Monkey Watchtower.
A pub that sells cheap dark beer, located prominently in front of a square with an elegant fountain.
When Seongjin had visited the place to give his regards for the closure ceremony a while ago, he had been led by the twins Herna and Gades to greet the owner Bremen.
“I’ve received your greetings. I’ll return the favor soon.”
Little did he know that the return greeting would come across the walls of the imperial palace.
A woman clad in black stealth attire introduced herself as [Dasha].
She looked entirely different from the people of Delcross that Seongjin usually encountered. She was a beauty with deep brown skin and long, wavy black hair.
Her emerald eyes, which sometimes appear teal depending on the light, twinkled playfully.
“Hmm? Is this your first time seeing a Varsha person? I’m not a heretic.”
Sitting on the sofa with her long legs crossed, Dasha revealed her white teeth as she laughed. She had a smile that somehow looked refreshing.
‘Varsha people’ refers to a term collectively describing the ethnic groups living in the southern part of the continent.
They were divided into several smaller tribes, each with its own language and unique appearance. However, people from the central continent often could not differentiate these subtle distinctions and would simply call anyone with darker skin a Varsha person.
Of course, among the heretics, there were also people with white skin like those from the central continent, and there were people like Dasha who had dark skin but were born and raised in the central continent. Strictly speaking, Dasha, who was born in Delcross, was not a Varsha person.
Nevertheless, due to her unique and rarely seen appearance, she would always be categorized as a ‘Varsha person’ by others.
“So, you came from Monkey Watchtower wearing that stealth attire? Are you out collecting debts or something?”
“Hahaha. I wish. Monkey Watchtower is no ordinary pub, Your Highness.”
According to Dasha, that small pub was actually a direct intelligence agency under the holy emperor.
It is a department that acquires and processes fairly high-level information within the Central Intelligence Agency and performs functions of a personal secretary’s office depending on the user’s request.
A secret agency exclusive to the imperial family that even the assembly and administration were not aware of.
Coming to pay respects to Monkey Watchtower means requesting to actively use the organization, and asking to place an informant.
Those darn twins. Shouldn’t they have explained this beforehand?
“I should have given you the answer earlier, but it took some time to assign a dedicated informant. As you know, the Pearl Palace is a bit of a special place…”
Even though the visitor restrictions had recently been lifted, Pearl Palace was still a place where the emperor strictly controlled the entry of people. Having someone with stealth abilities enter was a security-related issue, thus making approval even more stringent.
Moreover, a dedicated intelligence agent needs to be able to connect with the target without arousing suspicion, and Pearl Palace is much more difficult in that regard compared to the main palace.
There are resident knights with verified capabilities from various orders and even the dedicated maids possess considerable aura usage. So, finding someone capable of infiltrating the palace seamlessly isn’t easy.
In other words, Dasha was among the top agents in Monkey Watchtower’s network of informants.
“What an honor it is to have such a talented person as my personal informant.”
“Don’t you have any suspicions? If it were me, I would start with suspicion if someone suddenly showed up late at night to say something like this.”
“Well, it’s not that I haven’t considered the possibility.
However, for now, Seongjin’s intuition did not perceive any danger signals from her.
If you think about it, her infiltration skills are remarkable. It was only due to the Demon King that Seongjin was able to notice her presence at all. Given Seongjin’s abilities, it’s notable that he couldn’t easily detect her.
If she wanted, she could easily wipe out someone like Morres. What’s the point of a well-crafted lie? It’s a waste of energy considering Morres’ position. Behind Morres is the Holy Emperor. An incredibly fearsome person whose limits are unknown. Based on his previous encounters, the Emperor seems to hold Morres in high regard. Could the person in front of him really handle the fallout if she deceived Morres?
Moreover, on our side, we have an excellent lie detector.
[No change in pulse. Blood pressure normal. Breathing normal. Very likely to be telling the truth.]
Although the Demon King can’t use abilities that directly interfere with the soul since the Holy Emperor’s barrier has overridden it, this is still pretty useful.
[Heh heh heh.]
Feeling the demon king laugh proudly inside his mind, Seongjin clicked his tongue inwardly.
Even though he was a king of a dimension, now he feels fulfilled just being this useful.
Anyway, since he decided to trust and use her, Seongjin decided to get along with Dasha without any needless probes.
