Chapter 207 : Chapter 207
Chapter 207 - This much is nothing
"Y-Young Son..."
"Yes. It is me."
"T-to come all the way here yourself..."
As the mages died, the chains that had been binding him also vanished. Regardless of that, his expression looked as if he had a lot to say. However, the place was currently inappropriate.
"For now, we return to the palace. The Imperial soldiers will be here soon."
Except for one, blood poured out from the entire bodies of the mages who died instantly. The floor, which had already started to become splashy, was perfect for being misunderstood if they stayed still.
Of course, the misunderstanding wouldn't be a misunderstanding, but since the Youngest Son was currently sleeping, he shouldn't be here.
"You can move, right?"
"Yes, yes. My body is fine."
"Good."
He lifted the unconscious leader-class mage and handed him over.
"Take him."
"...How are you returning to the palace, Young Son?"
"I just have to use the method I used to get out in reverse. Move quickly."
"Yes, yes."
Questions were for later. Kang Yu, who quickly got up, vanished through spirit form while placing the prisoner in his spatial artifact.
Even as he quickly moved away from the scene of the incident, his gaze was fixed on the Youngest Son.
He had not sent the subordinates who had come with him as part of the delegation.
He had spared even Mirea, who would be the most suitable person to go in and out of the palace.
He had judged that since a Grade 1 Agent had already been defeated, sending another Grade 1 Agent would not change the situation.
'So he came directly instead of sending a subordinate. Even though he must have had to endure countless risks to get out of the palace without spirit form...'
Rather than performing a gamble using his subordinates, he moved himself.
He was truly a king with light feet on the chessboard.
Since the king moved boldly with his own life as collateral without hiding himself, the pieces under the enemy's king were bound to be crushed.
He was truly so bold that one wouldn't have even been able to predict his next move if their guts weren't this swollen.
'Has there ever been such a blood relative?'
Recalling as a Grade 1 Agent of the Intelligence Department, there had absolutely been none.
Originally, blood relatives did not budge from their spots.
They used the countless pieces they possessed to build a wall and didn't care if it was broken.
But the Youngest Son cared for his subordinates and even knew how to care for another's subordinates. Of course, it probably wasn't such a warm thought.
'A Grade 1 Agent is an important field worker. It might be a waste to lose one, but it shouldn't be to the point where a blood relative would personally come to rescue them.'
However, the Youngest Son came out of the palace alone, killed the mages, and captured one as a prisoner. He was a personality who didn't know how to perform an exchange.
Rather than getting something and giving something else in return, he takes even more by taking a risk. The risk he takes is the king's own life. It is a thought that cannot be found in Millesdusk.
'Mirea. Did you decide to stay by the Youngest Son's side because of this?'
A hollow laugh escaped him. To think there is such a greedy king. While he was worried he might suffer for that greed someday, he was struck with admiration because that greed was directed at him.
'If that's the case, I understand too.'
Slidde—
He appeared in the Head Maid's room after releasing his spirit form.
"Phew..."
As soon as he stepped on the floor, he almost fell for a moment, but he barely caught his balance. The mana bullet fired with enough power to knock him out shook his body as if he had been hit by a metal club. He had barely maintained his etiquette in front of the Youngest Son, but he couldn't do so here.
"Mirea. There is a prisoner the Youngest Son captured."
She showed no sign of surprise even though the guy who had been captured until a moment ago suddenly appeared. She simply gestured with her chin while laying out treatment bandages and crushed herbs.
"Lay him on the plastic I've spread out."
The plastic spread out to hide the evidence of the scene was in a blind spot that couldn't be seen just by opening the door.
On the plastic, the guest who had arrived first lay as if dead with his limbs bound.
He laid one more unconscious mage next to him.
As he did so, the hood of the robe was pulled back. Tolan’s body flinched for a moment.
"He seems to be someone you know well."
Tolan, who had become much gentler after a few conversations, spoke in a low voice.
"...He is Akiell, a mage who was in charge of communication with the family. Among the mages who are not blood relatives, he ranks within the top five."
"Top five? He couldn't even put up a fight in front of the Youngest Son."
Kang Yu chuckled, forgetting his aching stomach. It was a venting of his anger toward Wisdom. But Tolan also had something to say.
"Akiell is not a combat specialist. This fellow used telepathy magic, which even blood relatives find difficult, quite remarkably."
"But he's still captured next to you."
"Kang Yu. Stop arguing with the prisoner and come here."
"I should."
He didn't know why she was telling him to come, but he immediately turned his back on the prisoner and approached her.
"Take off your clothes."
"...C-clothes?"
Embarrassment was evident in his voice, and Tolan, who had been leaning against the floor, slightly lifted his head.
"You are hurt. Are you not going to treat it?"
"Ah, treatment. Right. I should get treated."
"How disappointing."
Tolan muttered as he lowered his head, and Kang Yu took off his outer clothes one by one. Consequently, his chest, which had dark red bruises from the mana bullet, was clearly revealed.
"Internal injuries are one thing, but it looks severe even from the outside."
"It's nothing much."
"Then just go. I made this medicine for nothing."
"...Was it made for me?"
As she organized the bandages she had taken out, she slowly nodded.
"There is no way the Youngest Son would get hurt. Treating you, who got hit stupidly, is enough."
"Since you've put in the effort to prepare it, I'll take it. I'll take it very diligently."
He lay down on the sofa near the table where the bandages were laid out. The Head Maid sat on her knees in front of him.
"Endure it."
After a warning, she scooped up the crushed herbs with her hand and spread them over the bruise.
"Phew..."
Her gestures were so bold that even the watching Tolan's breath hitched. Even so, Kang Yu stayed still and received the treatment without a single change in expression. His eyes were also fixed on his former colleague who was calmly treating him.
