After waiting for a while, three people from the Black Ops came. While Rocco was talking to them, Rose cut a branch that had come out on the floor.
Every time she sees her techniques, they are devastating and painful. In comparison, Rocco's vivid movements and beautiful killing power are the complete opposite.
Rose looks over at Rocco, who is talking and wondering if such a technique can be taught. She's interested and wants to learn, but Rocco will probably refuse her. Rose is sure Dalgodas will also be angry with her. Besides, Rocco always deftly refuses her requests. Since her desire to learn Black Ops's magic was dropped, Rose thought Black Ops's killing techniques would be even rejected.
"Rose, let's hand this over to these people."
"Yeah. I've already cut the branches. Do I have to untie them?"
"It's fine as is. But it's amazing, the thorns are digging into it."
"Hmm. It looks painful though."
Rose looked at the assassin and she said honestly.
"Well, you don't have to worry about it. He's a bad guy, so he's about to be tortured... oops, no. Hey! Take him away quickly. Be careful of the flying arrows. He's a valuable living witness."
"Yes, Sir!"
The three Black Ops members took the swordsman tied up securely and left. Rose who had been observing Rocco for a long time, realized that from their attitude, Rocco was in a high position. He looks like a young man, but she thinks he's about twice Yanagi's age. But his voice is so youthful that she can't believe he's middle-aged.
"What's wrong, Rose?"
"Ah, no."
"Are you tired? Let's take a break. Well, this is the queen's bedroom. It's spacious."
"Yeah. It's 2-3 times bigger than my bedroom."
Rose said, and Rocco was surprised.
"Is Rose's bedroom really that big?"
"Yeah. After all, I'm a princess. The next room is Rinka's and Myrina's, connected to my room by a door."
"That's normal. But I'm sure the Queen's room also has a door like that..."
Rocco began searching the room.
"There were!"
Rocco found a door. The color was made to resemble the walls, and it was made so beautifully that it was hard to tell at first glance. When he opened the door, they could see the next room.
"This is the bodyguard's room that is supposed to be used when the Queen goes to bed. Of course, even you, as the Queen's younger sister, are accompanied by Rinka and Myrina as bodyguards, so it's no surprise that the Queen is in charge of the bodyguard's room. The Queen, the most important person in this country must have a bodyguard."
Rocco says as he examines the wall.
"What are the facts?"
"This room doesn't seem to be used."
"That's strange."
"I think so too. But it seems like no one is using this room. Look, it's dusty. There can't be dust around the Queen in the palace. My house would be full of dust, but here. It's a palace, isn't it? And it's a room next to the Queen's bedroom."
"That's weird."
Rose nodded, saying it was certainly strange.
"Let's do some research."
"Yeah."
She used detection magic just to be sure, but no one was there other than Rose and Rocco. He finds a door in the room, but it's locked. Rocco unlocked the door using a trick Rose didn't understand. It's like a thief's trick to unlock the house of his prey.
"Can such techniques be taught in the Black Ops?"
"Well, I think there are some techniques like this..."
"Sounds interesting. Can I train in the Black Ops? I think I can learn a lot for about a month."
Rose asked, staring into Rocco's face. Then Rocco looked at her, stunned.
"You know, what good is it for a princess of a country to learn this kind of skill?"
"But I think the Queen can do it."
"Because the Queen was originally from the Black Ops."
"Then why can't I train in the Black Ops from now on? I'm also interested in the magic of the Black Ops and Rocco's killing techniques."
"It's no good even if you say it with such a cute smile. What Rose is saying is terrifying."
Rocco pinched Rose's nose, and Rose pulled back a little.
"Hmm! But Rocco was the one who said he wanted me to be his subordinate in the Black Ops. Isn't that a contradiction?"
"I have now withdrawn that wish."
"Stingy."
Rose pouted at him When Rocco saw that, he smiled and pinched Rose's cheek again.
"Why do you want to learn killing skills so badly?"
Rocco said with a laugh.
"Because Rocco's techniques are beautiful. Mine are destructive, violent, and not beautiful."
"We're originally from different schools. Rose is good at magic and uses that magic to defeat enemies. I'm from the Black Ops, so I do behind-the-scenes work like sneaking in and assassinating people. I can't make it public. My job is to be carried out behind the scenes. In other words, while Rose is the front face, I work secretly in your shadow. Naturally, I work as quietly as possible. Defeat the enemy in silence."
Indeed, that may have been the case.
"But it's kind of cool."
"From my point of view, Rose who is on the front side looks more dazzling. The lives of the Black Ops while on a mission are disposable."
"Is that so?"
Rose tilted her head.
"That's it."
"But the Black Ops members are people too, so they shouldn't die easily. There will be people who will be sad if they die."
"For me..."
"I'll be sad if Rocco dies. I told you this morning on the mountain, right?"
