Chapter 111

Infiltration

The dungeon lay deep beneath the palace. Without even a window, it was ruled by absolute darkness. Not a speck of light entered the cell, and the darkness swallowed everything around it as though it were alive.

'Still brighter than the Infinite Labyrinth.'

Either way, I couldn't see ahead without the light of Kai's aura. But darkness was no longer a weakness of mine.

◆Activating skill, Low-Light Vision[D+].

With that message, my eyes' light-transmitting membranes and their permeability improved dramatically, revealing the cell that had been hidden in darkness: thick stone walls, a heavy iron door, damp patches on the floor, and even the chains binding my hands.

'I can see better than I expected.'

And that was without having obtained the complete genetic material. Noctura wasn't called the ruler of the night for nothing.

Noctura's ability, Low-Light Vision[D+], gave me a clear view of the cell. I was leisurely taking in my surroundings when it happened.

CLANG!

The cell door suddenly opened, and the brilliant light pouring in stabbed my eyes. With Low-Light Vision[D+] drastically enhancing my eyes' membranes and light transmission, it felt as though my eyes were being torn apart.

Low-Light Vision[D+] was an incomplete ability, since I hadn't obtained all its genetic material. I had yet to absorb Noctura's superb pupil-control mechanism.

'I'll have to watch out for that.'

◆Deactivating skill, Low-Light Vision[D+].

Once I switched it off, my hazy vision gradually returned. It soon cleared, revealing the Royal Knight who had been guarding the dungeon standing in the doorway.

"... Come out."

He looked distinctly displeased with me.

Entirely unbothered, I raised both hands and shook them.

"Aren't you going to undo these?"

The Royal Knight gave me a look, sighed briefly, then took a key from his belt.

CLINK!

The chains hit the floor with a cold clatter, followed by the Royal Knight's stiff voice.

"... Return to your guest suite. The royal court has decided not to charge you with any crime."

"What happened to Seraphia?"

"She was released quite some time ago. Wouldn't she be in her guest suite?"

With that, the Royal Knight turned and strode out of the cell. Just as I thought. These Royal Knights must spread their fucking manners on their bread instead of butter and eat them.

I rubbed my wrists and sorted through my thoughts.

'They're letting me go just like that...'

I'd actually expected at least a light punishment. The royal court had its authority to uphold, after all. Releasing me without any punishment was no different from bowing to me.

Queen Marceline would suffer a considerable political blow from this. There were two main ways to interpret her making this choice despite that.

'Is it because of Seraphia?'

The first was Seraphia's unexpected intervention. Having subdued the Royal Knights in an instant, she had also been imprisoned in the dungeon on the same charges as me. That made even a light punishment impossible, since they would have to punish her as well. She would then be unable to attend court society at all, leaving them no choice but to forgo charges and accept the political damage.

The second reason followed from that.

'The empire definitely intervened.'

This could be called the result of pressure from the empire, which wanted Seraphia to attend the social season without fail. My suspicions were now absolute certainty.

I still didn't know why they'd invited her to the social season, though. Nor did I know what they intended to do there. So...

◆Activating skill, Assimilation[C+].

I intended to find out, starting now. My figure gradually faded as it blended into the surroundings. Just then, the Royal Knight who had gone outside reappeared.

"What's taking you so long? Get out... Huh?"

He tilted his head and searched the cell. I was right in front of him, yet he looked around without seeing me.

"... I didn't see him leave. When did he go?"

Perfect concealment that even a Royal Knight couldn't detect. It certainly lived up to the Shameleon's ability. Still, I had to be mindful of its substantial ongoing calorie consumption.

'Shall we get going, then?'

Leaving the dungeon, I found a gallery connected to countless corridors. Dozens of rooms intertwined in this vast maze of a palace. Finding the Queen was more complicated than I'd expected.

But the senses granted by my Agility now rivaled ESP. Focusing on them, I picked up several distinctive presences that might belong to Queen Marceline.

'It's been a while since my last infiltration mission.'

What I'd done in Veneron viscounty hadn't really been infiltration, after all.

* * *

It was a dark night, with even the moonlight hidden behind clouds. In Queen Marceline's bedchamber, only the faint flicker of candlelight played across the walls, leaving the room's stillness unbroken.

Darkness lay thick within the room. At last, a woman emerged from it, her face concealed by a black cloak. Facing the Queen in the shadows, she spoke in a heady voice.

