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Chapter 06
“From the moment Miss Charlotte Schmidt left the capital, it appears that His Highness the Crown Prince’s brainwashing has been gradually wearing off. It doesn’t seem to be an absurd fabrication.”
“…Is that so?”
Caius tilted his head.
“So it was true.”
Long, pallid fingers tapped intermittently against the wooden armrest.
“What a shame.”
If it had been a lie, he could have used it as a pretext to execute her. To think she’d avoid the best possible excuse.
“Unexpected.”
Basel watched Caius carefully.
After hesitating, he asked,
“Do you truly intend to simply observe?”
“Basel, where do you think we are?”
“…Lucifenia.”
“How many troops here have experience dealing with dark mages?”
“Easily over three thousand.”
“And among them, the elite?”
“…One hundred.”
“Does that answer your question?”
Basel fell silent.
Eight years of fighting dark mages meant that dealing with a single witch from the capital would be easy at any time.
Everything around her would be Caius’s eyes, his hands and feet. The moment she set foot in Lucifenia, she could never be free from thorough surveillance.
“She knew about the divine relic.”
Caius added in a low, muttering tone.
Eight years ago, along with parts of the murdered imperial family’s bodies, the ‘Sword of Dominion’ had vanished.
Of the three divine relics said to exist in this world, it was the only one whose location was clearly known. Its very existence was kept secret, so no one outside the direct line and closest confidants even knew whether it truly existed.
Despite Caius killing hundreds of dark mages over the years, he had never once encountered anyone who knew of the sword’s existence.
“Then there are two possibilities. Either that witch truly managed to uncover the culprit, or she was involved in the incident.”
Either way, it was good news for Caius.
Charlotte Schmidt’s life was already in his hands.
Keeping her close and disposing of her when needed would be simple enough.
“For now, let her roam freely. I’m curious what she plans to do.”
“…Yes, understood.”
“More importantly, what about the dark mage you were tracking?”
“We’ve identified his approximate escape route. It seems he fled toward the mountain range along the northern border. He can’t have gotten far from the Grand Duchy yet.”
“He must have been quite desperate, heading north where there’s nothing but snow-covered mountains.”
“He’s already murdered several people. It’s fortunate he didn’t head toward the cities.”
“Now he’s a rat trapped in a jar. Should I go personally?”
“We’ll handle it.”
“Good. After eight years, you should be able to manage that much on your own.”
Caius squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his eyelids together. It was a habit whenever a headache came on.
“…And the others? What became of them?”
“We’re pursuing them as soon as we find traces of dark magic, but none who know about ‘that incident’ have turned up yet.”
“Don’t trust their tongues. Torture them if you have to—find out.”
“Yes.”
Basel lifted his head, studying Caius’s pale complexion. His gaze slowly traveled down, tracing the small scars covering his nape and the backs of his hands.
“However, my lord, the physician advises that it would be best for you to avoid contact with them for a while. We’ll take charge of hunting the dark mages, so please remain in the Grand Duke’s castle for the time being.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“But—”
Dark mages excelled at harming their opponents. After seizing lands once under their influence, Caius had endured a long, grinding conflict, exposed to dark magic for years.
Basel thought that if Caius had not been a swordmaster capable of freely wielding aura, his body might have crumbled long ago.
“You must take care of yourself.”
“Did I hire a nanny?”
“I speak out of concern.”
“You worry about too many things.”
Caius opened his eyes, which had been slowly closed, and smiled coldly.
Since that day eight years ago, Caius’s life had been completely overturned.
He lost his father, his mother, even the brother he loved—all in an instant. Among the corpses of his family, only Caius survived.
He still did not know why he alone had lived in their stead. All he remembered vividly were the red bloodstains that violently invaded his vision when he opened his eyes.
So he swore revenge.
That was the sole reason he renounced the throne himself, accepted the hollow title of Grand Duke, and planted his banner in Lucifenia.
