“Is this about right?”
The boy’s muttering reached her ears.
Soon, the blindfold covering Hanna’s eyes was removed, and light flooded her vision.
After days of being blindfolded and moved around, the sunlight was blinding.
Once her eyes adjusted, Hanna could see the boy untying the ropes that bound her.
‘Is this boy really the infamous leader of Den’s bandit group?’
When they had first attacked, his face had been masked, and she could only guess his age from his voice.
But now, with the mask off, his youthful features were unmistakable.
His skin was as smooth as jade, his hair black, and his eyes a deep crimson.
Indeed, the boy before her was the same age as her daughter.
‘Judging by his face alone, he looks like he comes from a wealthy or noble family…?’
But his clothes were tattered and worn.
The difference was jarring.
Of course, they had claimed to be a bandit group, but no one would believe it if they wore their usual attire.
They had deliberately dressed in rags for this mission.
“Please forgive the rudeness you’ve endured until now.”
His tone was polite, different compare to the harsh words he had used during the villa raid.
Ian, who had brought Hanna to Schrantz territory, no longer needed to maintain the rough demeanor of a bandit.
Seeing him address her so respectfully, Hanna was visibly taken aback.
“This is Schrantz territory. You’ll soon see a familiar face.”
“A familiar face?”
“You’ll understand when you see.”
Ian, as if there was no need for further explanation, helped Hanna onto a horse and escorted her.
As they moved along the path, they soon saw figures standing on a hill.
One appeared to be a knight, and the other a young girl.
The girl looked very familiar to Hanna.
“N-Nea?”
“Mother!”
Nea couldn’t hold back and immediately ran to Hanna, embracing her tightly and bursting into tears.
Hanna, still unsure of what had happened, couldn’t hide her joy at seeing her daughter.
Oswell watched the scene with a warm smile, but…
‘Wow, this is really hard to get used to.’
Ian couldn’t quite share the same sentiment.
The image of the ruthless underworld figure who had tormented him endlessly was still too strong.
Seeing her in such a girlish, vulnerable state was hard to reconcile.
He stepped back to give the mother and daughter a moment, then turned to Oswell and quietly asked,
“Did everything go smoothly?”
“Yes, young master.”
Oswell’s expression was a mix of bitterness and gloom.
“I feel uneasy for making you do such dirty work.”
“Not at all, young master. We couldn’t just let those bandits go free.”
Ian had ordered the bandits to be dealt with, and Oswell had carried out the task flawlessly.
‘And there was no pursuit on me.’
The reason Ian hadn’t been pursued was that Oswell had erased all traces after completing the mission.
‘Still, it must have been unsettling.’
Though he didn’t show it, Oswell couldn’t have been entirely comfortable.
The mission had to be carried out in absolute secrecy, leaving no choice but to entrust it to Oswell.
“You’ve worked hard.”
No more words were needed.
Ian simply patted Oswell’s shoulder quietly.
Oswell, understanding his thoughts, responded with a smile.
‘Anyway, now we can make use of her.’
By training spies through her, he could strengthen Schrantz’s intelligence network.
That was Ian’s goal.
‘Of course, that’s a long-term plan.’
Training spies wasn’t something that could be done overnight.
For now, he planned to use her in other ways.
‘As a double agent, that is.’
He could already picture Count Erce being played like a fiddle.
“Young master, thank you.”
Nea, her eyes swollen from crying, bowed deeply to Ian.
“I will serve you and Schrantz with all my heart and strength.”
[Hanna Rescue 1/1 Complete]
[Quest ‘Fateful Encounter’ Completed]
[Nea has become your vassal.]
Ian’s mouth stretched into a wide grin as he looked at Nea, now his vassal. With her recruitment, he had gained the upper hand in the intelligence war against the Grand Schrantz Alliance.
“Your mother will be kept in a safe place. I promise to protect her safety, on my name.”
Hanna would stay in Rosen. Ian had prepared a residence for her in the building right across from where Sera and Rimil lived. It was a decent place to live, and with the barracks nearby, it was safe from crime.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“And one more thing. I’ll allow you to spend today with your mother, but starting tomorrow, direct contact will be prohibited until our conflict with Count Erce is resolved.”
Another farewell was on the horizon. But Nea understood the reason. Schrantz territory was infiltrated by spies from hostile families.
As long as they were present, contact with Hanna was dangerous.
If Count Erce found out that Ian was behind this incident, Schrantz’s reputation would take a massive hit. No, it would be worse than that.
‘This is war.’
What Ian had done was no different from sparking a war. Kidnapping, raiding, looting—it was outright banditry. No matter how much he tried to justify it, no one would support such actions.
‘And Young Master took that risk for me.’
Moreover, he only prohibited “direct contact.” Exchanging letters to check on each other’s well-being was still allowed. Nea couldn’t fully comprehend why Ian had gone this far for her, but…
‘A tool shouldn’t have its own thoughts.’
