Chapter 1. Kill the Empress
***
The food was so sumptuous that it was hard to believe they were on a dangerous journey.
The food was mostly soft, probably because of Roselyn’s injured neck.
Perhaps because they were in front of the beach, there was a lot of fresh seafood that wasn’t usually seen.
The seafood they ate at Tamon’s mansion was much fresher than in Tanatos, but what they were eating in the region was much more amazing.
Roselyn looked curiously at the transparent-looking thinly sliced fish meat.
“Is fish meat supposed to be eaten raw like this?”
“The fresher the fish, the more flavorful it is when eaten raw. You also eat raw beef, right?”
Of course, Tanatos had dishes that could be eaten raw.
However, Roselyn didn’t really enjoy such food.
The red blood that piled up on her plate just looked cruel and brutal.
Of course, Gillotti was a big fan of the food. ………….
He sometimes ridiculed her that meat, whether cooked or raw, was just meat, but she was making such a fuss about it.
It wasn’t wrong, but a symbol was a symbol.
“You can’t eat like this unless you come here. It’s my favorite food too.”
Tamon neatly placed the thinly sliced fish meat into his mouth along with some fresh vegetables.
He smiled in satisfaction and took up the fish meat again.
However, as if one was not enough, he added two more pieces of fish meat.
The plentiful pile of vegetables and fish disappeared quickly into Tamon’s mouth.
“Sashimi is in season right now.”
Tamon didn’t recommend Roselyn to try it.
But seeing the food so quickly devoured, she felt a little hungry.
“I wonder if it tastes that good.”
Tamon was a big eater, so he wasn’t a man with a dull palate.
Of all the foods he’d described as tasty, nothing had ever appealed to Roselyn’s palate.
As a result, she was very curious about the taste of that “sashimi” that he was eating the most deliciously now.
Anyway, that white fish was not bloody, so it didn’t look disgusting at all.
She carefully picked up a piece of sashimi and quickly sprinkled it with Tamon’s recommended spices.
Tamon, glancing at her, put some vegetables on top.
“It’s even better when you eat it together.”
Hesitantly, Roselyn opened her tiny mouth and shoved the food in.
The first taste was tangy, but the freshness of the vegetables and the plump, chewy fish that followed were magnificent.
It didn’t taste fishy or gritty at all, but rather fresh, perhaps because it was served on a cold stone.
“Does it taste good?”
Roselyn couldn’t deny it, so she nodded. Tamon, who was smiling, asked for another plate of sashimi.
Perhaps because it was a precious food, there were only a few pieces of meat on a cold stone.
“Try the other seasonings, too. If not now, it’s hard to eat this delicious raw fish.”
Roselyn, who was just trying to fill her hunger, had a longer meal time.
The meal wasn’t finished until she even emptied the porridge with abalone.
By that time, the sun had completely set.
After finishing their meal with more delight than expected, Roselyn and Tamon finally moved on to catch the “red octopus.”
***
The merchant of ‘red octopus’ was based not far from Tamon’s secret residence.
It was only a twenty minute ride on horseback.
The merchants were originally pirates.
They were mainly in the business of selling their plundered goods on the black market, and wore the sign “Trader” as a blindfold.
The leader of the Red Octopus was a man named Bonemdelk, who had been in this business since his father’s father, and was a pirate with an unexpectedly long history.
“According to him, his predecessor once plundered the ship of a high-ranking nobleman, who had a lot of valuable things. The nobleman was an avid collector of antiques, and the dagger was one of the items he received.”
“But why did he keep it instead of selling it? If black market trading is the main brand, he should have sold it.”
“I’m not sure about this, but I think it might have been 10 years ago. ……… There was a time when Bonemdelk was young when he was almost poisoned. But there is a story that he came back to life without any antidote.”
“Oh ……”
Listening to Tamon, she could guess why the merchant didn’t sell the dagger. (*the dagger is the relic they are looking for.)
Pirates also gave up their lives, so they probably needed a secret weapon to protect their lives.
Especially when they live on the sea, they often suffer from sea food poisoning without even knowing it.
Perhaps, Bonemdelk chose the practical benefit of using it himself rather than selling it.
It would have been even better if he actually had a record of saving lives.
