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Leaving Oliana in the care of the guards, I ascended the spiral staircase as quickly as possible, clutching the unsheathed ‘Gilles de Rais’ tightly.

Within seconds, I reached the top, finding myself alone with no one in sight. Even Revan, the fastest among us, hadn’t reached halfway up the stairs. As I caught sight of a wide-open door at the end of the staircase, I lowered my stance and burst into the room, rolling inside.

And what I saw there was…

“Kyaa! My lady, you perv!!”

…Kagerou, in nothing but his underpants, embracing a middle-aged man with a stern expression from behind.

“—The hell… are you doing! You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲!”

My reflexes took over, and I swung ‘Gilles de Rais’ at him, but he casually evaded the attack by stepping back into the room.

*Thud! *

At that moment, the middle-aged man, likely the President whosit mentioned earlier, collapsed to the ground, his face pale. It was clear that he was dead.

If not too much time had passed since his death, it should have been possible to revive him.

“Ah, it’s been 30 minutes since I killed him. Reviving him is impossible now. Besides, skills can’t be used inside this tower,” he remarked.

Although I only glanced briefly at the lifeless body, he seemed to understand my intentions and encouraged me, saying, “You’re welcome to try, but it won’t work.”

While skeptical of his claim, I abandoned the idea of reviving the man. Taking the corpse outside the tower to confirm his words would be impractical, and my attention shifted to the man before me.

“What exactly are you trying to do? Am I supposed to believe that it was your plan all along to mess with me like this? It can’t be that you accidentally ended up killing the old man because of some failed love affair, right?” I questioned Kagerou, a bewildered expression on his face.

“…My lady, you never cease to surprise me with your random thoughts,” he replied, scratching his head.

“Who is your client, then? I can’t see how anyone would benefit from having President Baten killed at this point,” I continued, aware that he had no intention of engaging in a serious discussion.

“My lady, it’s Baldum, not Batem… You’re not even close except for the Ba,” he corrected me.

“He’s already dead, so his name doesn’t matter anymore!” I retorted, growing frustrated.

“You’re unexpectedly savage, my lady,” Kagerou remarked, though it was the last thing I wanted to hear from an assassin and conman like him.

“Well, here’s a hint. While there might not be anyone benefiting right now, if the narrative were to change to ‘He died in prison’ or ‘He died in a foreign land,’ there are certain individuals who would avoid losses,” Kagerou hinted.

“…Is this related to the ongoing ransom negotiations with the Yuzu Grand Duchy?” Oliana’s voice suddenly interjected, as she appeared at the entrance accompanied by guards, Revan, Asmina, and even the maid Rina, all panting from their hurried pursuit.

‘Oh gosh, why did they have to follow? They’re just going to be an extra burden now!’ I thought to myself, feeling helpless. Taking a firm stance, I positioned myself between Kagerou and the entrance.

My intention was probably clear enough, as Kagerou let out a sarcastic laugh, his expression conveying a silent “thank you for your effort.”

“Well, it’s a business secret, so I can’t disclose it,” Kagerou replied, turning towards Oliana and shrugging his shoulders.

“So, it was a lie, then? Your claim that you were short on work because you failed in your raid against Revan and his entourage, which led to the contract being canceled by the Prime Minister,” I stated confidently, watching Kagerou wave his hand in front of his face, wearing a regretful expression.

Princess Oliana, meanwhile, looked surprised as she clasped the brooch on her chest with her hands.

“No, no, I didn’t lie to you, my lady,” Kagerou responded, his voice filled with sincerity. “While I did manage to eliminate the Cres Freedom’s special envoy convoy, Old-man Warren did dismiss me halfway through for letting that boy escape… That’s why I no longer had any duty to maintain secrecy, and I could freely discuss this matter with you. I assure you, it was a significant loss for me. And so, when I was looking for a part-time job and waiting for the right opportunity, I was entrusted with this task.”