"That's right. Sorry, I forgot. It's been a long time since I've thought about that. Thank you, Rose."
"Yeah."
Rocco smiled. Then he looked around and moved again.
"Then, let's go beyond this door. I'm looking forward to seeing what's in there."
"Rocco's smile right now is scary."
"Hahaha. Compared to your cute smile earlier, I think my smile is cuter now."
"Huh?"
"Okay, let's go."
"Okay."
Rose put a barrier on herself. Rocco slowly opened the door. Beyond the door was a hallway. There are doors at the end of the room on the left and right. Rocco checked the ground for any traps before moving to the left. When he opened the door, they found themself in the queen's study room. Determining that there was nothing special in the study room, Rocco closed the door again. This time he aims for the door at the end on the right. He carefully checked the ground for traps again before heading out. He was a cautious man, thought Rose.
The door was not locked. Rocco carefully opened the door. It was the Queen's office, and this door seemed to be a hidden door.
"Rose, please confirm with the Queen about a hidden door in the office."
"Okay."
When Rose checked with Suzu, Suzu answered that she knew about the door, but someone close to her told her that the door was broken and had not been used for a long time. He said he had made plans to have it repaired, but various things caused his plans to be postponed. Suzu told Rose the names of her aides and asked Rocco to confirm the facts.
"I see..."
"Rocco, did you find out something?"
"That's where those swordsmen got in. There's a mechanism here. This opens it easily. People thought it was broken, but it was crafted like this."
"Hmmm."
Rose nodded.
"Originally, we had to go through the door of the residential area to get to the Queen's room, but Guile was standing there guarding it. I don't think they could get in unharmed, because Guile... The way he looked, he had the attitude that he would protect that door even if he died."
Rocco said and Rose nodded.
"I can't see him being complicit in the rebellion."
"Yeah. I'm thinking the same thing."
"So, someone close to her must be involved in the rebellion."
Rose said as she started moving again.
"Judging by the clothing of the assassin who attacked Rose, it was regular military clothing."
Rose, hearing Rocco's words, stopped him and turned around.
"Was it a real military uniform?"
"That's right. It is so natural and he won't arouse suspicion by using it. Does that mean he's a member of the military or someone with authority to do so?"
"And who benefits in this situation?"
"That's it."
Rose thought for a while.
"If the Queen is not here, I, her younger sister, will appear in her place and control the government. Isn't this quite possible?"
"You can say that so easily, Rose."
"Hmm, maybe that's just my personality."
"But I like women who are that clear. They make things easier to talk about."
"Thank you."
"Then continue."
"Yeah. Well, I think the purpose of trying to break into my room last night was not assassination, but kidnapping. At the same time as kidnapping me, they turned the queen into a magic stone, and the queen was inside. They were planning to hand over the magic stone to the person on the airship and end the matter.''
"I see."
"I don't know if Rinka's actions were unexpected or if she didn't take them down. Since she lives as a cat daily, the information about her as a bodyguard wasn't conveyed to the enemy side."
"Then the person who made the plan and the person who executed it were in different places. The person who made the plan would know about Rose's bodyguard."
"At this point, the only people who knew Rinka's true identity other than the Queen and I were Mr. Ohgi, the head maid Arnetta, the maid Miranda, the maid Saira, and the three guards. Unfortunately, the maid Miranda and the two guards died. The other bodyguard was unconscious yesterday, but I don't know what condition he is in now. The rest are maid Saira, maid Arnetta, and Mr. Ohgi. However, Mr. Ohgi was seriously injured. That's what the queen said. The maid Arnetta knows what Rinka looks like as a person, but doesn't know what Rinka looks like as a cat. I think it's safe to assume she has nothing to do with this."
"What about the maid Saira?"
"If Saira had something to do with the rebellion, she wouldn't have screamed. She screamed, so I noticed and fought back. I wonder if we can eliminate her at this point."
"So, all of them are unrelated?"
"But when I think about it like that, something is annoying me."
Rose thought again.
"Hmm, it doesn't quite fit. Myrina disappeared from the palace on a special mission from the Queen. At the same time, Rinka also turned into a cat and disappeared. The people who monitored you told the rebellion execution team that the only people who looked like bodyguards were the three guards in front of your room."
"The question is who was monitoring me and from where."
Rose is deep in thought while saying this.
"That's right. If I was monitoring you, I would watch from the roof or, if you dare, from the Queen's room on the other side."
"I'll notice if you do it from the roof. If you're going to do it without me getting suspicious, I think you'll do it from the Queen's room."
"That's right. Rose is already aware of the existence of my subordinates."
"Yeah."
"I don't think they're any better than my men."
Rocco said, thinking about it.
"Well, what should I say? I've never fought Rocco's men, so I don't know. But the ones that attacked me that night weren't that strong."
"But Rose couldn't dodge the arrow."
Rocco smiled and looked at Rose.
