Chapter 157:
Chapter 157:
KeulKeulKkeul.
Kairos looked at the bound and gagged Hassassin and laughed eerily.
Youre the one who wont talk, arent you, huh? Hmph! Keep your mouth shut, boy. For I can see through everything.
With that, one of Kaiross eyes glowed with golden color.
Let me see.'
About a minute later.
Hmm. This guy has a very clear heart.
What? No?
He has a strong mind, so he wont open his heart.
Then you cant?
Dont doubt me! There isnt a person in this world who wouldnt open his heart to me if I set my mind to it!
Try it and tell me.
Wait, Pansy.
With that, Kairos drew up his mana and dispersed the alcohol coursing through his body.
With that he chanted an incantation and directed his [Minds Eye] to the bound Hassassin.
, . , . .
Five minutes later.
, , , , , , , , , , .
Kairos broke out in a cold sweat, trying to read the Hassassins mind, though to no avail.
More than ten minutes passed.
*Thud*
Exhausted, Kairos flopped onto his back in the sand.
My, what a wretch. I cant believe he defended his heart like that.
Is it really not possible?
Yes, he did. Hes a wicked wretch. If he can protect his heart like that, hes no ordinary fellow.
You dont think its just a case of being a little sloppy?
How dare you doubt me!
Kairos snarled, rising to his feet.
Didnt I tell you that hes not a normal person?
I understand~
Otto placated Kairos.
What are you so upset over~
This guy?
Im just a little bummed because I believed in you.
Hmph!!!
Hey, if this doesnt work, why dont you try the ones from the Caliphate Kingdom?
Hmm?
I think we might have a spy.
Otto narrows his eyes and scans the Caliphate soldiers.
There are three routes from Jalalabad to Al-Salam, so how do these Hassassins know about our route, and set up an ambush, I mean, laying an ambush in the sand is pretty hard.
Well, now that you mention it, youre right!
So take a look at it. If theres a rat, hell suffer till we get to Al-Salam, and then.
..
That means the time to get to the harem will be delayed as well, I suppose?
How dare!
Kairos bellowed.
What kind of rat would stop me from going to the harem? Wait, Pansy, Ill get that rat!
With that, Kairos swore, and began to inspect each and every one of the many Caliphate soldiers.
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While Kairos sniffs out a rat with the power of his [Minds Eye].
Hmm.
Otto looked at the Hassassin, who had remained silent with his mouth clamped tightly shut, and cast him a dubious look.
I always knew that mind-reading didnt work on people of a certain level, but even a lowly Hassassin?
From the looks of it, this Hassassin was not a high-ranking cadre.
Judging by the nature of the operation, which involved hiding in the dunes, the man didnt have much of a status within their organization.
And considering that he had to brandish a dagger to get out of the sand, he wasnt particularly powerful.
And yet, despite all that, the minds eye didnt work..
Does this mean he has great growth potential?
Otto was curious, so he opened the status window and checked on Hassassin.
It doesnt work.
Unfortunately, the status window was so blurry that he couldnt make out any information about Hassassin.
Youre going to keep your silence, arent you?
Do you want me to just send you off neatly?
.
This is a toxic bastard. Ugh.
Otto stuck his tongue out.
In the midst of all this, cant you just say just kill me? Do you want to live, or do you just want to die? Cant you say at least a word? Are you exercising your right to remain silent to prevent information leakage?
Otto wasnt exactly sure what to make of the Hassassin.
Your Majesty.
Camille advised him.
Perhaps it would be best for you to interrogate him yourself.
Huh? Me?
Yes.
You want me to torture him? I dont like that kind of thing.
Its not that.
Camille shook his head.
Didnt this guy possess a strong enough mental fortitude to resist even the elders scrutiny?
Yes.
But when His Highness played with him with the parasol, he couldnt resist and even cursed.
Oh?
That said this may be his weakness.
What do you mean?
Why dont you just keep him around, talk to him every chance you get, and when he gets tired of it, hell open up?
Is that so?
It sounded like he was teasing in a way, but it wasnt entirely unfounded.
Shall we take him with us, then?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Well, then.
Otto was persuaded by Camilles words, and decided to keep the Hassassin with him for the time being.
He was curious about the man who was actually capable of defending against Kairos [Minds Eye].
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Though he failed to read the mind of the last Hassassin, Kairos did succeed in catching the rat hiding in the Caliphate army.
Its you. Youre the one who betrayed the Crown Princes trust and left a trail of tracks along the way.
Hic?!
You little rat!
Kuck!
Kairos used his minds eye to identify the Knight as the rat.
Theres definitely nothing wrong with his [Minds Eye]. Its just that this fellow doesnt fall for the usual tricks. Definitely not an ordinary one.
Having confirmed the performance of the mind eye, Ottos curiosity grew as he looked at the Hassassin.
