Chapter 50

Juet Acrobat Troupe.

Taking the motto 'Best in the Empire, Best on the Continent', they were a performance troupe that truly boasted the most outstanding skills.

At least, that's how it appeared on the outside.

The countries of the West had always feared the Cordis Empire.

Even though the Drako Great Mountain Range stood between them, it was because they knew that if the Empire intended to cross it, they could do so at any time.

The thousand years that Cordis had reigned as the hegemon of the continent was the history of the West's fear.

The West, which feared the Empire, had constantly trained spies and spied on the Empire.

Without doing so, there was no way to soothe their fear.

The Juet Acrobat Troupe was also one of the products of that fear.

On the outside, an acrobat troupe, but in reality, a group of spies gathered from various countries of the West.

The seemingly comical acrobats were all the best operatives from the West.

Henry Horbi was no exception.

“Yes, that's right, in three days! I look forward to three days from now!”

He was the illusionist and public relations officer of the Juet Acrobat Troupe.

His role was to delight the eyes of the customers with fire and smoke, to make the performances splendid, and to attract people with his handsome features.

In reality, he was a high-ranking operative of the Erta Security Bureau, and because of his overflowing pride, he sometimes felt a sense of self-loathing, but he was faithful to his role in the acrobat troupe.

“You can all look forward to it. No, you must look forward to it!”

He wandered around the square, creating butterflies of fire and the like.

In three days, the Juet Acrobat Troupe will come, so look forward to it, with a cheerful voice and a broad smile.

Though he didn't like it at all on the inside, he didn't show it.

This too was the virtue of an excellent operative.

Whether there were people or not, he continued to shout.

The weight of the wooden board on which the Juet Acrobat Troupe's performance list was written was considerable, but he endured his desperate desire to go back to his lodgings and rest.

It was not a matter of a day or two.

“Excuse me, mister.”

“Hmm?”

As he was shouting diligently, a kid came close.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, handsome features that made it hard to tell if he was a girl or a boy.

He couldn't have been more than ten years old.

He was mumbling something, and from the wrapping paper in his hand, it seemed to be candy.

“You're working hard. That wooden board looks heavy.”

“It's not hard at all. Because I am a member of the Juet Acrobat Troupe!”

Henry Horbi hastily wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The blue-eyed kid, mumbling his candy, blurted out.

“Liar.”

“It's not a lie.”

The kid didn't even pretend to listen.

There was even a hint of pity.

The kid fumbled in his pocket and then handed something over.

“You must be tired, have this at least.”

“Huh? Yes, I'll eat it with thanks.”

He had wondered what he was handing him, but it was a candy wrapped in paper.

Henry Horbi accepted it in a daze.

“You, you're quite cute……”

Henry Horbi's hand, which was unwrapping the candy, stopped.

It was because something was written on the inside of the wrapper.

It was not the imperial language.

No, it wasn't even ordinary letters.

The Nord code, devised and used by the Western operatives, and more specifically, by the Erta Security Bureau.

The content was extremely simple.

[Contact requested. I will visit in six days.]

“……!”

Henry Horbi, who had read the content, swallowed the candy and the wrapper in one gulp, lest anyone see.

His throat hurt a little.

He turned his head with sharp eyes.

“Kid, you, this candy, who……”

Huh.

Henry Horbi let out a sound of bewilderment.

“…Where did he go?”

***

Six days passed.

The Juet Acrobat Troupe had come to Penren.

There had been several performances, and they were enough to satisfy the citizens who had been disappointed by the next emperor's procession.

Outside the performance tent, the cold wind was sharp.

Henry Horbi, for some reason, felt the round glasses perched on the tip of his nose were cold and wrinkled his nose.

Since everyone had gone in to watch the performance, the outside of the tent was bound to be deserted.

It was hard to feel alive while being exposed to the cold wind alone.

Even for a high-ranking operative of the Erta Security Bureau, there was nothing he could do.

He sucked on his pipe and just puffed out smoke.

“Mister.”

“You scared me!”

At the sudden voice, Henry Horbi jumped.

When he turned around, there was a kid with blonde hair, blue eyes, and handsome features.

The kid greeted him politely.

“Hello.”

“…We meet again.”

“What are you doing here? It's cold.”

“…Mind your own business.”

Henry Horbi sniffled.

Dammit.

His nose had started to run.

The kid, unaware of Henry's feelings, smiled faintly and opened his mouth.

“Today's the last performance, right?”

“Yes. We were originally planning to stay for a week, but Penren is quite unsettled.”

“Then are you leaving now?”

“I have to.”

Henry glanced sideways.

There was a gaze watching them.

Though they were dressed as imperial officials, their identity was the Security Bureau's Special Operations Unit.

Why on earth were they in a place like this?

From a spy's perspective, they were the most troublesome people, so they had no choice but to drastically shorten the performance schedule.

“Please take me with you.”

“Huh? I was wondering what you were going to say……. Absolutely not. Go home.”

A soft laugh escaped.

No matter which city he went to, there were always kids like this.

He had seen dozens of children who, captivated by the splendid acrobatics, asked to be taken along, even if it was just for menial work, and of course, he hadn't taken them.

There was no way he would take a child just because they asked.

That was the case even for an ordinary acrobat troupe.

But the Juet Acrobat Troupe was a spy group in disguise.

How could he take an imperial brat?

He puffed out smoke and waved his hand.

“More importantly, bring me the one who gave you the candy back then. Who told you to give that to me?”

“Who else? I was the one who gave it to you, mister.”

