Chapter 42: At any cost
"What’s the matter, ma’am?"
At that moment, we were driving past a shopping street with lots of different stores, tightly packed together.
"I’m going to pop into a store for a moment. I want to look for some new clothes for Lionel."
As soon as I mentioned his name, the boy involuntarily flinched and looked at me.
"Okay. In that case, maybe I should go with you? I know a thing or two about fashion and can give you some advice if you need it."
"Um, yes, if it’s not too much trouble."
At that moment, I turned to the boy, who had been listening to our conversation the whole time.
"Lionel, could you wait for us in the carriage? We’ll be back soon."
He responded and nodded obediently.
"Of course, ma’am," he said quietly.
When Serpens and I entered the small atelier that first caught my attention, its owner immediately approached us.
"Hello, sir, ma’am. How can I help you?"
"My mistress is looking for clothes for a boy of about twelve. Do you have anything suitable?" Serpens answered for me.
"Yes, of course! We just received a new collection of children’s clothing. Please follow me."
"A new collection of children’s clothing"? Maybe there’s something for Ruby there too?
As soon as the thought of Rubielle crossed my mind, I sighed again. If I started looking for outfits for her now, it would obviously take longer than expected. I didn’t want to make Lionel wait alone in the carriage for too long. So...
"Well, after all, Ruby and I can come here together next time. Then she can choose what she likes."
"Here you go, these are all the available options that you can order or buy right now. Let me know if you like anything."
"Yes, okay."
After the saleswoman left Serpens and me to serve other customers, we absentmindedly looked at a row of mannequins in the children’s clothing department. They were wearing outfits from the latest collection, both casual and formal.
"What do you think, ma’am?" the man asked me.
"I’ll just leave it up to your taste."
"Really?" he said, somewhat surprised.
"You said yourself that you know a lot about fashion, didn’t you?" I remarked. "So just pick a couple of suitable suits for Lionel for now."
"After all, he’s your son, isn’t he?"
"Okay... As you say."
Without hesitation, Serpens chose several outfits that he thought would suit Lionel well. Hearing his choice, I just nodded and called the owner of the atelier back.
"Ma’am, have you made your decision?" she asked.
"Yes, please pack them up."
"Of course, right away!"
Meanwhile, while the owner of the atelier was bustling about like a bee, packing the outfits we had chosen, the man next to me quietly addressed me again:
"Lady, we are alone now. Can you finally tell me the truth?"
"What truth do you want to hear?"
"The real reason why you decided to take custody of this child," he said seriously. "I’m sure you definitely have some kind of plan."
Ahem... Actually, I didn’t have any plan at all to begin with. What can I say, I wasn’t going to do any of this!
Nevertheless, in order not to look strange in Serpens’ eyes, I still had to explain my position to him. Fortunately, in moments like this, my brain really worked very quickly.
"Well, you’re right," I agreed. "Actually, I was thinking of making this boy our spy in the imperial palace in the future."
"A spy?" he asked, stunned.
I coughed, calmly continuing to spout the nonsense I had just come up with.
"When he grows up, he will pass the exam and enter the service of the imperial palace. In this way, Lionel will be able to report to us in a timely manner on all the emperor’s actions and at the same time set traps on behalf of our organization, while remaining unnoticed."
After my ridiculous excuse, which I had come up with in just a few seconds, the man spent the next few seconds pondering my words. And then...
"Madam, your plan... It’s truly brilliant!" he finally sighed in admiration.
"Hmm. Really?"
"Is that why you chose this particular child?" Serpens pressed. "Because he is an orphan with no parents or documents, and in case of any suspicions, the empire will not be able to find anything against him?"
"Huh? Y-yes, that’s right..."
"In that case, have no doubt, I will do everything I can to support your plans!" Serpens said enthusiastically.
"..."
"I will devote these years to raising this child to be the perfect spy, who will become our eyes and ears in the imperial palace."
"...Yes, okay," was all I could say in response.
After finishing our shopping, we left the atelier and headed back to the carriage. On the way back, thinking about what had happened, I could only sigh deeply.
"In the end, I had to turn one of the main character’s love interests into a spy for a villainous organization..."
Needless to say, I had already lost count of how many times this game had deviated from its course.
And I could only guess where this unpredictable road would lead me next...
At least I decided to make Lionel our "spy" for a reason. That way, at least I would have a reason to send him to the palace later and let him meet the heroine.
Yes, I still hadn’t given up on these pathetic attempts to preserve at least something of the original concept of this game.
Although, it seems to me that all my efforts have long since become futile.
At the same time, an unknown shadow in a dark hood concealed its presence when Lady Weinstein and her subordinate left the atelier.
"We will have to report everything to the master."
***
At the top of the magical tower, towering above the ground, there was an almost deathly silence.
Here, where the air was saturated with ancient energy and the walls glowed with the faint light of runic patterns, even breathing seemed too loud.
A servant in a dark robe stepped cautiously across the cold marble floor until he finally stopped in the middle of the hall. Then he knelt, bowing his head in a deep bow. His breath came out in short clouds of steam — it was always cold at this height and in this place, as if the tower itself rejected the warmth of the living.
"My lord," he said in a muffled voice, trying not to look up. "As expected, everything turned out exactly as you predicted."
At the far wall, by the wide panoramic window, stood a figure in a purple robe. Its silhouette was slender, almost fragile — in the dim light of the magic crystals, it resembled a teenager more than an adult. A gust of wind rushed into the hall through the half-open door, ruffling the hem of the robe and knocking a strand of dark hair out from under the hood.
"So she took the child?" The voice coming from under the hood sounded unexpectedly young, but there was a cold authority in it that made one shiver involuntarily.
"Yes," the servant confirmed quietly. "The boy is now in the care of Lady Weinstein."
The words hung in the air, and in the next second, a ringing silence fell over the room.
The master of the tower was silent for a long time, looking at the city spread out below him. From this height, the capital looked like a living creature — the twinkling lights of the streets, smoke from the chimneys, the soft glow of the lanterns in the squares. It all seemed so peaceful... and yet so alarming at the same time.
"...In that case, that’s wonderful," he whispered.
Kha!
At that moment, the stranger in the purple robe coughed violently, spitting up blood. The hood fell from his head, revealing dark, wavy hair. The boy clamped his hand over his mouth, which was still bleeding.
"My lord!" the servant exclaimed in alarm. "Are you all right? Has it happened to you again?"
"It’s all right," the boy raised his hand, stopping the servant who had already rushed to his aid. "It’s just a little blood."
"But..." he faltered. "My lord, this has happened several times before... and ultimately it could end badly for you. Are you sure you should continue participating in this?"
"Definitely," the boy replied seriously. "I know exactly what I’m doing."
Unwittingly feeling nervous because of his serious gaze, the servant finally gave up and backed away.
"...All right, as you say, sir."
"If that’s all, then you can leave me. I’ll call you later."
"Yes, sir."
When the servant left him alone in the room and closed the door behind him, the boy, who was actually the most powerful archmage in the empire, stared intently out the window.
The blood that had just flowed from him stained his entire robe, and with it came incredible pain. But the boy tried not to pay attention to it until the very last moment, as if it were not the most important thing.
"As expected. My interference with the laws of this world, of course, cannot remain without consequences." He smiled mentally, continuing to endure the pain that was the price for his actions.
But even at that moment, he had no regrets.
"Well... I must hurry, I don’t have much time left. Now, the only one left is Richard de Stone, His Majesty’s nephew..."
The boy clenched his fists tighter, full of determination.
"This time... I will make sure to stop her at any cost."