Adrian tugged at the collar of his buttoned-up uniform. The air on his skin finally relieved some of the stuffiness.
I don't usually pay much attention to it. I grew up in an environment where I was used to uncomfortable clothes. However, when I occasionally become conscious of the stuffiness, it feels like it's hard to breathe.
"...."
Adrian looked up at the castle.
A tall spire visible from anywhere in the capital. No building can be taller than the royal palace in Bastitera. It is forbidden by law to build one.
It is a symbol of authority. Commoners see the castle several times a day. They look up to it while going to the store, going to work at the textile factory, and going about their daily lives.
On the other hand, the eyes of angry people are not easily reached. Even if you include all the employees, there are probably only a thousand people. There are very few commoners who can step on the carpet of the palace.
However, the royal family spends a huge amount of money every year to decorate the interior. They invite famous ladies from high society and order them to make the luxuries even more luxurious.
To make the dishes shine even more. To make the stuffy clothes even more stuffy. After finishing her duties, the noble lady takes the money she has secretly taken along with the royal congratulations.
A series of processes have become routine.
-Bastite has been stagnant for too long.
Ainoa's words came back to life in his brain. Wrinkles formed at the corners of Adrian's eyes as he looked at the palace. He, too, was not unaware of the need for change.
But I still didn't like it.
'Why did I have to hear that from you of all people?'
To Adrian, Ainoa was the epitome of a stagnant Bastet. She was a woman who did not change and simply went with the flow.
It certainly was like that.
"Your Majesty, your complexion does not look good. Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing."
Adrian waved his hand, telling himself not to worry, and rested his elbow on the car door. He rested his face on his folded fingers and looked out the window with dull eyes.
"I'm a little tired. The atmosphere is still a bit chaotic."
"Even if Lady Ainoa is safe, it will be difficult for her to return to her original state overnight."
"Was Count Bedeloff's claim not entirely nonsense?"
"Are you talking about the coming of age ceremony? Well, it seems like there's an ulterior motive…."
"I'm sure it will be. I just don't know the purpose."
What would the Mountain Clan gain by harming Ainoa now? There is no merit. Rather, shouldn't they be launching a gift offensive to bring back the princess who is of good character?
"...It's very unpleasant."
The current situation was not very pleasant. It felt like some kind of big conspiracy was stirring under the surface. Even as the situation was shaking, he was being treated as a bystander.
"Gillian, how is the investigation of those Minos…."
Just as Adrian was about to turn his head.
"What is that?"
"예?"
I saw a shadow with its back to the sun on the roof of a four-story building. It wasn't far away. Even though the sunlight was distracting, I could still distinguish objects if I focused a little.
A box big enough for one person to fit in. The front is lined with dense iron bars. Because of the shadows, the inside cannot be seen. It just seemed like something was moving.
There was a person standing behind the box.
A thick jumper, two horns, and a mask that covers the face like something a child would wear. Of course, this is not a typical outfit.
A metal box placed on the edge of the rooftop and a monster with a hidden identity. It was at that moment that Adrian sensed something ominous. And sure enough, the sound of kicking iron could be faintly heard.
Boxes began to fall from the roof.
"That crazy…!"
"Oh, oh oh oh!"
Squeak!
The driver slammed on the brakes. The wheels left marks on the cement road, and the car came to a sudden halt. The bodies of the attendants and Adrian shook violently.
Kuung!
The box crashed to the floor. It didn't take just one hit to lose its momentum, so it bounced low a few times. Each time, it left a rough mark on the road.
The loud crash sent chills down my spine.
If you ask me if it was close, it wasn't. There was some room to spare. But what would have happened if I had landed on the bumper?
Fortunately, it was a road with relatively few pedestrians. It was a commercial district close to the royal palace. This was an area mainly visited by nobles or wealthy merchants.
"Your Majesty! Are you alright?"
"Okay, I'm fine. Don't be so excited."
Adrian had not missed a single training session in over a decade. He considered himself a trained warrior, even if he had never been on a battlefield. He could not possibly get hurt by bumping into the seat.
"You ran away in the meantime."
I checked the rooftop right away, but the monster had already disappeared. However, it wasn't something I could just let go of.
A criminal targeting royalty. This is not a petty crime.
"Call someone! They can't have gone far."
"I will call the guards. Your Majesty, it would be best if you left…."
"Nonsense."
Adrian ignored the attendant's persuasion and got out of the car. He was already feeling irritated, and now he was making such a ridiculous remark. He was more angry than afraid.
"Tell them to seal off this area immediately."
I tilted my head up to look at the rooftop, then lowered my gaze again. The box was badly crushed. Even the iron bars were shattered and the bars were sticking out in a mess.
Liquid flowed out of the box. Green and red. Too cloudy, too vivid, too sticky to be paint.
'What is that?'
Adrian approached to take a closer look.
And before I could even take five steps, my feet stopped.
A strange shape emerged from the broken box.
