Chapter 4
Evelyn stood with her arms crossed, thinking for a long time.
But she couldn’t figure anything out.
“Forget it.”
That wasn’t the important part.
She could slowly investigate her grandfather’s true identity later.
Right now, saving Grand Duke Grasias came first.
The first idea that came to her was to send a letter.
At that time, anonymous mail existed.
As long as a letter had a stamp on the envelope, it would be delivered.
She could write her name if she wanted to.
But somehow, she didn’t want to.
Grand Duke Grasias’s reputation was simply too terrible.
A warning letter from a complete stranger…
If she were in his position, she would immediately try to find the sender and verify whether the information was true.
She had heard that her grandfather knew the Grand Duke.
But she had nothing to prove it.
If things went wrong, she might end up captured and have something broken, just like his other victims.
Besides, I don’t even know which military unit Grandfather served in.
She had asked him before.
But he never wanted to talk about it in detail.
Perhaps the war had been so horrifying that he wanted to forget it.
That was why she had never pressed him further.
Now there was no way to prove she was telling the truth.
And she certainly couldn’t tell him she had seen the future in a dream.
Whether he believed her or not…
It would be dangerous either way.
Still… I don’t have any other choice.
Maybe an anonymous letter would work if she wrote it carefully.
Evelyn deliberately changed her handwriting.
Then, after lightly disguising herself so no one would recognize her, she dropped the letter into a mailbox far away from her house.
***
But even after several days passed…
Nothing changed.
“Why?”
The Emperor’s birthday grew closer and closer.
Yet the Grand Duke was still attacked in her dreams.
Did the letter even reach him?
Maybe it had been lost along the way.
She had heard that with so much mail passing through the capital, letters sometimes disappeared.
Just in case…
She sent several more.
Still…
Nothing changed.
Only then did Evelyn realize something.
I don’t have enough information.
There was information that someone who had just arrived from the countryside simply couldn’t know.
She needed someone who did.
At this rate, all she would accomplish was sending useless letters.
Luckily… I do know an information broker.
Well…
More accurately, it was someone her grandfather had known.
She had no idea whether he was still working.
But she had nothing to lose by checking.
So she confidently left the house to see if he was still in business.
It was unfortunate that she couldn’t enjoy this outing under the current circumstances.
Still…
She had always been curious about information brokers.
Now she finally had a chance to meet one in person!
And so…
Evelyn headed into the back alleys of the imperial capital.
The back alleys appeared often in the stories her grandfather used to tell.
Because of that…
Evelyn knew.
They were places where countless stories began…
And ended.
There was also one type of person who always appeared there.
Street thugs.
The kind who swaggered around looking for easy victims to rob.
Sometimes they drove innocent people into despair.
Sometimes they ended up miserable themselves.
Occasionally…
They even served as stepping stones for the growth of some great historical hero.
“Hey there, little miss.”
“You look like you’ve got some money.”
So when a thug appeared…
Evelyn wasn’t surprised at all.
Of course.
This is exactly where they should appear.
She calmly nodded.
Then reached into the bag slung over her shoulder…
And pulled out a gun.
Although swords and other melee weapons were still the norm, weapon technology continued to advance.
One result of that progress was the firearm.
Of course…
It wasn’t an easy weapon to use.
The bulky gun came with numerous restrictions.
It could hold no more than six bullets at a time.
There was also a delay before each shot fired.
As inconvenient as that already was…
There was an even bigger requirement.
The user had to be able to use mana.
Mana was required for everything.
Operating the gun.
Reducing the firing delay.
Continuously supplying mana to keep it functioning.
Because the weapon had been created jointly by an alchemist and a mage…
That requirement was unavoidable.
For that reason, firearms weren’t especially cost-effective weapons.
But apparently…
The thug didn’t see it that way.
Then again…
Anyone capable of deflecting bullets would already have to be highly skilled with weapons.
“W-What?”
“Is that a real gun?”
The thug looked at Evelyn nervously.
Most people capable of using mana were nobles.
So his reaction was only natural.
“Yes.”
Evelyn nodded.
Then calmly raised the gun toward the sky.
Bang!
One shot.
That was enough.
“Ahhh!”
The thug immediately turned and ran away.
Evelyn didn’t chase him.
She also needed to leave quickly.
Some people would run when they heard a gunshot.
Others would come to investigate.
Recalling the directions her grandfather had once told her, Evelyn hurried through the winding alleys.
Before long…
She found the old tavern she had been looking for.
A faded sign depicting a bizarre monster swayed above the entrance.
She grabbed the half-broken doorknob and pushed it open.
The door creaked loudly.
The inside looked just as old as the outside.
Some chairs had clearly been repaired after breaking and stood unevenly.
Dust covered the decorations on the walls.
Still…
The tavern appeared to be open.
A middle-aged man stood behind the bar.
The moment Evelyn saw him…
Her eyes sparkled.
He really does look exactly like Grandfather described!
Narrow eyes.
A broad nose.
She had definitely come to the right place.
She shyly walked over and whispered,
“I’d like one Dead Dragon, please.”
The man’s already narrow eyes became even thinner.
“Not a Red Dragon?”
Red Dragon was a fairly famous strong liquor.
But that wasn’t what Evelyn wanted.
She shyly held up three fingers.
Her grandfather had told her exactly what to do.
First, ask for one drink.
If the bartender questioned her…
Show three fingers and say this.
“Yes.”
“Dead Dragon.”
“Two glasses.”
The man still looked suspicious.
But he didn’t ignore her.
He opened a door behind the bar and motioned for her to follow.
“This way.”
Evelyn followed him down a long hallway.
At the end was a small room.
Unlike the run-down tavern outside…
This room was surprisingly clean.
She tried to remain calm.
But her heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
An information broker really does have a hidden room!
And now…
She was actually inside it.
No matter what…
She had inherited a little of her grandfather’s adventurous nature.
She enjoyed new experiences.
The man sat down first.
His expression became serious as he looked at her.
“Please, have a seat.”
Evelyn sat across from him.
The narrow eyes that had barely been open suddenly widened.
“So.”
“What brings you here?”
She answered calmly.
“I need information.”
“Heh.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place.”
The information broker grinned.
He rubbed his hands together eagerly.
The serious demeanor he’d shown moments ago disappeared completely.
“What kind of information do you want?”
“If necessary, I can even find out what kind of underwear a noblewoman prefers!”
If he can even find out something like that…
Learning about the Grand Duke should be easy.
Evelyn smiled brightly.
“I need information about Grand Duke Grasias.”
She spoke shyly.
Still smiling…
The broker asked,
“…Who?”
“Grand Duke Grasias.”
“…Who?”
“Grand Duā”
Before she could finish speaking…
The broker suddenly grabbed both sides of his face and screamed.
“AAAAAAAH!”
“Ah! Ah!”
“I didn’t hear anything!”
“I heard nothing!”
He leaped to his feet.
Like a dying insect, he frantically ran circles around the room.
Then he rushed to the door and checked that it was securely locked.
After that…
He pressed his ear against the wall.
It looked as though he was listening for anyone outside.
What a strange person.
Even while Evelyn thought that…
The broker still didn’t stop.
This time, he climbed onto a chair to inspect the ceiling.
His whole body trembled.
Evelyn simply blinked, still having no idea what was happening.
Finally…
The information broker took a deep breath.
