By Zephyria 
Even if I were oblivious, I didn’t want to disturb Benjamin right now. I thought I should just quickly take care of my business and leave, but no, I shook my head and showed him the envelope I was holding.
“Didn’t you receive letters from your family the other day? I came looking for writing tools and stationery because I wanted to write a reply by myself. Perhaps….”
“Stationery? I don’t think I have any. Shall I lend you my notebook and pen instead? If you cut the notebook neatly, it’ll be quite usable. But how are you going to send it to Ernhardt?”
“That’s.”
“Well, just give it to me when you’re done. I’m going to the capital with Your Highness anyway.”
In reality, it was expected that Ruben would go to the capital, and I would ascend the Yuil Mountains with the God. Since Marianne had expressed a desire to raise her Circle, I had inwardly wondered if she might not accompany me, which made me feel puzzled.
Before I could even ask anything, Marianne chattered on.
“I ate two of the fruits given by the Sun God, you know. My mana capacity isn’t too bad even now. Now it’s time to go to the Magic Tower, take the qualification exam, and learn higher Circle spells and spell formulas. More importantly, Your Highness doesn’t have a reliable Black magician by his side.”
“…Ah.”
“If contaminated mana seeps in nearby on the way to the capital, I’ll have to deal with it. I’ll stay right by Your Highness’s side in place of Mikael. Aren’t you grateful? There’s no one but me, right? Isn’t it totally cool?”
“Yes. Thank you. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“I’ll be sure to collect it with interest, so don’t think you can get away with it for free!”
“Of course not.”
Without much thought, I asked.
“Then Benjamin will be returning to the capital too, won’t he?”
“Ah, I.”
“Hmm?”
“…I want to go with Mikael.”
“What?”
I was a little surprised.
While I had made a promise with Ruben, Benjamin and Marianne hadn’t done so yet. Would they send the lively Marianne to the capital alone and then follow me?
Not only was I surprised, but Marianne was clearly hearing this for the first time. Marianne stared intently at Benjamin, but Benjamin did not retract his statement.
“…I still have ambitions regarding my realm… and…”
“I’m fine with that… Yes. Then I’ll let Ruben know.”
“Yes.”
Marianne hmph-ed and sprang up from her seat.
“Then I’ll go get the notebook and pen! Did Mikael also summon a Spirit?”
“I was surprised and let it out, but… I can feel it drawing mana, though I don’t know what it’s doing.”
“Mmm. It’s good to just let it play, but talk to it whenever you have time. They learn best when their owner teaches them directly.”
With that, Marianne dashed out of the drawing-room.
Benjamin’s gaze fixed on the door Marianne had closed. I asked without hesitation.
“Do you really want to follow me? What about Marianne?”
“Don’t those wizards… extract the blood of a Sword Master for their research?”
“…They do?”
“When Marianne reaches 8th Circle… I think she’ll need a higher-grade blood sample.”
“Ah. That… the position of lover…”
“Even if I can’t be that, I think I can be by her side as a useful friend.”
…
I couldn’t close my mouth, which had fallen open in shock. Benjamin, glancing at me, added,
“If seeing Your Highness happy by giving a little blood in a vessel would make him happy, what about Mikael?”
“…Well. I would give it, but…”
“That’s what I mean.”
But it felt like a strangely unjust method.
I felt a very peculiar sensation, but unable to explain it, I simply closed my mouth. As I quietly waited for Marianne, the gnome chirped again.
[Hug me! Hug me!]
Unable to bear it, I said one more thing.
“Why you taught me that phrase first…”
“…Marianne playfully told me to ask my master for a hug.”
“….”
I should have gone to Ivan first and demanded the stationery. I felt deeply troubled and apologetic for disturbing the intimate time of my friends.
❖ ❖ ❖
Early Tuesday morning, the third week of April.
Only six of us stood in the drawing-room.
Ruben, myself, Hugh Benson, Samantha Andrei, Bailey Barton, and Marianne Philodendore.
We all covered the lower half of our faces with cloth, leaving only our eyes visible, and then donned black robes. With our hair hidden and disguised, we could only distinguish each other by our height, build, or the depth of our presence and stride.
The God of Records was watching us, having pulled up a chair.
Ruben paid no mind to the God’s gaze. He spread a map of the royal palace on the table and swept his hand across it. A map of a nation’s important strongholds would not be something one could easily steal, yet the map, with its meticulously drawn narrow paths, displayed the patrol routes of the royal knights in red.
Ruben briefed us in a precise tone.
“The six people present have the objective of meeting with the contracted client, acquiring the target, and returning immediately to this location. The target is confined in the northeast tower within the Bivan walls, and the entry point is the north gate.”