If the enemy would not appear before him, then he would erase the very existence of dark mages. They were, after all, beings skilled at harming others—no different in essence from the foe who had shattered his life.
Kill, and kill, and kill.
He had killed hundreds that way.
And yet, even now, eight years later, he had not even stepped on that man’s shadow. At times, he wondered if the culprit truly existed at all.
“I can uncover the truth about the culprit behind the incident eight years ago.”
“You’ll definitely need me.”
Charlotte Schmidt.
He had long been familiar with her ill reputation. Possessing a peculiar constitution, she was said to wield both white magic and dark magic—each notoriously difficult to master—evenly, and to have a savage temperament that left chaos wherever she went.
“…Freedom.”
Of course, he had no intention of granting her such a thing.
From the moment she set foot in this territory, he had never planned to let her leave alive.
Half-baked or not, someone who wielded both white and dark magic was no different. Caius did not trust the kind known as dark mages.
Charlotte Schmidt had endangered the Crown Prince’s safety using dark magic. That alone was reason enough to kill her.
However, if she truly knew something about that day’s incident—
“How intriguing.”
Caius’s gaze shifted to the sword placed beside his chair. He slowly traced the blade, still stained with Charlotte’s blood.
His eyes curved into a crescent.
“…Just how useful will you be?”
“You’ll be staying here.”
After following the butler down the corridors for quite some time, I arrived before an old wooden door. It was tucked into the farthest corner of the Grand Duke’s castle’s main building.
I opened the door and fell briefly silent.
“Wow…”
“Until further instructions arrive, you are free to move about within the territory. Meals and the like will be provided the same as for the castle staff.”
“Ah, yes…”
Free, my foot.
I know full well that I’m surrounded by surveillance.
The moment I do anything displeasing, they’ll swarm me and drag me straight to the dungeon.
Still, at least I’m not locked in a tower.
…Is that really a good thing?
The room I was shown was a bit larger than the studio apartment I used to live in, and a bit smaller than the bathroom in the Schmidt count’s estate.
Perhaps it had been used as a storage room—iron bars were set into the window, and there was a peculiar musty smell.
A dungeon, exile, and now a storeroom.
Is this for real?
While I stood there blankly, the butler quietly shut the door and bolted away.
I knew it.
He’d been sweating bullets the entire time he guided me here under Caius’s orders. Guess I really am that scary.
“…This is a bit much.”
I placed my hands on my hips and looked around the half-ruined room.
Then I turned my head to check the tightly closed door.
The butler was gone, and I sensed no presence nearby.
“This is a legitimate exercise of my rights.”
Vwoom—
A magic circle lit up beneath my feet.
A gust of wind roared as the room’s structure began to twist. Moldy walls were covered with wallpaper; iron bars were replaced by wooden window frames. A soft rug spread across the stone floor that had held nothing but dust, and fine furniture appeared one by one.
“This should do, right?”
Magic is awesome.
So it really works.
See? I told you I’m competent.
I was admiring the now cozy room with satisfaction when, suddenly, dizziness washed over me and strength drained from my legs.
“Ugh.”
Grrrkk.
My stomach growled loudly.
“…Ah, right. Food.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything for three whole days. I was so overwhelmed by the fact that I’d survived that I completely forgot.
All mages are big eaters. Casting spells consumes far more energy than one might expect. And I’d just used a large-scale spell after fasting for three days—no wonder my head was spinning.
“Hngh, I’m starving.”
Grrrkk, grrrrkk.
My stomach thundered again.
Clutching my empty belly, I staggered to my feet.
Once I became aware of it, hunger came crashing down on me like madness. Exaggeration aside, I could barely move a finger.
“No broth… figures.”
Looks like I’ll have to go to the kitchen if I want to get anything to eat.
They wouldn’t really withhold food, right?
When I look this emaciated?
Dizzy enough to feel like I might actually pass out, I shuffled toward the kitchen like a zombie.
And then I was confronted with an unbelievable situation.
“…What do you mean by that?”
