TOPWL 255

After he finished the makeup, Bagon wore a satisfied smile. Yudit looked at his reflection in the mirror and touched his cheeks. Though only lines had been drawn on his skin in places, natural-looking wrinkles had formed.

“Mind your posture. Middle-aged women don’t stand quite so stiffly.”

“Ah, right.”

Yudit quickly adjusted his posture. He stuffed a bundle of cloth into the right places, and he instantly transformed into a middle-aged woman in her mid-forties.

“Your skin is a bit smooth, but it should be fine unless someone looks very closely.”

Still not reassured, Bagon lightly dusted sand onto Yudit’s face. Bagon stuffed cloth into his belly and arms, disguising himself as a plump middle-aged man. His hunched posture and lifeless eyes made him look nothing like a knight. At best, he might pass for a defeated soldier.

Yudit marveled anew at Bagon’s disguise skills and adjusted his own clothing. Meanwhile, the other knights had also finished disguising themselves. They were the ones who would protect Yudit while pretending to be passersby. A mud-covered soldier approached them.

“We’ve finished scouting the path leading to the back alley. The road was clear, and there were no knights or soldiers in sight.”

“Good work.”

Yudit confirmed everyone was ready and began pushing through the overgrown bushes ahead. Unruly, tough weeds brushed against the uncovered parts of his body. They saw a hole in the wall just large enough for a person to duck through when they cleared the last thicket. Darkness lingered for a moment, then bright light flooded down upon Yudit. 

The back alley at midday was quiet. Rubbish was scattered everywhere along the crumbling walls, and plump rats rummaged through the foul-smelling [visit our site]trash. The alley was usually quiet during the day, and this side seemed to have little foot traffic, so beggars didn’t come here either. 

Yudit walked the alley, mindful of his posture. From this alley to that alley, from that alley back to this alley. 

Bagon watched Yudit weaving through the alleys with slow steps. He found it fascinating.

“You know your way around here well.”

“Because this was my cradle.”

Yudit gazed at the familiar back alley scenery and spoke in a nostalgic voice. Soon, Yudit reached the candy shop. He had feared it might have vanished entirely with the redevelopment, but fortunately, it remained just as it was, a shop on the brink of collapse. Yudit let out a sigh of relief.

Jingle. The bell rang, but the clerk didn’t respond. Yudit approached the clerk and spoke.

“Where is Mr. Kishijo?”

“Mr. Kishijo will be here tomorrow.”

“It’s urgent. I really need to see him.”

At Yudit’s words, the clerk wearing a single-lens monocle lifted his head and looked at Yudit and Bagon. He seemed to be sizing up the disguised figure. Yudit pretended to remove his glasses and wipe them on his clothes. The clerk murmured “Ah,” when he saw the purple iris and rose from his seat.

“In that case, please wait inside for a moment.”

The clerk led Yudit and Bagon into a room.

The place the clerk took them to was a small room with only a table and chairs barely large enough for four adults to sit. The dim, sunless room smelled musty, and multiple layers of cobwebs hung in the corners of the ceiling.

The clerk turned on the light, told them to wait a moment, and brought tea.

Yudit stared at the steaming tea, and the clerk remarked.

“It’s not top-grade, but it’s decent tea. They say it’s good for pregnant people and children too.”

Yudit, who had been immediately found out about his pregnancy, scratched his neck awkwardly before taking a sip of the tea.

The slightly tart tea was refreshing.

“What information are you seeking?”

“I’m curious about the weather in the capital so far, and what it will be like going forward.”

“It has been raining continuously in the capital. A drizzle with the sun peeking through hazily. With so many clouds, it’s hard to say when the sun will shine, but the wind is coming, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“The wind… which direction is it coming from?”

“It seems to be coming from several directions, including the north.”

The moment he heard the answer, Yudit’s expression relaxed. The conversation just now wasn’t simply about the weather. The sun represented the emperor, and the rain and clouds represented the empress. The wind referred to external forces beyond them, and a wind blowing from the north meant the Northern Grand Duke, Khalid.

Khalid was alive. That alone made him breathe easier.

