[Alisha's POV]
Vacation has arrived and winter is beginning to approach. It seems there is no snow falling here like in my country far to the north. Southerners are indeed lucky to have warm weather, making it easy to carry out activities and farming. In Slavia, we must prepare food supplies before winter because it becomes difficult to find them when the blizzards arrive.
I am currently walking alone toward the academy gates. After his defeat by Brian, Leon seems to feel hesitant to always be with me. He is always seen practicing on the arena field to become stronger. It is not that I am unhappy that he is now more serious in deepening his abilities, but my life's time is only short; as much as possible, I want to make many memories with the people closest to me.
Upon arriving at the main gate, I saw a black-haired man waiting for me there. Hearing my footsteps, he then turned this way.
"How is your morning, Princess Alisha?" Raul said, greeting me.
"Ordinary," I replied to him. "So, where are we going today?"
"We will be heading to several districts in the capital," Raul answered. "Are you sure you don't want to ride a horse carriage?"
"No need to worry; walking allows me to enjoy the atmosphere of this Imperial Capital more."
We began walking away from the area around the academy. The streets of this city appeared very crowded even though it had entered winter. I must admit, the infrastructure of the Aragon Imperial Capital is far more magnificent than that of the Slavia Tsardom Capital. Not only that, the streets in this city already use paving blocks, just like the cities in the Republic of Venetia.
Looking at other countries that are advanced and developing rapidly makes my mood a bit heavy. Unlike in my country, which is currently struggling to eradicate waves of monsters that come, the city residents here look enthusiastic and cheerful, full of a sense of security.
After a few minutes of walking around the city, we finally arrived at an area full of luxury shops and restaurants.
"This is the high-end trade district," said Raul, stopping his steps. "Have you had breakfast, Princess Alisha?"
I only shook my head in response to Raul's question.
"In that case, would you like to have breakfast at a place I recommend?" Raul asked again.
Honestly, I am not the type of person who eats in the morning. However, I think there is no harm in tasting the typical culinary of a foreign land.
"Of course."
Raul then led me to one of the restaurants in this district. After entering the restaurant, I began to hear the strains of romantic music performed by musicians who were appearing to make the atmosphere inside the restaurant more comfortable.
"Sir and Miss, how can I help you here?"
A waiter suddenly approached us. The way he conducted himself looked very perfect, like a palace servant.
"A table for two, please," Raul replied to the waiter.
"Understood, Sir," the waiter said, bowing his head to us. "I will escort the Sir and Miss to the table that has been prepared."
We then followed the waiter into the room where people were enjoying their food. Looking around, it seemed that only wealthy people came here.
"Please have a seat, Sir, Miss," said the waiter. "For the appetizer, what would you like to order?"
After sitting down, Raul then looked at the menu paper on the table. He then selected my food for the waiter. After ordering three dishes, the waiter then poured a bottle of wine into each glass and then left the two of us.
Raul and I toasted before tasting my drink. A very fragrant aroma was smelled as the glass containing the wine approached my mouth.
"What do you think, Princess Alisha? I believe this is wine imported directly from the Kingdom of Francia," said Raul, who was staring at me.
"Not bad; that country is indeed famous as the producer of the best drinks on this continent," I answered casually.
As the family of a country's leader, I can indeed enjoy all this luxury at home. However, I am always reluctant to enjoy all that luxury while my people are suffering due to the disaster of monster attacks. This is the first time in months that I have been able to drink high-quality wine.
"Speaking of the Republic of Venetia, how is your country's relationship with them?" Raul asked me.
I suppose he is asking this to seek information regarding the Republic of Venetia's relations with other countries. That is because the relationship between the Empire and the Republic has been heating up from time to time.
"I believe we have several trade agreements with them," I answered him. "I cannot talk in more detail about this to a foreign party, but I think our country has a good relationship with them."
My country's mining goods are mostly exported to the Republic; they need the materials and minerals from our country to build their cities to be more advanced and become the best in the entire continent. I do not yet know what our country's stance would be if a war truly broke out between the Empire and the Republic; my father and I have not discussed this further at all.
After waiting for a while, our food finally arrived. Raul and I stopped chatting and then began to enjoy our meal. After everything was finished, the waiter then brought us dessert.
"I think I tried this in the Republic of Venetia while on the way here," I remarked while tasting this dish. "If I'm not mistaken, the name is Misue, right?"
"Exactly," Raul said. "This dish indeed originates from Venetia and has been trendy lately."
For some reason, I saw Raul's expression look different while tasting this Misue dish. Was there something bothering him?
"Raul, what is it?" I asked him.
"Ah, it's nothing," Raul answered, still looking as if he were thinking about something. "It's just that this ice cream reminds me of home."
Huh? Ice cream? Home?
Wasn't he born in the Empire? Did I misread Raul de Garcia's personal data? I think not. Then, what did he mean by home? After finishing the food, we then went out to again enjoy the Imperial Capital.
