章 163: Chapter 163
After an early dinner.
As I tried to go out of the imperial palace, the guards stopped me.
"His Highness Fernandez has ordered you to wait in the private residence."
"What the heck?"
They seemed to be treating me well, but apparently, the intention was to confine me inside the private residence and make me play around there.
I obediently returned to my room for the time being.
Ash's life was all about making a scene, but there was no need to create chaos in this situation.
'I have a quiet way out!'
I pulled out a cloak that I had brought from Crossroad.
[Invisibility Cloak (SSR)]
When I put the cloak on my shoulders and looked in the mirror, it showed empty space. It was working properly.
I was worried that if I couldn't see myself, I might lose my balance, but fortunately, that didn't happen.
I could see my body translucently.
'Good, then...'
I closed the cloak's collar, and looked at the bright city lights through the private residence window.
'Let's head out to town for a drink!'
There were many reasons why I was brought to the capital, but one of them was to deal with matters that couldn't be handled outside the capital.
'I'll meet the architect, make contact with the top, and...'
The Mercenary Guild!
Time to draw a hero!
***
The stealth provided by the [Invisibility Cloak] was level 3.
So it would be detected by detection magic of level 3 or higher. And this place was the heart of the empire, the imperial palace.
Detection magic would certainly be in place at the entrance, so there was a chance of getting caught right away.
But I was lucky. My accommodation was not in the main palace but in a distant private residence.
Naturally, the level of surveillance was much lower.
Crouching next to the wall, I stared intently at the private residence's main gate, guarded by the sentries.
Perhaps due to my increased Intelligence and Magic Power stats, I could vaguely sense the magic cast around me when I focused.
'There's surveillance magic, but it's about level 1?'
I didn't have to wait long before it was time for the guards to change shifts.
For a brief moment, as the door opened and the soldiers passed by, I slipped through quietly.
'Easy, too easy!'
After that, everything went smoothly. Ash's private residence was located on the outermost part of the imperial palace, and the security network to be breached was correspondingly thin.
It didn't take long for me to completely leave the imperial palace area and stand at the entrance to the city.
Making sure no one was watching, I removed the invisibility cloak and looked back at the imperial palace, whistling. I'll get some fresh air, Dad!
***
Walking the streets myself, the city seemed much larger than it had appeared from the sky.
The streets, thoroughly cleaned around the imperial palace, became dirtier as I headed south, but in return, they gained vibrancy.
Boisterous conversations echoed, and the smells of alcohol, fire, and bread wafted from mats and stalls scattered around.
I pulled my robe's hood deep over my head and threaded my way through the bustling back alleys.
Having grown used to the quiet of Crossroad, the crowded place made my eyes spin.
I stopped in a quieter spot and took a deep breath, unfolding the map from my pocket.
'Let's see, where to go...'
Since the harbor was south of the imperial palace, commercial facilities and guilds were naturally situated to the south.
The aristocratic houses and the salons, high-end cafeterias catering to them, seemed to be to the north of the imperial palace.
'I don't need to worry about the class distribution of this city.'
Having confirmed my destination, I folded the map and put it away.
I had three places to visit in total.
The architect, needed for the Crossroad tourism city project; the top, necessary for taking over the magic stone distribution network; and the Mercenary Guild, just to check if I could draw a hero.
The architect's office was the closest among the three. I hurried, hoping to arrive before it got too late.
***
The architect's office.
"Coming in~!"
BANG!
I kicked the door open and entered, startling the architect, who had been intently examining blueprints.
"Eek?! Wh-who are you?!"
"Who else but your sky-high customer."
I took off my hood and flashed a mischievous smile.
"You forgot about the letter, didn't you, friend?"
"The letter... the hotel construction in Crossroad? Gasp! Surely not, Prince Ash...?"
"Surely captures people."
I got you!
Approaching the architect's desk, I took a seat in the chair before me, crossed my legs, and rested my chin in my hand.
"Hey, you want to do a job with me?"
My attitude was casual, but I had every intention of treating the architect properly.
Crossroad was a dangerous place, far from the imperial roads and teeming with monsters.
Naturally, I'd pay extra for a job in such a location.
However.
"I'm truly sorry, Your Highness..."
No matter how much I begged and pleaded, the architect remained steadfast in refusal. I was genuinely puzzled.
"You won't do it, no matter how much I pay? Is there something that makes it impossible?"
"..."
"Why? Is there another reason?"
"I can't tell you that, sir. Just know that if you ask other architects in the imperial city, they'll give you the same response."
There was something else going on.
Narrowing my eyes, I leaned closer to the architect and lowered my voice.
"Fine. I'll back off quietly without asking more. But tell me this: What's the reason? Did someone threaten you not to take my job?"
"Gulp!"
The architect's shoulder twitched. It must be the right answer.
"Look, friend. It's odd for me to say this, but I'm Prince Ash."
