Chapter 35

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 35

Chapter Title: The Red Fox's Trap

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The scribbled lines on the crumpled parchment were actually a cipher.

Don't try to find me anymore, Kensington's spy.

The one who'll be exposed isn't me,

but you.

And it's written in the Kazen tongue.

Not only was it shocking that they knew their cipher techniques, but what truly horrified him was something else.

—Kensington's spy.

'He... he knows my identity!'

It wasn't a coincidence that they'd called him the Red Fox.

'How did he find out? Where did I slip up?'

The final note, written in cipher, shattered Umberto's resolve to hunt down the sender.

'No matter what, I can't let my identity be exposed. The fact that they're still reaching out means they want something from me too.'

What do you want?

He wrote his reply in cipher and hung it on the windowsill.

Half a day later, his note was gone, replaced by a small pouch.

Deliver this to your master.

He opened the box, and a fresh, delicate fragrance tickled his nose.

"...Incense?"

Umberto froze.

The alluring scent lingered, stirring an ominous premonition.

'Etienne's hobby is collecting incense. That filthy bastard only lights it during his nighttime indulgences.'

But lately, Etienne had been forced into abstinence and was using incense to soothe his rage and desires.

'Are they trying to use me to take out Etienne?'

He shook his head and wrote a note.

Impossible. Too dangerous.

But the reply was ice-cold.

Wouldn't it be easier than letting our comrades in Ossop have their throats slit?

"Ossop...! How do they even know about that?!"

Umberto's hands trembled.

The assassins sent by his leader were scattered across the continent. Some were even among the nomadic tribes currently at war with Baldina.

Ossop was the capital of the Rasai tribe, the most brutal and savage of them all.

They knew about enemies abroad and the intimate secrets of bureaucrats at home. A chill of fear outweighed any admiration for their intelligence network.

'Better to hand over one rutting pig bastard than let all our Ossop comrades get exposed.'

A recall order to the homeland had come recently. It meant the higher-ups saw no more value in Etienne.

With a noose around his neck, he acquiesced.

The next day, in Count Etienne's bedroom.

A few harsh rays of sunlight pierced through the curtains, stabbing his eyes. Etienne, buried in the bed, scowled fiercely.

"Forgive me, my lord. It's nearly time for your audience at the palace."

"Shut your trap. Who the hell are you to order me around, you worm...?"

Etienne spewed a torrent of unprintable curses at his valet. His head throbbed from the wine he'd drunk late into the night.

Then, a sweet fragrance brushed his nose.

"...Hm?"

At the refined, soothing scent, Etienne half-opened his eyes.

In his hazy vision, he saw a valet hovering near the candlestick.

"New incense?"

"No, my lord. It came with a gift from Baron Girion last time, when he asked for a favor on his posting."

Umberto smoothly delivered his prepared excuse.

'If I said it was new, he'd come straight for me if anything went wrong. Can't have that.'

If the incense really caused Etienne some mishap, blaming Baron Girion would buy Umberto plenty of time to escape.

"...You goddamn vermin I'll crush underfoot...!"

Suddenly, an ashtray flew and struck Umberto's chest before clattering to the floor.

Etienne bared his yellowed teeth, spittle flying.

"Didn't I tell you to bring me the good stuff, the rare stuff, and fast? Light it up generously, don't skimp!"

His irritation, softened momentarily by the sweet scent, boiled over again.

"You stupid pig, you owe your luxuries to me. When else would a wretch like you get to smell something like this?"

His white belly jiggled with rage, as if introducing itself, repulsing anyone who saw it.

Umberto gripped the snake-carved incense tightly.

"Of course, my lord. My every honor is thanks to you. With every breath, I pray, recalling your lordship's majestic presence and sculpted smile."

The incense's smooth, cool texture felt oddly pleasing. His hand lit it without hesitation.

"At least you have an eye for quality..."

The alluring fragrance filled the room.

Etienne smugly buried his face in the pillow again. His quivering flesh vanished between the white sheets.

Back in his room, Umberto scrawled a note and tucked it into the windowsill.

Mission accomplished.

Early morning. A small cart finished delivering groceries and rolled out of Count Etienne's estate.

