Chapter 19
19
I carefully pushed open the creaky door.
As befitting the name 'Rune Antique Shop,' the inside was filled with all sorts of old and mysterious objects.
"Excuse me."
"Welcome."
As I stepped inside, an employee greeted me with a smile.
I looked at the employee.
He was a young man with green hair, neatly dressed in a suit.
'A suit in an antique shop.'
It seemed like an odd combination, but the man stylishly pulled off the mismatch.
"Are you looking for anything in particular?"
He asked.
I glanced around the place.
An old music box, a pen with all its feathers plucked out, a diary whose owner was unknown...
There was nothing worth buying.
'Not that I really came here to buy anything.'
Having finished looking around, I said to the employee,
"I've come to steal the moon."
"......!"
At my words, the employee's eyes, which had been smiling brightly, widened.
The employee stared at me for a long time, then walked past me and locked the door of the shop.
I quietly watched what he was doing.
Soon, he turned around with a flourish, and as if he had never been serious, he smiled brightly and said,
"We have a special guest."
"Will you guide me?"
"It seems like it's your first time visiting, but you're very skilled. Were you introduced?"
"......Do I have to answer?"
"Of course not. As you already know, we value 'information' more than anyone else. We don't touch it carelessly."
The employee, answering leisurely, pulled back a thick curtain that was attached to the wall inside the desk.
Then, an arched passageway appeared.
"This way, please. The Master happens to be inside."
"......I'm lucky."
I answered quietly and followed the employee inside.
The hallway was quite long.
I walked behind the employee, reminding myself of where this was.
It wore the mask of 'Rune Junk Shop,' but in reality, this was the Empire's number one information guild.
If you gave the password, you could enter the guild's true form.
The passwords were divided into ranks, and 'I've come to steal the moon' was the highest-level password that allowed you to meet the guild master.
As such, very few people knew this password.
'That's why he was so surprised when I said the password.'
The reason I knew the identity of this place and the password was simple.
'Because it was in the book.'
To be exact, the male lead, the Crown Prince, often used this place when he was trying to dig up information about the Temple.
'In other words, you have to be at least Crown Prince-level to meet the Master.'
I looked at the back of the employee's head.
He was pretending to be nonchalant, but he must be very curious about my identity right now.
'I can't tell him.'
Compared to being on par with the Crown Prince, I was too ordinary, which could lead to unnecessary suspicion.
Fortunately, this place wasn't as violent as other guilds.
The only thing they dealt with here was information.
A single piece of information was treated as more valuable than a million gold coins here at the Rune Information Guild.
There was no way they would harm someone who might have a lot of information.
"This is it."
How long had we been walking down the hallway?
The employee stopped in front of a door finished with bright red velvet.
"The Master is inside here."
Gulp.
I swallowed nervously.
No matter how non-violent the guild was, it was still the Empire's number one guild.
Naturally, tension followed.
"Open it."
I spoke calmly, not showing my nervousness.
The employee, looking at me with strange eyes, opened the door.
"Then, I hope you have a satisfactory time."
Click.
The door closed softly.
I raised my head.
The room was small and simple, not befitting the reputation of a guild master.
It was full of books and maps, and the wine-colored carpet on the floor showed signs of age.
"It's been a long time since I've had a guest."
I was admiring the room when I was startled by a voice and turned to look.
A man was sitting crookedly behind a large desk.
The room was dark, and he was wearing a half-mask, so I couldn't see his face well.
"......Are you the guild master?"
"Yes, I'm 'Lemon,' the guild master here. Do you like lemons?"
Do I like lemons? That was a sudden question.
I shook my head.
"They're sour, so I don't like them."
"Oh, that's the charm. Please, sit there."
He pointed to the sofa in front of the desk.
As I sat on the sofa, he personally brought tea.
The black tea smelled fragrant, but I didn't touch the teacup.
"Try it, it's brewed with the finest tea leaves."
"......I don't have time. I'd like to get straight to the point."
