Love Letter From The Future-Chapter 337: Bread and Dagger (35)

Senior Neris arrived earlier than expected.

It had only been a day since I’d been staying at the military camp in the Coniferous Forest. At dawn, I received a summon from her and stepped out of my tent.

It was, as always, a discreet call.

The Imperial Intelligence always carried devices that emitted subtle sound waves. These would resonate with specific objects—one of which being the insignia I carried close to my chest.

The Imperial Insignia, engraved with a dragon.

It was proof that I was one of the Emperor’s closest confidants, entrusted with a branch of the Imperial Intelligence Agency. Although, truth be told, I had no idea how I had come into possession of this insignia.

I only heard a rough explanation from the Sword Duke.

Apparently, ‘I’ had caused a commotion in the interrogation room of the main unit of the Imperial Intelligence Agency.

Of course, it wasn’t really me—it was the doing of my future self. After all, I didn’t have the skills to pull off something like that.

He was, in any case, quite a remarkable individual. Naturally so, since he was playing the hero in the future.

I, however, still didn’t have the confidence in living the way he did.

Casting away everything, one by one, and walking a path of sacrifice for the world.

I currently lacked both the ability and the resolve for that.

For now, I was just taking care of the tasks I needed to do, one at a time.

Meeting with Senior Neris today was part of that.

The Coniferous Forest was practically enemy territory. Not only did we have to be wary of the Elves, but even Yuridina’s military camp had to be viewed with suspicion.

To call it a worst case scenario wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

On the front lines, every piece of information was vital—because the presence or absence of reliable intel could mean the difference between life and death. Yet here I was, being told not to trust even our own intelligence network.

That left me with no choice but to summon another ally.

Senior Neris, at the very least, wouldn’t betray me.

She was one of the few who knew about the existence of my ‘Dragonblood Scripture.’ She understood better than anyone else what it would mean to oppose me.

Proving this, Senior Neris always displayed an obedient attitude toward me and today was no exception.

A shadow dropped from a tree as soon as I stopped into the outskirts of the military camp. A woman immediately knelt before me and spoke in a respectful tone.

“Sorry for being late, Sir Ian.”

In truth, she had arrived earlier than I expected.

I wasn’t sure what kind of training my future self put her through, but Senior Neris always seemed overly tense when in my presence.

From my perspective, it felt somewhat unfair. After all, hadn’t I only ever treated her kindly?

Well, except for that incident during our first meeting, when I spilled whiskey instead of water on her.

Of course, that didn’t mean I intended to go into every little detail. I simply swallowed my bitter feelings and offered Senior Neris a gentle compliment.

“No, you’re actually earlier than I expected. Thank you for going through the trouble of coming all the way to the North.”

At my words of praise, Senior Neris flinched, and then looked up at me with a puzzled gaze.

Her eyes were filled with disbelief. It was a clear sign of how she perceived me in her mind.

I had grown accustomed to this kind of treatment by now, to the point it didn’t even sadden me anymore.

Instead, I decided to get straight to the point.

“Senior Neris, let me be direct—I need your assistance with gathering information.”

She didn’t offer any reply.

She simply quietly waited for my next instructions.

“Someone is deliberately cutting off information meant for Senior Delphine. We need to identify the main culprit and also gather intel on the Elves’ Cult.”

“Yes, understood.”

Her answer came without a moment’s hesitation.

Her tone was so resolute that it made me feel foolish for having agonized over what to say next. For a moment, I became speechless.

Meanwhile, Senior Neris seemed perfectly composed, as though this were only natural. She calmly added a few more words.

“However, there’s something I’d like your permission for. I took the liberty of bringing someone along, thinking they might be of help...”

“Do as you see fit.”

Now it was Senior Neris’s turn to fall silent.

Her breath seemed to catch for a moment, and then she looked at me with a peculiar gaze—a look filled with complex emotions.

Regardless, I chose to show her my trust.

Since Senior Neris trusted me, I intended to trust her as well.

Besides, I had the reliable support of the ‘Dragonblood Script.’

“After all, this is the task you’ve agreed to take on. Besides, if I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have called you here in the first place.”

