Chapter 78
Cain did not know why Aileen wanted to meet Heinel, but since it was not a dangerous place, he went along with her secret outing.
The two quietly slipped out of the mansion and walked all the way to Premium, where they immediately went to find Heinel.
“Annie, where is Heinel?”
“B-boss! How did you get here…?”
Annie stared at Aileen with startled eyes.
She also knew that Aileen’s younger brother had gone missing, so she had assumed Aileen would not be coming to the shop for a while.
Ignoring the concerned gaze directed at her, Aileen asked again.
“Where is Heinel?”
“Why are you looking for me?”
Heinel walked out from the back of the shop. He had already heard about Adrian’s abduction, so complicated emotions showed in his eyes as he looked at her.
Aileen got straight to the point.
“Come somewhere with me.”
“Where to?”
“To where Adrian is.”
Everyone present widened their eyes. Meanwhile, Aileen continued calmly.
“With Heinel’s tracking magic, you can find where Adrian is, right?”
“Ugh… I mean, yeah, I can. I already tried it.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Heinel continued, sounding frustrated—not with her, but with himself.
“The kid is too far away. It’s beyond what my mana can handle. The magic just cuts off halfway.”
Aileen’s eyes sharpened.
“That means all you need is more mana, right?”
“Well, I guess—”
As he was answering, Heinel’s eyes lit up.
Come to think of it, Aileen…
When he stared at her, Aileen silently handed him the pouch she had brought.
Heinel quickly opened it. Inside were a pen and a large number of high-grade purple mana stones.
“It’s Adrian’s pen. I thought it might be necessary for the tracking magic, so I brought it. And this should be enough mana stones for teleportation, right?”
“More than enough.”
Heinel grinned.
Without a word, Aileen grabbed the hand he extended. She intended to leave immediately.
“You can’t.”
Someone stopped her.
It was Cain. With a serious expression, he looked between Aileen and Heinel.
“You should inform His Grace. It’s far too dangerous for just the two of you to go.”
“I will tell Reinhardt too. Right, Annie?”
“Huh? Me?”
Annie looked flustered under the sudden attention.
Aileen looked at her and said,
“Tell Reinhardt. Tell him where I went with Heinel.”
“Where are you going?”
The one who answered instead was Heinel. Holding Adrian’s pen and the mana stones, it seemed he had already finished the tracking magic.
“Marenn Harbor Town.”
“Tell the Duke. Say we went to Marenn Harbor Town.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Madam!”
Cain tried to stop her again, but Aileen’s resolve was firm.
“It’s too late to go with Reinhardt. He can’t move freely, and he attracts too much attention. He is the Duke of Olden, after all.”
“But still—”
“If you’re that worried, then come with us.”
“What?”
Instead of answering, Aileen grabbed Cain’s arm and then shouted to Heinel.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes! Here we go!”
Heinel, who had already been quietly preparing the teleportation magic, grinned.
The three of them disappeared as their vision shimmered.
❧ ❧ ❧
Whoooosh—
The sound of waves brushed their ears, and the salty scent of the sea filled the air. Just moments ago, they had been inside a building in the middle of the city.
Faced with the sudden change in environment, Cain stood with a blank expression. Meanwhile, Aileen and Heinel calmly scanned their surroundings, as if accustomed to this.
They were standing in the middle of Marenn Harbor Town. Fortunately, since they had arrived in an alley, no one had seen them.
“Madam, is it really okay to use all the mana stones?”
Heinel asked as he crumbled the now-dim stones in his hand. Aileen nodded as if it were obvious.
“Of course. As long as we can rescue Adrian.”
“As you command.”
Heinel grinned, clearly excited at the thought of using magic so freely for once.
Cain, however, still looked grim.
“Madam, this is too dangerous. Even now, you can still go back—”
“My brother is in far more danger right now.”
Cain hesitated.
Looking at him earnestly, Aileen said,
“How could I possibly stay still when my younger brother is in that situation?”
Cain quietly studied her eyes.
After a moment, he slowly nodded.
“I understand. I will help as well.”
“Thank you.”
“But please remember this one thing. If you are put in danger before we can rescue Viscount Adrian…”
Cain’s gaze became deadly serious.
