Chapter 102
"What are the chances it's a trap?"
"Quite possible."
I answered Zeke's question.
Zeke and Sebas grimaced at my answer, but Leo, whom I'd called here, didn't seem particularly concerned.
"Can we trust her, at least from your perspective, Brother?"
"As an individual, yes."
No matter how much I trusted her personally, people's positions could still place them on opposing sides.
Even Jurgen had been allied with Erik until recently. No matter how good a person was, belonging to a different faction made them an enemy.
But Sonia was with Rebecca. I hadn't sensed any lies in what she'd said, nor could I see any benefit in her deliberately lying. Luring Leo and me out would benefit no faction. She couldn't attack us, and harming Leo now would undoubtedly incur Father's displeasure.
That being the case, I saw no reason to doubt that Sonia was with Rebecca.
"There's no doubt she's on Rebecca's side. If so, I can understand why she decided to entrust Rebecca to us. There's a limit to how long she can keep running, and we're probably the ones who would treat Rebecca most courteously."
"Was her contact with you intentional?"
"Probably coincidence. I'd like to think it was because she trusted me, though."
I couldn't know Sonia's true intentions.
To get to the bottom of that, we had no choice but to go to the designated location.
"We can't determine their location from today's sightings. We have to go, don't we?"
I looked at the map spread across the desk.
Sightings from the past several days had been marked on it. They looked randomly scattered, but whenever I studied the map, I felt as though there had to be some kind of clue—or perhaps a pattern.
But I couldn't tell what it was. For now, I should trust Sonia's words, which were a clear lead.
"Understood. Then I'll go with you."
"Now that that's settled, shall we get moving?"
"You two brothers sure are fearless. You're definitely under surveillance. If you go out together, you'll run into interference."
"I know, but we have to go."
Zandra and the organization's pursuers were desperately searching for Rebecca.
They were definitely watching us too. It was safe to say that any attempt to leave would be met with interference.
At night, the only forces we could deploy—or rather, the only people capable of fighting the assassins—were Zeke and Sebas. Bringing soldiers along would only add to the body count.
It was unquestionably dangerous. But this was a crucial moment. Whether or not we secured Rebecca here would make an enormous difference.
Besides, Sonia had said that if I didn't go, she'd use her trump card. I had no idea what she meant, but she hadn't wanted to use it. Doing so would also mean throwing away the trust I'd managed to earn from Sonia.
"We won't set up an ambush. That would give away our location and put them on guard. We'll also leave at the last possible moment. We can't let them figure out our route, and we can't wait outside indefinitely."
"We might not make it there in time. Shouldn't we leave early?"
"If we were only thinking about ourselves, yes. But if we arrive early, we could end up leading the enemy there at worst. We're basically a signpost for them. At worst, if we're late, Rebecca and the others will flee, and that's fine too. We'll minimize the time we spend approaching the clock tower."
"Understood. Let's prepare, then."
"Right. You'll be our escorts, okay?"
With that, Leo and I set off.
Zeke and Sebas both sighed at the same time before following us.
■■■
"Tch!"
Clicking my tongue, I ran.
The clock tower was just ahead. There were more enemies than I'd expected. Why were there so many?
Zeke and Sebas were taking down the enemies, while Leo covered me. But time was running out.
It was already past midnight. I had only a few minutes left.
Would I make it in time on foot?
Meanwhile, more enemies appeared. Reinforcements kept arriving at intervals, forcing us to stop each time.
"Brother! Go on ahead!"
"I was supposed to bring you with me!?"
"Just hold them off somehow!"
With that, Leo pushed me forward. At the same time, an assassin lunged at him, but Leo drew his sword and drove the attacker back.
Sebas and Zeke were there too, so he should be fine.
Worried, I quickly left them behind and headed for the clock tower.
By the time I got close, it was already five past midnight.
"Hah... hah..."
Still panting, I looked around.
Don't tell me she meant the top of the clock tower.
As I wondered that, Sonia emerged from behind some cover.
"Sonia...!"
"You finally made it."
As she said this, a girl with orange-brown hair emerged from behind Sonia.
She looked just like the portrait. She was probably Rebecca.
Rebecca eyed me suspiciously before asking Sonia a question.
"Is this Prince Arnold?"
"Yeah. You didn't come alone, did you?"
"Leo's been held up. He'll be here soon, so wait for him."
"I'd like to, but we're running out of time too."
Saying that, Sonia approached me.
Then she stared intently into my eyes.
Her reddish-purple eyes continued to stare at me, as though she were trying to peer into my heart.
Eventually, Sonia smiled brightly and looked away.
"There aren't any ambushers, either. Just as I thought, you're kind, Al-kun."
"If I'd stationed soldiers in advance, the other factions would have noticed. I couldn't risk putting you two in danger."
Sonia nodded repeatedly at my explanation.
Rebecca still seemed wary, but that should be resolved once Leo arrived. When it came to earning people's trust, Leo was exceptionally gifted.
