Chapter 14

Hikaru stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

Hikaru ranked 4th in the daily rankings and 2nd in the weekly rankings. Thank you, thank you.

The previous work took half a year to complete, and the points accumulated were overtaken in just four days, which left him in awe.

As Hikaru asked his question, Jill's hand, which was cutting the pie with a knife, stopped.

"…Where did you hear that?"

"I overheard it in passing."

"No way! I told you before, this is a high-level secret!"

"Is the culprit a little girl?"

"———"

This time, Jill's mouth opened wide, and her words stopped.

"…What do you think?"

"I, I can't say. I can't say such a thing."

"Here, the menu. What do you want to eat?"

"There are things I can say and things I can't. It would violate confidentiality to say more…"

"Do you think I would misuse what I heard?"

"Sorry…"

"…No, it's my fault. This was a cheap shot. You are answering my questions out of kindness. But it wouldn't be right for you to suffer because of it."

"……"

Hikaru leaned back in his chair, thinking.

(If I can't ask any more, I guess I have to break into the mansion…)

Then, Jill said,

"…Why do you want to know so badly? Sure, it's big news, but normally no one would be interested. Whether the Earl was killed or not…"

"That's—"

"Hey, Hikaru. You're some rich kid who ran away from home on a whim and became an adventurer to survive… right? My guess is right, isn't it?"

"…Yeah, pretty much. I don't have any other way to survive."

If he continued, he would have added, "I don't have a home to return to."

"Is your family related to the Earl of Murgstadt?"

"No, they're not."

"Then why do you care so much?"

Hikaru bit his lip in frustration. The Earl of Murgstadt's case was even more top-secret than he had imagined.

"A friend of mine… suffered terribly."

"…A friend?"

"Yeah. You could say she was persecuted by the Earl of Murgstadt. That's why I want to know if he's dead or not."

"———"

Jill looked at him.

Hikaru thought for a moment and then looked back at her.

He recalled that there were two types of reactions when people lied: one was to avoid eye contact, and the other was to look directly into the eyes to try to convince the other person.

He glanced at Jill's eyes and nodded slightly, then pretended to drink water.

"…I don't sense any malice in what you're saying, Hikaru."

Hikaru remembered that Jill had said she was sensitive to people's hidden emotions.

He had consciously tried to act as if he wasn't lying, but it might not have been necessary.

"Since it will be public anyway, I can probably tell you this much… In three days, a certain person will be escorted to the capital. That's all I can say."

Jill said this with a sigh.

("A certain person"… the culprit, I see. That girl. And in three days—since the Adventurers' Guild knows this information…)

"Are adventurers going to be responsible for the escort? Why—"

Jill, as if to say "I won't say any more," was eating the pie with a mouthful.

She skillfully cut it into bite-sized pieces with a knife and brought them to her mouth.

Her movements were very smooth, almost like a craftsman's.

(The mansion had knights. Knights are far superior to regular soldiers. Why would adventurers be responsible for the escort when they are here? …There must be something else going on.)

While he was thinking this, the "Twister Tornado Juice" was brought over.

It was a metal container shaped like a round melon.

Two straws were stuck in it.

"Here."

"…Huh?"

"Here, I said."

"Wait, this has two straws, right?"

"Of course. It's 'Twister,' isn't it?"

"No, no, no, no."

It's a couple's drink! A drink for lovey-dovey couples!

Jill's cheeks were also red, as if she was embarrassed.

"I told you, I wanted to try it too, but I didn't have anyone to drink it with!"

"You have so many people asking you out, you can pick any guy you want, right?"

"Because—those guys are all after something!"

"Oh, I see…"

Hikaru understood.

(I look harmless, so it's fine, I guess.)

"Got it. If that's the case, let's drink. But you drink first. I'll drink when you're done."

"……"

"…You don't want to drink together, do you—"

"N-no way! What are you getting so full of yourself for?!"

Jill started drinking the "Twister Tornado Juice" as if hugging it.

"Yum. Really!—"

Despite her words, she ended up drinking it all by herself.

Remaining: 1,430 Gil (+7,500+α)

---

That night, just as the date was about to change.

A boy in black, Hikaru, appeared in front of the Earl of Murgstadt's mansion.

He had left his cloak behind because it might get caught or be a hindrance.

However, there was something new on his face.

A "mask."

A thin metal mask was sold at the temple, depicting popular deities like the Sun God, War God, and Trade God. It cost only 10 Gil.

