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Chapter 23
At those calm words, the sneer faded from Harnen’s face.
He slowly raised his head and looked at Aches.
Even Harnen, who could hardly claim to know Aches well, could clearly see it—Aches was truly smiling now.
As though he had just heard the happiest words in the world.
‘…Idiot.’
Muttering that to himself inwardly, Harnen let his body sink weakly back onto the sofa.
‘Einra doesn’t merely not dislike you.’
She likes you.
…Though she herself hasn’t realized it yet.
Harnen slowly closed his eyes.
He had not the slightest intention of telling that foolish duke what he already knew.
Suddenly, a sharp pang spread through his chest, and he clenched his fist tightly.
It was a small comfort to his poor heart.
“…The assassination failed.”
Duke Baharman spoke in a voice choked with fury.
Dante, who had already sensed failure when he saw the priceless ornaments scattered and broken across the floor as soon as he entered, closed his eyes deeply when he heard the expected words.
“I hired the most famous guild of assassins in Elberk—five of them, all A-rank! And yet five A-rank assassins couldn’t even kill one brat?! Wiped out—completely!”
Another crystal ornament shattered with a loud crash.
The sound of the duke’s ragged, angry breathing filled the room.
Opening his eyes again, Dante spoke quietly.
“Please calm yourself, Your Grace. At least we learned something important.”
“Information? What information?”
“Duke Serenia is an Aura user.”
“…What?”
Baharman’s face twisted in shock.
Dante elaborated.
“All the assassins hired were A-rank. Though the spirit-sealing spell was broken afterward, even before that it makes no sense that they couldn’t kill a single child. And yet Duke Serenia survived.”
“…”
“If we assume he is an Aura user, everything fits. Those who reach the pinnacle of the sword are immune to mind-type spells. So even if his body reverted to that of a child, his mind did not.
With his intact mind, he could track down the one person who could save him—the Spirit Master. And he could defeat the assassins with Aura.”
“Ha.”
Baharman let out a cold breath.
The Emperor’s bastard son, an Aura user!
It was an utterly unexpected and troublesome development.
“…Then what should we do now?” the duke asked bitterly.
Dante lowered his head slightly before replying.
“There is one way.”
“And that is?”
“Send assassins after the Spirit Master.”
“The Spirit Master? But you told me before that the Spirit Master must never be touched.”
Dante nodded.
“Indeed, but the target will not truly be the Spirit Master. We must ensure she never learns the assassins came from us.”
“And your plan is…?”
“The assassin’s face must be someone the Spirit Master knows. Even better if it’s someone she considers an enemy.”
A gleam lit Baharman’s eyes.
Dante continued after a short pause.
“With an illusion spell, we overlay the assassin’s face with Duke Serenia’s, then send him to the Spirit Master. The target is not her, but Duke Serenia himself.”
This way, Einra would believe that Aches was the one who attempted to kill her, while at the same time, the assassin could slay the real duke and withdraw.
Of course, she might retaliate, so a stronger spirit-sealing spell would be needed—far stronger than before.
And also, a nullification spell to suppress the magic on the pendant the duke wore.
Furthermore, since Duke Serenia could use Aura, only the most skilled assassin could face him.
As Dante reviewed the specifics in his mind, he clenched his fist tightly.
This time, we cannot fail.
The spies Serenia had planted in Baharman’s estate had already been eliminated using memories of a past life. And Serenia had yet to reveal his true identity.
Now was the perfect chance to get rid of him.
No matter the risk, this golden opportunity could not be wasted.
Why had Baharman died in his previous life at the hands of Einra’s spirit arts?
Because he had staged a rebellion, never dreaming that Aches was still alive.
The outcome was devastating.
The army marching on the imperial palace had been all but annihilated by Aches’ Aura.
Baharman and the remnants had fled to a remote forest to regroup, only to be completely destroyed by the Spirit Master’s summoning arts.
Therefore, the first priority now was to eliminate Aches and win over the Spirit Master.
A pleased smile spread across Baharman’s face.
“So the Spirit Master will think Duke Serenia is trying to assassinate her. That rift will only deepen.”
Of course, Aches would be dead before then.
Dante spoke in a low voice.
“And in case of failure, I propose hiring additional assassins. The spirit-sealing spell and the mana-suppression spell will both last three days. During that time, we must ensure Duke Serenia is completely finished.”
The so-called mana-suppression spell—also known as nullification magic—could block the casting of lower-tier spells.
By adjusting its level, it could be made to block only teleportation or communication spells.
And Aches’ pendant’s main functions were exactly those: teleportation and communication.
Nullifying it meant isolating him.
Even as an Aura user, in a child’s body and without a weapon, he could not fight off a continuous stream of elite killers.
“Good.”
Baharman smiled in satisfaction.
“A child’s body is fragile. Let’s see how long he can endure.”
“Then, Your Grace, I shall go prepare the spell tools at once.”
“Yes, do so. If you succeed this time, I’ll see you richly rewarded.”
“It will be my honor, Your Grace.”
After bowing, Dante left the duke’s study and returned to his laboratory.
He needed to craft a much stronger spirit-sealing spell and a mana-suppression spell that could disable teleportation and communication for three days.
Both spells had to be compressed and engraved onto items that even assassins ignorant of magic could easily use.
As he considered this, Dante pressed his temple with a sigh.
A stronger spirit-sealing spell than before…
Last time, he had already crafted the strongest possible spell an ordinary human could make.
But now, with the mana of his past life overlapping his current one, he could go beyond that.
Of course, this abnormal mana of mine will strain my body severely if I create something that strong.
But success was paramount. If he could make it stronger, he must.
“…Even a bowl of blood won’t be enough this time.”
He murmured faintly, then shook his head to scatter the thought and busied himself with preparations.
“Forgive me for contacting you so suddenly, Lady Einra. Might Lord Harnen be with you?”
The voice echoed from the crystal orb just as we were having a light tea after breakfast.
It was Count Chebila, Violetti.
Harnen’s face stiffened instantly as he sipped his tea.
He glared at Aches, who was quietly drinking cocoa beside him, as though ready to kill someone.
But Aches only looked back at him with a pitifully confused expression, as if to say he had no idea why Harnen was acting this way.
“Brother, don’t look at me like that… you’re scaring me…”
When Aches’ voice quivered, Harnen finally exploded.
“You damned brat…!”
“Harnen! How could you say that!”
How could he call a child that!
I glared at him reproachfully.
“…Ha…”
Rubbing his temple with a long sigh, Harnen staggered to his feet and took the crystal orb I held out.
“…I’m here. What’s the matter?”
He spoke in a weary voice.
Violetti nodded and went straight to the point.
“His Imperial Majesty requests your presence. He asks that you meet him as soon as possible. When would be convenient?”
