Chapter 123
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 123
Knock, knock.
Owen entered the Study at the sound of the knock.
"You called for me, sir?"
Kaltz asked without lifting his gaze from the documents.
"Has Lahedis not arrived yet?"
"No, not yet...."
"No word from him either?"
"None, sir."
Kaltz set down the documents he'd been reviewing and removed his glasses.
Displeasure was evident in his eyes now that the spectacles were gone.
'Is that boy planning to whisk away another man's precious daughter for an overnight stay?'
Of course, he actively approved of the relationship between Lahedis and Vivian.
But that approval did not extend to indulging his grandson's youthful, impatient desires.
'He won't make the same mistakes his father did, will he?'
Even now, whenever he thought of Lahedis's father, Leopfried, he carried the weight of guilt for having allowed his death to pass uncontested.
Separate from that, he still could not forgive how Leopfried had impregnated Isella before they were even married.
Even if that transgression had resulted in Lahedis's birth.
'If he were still alive, I would have beaten him senseless, Crown Prince or not.'
Of course, he believed Lahedis would not repeat his father's mistakes.
'But one can never be certain. Men are creatures swayed by momentary desire.'
Having inherited the same nature himself, he knew the danger better than anyone.
Moreover, that soft-hearted girl Vivian would be no match for his cunning grandson.
A few whimpers from him, and her resolve would crumble; she'd be devoured whole.
Owen, sensing Kaltz's concern, spoke up.
"Shall I send someone to the Guild?"
Kaltz's expression remained visibly displeased, but he shook his head.
"No. They're not children—they'll return when the time comes. However, when they do return, I'll need to give them a proper lecture. At the very least, I should warn the Marquis's Residence in advance."
Just as Owen finished the conversation and was about to leave the Study.
A knock sounded, followed by an urgent servant's voice.
"Sir, you have a visitor."
"...A visitor? At this hour?"
Not Lahedis?
Both Kaltz and Owen exchanged puzzled glances.
* * *
Orpen, who hadn't slept a wink all night, paced his room with a haggard face.
His eyes gleamed with a mixture of near-manic anxiety and rage.
The intruder who had supposedly fled remained uncaptured, and Dain, who had vanished last night, still had not been found.
'Where in the world did he disappear to?'
Dain's trail had gone cold after the Gatekeeper of the Imperial Palace had last spotted him entering the palace around the time of their agreed meeting last night.
I had always kept in mind the possibility that Dain might betray me....
But that was a concern for after arriving in the Demon Realm, not something I could have anticipated—him vanishing like smoke before we even departed.
[No matter what Your Majesty does, you cannot overcome your father.]
Lahedis's words from last night refused to leave my mind.
'I must seize the Demon King's heart as quickly as possible....'
Only then could I make that arrogant wretch who looked down on me tremble before my overwhelming power.
The thought that he was still mocking me now drained the blood from my body, leaving me cold as ice.
"Where in blazes did he disappear to?!"
It was at that moment when Orpen convulsively swept objects off the table.
"Your, Your Majesty. The person you sent to the Lowswide Marquis Residence has returned...."
Hearing the Attendant's voice from beyond the door, Orpen strode forward and opened it with his own hands.
The Attendant, who had been waiting for his permission, flinched in surprise at the sight of him.
Orpen seized both arms of the Attendant who had just returned from the Marquis's Residence and pressed urgently.
"Dane Lowsweed—did you find him?"
"I, I beg your pardon, but Lord Lowsweed has not returned since he left last night."
"Ha."
Whether he had sunk into the earth or risen into the sky.
Orpen, whose composure had worn thin enough to crack into hollow laughter, abruptly hardened his expression and commanded.
"Send the Imperial Palace Knights at once to search for him. Tell them Dane Lowsweed has defied the imperial decree and fled."
"Y, yes, Your Majesty. But there is something else you must know."
Orpen regarded the Attendant, whose entire frame had frozen, with a puzzled gaze.
The Attendant swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
He knew the news he carried would once again displease the Emperor, yet it was information he had to convey.
"Rumors are spreading throughout the Capital...."
"What rumors?"
"That Your Majesty intends to breach the Demon Realm's Barrier and incite war...."
Orpen's pupils trembled violently at these words.
* * *
The Town Square of the Capital was in uproar from morning.
The day's topic was the proclamation that had been posted on the bulletin board overnight.
"Is that real? His Majesty the Emperor intends to breach the Demon Realm's Barrier?"
"How long has it been since the war ended? Why would he start another war?"
"The Demon King's Heart, or whatever it is—apparently it's an enormous vessel of mana. They say it can hold tens of times the mana an ordinary human possesses. That's why he's doing this, I hear."
The story was remarkably specific for mere rumor: that Orpen coveted the Demon King's Heart and was breaching the Demon Realm's Barrier, and that the catalyst for destroying that Barrier was being created in the underground of the Abandoned Crown Prince's Palace.
The tale spread swiftly through the mouths of people drawn together by anxiety and curiosity.
"Don't be swept up in such baseless gossip—everyone, disperse! Anyone who speaks such rumors will be dealt with severely under Imperial Law!"
The Guard Force, arriving belatedly with the news, tore down the proclamation, but the story within it had already spread with remarkable speed.
Among the murmuring crowd, a figure cloaked in a hooded robe turned and departed.
Beneath the robe, Vivian's eyes gleamed with unmistakable brilliance.
'Just as the Duke said—we've set the rabbit hole properly ablaze.'
It was Kaltz's idea to spread rumors by posting notices in the Town Square.
The previous night, after escaping the Imperial Palace with Dain, Vivian had returned directly to the Marquis Estate.
She then showed Igraine the documents she'd smuggled out of the Research Facility, and afterward visited the Duke's Residence.
Upon hearing Vivian's documents and the story of recent events, Kaltz's expression hardened.
[...I knew he was still trapped in that hellish sense of inferiority, but I never imagined he was scheming like this behind the scenes.]
Kaltz said this while casting a sidelong glance at Dain, who had come with Vivian.
It would have been better if he hadn't tried to shoulder everything alone and had laid it all bare from the start.
Though Kaltz didn't speak, his gaze seemed to reproach him in exactly that way.
Dain, who had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths, let out an awkward laugh and quietly averted his eyes from Kaltz's stare.
[In any case, I can't ignore this any longer.]
[But will this serve as evidence? Documents can be fabricated so easily that I'm not sure people will believe us.]
[Of course this alone won't do. We need more concrete evidence.]
Just as Kaltz fell into brief contemplation, he spoke first as if remembering something.
[Vivian, do you know how to hunt rabbits?]
[Hmm.... By smoking them out of their burrows?]
[You know well. Then let us try hunting rabbits as well.]
[How?]
[A rabbit that catches the scent of smoke will emerge from its burrow—carrying with it something precious that mustn't be discovered by anyone.]
As Vivian grasped what his plan was, Kaltz continued with a meaningful smile.
[First, let's light the fire.]
And so, in the present moment.
Vivian stood before the Antique Shop where Hector worked.
'The fire has been lit successfully....'
Now came the turn to bribe the hunters who would guard the rabbit hole without gaps.
Preferably, professionals.
As Vivian stepped into the shop, Hector, who had been yawning, recognized her and jumped to his feet.
"Sister-in-law... or rather, Lady?"
Vivian skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"Hector. Lahedis has been captured by the Emperor."
"W-what do you suddenly―"
"I need Terrak's help."
To save Lahedis and prevent war.
In Vivian's eyes burned unwavering resolve.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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