If I could convince Rebecca to trust us, we'd win.
That's what I thought.
At that moment, Sonia uttered something that sent a chill down my spine.
"You can't think you've won when you haven't even won yet, Al-kun."
"What...?"
With that, Sonia shoved Rebecca toward me.
I hurriedly caught her. Rebecca, too, seemed startled by Sonia's sudden action.
"Sonia!? What are you doing!?"
"I'm sorry. This is the only way to keep Rebecca safe. Al-kun... time's up. This is my trump card."
At that instant, men dressed in matching black clothing came swarming into view.
To my surprise, they were equipped with the latest-model crossbows, which had only recently been adopted by the military.
These men were...
"Gordon's covert unit...?"
"Yes, that's right. Major, don't move. I'll handle the negotiations."
"...Understood."
When the man who appeared to be their leader—the one Sonia called Major—raised a hand, the other members moved away from Rebecca and me.
Sonia then took out a letter.
Seeing it, Rebecca hurriedly pulled a letter from her own pocket.
It was identical in every detail.
"That's a fake, Rebecca."
"No... You betrayed me!?"
"I didn't betray you. I was on their side from the beginning. I wanted to hand Rebecca over before the Major and his men arrived, along with the letter. But now that they've arrived, I need something to offer them. I'm sorry, but..."
Saying that, Sonia lowered her gaze.
Her face really did look regretful. That probably wasn't an act.
Perhaps Sonia had tried to fulfill Rebecca's wishes as far as she could. On top of that, she'd given us five minutes. We had failed to make use of them.
That was what had happened.
A little later, Sebas, Zeke, and Leo appeared.
The three of them, not knowing what was going on, tensed up, but I stopped them with a raised hand.
They had no intention of attacking us. Besides, I couldn't imagine Sonia being foolish enough to start a fight here.
Then obtaining information was our priority.
"Sonia... who are you, exactly?"
"...I'm Sonia Raspede, a half-elf recruited by Prince Gordon Lakes Adler to serve as his strategist."
"Gordon's strategist...?"
"Yes. Until now, I wasn't bound by that position. That's why I sided with Rebecca. But now that the Major and his men are here, that's changed. I told you, didn't I? Only five minutes. The time lag until the Major and his men arrived here—that was the last chance I could give you, Al-kun."
Sonia gazed at me sadly.
I had regrets. I should have done this, or I should have done that. Regrets kept coming to me one after another.
But more than anything, I was filled with guilt.
Sonia probably hadn't handed Rebecca over to Gordon immediately because she didn't think Rebecca would be treated well.
Sonia had put Rebecca first. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to such elaborate lengths.
Sonia was also the one who had called Gordon's covert unit. Since Rebecca couldn't keep running forever, she needed help. At the same time, Sonia had used me, whom she'd happened to meet, to call Leo and the others. Her goal was to hand at least Rebecca over to us.
Should I have used teleportation? Or blown them away with magic? I couldn't find an answer.
The only thing I could say was that it was too late for anything to be done.
"I could hand the letter over to you, but... Prince Gordon won't accept that, and more importantly, Prince Zandra and his people will keep targeting you. Considering the safety of both the letter and Rebecca, I think we should split them up, don't you?"
You could take them by force, but you'd only lose out.
That was essentially what she was telling us. And I agreed.
The Imperial Capital at night was now filled with assassins under Zandra and pursuers from the organization. If they arrived while we were fighting here, we'd face the risk of all of us going down together.
It would be better to split up and retreat.
If we withdrew after encountering each other without incident, they would also send pursuers after Sonia and the others. It was obvious that some kind of negotiation had taken place between us.
"...What are your demands?"
"That can wait until later. I think we'll be the ones to propose negotiations. Don't worry. We won't treat you badly."
Those words were no comfort at all.
Even if Gordon didn't directly harm us, it was obvious that nothing good would come of him seizing control of the situation.
But they had obtained the key. Rebecca alone wasn't enough evidence.
We had no choice but to negotiate with Gordon.
Sonia had demonstrated her abilities and obtained the outcome she wanted. She had secured Rebecca's safety in the best possible place while also delivering a result for her own faction.
"So you had me dancing in the palm of your hand..."
"I'm sorry. I thought this was the best option... Goodbye, Al-kun. Take care of Rebecca... From now on, I'm your enemy."
With that, Sonia turned on her heel.
Then she vanished into the darkness along with the covert unit.
Her back looked somehow sad. But there was nothing I could do. We'd ruined the careful arrangement she'd made for us.
"Prince Arnold... We should withdraw as well."
"...Right."
As I answered Sebas, we withdrew as well.
On that day, we suffered our first clear defeat since joining the struggle for the throne.
The strategist who had orchestrated it went to Gordon's side. The letter also fell into Gordon's hands, and from that point onward, the initiative belonged to him.
Thus, the balance of power in the struggle for the throne changed completely.