I Am the 5-Year-Old Spy Who Kidnapped the Villain - Chapter 5
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 5】
“That condition. Don’t you think it’s a bit harsh for a child?”
The next day. A peaceful afternoon in the study.
Nox, who had been pondering all day, asked Callipus, who was sitting at his desk handling business.
“What is.”
“I don’t mind, but if it becomes known that Your Grace made such a contract with a 5-year-old, it might damage your public image.”
“Ah.”
Callipus replied indifferently.
“Beheading?”
“…I deliberately spoke in roundabout terms, but when you say it so bluntly, it’s frightening.”
“Who?”
“Me.”
Nox’s blue eyes behind his monocle widened.
That’s right.
The additional condition Callipus had proposed to the 5-year-old was ‘beheading if she fails to find the princess.’
It was an unbecoming condition for the Croste Duke, protector of the Frozen Kingdom.
“It wasn’t even a seriously written contract to begin with. How dull.”
“Then it was a joke?”
Callipus replied indifferently.
“I was just playing along.”
“What if the kid was lying? Would you really proceed with the beheading?”
“I have no intention of cutting off the neck of something whose blood hasn’t even dried yet. I just wanted to see her reaction.”
“Her reaction?”
“That kid.”
He answered with an unconcerned expression.
“If this were a joke, she would have gotten scared and backed out of the contract. So I just tested her once.”
Though he spoke casually, coldness swirled in the red eyes behind his mask.
As a result, Aisha didn’t even flinch when she heard his condition.
Her fern-like hands seemed to tremble slightly, but the child had an expression that said she was prepared for this much when facing Duke Callipus.
That was the problem.
That Aisha wasn’t joking.
If that child’s words were true, then Eve would be in the Kingdom of Odtia right now.
‘Precisely, in an orphanage near the Andra Swamp in Pose Duke’s Domain.’
Just thinking about it made his temples throb.
Originally, the two kingdoms had signed a peace treaty in the face of their common enemy, the demons.
This was because the Crosht Ducal Family’s freezing ability had erected a massive ice wall to prevent demon intrusion.
However.
The Kingdom of Odtia’s behavior had been strange lately.
They kept crossing the Frozen Kingdom’s borders without permission, and released bandits into small villages as if checking the Frozen Kingdom’s security status.
The peace treaty formed to eliminate demons was gradually cracking under Odtia’s precarious provocations.
In such a situation, he had to send a visit letter to the Kingdom of Odtia.
“Let’s send a message first.”
This was a problem and that was a problem, but since he had no choice, he personally sent a message to the Pose Duke.
A few days later.
“This is absurd.”
Nox frowned as he read the message.
“They say coming to Pose Duke’s Domain is fine, but absolutely no escort knights, and you can only bring exactly 2 attendants. And in return, they want you to hand over the Crim Plains.”
“Those bastards.”
Callipus’s gaze darkened as he let out a low sneer.
The Crim Plains were territory that the Crosht Ducal Family had defended in the territorial war with Odtia 10 years ago.
But he had no choice but to agree to the obviously unfavorable conditions.
His child was far more important than territory.
“Tell them I’ll visit in a week.”
Nox was shocked.
“…Pardon? Please reconsider. Territory aside, asking a noble to visit without escort knights? This is the same as telling you to enter a tiger’s den alone.”
“Tell them I’ll visit.”
But Callipus firmly declared and stood up from his seat as if the conversation was over.
More precisely, he tried to stand up.
“Oh, and that kid.”
“The kid?”
“Yes. That kid named Aisha. Look into her background. She said she was at the same orphanage as the princess, but it’s strange how she got here.”
“Hah, finally you’re giving me an order I like.”
Nox sighed in relief at finally hearing a rational command—
“No.”
“Yes?”
Callipus suddenly stood up and wrapped himself in a robe.
It was the robe he used when taking garden walks, the only time he could walk around with his mask off.
“I’ll find out myself.”
A kid was a kid.
Rather than having knights interrogate and investigate, approaching disguised as a gardener might be faster.
“Whaat?! Y-Your Grace!”
Bang—!
Nox belatedly followed Callipus, but all he faced was a closed door.
Hah.
“…Everything’s fine, but when it comes to his children, he loses his reason…”
Nox slowly sighed as he washed his face with his dry hands.
In fact, everyone except Callipus acknowledged it.
That the missing children were already dead.
* * *
A peaceful afternoon. The Croste Duke’s Annex.
My mouth, which had been chewing bread, creaked to a stop.
“That kid told His Grace about the princess’s whereabouts, right?”
“Yeah. That’s why His Grace is causing a fuss about going to the Kingdom of Odtia without escort knights.”
“My goodness. Isn’t that just going to die?”
“I wish His Grace wouldn’t get caught up in such nonsense. It hasn’t been long since the demon subjugation ended.”
On this peaceful afternoon.
Under this clear sky.
“…Really, because of that kid.”
The maids who sighed glanced at me as they passed by.
This is driving me crazy.