Hikaru bought the Sun God mask, which had a sharp jawline and thin eyebrows. It wasn't too detailed, so it suited his face.

It was a dull silver color with holes for the eyes and nose. Hikaru also made a hole for his mouth.

"Well, I guess I have no choice but to go in through the front."

Hikaru intended to save the girl.

The girl had shown him an escape route after he successfully assassinated the Earl of Murgstadt. He didn't know why.

"…I don't like the idea of making her take the fall for the murder."

He had no idea about the background. He wanted to investigate, but Hikaru had no connections. If he tried to talk to the guards directly, he would only raise suspicion.

In fact, he had sneaked into the guard post in town and listened in earlier.

However, it was a waste of time.

Their main topics were "alcohol," "gambling," "women," and "complaining about their superiors."

"My legs feel like jelly…"

Hikaru was tired from walking around all day, which was unusual for him.

He wanted to allocate points to "Stamina" and "Strength" on his Soul Board, but he currently had zero points.

However, it wasn't as if he had no "harvest."

The girl wasn't in the police station, which was similar to the Security Investigation Bureau in Japan, or in the guard post.

She was probably in the Earl's mansion.

The main gate was closed, but the side entrance was unlocked. The guard at the side entrance didn't notice Hikaru passing by.

The last time he came, it was raining.

Now, a blue moon, much bluer than on Earth, illuminated the mansion.

"Hmm."

The front door was locked. The last time, he had entered through here.

"…Of course. There was an assassination. The security level must have been raised."

Hikaru smiled.

"But my 'Stealth' level has also improved."

His Guild Card now listed his profession as "Stealth God: The One Who Embraces the Darkness."

Hikaru circled the building.

The windows had wooden shutters. If necessary, he would have to remove them. The windows inside were probably locked with simple latches, so he would need to break the glass.

He didn't want to leave any traces if possible—

"Is that…?"

Hikaru saw a back door that was slightly open.

A thin beam of light leaked out, faintly illuminating two people standing near the back door.

"—Are you leaving already…?—"

"—When the mission is over, I have to return to the capital—"

"—I'll be lonely—"

"—I'm sorry. I'll definitely write to you—"

The man was unfamiliar, but his clothes and the sword at his waist suggested he was probably a knight.

The woman was a maid.

(…The knights here are forcibly employed by the Earl. Their motivation must be low. Still, hitting on the maids is not the right thing to do. That's why the master of the mansion was assassinated.)

He walked past them and slipped into the mansion through the back door.

The moment he opened the door, the light spread, causing the two to shiver and flee into the darkness.

They must have mistaken him for someone else coming from inside.

Hikaru was there, but it was as if he wasn't visible at all.

(The "Stealth God" is still amazing.)

Just inside the back door was a storage room, and next to it was the kitchen.

There was only a weak light, and no one was around.

Hikaru moved forward confidently, thanks to his "Stealth" skill.

He went up to the second floor and headed for the Earl of Murgstadt's room.

"Hmm."

It was securely locked.

(This won't work… If I had skills like 'Lockpicking' or 'Trap Disarming,' it would be easier, but I haven't seen such options before.)

He didn't have any points to allocate anyway.

He pressed his ear against the wall, but heard nothing.

He confirmed that no one else was in the hallway and knocked lightly.

"…No one's there."

There was no response.

Hikaru then checked the next room.

It was empty.

But the room next to it had someone inside.

(A woman.)

The moment he entered the room, a wave of perfume hit him.

A woman was lying on a luxurious canopy bed. She had a striking appearance with prominent features and was sound asleep.

(Too young to be the Earl's wife.)

There were rings and necklaces carelessly placed on the vanity.

(A mistress? Or a second wife…)

He picked up one of the rings. In the dark, he couldn't see the color, but the gemstone was as big as the tip of his thumb.

(Stealing it would be easy, but these kinds of things can be traced when sold. The more valuable they are, the more likely they are to be traced.)

When Hikaru decided to "earn money first," he considered targeting only corrupt officials like the "Rat Thief."

However, he concluded it was not feasible for several reasons.

1. He couldn't open the safe.

2. Precious metals like rings could be traced, so stealing them wouldn't help with cashing out.

3. Even if he stole cash, a large amount of gold coins would be too heavy to carry.

For small amounts, he could just earn money through the Adventurers' Guild without taking the risk of stealing.

For large amounts, he would need something like a "Storage Box" or "Dimensional Storage," which he asked Jill about while drinking the "Twister Tornado Juice." Her answer was,

"It might be a national treasure of some country."