***
[??? POV]
Currently, we are not far from the area of the building that will be the target of our operation. Before starting the operation, the Captain gathered all the members to conduct a briefing.
"Our target today is the ancient artifact Armor left by the Hero Knight Pendragon," said the Captain, who began explaining this operation. "Our goal in stealing this artifact is to make the morale of the Imperial soldiers drop if a war occurs with our country."
We are a special unit under the auspices of our country's Intelligence Agency. It has been almost half a year since we were given the mission to conduct spying activities, but only now have the high-ranking officials given us a special operation. Besides that, thanks to the new weapons developed these past few months, we ordinary humans will no longer be too dependent on those wizards—just like the goal of our predecessors when building our country.
None of this would have happened without Siena di Reginossa—a young genius talent who provided direction so that these weapons could be created.
"Two of our teams will intercept every City Guard that comes, two teams will be decoys, and one team will carry the Artifact out of this city."
Added with the team that will take the Artifact inside the museum, the total participating in this operation reaches fifty people in the field. A fairly large number for an operation within the Intelligence Agency.
"The first team will enter the museum to secure the Artifact which is sealed with special magic after the first decoy team distracts the city security," said the Captain, explaining the stages of the operation. "The day before yesterday, we finally obtained the magic seal code for that artifact storage."
If I'm not mistaken, it was also Miss Siena who obtained this code and gave it to our unit. She is indeed the pride of our country.
"After successfully obtaining the artifact, we will first clear out the guards who come. The second decoy team will depart first toward the main city gate, while the team carrying the artifact will pass through the ordinary trade district to exit the capital via an alternative route."
The process of bringing the target out of the capital is the most difficult part. All the guards here will surely chase us to the death.
"Remember, if any of you are caught, you know what to do?" the Captain asked, staring at all of us.
All the team members only nodded in response to the Captain's question. As a field Intelligence Unit, it is already a job risk if we are caught by the enemy. They will try to capture us alive to extract information from us. For that reason, every member has already prepared poison to commit suicide before that happens.
"Let's finish this mission for the glory of our country," the Captain said, clenching his fist upward. "Glorio Patriossa!"
"Glorio Patriossa!"
"Glorio Patriossa!"
Everyone shouted a slogan characteristic of our country to fire up their spirits. We must succeed in completing this mission. If our country wins the war against the Empire later, then our nation will triumph on this continent.
***
[Raul's POV]
We have been walking around the capital for almost two hours. After finishing the meal at the restaurant, I invited Princess Alisha to visit a music performance and the Theater. I think those two places are very suitable for your first date with a woman. At least, that's what my first date with Liana—my ex-girlfriend—was like.
"Raul, do you know where I can see the Ancient Artifact Armor of the Legendary Hero Pendragon?" Princess Alisha asked, looking at me.
"Of course, that Armor is now in the state museum," I answered her. "I think the location is only two kilometers from here."
We then began walking toward the museum's location. The Armor of the Legendary Hero Pendragon... That object is the only remaining relic from him before he died while fighting against the Demon King in the lore of the game Path of Destiny.
Actually, that Armor was already damaged when he fought a dragon that attacked the Capital. He then decided to retire the Armor and replace it with a new one. However, even though the artifact was damaged, the remnants of Pendragon's Mana are still stored in the Armor, making it classified as an S-class Artifact.
The Empire then decided to place it in the museum as a symbol of the courage of the Knights of the Aragon nation. They believe that as long as the artifact exists and is present in the Imperial capital, then this country will be fine no matter how great the disaster that strikes.
I feel something strange... Since earlier, I have seen the City Guards looking restless and whispering things to one another.
"We must hurry to the northern part of the city."
"What happened?"
"A multipurpose building suddenly exploded for no apparent reason; fire began to spread, making the situation there quite chaotic."
Hmm... An explosion? Wait a minute, is there an important event today in the game? I searched my memory for the plot but found no event at all at this time. After a few minutes of walking, the museum building finally came into my view. However, suddenly I saw many people rushing out of the museum.
- Boom!
Not long after, I heard the sound of a very loud explosion coming from inside the museum. Clouds of smoke began to appear and fly into the air.
"Run from here!"
"There's a terrorist attack! Quickly call the City Guard!"
We walked closer to find out further what was actually happening. Two horse carriages were seen parked in front of the museum. Not long after, several people came out of the museum carrying something covered with a cloth.
"It seems they stole something from inside that museum," Princess Alisha said.
I did not respond to Princess Alisha's words; that was because my vision was focused on the object held by each of those thieves.
Impossible... How could they have those weapons!?
Three of the thieves noticed my arrival with Princess Alisha; they then aimed the weapons they were holding at us. I hurried to hug Princess Alisha and then jumped to drop ourselves behind a wooden table on the side of the street.
- Bang! Bang! Bang!
