Chapter 49

"Wh-What? The princess wants to meet us? What kind of joke is this?"

"Unfortunately, it's not a joke, 'Reaper.'"

The next day, when Shu and Iris returned to the tavern, they were skeptical. They couldn't understand why the princess, an assassin, would want to meet them.

"Is she a princess? What is she thinking?"

"She's not thinking at all. That stupid princess, you know."

Shu sighed at the dismissive tone, and Iris nodded in agreement. In other words, they were being asked to meet that stupid princess. Shu was certain that trouble would ensue.

"I thought we were just here to collect the reward today."

"Looks like we've got an additional troublesome job."

"But, it could be a good opportunity."

"Indeed."

Shu wasn't particularly enthusiastic, but it didn't seem like a bad offer.

"Well, I'll go. Are you coming, Iris?"

"Hmm. If Shu is going, then I'll go too."

"...You two are bold."

The master sent them a disbelieving look.

◆◆◆

Four days later, Shu and Iris were escorted to the royal castle. They had received a pass to enter the castle and discussed when to visit. Of course, all of this was done through an intermediary, so Shu and Iris just waited.

"This is the room."

They were led to a large door with elaborate decorations.

"Before you enter, please be aware that the person inside is of very high nobility. Please behave appropriately."

The servant pleaded with them, and Shu and Iris nodded. However, they were wearing hoods to hide their faces, making them look suspicious to anyone. The servant likely gave them a stern warning because of this. Even if the princess was foolish, he still had reservations about leading two suspicious individuals to her.

"Then,"

The servant knocked on the door and announced their arrival.

"The guests have arrived."

A few seconds later, the door opened from the inside. Another servant, who opened the door, was startled by the sight of Shu and Iris but quickly regained composure.

"Please come in."

Shu entered the room, with Iris clinging to his left arm. The moment they stepped inside, a strong floral scent filled the air, making Iris slightly uncomfortable. While she didn't dislike the scent of flowers, it was too overpowering.

The poor taste was evident in the room's decor. The gaudy lighting, the tastelessly arranged paintings, and the expensive vases filled with flowers were all signs of bad taste. This was likely the princess Lusana's style, as the servants wouldn't have prepared such a room.

(And the woman lying on the sofa must be Lusana.)

Shu first confirmed the people in the room. There was one nobleman, two magic knights guarding the princess, two servants, and six soldiers in the imperial army. They were likely considering the 'Reaper's' reputation as an assassin.

"Still... who is the woman sitting in front of the princess?"

"Since she's sitting in this space, I think she's in a similar position."

"So, she must be Lusana's sister... Virus?"

"Probably."

They whispered to each other so no one could hear. Given that the haughty Lusana had her nearby, it was reasonable to assume she was her sister, Virus. And indeed, that was the case.

"Welcome. Are you the 'Reaper'? I've heard the 'Reaper' is a man. I am the First Princess Lusana Mina Rihart. This is my sister, Virus."

"I am Virus Rylla Rihart. It's a strange name, 'Reaper'."

"Regardless of Virus, it's an honor to meet me, isn't it? Why don't you bow?"

Just listening to her made Shu and Iris irritated.

"Oh, if you bow, I can't see your face. Well, I'll allow you to stand. Be grateful and worship me."

"Of course, my lady. You are so kind."

"Hehe. Naturally."

Where is that kindness! The thoughts of everyone in the room aligned.

Unfortunately, Lusana genuinely believed this. She thought she was the most beautiful and noble person in the world. She even considered the 'Reaper' as a lowly person, believing that such a lowly person couldn't do anything to her. Truly foolish.

"Iris."

"Yes."

"It's troublesome. Let's end this."

Shu, who had quickly found them annoying, decided to end it. He casually reached out to Lusana and Virus and made a motion to crush them.

"That's enough. 'Death'."

In that instant, Lusana and Virus died. Their life force was drained as magical energy, leaving them with no energy. The nobleman, servants, guards, and imperial soldiers were all stunned by the sudden and natural death.

In the silent room, Shu spoke.

"The mission is complete."

Hearing this, the nobleman, Duke Aulley, finally came to his senses.

"What nonsense! Our request was to recover the treasury stolen by the revolutionaries! What are you doing? What did you do to Princess Lusana and Princess Virus?"

"I killed them."

"Wh-What..."