It didn't seem to be something available for sale.

Indeed, if such things existed, it would cause a revolution in logistics. It would be like the "IT Revolution" on Earth, suggesting that this world might be evolving into a sci-fi setting.

However, merchants still transported goods by carriage, and heavy items were still moved by hand.

The "Soul Card" system, created by the "Wisdom God" profession holders, was indeed over-technology.

Stealing was not an option.

So, he put the ring back and left the room.

Checking other rooms on the second floor, he found one suspicious room.

(Books…)

There was a built-in bookshelf with a large number of books, mostly adventure stories.

The size of the bed and the fancy decor suggested the room belonged to a teenager.

(Probably the girl's room.)

When he opened the wardrobe, a familiar pajama set came out.

(As I thought—uh!?)

Underneath, striped underwear appeared.

He quickly closed the wardrobe, making a loud noise.

(Oh no.)

He ran to hide behind the bed.

"Is someone there?"

The door to the room opened immediately.

A magic lantern, which provided light through magic, was used like a flashlight.

The light swept across the room, almost touching Hikaru's toes.

"…Just the books falling, I guess."

The person muttered and left.

Hikaru thought it was the knight who had opposed labeling the girl as the culprit.

"He's really dedicated to his job."

Hikaru left the girl's room.

---

Finding nothing of interest on the second floor, he went down to the first floor.

He heard voices arguing.

"—Isn't this inappropriate at a time like this?—"

"—You're too serious, East—"

The voices came from the direction of the back door.

The knight who had flown into the girl's room earlier seemed to have returned with the maid through the back door and was being scolded by the knight who had been arguing with East.

"—Our mission is still ongoing—"

"—When the mission is over, we have to return to the capital. That's why I'm saying goodbye now—"

"—Don't do it during the mission—"

"—Alright, alright. I'll give you all the credit for this guard duty—"

"—The credit doesn't matter. That's not what I'm trying to say—"

Hikaru decided to explore the first floor, ignoring their argument.

However, the argument seemed to have woken up a few servants, who were coming this way.

He waited in a corner of a room, and as they passed, Hikaru slipped deeper into the mansion.

(This looks like the servants' quarters. A dead end… huh?)

At the end of the corridor, there was a staircase leading to the basement.

Next to the stairs, a knight was sitting—East, the serious knight, and the knight from the temple.

(Perfect.)

The knight was dozing off in his chair.

A bunch of keys hung from his waist, tied together with a leather cord.

Hikaru approached the knight and tried to untie the leather cord.

(Hmm… What is this, it's too stiff. It won't come off. Where is the leather cord attached?)

The leather cord went into the knight's pants.

(……)

He felt a sense of despair.

Did he have to stick his hand in there?

(N-no, maybe the door is unlocked.)

Holding onto this slim hope, Hikaru went down the stairs. There was an iron door at the bottom.

Of course, it was locked.

(As expected.)

Hikaru went back up the stairs.

(How do I get the keys? Should I pull them forcefully? …That would wake him up. What about cutting the leather cord? Not bad. If I can't rescue her today, the security will be even tighter, which is a disadvantage. Or… take a mold with clay and make a duplicate key. That would work. …But how long would it take to make a duplicate key? There were five keys. Could a locksmith make them all at once without being suspicious?)

While he was thinking about this,

"Hey, wake up. What are you sleeping for?"

The knight who had been arguing with East was waking up the dozing knight.

Hikaru hid behind the stairs.

"Huh? Oh, oh… I was sleeping?"

"Hehe. East will be mad at you?"

"Ugh… Just shut up. Please."

"Alright, alright. So, how's the girl doing?"

"Oh—Come to think of it, I haven't checked on her tonight."

"Hey, hey. It's not good to skip checks."

"I'll go now."

The knight slowly got up and headed this way.

(What—)

Hikaru's blood ran cold.

This was bad.

The stairs turned left halfway but were a straight path.

It was narrow, and two people couldn't walk side by side.

The end of the corridor was a door. There was no place to hide.

In other words, he would be caught.

(Bad. What do I do? What do I do?)

Hikaru went down the stairs, turned left, and held his breath.

"Ugh. When you do nothing, your body gets stiff…"

"You should have come with us. It's fun to exercise with a maid at night?"

"Hey… I have a wife and kids at home."

The knight came down the stairs, step by step.

(What a mess. I shouldn't have come down this dead-end. That's why I get cornered. Damn… No, now is not the time to regret. I need to figure out how to get out