Frowning, I grumbled menacingly.
"If you don't answer straight, who knows what might happen?"
"Please, have mercy!"
"ROAR!"
"Please, save me!"
I had scared him enough to make him cry. Enough joking; I patted the architect's shoulder.
"It's alright. Just tell me this, and I won't bother you further. Who was it? Who told you not to take my job?"
"That would be..."
In the end, the architect told the plain truth.
"'Big Hand' has pressured me not to take on any projects in Crossroad, no matter what..."
"...?"
I blinked in surprise.
"Big Hand? Who's Big Hand?"
"I, I can't say, Your Highness. I'm truly sorry!"
With that, he fell to the ground, wailing. I couldn't press further and had to leave the architect's office.
It was as the architect had said. People in other offices refused my requests, too, even going so far as to close up shop and run away, or take down their signs. Was all this really necessary?!
***
It was the same with the merchants.
All the merchants I could have contacted to build a new distribution network in the game refused to contract with me.
After cajoling, begging, and threatening them, they all spat out the same name.
'Big Hand.'
Big Hand had blocked all dealings with Crossroad.
I couldn't secure a contract with an architect or merchant, and I wandered the streets, lost in thought.
'Who would go to such lengths to thwart me...?'
The news that I was looking for an architect and merchant in Crossroad must have spread among industry insiders weeks ago.
And 'Big Hand' had stepped in and messed things up.
'Who has enough influence to do this?'
I am a prince. A rascal, perhaps, but still one of the emperor's three sons.
And a commander of the southern front.
Even though it's a ramshackle front operated solely with mercenaries, I'm still a commander in charge of defending the empire.
I had personally requested these contracts, but the architects and merchants had refused me, risking their lives.
This meant that 'Big Hand' was a more frightening threat than me.
'Is it Fernandez? Or the Emperor?'
The two who immediately came to mind. They are obviously above me.
But it seemed too... petty for them to have directly blocked me.
All for a small city in the margrave's territory, just for small work, with just an architect, just a merchant.
It's hard to imagine that the regent or the emperor would block such a minor matter.
Either of them could mess with me far more efficiently.
'So who on earth could it be...?'
Lost in thought, I found myself standing in front of the mercenary guild. I swallowed dryly, looking up at the building.
Continental Mercenary Guild, New Terra Headquarters.
'Please let me pull a cheat-level hero!'
Of course, I knew it. There would be hardly any mercenaries here who were actually out in the field.
This was the capital of the empire. A city garrisoned by the royal standing army, and one of the safest places in the world.
It was far removed from strife and chaos. There was no way that mercenaries, the warhounds seeking battles, would be here.
This place merely acted as a headquarter overseeing various mercenary guilds scattered across the continent and dealing with administrative tasks.
It was unlikely to be a space for actually recruiting mercenaries. But still.
'I'll at least be able to find out where the useful mercenaries are.'
I came here to find out where the SSR-grade friends were roaming around the continent.
As long as I could find their location, I could figure out how to scout them.
'And who knows? Perhaps a high-grade hero character is waiting for me inside? There's always a possibility!'
With that thought, I flung the doors of the mercenary guild wide open, without really expecting much.
But then.
Flash-!
"...?"
As soon as I opened the door, a dazzling golden light spilled out. What the heck?!
A woman was standing in front of the empty counter of the mercenary guild.
The gold-colored aura unique to SSR-grade characters was emanating from her.
She was a young woman with short, military blue hair, dressed in a plain black and white maid's uniform. But what caught my eye the most was...
A coffin.
A massive black coffin that she carried on her back.
I was momentarily overwhelmed by this utterly unbalanced, absurd visual, and my mouth fell open slightly.
SSR-grade characters often have unique appearances, but a maid with a coffin? I'd never seen this character in the game before.
"Ah."
With her eyes, the same military blue as her hair, she glanced at me. It was a lifeless stare, like that of a dead fish.
She grabbed the hem of her skirt with a stiff, doll-like motion and bowed to me.
"...You have arrived, Your Highness."
"Huh?"
"The architect, and your contact with the top brass, I knew you would come here, so I was waiting for you."
Her toneless voice had an unmistakable sharpness to it.
"My master wishes to see you. Please... follow me obediently."
I could instinctively sense that this woman's master was the 'Big Hand' who had manipulated the architects and top brass.
At the same time, I felt threatened.
A person who could manipulate the merchants in the capital, predict my movements, and even boldly summon a member of the royal family like me.
This was dangerous.
"Who's your master to command me to come? How dare you be insolent to the royalty?"
At my words, the woman tilted her head.
"Won't you come?"
"And what if I say no?"
"Then I have no choice."
Click-
The woman laid her hand on the enormous coffin on her back.
There was a short handle on top of the coffin, and she effortlessly picked it up with one hand, as if it were a club.
"I'll have to take you by force."
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