Chapter 6

“Hello, father. …Is Leon here?”

“Ah, it’s you, Christan. You’ll find him in the back. He should be tending to the fire.”

It was Christan Rozite who had come to Fluffy Fenard, a bakery in the town of Sol.

Harui Fenard looked at his son-in-law and smiled.

Christan had married his daughter Eina several years ago.

“The fire… So, he must have finished his report then.”

Christan said. Harui folded his arms and nodded.

“Though, he was groaning when I started making the dough. But don’t worry, I didn’t raise him to do a half-assed job.”

“I’ll go and see then. …Ah, yes. I heard a little rumor. You’re going to come out of retirement once Leon goes to the capital.”

“I’m not sure what they want from an old man like me, but I suppose I owe it to them.”

“You’re too modest… No one who lives in this town has forgotten what you did.”

“Well, take it easy on me when I do return to work.”

“No-no. I’m sure you still have much to teach us. Everything is…”

“Aye, everything.”

“Well, I’ll go check up on him then.”

“Aye. Come back here when you’re done. I’ll give you leftovers from yesterday. You’re going back home, aren’t you?”

“Haha. Thank you. …Eina will be very pleased.”

Harui was the former Right Hand of Sol, and Christan was a Right Foot who lived in the neighboring town. While they were family now, they were also old friends.

And so Christan headed to the back of the bakery with much familiarity.

◯

“Leon. Are you in here?”

“Ah, brother. You’re really early.”

My brother Christan just called me ‘Leon’ when he wasn’t on the clock.

But he called me ‘little brother’ during missions. This was for security reasons.

“A carriage is going to leave soon. I thought I would take it if the report was finished.”

“You’re so serious about work. I bet you’re going to be running during the night as well.”

“Of course, I am. It’s my job to deliver information as quickly as possible.”

“Well, I did finish the report…here it is.”

It had taken a lot out of me to write it.

I had kept the envelope on me until now, and I now passed it on to him.

“Let me see it.”

“Go ahead.”

He looked inside and said, ‘Hmm. I suppose it will do,’ in his usually snooty way. Then he put it in his breast pocket.

It was written so that it would be fine if someone else saw it.

All the names of people and places were replaced with other words, and the phrasing was also quite distinct.

No one would find it particularly interesting.

“I’ve been hearing rumors of the Grim Reaper returning.”

Rumors… Where were they coming from?

“Strange that you should know. You’re not from the same department.”

“Well, I’m a Right Foot. As someone who acts as a bridge, all kinds of information naturally flows my way.”

I’m sure he would have been told when the time came. But it was hard to imagine that he knew it in advance.

It’s not like father or I said anything.

So, was it Her Majesty the Queen?

“You know, there are people in this town in the same line of work as me that I don’t even know.”

I knew there was one Right Hand in the northern part of town.

And there was one in the center and one to the south.

“Ah. Well, I am forbidden from telling you such things.”

The Queen’s Shadows were separated into various departments and they did not know of each other.

If one department was caught by the enemy and destroyed. At least the other departments might still survive since they were not connected. At least, that was the reasoning.

Christan himself said he knew nothing about what was going on in the other seven great cities.

“I don’t really mind, though.”

While sometimes I worked with help, I preferred to act alone.

And I doubted there would be many missions in the future where we moved as a group.

“Alright, I have your report now. …Ah, yes. You’ll stop by my town on the way to the capital, won’t you? You must visit the shop then. I’ll tell the wife that you will.”

“Fine. Give my sister my regards.”

“I will. Until we meet again.”

Christan waved his hand and then left.

“The capital, huh… The last time I went, there hadn’t been any time to sightsee.”

Three years ago. It was the day I turned 14.

Father took me to meet the queen so that I could take his place.

It was a bitter memory. I had messed up on the way back and returned to this town as if running away.

I was looking forward to seeing the royal capital again, but considering my mission, I also felt a little heavy.

“…Whatever will be will be.”

I decided not to think about it.

About my future…about being a Dragon Master.