‘It’s not even gossip behind my back, it’s open gossip in front of me. I don’t know how to react.’
And they’re even right about it.
I sat there like I was dead, feeling like I was on a bed of thorns. Now even eating bread felt sinful.
After contracting with Duke Callipus.
The rumor that I had discovered the location of the direct princess spread in an instant. The problem was that the servants didn’t want that.
‘I’m screwed. I thought they would definitely be happy about it.’
Come to think of it, the Frozen Kingdom and Kingdom of Odtia were in a bad relationship.
In the midst of that, Duke Callipus was causing a fuss about visiting the Kingdom of Odtia without escort knights… so the castle atmosphere couldn’t help but be bad.
But I had my own grievances too.
‘No, doesn’t Duke Callipus think at all? Why is he thinking of just barging into the Kingdom of Odtia?’
I glared fiercely as I bit into the bread.
After careful consideration!
After finding the Kingdom of Odtia’s weaknesses!
Shouldn’t he use that as leverage for negotiations?!
Of course, that’s what Callipus would normally do.
But I had overlooked that he was more obsessed with his children than I thought.
Now there was no choice.
‘I really have to stay quiet as a mouse until we find the princess.’
So my current goal.
Until we find the princess, pretend not to notice the maids’ sharp gazes.
‘Good. I’ll be like a shadow.’
Having made up my mind, my bottom started wiggling toward an inconspicuous shade.
“Hmm~ What’s this? Why is this little one acting like this? Doesn’t she have an assigned maid?”
Thud-
Along with a familiar voice, something caught on my bottom.
‘What?’
Breaking out in a cold sweat, I looked around.
A maid’s leg was blocking my bottom as I desperately searched for a way to survive.
When I looked up like that.
“If no one’s in charge of this child, I’ll take care of her~”
Dorothy stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at me with the expression of a predator eyeing its prey.
I was doomed.
Completely doomed.
“Eek!”
“Be quiet, little one.”
A short scream escaped my mouth as a merciless hand suddenly grabbed the back of my neck.
At first, I had entered recklessly with only my goal in mind.
But thinking about it, there were more than a few things to consider after entering the Croste Household.
Duke Callipus’s condition. The atmosphere of the ducal castle.
And even Dorothy, the spy who had infiltrated beforehand.
‘Is this the life of a 5-year-old? Isn’t this child abuse?’
I wanted to complain to whoever created the original novel.
No, I wanted to argue with the god of this world who made me possess a spy extra in the first place.
What exactly do you want from me? What did I do so wrong?!
“Eek!”
As I was thrown into her empty quarters and fell on my bottom, sharp laughter came from across the room.
“You’ve done something quite cute, haven’t you? Pose Duke is very pleased right now.”
My bottom is really working hard today, seriously.
I rubbed my aching bottom and struggled to get up from my spot.
More precisely, I tried to get up.
“Thanks to your cunning little scheme. I’ve become like a kite with a broken string.”
Thud-
Suddenly her index finger touched my forehead and I sat back down on the floor.
“…?”
I looked up at her with a frown.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means the rolling stone displaces the embedded stone. Didn’t you already learn such simple metaphors during spy training?”
“Ah, yes, I know that. But if things go well for Pose Duke, isn’t that good for you too?”
Since the mission was almost over, she could return to the Pose Duke’s family and be recognized for her work as a spy.
Thump!
However, Dorothy stamped her foot as if my words were absurd.
“Pose Duke has given me orders to return! Think about Duke Callipus’s position. Do you think he’ll easily agree to a deal that even he thinks is ridiculous?”
Ah.
My eyes automatically widened at the meaningful words.
‘…I think I understand the situation now.’
Belatedly understanding the situation, I automatically swallowed dry saliva.
The Pose ducal family would currently be in a festive mood. Since Callipus said he would visit the Pose Duke’s domain on his own without escort knights.
But there was a problem.
There was still time left until that visit.
‘So Pose Duke would try to eliminate anything that could be used against him during that short time.’
For instance, a spy who had been infiltrating the Croste ducal family for 6 years.
A spy…
‘In this situation, if Dorothy is discovered to be their spy, it would be a loss for them, so they want to quickly take her back.’
It was cunning beyond measure, but that’s probably how the Pose ducal family survived for so long. It made sense.
Wait a minute.
Then something occurred to me and I stared at Dorothy with round eyes.
‘But that weakness is right in front of me, isn’t it?’
Dorothy flinched, sensing my gaze.
“What are you looking at?”
“….”
“What are you looking at, little one!”
“Oh, nothing.”
‘I think I’ve found quite good prey.’
Quietly swallowing the rest of my words, I clenched my small fist.
And-
“Thinking that sister ended up like that because of me… I, I’m so sorry… waaaaah!”
“…Why are you suddenly acting like this?!”
When I burst into tears with acting skills so possessed they could be mistaken for mania, the flustered Dorothy clutched her head.
‘My job now is to stay quiet like a mouse?’
No.
My goal has changed now.
My goal is to expose Dorothy’s true identity.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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