Episode 95

Rose was thinking about Jasper and feeling a little down. 

It was a sunny and clear day, but there was a cloud over Rose’s face. She shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her mind.

‘He’ll be fine. It’s not an extremely dangerous place. Yeah, there’s no way Conway would send Jasper to such a place.’

Rose tried to suppress the rising anxiety and walked towards the dormitory. However, her steps lacked energy, and her round shoulders slumped.

“I miss him…”

Rose mumbled absentmindedly and then abruptly stopped, surprised at herself. Even though there was no one around, she felt a strange sensation creeping in. 

A fiery feeling washed over Rose’s face.

To regain her composure, Rose lightly tapped her cheek with her palm. Her green eyes were filled with confusion.

It was an unfamiliar emotion, and she couldn’t control it properly. She constantly wanted to see him and worry about him. It seemed like she now understood why people in romance novels would scream their love for each other. 

Love is truly a strange emotion.

‘But when we meet again, what should I say?’

Rose’s eyebrows furrowed. It felt like there were too many things on her mind to simply say, “I like you.” She imagined that when she faced Jasper, her lips would stick together, and she wouldn’t be able to say anything. She was unsure about what to say first.

‘However, I still…’

Her desire to see him grew stronger. 

Even though she knew that her thoughts would become even more complicated when Jasper returned, she hoped she could see him soon, even if it meant getting lost in the chaos.

* * *

When the girl in the capital was in the throes of her first love, Jasper Conway sat at a bar reeking of cigarette smoke.

‘Disgusting.’

Jasper tried not to wrinkle his face too much. This place was an entertainment facility attached to a high-end hotel, where guests gathered to make noise, drink, and enjoy various amusements.

Drunk people were making a racket, and the air was stale. It was the type of place Jasper despised, but lately, he had no choice but to frequent it for his mission.

“Jasper! I won!”

At that moment, a man holding a pool cue approached Jasper, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him. Jasper responded with a mildly interested expression.

“Not too shabby, Ed.”

Ed. In the Empire, the man had been known as Edwin. The very target the Emperor had ordered Jasper to kill was standing right in front of him.

Edwin widened his eyes in a seemingly incredulous manner.

“I mean, I’m quite the pool shark in Valloch if I say so myself!”

“You can’t beat me.”

“Yes, yes. Understood, Master Jasper.”

Jasper addressed Edwin as if he were a close friend. In the past few weeks, Jasper had been through a lot.

George had been captured by the Redmark Summit and was sent back to the Empire. 

Jasper didn’t know how the gang would deal with George, but he hoped George would suffer as much as possible. If it seemed like he was living too comfortably, Jasper was even willing to personally ensure George experienced more pain.

Caleb, after helping George’s mission, had set off to travel alone, as was originally his plan, to the Republic. Left alone in Valloch after Caleb’s departure, Jasper began to seriously track Edwin.

Using the information obtained from George, Jasper discovered Edwin’s whereabouts. Edwin was staying in a hotel in Valloch.

Jasper went straight into the hotel where Edwin was residing. The Emperor had ordered Jasper to keep an eye on Edwin’s activities as much as possible before assassinating him.

Initially, Jasper considered tailing Edwin, but he quickly revised his plan. 

A skilled operative in direct service to the Emperor would surely notice if he was being followed. Besides, Jasper was always conspicuous, and he knew it well. He believed it was better to get close to Edwin rather than risk blowing his cover by clumsily tailing him.

“You sound like an Imperial. Want to play a game?”

As Jasper approached, Edwin had a look in his eyes that suggested he recognized Jasper. It was strange not to know the son of the Duke Conway when he worked for the Imperial family.

Jasper simply pretended to be an aristocrat who enjoyed gambling and having fun.

“I came here to have a good time without the family’s watchful eyes. I’ll be heading back when the fall semester starts.”

Edwin was initially cautious, but after watching Jasper gamble and seeing his skills, he began to trust Jasper’s words. Jasper was quite skilled at playing, after all. 

Soon enough, Jasper had become a well-known figure in the hotel.

Naturally, Jasper and Edwin grew closer. They chatted like friends and exchanged personal stories to a certain extent.

Edwin sat down next to Jasper, massaging his tense shoulders.

“Oh, I’ll be gone for a few days.”

