CHAPTER 109: MAID ON A MISSION

It was like trying to catch a tiny fish in the middle of a vast ocean.

It was still easier when Shiao Yi had the target person right in front of him—that made it much simpler to narrow things down.

However, the place he was in now was perfect for hiding while doing a psychic search.

The thick trees blocked the view from above, and once he was hidden in the bushes, it was nearly impossible for anyone to find him—especially since he had no magic power.

In this world, to the people who lived here, it was as if Shiao Yi didn’t even exist.

The mission he had been given by the Supreme Commander was to investigate how the blame for the ancient magic circle disaster had been shifted onto the Rosaria Kingdom and to uncover the identities and weaknesses of the leaders of the Dalmasca Kingdom.

"If possible, delay any military attack against Rosaria as well."

That was what the Supreme Commander said with a sly almost cruel smile.

As far as Shiao Yi knew, the Supreme Commander didn’t even understand he had telepathic powers.

That meant he wasn’t expecting that level of information gathering.

Shiao Yi assumed the mission was just to support the spies that was already inside the castle and bring back what information he could.

But there was an unspoken part to the request—if the opportunity came up, take out one or two top officials.

If a leader died suddenly, it would throw the political scene into chaos.

Any planned attack on Rosaria would be delayed.

If things went well, the invasion could even be stopped for good.

That much, at least, Shiao Yi knew the Supreme Commander was silently asking for.

Rosaria had already sent an official protest about the use of forbidden magic circles.

However, no response had come from this side.

It seemed Dalmasca Kingdom might just be trying to ignore it and push ahead with war.

Shiao Yi didn’t want war. In any form, war meant people killing each other. It meant human lives were being thrown away.

That should never be allowed to happen.

Naturally, Dominic had been completely against Shiao Yi taking this mission.

He said there was no reason Shiao Yi had to do it.

However, Shiao Yi insisted it wasn’t because the Supreme Commander gave the order—it was because he wanted to take the mission himself.

Dominic, who knew about Shiao Yi’s powers, also knew the kind of intense, specialized training Shiao Yi had gone through for these kinds of operations.

In the end, Dominic gave in, saying he’d accept it only if he could support the mission too.

Shiao Yi was genuinely happy to have someone like Dominic by his side. He really was a good man. The best kind of superior.

—And he was also his lover.

In the bushes, Shiao Yi suddenly felt his face heat up. It had to be bright red by now. Without thinking, he grabbed the hem of his white apron and covered his face, flustered. Then he quickly looked up.

—He got a hit!

He had locked onto the target’s thoughts. Carefully, he followed the mental trail, slowly tuning in on the person behind the thoughts.

Shiao Yi’s real work was just about to begin.

With a bucket full of water hanging from his left hand and a long-handled mop held in his right, Shiao Yi walked down the wide, maze-like corridors of the castle, which twisted and turned like a labyrinth.

He moved with a calm, steady pace—not too slow, not too fast—looking like someone focused on his job.

He didn’t glance around or look suspicious.

His mind was set on reaching the person he had found using telepathy.

Most of the guards and castle workers he passed barely even looked at him. But now and then, someone would stop or call out to him.

"Such a small kid working here, huh?"

"Isn’t that bucket heavy? Do you want me to carry it for you?"

"I’m just an apprentice, thank you very much," Shiao Yi replied with a small polite bow, he tried to brush the attention off as naturally as he could.

"You’re cute, you know that? Want to talk for a bit?"

"I’m on duty right now," he said, keeping his voice calm.

Another one trying to flirt with him.

It must be because they’re bored.

Shiao Yi kept walking.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Hey, how about cleaning my room next?"

"Please speak with the assigned staff," he answered while keep walking on.

"Cleaning duty, huh? Need a hand with that?"

"Thank you, but I’ll get scolded if I let anyone help. I’ll be fine."

Just do your job, you’re a guard! Shiao Yi thought, continuing his rhythm—tap, tap, tap.

He passed through a corridor with a view of the garden, went up a flight of stairs, then down again. He moved past the hallway next to the grand hall, went up more stairs, then up again, and then down again...

Why were castles always so ridiculously huge? Shiao Yi couldn’t help but wonder as he moved along the endless corridors. The place was chopped up with stairs, courtyards, and rooms at every turn.

Was this some kind of strategy to stop invaders or attackers? Or maybe it was just the result of careless expansions built without any real planning?

He had a general idea of the castle’s layout in his head, but the detailed floor plans were off-limits due to security.

There was no way to know the exact location of his target.

All his telepathy could give him was the direction the thoughts were coming from and a rough estimate of the distance. That was it. So, all he could do was keep walking down these endless halls, following the signal.

He couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for the clean, efficient corridors from his past—the ones that went in straight lines, no wasted space. Sure, every floor looked the same and it was easy to get lost, but at least everything had a function.