Chapter 204 : Chapter 204
Chapter 204 - Right Under the Enemy's Chin
Even before the sun had fully risen in the dawn, the attendant brought the Youngest Son’s two subordinates before the gate of the Imperial Palace.
"Young Son. You must truly ensure that such a thing never happens again. If you act like this from the very first day an outing was permitted, it will put the General in a difficult position."
"It will never happen again in the future. I swear it on the name of Millesdusk."
The attendant David gave a moderate nod with dark circles under his drooping eyes.
"I understand. Then please rest well."
"I am sorry for making you work hard in the early morning. I will sufficiently warn my subordinates."
"No. The General is quite angry, so it would be best if you do not suddenly catch his eye from now on."
A look that seemed to say "Behave yourself" flickered for a moment, but the attendant bowed and withdrew. In the room where only the delegation remained, Kairos still hung his head.
"I am sorry. Because I took my eyes off her for a moment, my master had to hear things he shouldn't have, and Josephine had to suffer pain she shouldn't have."
"You did what you could. Considering Josephine is this well."
"That's right. Besides, there was even a result like this."
She dropped one unconscious person from her spatial artifact. It was a catch made by using the bait of Wisdom's illegitimate daughter and the dragon as a fishing rod.
"Josephine says he was a man who was her former master."
"His name is Tolan. He has excellent skills among the collateral branches of the family, but the only thing I learned from a guy like this was how to creatively torment others."
"Was this man the only Pursuer?"
"That was all that was at the place I followed Josephine's mana to."
"But there is absolutely no way there is only one."
At Josephine's words, the Youngest Son also nodded.
"There is absolutely no way. They must have brought the elixir into Parfe as well, so there's no way there's only this one old man. To open a contract with the Imperial Family, they would have had to show evidence."
It seemed they weren't even staying together, as their missions were different from the start.
The old man named Tolan came as a Pursuer to capture Josephine alive, and the rest came for the contract. Staying together would only increase the probability of information leaking.
Furthermore, an elite group formed for an Imperial contract probably wouldn't like an old man like this very much.
"He's quite plump, but you've only caught the lizard's tail."
"Then has it become difficult to find the Wisdom people hiding in Parfe?"
The Youngest Son looked down at the still-unconscious Tolan and gave a thin smile.
"He's an ingredient that's hard to make delicious, but he's not so rotten that he can't be cooked at all. This fellow can be utilized somehow."
For now, he had to be made to spill the information he knew, but since there was an expert among the delegation for such things, there was no problem. The Youngest Son turned to Josephine.
"Did this fellow say anything to you?"
"...He was just full of inferiority complex toward me. The only thing I can think of is that he said the Family Head would cast Mental Domination magic on me once I was sent back."
"He's going strong. Mental Domination on his own child."
Josephine smiled bitterly. Touching the mind had a tremendous side effect and risk, whether it was magic or sorcery.
Of course, the target would bear all of that risk, not the caster. It was obvious that even after being released, one would become a shell of their former self, like any other person who had been subjected to memory erasure. Kairos, who knew how wicked it was to touch the mind, ground his teeth.
"Is such a person truly your father, Josephine?"
"...Yes. For now."
"Well. Just because someone gave birth to you and raised you doesn't make them a father."
The Youngest Son murmured as he untied the cords binding Tolan. It was the string that had bound Josephine earlier.
"This is far too precious a thing for a prisoner."
What was needed now was the Blood Long Needle. He stabbed it in deep, as if it would reach the core at any moment, and with this, the defenses were complete.
"Go in and rest now. You've worked hard in the middle of the night."
"Yeah. You go to sleep soon too, Dante."
"I will try."
"I am sorry, Master. I have disappointed you today."
"I think it's the opposite. Anyway, good job."
The Youngest Son had attached Kairos to Josephine's side, expecting him to be distracted, and he had succeeded.
He had thought that there would be other Pursuers and Wisdom members where Josephine was taken, but that expectation had been wrong. Kairos had not failed in anything.
The small, elite delegation, each doing their part in their respective positions, once again reported success.
"Young Son."
The Head Maid visited for a report. As she had come immediately after her work, her attire was not the formal uniform of a head maid.
She was now someone for whom appearing from thin air was more natural than opening a door and entering.
"You've brought a guest."
A few steps behind where she appeared, another person stepped out. The guest, wearing the uniform of a Grade 1 Agent of the Family Intelligence Department, was a tail the Head Maid had not wanted to have.
"I have no face to show."
Had it been before her memory erasure, she would have moved so that he wouldn't even have thought of following. Now, just as her former colleague had said, her actions were sluggish.
The tail that had unavoidably attached itself knelt on one knee before the Youngest Son, who was reading a book.
"I am Kang Yu, a Grade 1 Agent of the Intelligence Department sent on a field mission to the Empire."
He was an agent with a unique name.
"Are you from the South?"
"My parents are from the South, but I have lived in the East all my life, born and raised."
"So, what brings you here?"
"I am here because your head maid told me to follow."
At Kang Yu's words, the Head Maid rarely raised her head sharply to state the truth.
"Even a three-year-old could tell that the words 'follow me' were not sincere."
"Is a person who was a Grade 1 Agent, even if it's in the past, speaking lies?"
"It's just as you said, 'past'. Do not call me a Grade 1 Agent anymore."
"Ha. The General Manager would be quite sad to hear that."
"That's enough."
