“Oh dear, oh dear. What should we do? Even with the order not to leave the castle as the due date approaches, she insisted on going outside.”
Gerard’s quick thinking was impressive. The darkness made it hard to see, but he made Milena’s flat stomach appear like that of a heavily pregnant woman.
The soldiers looked at each other in hesitation. If something happened to the woman while they were standing there, they would be held responsible. Seeing their dilemma, Gerard pulled out a small pouch of money.
“I haven’t received much pay this month, so this is all I can offer. It’s not much, but please accept it.”
After exchanging glances, the two soldiers quickly grabbed the pouch.
“Oh, there’s no need for this. Look, your wife looks like she’s struggling. You should hurry down to the village. We’ll open the side gate for you.”
“Oh my, thank you! Thank you so much…!”
Just as Gerard was bowing repeatedly in gratitude and about to help Milena up, more people approached. Maybe it was because the light had stayed in one place for too long.
“Hey! What are you doing over there?!”
Ah, it would be a headache if more people showed up. This was bad. Gerard quickly assessed the approaching figures.
‘One, two, three… four in total.’
He discreetly touched the poisoned needles hidden in his sleeve. Just as he gave Milena a look telling her to stay still and was about to take care of things swiftly—
BOOM! BANG! BOOM!
A series of explosions echoed from one side, followed by a loud shout.
“INTRUDER!”
Both the confused soldiers and the approaching guards immediately shifted their attention to the explosion site.
“The Grand Duke’s office!”
Lexion?
As Gerard helped Milena to her feet, she turned her head toward the direction of the explosions. There was only one person who would go to the Grand Duke’s office.
His black hair was a tangled mess. The pristine white ceremonial robe he had been wearing was now disheveled.
It looked as if someone had scolded him, as if Lariette had punished him for something. Maybe she was so angry at him for trying to marry her younger sister that she had disappeared.
“Your Grace, I have taken care of all the matters you instructed.”
Before he could sink any further into his thoughts, his aide approached.
Darkness had fully settled, but the Grand Duke’s castle was brightly lit. As he looked down at the knights moving in perfect coordination, Calion’s silver-gray eyes turned sharply toward his aide.
“The sorcerer?”
“His whereabouts are strange. Not a single person has seen him. It’s as if he vanished into thin air.”
Clench. His teeth ground together. He had been deceived by the nonsense about summoning a soul.
Considering the circumstances, it seemed likely that the sorcerer had taken Lariette’s corpse.
“Gather those skilled in tracking, be they mercenaries or hunters. I don’t care who they are—find them, including the sorcerer.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Mobilize all forces. Search everywhere, from the slums to the temple. Leave no stone unturned. Find her.”
“As you command.”
The air around him was silent, but to his aide, it felt as if he was on the verge of an explosion.
Calion was a Sword Master, a man who also possessed overwhelming magical power. If he were to swing his sword in fury, a bloodbath was inevitable.
Everyone around him was tense, watching his every move.
Each of his heavy footsteps carried a deep sense of despair. Upon entering his office, Calion immediately reached for the strongest liquor on his shelf.
Even as he chugged the potent alcohol, the crushing sense of loss did not fade. Spring would never return for him. Ever since Lariette’s death, the chilling air that filled the Grand Duke’s castle had become all too familiar.
His gaze drifted to the wide-open window.
As he stared at the fluttering white curtains, his eyes caught sight of a single, out-of-place sheet of paper on his desk.
A terrible premonition struck him.
Thud. Thud. His heart pounded as he picked up the note.
As his silver-gray eyes scanned the words, blood vessels burst in his eyes. His trembling hand clenched the paper so tightly that his lungs constricted and expanded repeatedly.
The limit of his patience snapped.
His rising fury surged through his veins, and the magic he failed to suppress raged through his senses, shaking him violently.
“Who… the hell…”
More than the fact that Lariette was alive, it was the existence of the man who was with her that grated on his nerves.
Unbeknownst to him, someone was watching in hiding.
‘There it is, the magic surge I was waiting for.’
Lexion had remained in the castle just to witness this.
His crimson eyes quickly tracked the magic dispersing in all directions, darting back and forth.
When enraged, when the heart raced, magic would become unstable, reacting strongly to its source.
Lexion had been waiting for this moment.
‘Where is it? Where did you hide our family’s power-infused gem…?’
Ah, damn it.
His scarlet eyes met with Calion’s piercing silver-gray ones.
‘Busted.’
As their powers clashed, the invisibility cloak concealing him vanished.
Moments later, explosions erupted once again.
BOOM! BANG!
With a deafening roar, the entire office was blown apart. The force of the explosion left the room half-destroyed, filled with debris and dust.
“Your Grace! Are you alright?!”
The knights rushed in.
Before they could assess the interior due to the thick dust, the more reckless among them stepped forward.
“Wait!”
A chilling aura tightened around their throats, making them break into cold sweat.
The knight commander, who barely managed to perceive the situation inside, shouted urgently.
“Don’t go near!”
“Urk!”
“Gah!”
An invisible force whipped out like a raging lash, flinging the knights into the ground.
But it didn’t stop there. The uncontrollable magic, unable to distinguish friend from foe, lashed out, cutting down knights as if they were slashed by a blade. In an instant, the floor was littered with bloodied bodies.
Those still standing held their breath, unable to help their fallen comrades, too terrified to move.
“Where is she?”
Calion’s voice was a low, guttural growl. The knights swallowed dryly.
Which madman had the audacity to break into the Grand Duke’s office?
“Wait… isn’t that Hubert?”
“What?”
At one knight’s words, the commander’s eyes widened.
Hubert—the knight he had personally recommended as Milena Lastia’s escort—was being held in Calion’s grip, covered in blood.
“I’ll ask you again. Where is she?”
“…I already told you. I don’t know.”
Beneath his messy ash-gray hair, Lexion’s red eyes narrowed.
Being a Sword Master was no simple feat, and Calion demonstrated his mastery by using magic with terrifying precision.
He infused his power into an explosion, turning Lexion’s body into a wreck.
A normal person would have already lost consciousness. Yet, despite being held by the collar, Lexion smirked.
“Why are you asking me where your wife went when she left because she couldn’t stand you?”
At that mocking sneer, darkness flickered over Calion’s face.
“Oh my, Your Grace. Did the thought that she was alive make you desperate? You’re so out of your mind that you’d beat your own knight…”
Before he could finish, Calion’s fist, charged with magic, crushed into his gut.
The force shattered bone.
“I’ll ask one last time. Who is the man in the note?”
As Lexion gasped for breath, struggling against the searing pain, he deliberately provoked Calion again.
“The man in the note? I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure… Your beloved wife has a lover.”
The knights collectively tensed.
Calion’s restrained power exploded.
A fist of raw magic slammed into Lexion’s face.
Blood splattered across Calion’s pale cheeks. His blurred eyes, tainted with fury, turned to the commander.
“Take him to the torture chamber.”
“Y-yes, Your Grace.”
The oppressive atmosphere made the knights shudder as they rushed to carry Lexion—still disguised as Hubert—away.
The moment Calion left, the remaining knights exchanged uneasy glances.
“…So, the Grand Duchess is alive?”
“Who knows?”
“Shouldn’t we be looking for her instead of a corpse?”
“…Until His Grace gives new orders, we stick to searching for the body.”
The commander eyed Lexion in silence before leading the way to the torture chamber.
