Chapter 131 Poison Gas
Jediel had so much he wanted to show Luisa and Hugo, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and so much he wanted to tell them.
“This is my drawing of Grandma and Grandpa, Mum and me!”
“You’ve really improved your drawing skills, sweetie!”
“You too, my dear Jediel, are a quick learner.”
“Yeah, he is.”
Jediel bounced up and down, giggling. He played his grandmother’s favourite nursery rhymes because he’d learned to play the violin, and he read aloud from his grandfather’s newspaper because he’d learned all his letters.
“Grandma Luisa’s beef stew is the best in the world!”
Jediel exclaimed, wiggling his hips as he took a mouthful of stew, and then whispered in a low voice, catching the eye of the servant and maid sitting next to him.
“Don’t tell our chef, shhh!”
“Of course, master.”
“Don’t worry.”
The way he put his short index finger to his lips and begged was so cute that we all burst out laughing.
The time spent with Grandma and Grandpa flew by. Before long, night had fallen and Jediel was lying snugly between his grandmother and grandfather.
“Grandpa, tell me a story!” he said.
“Hmmm… what would be a good story?”
“The one where the bear and the stork teamed up to defeat the evil monkey.”
“Hehe, again?”
“That’s the funniest story!”
It was Jediel’s favorite story. Hugo cleared his throat and began to tell the story in a quiet voice, though he had heard it a hundred times before.
“Once upon a time. A cuddly little teddy bear and a long, tall stork lived next door. Then one day a new neighbor moved into the village, and guess who it was…”
Hugo’s voice echoed in the quiet bedroom.
Jediel, who wanted to hear his grandfather’s story so badly, listened for less than five minutes before he fell asleep, breathing softly and evenly. Luisa and Hugo looked at him and smiled.
“You must have been very tired.”
“He has every right to be, after all, he’s been running around all day.”
Hugo stroked Jediel’s forehead, and Luisa tucked the duvet tightly around the child’s neck. Soon they were both fast asleep.
The knights who had escorted Jediel from the ducal residence were guarding the small two-storey house inside and out.
In pairs of two, they took up positions on the first and second floors of the house, in the courtyard, and in the small woods across the road. The godmother had ordered tight security.
But even with all their preparations, they were no match for the enemy, who lurked in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity.
The moment the knights thought they smelt a strange odor, they fell into a deep sleep. Their enemies, lurking in the shadows, chuckled as they fell, one by one.
The sleep-scented tool was far more useful in indoor attacks than outdoors. Once the knights across the street, in the woods and in the courtyard, were downed, the group threw several of the black, beaded tools through the small crack under the front door.
Smoke billowed out from the tools as they hit the floor, and soon the entire house was engulfed in smoke. Even the sturdiest of knights collapsed in a heap and fell into a fitful slumber, enchanted by the powerful sleep incense.
Entering the house unhindered, the masked men lifted Jediel from his sleep on the second floor.
Drugged with sleeping smoke, Jediel was oblivious to the world, and Luisa and Hugo showed no sign of waking up as they took the child next to them.
Out of the house, the masked men were about to lift the limp Jediel into the carriage.
“Stop right there!”
From the shadows, the shadowy knight Yassen emerged, the man who had always escorted Veronia at Killion’s command.
Before leaving for the south, Veronia herself had asked him to stay behind in the capital and protect Jediel. She was worried about the child being alone.
The Masked Men were taken aback by Yassen’s unexpected appearance. He hadn’t shown the slightest sign of it.
It was also surprising that he hadn’t taken any damage from the powerful sleeping fumes he must have inhaled.
“How did this happen?”
“…This can’t be happening!”
“Shit!”
As the masked men scrambled to their feet, Yassen pounced on a loose gap, aiming for a critical spot.
“Ugh!”
“Huh!”
There was no match for Yassen the Shadow Knight in a duel in the darkness, and he took down the masked men one by one with too much ease.
Finally, after defeating the last of them, Yassen picked up Jediel, who lay limp in the carriage. The child was still sleeping soundly.
But then it happened.
There was a loud bang, and acrid smoke spread around them.
‘Oh no, I thought I’d got rid of them all! Was there a horde left? Is this another sleeping scent?’
Before Yassen could react. This time, a group of gas masks appeared. They seemed to be from a different group than the one he had just defeated.
They felt different. They seemed to be better trained, and they exude an air of authority.
“You’d better hand him over!”
The apparent leader spoke in a husky voice. Of course, Yassen had no intention of handing Jediel over. Seeing Yassen standing his ground, the leader spoke again.
“The smoke you inhaled may be fine for you, who is resistant to the poison, but it will be very deadly for the child. If you want to save him, you must put him down right now! You have five minutes to inject the antidote or he will die.”
“What? What’s that…”
A bewildered Yassen looked down at Jediel in his arms, assessing his condition. The chief’s words seemed to be more than mere threats.
Yassen’s heart sank as he watched the child’s face turn black and his body temperature plummet. This was a child he had to protect more than his own life. Yassen gritted his teeth.
“Okay, he has four minutes. Any more delays here could save his life but leave him crippled. You’ll have to think and move quickly.”
“…”
He had no choice. Saving the child’s life with the antidote had to come first. He didn’t hesitate long. Yassen immediately dropped the limp Jediel to the ground.
Puck! While Yassen’s attention was focused on Jediel, the man behind him struck him hard in the head. Yassen let out a terminal scream and fell backwards, unconscious.
The boss immediately injected Jediel with the antidote. It took effect quickly, and the child’s blackened face regained its original color.
“Now, put him back in the carriage. Be careful and gentle with him. We don’t want our expensive little master to lose a single hair.”
With a snort, each of the gas masked men spat out an ugly laugh, and with Jediel in a deep sleep, the group quickly drove away.
By the time Yassen woke up, they were long gone. His head still throbbed from the blow, but that didn’t matter now.
“Oh, shit!”
He couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he hadn’t been able to protect the child he was supposed to protect with all his might. But he couldn’t just sit around and beat himself up. He had to find Jediel as soon as possible.
‘Yeah. Let’s go there!’
Yassen headed straight for the Ashmore Information Guild. He remembered Killion’s instructions to go to Onyx in Ashmore if anything happened.
Despite the late hour, Onyx was in the guild office.
“What, Jediel’s been kidnapped?”
Onyx’s face contorted into a grimace as Yassen explained the situation. Thump, thump, thump, his heart raced.
He immediately whipped out his communicator and dialed Killion.
‘Pick up, Killion, it’s urgent, please, please stay awake, please!’
Biting his lip nervously, he waited anxiously for a response. The flickering commlink glowed brightly, and he heard Killion’s surprised voice.
– Onyx? What’s going on at this hour?
“Killion, we’re in trouble! Is Nia with you?”
– Yes, she’s with me.
“Good, your shadow escort, a man named Yassen, has come for me.”
Onyx gestured for him to come closer, and Yassen stepped up to the comm and opened his mouth.
“This Yassen. Your Excellency and Lady Nia.”
– Yassen, what’s going on?
For a moment, Killion could hear the tension in his voice. The fact that Yassen had come to see Onyx meant that something serious had happened.
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. Master Jediel has been kidnapped. He was sleeping in Rosler’s house, and masked man broke in using sleep magic tools.”
– Oh my…
– Oh, my Jediel!
A groaning cry erupted from the other end of the line, and for a short moment there was no response, just heavy silence with ragged breathing.
