[Matthew's POV]
A horn sounded, and shortly after, the battle was over.
Our losses had been minimal. Among those in the shield wall, only five had died.
Ector's group had more trouble defending against the Redtails than the Pretty Lions, but despite some serious injuries, no one had died.
The rest of the caravan wasn't as lucky.
A large number of adventurers and guards had died. Most had some kind of injury.
Much of the cargo had been looted.
"We should get ready to leave soon," Drako was the one who spoke.
What? Weren't we supposed to be helping the others, tending to the wounded? That crossed my mind, but I remained silent.
Everyone seemed to agree with Drako.
"Aren't we going to help those who weren't as lucky as us?" Lilian asked the question for me.
"No, Miss Lilian. Those who lost everything will soon find some excuse to blame those who lost nothing."
It was Fernand who answered. He spoke with such conviction that I figured this must have happened to him before.
"Exactly. If we don't leave soon, we may find ourselves at risk."
If the more experienced ones said so, I wasn't going to argue.
"The road is blocked by the wreckage of the battle. We'll have to cut through the fields for a few kilometers before we can get back to the road," Drako added.
That wouldn't be a problem for my carriage, but not everyone was in the same situation.
"Mr. Matthew, I'd like to make a request," Madame Zahira said. "My carriage won't make it through the fields. Would you mind sheltering me until we reach the city?"
We only had one private room and bunks. Things would get a bit cramped, but I couldn't exactly say no.
"Of course, you're welcome to come with us," I replied.
She responded with another of her mysterious smiles.
We then began preparations to depart. The Captain of the Guard came to see us while we were getting ready and agreed that leaving was the best option.
He offered us some guards, but honestly, they'd just be dead weight.
Madame Zahira's cargo was transferred to my carriage, her staff would follow on mounts, and her carriage was left in the care of the Royal Guard.
Less than an hour after the battle, we were already on the move.
Fernand and Drako stayed in their respective carriages, and at that point, I was alone with Zahira and Lilian.
"Madame Zahira, you can take the suite. Lilian and I will use the bunks for a few days."
I didn't know if that was something a noble would do, but I couldn't let a guest sleep in a bunk.
"Don't worry, Mr. Matthew. I brought my room with me. Would you mind if I set it up here?"
I had no idea what she meant, so I just nodded.
She removed a necklace with a beautifully ornate golden key.
If we were back in my old world, and she brought that key up to an imaginary door on the carriage wall, I'd say she'd lost her mind. But this was a fantasy world.
As soon as the key touched the wall, a keyhole appeared, and a door began to form.
"It's a Hidden Room. You've never seen one before?" Zahira asked, seeing my astonished face.
No, I had never seen anything like that. Was this common among nobles? Would this blow my cover?
Zahira just kept looking at me with that inscrutable smile.
"I'd like to speak with Mr. Matthew alone, if you don't mind, Lilian," Zahira said.
"Sure, I'll wait in the room while you two… talk,"
Lilian replied, emphasizing the word and giving me a lascivious look.
If only she were right, and Zahira's intention was actually that.
"You can stay here, Miss Lilian. What I have to discuss with Mr. Matthew is confidential, so I'd prefer to talk in my room."
She spoke and then entered, inviting me in as well.
Lilian gave me an even more mischievous grin.
I followed Madame Zahira into her secret room. It was richly decorated, opulent beyond anything I had seen in this world.
Was this woman really just a merchant? Inside the room, a servant greeted us.
"Welcome back, Madame," she said with a bow.
How did this work? Was the servant stuck inside the key? Or had we teleported into some kind of subspace?
"Célia, this is Mr. Matthew. Please prepare us some tea," Zahira commanded, and the servant immediately got to work.
She gestured to a table, and I pulled out a chair for her before sitting across from her.
"I have a proposal for you, Mr. Matthew. But first, I'd like to confirm a few details."
What could she possibly want to confirm? I simply nodded, and she continued.
"I always run a background check on the merchants who travel with me, for safety reasons."
She paused as Célia returned with the tea and served it before continuing.
"Try it, Mr. Matthew. This is also a Saritan Lilac, like the one you served, but the leaves were fermented."
The tea was delicious, though to me, it was just tea.
"Puritans usually disapprove of fermented herbs, but I personally love them."
I had no idea what the difference was.
"It's delicious," was all I said.
"Anyway, as I was saying, I run background checks on all the merchants I travel with."
That probably meant she had uncovered my past; my cover as a noble was blown.
She just kept smiling at me.
"Of course, you were no exception."
She paused to gauge my reaction. I kept my best poker face, and since she got nothing, she continued.
"So you can imagine my surprise, seeing you act like a noble."
She spoke in an accusatory tone, but didn't seem particularly concerned.
"I never said what my origins were. I can't control what people infer about me," I answered with a cynical smile.
"Of course. Your plan is quite good, I'd give it an A+ for the idea. But the execution? Not so much. You left too many loose ends."
She had really figured out my plan? But what exactly had I done so wrong?
As if reading my mind, she started listing my mistakes.
"You didn't change your name or your appearance. You registered your company at the Astar Guild with a recommendation letter from a well-known merchant. All that would make it very easy for anyone trying to find out your past."
Put like that, I hadn't done anything to cover my tracks. But I hadn't expected anyone to go digging so soon.
"Don't worry. If you accept my proposal, I'll help you with that." What was this proposal, anyway?
Her tactic was classic, point out my mistakes to make me believe I needed her help. She was also showing me the consequences of refusing, whatever they might be.
"I'd love to give you more details, but unfortunately, I still don't trust you completely."
She said while pulling a piece of parchment from her ring.
"I need you to take a vow of silence before I can share more. Otherwise, I'd have to kill you if you refuse my offer."
What was this woman? A secret agent? A cult recruiter? A crime boss?
I'd soon find out one of those was correct.
I had nothing to lose, or at least, I thought I didn't, so I took the vow of silence, as requested.
Matthew had made many of those during his days as a gigolo. Many clients liked the reassurance that their sexual escapades would remain secret forever, so keeping one more secret, under threat of death, wasn't a big deal.
Once the vow was signed, she finally began to explain her mysterious proposal.
"I work for the kingdom's intelligence department."
Yep. She was some kind of secret agent.
"I'm always looking to recruit civilians to act as informants, or, if necessary, as field agents," she continued.
"Why do you think I could be useful?" I still didn't understand why she'd chosen me.
"You're a liar and greedy, great traits for an informant. Today, you also showed you can act when the situation demands it."
Well, I won't deny I've been lying a lot lately, but hearing it said out loud like that stung.
"If you agree to be my informant, you'll of course be rewarded. I'll also help you add some substance to the lie you're trying to tell," she concluded.
It wasn't necessarily a bad idea, but I couldn't accept without knowing what I was getting into.
"What exactly would I have to do? What restrictions would you impose?" I asked.
"The job may vary. You'd mostly need to keep an eye on things happening around you and report anything that might put the kingdom at risk."
I doubted that would be the only thing.
"At certain times, we would also order you to act according to the kingdom's needs." There was the dangerous part.
"You don't have to answer right away. I'll give you until we reach the city of Barcelia to decide. But I don't think I need to say, you can't discuss this with anyone."
I wasn't too sure about getting involved in this. I couldn't see much personal gain, except maybe it would help me win Zahira over as a sugar mommy.
But then a message from the System shook my convictions:
[Ding!]
[Side Quest Unlocked]
[Would the Host like to begin: Path to Nobility? (Y/N)]