"Summoning me to your bedchamber so late at night... I prefer a tumble with a man, but Her Highness the Queen is always welcome—"

"I merely chose the best place to avoid prying eyes."

Queen Marceline replied calmly, her eyes gleaming.

The woman shrugged, stepped forward, and took something from inside her cloak.

"What is that?"

"A magical device that detects mana waves within a fifteen-meter radius. Object or living being, it detects anything containing even a trace of mana."

"Do you suspect me?"

"Of course not. It's just that the palace has so many listening ears."

WHIIINE!

"You can never be too sure, even in Her Highness the Queen's bedchamber."

Queen Marceline said nothing further. There was no harm in being careful.

"No traces of mana detected nearby. As for any rats..."

WHIIINE!

"None of those either."

Only then did the woman lower the hood of her black cloak, revealing deep, seductive eyes and an alluring smile. Her luxuriant hair, a blend of red and black, shone faintly even in the darkness, accentuating her beauty.

"Now we can relax while I deliver my message."

"... Relax? Do you have any idea what humiliation I've suffered because of you people—!"

"That wasn't our fault, was it?"

At the woman's reply, Queen Marceline pressed her lips shut. She wasn't wrong. Walter's unilateral actions had brought about this disaster.

"Your Highness was already aware of the relationship between Marquis Segretus and Prince Walter, were you not?"

Of course, another intention had been concealed behind it.

"Her Highness the Queen was the one who knew and took no action."

But that, too, was Queen Marceline's fault for failing to control Walter. Inwardly, she gritted her teeth.

As if to soothe her, the woman took a small leather pouch from inside her cloak and handed it over.

"Even so, you are the one who can resolve the situation, Your Highness."

Queen Marceline checked its contents.

"... Why is this all there is?"

The amount was absurdly small. It wasn't even half the money they had promised.

"Well, the truth is... our side has suffered a major setback."

"A setback? What do you mean?"

"You're aware of Violess's recent fall, aren't you?"

She was. As Queen, how could she be unaware of the rumors causing an uproar across the entire continent?

"As a result, our channels for moving funds have been completely blocked..."

"Hmm."

"That alone would be bad enough, but..."

Suppressing a groan, the woman continued.

"The collapse of the Obscura in Violess was the decisive blow. Particularly since the Holy Kingdom got its hands on the Obscura's funds..."

Obscura. Both a method and a place for laundering illicit funds. From what she'd heard, astronomical sums lay dormant inside it. Losing all of that would be a considerable blow indeed.

"Other black markets have also suffered devastating damage in a chain reaction. At present, we have no suitable means of moving our funds."

"..."

"Unfortunately, for the time being, we have no choice but to scale back our financial operations and concentrate on establishing a new Obscura."

"So you're asking me to be satisfied with this?"

"Yes."

"Do you honestly expect me to—"

"Please regard what I just said as an excuse for our circumstances."

"... An excuse?"

"If you give us a little time to restore our funds, we'll pay you twice the promised amount."

Queen Marceline swallowed her words. If she could keep the money in her hands and receive twice the promised sum on top of it, she could be quite satisfied. Once her anger had abated, the woman spoke again.

"May we get down to business, then?"

"What do I need to do?"

"First... postpone the succession ceremony for the Whitewolf countship."

"Postpone the succession ceremony?"

"As things stand, we have no way to prevent this Adrian from inheriting."

That was true. The chief reason was that Seraphia had renounced her claim to the countship. Having voluntarily withdrawn, she left them no grounds to block Adrian's succession ceremony.

"Therefore, we must change her mind during the court's social season."

"Your plan is to make her assert her claim to the countship again?"

"After all, the previous count left everything to her."

"When that brat Adrian was still nothing but a wastrel."

"In truth, that puzzles us as well. He was certainly an insignificant wastrel. How could he..."

The woman looked just as bewildered, as though she couldn't understand it either.

"In any case, changing her mind is our top priority at present. On that note, the king..."

She paused to gauge Queen Marceline's reaction.

"Don't worry. The king won't wake up."

"I trust Her Highness the Queen has handled it properly."

The woman bowed her head cautiously, and Queen Marceline spoke slowly.

"So how do you intend to change her mind during the court's social season?"

