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Chapter : 28
This Time, I’ll Change the Male Lead
“We have deployed secret agents throughout the Geneive region and are monitoring it.”
“Your Highness, there must be some group watching your back. Isn’t it strange that only that particular guild manages to evade our surveillance?”
Espin exploded in frustration.
Most of the illegal guilds that had taken control of the empire’s underworld were already dealt with, thanks to the Crown Prince and his personal knights leading the operation directly.
Yet there remained just one final group—the so-called Morbel Guild—still maintaining its influence.
Espin found it suspicious that they seemed to vanish like smoke whenever someone tried to track them and was certain that someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
“Sir Espin, what forces in the Ignis Empire could possibly rival the royal family?”
But Jane responded as if the idea itself were absurd.
“No! If that’s not the case, how else do you explain this situation?”
“…….”
A cold silence settled over the long table in the conference room. The knights present, including Jane and Espin, glanced at the seat of honor.
There sat Hyperion, expressionless, staring down at a chessboard as if he weren’t even listening to the meeting.
His eerie presence made it difficult for anyone to speak.
“Why isn’t there anyone?”
Hyperion suddenly knocked over the king piece on the chessboard with his fingertip and spoke.
“There is a High Priest, though.”
Finally, he raised his gaze to look at the knights. His red eyes glimmered with a strange light, piercing the air as though constricting it.
“Do you know? Perhaps that snake-like High Priest is the one covering their backs.”
“……Your Highness, please.”
Jane, vice commander of the imperial knights, pleaded toward Hyperion.
“Didn’t I tell you that the minions of the Duke Lutas family might be listening?”
Still, Hyperion merely shrugged, indifferent.
“Well, to be fair, Dairon Lutas, the High Priest, and the Lutas family are nothing if not cunning.”
“Sir Espin!”
“Since it’s just us here, why not? Believing in the High Priest and the temple’s power, it’s only natural that the Lutas family makes their move.”
Dairon Lutas, the ninth High Priest.
He was the head of the temple and revered like a god within Ignis.
The Saintess was merely a puppet; everyone knew that the one who had lived for 200 years was the true power behind the temple.
It was only natural that the Lutas family, which had produced multiple High Priests including the current one, continued to grow in influence.
“This sly, unpredictable trickster, just like this High Priest—!”
“Sir Espin, I must repeat—!”
“Silence.”
At Hyperion’s command, the quarreling Jane and Espin immediately went quiet.
“So, the conclusion is…”
Only the sound of chairs scraping echoed in the frozen room.
“…we haven’t found them yet.”
“…….”
“Now, how much longer must I give you?”
Hyperion tapped the table as he spoke, and everyone lowered their eyes to the floor.
“You fools talk too much.”
Even among the Ignis elite, the people beside Hyperion were considered prodigies—some of the best across the entire continent.
“Pointless.”
“…My apologies, my lord.”
They only became powerless in Hyperion’s presence.
“My lord!”
At that moment, a hurried knock came, and Ail dashed into the conference room.
“Sorry to intrude so suddenly, but a letter of unknown origin just arrived at the audit office…”
“How important is this letter that you come during a knight’s council?”
Jane asked, clearly displeased.
“The contents are unusual. It claims to know the location of the Morbel Guild.”
“What?”
“Pardon?”
“What do you mean?”
Everyone in the room exchanged looks of disbelief.
“Knowing the guild’s location? There’s no way a single letter could reveal the Morbel Guild’s location—something even dozens of knights and elite agents couldn’t discover in months.”
“I agree with Sir Jane this time. Someone must be playing a prank.”
“Well… I thought it best for Your Highness to see and judge for yourself, so I brought it.”
Ignoring Jane and Espin’s protests, Ail handed the letter to Hyperion.
“…….”
Hyperion’s eyes briefly narrowed as he received the letter.
“What is this? There’s not even a stamp that should be attached when sending a letter to the audit office.”
Espin, watching the letter alongside him, muttered a “tsk.”
It did seem rather sloppy for an official letter, as if someone deliberately wanted to hide their identity.
[Third week, weekend, 2 PM.]
The letter opened, revealing its contents:
[The Morbel Guild will hold its final slave market in the western alley of the square, Robarni.]
“…Robarni?”
Hyperion’s usually cynical eyes flickered with a subtle change.
Only Ail, who had long served beside him, noticed the momentary shift.
“Seems to be a woman’s handwriting.”
“See? Clearly a prank. The handwriting seems educated, like a lady’s, so why pull a stunt like this?”
Jane and Espin chimed in, leaning over to glance at the letter from both sides of Hyperion.
“…….”
But Hyperion simply stared at it.
“My lord, I could catch whoever did this immediately—”
“Wait.”
Espin leapt up, reading Hyperion’s expression, but couldn’t move further.
“My lord… you actually believe this?”
“….”
Espin faltered, stunned. He knew better than anyone that Hyperion would not trust a prank letter.
He was meticulous and cold—he should be planning how to deal with the prankster, not believing them.
“Do you have a lead?”
Ail asked cautiously.
Hyperion’s gaze never left the letter, despite its brief content. His red eyes followed the handwriting, seemingly observing something beyond the words.
“Quite… unique.”
For a moment, Hyperion’s lips curved into a faint, peculiar smile.
“Huh? What is…?”
Ail glanced again at the letter, puzzled.
Indeed, the pen’s ink and texture seemed refined, high quality. Nobles often took care in selecting specific ink and paper for important documents.
This suggested the writer was a noblewoman. Yet aside from that, what made it “unique”?
“Ah…”
Hyperion’s sharp eyes narrowed.
“I remember where I’ve seen this.”
Ail observed intently as Hyperion walked to his desk, holding the note.
‘A contract?’
Unexpectedly, he pulled out the contract with Kaela Veritas.
[The Morbel Guild will hold its final slave market in the western alley of the square, Robarni.]
[Kaela Veritas.]
Hyperion thought:
She may try to hide her identity… but her distinct aura cannot be hidden.
‘Kaela Veritas.’
He repeated the name silently.
He still didn’t trust her completely. Trust was impossible for him.
But he couldn’t deny that the way she revealed her moves openly in front of him felt… unusual.
―Don’t take that medicine called “Rabiel.”
―It doesn’t look good. I’ll explain the details later.
‘Why is she helping me?’
Is it pure goodwill, or does she have another purpose?
Hyperion crossed his arms and stared at the two sheets of paper for a long time.
“The more I see it…”
He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“She’s cute, indeed.”
“……!”
The room seemed to freeze.
“W-what did my lord just call… cute?”
“I’ve never seen my lord smile like that… it’s chilling.”
Jane and Espin lowered their voices, shocked.
Their usually cynical and cruel lord was showing such a gentle, warm smile.
“What are you doing?”
Hyperion slowly raised his head.
His eyes, revealed through strands of golden hair, were unusually soft.
―When will you come?
―If you don’t come, I will.
He decided…
“Not to immediately mobilize troops to Robarni.”
Because he chose to trust his adorable wife’s words.
