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Chapter 76
“……!”
As the obstruction vanished, the mana moved freely.
In a moment of lost reason, Dante began manipulating the mana to cast a teleportation spell.
A man sighed and grabbed his wrist.
“You must not use the spell right now.”
“But… but we need to escape—!”
“The underground prison of the Serenia Duke’s Mansion is filled with all kinds of detection spells, including mana-sensing ones. In your current condition, you would be caught before even escaping.”
Dante’s reason slowly returned at the cold words.
After a brief silence, Dante spoke.
“……Then, what should I do?”
“First, take this.”
“This is…?”
The man handed over some clothes and a wig.
“These are the garments and wig given to the servants of the Serenia Duke’s Mansion.”
“Ah…….”
“Even if you dislike it, please endure it for a little while. Servants are least suspected, so they are perfect for disguise.”
“That’s fine. Thank you.”
Dante hurriedly changed into the clothes.
If it meant surviving, he could wear anything.
“Are you ready?”
“……Yes, I’m ready.”
“Good. I’ll explain the details as we move.”
Creak—the hinges rang again.
The man continued.
“Let’s go.”
“It wouldn’t lift, that curse.”
Harnen strode into the office, pulling back his hood.
Akes glanced at him as he flopped onto the sofa across from him, sipping his tea.
“Of course, he probably wanted to add as many safety measures as possible.”
“Safety measures?”
“Ainra mentioned that Dante is a Regressor.”
“A Regressor…….”
Harnen muttered to himself, frowning.
“No wonder I kept sensing something….”
He never imagined Dante had experienced the future and returned.
“Judging by how obsessively they tried to kill him, he must have died once before meeting the Duke.”
Harnen leaned lazily against the back of the sofa, smirking.
“So, Duke, why did you call me at this hour?”
He stared at Akes with cold eyes.
Click. Akes set down his teacup and spoke.
“We plan to send Dante to Belzesti.”
“What?”
“He seems useful.”
“Useful, huh……”
Harnen’s eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms.
“You do know that to lift the curse on you, Dante must die, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then why would you release a captured target? Someone who might bring unpredictable variables after a single regression?”
Their gazes met.
Akes spoke calmly.
“That doesn’t matter. As long as the Spirit King exists, nothing in this world will threaten Ainra.”
“Think carefully. The nobles of the Belzesti Empire aren’t fools like Duke Baharman. Especially Duke Cervante—a remarkable mage in his own right. And yet you send Dante?”
“…….”
“You want to give wings to a tiger?”
Harnen’s sky-blue eyes grew cold.
Akes replied evenly:
“As you said, the Belzesti nobles are formidable, and the intelligence brought by spies is limited.”
“…….”
“But Dante is almost the only person who would be accepted by them without suspicion.”
“…….”
“Perfect for breaking this tedious stalemate.”
Harnen’s lips twisted.
“So… you’re willing to gamble?”
“As long as Ainra’s safety isn’t threatened, there’s no reason not to.”
“……You don’t know how terrifying Akela la Cervante is.”
Harnen muttered bitterly.
“That guy has a terrifying ability to manipulate people gently into becoming his instruments.”
…So much so that even a trusted friend could betray me.
His hand trembled unconsciously, and Harnen clenched his fist tightly.
Seeing this, Akes spoke.
“So you must break that.”
“……What?”
“No matter how much you threaten them from the outside, it only strengthens their unity.”
Harnen tilted his head slightly.
“There’s only one way to disrupt them.”
To sow division from within.
Harnen frowned.
“So what’s the plan? Make them suspect Dante turned against us when he was captured?”
Akes smiled faintly, almost mockingly.
“Not even close. The chief mage of Serenia underestimates imagination.”
“……Then what?”
“Simple. Just let Dante hear a story.”
“A story?”
Harnen frowned further, but Akes said nothing, only smiling.
Dante has no strong bonds with the Belzesti nobles, but they are already tightly united.
Even after everything is over, would there even be room for Dante among them?
And would Dante accept that reality quietly?
“Ah, there’s something else I need to give you.”
Akes pulled a thick document from a nearby side table and handed it to Harnen.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a copy of the documents Ainra brought from Dante’s lab. Once Dante goes to Belzesti, you won’t be safe from the curse either. Use this to prepare.”
“…….”
“Ainra doesn’t even know Dante’s whereabouts or that you know about the curse, so keep that in mind.”
Harnen silently took the documents from the table.
He flipped through them quickly and said briefly:
“If they curse me, I can’t fully stop it.”
Akes met his gaze.
Harnen shrugged and continued:
“That Dante supposedly regressed from the future. And Akela la Cervante is no weakling either. Those two teamed up to curse me, and how am I supposed to withstand that?”
“…….”
“I’ll defend myself as much as possible, but I can’t guarantee success.”
Faced with an unforeseen obstacle, Akes let out a low sigh.
“……The reward will be sufficient. Tell me what you want.”
“Huh? You think I’d ask for a reward?”
Harnen smirked, amused.
Akes smiled coldly, his eyes sharp.
“Anything is possible as long as you don’t cross the line.”
“Such generosity, Your Grace.”
Harnen teased, but Akes picked up his teacup without changing his expression.
“I hope it brings you sufficient satisfaction.”
…A brazen man. Harnen glared at him silently, then slumped against the sofa.
Moonlight streaming through the window mingled with the slow scent of tea.
Staring quietly at the ceiling bathed in moonlight, he spoke:
“By the way, what will you do with Duke Baharman?”
Akes’ gaze met him as he tilted his teacup.
“You disguised a prisoner as the Duke and put him in the underground prison. The real Duke is in the torture chamber, right?”
“…….”
“You didn’t just bring him to kill, right?”
Akes tilted his head.
“Curious?”
“Yes. He dared to meddle with Ainra.”
Harnen lifted his head and smiled crookedly.
Akes chuckled softly and spoke:
“Nothing special. After the traitor’s execution, I’ll disfigure him and dump him in the slums.”
He sipped his tea again and added softly:
“A person who lived arrogantly will suffer the most when he falls into the mud.”
Lloyd, who had despised the lower class all his life, would never endure life in the slums.
He would insist on asserting his former status, demanding submission.
But as a beggar whose face can’t be recognized, no one would believe him claiming to be Duke Baharman.
Especially after his execution for treason in front of everyone.
Thus, Lloyd de Baharman would be treated as insane by everyone, slowly losing his mind—until his life ended.
After Harnen left, Akes returned to the bedroom.
On the bed draped with semi-transparent silk curtains, Ainra was sleeping peacefully.
The moment he saw her, his indifferent red eyes softened.
He sat beside the bed, resting his chin on his arm, gazing at her.
Running one hand through her moonlit brown hair, he smiled gently.
“I can’t just kill the filth who dared to desire and kidnap Ainra, can I?”
“…….”
“Right?”
Ainra murmured in response, closing her mouth.
Akes’ soft laughter filled the air.
Gently brushing her lips, he whispered kindly:
“Sleep well, Ainra.”
May the dreams you have be peaceful.
