When I asked to confirm just in case, Scheat easily nodded "Well yeah".

"Honestly, I thought there was a fifty-fifty chance whether you"d come or not. I decided to leave the doc.u.ments hoping they"d bait you. I"m glad I didn"t clean them up."
"… Is it okay for me to bring them back with me?"

This is irrefutable evidence that the King of Sahaja requested the a.s.sa.s.sination of the Crown Prince of Wilhelm.
Even when used as a bait, the risk is too high. I thought that he should"ve at least placed a fake, but still smiling, Scheat said.

"It"s okay. You can do as you like. If you want to give them to people connected with Wilhelm, you can. And if there"s another person you want to hand them to, you can. They were more than useful enough as bait, so I don"t need them anymore. Do as you like."
"… Is that so?"

I don"t understand what Scheat was thinking while saying that, but it helps that I was told not to return them.
And finally I became suspicious. Of why he is here.

"… Hey. The deadline to kill the Crown Prince is in a week. Are you okay being in such a place?"

I recalled what was written in the doc.u.ments I"d seen before and asked the question. Naturally, careful preparations are necessary to kill a big-shot. Even more so if you want to kill that Crown Prince. You absolutely can"t win by attacking directly. Scheat should understand that too.
And yet to still be in Sahaja while the deadline is approaching, he"s unbelievably reckless.

"It"s okay. The preparations are finished already. I have my own way of doing things. Besides, unlike you I can use transfer gates. Time won"t pose a problem. More importantly, it"d be harder for me if we didn"t meet despite knowing you specially came to Rajed."
"… We just met recently."

I met Scheat some time ago in the southern town of the Lindwurm Royal Capital.
There I heard the remark that he"d taken over my work, that ultimately led me to being here now. If not for his words, I have a feeling I probably wouldn"t come here, despite my worries.

"How cold. But that"s just like you."

Scheat said so while for some reason smiling happily.
He thrust his index finger before me.

"Hey, shall I give you a present? An amazing present. Sure, n.o.body knows yet. There"s no doubt they"ll be surprised."
"… What is it?"

Despite being confused by the sudden talk of a present, I was on guard against Scheat.
I had nothing but a bad premonition.

"The set deadline. What you think is a deadline, is actually not a deadline but the day the plan will be executed. On that day, us, Sahaja will declare war on Wilhelm."
"… Declare war, you said?"

My eyes opened wide at the unexpected words. Scheat"s eyes laughed, but I understood he seriously said that.

"Seriously…?"

When I finally managed to say that much, Scheat sat down on the s.h.a.ggy dust-covered bed with no hesitation. White dust danced in the air.

"Why would I tell a lie? Ahah. This really is a secret, but whatever. I hate that person."

Serves him right, laughed Scheat as I stared at him.
However, going to war? Truly? Sahaja will wage war against Wilhelm?
That"s bad.
I felt impatient to immediately report it to Princess. Scheat said to me in a theatrically relaxed manner.

"You won"t make it in time. No matter what means at your disposal you"ll use, you won"t make it in time. You, who can"t use transfer gates, returning to the Royal Capital of Wilhelm within a week from now? Impossible."
"Ah! … That"s why you told me."
"It"s hard not being able to do anything despite knowing, isn"t it?"

Twining his hair around his finger, Scheat kicked his feet like he was having fun.

"Hey, Cain. Now that you"ve heard, what will you do? What… can you do?"
"I will…"
"Hey, tell me."

How should I answer Scheat, who told so as if to make sure?

I"ve come to Sahaja, I"ve learned of them going to war, and yet I can"t move.
I can"t even notify Princess. The current situation is such that I can"t bear to face my master.
Hiyumas work for the sake of their master. Despite this, I have no way to convey useful information I obtained. I can"t help but feel ashamed of myself.

I ground my molars. What should I do, what can I do to… be useful for Princess?
How can Hiyuma"s next, no, current head of the family do his job properly?

"―― You don"t have to worry so much. Then, since you can"t move, I"ll exceptionally tell you one more thing. To kill that nightmarish Crown Prince, our King requested for an a.s.sa.s.sination of a certain person at the same time. Err… Certainly it was the fiancée that the Crown Prince cherishes very much and will soon marry? He talked about using her."
"Wha… t?"