“It won’t be easy to negotiate.”
If he needed the money, he would have sold it long ago, but seeing as how he was stoutly holding onto it.
Tamon smirked at the innocent Roselyn’s words.
“Do we need to persuade him?”
“What?”
“I’m going to steal it.”
When Roselyn stared at him in surprise, Tamon whispered as he kissed her earlobe.
“Let’s try to plunder it as gently as we can.”
He sounded very unreliable.
***
However, Tamon’s opportunity to loot was thwarted by uninvited guests who had arrived earlier.
Tamon’s men who were on watch pointed nervously at a few horses standing in front of the ‘red octopus’ building.
As if they had traveled a long way, all the horses were exhausted and full of dust.
It meant that they were not visitors to the area.
“By horse count, I’d say about six.”
The number of people was about the same as Tamon’s party.
‘’What are we going to do?”
‘’We have to go in.”
He replied pleasantly.
There was not a trace of nervousness in his step as he walked into enemy territory.
Roselyn followed closely behind him. It was much easier to follow him now because she no longer limped.
“I think we should all cover our faces, just in case.”
Tamon covered his face with his mask first.
Roselyn secretly laughed when she saw what he had hidden.
Despite the fact that he had covered everything under his eyes, it was “Tamon Krasis” no matter who looked at it.
How many people in this country have such beautiful, clear red eyes?
He was a stoutly built man who stood out even among the knights.
No matter how much he hid more than half of his face, just looking at those red eyes and the solid body, that man was still just Tamon Krasis.
“Why are you laughing?”
“ …… No, it’s just…”
Roselyn shook her head as if it was nothing and followed him, hiding her face.
The veil that she had prepared beforehand wrapped not only her face but also her head perfectly.
The veil was good for covering her face, but had the disadvantage of obstructing her vision.
Especially in the dark.
But, well, the battle wasn’t hers to fight this time, so it was fine.
Tamon entered the building first.
Perhaps it was the skill of the uninvited guests who had arrived earlier, but I could see passed out guards all over the building.
They all collapsed neatly, as if they had been knocked out at once.
“They seem to have come a long way, but their skills seem to be good.”
Tamon made an indifferent assessment and then went upstairs.
A short walk down the hallway and he heard voices.
Tamon listened carefully at the door of the room where he could hear a few more voices.
Roselyn, who had snuggled in close, also listened by the door.
The building was built of wood, so fortunately it was not soundproofed.
The voices in the room carried directly through the door.
“As I told you before, we are not here to see blood. I hope you’ll negotiate with us.”
“Well, what kind of negotiation is this? This is a threat!”
“It’s good that you noticed. That was quick.”
‘This accent…’ (Roselyn)
They used the official language, but each country had its own specific accent.
Of course, Roselyn used the traditional and standard pronunciation due to her grandfather’s strict teaching, but there were many people who used pronunciation that was imbued with regional colors.
And this accent she was hearing now was familiar to Roselyn.
‘This is the accent used by the Tanatos people.’
– ‘스나’- a much stronger pronunciation.
It would be hard to tell if not hearing it carefully, but it was a feature that only Roselyn, who was confident in the linguistic aspect, would notice immediately.
‘And this voice…Where did I hear it?’
It was a familiar voice with Tanatos’ accent….
Roselyn listened in more.
“I’m not going to take it. I will pay the price in full.”
“Really? Huh! You know how much the Sacred Object is worth, don’t you?”
There was the sound of something heavy being thrown on the floor, making a clattering sound.
“Two million.”
“It’s only two million!”
“And the rest will be considered as the cost of your life.”
Silence fell over the room with the man’s last words.
Tamon beckoned to his men who had followed him to stand by.
It was not a good time to enter now.
It would be better if he came in after the uninvited guest had sorted out the situation, so he could have handled the job more cleanly.
“Who are you? Where did you come from? And how did you know that I had the dagger in my possession?”
“That’s none of your business. I don’t have enough time right now, so I want to conclude this negotiation quickly.”
The man’s voice was full of fatigue.
Nonetheless, the tone was polite without rushing. Roselyn knew a man who spoke this way, and having listened intently to the conversation, quickly raised her head.
“Do you accept it?”
‘I just remembered…..’