IDED | Chapter 134

Episode 134

James slammed his vodka glass down roughly and complained to the attendant beside him.

“Hic. Do you even know who I am? How dare—hic. I won’t let this slide.”

His drunken antics were disgraceful to watch. The poor attendant stuck with him was the only one to be pitied.

“You’ve had too much to drink, young duke. You should head back now.”

“Go back? What are you talking about! I’m not even drunk!”

Even though his tongue was already slurring beyond recognition, he adamantly denied being intoxicated, leaving the attendant drenched in cold sweat.

Serena, watching from a distance, clicked her tongue.

“He’s completely out of it.”

“This will make things easier.”

Lily stretched her wrist, preparing herself. Serena also started getting ready to approach James, waiting for the moment he would leave the tavern.

“What about the attendant?”

“Jack’s men are waiting outside. They’ll handle it.”

With the founding festival approaching, the scheme against the duke was nearly at its final stage. Lily used her detection magic to locate the duke’s magical energy, and Serena absorbed it.

With Raffaello’s relic added into the mix, there was no way for the duke to detect their actions unless he actively used his magic.

After carefully absorbing the magic step by step, the last one remaining was James Greenwood.

“He’s getting up.”

Serena pulled her hood lower and stood as well. Though she was wearing a mask crafted by Lucy, she remained cautious just in case.

James staggered, stubbornly refusing the attendant’s support. Just when it seemed he was about to board the carriage, the attendant spoke in a troubled voice.

“Wait a minute—who the hell damaged the carriage wheel?”

Oh. That was us.

Serena watched with satisfaction as Jack’s men rendered the carriage useless.

“Young duke, you’ll need to wait a little. The carriage is broken.”

“Damn it! Nothing ever goes my way!”

James kicked the carriage in frustration, but as nausea hit him, he groaned and stumbled into a nearby alleyway. The attendant, focused on repairing the carriage, didn’t even glance in James’s direction.

‘Now!’

Serena and Lily followed after him. As James doubled over, vomiting, Serena patted his back like an attendant while discreetly casting magic.

A ripple of violet light briefly passed over James’s body as she absorbed the Greenwood Duke’s magic.

“Hit harder! What kind of man is this weak?”

“Yes, yes, understood.”

Serena’s mocking tone made James’s shoulders flinch.

The voice was far too delicate to belong to a man. Just as James slowly turned around—

Lily swiftly struck the back of his neck with the hilt of her sword.

“Guh!”

As James choked and gasped, Serena shoved the relic into his mouth.

Gulp.

She stepped back only after confirming that James had swallowed it. Lily immediately restrained him.

“Ugh! Who are you? Who the hell—”

“Look here, young duke.”

After ensuring James was properly bound, Serena pulled out a mirror and held it before him.

The moment James instinctively gazed into it, Serena activated the mirror using the divine stone.

Wooong—.

A faint vibration accompanied the divine stone’s glow before the mirror flashed, reflecting James’s image. Serena smirked.

“Red sun. You never met us tonight. You simply passed out after drinking too much.”

“Wh-what…?”

James’s unfocused eyes wavered before his pupils dilated, his expression turning blank.

Moments later, the glowing mirror darkened completely. Without hesitation, Lily struck James’s neck again.

“Guh—!”

Caught off guard, James crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Lily dusted off her hands as if shaking off filth.

“That’s the end of it, right?”

“Yes. Good work.”

Serena smiled in satisfaction as she tucked the mirror into her bag.

Now, they had absorbed all possible magic without the duke noticing. The only ones left were the duke himself and his closest confidants.

“Young duke!”

Just then, the attendant returned after fixing the carriage.

Serena and Lily hid in the shadows, watching as James was dragged back to the carriage before quietly making their way to Gordon’s trading company.

***

Not long after, James finally began moving—right on cue, thanks to Ophelia’s relentless provocation.

Drunk out of his mind, James stormed into the villa where the fake Nocturne resided. He jabbed a finger at the knight blocking his path.

“Do you even know who I am? How dare you!”

“Young duke, you can’t cause a scene here!”

“Move! I said move!”

“The duke ordered that no one be let in except for himself. Even if you’re the young duke—ugh!”

Thud!

The knight staggered back as James’s punch connected. At the same time, James’s magic activated, binding the knight. The nearby guard immediately drew his sword.

