Chapter 26: Robin's Objective

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When Matthew saw that a message had come through from the other side, he did not press Robin any further about what he intended to do.

He hurriedly prepared paper and pen and began recording the wavelengths so that he could translate them into words.

When the translation was complete, Matthew’s expression became rather remarkable.

“Ah, my dear Matthew, you actually knew how to use another group that was plotting to assassinate Robin to make them clash with one another? I truly must look at you in a new light. What extraordinary nerve!”

“At first, headquarters was only prepared to provide you with one team as support. Now, however, we can offer considerably more.”

“The Archduke has already issued orders. He will set many of the Dark Division’s forces in motion and let this matter grow and gather momentum. Our people have already found a way to locate those from the Roland Atelier.”

“Ask Robin about every detail of what happened while he was at the Roland Atelier. We need more information to carry this out.”

“Don’t worry. Our hero has suffered a grievance, and the Archduke will see that justice is done.”

“However… I have to criticize you on behalf of a certain adviser. As for the Roland Atelier article, headquarters originally intended to make more thorough preparations before taking action.”

“That criticism is his, not mine.”

“You know me—I’m a man of action. No one can guarantee that their people have all been captured, or that they have confessed. If we waited for certain idiots to get everything ready, they might have escaped by then. Indirectly, you have urged those idiots to act more quickly.”

“What you have done will make victory in this war much easier. I’m awarding you credit for it.”

After translating the message, Matthew looked at Robin with a complicated expression.

This was the first time in his life that he had ever been praised by his superior!

His superior was also his teacher, a man who rarely praised any of his students.

Among that man’s pupils, Matthew was merely one of the more average ones.

“Robin, fortune is on your side. Headquarters is going to send people to support us.” Matthew believed Robin was cautious, but he had no idea what Robin ultimately intended to do. The city had not yet descended into chaos, and without support from above, Matthew was completely at a loss regarding Robin’s plan.

“It would be strange if headquarters didn’t support us. The Delos affair is simply too useful. As long as we throw the blame on Marquis Hild, the scales of victory in this war will swing heavily in our favor.” A faint smile lifted Robin’s lips. “Besides, everything the Roland Atelier did really happened. There is evidence to support it.”

“They operated on Marquis Hild’s territory, and Marquis Hild lost a great deal of money because of them. Those are all hard facts.”

“All we have to do is make use of them, and we can cast serious suspicion on Marquis Hild for treason!”

If this had been peacetime, the authorities would most likely have tried to smooth things over. But this was a civil war. The Archduke would seize even the slightest advantage, unless he was a fool!

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“This was your objective?” Matthew felt that he never could have imagined it.

This was a blind spot in his thinking. The matter seemed far too serious, and he had never dared even consider it!

It was like asking a company commander to devise a plan capable of influencing the entire course of a war. Taking advantage of the Delos espionage affair was something beyond a man of Matthew’s rank. If anything went wrong, he would never be able to bear the consequences.

And Matthew was not alone. Even some people in positions of power dared not issue certain orders recklessly. If everything went well, all would be fine—but if anything went wrong, they would bear the blame and the infamy.

“Even if the Archduke’s people don’t want to take advantage of this opportunity, the Roland Atelier affair will still consume a considerable portion of their attention and make it easier for us to escape. I’ve already made arrangements. We can leave the city tonight.”

Robin continued studying the map.

As a modern man, he dared to imagine anything and dared to do anything. What he lacked least was nerve.

That was also why, at the age of twenty-six, he had been able to go abroad and take charge of international affairs.

Of course, he had also been fortunate that his employer was the enterprising type rather than the conservative type. His employer was extremely bold in both hiring people and conducting business, and had even once boasted, “The worst that can happen is that the company goes bankrupt and I go home to inherit the family fortune!”

“What exactly did you do before joining the army?”

“I told you already. I’m from Delos. I was tricked into going to the Roland Atelier, then something went wrong with my brain. Now I’ve recovered.” Robin tapped his head. “I graduated from high school, at least.”

“You graduated from high school? Wait—you’re the child of a noble family, or the son of a wealthy merchant?” Matthew was startled.

“Neither. I attended high school on a scholarship.” Robin shook his head.

Matthew swallowed.

He had attended high school on a scholarship?

That was no small achievement!

In the modern world, it would be like a poor student from a small town working hard enough to earn admission to one of the nation’s top universities through an exceptionally competitive entrance examination…

“Did headquarters ask for information about the Roland Atelier?” Robin asked. “I left behind quite a lot of useful intelligence. It should give headquarters the initiative.”

“They did, they did. Tell me, and I’ll send it up.” Matthew felt as though all the intelligence work he had done over the years had been for nothing.

Robin’s current position was simply unworthy of him.

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Robin spoke while keeping his eyes fixed on the system map.

Matthew not only sent along Robin’s additional information about the Roland Atelier; he also made it clear that the idea had been Robin’s, with no intention of taking credit for it himself.

Halfway through Matthew’s transmission, Robin suddenly realized that something was wrong!

Why had a truck stopped outside the pet shop?

“Wait!” Robin hurriedly called out to Matthew. “Won’t there be a problem with sending the message this way?”

“There’s no time to lose. Even if we have to take a risk, we must transmit the information at once,” Matthew explained.

Robin stared at him in disbelief.

I thought you would send it more safely—or at least wait until you were certain there was no problem!

…

After Gennis finished carrying out the task Robin had assigned her, she spent the rest of the time minding the shop.

She sat on a chair just inside the door, a cup of black tea in her hands, quietly watching the people pass along the street.

Whenever she saw someone showing interest in the shop, she would offer them a polite smile and make an inviting gesture. If they came inside, she would show them the pets. If no one entered, she simply remained there, calmly sipping her tea.

Just as Gennis was lost in thought behind her mask of a false smile, a brass-colored steam truck slowly rolled up from the end of the street.

The truck gradually came to a stop outside the pet hospital, and a group of men dressed like construction workers climbed out.

Gennis froze for a moment. Instinctively, she rose to her feet and bowed to the man in a shirt and monocle who stepped down from the passenger side.

“Good day. May I ask what this is about…?”

Click!

A short-barreled pistol was pressed against Gennis’s abdomen.

“Good day. We’re from the renovation company.” The man in the shirt revealed a dangerous smile, like a venomous snake that had fixed its eyes on its prey.

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