The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat - Volume 7 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 | The Assassin Dines with a Monster

Duke Romalung and I left the cathedral and went to a favorite restaurant of his. I wanted to return to the inn for dinner to keep my promise to Dia and Tarte, but I couldn’t refuse an invitation from the head of one of the four major dukedoms. Plus, I needed to discern his intentions for Maha.

The restaurant Duke Romalung led me to was a perfectly normal café, except for its private rooms.

“The owner of this establishment is from Alvan. He’s always been willing to help me out,” Duke Romalung said. He probably came here for work often. It was perfect for private conversation.

A patron entered the restaurant after us and complained furiously when he was told there were no tables available.

“He’ll even turn customers away for you. Must be why you chose this place,” I remarked.

“Precisely. I would rather our discussion not be overheard.”

The person who made a fuss had tailed us from the cathedral. He was almost certainly an Alamite Church agent. The cardinals didn’t fully trust us. The man could have forced his way in by claiming affiliation with the church, but he had to keep his identity secret.

“Hello, Sir Lugh. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

“I am so sorry for the trouble I have caused you.”

Two people were waiting in the private room. I’d expected one, but not the other.

The first was Nevan, Duke Romalung’s daughter, the family masterpiece. The other was the Alam Karla, the living symbol of Alamism. She looked no different from an ordinary girl without the makeup and wig she wore to resemble the goddess.

“I heard that House Romalung is safeguarding the Alam Karla,” I said.

“Technically, the Alvanian embassy has taken her into custody,” Nevan replied.

I saved the Alam Karla’s life from assassins. She would return to her position after a thorough investigation confirmed she wouldn’t be in danger. That’s what the Alvanian Kingdom proposed. I couldn’t imagine how anyone got the church to agree. Undoubtedly, it involved a lot of work behind the scenes.

“I’m glad to see you are well, Your Holiness,” I greeted her.

“And I am glad you are unhurt, Sir Lugh,” the Alam Karla answered.

I’d worried for the Alam Karla, but Nevan was doing a good job taking care of her.

“I’m hurt. Were you not even a little concerned for me?” Nevan asked.

“You can take care of yourself, Nevan,” I responded.

Nevan was undoubtedly the strongest person I’d met in my age range. She was clever, physically gifted…and smart. I didn’t mean that she was great at math or possessed a strong memory. Nevan was resourceful and always chose the best course of action.

Perfection in one so young was frightening. I had to wonder if she was reincarnated like I was.

I turned to Duke Romalung. “So why did you invite these two?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that it’s to support my daughter’s love life?”

He played that off as a joke, but I bet he was more than half serious. Duke Romalung’s goal was to produce the ultimate humans. He’d devoted himself to finding superior blood. And I knew he and his daughter thought highly of me.

“I can’t imagine that’s the only reason.”

“You’re right. I want to ask something of the Alam Karla, and given the nature of the request, I thought it would be best to have you here. My daughter is present as the Alam Karla’s bodyguard.”

Nevan also served as a body double for the princess of the Alvanian Kingdom. That was how she met the Alam Karla and built a friendship with her, and how she learned of the oracle’s predicament before anyone else. No one was more qualified to safeguard the Alam Karla.

“My gratitude knows no bounds, Sir Lugh… You’re also the only person in the world who shares my gift, so I will offer my help with whatever you need,” the Alam Karla said.

Duke Romalung grinned. “Your ‘gift’? Are you referring to your ability to hear the goddess’s voice? Color me surprised. I thought you made that up to spread the demon-killing formula you created, Lugh.”

Scarily enough, he was actually right. The goddess did speak to me, but she had nothing to do with Demonkiller. I claimed the goddess gave the spell to me because it was a convenient excuse.

“I do hear the goddess’s voice,” I replied.

Nevan smiled. “I have no doubt that’s true. Whether or not you’ve shared everything the goddess has told you, or if all the words you’ve attributed to her genuinely came from her mouth, is a different matter.”

Nevan was as sharp as her father. She saw through my misleading statement.

“All I can say is that I convey the goddess’s words. More pressingly, what do you require of the Alam Karla, Duke Romalung?” I inquired.

“Ah, yes. Your Holiness. I have a request for you as a duke of the Alvanian Kingdom and as a friend of Lugh’s. I want you to affirm anything and everything Lugh says. Depending on how things play out, we could make an enemy of the Alamite Church. As long as you side with us, however, justice will remain with Lugh.”

The Alam Karla was a symbol with no real power. There was no need for the girl who filled the position to be a true oracle; the church would be glad to have a puppet who spoke lies that benefited their organization.

The Alam Karla had nearly been replaced the other day, but the attempt ended up strengthening the current one’s position. Everyone knew the demon had prepared a fake Alam Karla, making it difficult for the church to repeat the same stunt on its own. Now no one would believe a new Alam Karla was born days after the current one’s disappearance. The church couldn’t replace her. Thus, her friendship was an enormous weapon for us.

“Of course. I promise I’ll do just that.”