I rapidly raised my face at the words I couldn"t ignore.
Aiming at Princess?
As an a.s.sa.s.sin I could understand that it"s a natural thing to do, but I still experienced a severe shock.
Scheat bend forward on the bed and pointed out.

"Ah, your complexion changed. It"s the first time I saw your expression like that. You surprised me. Hey? Was it so shocking that the princess is aimed at? … Why is that?"
"…"

Scheat tried to get the answer out of me.
I bit my lip without saying anything. Then, with that word Scheat stood up.

"If you don"t want to say, that"s fine. You probably understand what I know. Ah, listen, this too is a secret, but - the fellow who received the request to a.s.sa.s.sinate that princess unexpectedly died in an accident, and the current status of the request is undecided. This is only a suggestion, but - how about you try negotiating with the King directly? You said it before, didn"t you? Sneak in. That"s the only way you can fight. If he, the client, withdraws the request, the princess will continue living peacefully same as always, unaware she was targeted."

What Scheat was saying was so stupid I glared at him.
Going to meet the King directly? It"s different from simple reconnaissance. Somebody like the King will have a strict security, it"s not a good idea to sneak in without sufficient preparations.

"… Scheat, what are you thinking?"
"How cold. I"m genuinely thinking of you with that suggestion. I don"t want you to hate me."
"… There"s no way I"ll be able to directly negotiate with the King."
"About that, there"s an unexpected weak spot."

While giggling, Scheat wrenched open a poorly-fitted window in the back of the room.
That instant, sunlight poured directly inside the room.
While looking at the scenery outside, Scheat spoke.

"This is only a soliloquy. Ignore it. If it got exposed, I"d surely be scolded… Supposing you went to the Royal Palace, I think you should intrude on the night before the plan gets carried out… or in the early morning of the very day. Soldiers will be dispatched from the Royal Palace, so the security will be insufficient. For the past few years the King doesn"t leave for the battlefield himself. He will definitely be at the Royal Palace. Probably alone. You should be able to sneak inside the Rebellion Royal Palace, right?"
"…"
"In case you"re worried about the princess being targeted until then, the person to execute the plan hasn"t yet been decided, and I don"t mind delaying the princess"s a.s.sa.s.sination for as long as I can with my power. It seems I"ll be in charge, so I can be at least that flexible. How about it? It doesn"t sound bad, right?"
"In that case, all I need is to kill you here."

If Scheat is going to kill Princess, I can just kill him.
But Scheat shrugged his shoulders.

"How cold. If you kill me here, another person will be dispatched, that"s all. We are tools. There are many spares. You too understand that much, right? You have to strike the source."
"…"

His point was perfectly valid, so this time I stayed silent.
I may consider Scheat"s suggestion. So I judged.
I understand from his att.i.tude.
Scheat looked back and met my eyes.

"Your face says you"re thinking whether it"s possible or not. Good going. Even if I say so myself, I think it"s not a bad suggestion."
"Scheat, is there evidence that you aren"t lying? I don"t understand why you"d tell me that much."

It doesn"t seem sane to expressly tell me the time when the security will be thin.
Besides, it concerns Princess.
But Scheat only shrugged his shoulders.

"There"s no way I"d have evidence. But I like you Cain… There"s no way I"d want to see apathetic Cain who lost his master, right? I heard that Hiyumas who lose their master are truly useless. In which case, I"d also be troubled. If I had to say, that"s why."
"…"

Seeing Scheat clearly say the words "master" and "Hiyuma", I became convinced that everything he said was true.
This guy knows Princess is my master.
He suggested delaying Princess"s a.s.sa.s.sination for exactly that reason.
The matter of me and Princess. I"d be lying if I wasn"t uneasy about how it got exposed. But Scheat"s suggestion is more important now.
Talk with the King and make him withdraw the a.s.sa.s.sination request.
With no way to contact Wilhelm in time, it seems like the best plan.
Of course, Princess has that Crown Prince. That"s why in truth I don"t need to worry at all.
In my opinion, one or two a.s.sa.s.sins together with Scheat, no, even a whole group of them is not a match for that Crown Prince. Surely everything will be finished before Princess notices.
I understand that, but while that may be true, I don"t want to be a complete bystander.
I want to do something for my master as well.

"… Even if I meet… the King… do you think he"ll listen to me, a mere a.s.sa.s.sin?"

Editor: Valeria