“So, that’s how you knew the secret passages within the Imperial Palace,” I remarked. “In that case, couldn’t you have raided this place alone?”

Asmina interrupted our conversation, her expression filled with curiosity. Kagerou frowned in response.

“Well, initially, I had planned to quietly infiltrate during patrol or meal times using my ‘Stealth’ ability. However, the ‘erase’ effect of this tower is quite remarkable. If I were to come within a 5-meter radius, I would be visible to everyone. So, I had to give up on that plan,” Kagerou explained.

“Then, what about killing the guard and stealing the key?” Asmina questioned, finding it hard to believe his words.

Kagerou reproached her, his tone slightly disapproving. “My dear, what value do you place on a human life? Each life is precious and unique. So, please don’t suggest casually killing someone for the sake of convenience.”

“Like hell you have the right to say that!” Revan’s shout echoed through the room, and I wholeheartedly agreed with him.

“Well, of course, let me clarify,” Kagerou responded calmly. “Indeed, I am a merchant who has taken lives. I have trampled upon irreplaceable lives under my feet. However, I have never killed out of pleasure, hatred, or impulsive anger. I have never boasted about killing with flowery words of honor and pride. While I am aware that I am not qualified to speak about morals, using killing as a means to achieve my objectives feels like putting the cart before the horse.”

His words hung in the air, and the same thought crossed everyone’s minds. It was a fat lie. But delivered with such a serious and composed expression, it was difficult to retort.

Well, there are people as complex as him, aren’t there? It’s hard to determine if what he’s saying is true or false, but the peculiar principles that people like him adhere to make it harder to completely despise them…

“Anyway, I understand the situation now. So, you took a circuitous route to join us and allowed yourself to be captured on purpose. Is that correct?” I asked.

“Basically, yes. Although I didn’t anticipate being thrown here in just my underpants. They even went as far as searching my… butthole,” Kagerou replied.

It’s quite surprising that he still managed to break free under such circumstances.

“I see. Well then, I hope you’re prepared for the consequences,” I said, raising my ‘Gilles de Rais.’

“Or perhaps you would prefer to take the path of redemption and reveal everything about the mastermind?” I added, knowing the chances of him agreeing were close to zero. Unsurprisingly, Kagerou shook his head.

“As I mentioned before, I cannot speak about my current master. So please be patient, my lady.”

“Very well. This means we are now mutual enemies. Prepare yourself, as I will not hold back,” I declared.

“Oh, your profound concern for me, even in spite of everything, truly warms my heart and brings me close to tears, my lady,” Kagerou remarked, understanding my implied intention that this would be a duel to the death with all emotions set aside. He casually bowed his head.

With that, we faced each other, wearing serious expressions.

Behind Kagerou stood a wall, indicating that if he wanted to escape, he would have to defeat me to reach the only exit in this prison. I glanced behind me and saw Princess Oliana and Rina standing as expected, guarded by the soldiers. Revan positioned himself at the entrance to protect it, while Asmina stood a couple of steps behind.

As long as they maintained their current stance, I could freely fight Kagerou without worrying about them. Neither of us could use our skills, but that applied to both of us, and in terms of raw strength, I should be on par with him in a direct battle.

As expected, Kagerou was the first to make a move.

In a split second that I turned my gaze away, Kagerou leaped into action. I moved to intercept him in mid-air when his foot caught the tablecloth on a nearby table, effortlessly tossing it at me using just his ankle’s movement.

Swish!

I swiftly sliced through the unfurling white cloth that obstructed my vision and searched for Kagerou, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, several pens shot towards me like shurikens.

Just as I was about to reflexively dodge them, Revan’s warning came flying.

“At your foot!”

Startled, I looked down to see Kagerou running with a posture resembling that of a spider.

“This rat—” I muttered, spinning in mid-air and slashing diagonally downward.

Kagerou deftly evaded my attack by balancing on his head and, to my surprise, used that momentum to leap towards the entrance, relying solely on the length of his arms.

“Tsk!” I clicked my tongue in frustration.