Rather than feeling reassured, Senior Neris seemed even more uncomfortable with my praise.

After hesitating for a while, she lowered her head even further and replied.

“O-Okay...”

Was it just my imagination, or did her cheeks seem slightly flushed?

Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, I clapped my hands together as if suddenly remembering something and added,

“Oh, and could you also keep an eye on Her Imperial Highness for me?”

At my words, Senior Neris looked puzzled for a brief moment.

Though, of course, it was only for a fleeting moment.

Realizing her lapse, she immediately bowed her head again.She didn’t ask why, even though I told her to watch over a member of the Imperial Family.

Her lips seemed dry as she ran her tongue over them before answering.

“Y-Yes! I will respectfully comply.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t mean for you to closely monitor her... It’s just that I’ve been concerned about her lately. There’s always a chance she might end up in danger, you know. Since she carries the dragon blood, just keep track of her general whereabouts and report back.”

It was a rather awkward excuse, to say the least.

I simply hadn’t had enough time to come up with a better one. The truth was, I wasn’t entirely sure why I wanted the Princess monitored.

But if even the Saintess wasn’t the witness to that night’s events, then naturally, the only remaining suspect was the Princess.

And her behavior last night had seemed a little... unusual.

She was someone that, for various reasons, I couldn’t help but be concerned about. Of course, using official authority for this was another matter entirely.

I decided to console myself with the thought that it wasn’t an ‘order.’

Yes, it was just a ‘request.’

Just a small favor exchanged between two people.

As I tried to ignore the voice of my conscience with such reasoning, Senior Neris cautiously asked, watching my expression.

“Um, Sir Ian? May I introduce the person I brought along...?”

Ah, I unintentionally let out a faint exclamation.

I had completely forgotten. Assuming she’d handle it on her own, I hadn’t paid much attention to the fact that she had brought someone along. Naturally, it was only proper for her to introduce them to me.

I immediately nodded.

“Yes, of course. Please go ahead. But who exactly did you...?”

It was then that I sensed a hesitant presence of someone.

It was just behind the tree where Senior Neris had been hiding. I hadn’t sensed it until now, likely because I had let my guard down. But from behind the tree, I could now hear the faint sound of breathing.

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Perhaps I hadn’t noticed earlier precisely because there wasn’t the slightest hint of hostility.

Not to mention, the person’s presence itself was exceedingly faint.

My eyes naturally turned toward the source of the sound. There stood a petite girl with gray hair.

She looked somehow familiar.

Furrowing my brows in thought for a moment, I soon guessed her identity.

“......Aviang?”

It was Aviang, the Elf with whom I had shared a brief encounter before.

Her skin bore no visible scars, indicating her treatment went smoothly.

That was a relief. Since she was a girl, I’d tried my best to avoid leaving noticeable scars and it seemed my efforts had paid off.

What caught me off guard, however, was the outfit Aviang was wearing.

It was attire that any noble would immediately recognize.

Whether living in a manor or a castle, nobles never dirty their own hands. There were always those who performed such tasks for them.

The servants.

To be precise, the outfit Aviang was wearing was one typically worn by maids.

Perhaps ashamed of her attire, Aviang’s eyes were brimming with tears. Her body trembled with indignation, conveying her resentment.

And it was understandable.

Aviang had strong pride in her identity as an Elf, which meant she harbored deep hatred toward humans.

And yet, here she was, forced to wear the uniform of a maid serving them.

It was nothing short of cruel.

I shot a slightly exasperated glance at Senior Neris, but she only looked back at me with a smug expression.

She proudly introduced the girl to me.

“This is Aviang, the maid who will be serving you for the next few days, Sir Ian.”

And then Aviang, on the verge of tears, knelt before me.

Bowing her head completely, she displayed an attitude of utter submission.

“P-Pleased to be of service...”

Once again, I found myself speechless.

Only one question came to mind.

What on earth had they done to her?

Senior Neris held nothing but a meaningful smile on her face. Her deep green eyes sparkled with enthusiasm for the first time in a while.

She looked just like a senior officer delighted to have found a junior to torment.

It seemed Aviang’s hardships were only just beginning.