CHAPTER 110: EYES BEHIND THE DOOR

As he wandered through the castle, he realized a surprising number of men had called out to him.

That wasn’t good.

If too many people started remembering his face, things could get messy.

Why were they even paying attention to someone who looked like a low-level servant?

Was there something off about him that he hadn’t noticed?

Maybe this whole plan was flawed from the start.

After all, he was a man disguised in a maid’s outfit.

That alone might make this mission a failure.

He kept these thoughts buried in his chest, his face calm and composed, even as his mind spun with worry.

Finally, he arrived near the area he had been tracking.

The number of guards had gone up and their quality too.

These weren’t regular soldiers—they were the royal guard.

That meant this area was strictly off-limits without clearance.

Still, Shiao Yi walked forward boldly with a bucket in one hand and mop in the other.

The disguise of a maid was his pass. The hallways and rooms needed cleaning, after all.

Yep, just a simple cleaning job. Let him through, please. He was just doing his work—don’t get in the way.

Step, step, step.

Both the guards and the royal guards looked at him, but they must have decided that a small maid-looking girl wasn’t a threat.

Shiao Yi calmly walked past the large heavy door labeled "Office" and turned the corner of the hallway without slowing down.

There were a lot more people moving around here—government officials, military officers, and servants—clearly busy with their jobs.

This part of the castle was likely the main government wing.

Just as he reached a side passage, Shiao Yi teleported.

He jumped to a storage-like room that he had already marked while walking by earlier.

He had made sure there were no signs of anyone nearby.

After quietly placing down the bucket and mop, he carefully reached out with his senses to scan the surrounding rooms.

The person he was looking for was inside the office.

He sensed one more person in there as well.

There were three ruling officials in the current government.

The one currently in charge was Talcott.

It seemed there were a few others in the room too.

Shiao Yi wanted to be more certain.

He couldn’t confirm if the thought pattern truly belonged to Talcott just yet.

The shape of the thoughts alone wasn’t enough to tell.

Next to the office was a room that seemed to be a lounge or resting space.

It appeared to be empty—unless someone inside was either unconscious or sleeping.

Unless a person had gone through serious training, it was hard to hide their mental presence.

Just like the people of this world couldn’t fully suppress the magic power that made up their life force, the brain also couldn’t stop giving off tiny electrical signals and wavelengths caused by thought.

They could shield the content of their thoughts, but not the traces of activity itself—unless they were using advanced physical or scientific tech.

Shiao Yi teleported into the room next to the office.

He quickly looked around to make sure no one was there and let out the breath he’d been holding.

As he guessed, it was probably a waiting room or a lounge.

The thick carpet, expensive-looking sofas and couches, the decorative table and padded chairs, the vases and paintings—it was a large space filled with unnecessary luxury.

Besides the door from the hallway, there were also doors on the side and at the back.

This area probably connected to more rooms.

Maybe someone even lived here.

He quietly approached the door leading to the office and gently pushed the heavy door open.

Through the small gap he had made, he carefully peeked inside.

He saw the side profile of a man sitting in front of a large desk.

From the angle, it looked like this door was located behind the man’s desk, toward the far end of the room.

Several military flags were set up in the room and the door Shiao Yi was peeking through was hidden in their shadows.

That also made it harder for him to see what was going on.

The man sitting at the large desk had a hooked nose, gray hair, and thick gray eyebrows.

He looked to be in his fifties, with a solid, broad frame that gave off the clear impression of a career military officer.

He was probably the one Shiao Yi had tracked by his thoughts—Talcott, the acting top leader of the current government.

Talcott had stayed at the top not only because of his own strength and capabilities, but also because he held military dominance, thanks to the huge financial and troop support he had received from Chelmsford.

That gave him power over the other two consuls.

Because of that, Talcott had to treat Chelmsford favorably—and he couldn’t afford to harm or get rid of Jircniv either.

Jircniv was, in a way, a leash that kept the support from Chelmsford flowing.

"Why haven’t we deployed the troops yet? What are you waiting for?"

The sharp impatient voice came from another man, he’s average in height and build by this world’s standards.

His features were tense and harsh, with reddish blond hair, a thin nose, a pointed chin, and a mouth twisted in a way that made him look constantly on edge.

His blue eyes were filled with irritation and impatience.

That had to be the second consul—Weskham.

"Is your food supply really that bad?" Talcott replied with a sneer, barely hiding his amusement.

Weskham glared at him with frustration.

If they couldn’t even afford to feed their own soldiers, it meant that the economic and industrial conditions in Dalmasca were in worse shape than expected.

Unlike Talcott, who had a strong financial base, Weskham was likely struggling just to maintain his current military force.

That would explain why he was so eager to invade Nabradia, a region rich in production and resources.

"Why don’t you stop wasting your time on your little pleasures and get serious for once? Even Libertus agrees with me."