You despicable traitor!
The enraged Knight Commander was about to dismember the rat.
Hold on.
Otto stopped the Templar.
Be patient.
How can I be patient? This man is a traitor who sold out the crown prince, and no matter how much of a benefactor you are, or how much of a king you are, this is clear interference in internal affairs!
Not that.
Otto soothed the Knight Commander.
We can use him to divulge counterinformation, which will make it easier for us to kill anyone who seeks to attack us.
Mmm.
Its going to be even more annoying if they just storm in because they lost their informant, so we need to feed them the wrong information so we can eat them instead.
Ah!
Lets just keep him alive until we get to Al-Salam.
Oh, I see.
The Knight Commander barely suppressed his anger at Ottos reasoning.
My benefactor has saved my life again, and I have no idea how I can repay you.
Saladin was overwhelmed with gratitude to Otto for not only taking care of those hiding Hassassin, but also for capturing even a rat.
The favor he received from Otto was so great that it would be an understatement to simply say that he owed him his life.
But Otto didnt make any such demands on Saladin, nor did he even allude to them.
Its okay.
Otto smiled.
His Highness the Crown Prince is a man of deep faith and great desire for tribal unity, and it is a pleasure for me to help such a man.
Your graciousness is truly magnanimous. How can you be so devoid of greed? I feel dwarfed by your noble character.
No need. Shall we have a cup of tea now? Im a bit thirsty after all the commotion.
Ill be sure to whip you one up.
Saladin made tea for Otto personally, and poured him a cup of tea in a gesture of personalized hospitality.
And as Kairos and Camille watched, they couldnt help but think.
Did he eat something wrong?
What?
Kairos and Camille almost developed hives when they saw Otto treat Saladin in such an uncharacteristically humble and modest manner.
Normally, Otto would have been throwing all sorts of dirty tricks and subtly inflating and emphasizing his own merits in order to extract a bigger reward from the other party
Why is he doing that?
Im not sure either.
Camille was unable to answer Kaiross question.
This was because, even for Camille, he couldnt understand why Otto, the snob among snobs, would suddenly be so nice to Saladin.
Just one man.
Only Qasim.
Oh!
Qasims eyes shone with admiration as he watched Otto drinking tea with Saladin.
His expression was tender, like a man gazing at his beloved from a distance.
It almost gave the illusion of hearts popping out of his shining eyes, which was enough to say it all.
As expected, His Majesty is an honorable man. How can you be so virtuous and wise, I admire you, Your Majesty.
Guik, Guiick!
Qasim seemed to genuinely admire Otto.
Tsk, Tsk, Tsk
Kairos looked at Qasim and shook his head.
I guess all that rolling around out there, doing all sorts of suffering, has made him dependent on that little punk.
Huh?
Think about it, man. Isnt he a freak of nature, and every opportunity that comes his way, he goes off from the group and finds himself in trouble?
Yeah, well. I agree.
And when he came back, who was there to greet him, to coddle him, to recognize him, except Pansy?
Ah.
And thats why he must have come to admire and fawn over him so deeply, Hahaha. And yet, the brat hasnt done anything special toward him.
I suppose thats a good thing.
Well, the rascal was born with a stupid luck on his side.
With that, Kairos turned and walked back toward his palanquin.
Now that he had captured the rat, he had nothing else to do, so he was going to retire to his palanquin and continue drinking.
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Later that night.
After arriving at the Caliphates military base nestled in an oasis, Otto and his party settled into comfortable sleeping quarters for the night.
Just as he was about to fall asleep.
Your Majesty.
Camille turned to Otto.
May I ask you something?
What?
Otto, who had changed into a cozy pair of pajamas and was getting ready for bed, turned to Camille.
Why are you being so nice to Prince Saladin, so uncharacteristically nice to His Highness?
Huh?
Is it because the Caliphate is rich?
Hey.
Otto glared at Camille.
Do you think Im being nice to Saladin because of money?
Isnt that so?
Of course not!
Hmm.
Whats the hmmm for!
Otto yelled.
Is that really weird? Now youre bringing up Prince Saladin in front of me, huh?
Why cant I bring it up?
Holy shit, how far have you gone, huh?
What?
How far have you gone!
Otto scowled at Camille.
Dont tell me youve already gone too far, huh? Did you already go to the end? Couldnt you resist that.
Keep it in moderation.
Camille huffed, as if unable to be bothered to play along anymore.
Im asking you seriously, why do you keep ducking out?
When have I ever left you out! When!
If you really insist on doing that.
Camilles irritation was getting the better of him.
Because he is a saint.
What?
Were in the midst of a historical event, now.
Otto said, all mischief gone and a serious expression on his face.
Money has no place when it comes to respecting someone who deserves it. Saladin is a person of such virtues that even a snob like me cannot comprehend.