The Youngest Son intervened between the two Grade 1 Agents.
"It doesn't matter how the head maid said it. After all, those words are just an excuse for you, isn't there a real reason you have in your heart?"
It was exactly as he said. He was curious about the person called the Youngest Son, and for now, he couldn't judge.
His first impression was that he seemed relaxed, unlike his radical steps so far.
He came as an envoy to the Empire and even made a bet with the Emperor on his life, yet he is leisurely reading a book. Such composure was extraordinary, but one cannot know a person entirely through this alone. Therefore, Kang Yu decided to use the most certain method.
"Since another agent has already infiltrated the Imperial Palace, I believe you, Young Son, will know my usefulness better."
"So, you will follow my orders?"
"Whatever you command, I will bring results."
To find out what kind of person someone is, you have to work with them. The way they handle work. Their mindset toward work. The order of work. And so on. When a human deals with another human, they can hide themselves, but they cannot do so when they deal with work. The Youngest Son smiled. It was a smile so brief that one might have wondered if they had misseen it.
"Whatever I command?"
"Yes, that is correct."
The disciplined voice was trustworthy. The Youngest Son nodded and finally closed the book.
"I understand your intent well. Although it was unintentional that the head maid brought you, you will be a good force."
"Thank you."
"Then can I entrust a task to you immediately?"
"Of course."
The Youngest Son smiled once more. It was the smile that seemed to make one wonder if they had misseen it just before.
"I captured a prisoner a short while ago and have confined him in another room."
"A prisoner, you say..."
"He was an assassin meant to hunt down the Wisdom member on our side. I intended to capture the rest of Wisdom in the capital along with that assassin, but that has become regrettable."
"Capturing a prisoner alone is a great achievement."
"Your eloquence is far superior to the head maid's."
"I humbly admit it."
The Head Maid stared at the two men. It wasn't just looking, but glaring, anyway.
"Your task is to interrogate the prisoner along with the head maid here and find out the location of the rest of Wisdom."
"Will it be enough to just find out the location?"
"The combatant on the delegation's side will take care of the rest. Do not worry, as the role you've been assigned will be difficult enough."
"I will show that I can achieve it."
The Youngest Son nodded and gestured.
"If you skip one room, you will find the room where the prisoner is. It is the room where the delegation is, so go with the head maid."
"Understood. Then."
Kang Yu stood up and vanished through spirit form. The Head Maid, who remained in her spot for a moment, added her personal opinion.
"Kang Yu is testing you, Young Son. He is the best liar among the Grade 1 Agents."
"Let him continue to test me. Whether he evaluates me highly or not doesn't matter in the slightest. That is his business, and I am doing mine."
The Head Maid bowed her head and slowly stood up.
"I should go do my job then. Please rest."
The Head Maid vanished, following Kang Yu. She recommended rest with her last words, but the Youngest Son could not do so.
He immediately checked the foremost boundary line through the eyes of the Clone Son.
The punch Wisdom had thrown as a first taste was a preparation for the follow-up blow.
Furthermore, Wisdom intended to prepare once more. They intended to be thorough as they were fighting in a land far from the West.
A fierce attack delivered at an unexpected place and an unexpected time can crush the enemy.
Yes.
If it is unexpected, that is.
***
The broken pieces of the golem were covered with a magic circle on the outer shell before they were broken.
As expected, it was a teleportation magic circle, and while the golem had fulfilled its function, the magic circle was still alive. The pieces that fell and scattered on the ground pulled each other. They were drawn together as if they had magnetism and returned to their places.
The completed form was not a golem. The golem had fulfilled its role and was now completed.
Thump—
The magic circle was constructed, ending with a sound like a heartbeat. It was not a large magic circle.
Furthermore, there were only three completed magic circles. In an instant, currents sparked, and people in robes with the Wisdom crest engraved on their backs appeared above the magic circle. The one standing at the front among those all wearing identical robes looked down at the ground.
"It was disposable, and the amount was enough to complete fifty, yet there are only three. It seems it was broken quite miserably."
"Even so, with thirty of us, constructing a large-scale teleportation magic circle is not a difficult task."
"Yes. We must finish the task quickly and bring the Family Head here. The work must be carried out very secretly."
The robed figures nodded and scattered. Now, this was a neutral zone close to the East.
They had approached right under the enemy's chin. Now they would create a foothold here, and the foothold would be the beginning of everything.
"Set up the barrier first, before the magic circle. The Family Head will not forgive a negligence like Sein's twice."
"Yes!"
The thirty mages first created a barrier. A visual-blocking barrier that prevented their presence from being seen even from the air was the first.
Then, a blocking barrier was added to hide the mana wave inside the barrier. By doing this, even if the neutral zone was scouted as before, there was no way they would be discovered unless they were scoured from the ground up.
Of course, it took a significant amount of time. It took thirty mages a full day just to set up two barriers.
However, it was a large-scale barrier that could fit a dragon.
The speed of creating two such large-scale barriers in a single day became a source of pride for the mages. A superior result is proof of being an elite.
"Let's make only the supply teleportation magic circle and then rest. No one wants to lie down on the grass as they are."
The leader-class mage became the field commander and made them move as one body.
Furthermore, since they were in enemy territory, they couldn't help but feel hurried. As there were cases where mages who had set up camp in the neutral zone were massacred, fear lurked somewhere in their hearts.
That was why he had been looking back because of a strange feeling since a while ago.
Someone... someone seemed to be watching me.