“Where are you going?”

Jasper casually inquired while listening carefully to Edwin.

“A significant job has come up.”

Edwin had introduced himself as an ordinary mercenary. No one knew that he had worked under the Emperor. 

Edwin’s appearance and behavior perfectly embodied the rough mercenary persona. He had a talent for disguising himself while operating in the shadows of the Imperial family. 

Jasper stared at Edwin in silence.

‘…He looks oddly familiar.’

From the very first meeting, Jasper had felt a strange sense of familiarity in Edwin’s features, even though he had never met him before.

Edwin joked with a sly smile.

“Don’t miss me too much, Master Jasper.”

“Miss? Not at all.”

Jasper chuckled dryly.

‘This is an opportunity.’

During Edwin’s absence from the hotel, Jasper would have the chance to investigate his room. 

Jasper only wanted to extract as much information as possible and leave this noisy, filthy place as soon as possible. The pungent smell of cigarette smoke was unbearable.

The more time he spent in this loud and dirty environment, the more he longed for Rose Bell. Her distinctive hairstyle, her softly curving eyes, her delicate fragrance…

Jasper went through each element that made up Rose and made an effort to endure the present moment.

* * *

Sometime later, Jasper made contact with the Emperor through a private communication channel directly linked to the Imperial family. The purpose was to relay the information he had gathered about Edwin’s activities.

In principle, Jasper should have gone to a communication exchange to establish contact. However, Jasper possessed a personal communication device that was not yet available to the public. 

It was the size of a trunk and had been quite a challenge to obtain. 

Despite the Republic’s communication facilities, Jasper couldn’t contact the Emperor through them. He held the receiver and spoke.

“I haven’t seen Edwin making any suspicious contacts yet. He mainly meets with mercenary brokers. It seems he’s taking on jobs as they come and making money. His skills seem excellent, and he has a steady stream of work.”

On the other end of the receiver, the voice of a dignified woman could be heard.

-Living like an ordinary mercenary, is that it?

“Yes, Your Majesty. It appears that way on the surface. However, recently, when Edwin left the hotel, I searched his room and found a few documents.”

-What do they contain?

“They seem to be related to magic engineering. I found diagrams and formulas.

-Do you know what they’re about?

“I have some knowledge of magic engineering, so I could grasp parts of it. When I combined various equations and diagrams, it seemed like they were creating compounds using mana. It might be explosives.”

-I thought you were all about the sword. Your mind is quite capable.

As if surprised, the Emperor praised Jasper. Jasper smiled unconsciously. 

If it had been the Jasper of last year, the documents held by Edwin would have appeared in a foreign language. However, thanks to studying magic engineering to win Rose’s favor, he had learned enough to partially understand the documents. He recognized some symbols and operations, allowing him to make educated guesses about their content.

At that moment, Jasper felt grateful to Rose, who had enabled him to extract the core information from the documents without taking them. 

The Emperor let out a low chuckle before speaking.

-I roughly understand the situation. That guy is trying to make a living too. Probably, he was working on a new explosive at a Research Institute. It seems like he wanted to export that technology…

“There hasn’t been any contact with the Republic yet.”

-It’s not the Republic. I thought about seeking asylum in the Republic, but I’ve already taken care of that.

Jasper remembered when a heavily intoxicated Edwin sighed saying he wanted to become a citizen of the Republic, but it’s not easy.

-Baskirk doesn’t want to antagonize the Empire. At least not in recent years. The Republic hasn’t been stable for long. 

Recently, the Republic has been rapidly growing economically, but in terms of military strength, it can’t match the Empire. 

Even if the Emperor personally granted permission, accepting Edwin from the Republic would be seen as turning against the Empire.

-Now he probably plans to sell the Empire’s technology to a private company and make a profit. It’s best to stop this as soon as possible.

“If Your Majesty gives the order, I will eliminate him immediately.”

-Very well. Take care of that guy.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

-Don’t let your guard down. He may look like a brat, but he has one exceptional skill.

“I will do my best.”

Jasper replied calmly. If one becomes overly fearful of a strong opponent, they won’t win any fight.

-You have no fear, Jasper.

“I’m just doing what needs to be done.”

Then, the Emperor’s voice, tinged with amusement, returned.

-I’m curious about what kind of woman is driving you to this extent.