Loud gunshots were heard, wood splinters scattered; fortunately, this table was thick enough to withstand the bullets from their shots. Without a doubt, what I saw were Revolver-type pistols from my original world. However, how could they possess firearms!? I never set one of the countries to be that advanced even at the End Game phase.
"Raul, it seems you know what they are doing," Princess Alisha said. "I did not detect the use of Mana at all when they used that explosion magic on us."
Of course you wouldn't detect magic at all because they aren't using magic, but rather a firearm. I must catch them and interrogate them as to where they obtained these firearms.
Peering toward the thieves, several climbed into the two horse carriages that were previously parked in front of the museum, and the rest were seen escorting the carriages by riding horses around them. The thieves then split up; one carriage went toward the main gate and the other went to the trade district.
"Princess Alisha, can you wait here? I will chase those thieves," I said to her.
"No, I will join in chasing those thieves," she answered me. "I am also a bit interested in the objects in their hands."
"Alright, you chase the thieves heading toward the main gate while I will chase the ones escaping toward the trade district."
After parting with Princess Alisha, I ran using Acceleration magic to chase those thieves. I used narrow alleyways to get ahead of them and then prepared to perform an ambush. If my prediction is correct, after passing through the trade district, they will surely pass through the entertainment district to exit the capital via the southern route.
Upon arriving at the intersection leading to the entertainment district, I hid to prepare to attack them. Not long after, I saw six horse riders escorting a carriage in the middle of their formation. The residents looked panicked and confused by what was happening.
The group of thieves then passed the intersection toward the trade district. Seeing this, I hurriedly took a trash can lid and then jumped toward one of the horse riders. The man's face looked shocked to see me suddenly appear from the side. I launched a Flying Knee attack toward his face, causing him to fall, then took the firearm he was holding and stored it in my pocket.
"..."
"..."
The other thieves were shocked and then began to aim their firearms at me.
- Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fortunately, I had taken the trash can lid earlier and placed it in front of my body as a shield that withstood their shots. In front of me, a rope was seen hanging, connected to the carriage.
"Kill his horse!" shouted one of the thieves in the carriage.
The thieves then shot the horse I was riding, causing it to fall. However, I managed to jump forward, grabbing the rope hanging from the carriage, and then placed the trash can lid under my feet like a skier.
- Bang! Bang! Bang!
They shot at me again with their weapons, but I managed to dodge by controlling my footing on the trash can lid to perform a maneuver. In front of me, a board was seen leaning against a pile of goods.
"Stupid, just cut the rope!" shouted one of them.
The rope I was holding then snapped; I then slid onto the board in front of me and then jumped, flying toward the front of the carriage. Taking out the Revolver I had previously seized from the thief earlier, I then aimed it at one of the horses pulling the carriage.
- Bang! Bang! Bang!
The horses then fell, causing the carriage they were carrying to overturn. I then landed on the street; those six horse riders were seen dismounting and then began to unsheathe their swords to fight me.
"How dare you mess up our plans!"
"I'll mince you to pieces, brat!"
Two of the six thieves advanced toward me and slashed their swords. I could easily dodge and then kicked the leg of one of the thieves hard, causing him to stumble. One thief again performed a horizontal slash, but I could dodge by ducking and then attacked him with an Uppercut toward the chin.
"Die!"
One of them tried to attack me, but I grabbed his hand and locked his movement. Two of the thief's colleagues came toward me, but I pushed this thief's body, causing them to collide with each other. After that, I could easily topple the three of them.
Next, there was only one person left. The remaining thief looked restless and then began to run to escape. However, I could easily catch him with Acceleration magic and then kicked him until he hit a building wall. Walking closer to him, I pulled the thief's collar and then lifted him into the air.
"Tell me, who gave you these weapons?" I asked him.
However, he did not answer my question and instead smiled.
"Gloria Patriossa..."
After saying that, he was seen swallowing something. Not long after, his body became limp; I checked the pulse in his neck but did not feel a throb at all. It seems he swallowed a poison pill previously stored in his mouth so that the enemy could not extract information from him.
"Too bad..."
Looking at the thieves' colleagues I had toppled earlier, it seems they did the same to commit suicide. I re-examined the Revolver I had seized from the thieves. A Rune was seen on this weapon, indicating that this object had been planted with magic. The Rune on the Revolver then glowed.
- Crack!
The weapon I was holding suddenly shattered into pieces. It seems they planted a Self-destruction magic formation on this weapon so that its technology could not be stolen by others.
"Who gave them these weapons?"
That is all that was in my mind now. I think I must task Karl Johnson to conduct an investigation regarding this matter. It seems these firearms have not yet been produced in large quantities and are still in the form of Prototypes. That is because there is no information at all regarding these weapons circulating for almost a year and a half since I entered Raul's body.
Did I mess up the plot again? To the point that someone could innovate and create firearms?