In response to Duke Aulley's shock, the princess's guards and the imperial soldiers, led by Ricardo Empardo, moved to kill Shu and Iris. However, Shu's magic activation was faster than their magic knight formations.

They were killed by death magic, their magical energy and life force drained.

"Quite the magic knights. You have decent magical power."

"The number of people we can drain at once has increased?"

"I've grown, too."

Shu then pointed his right hand at Duke Aulley and the servants, intending to kill everyone in the room. He had no qualms about it.

"Wait! Wait! Why is the 'Reaper' killing us? I am the head of the Aulley family! I ordered you to find the treasure stolen by the revolutionaries! Why?"

"I did hear that request."

"Then!"

"But, I also received a request from the revolutionaries. They asked me to kill any royal family member. The reward increases with the number of people killed. I'm glad there were two of them, so the reward will be higher."

"I also paid you a reward! A hundred gold coins! Why are you siding with the revolutionaries? Are you a pawn of the revolutionaries?"

Hearing this completely off-the-mark accusation, Shu shrugged.

This wasn't about taking sides. It was a simpler matter.

"The 'Reaper' received two requests. One was to recover the stolen treasure for a hundred gold coins. The other was to assassinate a royal family member for two hundred gold coins upfront, with additional rewards based on the number of people killed. That's six hundred gold coins in total."

Duke Aulley understood. The reward for the request he made was six times the amount. Even the upfront payment was double. He likely used the stolen treasury to make the request. If Duke Aulley died, the 'Reaper' wouldn't need to complete the request and could freely use the hundred gold coins already paid.

In the end, he could get seven hundred gold coins. It was more profitable to side with the revolutionaries.

"Fine, I'll pay! A thousand gold coins! Ten royal gold coins! Hire me!"

"If you want to hire me, you need to pay in cash right now."

"That's impossible! But if we return to the mansion..."

"No deal. 'Death'."

Duke Aulley and the servants fell. Iris had cast a soundproofing spell, so there was no worry about the noise reaching outside.

"Let's go, Iris."

"Aren't you going to kill the prince?"

"More money won't help. I've already set up a bank account and deposited the money. Having seven hundred gold coins is more than enough."

"Indeed, that's true."

"Besides, keeping the prince alive might be more profitable in the long run."

"Wow, Shu is so devious."

"You don't understand. Don't try to apply human sensibilities to a monster like me."

The two left the room unnoticed. A few hours later, when a servant checked the room, the discovery of multiple bodies caused a commotion.

◆◆◆

A few months after the deaths of Princess Lusana and Princess Virus, the revolutionary army had regained strength. They had rebuilt their organization using the treasure stolen from the royal castle.

"Lord Ray. We have completed the suppression of Heintz Village. I've heard that all the villagers who were enslaved have been restored to their original state."

"Good, that was the last one. It's really a relief."

The report from Rayl, a long-time servant, indicated the success of the revolutionary army's strategy. The villagers had been enslaved by the guard, following Lusana's orders to suppress the village for its cooperation with the revolutionaries.

"Riria, spread the word of our achievements. Also, include the evil deeds of the Eldorado royal family."

"We are already doing that. Thanks to this, the number of villages and towns supporting the revolutionary army is increasing. Most of the eastern side is on our side."

"What about other countries?"

"We have subtly spread our activities to the northern Bern Kingdom and the southern Saladia Kingdom. The citizens are inspired to change their own countries."

"According to plan. This will prevent both the north and the south from interfering with the Eldorado Kingdom."

The common people of the vassal states, especially the farmers, suffered the most under the empire's tyranny. Farmers barely managed to live, as most of their harvest was taken. Some regions lacked wheat, their staple food, due to government policies limiting the crops they could grow. While growing a single crop in one area is efficient, it ignores the farmers' needs. If the distribution system were better, it might be a good policy, but currently, it only exhausted the farmers.

The farmers were frustrated and resigned. However, hearing about the revolutionary army's success might inspire them to think: "We can change our country too. We can create a better life for ourselves."

"Rayl, Riria. Next, we aim for Irista, the largest city in the east. We will gather our forces there and finally succeed in the revolution."

"Yes."

"I'll start the preparations immediately!"

Two weeks later, the eastern part of the Eldorado Kingdom was under the control of the revolutionary army, both in name and reality.