The client was Queen Gloria of Bivan, and the target referred to her children, Brett Liberty and Linsey Liberty.
Although I could resolve contaminated mana, practicing True Energy in the heart of enemy territory was absurd. Just as interference during Breathing and regulating energy would be problematic, interference during True Energy practice could cause me severe injury. It was best to avoid such situations.
Besides, didn’t the God of Records himself say he could purify Brett and Linsey, who were thoroughly soaked in contaminated mana?
The God of Records wanted us humans to kill the King of Bivan and escort Gloria’s children to the Cambio villa, where the gods could safely reside. Ruben did not give a definitive answer regarding the assassination of the King of Bivan, but he wished to make good use of the two humans who had not ingested the King of Bivan’s drugs.
Therefore, there was no disagreement regarding the rescue.
“At this moment, you will receive the grace of the God of Records. The God’s grace does not conceal one’s existence itself, but rather distorts the memories of those who see for five days, so it will not leave a lasting trace. You will temporarily deceive the guards and evade the eyes of the knights patrolling the designated route. Upon entering the specified tower, you will follow the client’s guidance to make contact with the target.”
Ruben’s fingertips traced the map multiple times, showing us the route. I memorized it clearly.
“Until the mission is complete, do not call each other by name. I am number 1, Lord Ernhardt is number 2, Lord Benson is number 3, Lord Andrei is number 4, Lord Barton is number 5, and Miss Philodendore is number 6. If possible, do not call each other, and if you must refer to each other, use your designated number.”
“Yes.”
“Yes!”
“Also, to avoid leaving traces, we will move at high speed on foot. Who will accompany number 6? Volunteer.”
“I will help.”
“Thank you, number 5!”
Marianne leaned casually on Barton’s arm. It was commonplace for wizards to be carried by someone, so there was no reason to be reserved. I also lightly placed my hand on Ruben’s shoulder and pulled him towards me. Ruben, who immediately understood my intention to carry him, suppressed a laugh.
“We will rest once at this point, behind the hill, which meets the outer wall of Capital Viper. Until then, we will run along the forest path without rest. Confirm the route three times: here, here, and here, to synchronize our speed.”
“Confirmed.”
“Yes.”
Sword Masters are superhuman. In case of emergency, they could run for days without eating or sleeping.
Moreover, the target location Ruben had just pointed out was a distance that would normally take about three to four days if one ate meals regularly, rested sufficiently, and traveled leisurely by carriage. I could reach it within a day alone, and the others could reach it within two days if they ran using their auras.
Ruben’s gaze met the God of Records.
As we spoke, the being who had been writing something with a rustling sound stood up, brought his index and middle fingers to his lips, and then swept his gaze upward. A faint green aura permeated the brows of all six of us, including myself. The God spoke.
“This memory distortion is only effective on strangers you don’t know at all, so be careful if you encounter someone you know. Gloria can stay in the tower every day from 6 PM to 8 PM, so aim for that time.”
“Yes.”
“Then, I wish you luck. I will be watching.”
Soon, we exited through the back door of the villa and hid among the shadows of the trees.
Marianne, held in Bailey Barton’s arms, had her hand resting on his shoulder, maintaining a comfortable distance, but it was different with Ruben in my arms. Had Ruben ever hugged my neck this tightly from the outside, without worrying about others’ eyes? For some reason, it felt strange.
…Had he? Perhaps. But at that time, I had never been so conscious of Ruben.
Ruben occasionally looked around as if surveying the surroundings, but most of the time, he kept his gaze fixed on my hand supporting him like a child, gently stroking it. Given the circumstances, I couldn’t pull my hand away because it tickled, so I just endured it.
Exactly one day later, in the afternoon, we reached the target location as expected.
There were about three to four hours left until the scheduled 6 PM. We ate dried meat and drank water, checking each other’s condition. We could have rested for a bit, but I had no desire to do so. The view was blurred with mana.
Due to the increasingly dense fog in the capital while we were away, we couldn’t see even a few feet ahead. It looked like a major disaster was imminent.
Marianne barely moved her lips and whispered in a very small voice.
“The ambient mana concentration has exceeded 50 mp.”
“Even though we’re quite far from the royal palace?”
“Exactly. I can only imagine how much worse it is inside right now…”
“Is it unbearable for number 6?”
“No, no. I… I’m okay right now. I can endure it.”
Ruben glanced around at the others.
“Is it difficult?”
“We can endure 70 mp.”
“It’s fine.”
They were knights who had run around the Yuil Mountains. They indicated their well-being with a shrug.
Marianne added,
“The problem is… our targets are not mana users. I wonder if they’re even alive.”