After sending Byron on his way, I spent some time in my room interacting with Leviathan.
Leviathan was both a magic sword and my loyal hound.
Given its fierce "personality," I had no fear of betrayal, but I did want to get a firm grasp of what it was truly capable of.
So, while touching Leviathan, I asked what it could do and tested out its abilities on a small scale.
Just then, there came a knock at my door.
"Enter."
Upon my permission, my maid, Zoe, walked in.
I continued touching Leviathan while waiting to hear her business, but no matter how much time passed, she remained silent.
Wondering what was wrong, I turned to look at her again.
"What is the matter? You look pale."
Zoe's face was completely drained of color, as though she were a corpse.
When I spoke, she flinched, dropped limply to the floor trembling all over, and threw herself into a deep bow before me.
"Whatever happened?"
Realizing this was clearly no ordinary matter, I stood up from my chair and walked over to her.
"Th-This..."
With trembling hands, Zoe held out a small leather pouch.
Taking it from her, I opened it up.
Inside was money.
"What is this? Quite a large sum, too... Around five hundred Rien, I would say."
The moment I voiced the amount, I realized it as well.
Zoe was a maid at the Thirteenth Imperial Prince Mansion; she earned a higher wage than girls working elsewhere.
Even so, it was nowhere near enough to amass five hundred Rien.
To begin with, not long ago, she had been on the verge of being sold to a brothel because she lacked money.
There was no way she could legitimately possess such an amount.
"A-A stranger brought it to me. It is... is the reward, for getting Master to drink this."
Her voice shook, her explanation fragmented.
I took the small vial Zoe offered next, unstoppered it, and took a sniff.
"What is this?"
"Th-They said it was a sleeping potion."
"...Oh?"
"I am so sorry!"
As my tone hardened, Zoe pressed her forehead against the floor, apologizing desperately.
"So they told you to mix this into my drink or something, and once I passed out, hand me over to them?"
"Y-Yes!"
"I see."
Looking down at the terrified girl, I considered the situation.
It was probably the Almeria bunch again.
Their direct attack had failed, so this time they tried bribing a maid to kidnap me.
They must really want to get their hands on me.
Well, setting that aside for now.
I addressed Zoe.
"Raise your head."
"Y-Yes..."
"I understand the situation. But why did you bring this to me?"
"I-I could never betray Master! You saved my life, and you helped my village, too."
"Hmm."
"They threatened to kill me if I refused, and they forced this medicine and money onto me. But I just couldn't bring myself to betray Master. Um, so, um..."
Still in a state of panic, Zoe kept stumbling over her words, clearly struggling to articulate her thoughts.
Even so, I understood the gist of it.
"You were threatened and handed a large sum of money, but even so, you couldn't bring yourself to betray me, so you came to report it. Is that right?"
"Yes!"
"Understood."
Turning on my heel, I walked back to my desk, picked up a pen, and swiftly wrote out a note.
Returning to Zoe, I handed the slip of paper to her.
"This is...?"
"A reward. They tried to buy your betrayal for five hundred Rien. Since you didn't betray me, I'm adding a zero to that."
"A zero... Five thousand Rien!?"
"Yeah. I signed it. You can collect the funds from the treasurer tomorrow."
"Th-That is far too much! I could never accept this!"
"It's a reward for remaining loyal. Take it."
An invitation to commit treason, followed immediately by an exorbitant reward.
With everything happening so fast, Zoe's mind went completely blank.
"Thank... you so much... Master, you truly have such a grand heart..."
"More importantly, there is something I need you to do."
"—! I will do it! Anything you ask!"
"Right. I am going to drink this medicine now. Once I lose consciousness, hand me over to them just as they instructed."
"...Huh?"
"Once you hand me over, run away immediately and go into hiding. Without a doubt, they will try to silence you."
"............"
Zoe stared at me in stunned silence, unable to recover her wits.
Gazing at her, I ran through the plan in my head.
☆
When I opened my eyes, I was engulfed in pitch darkness.
My hands and feet were bound, and I was lying on what felt like hay.
I was inside some sort of shed—from the scent, a stable of some kind.
"Hey, the fire's dying down. Go grab some firewood."
"Got it. Make sure you keep a proper eye on the brat."
"Hey, why don't we just stab him with that dagger we were given and get it over with? That'll finish the job, won't it?"
"You idiot, we were told that's a last resort. Are you planning on admitting you couldn't even capture a single child?"
Coarse voices drifted in from outside the shed.
The men who captured me, huh.
I shook my head against the hay.
There was a faint rustling deep within my ear, and after a few shakes, something plopped out.
The object was no larger than a bean, but as soon as it cleared my ear, it expanded back to its original size.
The magic sword, Leviathan.
Touching it, I altered the shape of our linked ring and sliced through the ropes binding my wrists and ankles.
I asked Leviathan to fill me in on what had happened.
Instantly, a series of images flashed through my mind.
After giving Zoe her instructions back at the mansion, I had shrunk Leviathan down to the size of a bean and hid it in my ear, knowing my captors would never let me keep a weapon. The ring, on the other hand, wouldn't be taken off, so I left it in place.
Then I drank the medicine Zoe brought, and my consciousness faded.
From that point on were Leviathan's memories.
Zoe had left the room, and shortly after, several men dressed in black slipped inside.
The men bound my limbs, while Zoe quietly vanished.
They carried me out of the mansion, shoved me into the back of a carriage waiting outside, and drove off.
Leaving the imperial capital behind, they traveled a great distance before stopping to rest for the night.
