Episode 23
Lerazier tapped a few drops of potion into her eyes.
After blinking a few times, her once-murky brown eyes instantly changed color.
When the assassin recognized the vivid golden irises, his eyes widened in shock. A chilling realization struck him like a lightning bolt.
“R-Royalty…!”
“You’re curious about my name? I’ll tell you.”
When Lerazier smiled, baring her teeth, the assassin felt like he’d just encountered the Grim Reaper. Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
“Lerazier Dion Arenfrit.”
The man dropped his sword with a clatter.
The name he had just heard was infamous, even in the underworld. Nicknamed the “Pretty Madman of House Arenfrit.”
Also known as the “Crazy Swordmaster.”
“If you’ve heard of me, you should know to kneel.”
An immense pressure crashed down on him. The assassin fell to his knees without any chance to resist.
The city guards only arrived after Lerazier had already subdued the assailant.
Lerazier spotted the captain among them, his attire more elaborate than the rest, and clicked her tongue subtly.
This man was a known loyalist of Crown Prince Lucius. He had always been wary of Lerazier’s skills and harbored a thinly veiled disdain for him due to his “lowly” blood.
“Seventh Prince, may I ask what happened here?”
He spoke politely on the surface, but notably failed to show the proper respect a prince deserved.
Lerazier didn’t bother pointing it out. It wasn’t the first time he’d encountered this kind of treatment.
The ill-fated prince had no intention of stirring up trouble — at least, not now.
That is, if it weren’t for Calliope.
“Shouldn’t you greet His Highness first before asking questions?”
“And who are you to interrupt—?”
The captain turned around irritably, only to freeze when his eyes met an extraordinary beauty.
“Lady Calliope?”
“Yes.”
Calliope responded indifferently, clearly used to this kind of reaction, and calmly stared at the captain.
Faced with her unwavering gaze, the captain finally bowed.
“Greetings to His Highness the Seventh Prince.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you,” Lerazier replied awkwardly.
The captain straightened up immediately and continued.
“May I now ask for an explanation?”
“I’ll answer that,” Calliope said, stepping forward naturally.
She glanced briefly at the assassin, who was still kneeling thanks to Lerazier, and then spoke.
“I was simply walking when this man suddenly pulled a blade and tried to stab me. Fortunately, His Highness saved me. Since this is an attempted murder, I hope a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine if there’s someone behind it.”
The assassin shouted in protest.
“Murder? I was just trying to steal a bit of money!”
“No, you…?”
One of the guards suddenly widened his eyes and pointed at the captured man.
“That bastard! He’s a notorious pickpocket from the capital!”
“Pickpocket?”
Calliope murmured skeptically. The guard, now clearly excited, raised his voice.
“We’ve been chasing this guy for months! Do you know how much stolen property you’ve hoarded? Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused us?”
“Agh! Please, have mercy!”
The guard grabbed the thief by the collar and shook him furiously, while the man groaned and covered his face with his hands.
But Calliope noticed something—just barely—a faint twitch of amusement at the corner of the man’s lips. Agnes, standing beside her, noticed too.
“Countess.”
“I saw it too.”
Calliope whispered quietly to Lerazier who had moved beside her.
“You know he’s lying, right?”
“Of course. A mere pickpocket who can use aura? Even a passing dog would laugh.”
“He disguised himself as a small-time crook to hide his real identity. I figured he had some kind of backup plan.”
Calliope stepped forward and spoke aloud.
“This man was carrying two lethal swords. He’s not just a petty thief. There are plenty of witnesses—including my employees—who can testify.”
She deliberately raised her voice so nearby onlookers could hear, and sure enough, they began chiming in.
“She’s right! I saw him pull out a sword and charge at the lady!”
“It was a deadly sword fight!”
But the criminal didn’t back down easily.
“I was just trying to scare her for money! And those swords? They’re fake! Just toy replicas made to look real!”
“What?”
“Check them for yourself!”
He declared with confidence. One of the guards quickly retrieved the dropped sword.
“Here it is.”
For some reason, the blade was missing—only the hilt remained. The man explained,
“If you press the button on the handle, a fake blade pops out. It’s just a toy.”
The captain pressed the button himself, inspected the blade, and nodded.
“The color and shape are convincing, but it’s definitely a toy.”
Lerazier’s brows furrowed.
“That’s impossible. I definitely crossed swords with him—it was a real blade.”
“If you don’t believe me, Your Highness, please check for yourself.”
The captain offered the sword to Lerazier with a smug expression.
Lerazier touched the weapon and felt its jelly-like softness. He let out an incredulous laugh and turned to Calliope, assuming she must be just as perplexed as he was.
But Calliope was twisting the corner of her mouth in a cold smirk.
“Seriously.”
“Calliope Verdi?”
“How stupid do you have to be to think you can fool a mage with magic?”
