Before the start of Stage 4.
Just after recruiting Aegis Special Forces Team 8, who were there for Godhand.
I had given an order to Aider.
"Be on the lookout just in case, and report if anything happens."
"?!"
Aider had asked in surprise.
"Of course, you are the only free resource we have. We who are constantly caught up in defense battles and explorations cant do it."
The Aegis Special Forces Team 8 was composed entirely of elves, all of them were convicts sent from the capital.
The asure was taken as a precaution, as the existing party mbers were hesitant and uncomfortable with them.
However, they were loyal, fought valiantly and won the trust of everyone. Eventually, they integrated fully into this frontline against the monsters.
They were no longer Aegis Special Forces Team 8, but my Shadow Squad.
I had also co to completely trust the Shadow Squad.
So much so that I had forgotten about assigning Aider to keep watch over them.
***
But on the eve of Stage 5, Aider ca to with a trembling face.
"Your Lordship. I think you need to look at this information."
And what Aider showed was a video, shot like CCTV footage.
"After you ordered surveillance that day, Ive been using the remaining system resources to monitor the Shadow Squad... This is what I caught today."
On the screen, there was the Lords mansion, where the Shadow Squad was staying.
It was the archery training ground behind the mansion. Godhand was out there alone.
"Coming to find will cause trouble."
With an awkward look around, Godhand spoke softly.
"If anyone sees us, theyll discover our connection."
"Everyone in the castle will be too busy preparing for tomorrows defense. They wont even notice . But what about this? What are you going to do about this?!"
The one who had co to find Godhand and was saying these things was...
Saintess Margarita.
"My assignnt from the capital was only to monitor the dynamics of this fortress city! But now Ive been made to stand on the frontline! Isnt the inner reconnaissance of the front line your Aegis Special Forces job?!"
With these words, everything beca clear.
Godhand, and Margarita.
Both of them were spies for the royal family.
As Margarita was hysterically screaming, Godhand looked around and asked,
"Did Prince Ash also request your participation in the battle?"
"Yes! He said he wanted to participate as a reserve. This... this... damn it! This is not the mission I was given! I ca to treat the sick, not to fight monsters!"
"Calm down. Soone might hear."
"Calm down? How can I! When I was first dispatched here from the capital, they said the monster invasion was dwindling and it would be safe, but not only is the invasion intensifying daily, now Im being placed directly on the wall!"
After venting for a while, Margarita seed to calm down a little and took a deep breath.
Godhand, who had been listening quietly, nodded his head.
"Dont worry. I will protect you."
"Really?"
"Yes. If thats sothing I can do..."
"No, thats not enough. I need to contact the capital directly. No more-"
Thats when it happened.
"Godhand?"
From the direction of the mansion, Bodybag approached, her voice tinged with suspicion.
Surprised, Godhand turned around in a panic, and Margarita hastily lowered herself and ran toward the forest behind them.
"Bodybag? What are you doing here instead of resting in the mansion?"
"I just thought Id get so fresh air... What about you, Godhand? Who were you talking to..."
Margarita desperately fled into the forest behind the archery training ground, and Godhand blocked the path leading in that direction with his body and coughed.
"Conversation? Ahem! I was alone. I was just talking to myself."
Click.
"Thats all."
Aider stopped the video and chuckled wryly.
"Your Lordships insight in ordering the surveillance was accurate. I almost blindly trusted the Shadow Squad, theyre such reliable fellows..."
"Forget about the Shadow Squad. What about Margarita?"
"Huh?"
"Did you stop surveilling Margarita after this?"
Aider looked startled.
"I shifted the target of the surveillance to Margarita after their conversation ended. But shes just been praying in the temple, she hasnt done anything else-"
"Show ."
"Huh?"
"That prayer. Show it to ."
Aider turned the screen.
In the central hall of the temple, Margarita knelt in prayer before the statue of the goddess.
- I simply wish to be faithful to the task Ive been given...
Margarita gazed up at the statue of the goddess with a desperate look in her eyes.
- What should I do now...
As if the statue of the goddess would actually respond.
- Please... guide ...
She crouched down and continued her prayers.
Damien watched her from a distance, a puzzled look on his face captured on screen.
At this point, Aider paused the video.
"From this point onwards, she just remains kneeling in front of the statue."
"..."
I squinted my eyes, staring intensely at the screen.
"When she was talking with Godhand, Margarita clearly said..."
"Yes?"
"I must make direct contact with the central."
"Ah, yes. She indeed said that."
"So that ans Margarita has a way of communicating with the central. But shes not contacting anyone, just offering up endless prayers...?"
She hadnt sent a ssenger. She hadnt written a letter. She was just praying before the statue of the goddess.
I glared at the statue on the screen.
Could it be...?
"Aider, can you continue to monitor Margarita?"
"The system resources are limited, so I can only monitor one at a ti."
"Then from now on, only monitor Margarita. You can ignore the Shadow Squad."
Thump. Thump. I unclenched my fist and growled softly.
"Ill have to hook Margarita soon."
"Hook...?"
"Spread false information. Startled, Margarita will report to the central imdiately, and the central will react to the false information."
I twisted one corner of my mouth into a grin.
"Then itll reveal itself. Both Margaritas ans of contacting the central and the true identity of this center."
I had a feeling.
Both of these things would be incredibly useful to .
***
At present.
In the lords mansion. Reception room.
Godhand and Margarita were on their knees in front of , captured.
"Looking back, there were suspicious circumstances about you two from the beginning."
Sitting in a chair with my legs crossed, I twirled the staff in my hand.
"Godhand, when you lost both arms in the Gargoyle Legions defensive battle, you underwent surgery by Margarita."
"..."
"But you didnt really cut off both arms then, did you? You lost them before you arrived on this front line. When you earned the na Godhand."
