I Won’t Let the Execution Battalion Die, ~Even If the Empire Falls, We Want to Survive~ - Chapter 61: The Rebellious Young Lady Won't Stop ③

After confirming there were guard sentries in the hallway, I decided to go out onto the balcony.

Since it was the fourth floor, jumping would almost certainly mean death, but there was no rope reaching down either.

Even if there had been rope, it would have been dangerous. Since I wasn’t a mountain hunter, I was uneasy about rappelling down with just plain rope without any hardware.

“Oh, they’ve gotten cheeky with the locks.”

The balcony’s glass door was locked, but it was a simple latch lock. Not for security or confinement purposes, but apparently to prevent it from opening in strong winds.

Of course, there was no key.

But such things could be easily opened with a table knife slipped into the door gap. No, it wasn’t easy. I struggled a bit. It was dark after all. Something was catching.

“If I had an LED light, this kind of thing…”

Complaining wouldn’t help since what wasn’t there wasn’t there, so I managed somehow.

Alright, it opened.

“Should’ve made it a simpler lock.”

I sighed looking at the scratched-up table knife.

Cutlery should be collected early. Since the Ceremonial Battalion worked with death row inmates, we knew all the escape methods.

After going out onto the balcony, I re-locked the glass door with the table knife. It took as much effort as opening it. But this was an absolutely necessary measure.

The scratched-up table knife still seemed usable, so I’d borrow it for a while.

“It’s pitch black—can’t see anything.”

I’d have liked a wealthy mansion to be gorgeously lit up at night, but since not even incandescent bulbs had been invented yet, let alone LEDs, it was impossible.

Basically, there were only lights where people were. Candle holders and lanterns were dangerous if left unattended.

“Alright.”

I removed my belt and threaded it through the balcony’s iron railing to make a loop.

There were various types of Imperial Army belts, but most had enough strength to support one’s body weight. On battlefields, when someone couldn’t move, they might be dragged by grabbing their belt.

While checking the belt’s strength, I heard someone shouting angrily in the distance.

“Fonkt has escaped! Someone come help!”

I haven’t escaped yet.

The mansion immediately became bustling.

“Hey, is it true Fonkt escaped!?”

“Don’t be stupid—we haven’t moved from here. The door hasn’t opened even once.”

“We’re going in to confirm. Watch for attacks.”

As expected of guards entrusted with security of a wealthy family’s main house—they moved crisply in emergencies.

“Hey, don’t move!”

I could hear the door opening, but I was on the balcony.

“He’s not here!?”

“Did he really escape!? Where is he!?”

From their voices, about four people. With two two-man cells, breakthrough by frontal assault was impossible.

“No wait, he didn’t necessarily escape. Lock the entrance and search. You two guard here.”

As expected, they left two at the entrance. Even attempting a breakthrough would end with being caught in a pincer attack.

I could hear doors being opened one after another.

“Check behind closets and furniture too.”

“He doesn’t seem to be here…”

This wasn’t children’s hide-and-seek—I wouldn’t hide in such places.

Eventually, lantern light entered the bedroom with the balcony.

“This is empty too.”

“Let’s check the balcony too.”

“It’s still locked?”

“Just in case—there’s no such thing as being too thorough.”

Certainly.

Then with the lantern light, the guards stepped onto the balcony.

“Nothing to be found.”

“Natural since it was still locked.”

I’m not here. I’m not here. Go away quickly.

“Hmm, something seems fishy though…”

“It’s really impossible from here. But just in case, should we search the lower floors?”

“Right, let’s hurry and seal off the third floor.”

The lantern light and footsteps moved away.

Are they gone? Did they leave?

“Heave-ho.”

I couldn’t do it gracefully, so I climbed up awkwardly and made my way back to the balcony.

I’d been clinging to the loop made with my belt, hanging below the balcony like a sloth. Actually doing it was quite strenuous, but my experience assassinating Admiral Telzen had come in handy.

