Once I revealed that my leaks were intended for His Majesty the King, the manager questioned me again.
"If the recipient is the King, does that mean you are an agent of the state, Yudum-san?"
"No. While there are certainly national agencies and departments for that kind of work, I’m simply a personal errand boy for His Majesty."
I decided that a chronological explanation would be the most efficient way to clear things up. When I told the manager this, he said he didn't mind if it took a while. I had no intention of dragging it out unnecessarily, but it was a fairly long story, so I appreciated his patience.
The origin of the matter went back to my student days, just before my graduation.
"Back then, I was fighting with my father almost every single day. He was vehemently opposed to me pursuing martial arts or going on a journey to test my skills. I mentioned a bit about my family before, didn't I?"
"If I recall, your family has served as Court Gardeners for generations."
"As long as you understand that, we're fine. Anyway, during those days when we couldn't even make eye contact without a fight breaking out, my father called me to his workplace."
I was younger then, and my blood ran hotter. I had assumed he’d called me all the way to the Royal Palace Garden just to lecture me on the majesty of their work and the foolishness of my choices.
"I didn't want to go, but skipping out felt like running away. So I showed up as ordered, only to find His Majesty standing there. That was when I first learned that my father and the King had been secret friends since my father was an apprentice. Apparently, after hearing about me from my father, the King decided I would be 'opportune.'"
"Opportune? In what sense?"
"A massive volume of information from across the kingdom reaches His Majesty every day in the form of reports. However, that information has been filtered by countless subordinates, with 'unnecessary' parts omitted and the rest polished into a form deemed appropriate for royal ears. To some extent, it can't be helped; the sheer volume would be impossible for one man to handle otherwise. But His Majesty wanted information that hadn't been sanitized. He wanted to hear the 'voices from the field' and the 'raw voices of the people.'"
Even as a child, His Majesty had been notorious among the nobility for his excessive free-spiritedness. In fact, he had met my father because he used to escape his studies and tutors to hide in the gardens. I had even heard rumors that he used to wander the city in disguise.
"So the King is that kind of person. And because of the relationship between him and your father, it became a 'personal' arrangement?"
"Exactly. Naturally, once he ascended the throne, slipping out of the palace became much more difficult. So, in exchange for me traveling and providing regular reports on the state of the roads and the towns I stayed in, His Majesty interceded with my father to permit me to leave home."
I added a clarification.
"The information I send is strictly limited to what an ordinary traveler can see and hear. My job is basically collecting rumors and gauging the general atmosphere while walking through town. The kind of undercover investigations you're likely thinking of, Manager, are the work of professional state agents. That isn't my role."
The manager seemed to find some closure in that explanation. I was about to ask what he was thinking, but the next question came first.
"And why did you choose our Laundry Shop? I heard you helped Shelma-san, the cook, and joined because of that connection—and because it was a way to earn travel funds."
"That was truly just a coincidence. Coming to Gimul was His Majesty's instruction, but from there, I just happened to help a woman in trouble. Since the city's security seemed poor, I simply escorted her back. The bit about travel funds is true, too. As I mentioned, the only reward for my work for the King was his persuasion of my father. I haven't received a single copper from the crown."
"Is that so?"
"His Majesty offered to provide funds, but my father and I refused. When we were hammering out the conditions, my father and I ended up trading barbs. My journey was meant to polish my own skills. I felt I had to stand on my own feet. If it was a journey I couldn't make without someone else paying my way, there was no meaning in doing it."
I suddenly remembered another detail.
"Instead of money, His Majesty told me I could choose my destinations and routes as I saw fit. This is actually the first time I've ever been ordered to a specific city. Furthermore, I usually just wrote my findings in a normal letter and sent it through my father via the post, but this time, a dedicated contact was dispatched to the city. They brought back a reply once, so I suspect they or one of their companions is a Space Mage who delivers the intelligence to the King the moment they receive it."
"Does that mean the investigation is more intensive than usual? Can you tell me why?"
"Supposedly, rumors that 'security in the Jamil Duchy is deteriorating' have been circulating subtly among the nobility, and they reached His Majesty's ears..."
I was in the middle of explaining when I realized the manager's expression had turned grave. He was emitting a quiet, unsettling aura.
"Those rumors have spread quite far, then. I heard them myself when I was in the Fatma Territory, which is why I rushed back."
Come to think of it, he had been even more bloodthirsty when we first met than he was now. I wasn't trying to flatter him, but I offered a thought.
"It’s not uncommon for rumors of failure or corruption to spread among the nobility. Especially if there’s a grain of truth to them."
"And if there isn't any, they simply fabricate it."
"Exactly."
The manager was quite quick on the uptake. However, his eyes suddenly went dead. I wondered if he was all right.
"Manager?"
"Ah, my apologies. I was just thinking. Next question. I heard that your work centers on observing the city, but I have information that you were specifically investigating me. What about that?"
"It’s true that I was looking into you, Manager, but I'd like to offer an excuse for that."
"Go ahead."
I spoke from the bottom of my heart, using the words that had surfaced in my mind repeatedly over the last few days.
"Manager, you're doing way too much!"
My job centered on observing the city and collecting rumors; there was no lie in that. But!
"Whenever I went out to gather rumors, no matter where I went, the conversation turned to you. I had no choice but to look into you!"
When I asked the people in town about their troubles, most of them mentioned the unemployed laborers or the worsening security. And inevitably, the talk would lead to the guard force the manager started, the waste processing plant, or the redevelopment of the slums. Furthermore, information I didn't even ask for came pouring out—like his intimate relationship with the Ducal House, his incredible magic, or the unbelievable number and variety of slimes he kept. People would even tell me where he usually spent his time.