What I had assumed was a stable was simply the back of the carriage with a canvas thrown over it.
Freeing myself from the remaining ropes, I gripped Leviathan and conveyed my appreciation.
The loyal blade Leviathan was ecstatic at the praise, sending a surge of pure joy directly into my heart—the emotional equivalent of a hound wagging its tail so hard it might snap off.
I stood up and sliced clean through the canvas covering me.
"What the—!"
"The brat's moving!"
"Who was it! Who didn't tie the ropes properly!"
Standing atop the carriage bed, I scanned my surroundings.
A barren grassland, just off the highway.
A total of ten men dressed in black were sitting around a campfire.
Even though I was up on my feet, they showed no sense of urgency.
The brat's moving—their guard was completely down, seeing me as nothing more than a child.
From the carriage bed, I lunged straight at the men.
Seeing me leap, the closest man scoffed.
A flash of steel. The man's throat was severed, blood fountaining into the air with tremendous force.
"What the hell!"
"You little bastard!"
With one of their comrades dead, the men's expressions finally shifted. Every single one drew their sword, leveling their blades in my direction.
"Still too slow."
They were finally hostile, but their sense of self-preservation was still fatally lacking.
Not that I intended to point that out. Wielding Leviathan, I used its sword techniques to cut down every last one of them.
Ten men in all. It didn't even take a minute.
"That was a wasted effort."
I offered a wry smile.
The main reason I drank Zoe's sleeping potion was because I knew Leviathan could relay everything it saw and heard while I was out.
I had ordered Leviathan to listen in on the men's conversation while I slept, hoping to glean some useful intel.
Unfortunately, they didn't know much.
They were just a cell of the Almeria Rebel Army; after the failed ambush, their plan was simply to bribe a servant, kidnap me, and drag me back to Almeria.
Since they possessed no information beyond that, I saw no reason to keep them alive.
"Now then, time to head back—hm?"
Wondering which way led back to the imperial capital, I looked up and down the highway, only to spot a cluster of torches heading in my direction.
After waiting for a short while, a squad of soldiers approached, carrying torches.
And alongside them was Zoe.
As they drew near:
"Master!"
Zoe cried out, her face pale with worry.
"What is all this?"
"Yes! I was so worried about Master, so, um, I went and asked the soldiers for help."
"So you came to rescue me."
Zoe nodded vigorously.
"I see. Well done."
"B-But... what is all this...?"
Zoe looked at me, then at the black-clad men lying dead on the ground, and finally at Leviathan in my hand.
"Master, did you do this... all by yourself...?"
"Yeah."
"Incredible..."
Zoe murmured, and the soldiers behind her began whispering in awe.
Well, I hadn't needed rescuing, but having extra hands to clean up was certainly convenient.
"Who's the captain here?"
"Sir!"
A young man stepped forward, dropping to one knee before me with his head bowed.
"It is an honor to meet you for the first time, Your Highness the Thirteenth Imperial Prince."
"I leave the transport of these bodies to you. I was attacked a few days ago as well; have them investigated to see if there are any connections."
"Understood!"
Receiving my orders, the captain directed his men to haul away the kidnappers' corpses.
Just then, a metallic clatter echoed through the air.
Looking toward the noise, I saw a dagger that had fallen from one of the corpses onto a stone on the ground.
"—!"
The moment my eyes landed on it, a chill ran down my spine.
Murderous intent.
A terrifying malice radiated from that dagger.
"Do not touch that."
Stopping a soldier who was about to pick it up, I stepped in front of the dagger and scrutinized it.
Is this... the dagger those men were talking about when I woke up?
Through Leviathan, I could sense a distinct curse entwined with that bloodlust.
It was no ordinary blade; it was steeped in curse arts, as well as the intense, lingering malice of the person who created it.
"...Could it be?"
I drew Leviathan and took a stance.
"Can you do it?"
When I asked, Leviathan conveyed a clear yes.
"Then do it!"
The instant I gave the command, Leviathan rejoiced.
Immediately afterward, a geyser of water erupted from the upright blade, shooting straight into the heavens.
Compared to the blast I had fired before, it was quite narrow—barely the thickness of my six-year-old arm.
Yet, after piercing the sky, the stream curved in midair and shot across the horizon.
Far, far away.
Far beyond the edge of the world, the pillar of water flew.
Zoe and the soldiers alike simply stared, completely dumbfounded by what had just occurred.
☆
The following day, in the royal palace flower garden.
The moment His Majesty laid eyes on me after summoning me, a broad smile spread across his face.
"Magnificent, Noah! Splendidly done!"
Before I could even drop to one knee and offer a bow, he strode over, clapped his hands onto my shoulders, and beamed with unbridled joy.
"Whatever happened, Father?"
"The leader of the Rebel Army, a man named Baker, had the center of his brow pierced through last night by a pillar of water that appeared out of nowhere. That was your doing, was it not, Noah?"
"...Yes."
I felt half surprised and half relieved.
Surprised that His Majesty's intelligence network had caught wind of it so quickly.
And relieved, of course, that Leviathan's ultra-long-range snipe had hit its mark.
Using that dagger—steeped in a vicious curse and deep malice—as a beacon, I had Leviathan snipe the owner of that hatred.
Leviathan had claimed it was possible, but I had still been slightly worried whether it could reach all the way to Almeria on the distant frontier.
"With their leader dead, the Rebel Army's chain of command has completely collapsed. Henry sent word that he will have the entire matter settled in a few days' time. You did wonderfully, Noah!"
With more excitement than I had ever seen from him, His Majesty sang my praises.