That day, outside Godhands operating room, Bodybag said this:
- Godhand lost both hands in an operation two years ago.
- Both lost hands were replaced with tallic prosthetics. As a tallurgist, he had no problem manipulating the prosthetics like real hands.
- After replacing both hands with prosthetics, he changed his code na to Godhand.
"That day, the arm you lost and the one you cut off, both were not real arms but tal prosthetics."
"..."
"Margarita acted like you made a great sacrifice to win our trust. Isnt that right?"
Upon hearing my words, Lilly looked at Godhand with a pale, shocked face.
"Is that true, Godhand...?"
"..."
"But that day, you lost your arm to save ..."
Godhand, who had been silent, slowly opened his mouth.
"Its true that I was injured by the Gargoyle and had to amputate more of my arm that day."
Strangely, he seed to be speaking to Lilly, not .
"However, most of what you said is correct, Your Highness. I exaggerated a minor injury as if it was a significant one, to gain trust on this front..."
"..."
"But Lilly, everything I told you that night was true-"
Lilly didnt wait to hear any more, she stord out of the reception room.
Godhand, who had been looking at the space where Lilly had disappeared, silently shut his mouth and lowered his head.
With a sigh, I watched the scene, then shrugged my shoulders.
"I dont care if any of you are spies for the royal family. It would be strange if there were no spies."
The Everblack Empire covered more than half the continent.
Its natural to scatter spies throughout the world, even within their own territories.
Especially if a royal prince is ssing around in a borderland, it is inevitable that they would be under surveillance.
"If you pledge loyalty to , fight on the front lines, and risk your lives, I wouldnt mind briefing you about the current situation."
I growled at the two of them.
"But you shouldve remained undetected."
"..."
"..."
"Once exposed like this, who on the front lines would trust you? Youre not comrades battling monsters together but potential spies carrying unknown intentions."
The relationship between the royal family and , the third prince, was not so bad at the mont.
But the future was unpredictable. For instance, when issues related to the succession of the throne arise.
If another prince, holding real power within the royal family, decided to assassinate .
These spies could sabotage the front lines and assassinate - a plausible scenario.
They were like a ticking bomb the royal family had put around my neck.
"...Your Highness."
Godhand, who seed to have made a decision, looked up at with gritted teeth.
"The truth is that I was given a secret mission when I was sent here. However, Your Highness, none of my subordinates knew about this."
I glanced towards Bodybag and Burnout, who were tied up in the corner of the reception room.
They were trembling with surprise at the situation.
Godhand continued.
"Most importantly, I have already decided to dedicate my life here. My loyalty is genuine. Please believe , Your Highness! And..."
"Enough! Godhand, Ill listen to your story later."
I cut him off and turned my gaze.
"I have to listen to our Saintess now."
"..."
Saintess Margarita was quietly closing her eyes without any reaction after being captured. As if she had given up on everything.
"When I declared my rebellion and gave you ti, Saintess, you imdiately ran to the temple. Not even knowing that my subordinate was watching you."
"..."
"I was curious. How you were contacting the upper ranks. And the identity of that communication device was quite surprising."
***
A little while ago, when I gave them an hour of respite.
Margarita imdiately ran to the temple.
I continued to monitor Margarita through the surveillance screen of the system window.
She sat down in front of the goddess statue in the central hall and just started talking, completely abandoning any pretense of praying.
- I report. Prince Ash has declared rebellion. I repeat, Prince Ash has declared rebellion.
After a long silence.
A low-quality buzzing voice ca out of the goddess statue.
- Rebellion?
It sounded like a very poor quality phone call, but it was clear.
- Say it again, exactly.
- Prince Ash has declared rebellion.
- Is it true? This matter is of utmost importance. There cant be a single mistake.
- Its true. I heard it clearly with my own ears.
Margarita reported my declaration of rebellion without a single mistake.
- ...
The goddess statue was silent for a mont and then spat out words.
- Prince Ash ordered to gather again in an hour?
- Yes, thats correct.
- Then, after joining Prince Ash, continue to monitor him. Whether he is really planning a rebellion, and if so, what thod he is using, observe in detail and report again.
- But, this isnt my job anymore! Im just a priestess...!
- Everything is for the goddess and His Majesty the Emperor. Dont be petulant.
- ...
- Ill be waiting for the next report. Contact before midnight. Thats it.
The conversation ended.
Margarita looked up at the goddess statue with resentnt and left the temple.
And then she returned to my mansion.
***
I chuckled.
"I couldnt believe that there was a magic communication device capable of long-distance communication. Moreover, it was in the form of a goddess statue."
"..."
"How could we tell whether you were earnestly praying in front of the goddess statue, or reporting the situation here to the higher-ups?"
Communication magic is a famous ancient magic known to have disappeared along with teleportation magic.
But it seems that it didnt disappear; the royal family monopolized it and allowed only their spies to use it.
While we had to resort to sending ssengers, writing letters, and releasing doves whenever we needed to communicate from afar - a total ss - these damn spies had the audacity to set up ultra-high-speed communication lines for their own use. The audacity of these bastards.
Margarita bit her lip hard. I brought my face closer to hers, dodging her averting gaze.
"Saintess. No, Margarita."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Beating the palm of my other hand with a short cane, I murmured ominously,
"I dont doubt your faith. Your dedication to treating the sick, your nobility in providing dical care in these remote regions."
"..."
"But you were a pawn of the royal family, and a spy. And you hid that fact from . You deceived , the son of the Emperor, the commander of the southern front, and the lord of this city."
Thud.
I gripped the cane resting on my palm as if to shatter it, and I smiled softly.
"Youll have to pay the price, right?"
"..."
Margarita slowly opened her mouth.
"Are you... going to kill ?"
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