"How did this happen?"
"I was hit by a mana bullet."
"Did you also have your memory erased? A guy who is a Grade 1 Agent of the Intelligence Department getting hit by something like that."
"I know, right. It is embarrassing."
It was something he couldn't help because he was bound, but Kang Yu gave a thin smile. Because he got hit by something like that, a moment like this has occurred, hasn't it? In Southern terms, it was a blessing in disguise.
"Wrap the bandages yourself."
"I will."
He raised his body after the herbs were applied. As he naturally pulled away a little, she narrowed her eyes.
"Just stay lying down. The scent will spread."
Mirea took the bandages and unfolded them, wrapping them around his body in an instant. As she did so, memories of the old days came back.
"When we went on missions together, treating each other was a daily occurrence."
"What do you mean 'each other'? Only you were always getting hurt."
"It seems your memory has fully returned. I tried to slip past once."
"Not a chance."
The corners of her mouth slightly lifted beyond the hands and arms wrapping the bandages. It was a smile so short that one might wonder if it were a temporary spasm, but Kang Yu was satisfied. For this much, the mana bullet was very cheap.
Thump—
A sound of something falling was heard from the floor above. It was a sound announcing the return of the Youngest Son. The Head Maid, who had finished the bandages, looked up at the ceiling once and stood up.
"Rest here for a bit and then return. I'll go see the Youngest Son."
"Tell him I am sorry and thank him."
"Do it yourself. The Youngest Son prefers that more."
Mirea headed to the floor above through Full Body Spirit Form. There, she found the Youngest Son looking quite tired.
"You have worked hard."
"How is that agent?"
"I am on my way back after treating him just now."
"The mage I brought?"
"Tolan says he is a mage by the name of Akiell. He says he uses telepathy magic as his main strength."
"Right. He didn't seem to be a combat specialist."
He leaned his back against the sofa as he answered. He had flown through the palace without blinking for fear of touching a barrier, so his fatigue was no joke.
"Since it is certain that we have captured most of the Wisdom members in the Empire, move our agents a bit more boldly."
"I understand."
"When tomorrow comes, I will interrogate the mage named Akiell to find out the location of the elixir they must have hidden."
The overall outline of the plan was finalized. Now it was time to put on a thick skin. Amidst the commotion outside, Wisdom's corpses and blood would be everywhere, so naturally, they would suspect Millesdusk. It meant David's work had increased a bit more.
But since he had put the clone son to sleep in the bed like that, it was fine. David had already seen that clone, and an alibi was created by that alone. Even so, David was a thorough person.
Tap-tap-tap-tap—!
The sound of footsteps gradually drew closer from the other side of the hallway. Judging by the sound, they seemed quite urgent. The Head Maid, narrowing her eyes for a moment, approached the bed.
"We cannot continue to let other attendants open your room at will like this, Young Son."
"Is it okay for you?"
"I have a method. Please hide your body in the shadows for a moment."
He didn't know what the method was, but he did so for now. Before long, the Head Maid put her method into practice. Soon, clack, the Youngest Son's door opened, and the light from outside seeped into the interior. That light shone exactly on the bed.
It shone on the Head Maid, who had climbed on top of the sleeping clone son.
"I-I am sorry...!"
BANG—!
The door that had been opened was closed in less than a second. The Head Maid also got down from the clone son and stood before the Youngest Son once more.
"Now that attendant will be much more careful in the future. You may even use this as a pretext to get a promise that they will not enter at night."
"Do you know that originally we are not supposed to leave our respective rooms?"
"It is just an unspoken rule. In front of a man and a woman, such things are not a concern. Since the attendant knows it, they apologized first."
The alibi had become even more solid.
***
Akiell slowly opened his eyes to the sunlight entering his face. Consequently, there was something he saw before the sunlight.
"Are you awake?"
"...Tolan. You traitorous son of a bitch..."
He laughed heartily and showed his bound hands.
"Do not be like that. Are we not in the same situation now? We have been buried alive in a coffin, and we are in a situation where we have to knock on even that coffin to ask for help."
"You and I have never been in the same situation."
A genius of telepathy magic that even blood relatives of the collateral branch found difficult to touch. Akiell glared at Tolan with full hatred. He smiled bitterly.
"Perhaps so. Cough, cough..."
He leaned his back against the outer wall again after a brief cough. Every time he moved as if squirming, the plastic laid on the floor rustled.
"...What have they done to you?"
"Oh... It would be better if you didn't know."
"......"
Akiell shut his mouth tightly. His imagination kept growing the fear. It was especially so because he was sitting on plastic that looked as if it were meant to hide a murder scene.
In the time they hadn't seen each other, Tolan’s face had lost its oiliness and had become haggard, looking like a sick person.
Clatter—
The damn Youngest Son entered the room along with the head maid.
His footsteps, which were not entirely relaxed, looked as if he had entered while avoiding the eyes of others.
Even here, which appeared to be the Imperial Palace, they were also living as guests.
"Did you sleep well? I hope your roommate didn't make you uncomfortable."
At the word roommate, Akiell glanced at Tolan and spoke.
"I do not have the elixir."
"I thought as much. But in the first place, that was not my question."
"I will not even tell you where it is."
"Is it not in the camp of another of the Three Generals? For example, General Kunkan."
"......"
His cold expression was now frozen stiff. If Millesdusk had entered the palace through Raymond, Wisdom had come through Kunkan. But this was not what was important.
"What I want to ask, or rather, what I want to propose is this."
The Youngest Son approached the bound Akiell and knelt to meet his gaze.
"I heard you are good at telepathy magic."
"...Did this roommate of mine tell you? If so, what of it?"
"That. I want to learn it."
"...?"
The Youngest Son tilted one corner of his mouth.
"Do you want to 'play Sein' as well?"