IATVWAMOLS 108

108. An Ambush Tastes Best When Struck at Ease

Sure enough, once the protective barrier shattered, the building hidden behind it was revealed.

At a glance, it didn’t look much different from the research facility we’d seen earlier.

“Be on guard! A beast might attack at any moment! The safety of His Highness the Crown Prince and Lady Roselia takes top priority!”

“Yes, sir!”

At the commander’s sharp orders, the imperial guards quickly fell into formation, adopting a perfect defensive stance.

With their sturdy protection around me, I looked over the inside of the building.

Where could this be? Two possibilities came to mind.

The first was that this was yet another research institute.

When Kaien was kidnapped, he’d been sent straight to a facility like this.

If they captured him alive instead of killing him, there may be other victims who were abducted in the same way.

I didn’t know the purpose of this place or what secrets it was hiding, but for now, charging in was the only option.

Of course, there was also the chance this was just a trap…

Just then, a telepathic message from Kaien arrived.

—[Midway report.]
—[That young lady who supposedly delivered the note.]
—[She seemed suspicious, so I’ve been tailing her.]
—[I’ll contact you as soon as I catch a lead.]

As expected.

A location provided by a mysterious girl with no clear identity? Too suspicious to ignore.

I had already asked Kaien to look into her. Seraphine had taken the girl to the hospital, so I figured I might meet her again if I returned there.

I sent Kaien a reply.

—[Just gather clues and come back right away.]
—[We’ll lead knights later and conduct a proper pursuit.]

Despite my concern, his response was as carefree as ever.

—[Are you worrying about me now?]
—[Don’t worry. I won’t die.]
—[I’ll handle it before dawn.]

Spoken like someone who just barely escaped death himself…

I had plenty I wanted to say, but instead of nagging, I simply replied:

—[Be careful.]

I had already stuffed his hands with teleportation scrolls and recovery scrolls just in case. If things went wrong, he could always escape.

Besides, I trusted him—if anyone could handle this kind of work with ease, it was him.

So I refocused on the situation at hand.

Kaien’s report gave weight to the possibility that this was a trap, but retreat wasn’t an option.

Dangerous matters were best dealt with while we had our full strength.

Having a man at my side who can break a barrier with brute force… that’s reassuring.

At the head of the formation, Brecht’s broad back looked more reliable than ever.

“There are no traces of beasts.”

But strangely, the interior was eerily quiet.

As we walked down the long corridor, there weren’t just no beasts—there weren’t even guards patrolling.

The deeper we went, the dimmer the lights became.

“Light the torches.”

“Yes, sir!”

The knights fanned out, searching the interior. Before long, one group shouted in alarm.

“Over here! There’s someone here!”

“……!”

I rushed over—only to find a scene twice as horrifying as I’d imagined.

“I expected captives, but this… what in the world…”

It was a specimen chamber.

The stench of disinfectant mixed with a nauseating, metallic tang.

Hundreds of people were on display, lined up as though mass-produced merchandise.

A few hours earlier.

Baron Garet downed hard liquor in the dining hall.

As if quarreling with Lady Roselia weren’t enough, he had even dared to lay hands on a duke’s servant.

He’d acted rashly in a fit of anger, but since he handed them over to the research institute, there would be no consequences.

No—there must not be.

“Kh…”

He swallowed another burning mouthful on an empty stomach. Just then, his butler brought good news.

“What? The lady is gone?”

“Yes. All her escorts withdrew with her. Most likely, she returned to the capital.”

Baron Garet sighed in relief.

If she had stopped snooping around his lands and returned to the capital, it was like a toothache had finally been pulled.

“Wait a minute.”

His eyes widened uneasily.

“She wouldn’t… file some ridiculous lawsuit or report to the capital, would she?”

“Do not worry, my lord. As the head butler said before—since it happened here in your domain, even a noble lady can’t meddle too deeply.”

The butler reassured him.

“If the worst comes, Count Langley will back you. There’s no need to fret.”

“My father…”

His father, Count Langley, had always treated him like a useless burden.

But once a mana stone mine was discovered on the Garet estate, the baron gained powerful patrons, and everything changed.

With the balance of power reversed, even Count Langley started treating his troublesome third son with newfound respect.

“How about sending a small token of appreciation when the lady returns to her manor? She only came here for the mana stone supply in the first place. As long as you smooth that over, there should be no lasting complaints.”

“That’s not a bad idea. Who ever refuses a bribe?”

Satisfied, Baron Garet downed his drink in one go.

The burning liquor filled his gut, clouding his mind further.

“Really, you should’ve made sure word didn’t leak to the townsfolk. Do I have to hear nonsense about lawsuits from clueless outsiders now?”

“My apologies, my lord.”

“Handle it properly. Do it right.”

He slapped the butler’s cheek lightly, then belched loudly.

“So, the lady’s gone, huh.”

If the meddler had left, there was nothing to hold him back anymore. Smacking his lips, he issued an order.

“Wipe out all the commoners who joined the strike. Every last one—including the site overseers.”

“P-pardon? By wipe out, do you mean…”

“Burn their villages, unleash beasts—kill them all! They’re only treated as subjects while they crawl under me. Vermin deserve nothing but death.”

He spat curses as his drunken eyes grew bloodshot. All he wanted was revenge on the workers who had dared strike against him.

The fact that he had bled them dry, exploiting them to the bone and even to the brink of death, never crossed his mind.

“But why hasn’t the head butler returned yet? If the lady’s gone, he should’ve reported back immediately.”

“I’ll send word to him right away, my lord.”

The butler bowed and left the dining hall.

But—

“My lord! Terrible news! The lady has vanished!”

Within the hour, the butler returned pale as a ghost.

“What? Didn’t you just say she went back to the capital?”

By now, Baron Garet’s face was flushed from drink.

“There must’ve been a mistake. Her attendants are missing too, and the knights guarding the manor were completely wiped out.”

“And the head butler? Where’s he?”

“No word. Nor from the men sent to watch her. All communication has been cut off.”

Albert, the head butler, had vanished, and in that short time, the estate’s defenses had collapsed completely.

“That damned lady—!”

Crash!

Baron Garet swept the tableware to the floor, smashing porcelain in a clattering racket.

Even so, his rage was unspent; he stomped and raged around the hall.

“Send men! Send men immediately to stop her!”

“B-but we’ve already deployed all available forces to crush the strikers. We have no men left.”

His own earlier order had drained the manpower needed to stop Roselia.

Just then, a servant burst into the hall.

“A message from the research facility! One of the key bases has been destroyed! And worse—it’s the same base where the duke’s servant was being held—!”

“What?!”

Both the butler and the baron went pale.

“My lord, it seems the lady is headed straight for that facility.”

“You—you wretched—!”

Even an oaf like him understood immediately.

If their secret research was exposed, not only he but everyone connected would be ruined.

“There’s no time! Pack everything!”

He barked at his servants, ordering them to gather jewels and expensive artwork.

He could abandon his tenants, even his household staff—but never his own safety.

Escape in the dead of night was his only option.

“Move faster, damn it!”

As he loaded the luggage into the carriage in a panic—

“Where do you think you’re going, Baron?”