Between the king oyster mushrooms I’d prepared when dealing with Lord Grien and hiding on the balcony, battles with strong enemies had made me stronger. …That sounded pretty cool if I said it.

“Is he there!?”

“He’s not here!”

The balconies on lower floors immediately became noisy, but I ignored them.

“He’s nowhere on the third floor!”

“Search the second floor! Split up!”

I’m on the fourth floor.

The search net spread outward as time passed, and the net became sparser. In most cases, places searched once weren’t searched again. There were plenty of other things to do.

I could hear the guards’ voices from various parts of the garden, with lantern lights wandering around aimlessly. This reminded me of when I’d assassinated Admiral Telzen.

Just when I thought I’d secured safety for the time being, the bedroom door opened again.

A low male voice spoke:

“It’s Lesse. ‘What a dangerous day it was’—I’ve come to pick you up.”

A passphrase meaning safety. Terrible. Your sense is weird, Second Lieutenant Crimine.

“Thank you, Lesse-san.”

I returned from the balcony to the bedroom and saluted the old boatman exclusive to Second Lieutenant Crimine.

“Sorry about this. I’m in your debt.”

Then Lesse smiled broadly.

“It’s fine—I’m the one constantly indebted to Lady Gabadeli.”

“She takes care of things?”

Feeling this was unexpected, I asked, and Lesse handed me disguise clothing while smiling wryly.

“During my sailing days, I made the huge blunder of chipping a small jar in the cargo. My lady smashed the jar to pieces and covered it up for me.”

That wasn’t covering it up.

Rather, it made the situation worse.

Lesse looked distant, reminiscing about the past.

“At my salary, it would’ve taken about a hundred years to pay for—such a magnificent little carnelian jar. Craftwork carefully hollowed out from a carnelian chunk. Well, it was most beautiful the moment it shattered.”

Ah, she really did that… That’s way too dangerous.

“Even she got thoroughly scolded that time. But she never said a word about my mistake. The master doesn’t know either, does he?”

“Ah, I’m hearing this for the first time.”

Lesse nodded as if it were natural.

“She promised absolutely never to tell anyone.”

I felt like I’d heard quite an amazing story.

I see why the battalion commander likes Second Lieutenant Crimine. You’re the same type of person. All the female officers in the Ceremonial Battalion were scary.

The old sailor’s eyes gleamed in the darkness.

“You see, since that day, I’ve been living solely to repay my lady’s kindness. And today, the opportunity to repay that kindness has come around. If I don’t do it now, I wouldn’t be a man of the sea, would I?”

“I see. Thank you—Gabadeli will surely be grateful.”

Whether due to the era, there were many people with rock-solid determination. I needed to get fired up too.

The memo from the paper figure that came from the poisoned patient’s clothes had extremely crude escape instructions written on it:

[I’ll make a big fuss pretending Lieutenant has escaped, so please hide skillfully.]

That was it. Not crude—beyond crude. At least it wasn’t in plain text but in Ceremonial Battalion cipher, so I barely forgave it.

Incidentally, that terrible passphrase from earlier was also written there. I had various things to question later.

“Where’s Gabadeli?”

“She already escaped when the guards collapsed. Seems no one’s noticed yet.”

Strangely efficient. This wasn’t her first offense.

Then Lesse laughed.

“After all, my lady is skilled at escaping from the mansion. She knows any number of secret passages.”

Ah, as expected… The more I heard, the more dangerous she seemed.

“Then she’ll probably be fine left alone. So what should I do?”

“I’ve hidden a small boat in the waterway leading outside. We’ll take that to the canal and rendezvous with my lady at the pier. I’ll make a bigger commotion elsewhere.”

“Understood. Please take care of it.”

Disguised as a boatman like Lesse, I felt a strange thrill at Second Lieutenant Crimine’s unfathomable dangerousness.

That girl’s got it in her.