On the second day after arriving in the Royal Capital, Lock took Vier and Clementine out for a walk through the city streets.
As for Brain, he had already disappeared early in the morning. Judging by the direction he went—and his barely concealed excitement—he was almost certainly seeking out Gazef Stronoff.
Clearly, he intended to show off.
Although this would inevitably expose part of their combat capability ahead of schedule, Lock did not stop him. Brain had not yet fully integrated the power granted by the ritual. In his current state, even a Tiger Knight would still overwhelm him.
If anything, letting him clash now would only distort the Royal Family's judgment—useful confusion before the Royal Tournament.
"This is the Royal Capital?" Clementine scoffed as she glanced around, her crimson eyes filled with disdain.
"It looks like a provincial town. So this is the Kingdom everyone fears? How laughable."
Her gaze slid toward Lock, sharp and probing.
Was she insulting the place—or testing him?
Lock gave her a brief look.
"The Kingdom has numbers, not control," he replied calmly.
"The Royal Family governs only a fraction of the nobles. With the revenue from a few cities and villages, this level of maintenance is already the limit."
It was not praise.
It was a statement of fact.
Vier nodded lightly. "If Master ruled instead, every city would resemble Eivenburg."
Lock chuckled. "Naturally."
It was not arrogance. It was certain.
The Re-Estize Kingdom had only seventeen cities in total. Lock alone possessed thirteen underground cities—self-sustaining, fortified, and stocked with relics accumulated over twelve years.
Even Ainz Ooal Gown could not match him in raw wealth.
Clementine clicked her tongue, watching the master and maid exchange words like this, unable to find a way to insert herself.
"Tch… how disgusting."
"Hm?"
The lock suddenly stopped.
Vier followed his gaze—and immediately recognized the figure ahead.
"Master," she said quietly, "isn't that the Princess's attendant from yesterday?"
"That's right," Lock replied.
"He shouldn't be wandering outside the Royal City without orders. Something interesting must have happened."
He smiled faintly.
"Let's follow him."
The young man ahead was Climb, dressed plainly, his Mithril armor conspicuously absent. Likely an intentional choice—such equipment would draw too much attention even among Adventurers.
Climb walked quickly, his expression tense, completely unaware that three predators were trailing him with ease.
In his mind, the image of Lock Kote Albert replayed again and again.
Yesterday, after returning from the audience chamber, the Princess had shut herself in her room and cried.
She had told him everything.
The engagement.
The political bargain.
The frontier baron who would become her fiancé.
Absurd.
Utterly unacceptable.
How could a border noble—no matter how powerful—be worthy of the Kingdom's most precious jewel?
More importantly…
She didn't want it.
Climb clenched his fists, staring at his scarred hands.
He had trained endlessly. Bled endlessly.
And yet… he was still weak.
Too weak to protect her.
Too weak to refuse the King's decision.
Too weak to stand in that man's way.
If this was all he amounted to—
Then what right did he have to stand beside her at all?
Lost in his thoughts, Climb entered an inn.
Lock, and the others followed, taking a seat nearby.
At a round table sat two figures.
One was a towering woman, her arms thick with muscle, presence overwhelming.
The other was cloaked completely, face hidden behind a white mask.
Gagaran and Ibirui of Blue Rose.
Lock immediately recognized them.
Gagaran—slightly inferior to Gazef without royal equipment, but ferocious in close combat.
Ibirui—the team's true core. A vampire surpassing level fifty, though still utterly irrelevant against Lock's forces.
"Yo! Virgin!"
Gagaran raised her mug and shouted, drawing glances from the entire inn.
No one intervened.
They were Blue Rose.
Climb flushed but still approached, bowing stiffly.
"It's been a while, Ms. Gagaran… Lady Ibirui."
Gagaran grinned savagely. "What? Came to get flattened again?"
"No—no. Lady Lakyus sent me. She said there's an urgent operation. She'll explain when she returns."
"Hm." Gagaran nodded. "Got it."
The conversation shifted to Climb's training.
When Climb requested guidance from Ibirui, she dismissed him coldly.
"You have no magical aptitude."
The words cut deeper than any blade.
From nearby, Lock observed silently.
So it had begun.
This was precisely the moment when Lana was mobilizing Blue Rose against Eight Fingers—the Kingdom's underground syndicate.
Drugs. Slaves. Assassins. Money. Smuggling.
Eight departments. Eight cancers.
Lana intended to excise them all.
Ambitious—but insufficient.
If Lock wanted the Kingdom's underworld, this was the perfect entry point.
And then—
Thump!
Gagaran slammed her hammer down on Lock's table, splintering the wood.
"Hey! Pretty boy!" she snarled.
"What's your deal, tailing our virgin?"
Vier shifted instantly—but Lock raised a finger.
"Vier."
He looked calmly at Gagaran.
"That's quite an accusation. We're just customers. Do you have proof?"
Gagaran sneered.
"Don't bullshit me. Everyone here's an Adventurer. Nobles don't wander in dressed like that."
Her eyes sharpened.
"You've been watching us. Confess."
Climb stepped forward, anger flashing in his eyes.
"Baron Lock—what is your purpose in following me?"
"Oh?" Gagaran glanced at him. "You know this guy?"
"Yes," Climb said stiffly.
"He's Lady Catherine's brother. Baron Lock Kote Albert."
Recognition flashed across Gagaran's face.
"So it's you."
The one who marched in with Magic Beast Knights.
Her lips curled.
"Well then… pretty boy."
She leaned forward, pressure radiating from her body.
"How do you compare to your sister?"
A dangerous silence settled over the inn.
Lock smiled.
And at that moment—
Every member of Blue Rose felt it.
Not killing intent.
Not hostility.
But something far worse.
Absolute confidence.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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