"So you're saying it was all a coincidence?"
The day after returning to the palace, I was being interrogated by Count Strateg.
How I learned about the Criminal Guild, the secret passage of the Vafan group, and while I was at it, the documents of the Curo group above them.
I tried to obscure everything with various excuses, but Count Strateg saw through my intention to lump it all together as coincidence and asked while glaring at me.
Already resigned, I nodded with a smile, and Count Strateg pressed his forehead and hung his head.
"But it's not like I could do anything about it myself, right? It was just a guess based on something I happened to hear that coincidentally turned out to be correct."
I said it even while thinking it was a transparent excuse myself.
Count Strateg groaned as if protesting but didn't deny or press further.
The fact that he couldn't press me any further meant that apparently Revan hadn't told him I had slipped out of the palace.
When I looked at Revan, who was standing by the wall as usual, he shook his head silently.
I don't know—rather than saying he didn't tell, I felt an atmosphere of "there's no way I could tell."
"As for me, I want to know if there's a chance we can crush the Criminal Guild with this coincidence?"
"...There is. With documents prepared that clearly show involvement to that extent, we cannot let them escape."
"So it's useful. In that case, here. Take this too."
I presented the documents I was holding.
Each was a section of separate documents with writing that held no particular importance.
But I attached a quick-reference cipher key that Sephira and I had decoded.
"I think these are probably the locations of other Criminal Guilds in the capital. Also, the warehouse locations are written separately, so I think you should check the contents of these warehouses."
"...Really, how should I put this... don't you have any intention of showing restraint?"
"Huh, I do intend to show restraint? It's not like I'm claiming credit for this or anything?"
With an extremely tired expression, Count Strateg went home.
Revan gave me a proper scolding before leaving, though.
"Please tell me before you do these things. Or rather, please don't do them. When you throw things like this at me, the work priorities get all jumbled up."
Certainly, it was like inserting a different problem later into a case that had seemed about to be suddenly resolved.
But I have no intention of leaving a Criminal Guild behind in Terry's time.
Crushing just one branch in the capital would leave the main body intact, and that would be troublesome.
I feel bad for Count Strateg, who I've dumped all sorts of practical work on, but I don't intend to leave this half-finished.
"Your Highness Asha, I won't deny that guard's rudeness. However, I agree with what he is saying."
Whoops, a lecture from Wearrel.
And Helkov and Ikt are nodding too.
Probably because I hadn't told them I was bringing documents written in cipher.
I sneaked in and happened to spot them.
And since the context felt off, when I asked Sephira, she said it was probably a cipher.
If I was wrong, that would be that, and I thought I could just say I made a mistake and hand them to Count Strateg.
In the end, I understood the contents of the cipher, though.
"I was showing restraint even with this, you know?"
"...Surely you didn't consider checking the inside of the warehouse yourself?"
When I nodded to Ikt, Helkov sighed.
"Your Highness, we're tutors and guards, and our first priority is protecting Your Highness's safety and watching over your life. If that's ignored, we have no place to stand either."
"I-I didn't go to the warehouse to avoid danger, and I just picked up those documents while I was at it."
Yeah, I made excuses but ended up getting scolded anyway.
That taking time changes the situation and makes it dangerous, or that showing off during mission execution is a bad move.
Very true.
"Your Highness, why don't you try enlisting in the army once? Apparently it's common for princes who won't inherit the throne to enter the military."
"I think the dukes might strengthen their vigilance if you approach military power poorly. However, it might be good for learning discipline and the importance of group action."
Wearrel seems somewhat positive toward Helkov's suggestion.
Ikt thought deeply and gazed at me.
"Fundamentally, the problem may be that you haven't engaged in group action until this age. You understand how to observe your surroundings and not stand out even without doing so, so you tend to forget."
The conversation seems to have shifted to my educational policy.
There's an atmosphere that suggests even going to Molly's place might be restricted if I'm not careful.
I should probably divert to a different topic here.
Because I've already experienced group action in my previous life.
I can hold back if I think I'll get scolded or if I can't guarantee safety.
I think the warehouse is a good example, but my aides might be a bit overprotective.
"Speaking of group action, the three of you had amazing teamwork. I can understand Helkov from the army and Ikt the hunter, but Wearrel was amazing too."
I was surprised you could actually do it just from my verbal explanation.
At the same time, I was surprised that Wearrel, a former teacher, could keep up with two combat-experienced individuals.
"That's because I moved my body in dungeons while enrolled at Lukiusaria Academy, so I have some sense of it. However, I did have those two cover for me."
"No, it was much better than working with someone who really can't move."
"Just not missing your aim makes it easier for us too."
Ikt and Helkov praise her, but wait.
"Dungeon? That dungeon? The one with monsters?"
When I leaned forward to ask, the three exchanged glances.
In this world, there are places called dungeons.
Also called mana pools, apparently they occur when space-time warps due to high concentrations of magic power.
Among them, there are mages who choose land likely to become mana pools and magically turn them into dungeons.
"You listened to Sir Ikt's adventure stories with shining eyes, but are you interested in dungeons themselves?"
"Honestly, I'm very interested."
I nodded greatly to Wearrel who was confirming.
Just being able to use magic is fun for me.
I don't intend to master it, but I'm doing it to enjoy it and it can be used for alchemy.
Furthermore, if it's a dungeon, it's fun just to imagine.
After all, I was born and raised in Japan where subculture flooded everywhere despite my limitations, so I have yearnings.
"Lukiusaria Academy has dungeons built for student use. Students are permitted entry, and they are sometimes used for tests."
Ooh, just like manga and games!
According to Wearrel, they seem to be treated like athletic fields or practical training buildings.
That's exactly why I'm drawn to it.
In other words, I can play in a somewhat controlled danger environment!
I might even be able to conduct alchemy experiments that I couldn't do here due to worrying about damage.
"Isn't this a chance? Prince Asha should have been negative about enrolling in the academy due to pressure from surroundings."
"That's right. If you're this positive, we might be able to work to get you enrolled if you set your mind to it."
Ikt and Helkov are nodding at each other, but I want them to wait.
"I wasn't intending to be negative about enrolling?"
"But didn't you tell Count Strateg that you wouldn't enroll?"
Wearrel looked at Ikt when saying this; it must be about when I met Diora.
"Yeah, in my current state. I think I'd definitely be interfered with. He's quiet now, but Duke Eurasion's son is the same age as me, right? In other words, a prince enrolling in the same year as his son—I bet he'd hate that?"
My aides nodded while frowning at my speculation.
Duke Eurasion aims for the imperial throne, so he's the type to care about attention and such.
"So I want His Majesty to gain power now as much as possible, to be able to deal with interference. Also, if people with independent forces like Count Strateg gain more say, perhaps they'll look away from me a bit."
Along with taking down the Criminal Guild this time, I was actually thinking about such things.
Of course, the main focus is catching the criminals who ruined Terry's consideration.
I figured that since I increased his workload, Count Strateg would also gain something from this incident.
Furthermore, the calculation is to have that gain become an advantage for me too.
When I explained, my aides were dumbfounded.
"I might have still been underestimating Your Highness."
"You must be growing along with your age."
"Lately you've been smiling like a child often."
The aides are muttering something to each other.
Well, as long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, that's fine.
(Come to think of it, getting along with my younger brother, eliminating future sources of trouble, strengthening His Majesty's power, and drawing out the possibility of enrollment—maybe this incident was extremely lucky?)
(Objection. You have been corrected regarding the low expectations of your master's luck.)
Somehow I received a strange retort from Sephira.
Regular update
Next: Criminal Guild 5