“Don't talk nonsense.”

“What nonsense.”

The blue-eyed kid snickered.

“That's why I came to see you after six days, right?”

“……!”

The hand that had been sucking on the pipe stopped.

The kid had a smiling face.

However, those blue eyes were sunken.

A coldness that was hard to believe belonged to a child was in them.

The kid, sensing Henry's gaze, slowly raised his hand.

The kid scratched his forehead three times with his index and middle fingers.

Then he naturally moved his hand and touched his earlobe.

At first glance, it looked as if he were unconsciously moving his hand because of the cold weather.

But Henry knew the meaning of that gesture.

He couldn't help but adjust his round glasses.

“Don't tell me……”

That was the emergency identification code used by the Erta Security Bureau.

It was used by operatives to recognize each other when under surveillance.

The Juet Acrobat Troupe often supported Western operatives who had infiltrated the Empire.

But was this kid also an operative?

No matter how he looked, he was only about ten years old?

“…Is it you?”

“The Special Operations Unit's attention is still focused on the performance.”

The kid spoke nonchalantly.

“So before that, I'd like to see the person in charge.”

“……”

Silence.

Henry Horbi, as befitting a high-ranking operative, quickly made a judgment.

Regardless of its authenticity, this kid had approached them with the Erta Security Bureau's code.

If so, it was no longer a matter for him to decide.

“…Follow me.”

***

Henry Horbi led the kid to the side of the performance tent.

There were many small tents that the members used as lodgings.

When he entered one of them, a woman's voice was heard.

“Who's the kid, Henry?”

The woman had a large scar on her cheek.

Still, her neat features were not hidden.

Henry approached the woman who was scratching her scar and whispered cautiously.

“The one from the note I told you about a few days ago……”

“…This kid?”

The woman looked at me.

No matter how she looked, I was just a kid, but she needed to check.

“Alright. I'll talk to him. You can go.”

She didn't bother to add the words to monitor the movements of the Special Operations Unit.

It was his duty that he had to do without being told.

Henry Horbi left the kid and left the tent.

Only the scar woman and the kid remained.

The woman swept back her red hair and gestured with her eyes.

“Kid, what's your name.”

“Please call me Shion.”

I, Shion Pollinglight, smiled brightly.

“What's your name?”

“How bold. I'm Helena. The vice-captain of the Juet Acrobat Troupe.”

Vice-captain?

I tilted my head slightly.

The woman paid it no mind and continued.

“You want to join our acrobat troupe?”

“That's right.”

“If I say the word, it won't be a problem. The captain… no, the captain is always away, so I'm practically the captain.”

Helena stood up from her seat.

She was quite tall.

It seemed she wouldn't be outdone even when compared to a decent male knight.

She scratched her scar and approached me.

“But I heard a strange story, kid.”

“I told you, it's Shion.”

“Kid, you gave Henry a candy?”

“Yes, I did.”

Helena's voice dropped low.

The coldness in it was so strong that it sounded sharp.

“I heard there were strange letters written on that wrapper, do you know anything about it?”

“Hmm?”

“And just now, you even made a strange gesture.”

She was suddenly beside me.

Looking down from her tall height, the pressure was considerable up close.

The fact that I was small even for an eleven-year-old also played a part.

“You seem to have some misunderstanding about our acrobat troupe, would you mind explaining what misunderstanding you have?”

“It would be easier for me to answer if you told me what kind of answer you want.”

“What kind of answer would I want? Think about it yourself and tell me.”

Helena snapped her fingers with a click.

A faint light was added to the lamp that was lighting the tent.

A certain wave that couldn't be felt by anyone but someone like me also spread out.

I noticed that she had activated a barrier device of the Western operatives called a ‘Concealment Lamp’.

“But you'd better think carefully.”

There was a cold sensation in my throat.

It was because Helena was pressing a short dagger against my neck.

Just from the touch, I could tell that the blade was sharp and blue.

“Because whatever happens in here now won't leak outside.”

“……”

“Even if a kid disappears, no one will know, and it's not an uncommon thing for us.”

Killing intent was in Helena's eyes.

I didn't know how this kid knew the Erta Security Bureau's code.

However, it was clear that she couldn't just let me go like this.

Feeling the blade pressing against my neck, I snickered.

“Ah. You finally turned it on.”

“……?”

It felt as if the atmosphere had changed.

The child's innocent voice had become strangely sly and she put strength into her hand.

She had tried to give me a light wound on my neck to frighten me, but she couldn't.

It was because I was suddenly several steps away.

At first, she thought I had moved.

However, Helena soon realized.

She had been pushed back.

Probably about four steps.

Even if she tried to approach, she couldn't.

‘The Unclosable Twenty Steps’.

It was my, Shion Pollinglight's, second Ars.

“Hey, Helena.”

I, who had pushed Helena back, said with a frown.

It was not at all the attitude of a child.

He began to act high-handedly, as if he were her superior.

“No, Helen Pel!”

“……!”

“You should have turned on the ‘Concealment Lamp’ as soon as I came in. I was dying of frustration from acting like a child.”

The name Helen Pel made her bewildered.

It was because it was an alias she had used in another mission.

However, she was the vice-captain of the Juet Acrobat Troupe.

A skilled operative.

Hiding her bewilderment, she asked nonchalantly.

“…I don't know what you're talking about, kid.”

“Ah. Enough. I won't act anymore. I'm formally requesting emergency protection.”

The smile of a liar.

“This is the will of the Dawn.”

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