An imperial guard followed her immediately. A single imperial guard, not even a knight. It clearly showed how Lu was evaluated by the Kaletta Empire. Good. The more she was underestimated, the better.

“I haven’t been here in a while, and I want to breathe in the air of Katat. It would be a waste to just stay in the room. Would you like to walk with me in the Garden of Wisdom?”

“Let’s go together.”

On the way to the Garden of Wisdom in the western part of the palace, she caught a glimpse of the teleportation circle she had used to reach Katat’s palace. It was a gateway used by everyone who arrived at the palace via teleportation and, in emergency cases, even the emperor. It served the same purpose as Byphel in Shalea.

Lu realized anew that traces of the Perseta Empire were melted into the Kaletta Empire. She glimpsed mages running around frantically.

‘Carlos really left the palace, didn’t he?’

A new sage has appeared in the South, huh? To verify if this was true, she would have to go to the mid-southern region of Kaletta, which corresponded to the old southern region of Perseta. After all, the sage would be from that area.

Thanks to Carlos briefly vacating his seat in Katat’s palace, it became easier for Lu to move.
A single member of the Royal Guard would suffice. Just one was enough.

The Wisdom Garden, bereft of flowers and only filled with evenly trimmed, densely grown trees, was in essence a labyrinth.

Visible to those observing from above, but a mysterious place to those walking at its ground level, it had many blind spots.

With a guard trailing behind her, Lu entered the maze deeply enough. There was no one watching from above now, so a covert attack happened very easily. The moment she rounded a corner, Lu attacked the guard.

A thud, the guard who was struck at his weak point couldn’t regain his senses before the subsequent two attacks. In that state, Lu forcefully choked him with her arm. She needed to make him lose consciousness before he could use magic.

“Guh…!”

Although it was a difficult task using her own strength, it was not impossible. Gritting her teeth, she yanked the struggling guard towards her.

Flames surged from his hand but the magic was incomplete, and soon he let his head drop. Lu took deep breaths, laid him on the ground and immediately began to undress him.

“What are you doing?”

A voice suddenly intruded from above, but Lu was not startled.

“Your Highness, please wear this.”

She offered the Royal Guard’s uniform. Though she received no reply, she shook the hand holding out the uniform.

“If you just observe, you’ll need to wear this to observe from the closest distance.”

Hayden reluctantly accepted the uniform with an unpleased expression.

“It probably won’t fit me well.”

“The cape is loose so just cover yourself with that. You can hide the pant length with the boots. And change your face too; you stand out too much.”

If the devilishly handsome barrier from beyond appeared in the Catat Imperial Palace, it would create a scene. Lu turned her back on Hayden and diligently plundered the guard’s possessions. She passed the long sword to Hayden and took the dagger for herself. Most importantly, she took the pass permit.

“Weren’t you supposed to handle this matter yourself?”

Helping would be Hayden’s merit, not Lu’s. So Hayden came along merely to keep an eye on the unreliable Lu, but if she could use even a watchful guard to her advantage, she would.

“Making Your Highness think of aiding me is also one of my talents.”

Hayden, who changed his clothes in the blink of an eye, chuckled as if amused.

“So you’re blatantly using me.”

Meanwhile, she had stuffed the guard into some low bushes and dusted her hands as she stood up.

“I don’t have much to offer. Let’s go.”

The audacious Lady Caletta left the Wisdom Garden with a laid-back guard trailing behind her.