The clerk before Yudit was the second-generation Kishijo. While he usually sold candies laced with poison and drugs at his candy shop, he also ran an information guild. Yudit himself had often sold minor pieces of imperial information to pay for his medicine. Things like Reginald’s new hobby or the food Hiore liked. He paid precisely according to the value of the information. He also kept the identity of the informant strictly confidential. That was why Yudit came here, not to other back-alley informants.

Yudit pulled a pouch from his bosom and handed it over. The clerk, seemingly uninterested, gave the pouch back to Yudit.

“Why…?”

Yudit blinked at this unexpected behavior, for he was always a man who kept his accounts perfectly straight.

“Because you’re a regular.”

He wasn’t the type to do this. As Yudit looked at him suspiciously, he smiled. Then, he actually pulled something else from his coat and held it out to Yudit.

“……?”

What he handed him was a map. A map revealing every alleyway and secret passage leading into the imperial palace. It was meticulously detailed, even including the newly constructed stolen contentdistrict from the second competition. Yudit stared at the clerk with a perplexed look. If this map was real, it was also the thing he needed most right now.

“I thought you might come someday, so I kept it ready.”

“Why are you giving this to me…?”

Stunned by such good fortune, Yudit asked.

“I simply wish to choose those who will preserve our foundation over those who would tear it down without batting an eye.”

The clerk sounded displeased. The resentment over the demolished slum still ran deep. This was both a stroke of luck and a warning. Even if Yudit became emperor, he must stand with those who preserved. Yudit nodded and tucked the map into his bosom.

“Thank you for the kind gift. I’ll remember.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

Yudit paused briefly before speaking cautiously.

“Well… right now, I’m only thinking about the weather. I wonder which direction the north wind is blowing, and if the sun might peek out from behind the clouds.”

It was a question about Khalid’s location and whether the emperor could be saved.

“I don’t know the visit our site direction of the north wind, but I might be able to tell you a way to make the sun come out.”

“……Can you tell me how?”

The clerk remained silent even to Yudit’s question. This meant the rest would cost money. Yudit handed over his money pouch. The clerk took it, pulled out a notebook, wrote something down, and handed it to Yudit.

“Go to this place. They say an employee there named Forna is very knowledgeable about the weather.”

The note he handed him bore the name of a tailor shop in the city center. It was a place Yudit had seen many times before. Feeling he’d gained more than he’d bargained for, Yudit felt like kissing the clerk’s cheek.

“Thank you so much.”

“Yes. Is there anything else you need?”

“Not for now. I’ll come back if I think of anything else.”

“Understood. The tailor closes at five, so if you plan to visit, I recommend going as soon as possible.”

He glanced at his watch; the hands pointed to twenty past four. With time tight, Yudit jumped up from his seat.

“I’m deeply grateful for your kindness.”

“Take care.”

He stepped outside and began walking along the road. The initial stretch was familiar and manageable, but halfway through, he was confused by the new paths. This was the area Hiore and Reginald had renovated. He hadn’t been around here since then, and the unfamiliarity seemed to disorient him.

The buildings were opulent, reflecting the vast sums poured into them, but the lack of people made the place feel desolate. Most buildings were already shuttered, and the glass windows, which must have cost millions of kes to install, were completely shattered. 

Yudit frowned at the sight of the street, which looked like a ghost town. When it was a slum, it might have been a bit shabby, but it was a lively street with people selling snacks and others piling miscellaneous goods high on carts to sell. He was furious at the hypocrisy of beating and killing people to drive them out and build these structures, only to abandon them once their purpose was served. He understood why the clerk had angrily given him that precious map for free. Yudit sighed and picked up his pace, but Bagon suddenly wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

“Soldiers.”

Yudit lowered his head at Bagon’s whisper. He glanced sideways and saw the Crowd emblem embroidered on their cloaks. They were the empress’s people. Yudit took a deep breath to calm himself down, gripped Bagon’s waist, and walked on. He hoped they would simply pass by, but the soldiers insisted on stopping Yudit.

“Hey. Where are you headed?”