He had been troubled by not having any reliable subordinates lately; anyone would be better than Edith.
“Why would I have reservations about someone coming to help me? Besides, Dasha gives off a trustworthy vibe. I also think you’re quite capable and have a good impression.”
Seongjin smiled and gave a bit of lip service.
“Oh my?”
Dasha’s eyes twinkled.
“It seems you have no prejudice against people from Varsha.”
“Why would I be prejudiced against someone who came to help me? You’re competent and also have a good personality.”
Her smiling face was pleasant, and she was also beautiful.
Dasha’s eyes widened as if hearing something unexpected, and then she burst into laughter.
“Ha ha. To be honest, I was also a bit surprised when I first saw you. Contrary to the rumors, you’re astute and charismatic, and I think it’ll be rewarding to serve you. Moreover…”
“Moreover?”
“You have a very pleasant scent. It smells faintly like roses.”
Damn those Lyora Plague doctors!
Regardless, his first encounter with Dasha was satisfactory. She seemed to think that their trust relationship had been successfully formed and shared various unasked-for pieces of information.
For example, she knew quite a bit about the recent activities of the Brittanians with whom Seongjin had previously clashed.
“Those guys were all dragged back to Brittany?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Young master Ravioli made a firm decision. The knights who were taken are likely to face severe punishments in their homeland. They say he didn’t forget to command their party to strictly keep their mouths shut as a lesson.”
“That’s more than I expected.”
Seongjin thought of young marquis Ravioli, with a bobbed hairstyle and round cheeks.
Same goes for Chloe, but it seems like all these kids from Brittany have something that’s slightly off.
Dasha also informed him about the survival of Ashley and Jonathan, who had fallen into the hands of Lyora’s swindlers.
“So far, their blood pressure hasn’t dropped to dangerous levels due to bloodletting treatments. I will closely monitor their condition, and if it looks like they’re losing too much blood, I will notify you immediately.”
Seongjin upgraded his assessment of Dasha inwardly by a notch.
‘…She’s really competent, isn’t she?’
Was it her intelligence or knack for understanding what he needed? She always seemed to scratch exactly where he itched.
If this continues and trust builds up, Seongjin thought it might be worth asking her to investigate the organizations that Morres had previously sponsored. It’s a sensitive area, but there’s certainly a limit to what Seongjin can do on his own.
“Ah, and Dasha, I have a question. Is it possible to share information I have with others who use the Monkey Watchtower in reverse?”
While it was good to receive various information and have minor tasks handled on his behalf, what Seongjin was curious about was the opposite. Could he also relay his information to the Holy Emperor?
Fortunately, Dasha confirmed that it was possible.
“If you wish, I can even send your New Year’s greetings to each other. After all, the only people we serve are His Majesty Holy Emperor, the princes and princesses.”
Good. Seongjin nodded.
“Then Dasha, this is a message I’m sending to my father.”
The moment the Holy Emperor was mentioned, Dasha’s face stiffened with seriousness.
“The epidemic arising from the judiciary is not a simple illness, but due to parasitic eggs from a monster. These creatures don’t naturally implant their eggs into humans, so I suspect someone deliberately planted them. Further multidirectional investigation is needed to guess their purpose, given that the parasite won’t wake up just by being implanted. That’s all.”
Well, this sort of information can’t be casually passed on through servants.
Dasha’s face showed a momentary confusion due to the unexpected flood of serious information.
“…May I know the source of this information?”
“I can’t say.”
I’m sure His Majesty wouldn’t be curious. If Katrina, who is the Emperor’s right hand, or the Emperor himself, wanted to ask something, they would have done so already.
Dasha looked slightly confused but quickly regained her composure and gave a slight nod.
Her role was not to judge the truth of the message, but to relay it.
“Then, I will visit you again tomorrow evening, Your Highness.”
She walked toward the balcony window and, just like when she arrived, vanished into thin air. Even though he was watching closely, Seongjin could hardly feel her leaving. Truly an impressive individual.
Seongjin turned his gaze to the dark window for a moment after Dasha’s disappearance, then turned back to his bed.
Well, he had done all he could.
I wonder how my father, His Majesty the Holy Emperor, will respond.
***
“Your Highness, I’m really struggling because of Sir Masain!”
It was another regular morning.
Just as he finished his meditation and was about to eat a walnut, Dame Maria, who was beside him, began to complain.
