a priest’s ritual? Or code for something else? This made their pursuit of her even more baffling. Suppressing her confusion, she prodded: “How ‘troublesome’ could it be if He’s offering that so freely?”
