This Bastard is Too Competent - Chapter 148: I'm Watching

***

Ian moved with Nathan.

Of course, he was not in ordinary attire.

He was wearing a disguise to move discreetly.

Nathan couldn’t help but voice his concerns.

“But Your Highness, do we really need to go in secret like this? Couldn’t we simply request a visit?”

“I don’t think Marquis Adelas would easily accept it. He holds a grudge against me.”

“Well, even I would like to give Your Highness a piece of my mind…”

Nathan turned his head at Ian’s gaze.

Of course, their secret journey had more reasons behind it than mere discretion.

‘I must not show any interest in the saintess.’

If it was revealed that the saintess was his true sibling, it could put her in grave danger.

The Cardinal and the Holy Empire might exploit her or use her against him.

But that wasn’t the only concern.

‘Mother’s life is at stake too.’

Ian didn’t know if his mother was still alive, but the unexpected existence of his sister and the potential survival of his mother worried him.

The enemy discovering their connection could place both his sister and his mother in harm’s way.

That’s why Ian, moving cautiously, hastened his steps.

Despite an upcoming official meeting, he felt an urgent need to meet the saintess sooner.

‘I have a bad feeling.’

It wasn’t merely a hunch.

Thump. Thump!

It was the first time his heart beat so fast.

It was when they approached the estate of Marquis Adelas.

“Shh! Be careful,” Nathan whispered, alerting Ian to the presence of guards.

They were near the secret passage that Nathan often used to sneak discreetly. He spoke quietly, “I think we’ll have to wait for a little while.”

“How long?” Ian asked.

Nathan replied, “It’ll be time for the shift change soon.”

Ian glanced at the sky, realizing that darkness was approaching.

“Is there no other place we can go?”

“This is the area with the fewest guards,” Nathan explained earnestly. “My father is extremely strict about security. He probably stationed guards and knights everywhere else.”

Though he didn’t like calling him father, Nathan spoke with certainty.

“This place has the least number of guards. It’s an unused annex.”

“Are the guards always this vigilant?”

“They’ve strengthened security because of the presence of the cardinal.”

“Are there any secret spaces?”

“Our family doesn’t have any secret spaces. It would be best to wait for the shift change.”

“…”

Even if they waited longer, they would have to wait for the shift change within one or two hours. Ian considered sneaking in during that time.

But he shook his head.

“No, I think I need to go in now.”

Nathan questioned, “Your Highness?”

Ian explained, “I have a bad feeling. We must meet the saintess as soon as possible.”

Nathan’s eyes widened.

It was unusual to see Ian pushing so persistently.

“But, Your Highness, even if we manage to subdue the guards, there’s no guarantee we can pass through unnoticed…” Nathan expressed his concern.

Taking down the guards wouldn’t pose a problem, but the situation wasn’t as straightforward as that.

If they were discovered, knights would swiftly swarm in.

No matter how skilled Nathan was as a knight, meeting the saintess and escaping without being noticed would be nearly impossible.

However, in that very moment…

“Don’t worry. Have you forgotten who I am?” Ian smirked at him and swiftly started running towards the guards.

“Oh… Your Highness!”

Nathan couldn’t catch up in time.

Ian was already sprinting toward the secret passage.

There were two guards positioned in front of him.

And then, at that precise moment, Ian forcefully struck a large rock on the ground.

Thunk!

The rock landed in the thick bushes behind the guards, causing them to startle and swiftly turn their spears in the direction of the noise.

“What! What was that?”

“Who’s there?”

All the guards turned their attention in that direction.

Ian recalled Nathan’s oath.

[I will fight honorably anytime and anywhere.]

In an instant, Ian moved as if his body had vanished.

The greatest advantage of Nathan’s oath was the ability to move swiftly without being seen or heard.

As Ian approached the vicinity of the guards, Nathan widened his eyes.

‘The prince shouldn’t have used that power just now. It has a fatal weakness.’

The drawback lay in the uncontrollable speed it brought.

It would be extremely dangerous for Ian to enter the secret passage at such a rapid pace. Slipping and falling near the entrance of the passage would be equally perilous.

‘One wrong move, and he could be seriously injured at the edge of the secret passage.’

But Nathan couldn’t bring himself to voice his concerns aloud, as the guards would immediately react and chase after Ian.

‘No!’

Ian’s body had suddenly arrived near the edge of the secret passage.

Eventually, it was when Nathan screamed inwardly.

His eyes widened.

It was expected.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Ian’s body soared high into the sky.

Instead of descending into the secret passage, he was scaling the wall.

‘How on earth?’ Nathan was astonished.

‘No matter how fast he gets with the oath, he shouldn’t be able to climb up a wall,’ Nathan thought.

But for Ian, it was too easy.

He possessed special tools, particularly the shoes of the first king.

The shoes granted him the ability to ‘Air Jump,’ allowing him to leap off walls or into the air depending on the force he exerted with his steps

‘I can only take three steps with my current skill. I’ve got to get over the wall before that.’

But there was no problem.

Ian swiftly reached the top of the wall and extended his arm to grab the edge.

Utilizing the momentum of his body, he leaped over the wall.

‘Indeed, wearing the shoes instead of the cloak was a wise choice.’

Ian had extensively studied the functions of the First King’s shoes and cloak.

In situations like this, it would have been acceptable to use the ‘Levitation’ power of the cloak. However, ‘Levitation’ was a rather slow movement, which was its drawback.