Eight eyeballs. A body made up of a head, chest, and abdomen that were all joined together. Even the hair covering the body resembled a spider. It was just monstrously large.
It was a creature familiar to Adrian. A monster named 'Speeder'. Although there are differences depending on the environment, the form itself does not deviate much from the basic spider.
Such common sense was paralyzed in an instant.
- Kick, keeeek… … .
The Speeder's body had human limbs attached to it. There were bars on the forearms, bones protruding from the skin from the impact of the crash, and mangled fingers.
"Huh, huh."
Adrian took a step back without realizing it. The sight of him crawling on the floor with joints that were no different from rags was terribly ugly. Blood from two different creatures spurted out.
After a while, the monster stopped moving.
The limbs that had been supporting the torso collapsed and stopped moving. It was dead. I could only realize this after watching it blankly for several seconds.
"우웁…!"
Adrian covered his mouth with his hand. He felt sick. This creature was physiologically unacceptable. Instead of anger toward the monster, he felt disgust.
And the question is.
'What on earth is going on in this Bastitera?'
* * *
Evening comes early in Bastitera. At around 4pm, when the sun was beginning to set, an uninvited guest barged into the Crystal Palace.
- Ainoa, Ainoa!
A loud scream rang out from outside the salon door. Ainoa, who had been lying on the sofa with her legs stretched out, raised her upper body with a jerk.
Sighs were a bonus.
"I don't know why they are so undignified."
"You too."
Kim Yi-hyeon was a little dumbfounded. He thought that someone who was subject to assassination attempts every day could be so peaceful. It would have been impossible for him.
"You're surprisingly strong-hearted. You said you had no appetite, but you ate lunch well."
"I feel more hungry than usual. Why is that?"
Maybe it was because I ate with other people, Ainoa thought to herself. Certainly, at some point, Kim Ihyeon no longer felt difficult.
'It hasn't even been that long since we met.'
It's actually comfortable. I feel protected when I'm with him. Although I don't really want to tell him.
Bam!
The door opened as if it was going to fall. Adrian's fierce eyes scanned the room. When he found Kim Yi-hyun, his gaze became even fiercer.
"...Were there any guests?"
"Yes, excuse me."
"It's not very desirable for a man and a woman to be together at this time."
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still not used to the time difference."
Kim Lee-hyun responded in a tone that showed no remorse at all.
"time difference?"
"Let's see, it's… 4:42 now. I've rarely been to a country where I have to be careful about my behavior. It's hard to get used to the culture."
"I don't know what you mean by this, but if you need it, I can assign you a tutor. I happen to have someone handy. He's particularly well-known for teaching etiquette, so he'll be a great help."
"Thank you for your kind words."
He smiled faintly, saying that he would think about it. Adrian clicked his tongue. That attitude, which seemed to say, 'I will show you the minimum level of courtesy,' was very irritating.
It wasn't their first meeting.
I once spoke to them as a representative of Dustborn. It was the day that they were treated as guests due to Ainoa's strong insistence.
I didn't like it from the first impression.
The fact that he looks unusually tough for a Minoan.
"So what's the matter, brother?"
Ainoa intervened at the right time. Adrian suppressed his rising irritation and entered the room. He then laid out the photographs on the table.
"What is all this?"
"This is a picture I took a little while ago. On the way back from an inspection, an animal cage fell in front of the car. I was so shocked that I couldn't find the culprit...."
He stared at Kim Yi-hyeon with his mouth hanging open. He just glanced at the photos, as if he was interested. His reaction was not particularly suspicious.
"That's where this creature popped out."
The image of the monster appeared in Adrian's mind again. It was like a human hand and foot that had been artificially connected and was writhing. It was difficult to even call it a living thing.
"There has never been an incident like this before. The country has gone mad since you disappeared and came back…!"
Adrian spat it out as if chewing.
"I must know. Ainoa, what the hell is this? What are you, what are you guys thinking? How much of a mess do you plan to make of this country!"
There was no trace of concern for her younger brother. Ainoa knew that too, but it was too new for her to be disappointed. She didn't really feel any kinship with him either.
In the first place, Ainoa was the one who came up with this plan. If she had any affection, she would not have chosen such a violent method.
It was effective because there was no line to be drawn.
"I don't know what kind of misunderstanding you have, but I see."
Ainoa dragged the photo with her index finger.
A photo showing the monster's appearance from the front.
"I'm not completely unaware of this."
"As expected…! Explain, where did this come from…."
A serious conversation began to take place.
The confused older brother and the serious younger sister explaining. Kim Yi-Hyeon looked at the siblings in turn and smiled inwardly.
'It was a good thing I went through the trouble to bring it.'
The 'sample' I had brought from the lab just in case turned out to be more useful than I thought. With this, I was able to successfully attract Adrian.
Now it was time to draw the sword.
'Before that, let's get rid of the variables.'
It would be difficult if the target is found not guilty even once.