A boy in a straw hat sat at the front, driving the ox. The cart wheels rattled sparsely: clatter-clatter.

As the ox entered the third district's market street with its vegetable stalls,

"Tom. Delivery go well?"

A stranger perched on the cart asked. The boy lifted his straw hat, revealing a freckled face with a cheeky grin.

"What're you sayin'? Have you ever seen unbreakable Tom botch a job?"

He handed over a parchment.

"But that valet guy—what's his deal? The way he moves, the traces he leaves... looks just like one of ours, no matter how I slice it."

"That's above your pay grade."

"After all this grunt work, you still don't trust me? Her Highness must be disappointed."

Tom pouted.

"It's not Her Highness who doesn't trust you—it's me."

"Hmph. Master told me to be Her Highness's hands and feet. So technically, I'm her subordinate too. Neril, scared I'll steal your spot?"

"Her Highness gave it to you. I'm off."

Neril ignored him, tossed a pouch, and hopped off the cart.

The pouch brimmed with gold coins. Tom gave a wry smile. No one pays their underlings. This was the line Princess Loren had drawn.

"Should've sent someone else back then."

He wondered if he'd earned resentment for nothing.

A strange pang of regret lingered.

Perhaps because he'd seen firsthand how the people's faces brightened day by day in the soldier's village she'd established.

Princess Palace.

"Your Highness. Etienne's valet has made his move."

Neril handed over Umberto's note.

Medea nodded at the words Mission accomplished.

"Well done. Neril, your concealment skills were a great help again."

At Medea's praise, Neril offered a faint smile.

It contrasted sharply with her exceptional skill, which had evaded even seasoned spies, and her shy demeanor.

"No need for such words. But how did Your Highness know he was an imperial spy?"

"Well, that's..."

Medea had first spotted Umberto in the chapel, while he was receiving punishment from the Queen Dowager.

"You mustn't approach."

"Hey, it'll just take a moment!"

"Minister! What is the meaning of this rudeness?"

In the midst of the commotion between the Queen Dowager's maids and the minister's valets,

one valet wrestling with a maid caught her eye.

His vaguely familiar face piqued her curiosity, but then, in the scuffle, his shirt tore open at the chest.

A small fox badge rolled out, tumbling right to Medea's feet. That confirmed it.

'Why is Kensington's spy in Baldina?'

It was the symbol of the 'Red Fox Unit,' Kensington's intelligence network, known only to a select few in the empire.

Countess Luisa Kensington was a meritorious noble of the Kazen Empire.

She had aided Perdiccas II when he was just a prince.

When Emperor Alcetas II died suddenly of illness, his young son was passed over, and his younger brother Perdiccas II ascended the throne.

Kensington poured her own fortune into building a private intelligence network across the empire, proving her unwavering loyalty.

Perdiccas II could eliminate his formidable brothers and claim the throne thanks to Countess Kensington.

Her hidden spies uncovered assassination plots and conspiracies in advance.

But her loyalty proved too much. Once his goal was achieved, Perdiccas II sought to kill her and seize her spies.

Chased by the emperor's shadows, Kensington starved to death.

Her 'Red Fox Unit' disintegrated, vanishing without a trace.

Medea recognized the spy at a glance thanks to Jason.

"Medea, I need to absorb Countess Kensington's dead spies before my uncle takes them all. How should I do it? Help me."

"Don't worry, dear."

Using her former status as Baldina's princess, she tracked down scattered contacts and located the spies.

Exploiting their rage against the current emperor, she brought them into the expedition.

In the end, they became Jason's hidden limbs, the strongest force in eliminating his rivals for the throne.

It was all Medea's doing.

'Foolish me.'

But this time, she wouldn't hand Kensington's assets to Jason.

'Jason. In this life, you won't get their help.'

She would deny him both the countess and her Red Fox Unit.

First, use valet Umberto to eliminate Interior Minister Etienne.

Then, through this connection, draw in Countess Kensington herself. That was her ultimate goal.

Medea smirked.

'The emperor I made—I have to break him myself.'

Neril blinked in confusion at her uncharacteristic sneer.

"No matter. Let's prepare to head out."

The trap to hunt Etienne was set. Now it was time to meet the hunter who would reel him in.