Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 432: Reunion with Allies
After returning to the territorial capital, Tauro held a series of secret meetings with Count Graunewald to prepare for the unveiling ceremony.
Only Tauro entered and left the castle. Using his improvised invisibility magic allowed him to avoid revealing the connection between Black-Gold Wings and the count. Ragune, Ankh, and Zion remained at the inn or spent their time elsewhere in the city.
Three days before the ceremony, Tauro left the castle invisibly and headed back toward the inn.
Someone began following him.
Despite [Presence Detection], Tauro noticed the pursuer late. The capital was crowded, making an individual presence difficult to isolate, and the person following him directed no hostility toward him.
A hand suddenly tapped his shoulder.
“I knew it was you, Tauro-dono!”
Tauro nearly leaped out of his skin. He turned to find a tall, handsome dragonfolk man with red hair and golden eyes.
“Malak-san? It’s been a long time! Why are you here?”
Tauro released his invisibility spell as he greeted the familiar intelligence operative.
“We came while pursuing the remaining members of the Assassins’ Guild.”
“There are remnants here in the capital?”
The old enemy had nearly slipped from Tauro’s attention amid the current crisis.
“The guild’s vice leader was away on business in the north when its headquarters fell. According to our information, he returned, gathered the few surviving members, and came to this city. We followed.”
“So the vice leader may be somewhere in the territorial capital.”
“Yes. We were searching for suspicious people when I noticed someone moving under invisibility magic. Fortunately, it was only you.”
Malak laughed and gave Tauro another friendly pat on the shoulder.
“Where are Zumei and Reeva?”
“They and several others are conducting separate searches.”
Tauro was surprised that so many dragonfolk operatives could move through the capital without even [Anti-Inhibition] drawing his attention to them.
“We expect to eliminate the vice leader within the next few days,” Malak said. “There’s no need for you to worry.”
A short dragonfolk man with blond hair and golden eyes approached them.
“Tauro-dono? I thought Malak had stopped working, but he found you.”
Zumei’s youthful appearance and light tone made him seem like a mischievous boy despite his experience.
“It’s good to see you again.”
“Malak has probably explained the situation. Please remain cautious.”
“How many members are still unaccounted for?”
“After subtracting the ones Reeva captured in the underground facility, perhaps three remain, including the vice leader.”
“Reeva is keeping pace with us, then,” Malak said.
The dragonfolk appeared to be treating the pursuit as a competition. Tauro almost felt sorry for the assassins being hunted by them.
“What are you doing here, Tauro-dono?” Zumei asked. “Where are the rest of Black-Gold Wings?”
Tauro explained the conspiracy surrounding the unveiling ceremony.
“Then we’ll help,” Malak said immediately. “Our current mission is nearly complete.”
“I’d be extremely grateful. I’ve spent days trying to distinguish allies from enemies. Having people I can trust completely changes the situation.”
When Tauro returned to the inn, he announced the news to Ragune, Ankh, and Zion.
“Malak-san and approximately ten other dragonfolk will support us from behind the scenes. With them involved, our chances have improved enormously.”
“So the entire group came here,” Ragune said, puffing out her cheeks slightly. “Why did they recognize you but never notice me?”
“They were searching only for suspicious people. I was sneaking through the city under invisibility magic, so I attracted their attention. You were simply behaving normally.”
Tauro attempted to reassure her.
“The timing is still strange,” Ankh said. “Why would the remnants of the Assassins’ Guild appear in the capital immediately before this ceremony?”
“The vice leader came here for some unknown mission,” Tauro replied. “The events may be connected.”
“Perhaps he’s one of the people Gaze means whenever he says ‘we,’” Zion suggested.
Her observation brought the room to silence.
“It’s possible,” Tauro said. “Graunewald territory borders Bomen territory. If the Assassins’ Guild gained control here after losing its former base, this region would provide an excellent replacement headquarters.”
“Gaze didn’t sound like an assassin or someone knowingly serving the guild,” Ankh objected.
“Then he may be a pawn. The vice leader could encourage a faction devoted to the previous count, place the young Haku at the head of the territory, and manipulate the new regime from behind the scenes.”
“And while the guild remnants gathered for the operation, the dragonfolk followed them here and happened to join us,” Ragune said with a dry laugh. “That’s an extraordinary chain of fortune.”
“Could it be the effect of Tauro-sama’s [Great Fortune]?” Zion asked.
The theory remained unproven, but the coincidence was difficult to ignore.
Tauro once again found himself wondering how much his upgraded fortune ability influenced the events around him.