The court's social season did not end overnight. Over a span of days, it featured tea parties, dinner parties, salons, concerts, balls, and other events at which noble daughters displayed their charms. In the process, they forged ties with the sons of other noble houses and sought suitable matches.

"First, approach her at the tea party and earn her goodwill."

"Goodwill?"

"We'll take advantage of the fact that Whitewolf county is a barren land."

With that, the woman brought a large chest out of the darkness. It was filled with glittering gold coins and precious jewels.

"Give her these funds as sponsorship in the royal court's name."

"... This much?"

"If we're to put her in our debt so she can't refuse our requests, wouldn't we need at least this much?"

Queen Marceline's eyebrows twitched.

"Didn't you just say you'd suffered devastating losses?"

"This matter is important enough to warrant accepting those devastating losses."

"One insignificant girl from the frontier is more important than me and the entire royal court?"

"Please, don't be angry. That isn't what I meant."

"If that isn't what you meant—"

"Whitewolf county is an extremely important territory to us."

"... That worthless frontier land?"

That land of bitter cold, where harsh winters persisted all year round? A place at the very limit of human survival, where people could barely sustain themselves, let alone farm?

"Yes."

"What value does it have?"

"I cannot tell you that, but we must secure the county as well as the girl."

"In other words, you want me to hand over the county?"

"I would consider Whitewolf county alone a bargain price for bringing down the first prince... Wouldn't you?"

Queen Marceline narrowed her eyes. She couldn't fathom the woman's intentions. Their goals were different, in other words. But when interests aligned, a deal could be struck.

"We will cooperate with you with everything we have until the first prince is ousted from the royal succession."

Queen Marceline answered with silence.

"Once you've earned her goodwill at the tea party and put her in your debt..."

The dinner party, salons, and contests that followed. The woman laid out detailed plans for each, and they were chillingly meticulous.

As Queen, Marceline had witnessed countless political maneuvers and schemes, but this plan was truly... Every stage was painstakingly designed to interlock with the others. Every possibility had evidently been calculated to minimize the risk of failure. Like a hunter laying traps and waiting, the woman was employing every means and method to achieve a single goal.

It gave Queen Marceline an indirect glimpse of just how terrifying and cruel this woman was. And for that very reason, she could be certain that bringing Leon down would not be difficult if she worked with her.

"And the final ball is the most important part. At the ball—"

It happened just then. The woman abruptly cut herself off and thrust a hand to the side.

WHOOOOSH! BOOM!

Strange magical power cut through the air, and the wall shattered with an explosive crash. The woman's piercing gaze searched the wreckage. But there was nothing there besides broken rubble.

"I thought there was a rat..."

As the woman warily surveyed her surroundings, Queen Marceline pointed at the magical device.

"Object or living being, didn't you say it would detect anything containing even a trace of mana?"

Yet the device showed no response.

"... I was being overly sensitive."

The woman calmly lowered her hand.

Soon, the palace's Royal Knights rushed to the scene, alerted by the commotion.

"Your Highness!"

"Are you all right?!"

The clatter of armor and footsteps sounded from beyond the shattered wall. Only then did the mana-detection device ring out loudly.

BZZZZT!

The woman bowed politely to Queen Marceline as if in apology.

"I'm afraid we'll have to leave it there for today."

Then she raised her head and looked at the shattered wall.

"Please put the repairs on my tab."

With a bright smile, she vanished into a shroud of darkness.

* * *

The Royal Knights poured into the Queen's bedchamber in moments. They surrounded Queen Marceline and scanned their surroundings.

"Your Highness, was there an intruder?"

At the Royal Knight's question, Queen Marceline calmly raised a hand.

"It is nothing."

"But Your Highness, that..."

The Royal Knight looked to one side, at the palace wall reduced to a heap of rubble. It was hardly something that could simply be brushed aside...

"Did I not say it was nothing?"

But it was different when Queen Marceline said it. The Royal Knights hesitated, studying her expression, before finally backing down. Perhaps they couldn't bring themselves to withdraw entirely, though.

"Then please stay in the annex, at least until the repairs are complete. We will escort you."

Queen Marceline gave a slight nod. With her assent, the Royal Knights set off, keeping watch in every direction.

Until they had all left, I stayed perfectly still, crouched down and holding my breath. Cold sweat ran down my back. My heart pounded like mad.

Seriously...

'... That was close.'

... I felt as though I'd just lost a hundred years of my life.