"Well, I let my guard down. Besides, Rocco was there and saved me. Thank you."
"If you let your guard down next time, your life will be at stake, so be careful."
"Yeah."
Rose nodded. Honestly, Rocco thought with a smile.
"So, in that case, that ambush might have been a plan to capture Rose."
"Maybe so. He might have intended to incapacitate me and take me somewhere."
"During that time, all they had to do was trap the Queen and it would be done."
"But Rinka returned to the palace. And Myrina also appeared. It means that the situation has completely changed."
"That's right. I could somehow read the situation."
They both nodded at the same time.
"What do you think about those murdered ministers?"
"I think those ministers were probably killed because they refused to join the rebellion."
"What about that idiot son of the lord of Ecoria?"
"Idiot son? Are you talking about the person who died near that throne?"
Rocco asked, and Rose nodded.
"Yeah. I didn't like him. He was persistent. He looked at me lewdly while we were eating, and even proposed marriage."
"It's a good thing Yanagi wasn't there."
"Yeah. What would happen if Rocco was here?"
"If Rose is so uncomfortable, I might kill him secretly from a distance."
"It’s just not noticeable."
"That's right. It's the Black Ops way."
Rocco chuckled.
"But in the end, that person died. However, the location was near the throne, right? What do you think he was there for?"
"While thinking about Rose who was kidnapped, wasn’t he also dreaming of ruling this country together on that throne?"
"But isn't that too easy to understand? Isn't it the kind of way you die that makes you say, 'Everyone, listen, I'm the main culprit!'"
When Rose said that, Rocco couldn't help but laugh.
"The outcome of a rebellion like this is either failure or success. If it succeeds, all is well, but if it fails, there will be no life. As soon as a rebellion is started, the death penalty is certain. Of course, those who are complicit are also sentenced to death. This is the law. If you are unknowingly complicit it will depend on the judge's decision. Therefore, if you prepare someone to be the main culprit when the rebellion plan fails, you can kill him without arousing suspicion. I guess they think it’s over."
Rocco explained in detail.
"Somehow, but I think I understand."
"Me too. All that's left is the evidence."
"But how do we find the evidence?"
"I left that to my subordinates."
"Wow! Did Rocco think that much?"
"Well, I've done many things based on my experience. I think it's important to try and apply all the possibilities."
"I somehow started to respect Rocco. Please make me your disciple, Teacher Rocco~♪"
Rose is staring at Rocco with sparkling eyes. Cute, Rocco thought, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
"Rose, please don't say such scary things while looking at me with those sparkling eyes."
"No good?"
"No."
"Stingy."
"..."
"Master♪"
"No. I don't make disciples."
"Ugh, sad."
"If Rose were to be contaminated by the Black Ops' way of thinking, I would be endlessly sad."
Rocco said kindly. Rocco felt like he was about to fall for Rose.
"It's okay if it's just the technique."
"If you really need the skills of the Black Ops, just keep a bodyguard from the Black Ops by your side."
"I nominate Rocco."
"I'm on a mission right now. Once this mess is over, I must return to my mission."
When Rocco said this, Rose looked down.
"I feel lonely again."
When Rose said this, Rocco couldn't help but touch Rose's hair and kiss it.
"Me too. But I can't help it. The mission is the Black Ops' top priority."
"Yeah, I notice that."
"But I'll see you again, so it's okay. I promised I would definitely come see you, right?"
Rocco pulled his hand from Rose's hair. Somewhere in his heart halt himself again, thinking his status was too different than hers. But Rose is lovely, Rocco thought.
"Yeah. But before you return to your mission, you must fulfill one more promise with me."
"Are you talking about food?"
"Yeah. We promised to have lunch together, right?"
"Yes, but first, let's make everything fall into place."
"Yeah."
Rose nodded. Rocco smiled. Sorry, Rocco thought.
"Well, I think it's time to go and pick up the Queen. Rose, please ask her the location."
"Okay."
Rose once again confirmed her current location with Suzu. They found Suzu and two generals at the destination. This location is an underground emergency maze within the palace. It's so complicated that if someone goes into it unnecessarily, he will wander around for several weeks.
Suzu was unharmed and safe. Even though she said Rinka was injured, her injuries were minor. While protecting Suzu, she was intentionally hit by an arrow shot by the enemy. If she avoided it, the arrow would hit Suzu. Myrina was, of course, unharmed and safe. Her close aide, Ohgi, is still unconscious, but Rose's recovery magic will probably save him.
They escorted Suzu to the palace together with Myrina's subordinates. On the way, Suzu saw Rose in a tattered, muddy, and dirty nightdress, and she hugged her tightly. Rose was sure she must have looked very miserable.
However, she feels reluctant to return to her room and change her clothes. Her precious maid and two guards also died. As if Suzu understood this, she silently grabbed Rose's hand and headed towards the palace.