She was ready to do anything for him.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
He wasn’t forcing them to part immediately; he had given them a day to spend together. It was time to heal the wounds of their long separation. Seeing how much he cared for her, Nea was overwhelmed.
[Your actions have significantly increased Nea’s loyalty.]
Name: Nea (Lv.4)
Race: Human
Class: Commoner
Occupation: Maid
Title: Information Gatherer
Loyalty: 71
Ambition: 2
Strength: 18
Agility: 20
Magic: 0
Leadership: 42
‘Wow, her loyalty started at 71?’ Rescuing her mother must have meant a lot to her. She was now the second most trustworthy vassal after Oswell. As long as he didn’t do anything too foolish, her loyalty wouldn’t easily waver.
Ian also checked Nea’s skill window.
[Skills]
―Information Gathering Lv.3
―Information Manipulation Lv.3
―Sabotage Lv.4
―Disguise Lv.4
―Infiltration Lv.5
―Dagger Skills Lv.3
―Cleaning Lv.7
―Cooking Lv.7
‘Impressive.’
She already possessed the skills necessary for a spy. It seemed she had trained before infiltrating Schrantz and levelled up while carrying out her missions.
‘This works out great for me.’
It was like reaping the fruits of Count Erce’s hard work without lifting a finger. ‘And Count Erce will get a nasty slap in the face from the very fruit he worked so hard to cultivate. Ian couldn’t help but wonder how Count Erce’s expression would change when he found out the truth.
“Young Master. I have two presumptuous requests.”
Two requests? Bold. But Ian decided to hear her out.
“What are they?”
“First, promise me that you’ll crush Count Erce so thoroughly that he’ll never rise again.”
It was a request that resonated deeply with Ian. After all, it was something he had already planned to do.
“And the second?”
“Let me hit Count Erce at least once.”
Ian couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Sure, I’ll let you do that.”
It wasn’t a difficult request to fulfill, so he readily agreed. Nea’s face lit up with a smile.
—
* * *
—
After rescuing Hanna and returning to Rosen, Ian was questioned by Hubert about where he had been for the past few days. Ian simply said he had gone out to clear his head after feeling overwhelmed by the work he wasn’t used to.
Hubert easily accepted the explanation—one of the perks of being a former troublemaker. Minor deviations were easily forgiven.
While Ian was assisting Hubert with his duties, Jurdan entered the office.
“Young Master Hubert. A letter has arrived from Count Erce’s household.”
Hubert’s expression soured. Letters from Count Erce’s household were rare, but when they did arrive, they always contained absurd demands that caused trouble for Hugo and himself.
‘Did they find out?’
For a moment, Ian wondered if their actions had been discovered, but he quickly dismissed the thought. If they had been found out, Jurdan wouldn’t have come alone. Someone from Count Erce’s household would have accompanied him.
“Tsk!”
Hubert clicked his tongue in annoyance. The weather was cold, and he felt like tearing the letter to shreds and tossing it into the fireplace without even reading it. But reality didn’t allow for such actions.
“Give it to me.”
Jurdan handed over the letter—no, two letters.
“What could they possibly have to say that requires two letters?”
As Hubert broke the seal and began reading, his expression grew increasingly bewildered.
“Huh…”
By the time he finished, he looked utterly lost on how to respond.
“What? What does it say?”
“Brother, you should read it. Advisor, you can read it too.”
“Let me see.”
Ian took the letter and read it.
The letter was a formal complaint:
[Due to Schrantz’s inadequate handling, remnants of the bandit group you claimed to have eradicated have infiltrated our territory, resulting in the kidnapping of a noblewoman. The Erce household demands compensation for the damages incurred and insists on a swift and complete resolution…]
It was a protest letter.
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a creative and elaborate piece of nonsense.”
Seeing no further value in reading it, Ian tossed the letter onto the table. Jurdan, who had been reading over his shoulder, wore a similar expression.
“They’re blaming us for bandits slipping into their territory because they failed to properly guard their borders? What a joke.”
It was utterly ridiculous. While Jurdan found it absurd, he also wore a serious expression. Count Erce had sent Nea as a spy and was now trying to pin all the blame on Schrantz.
“Young Master Hubert. This is part of their plan to build a pretext.”
Jurdan immediately understood Count Erce’s intentions. He was laying the groundwork for a future territorial war, ensuring there would be no backlash.
“That’s likely the case. But even if we know, what can we do about it?”
“……”
Jurdan fell silent. Hubert was right. In the end, the strong create justifications, and the weak have no choice but to follow.
“I’d rather not respond to this ridiculous letter, but I suppose we have to, don’t we?”
“Yes. If we don’t respond, Count Erce will take it as a sign of disrespect.”
It would only strengthen his justification. Ignoring the letter would be a silent declaration that they had no intention of engaging in dialogue.
“Then I’ll draft the response.”
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