‘Furthermore, the cloak cannot be used in conjunction with Nathan’s oath.’

The cloak couldn’t keep up with Ian’s enhanced speed.

However, the shoes perfectly complemented Nathan’s oath.

Thanks to them, Ian was able to swiftly scale the wall.

Tuck!

Upon landing, Ian swiftly concealed himself within the dense bushes.

Unlike outside, there were no visible guards within the immediate vicinity.

‘I’ll make my way straight to the Saintess’ room like this.’

He still possessed the power of Nathan’s oath and the shoes.

Unless he encountered an individual skilled at the knight level, he was confident he wouldn’t be caught.

It was Nathan’s house, after all, so he would eventually find his own way there.

As Ian began to move cautiously,

[What! What is this foul stench!]

Jealousy leapt out of his arms.

The guy was angry, unlike usual, and shouted at Ian.

[What have you been up to? This foul stench…]

Simultaneously, Jealousy caught sight of Ian’s shoes and let out a horrified scream.

[What the hell, those are his shoes!]

‘Him?’

[That guy who was the king of the Seven Virtues! Come to think of it, you! You bear a striking resemblance to him, don’t you?]

‘Is that so?’

Ian casually responded while swiftly making his way further inside.

He had already obtained an approximate location for Nathan, which expedited his movements. However, Jealousy’s words unsettled him.

‘Do I truly resemble him that much?’

[Not only the aura, but even your face is similar.]

However, Jealousy soon tilted his head in confusion.

[But… the name is different, and you’re too short…]

‘That’s inevitable. He is my ancestor.’

[What?]

Jealousy seemed to have sensed something and let out a horrified scream.

[Crazy! I was in the company of the descendants of the man whom the Seven Virtues treated as king?!]

Jealousy tried to distance himself from Ian in any way possible.

But it was futile.

[You foolish imbecile! Release me!]

The white string wrapped around Jealousy’s body was not letting him go.

In fact, it was tightening around him.

Ian chuckled at the sight.

It appeared that the power restraining Jealousy was Patience.

Patience firmly held Jealousy, rendering him unable to break free.

Jealousy grumbled, with only his mouth visible.

[I can’t believe I’m being restrained by someone who can’t even properly wield his own power.]

Woong!

[Argh! Why? What? Why is it that the only one who can’t even communicate properly with his master is causing trouble with me?]

Ian momentarily paused at those words.

‘Could this guy… possibly be able to communicate with Patience?’

If that were the case, it could prove to be quite useful.

Ian still struggled with fully understanding and harnessing his own power of ‘Faith’ or ‘Patience.’ Despite his research using the documents left by Ceres, he had yet to grasp them completely.

‘It’s because they are written in an ancient language that I can’t translate accurately.’

It was still a sensitive situation to reveal to other researchers or scholars.

The fact that Jealousy could communicate unexpectedly presented an opportunity.

If handled well, Ian might be able to directly inquire about the abilities he possessed.

‘I can’t properly wield the power, you say?’

[Yeah, do I really have to say it?]

In response, Ian smiled at Jealousy.

‘Well, then how should I utilize it?’

[Don’t act so arrogantly, thinking I would provide such guidance to a descendant of a fool…’

Jealousy soon let out a scream.

It was understandable, considering a cluster of white strings was emerging from Ian’s body.

But it wasn’t just an ordinary string.

The white strings gradually took on the form of a white hammer, roughly the size of Ian’s head.

[Hey! This is against the rules!]

As Jealousy seemed to retreat at the sight of the true form of Patience, Ian just grinned.

‘Come on, enlighten me. How should I utilize my power?’

***

The saintess sat on her bed, looking out the window.

The air felt suffocating, as if she were trapped in a prison.

But there was no way to escape.

‘It’s not time yet.’

Her silver eyes, known as Eyes of Prophecy, gleamed with a frosty light.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Knock. Knock.

Someone was knocking on the door.

The saintess raised her head as if she had been waiting.

‘Finally.’

With a hopeful expression, she rose from her seat.

However…

Bang!

The door was forcefully opened.

It was Cesare, the cardinal, who entered.

“Saintess, the time has come for the consecration ceremony.”

His piercing gaze fixed upon the saintess.

The priest who had been guarding her was taken aback by Cesare’s words.

“The consecration ceremony? Is it really happening?”

The consecration ceremony was a significant event that only took place once every ten years, with the special permission of the Pope.

The fact that it was happening in Kaistein, with Cesare leading the ceremony, was unprecedented.

The saint’s presence alone was so revered that even the Pope treated her with the utmost respect.

“It hasn’t been a year since she last used that power. Using it now could put the saintess’s life at risk…”

Cesare smiled knowingly and turned to the priest.

“You, what is your name?”

“This is Yan.”

“He is the one who offended the saintess. Take care of it.”

“Yes!”

“Wai…wait! I…”

As the priest was dragged away, Cesare looked at the saintess and smiled.

Despite having only used the power of the Pope’s eye sparingly, he understood its immense significance.

It had helped him navigate through numerous crises and earn the trust of the Pope.

“It is a matter of great importance. Will you do it?”

The saintess, who had been continuously glancing towards the door as if waiting for someone, looked at Cesare instead of providing an answer.

“Saintess?”

The saintess nodded slightly.

“Then, let us proceed.”

Cesare was careful not to touch the saintess’s body.

And then, he began to lead her somewhere.

And at that moment…

‘…’

Through the window, Ian watched with intense eyes, his gaze more focused and alive than ever before.