"You're a busy person. You must have an important appointment."
At his probing tone, I stared at him silently over my hood.
He shrugged without looking embarrassed and continued,
"What kind of request brought you to me directly? Tell me."
"I want to sell information."
"Hmph?"
The man's eyes lit up as if he was interested.
I took out the paper I had written last night from my chest and handed it to him.
The man opened the paper with a look that seemed to ask what it was.
Soon, his eyes widened.
"This is......"
"It's information about the family that smuggled the Poisonous Akaban Herb."
At the word 'Akaban,' the man flinched.
His smile deepened.
"It seems that you know about the recent incident in the Imperial Palace."
At those words, I lowered my gaze.
'Of course, I know.'
The incident that happens around this time.
The attempted poisoning of His Majesty the Emperor.
Someone tried to assassinate the Emperor by putting a colorless and odorless poison in his food.
Thanks to that, the Emperor had one foot in the afterlife before barely managing to save his life.
Moreover, Akaban could not be detected even with silver, so its cultivation was strictly prohibited by continental law.
If you were caught cultivating or smuggling it, it was a first-class crime that could lead to execution.
Therefore, the Imperial Family was secretly investigating those who had cultivated or smuggled Akaban.
'How do you know such a top secret that only the Emperor's closest aides would know?'
That was why I bothered to wear a hood.
There was no point in having my face revealed.
'If the Rune Information Guild was a violent guild, I wouldn't have even set foot here.'
So, this is how the original story's information is used.
'I should make good use of the original story's information in the future.'
That was the only weapon I had right now.
I raised my head again and looked at the man, Lemon.
I couldn't see his face well because he was wearing a mask, but I could see his eyes thanks to the closer distance than our first meeting.
'Green......'
They were green eyes reminiscent of lush greenery.
Then the man raised his head.
"If this information is true, there will be conditions. You're not here to donate, are you?"
At those words, my shoulders stiffened.
Yes, as he said, I wasn't here to make a donation.
I took a short breath and said in a clear tone.
"Please pass that information on to Eden Aquillium in the name of the Rune Information Guild."
"What? Hahaha!"
I quietly stared at the man, who was laughing so hard that he put his hand inside his mask to wipe away tears.
The man's laughter didn't last long.
The man, who had readjusted his crooked mask, fixed his gaze on me and tilted his head slightly as he spoke.
"Who are you?"
"......"
"Who are you to know that Eden Aquillium is leading this case? That's information that only the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Saintess, and the High Priest would know."
"......"
"Hmm, let's see. You're not His Highness the Crown Prince, and you're not His Majesty the Emperor? No way, and you're not the High Priest? No way."
The man's deep green eyes flashed with a strange light.
He asked with a deep smile.
"Are you perhaps the Saintess?"
It wasn't a provocative or sarcastic tone.
He seemed to be asking half-seriously.
That's how unbelievable it was that I knew this information.
'If my identity is revealed, I could be mistaken for a spy.'
It would be impossible to know this much information unless I was a spy from another country.
But this was an information guild.
Even if my identity was that of a spy, this place would welcome anyone as long as they had information.
"If you don't accept the offer, I'll be on my way."
But I didn't want to play along anymore.
'Class is starting soon!'
Vincent had finally opened his heart and said he was waiting for me, so I couldn't be late.
Just as I was about to get up without any regrets, the man wavered for the first time.
"It's hard to understand. It seems that you have a reason for this information to reach the Temple, but aren't you being too relaxed? What if we don't accept this information?"
At those words, I turned to look at the man.
Soon, I chuckled, and the man flinched.
"Because you won't refuse."
"......"
I raised my chin as if I was being somewhat arrogant.
Because I knew it was time to gain the upper hand.
"Isn't the Rune Information Guild the one who benefits if you connect with the Temple with this information?"
"......Huh."
The man let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.
"Are you perhaps His Majesty the Emperor?"
"Don't joke around."
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
The man's eyes sank deeply.