But James was faster. Without hesitation, he restrained the remaining knight with magic as well.

The spell wasn’t meant for harming others, but James showed no hesitation in his actions.

After days of drowning himself in alcohol, rational thought was long gone.

“Hah! Try escaping if you can. By then, Nocturne will already be dead.”

Leaving those words behind, James strode confidently into the villa.

Less than ten minutes later, the next shift of guards arrived and, upon discovering the bound knights, promptly reported the incident to the duke.

The Duke of Greenwood sat at his desk, tapping his fingers with a cold expression. With the decisive moment approaching, his nerves were razor-sharp.

‘It’s finally ready.’

He idly toyed with the vial on his desk, lost in thought.

It was a potion—the final version, recently delivered by the head of the research lab.

It wasn’t the blue or red potion that Nocturne had seen before.

This one was colorless, odorless—a lethal poison undetectable in any mixture.

Having color or scent meant it could be discovered.

The duke wasn’t foolish enough to handle matters in such an obvious manner.

‘Now, I can finally rid myself of these nuisances.’

For a long time, he had meticulously planned for Greenwood to seize control of the Croten Empire.

The idea first took root the moment he awakened his ability.

The moment he recognized his unique magic, he set his sights on the throne.

His magic—Domination.

A shackle and curse capable of rendering even other awakened beings powerless, it was an absolute force that could bring countless skilled individuals to their knees.

Even someone as sharp as Nocturne struggled to disobey him.

And that wasn’t all. The Duke’s efforts in nurturing talents had been part of his grand scheme to groom individuals for his future Greenwood Empire.

Among them, he had secretly bound a select few with his magic, ensuring their absolute loyalty.

If they ever dared defy him, he could simply activate his magic to force them into submission.

‘Sebastian was such a waste.’

The original plan had been for Sebastian to assassinate the emperor. Then, he would frame Leonard Carter for the crime, eradicating the Carter family in one fell swoop.

‘If only that woman hadn’t discovered it.’

Before the final version of the potion was completed, they had attempted to smuggle two altered substances into the imperial palace—ones that merely lacked the colors of the red and blue potions.

These substances were the perfume used by Azaid and the mana supplement of Yungsa. The poison had been diluted, so its effects wouldn’t manifest immediately, but once the lethal dose was reached, the poison would activate.

However, before the two substances could take full effect, Sebastian was caught by Serina Vincent while handling the perfume.

And, ungratefully, he tried to reveal the duke’s secret—only for the magic to activate and stop his heart.

“Well, there’s always someone else to take his place.”

The duke enjoyed treating his subordinates like chess pieces. He might have a few favored pieces, but that was all.

If any of them jeopardized his plans at a crucial moment, he would eliminate them without hesitation. That was the core of his political strategy.

Just then, his aide entered the duke’s study. The fact that he had barged in without knocking suggested the urgency of the matter.

“What is it?”

“The young duke has broken into the villa.”

“What?”

Duke Greenwood sprang up from his seat.

“How did he find the location?”

“I don’t know. He even attacked the guards and forced his way inside.”

“That useless brat!”

The duke slammed his desk and ground his teeth in frustration. He had thought the boy was finally becoming useful, which was why he had given him the position of young duke. But lately, he had only come to regret that decision.

Instead of handling his duties, the boy had been aimlessly wandering around, behaving like a wastrel. And now, he had caused a disaster.

‘I was going to let him find out the location in due time!’

The duke had a good guess as to where the information had leaked. With Lily Lowell in the capital, finding Nocturne’s location would have been an easy task for her.

‘But it’s all pointless. Nocturne won’t be able to take a single step out of that villa anyway.’

If he wanted to stay alive, he would have no choice but to wait quietly. The duke gave a short order.

“Drag him out, even if you have to knock him unconscious!”

“That’s… The young duke took a magic sphere with him.”

“What?! That reckless bastard!”

The duke could no longer contain his rage and let out a furious curse.

After all the expensive education he had paid for, the boy was now using his power to stab him in the back.

If James had taken multiple magic spheres, the guards at the villa wouldn’t be able to hold him off.

“I’m going there immediately.”

The duke took the lead, and his aide followed behind.

And as soon as the duke disappeared in his carriage, Ophelia opened the gates to welcome Nocturne.