The Alam Karla squeezed my hands tight, looked me straight in the eye, and nodded. Duke Romalung smiled bitterly.

“You’re a real lady-killer, Lugh. First my daughter falls for you, and now the oracle of the Alamite Church.”

“N-no, I do not think of Sir Lugh that way. He saved my life. I am grateful to him, and I respect him.” The Alam Karla was quick to refuse Duke Romalung’s claim, but she was obviously lying.

Given her position, she presumably lacked experience with romance. I decided to help her out.

“Do not insult Her Holiness, Duke Romalung. My social standing is hardly worthy of hers.”

A mixed expression of relief and disappointment showed on the Alam Karla’s face. I pretended not to notice. I’d never be able to return her affection, and I wanted to avoid rejecting and hurting her, which risked losing her cooperation. Surely, Duke Romalung was aware of that possibility. Why was he going out of his way to instigate?

“Thank goodness. That’s one less rival to worry about. I am serious about you, Lugh. Please consider my offer of marriage,” Nevan said.

“My answer has not changed since we last spoke,” I responded bluntly.

“How cold.”

It wasn’t a bad proposal. I suspected that Nevan didn’t harbor romantic feelings for me and simply wanted my superior blood. I’d be free once she was pregnant, and any compensation I received would mean greater prosperity for the Tuatha Dé domain. Still, I had no intention to accept. My heart only had room for Dia, Tarte, and Maha.

“That concludes my business. Let’s enjoy some tea and sweets.”

Duke Romalung snapped his fingers, and waiters carrying drinks and snacks entered the room. I’d seen these people before, in House Romalung’s castle.

He said the café’s owner is from Alvan… House Romalung runs this place.

“That sounds wonderful. Is that agreeable for you, Sir Lugh?” Nevan asked.

“Naturally. I have some questions, though.”

I needed to learn how the duke got ahold of Maha’s documents.

“Ask away. This is about Maha, yes? She’s a good girl. Were Nevan a boy, I’d want her for House Romalung,” the duke said.

He really did know about Maha.

“How did you learn that Maha is the center of my information network?”

I’d assumed the duke knew about my information network, but I never expected him to trace it to its manager.

“I suppose it was because of how she worries over you. She’s normally untraceable, but the moment you wind up in danger she gets so desperate to save you that she fails to cover her tracks… My agents don’t miss something like that. That’s the only reason we found her. You have nothing to worry about—none but House Romalung could notice her mistakes.”

Easy for him to say. Maha definitely pushed herself hard for my sake, but she never left evidence. What constituted as “tracks” differed for Duke Romalung, though. He could pick up on the most trivial details.

“What are you going to do now that you know about her? Do you have a demand for me?”

Maha was irreplaceable. She was the heart of my funds and information, and I would pay anything to protect her.

“No. I don’t intend to hold this over you. Doing anything to torment and limit you harms the kingdom. Producing the ultimate humans is my family’s top priority, but we remain aware of our duty as Alvanian nobles. You have nothing to fear.” That Duke Romalung demanded nothing actually frightened me more. “Oh, right. Since you’re asking, I do have one request.”

“…What is it?”

“I would like permission to use your so-called telecommunications network when I have need of it. Just once. You’ve built something incredible. I could never have assembled documents like those I presented at the meeting. Maha has my gratitude. Negotiation would have been impossible if not for her.”

His request sounded like nothing, but it was actually quite a big ask.

“Very well. I’ll let you know how to contact the intelligence agents I have stationed in each city.”

Allowing the duke to use the telecommunications network at any time meant sharing information on the agents I kept deployed in each city. After all, I definitely couldn’t reveal the locations of the switchboards or the terminals connected to them. There was no option but to give up the people who handled the terminals.

“My apologies for imposing,” the duke said.

“Don’t worry about it. Take care when using the telecommunications network, though. You should assume that I will hear anything you say,” I warned.

“Yes, I’ve heard that about the system already.”

That warning was a lie. One Maha had apparently been spreading, too. Changing the channel restricted who heard a message sent through the network, but I kept that feature hidden.

Duke Romalung sighed. “I think it’s a waste to keep your invention secret. It will change the world.”

“Absolutely. The need to relay information through physical parcels is restricting. It hinders the world’s development,” I agreed.

“Then you should unveil this technology to the public.”

I shook my head.

“That would cause an upheaval. Going public with this would flip society upside down, for better or worse. We’d lose the current stability.”

Duke Romalung smiled in his usual icy way and clapped exaggeratedly. “I like you more with each meeting. You’re a smart man. I’m relieved to hear you say that. If you’d announced an intention to upset the world with that invention… As someone who works to protect our kingdom, I would’ve had to kill you.”

“That’s not a joke, is it?”

“Why, of course not. I’m telling you this because I trust that you’ll keep the telecommunications network private. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you and ensure no one ever learned what became to you.”

I forced a smile and wet my throat with a sip of tea. There was no way I could reciprocate Nevan’s feelings. I didn’t want this man for a father-in-law. I wouldn’t be able to take it. I’d do my best to maintain our current relationship: close enough to remain allies, but not too close.