While Seongjin spent each day satisfied with diligent training, the resident knights were increasingly dissatisfied due to changes in work conditions caused by Sir Masain.
The number of knights had increased more than anticipated, and the work shifts had become incredibly tight. Procedures, which were somewhat lax before, had also been readjusted to conform with the standards of the Imperial Guard at the main palace.
As a result, from shift changes to basic training, nothing was easy anymore.
Because of this, the resident knights these days had stormy expressions on their faces.
If working at the Pear Palace used to be a cushy job that also paid well, now it had become a demanding post to the point that people were saying the money was well-earned.
So, whenever Knight Commander Masain was momentarily away, the resident knights would constantly grumble and complain to Seongjin.
Just like right now.
“But being on a dispatch mission, it’s honestly a bit more comfortable than being with the main force, isn’t it?”
“Sob! If only I didn’t have the bar tabs piled up this month…!”
“I really need to quit drinking right away; it’s so exhausting these days!”
Maria and Kurt, who were quietly doing personal training nearby, sighed with a gloomy expression.
Although they belonged to different Knight Divisions — the 1st and 2nd, respectively — they had been longtime drinking buddies since their squire days.
They had volunteered for the well-paying dispatch duty at the Pearl Palace, thinking they’d earn some extra money for drinks.
“Well, I know a great bar where the drinks are pretty cheap. They only serve dark beer, though…”
“It’s not just about money; I’m too tired to even go out drinking after work these days!”
“Could you please persuade Knight Commander Masain? Huh?”
Seongjin felt a bit awkward.
If Masain was being unreasonable with the knights, that would be one thing, but he was operating according to the main palace guard manual, so there wasn’t much to say. In fact, these guys had been having it too easy until now.
On top of that, they were whining to the person who did the most work and training among the resident knights. How could he persuade anyone?
“Alright, hang in there. I’ll find time to treat you to a good drink.”
To the earnest appeals of the resident knights, Seongjin was comforting them in such a manner.
Thud.
Just then, a noise like a falling scabbard echoed from the side.
“…?”
When Seongjin and the resident knights turned around in unison, they saw a knight sprawled out in the corner of the training ground. It was Haven, who had looked somewhat off since the morning.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Did he drink too much last night?”
Haven had just returned from vacation. He had apparently spent the last day of his vacation drinking late into the night.
Knights who were standing nearby carelessly approached to shake him.
“Why did you come back from vacation like this?”
“Hey, get up. If you’re feeling unwell, take sick leave.”
As they were checking on him, one of the knights suddenly exclaimed in alarm.
“Something’s wrong with him! His body is really cold!”
“I see some kind of rash…”
“Could it… be the plague?”
“It’s the plague!”
Panic broke out instantly. They had heard rumors about the outbreak of a disease in the judiciary just the day before.
The knights hastily retreated from Haven, whose symptoms included low body temperature, rash, and impaired consciousness.
‘Could it be?’
[Yes, it’s the Lophellum egg.]
The Demon King answered.
[The egg is already dead, but I don’t know why he’s in that condition.]
Noting the tense atmosphere, Seongjin paused as he was about to approach Haven. The knights were in an excessive state of turmoil due to the sudden fear of the plague.
‘First, I need to calm the situation…’
It seemed best to leave Haven’s medical care to the physicians and first calm down the panicking knights to avoid an unfortunate situation.
So, he quickly gave orders to the two most experienced individuals there.
“Sir Kurt, contact Sir Masain immediately, and have the Dr. Ninnias, the physicians and priests on standby at the knight’s quarters.”
Kurt looked at Seongjin with a strange expression, but nodded respectfully and left. He also managed to drag along a few trembling knights with him.
“Dame Maria, control the other knights. This is not the plague, so stop panicking and hold your positions.”
Maria looked at the collapsed Haven and then back at Seongjin. However, as soon as Seongjin calmly met her gaze, she visibly regained her composure.
She clenched her fist tightly to control her shaking hand and turned around to shout at the knights running all over the place with a booming voice.
“Everyone, calm down! This is not a plague, so stop your baseless speculations! Are you really the proud Royal Guards of Delcross if you lose your cool over something like this!”
As Maria gathered and calmed down the knights, Seongjin approached Haven. Then he gave instructions to the remaining knights who were still frozen nearby.
“For now, let’s move Sir Haven to his quarters.”