“I will save you first, Madam.”
“I understand.”
Aileen nodded.
She understood Cain’s position. The one he served was Reinhardt, and Aileen was Reinhardt’s wife. It was only natural that he would prioritize her safety.
That meant she had to avoid danger as much as possible before reaching Adrian—and ideally, they would rescue Adrian and leave safely.
Aileen turned to Heinel. Even without being told, he was already casting magic.
When both of their gazes landed on him, Heinel opened the eyes he had closed in concentration.
“I found him.”
“Where?”
“He’s nearby.”
“Good. Then let’s hurry—”
“Before that, we need to buy clothes.”
Heinel cut her off and looked at Cain. Aileen also let out a small “Ah,” and turned her gaze toward Cain.
Suddenly being stared at, Cain looked confused. Seeing him, Aileen sighed lightly.
“You’re right. As you are now, you stand out too much…”
Cain was wearing light armor and carried a sword engraved with the emblem of Olden. Even standing still, he practically announced, I am a knight of Olden.
On top of that, Dino knew Cain’s face.
And the same was true for Heinel—he was wearing a robe bearing the symbol of the Magic Tower.
First, they needed to buy ordinary clothes for both of them.
They carefully entered a nearby clothing shop, trying not to draw attention, worried that Dino or his associates might pass by.
Heinel bought a plain white shirt. Cain added a sturdy leather vest over his—since he could not wear armor, it was the next best form of protection.
Finally, they bought hoods to conceal their faces. It looked a little suspicious, but better than being recognized.
Leaving their original clothes at the shop, the three went back outside. Heinel immediately cast magic on Adrian’s pen.
The pen floated into the air and began moving somewhere. The three followed it.
The sky was dyed red, and the wide sea to one side was ready to swallow the sun.
They stopped in front of the darkening docks.
“There.”
Heinel pointed toward the pier—more precisely, toward a large ship docked there.
“You’re saying Adrian is inside that?”
“Yes. Inside that ship.”
Heinel emphasized it again.
A chill ran down Aileen’s spine. She had sensed that they did not intend to kill Adrian, but she never imagined they would try to send him to another country.
Her clenched fist trembled with rage. She could no longer hold back.
“Let’s go.”
“Wait.”
Heinel grabbed her.
At her questioning look, he spoke seriously.
“There’s definitely a lookout. You can’t just walk in.”
“Then what do we do?”
“We use teleportation again.”
Heinel sharply turned to Cain.
“And if there are enemies inside, you take care of them.”
“You state the obvious.”
Cain said, slightly lifting his scabbard.
As Aileen watched the two of them—strangely in sync—Heinel grabbed Adrian’s pen again.
“Just a moment. I’ll quickly pinpoint the kid’s location—”
“Who are you?”
A voice called out to them. The three flinched and turned around.
A rough-looking man was staring at them suspiciously.
Unlike the other two, Aileen froze.
She knew him.
He was the man who used to be with Damon.
‘Why is he here…?’
A thought flashed through her mind.
Could it be that Damon was involved in this?
It was only a suspicion, but her teeth clenched instinctively. She should have made sure he could never get back up back then.
When none of them answered, the man narrowed his eyes and strode toward them.
Heinel muttered a curse and grabbed both Aileen’s and Cain’s arms.
“No choice. We’re leaving for now!”
“Where are you—!”
They didn’t hear the rest. Their vision shifted instantly.
They were now standing in a dark corridor. Fortunately, there was no one in sight, but Cain drew his sword just in case.
“We teleported into the ship. I didn’t have time to move us directly to the kid’s location.”
“We can find him now. Hurry. Since we were seen, they’ll definitely search the ship for us.”
Heinel nodded and reactivated the tracking magic. The pen shot forward quickly.
They followed it at speed, keeping their presence as hidden as possible. Several times they were spotted by enemies, but Cain subdued them swiftly.
They didn’t even have time to scream.
Soon, the pen stopped in front of a door.
“Here?”
“Yes.”
At Heinel’s certainty, Aileen carefully opened the door.
The room was pitch dark. Only when she opened the door did light spill inside.
And then she saw him.
On the empty floor, his entire body tightly bound with ropes, Adrian lay collapsed.