"It wasn't even an investigation anymore; it was just confirming public knowledge! No matter how much I dug, nothing surfaced that surpassed the gossip I heard from the old lady at the neighborhood greengrocer on the very first day! I’m not one to talk since I leaked the information, but what is going on with your information control?!"
"Ah, yeah... So it really was like that... I have no room for a counterargument..."
The manager seemed aware that he had been quite flashy. He appeared satisfied by my defense.
"Thank you for answering. This is the last thing I want to ask—well, one more. It’s a bit late, but is it really all right for you to speak so honestly? You haven't really put up any resistance."
"That’s because I decided honesty was the best course of action."
In noble society, it was common knowledge that the King and the Duke of Jamil were on very close terms. Including my background and family, the truth of what I told him could be verified immediately. While my job wasn't public, it wasn't important enough to warrant complex lies.
"The moment I was lured in here, I had nowhere to run. A clumsy lie would only tighten the noose."
"I see. Thank you very much."
Having said that, the manager slowly gave a broad wave with both hands. Immediately, a large number of armed people entered through the four doors leading to the courtyard. For a moment, I thought I was about to be seized, but a voice stopped me.
"Yudum-sama, please do not be so on guard. As long as you remain quiet, we will not resort to rough measures."
A calm female voice echoed through the courtyard. It belonged to Lulunese-san, the maid who had guided me here. As she stepped out from behind the armed men, I realized the people surrounding us were doing just that—surrounding us, and nothing more.
"Just in case, we made sure that every word of your conversation with Ryoma-sama reached our ears."
"That was the plan," the manager said. Then he turned to the others. "So, was Yudum-san's story convincing to everyone?"
The manager bowed politely to me before questioning the men standing near him. I had seen them several times at the laundry shop; they were guards dispatched from the Ducal House.
"I think there’s no need to drag him off by force," one of them said. "I mean, you guys got way too into that sparring match. You looked like you were having so much fun that it was far too laid-back. I ended up losing my edge just watching you."
"I... I am sorry about that," the manager apologized.
"Well, as long as you're safe. As for the story, Jill?"
"The name of His Majesty is not a light thing," Jill said. "Invoking the King's name without permission is a crime. If these words are a lie, the penalty would be severe. Furthermore, if it were made public, his family's name would be tarnished. In the case of nobles, being disowned or even having the family request a harsher punishment is not uncommon. If he were lying, it would be much safer to claim he had simply been blinded by money."
Jill started to say something more, but he stopped himself.
"No, it would be better to verify first. Now then, Yudum-dono, you will be coming with us. At Ryoma's request, we provided an opportunity for dialogue while we observed your actions. As a result, we believe your danger level is lower than initially assumed. However, we cannot release you immediately. We would like you to tell us a bit more in a separate room. You understand, right?"
"Of course."
At the end, I felt a pressure that said 'don't even think of saying no,' but considering the situation, that was only natural. I showed my intent to follow quietly, and he nodded, instructing us to move inside.
"Well then, Yudum-san, this is where I leave you."
"I see... Manager, thank you. Today was fun, and I appreciate you facilitating this."
"No, I was just confirming things I was curious about. I'll see you tomorrow."
With those final words, I parted from the manager and walked as guided, wondering what kind of punishment would be handed down. Along the way, a man named Hughes spoke up.
"What’s with that face? Are you regretting something?"
"I don't have any regrets," I replied.
The decision to work for His Majesty was my own. Even if it was just delivering trivial rumors, I felt pride in serving the crown as a noble. Above all, it was because of that job that I was able to live as I pleased. I had no regrets.
"But the sparring with the manager was fun. It’s a shame it turned out like this, even if it is my own fault."
"You both looked like you were genuinely enjoying yourselves," Hughes said.
"While those of us watching were on pins and needles," Jill added.
"Jill, don't be like that."
"No, I was opposed to it until the very end. Our priority is Ryoma's safety. A sparring match in private... Yudum-dono turned out to be honest, but what if he had taken Ryoma hostage?"
I chuckled. From a bodyguard's perspective, it was indeed careless.
"If the opponent is me, isn't that a needless worry?"
"Indeed, I know he possesses power that is extraordinary for his age. But there is always the 'just in case.'"
The man seemed overprotective, despite his harsh attitude. But my thoughts drifted back to the fight. The manager was stronger than I had imagined.
I had seriously pursued the path of combat and traveled to polish my skills. I was aware I was still a novice, but I had a fair amount of experience and had tasted both victory and defeat. I took pride in that. And yet, I had struck with everything I had, only to be perfectly countered. It was as if I were a child facing an adult.
Technically, I had felt something like an accumulated history in his movements. The training he must have endured to attain such proficiency... it came across as a physical 'weight' every time we crossed fists.
I had felt he wasn't child-like from the start, but toward the end, the boy in front of me hadn't looked like a child at all. Standing there was a single human being—an existence that had polished its skills for decades. It just happened to have the form of a child.
I might not even have understood my own thoughts. Maybe I was just exhausted. But strangely, that was how it felt. That was why I had no resistance to admitting defeat. I had no resistance to bowing my head, and the words had come out naturally. Meeting such an opponent was the goal of my journey and a joy beyond compare.
It was clear that the manager was truly cherished by the Ducal House. I didn't know what my fate would be—I assumed I would be fired from the laundry shop, at the very least. I might not be allowed near him again.
The next day, I found out.
"Good morning. Oh? Did you manage to sleep well?"
In a room at the security company where I had spent the night, the manager was waiting for me after breakfast. He acted as if nothing had happened at all.
"Yudum-san, this is sudden, but you're being reassigned. For the time being, instead of guarding the laundry shop, I’d like you to be my personal bodyguard."
...How did it come to this?