Chapter 107
“I have no affection for the empire. I only want to protect the people precious to me.”
Speaking in a flat tone that showed no need for thanks, Heros gave a small gesture telling Caron to go. Caron nodded and turned away.
Thinking he should send Heros’s dog a chew toy someday, Caron quickened his steps.
As he watched Caron’s back for a moment, Heros turned his gaze toward the Grand Duke.
If that strange power near Quaidon attacked him, it’s probably the work of those Western mages. I should find a way to restore the Grand Duke when I return—it might help in this situation.
Would Elma Pharmaceutical’s medicine technology be able to reach him?
“Heros.”
Katrin came out after finishing her talk with the emperor. She looked brighter than before.
Heros didn’t exactly like imagining what they might have discussed inside, but just seeing the pale young lady now looking lighter was not bad.
“It seems your long talk is over.”
“Yes. It’s not a hopeless situation.”
The Duke of Elemore had died while trying to tell the Rebel Emperor.
If the Rebel Emperor had heard about the five allied western nations, how would he have reacted?
With their combined power exceeding the empire’s, the already cowardly man would probably have been terrified.
After confirming the letter’s truth, instead of preparing to face the enemies, he might have fled, abandoning the throne.
“If my father were alive, things would be different now, wouldn’t they?”
The Black Knight, Duke of Elemore—how would he have handled this crisis if he had survived?
Heros shook his head.
“There is no point in imagining the past.”
“You’re right. What matters is the present. Capital T… Tyros.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s a thing.”
Katrin’s playful smile brought a faint one to Heros’s lips as well.
Woof—
Just then, Lancelot came up to Katrin and gave a short bark, asking for attention.
She bent slightly, gently stroking his head and neck.
“How is the Grand Duke doing?”
“It seems related to the West. We’ll have to break his beastification first. Please wait until Elma Pharmaceutical’s research is ready.”
“All right. Thank you.”
“Another mountain beyond the mountain,” I muttered.
After taking a warm shower and eating a full dinner at the mansion, I lay on the soft bed with a small sigh.
“But now… it’s different.”
Etias’s blue eyes, filled with determination to protect, were strong with certainty.
“We’ll overcome it well.”
Just as Etias said, I should trust him.
Thinking of earlier, I slowly closed my eyes, hoping everything would pass safely, and drifted to sleep.
The next day, sudden news reached me.
Upon hearing it, I dressed at once and headed to the imperial palace.
“They’re all dead?”
In front of the palace prison, Camel Beatrice’s face was haggard as he nodded blankly.
“Yes. Even the soldiers guarding this place were attacked. They were criminals deserving death, but not like this. Damn it.”
Indeed, stretchers were carrying out bodies covered in white cloths.
The pale hand hanging limply belonged to Phileos Regalo.
Behind him lay the dead woman, Aglia.
And another cold body—Lucia—was recognizable by the Elemore crest necklace around her neck despite her face being covered.
Most of the prisoners in the imperial prison were dead.
“…What happened?”
“I don’t know. There was an attack at dawn… only one person survived. When reinforcements arrived, they ran away.”
My gaze shifted to the dark corner of the prison, where a man was trembling.
It was none other than Fadelmon Elemore, my uncle, who had been imprisoned before the revolution and hadn’t seen sunlight for years.
I had no sympathy for him, but he might hold clues about the prison attack, so he could be a witness.
“It’s better to move Fadelmon Elemore to a more secure location and interrogate him about the truth.”
“Let’s do as the Duke says,” Camel agreed.
At his signal, several subordinates opened the prison door and dragged Fadelmon out.
Fadelmon thrashed and shouted like a madman.
“The darkness… it’s trying to swallow me. They’ll kill us! Save me, I’ll tell you everything!”
He looked at me and trembled.
“K-Katrin. Yes, Katrin, we’re family. Save me—if this goes on, I’ll die! Aglia died because of them too.”
His terrified, dark-ringed eyes told me he knew something about this incident.
“Was it the West?” I asked quietly.
His flinch was an answer before his words came.
“Haa…”
“I didn’t spy! They just asked for unimportant documents sometimes, so I sent them…”
“That’s treason.”
He shook his head frantically.
“No, no! Do you think I was the only one? Aglia too…”
“How much did you get?”
“Just a little money. And it wasn’t important—just things like my brother’s schedule.”
I sighed.
This explained the Duke of Elemore’s death.
“Were Phileos and Lucia their collaborators too?”
“No, I don’t think they knew. They were just unlucky to be in the same prison.”
“But Aglia… she was like me. She gave small council information and got pocket money… She even begged them when she saw them.”
“I see.”
Fadelmon shivered but went on.
“But I don’t know why they’re trying to kill us.”
I knew.
They couldn’t risk leaving former informants alive in case they revealed during questioning that the West was gathering intelligence on Oswell.
Then I saw Fadelmon clutching his arm.
When I told the soldiers to pull up his sleeve, the wound revealed made me frown.
I recognized it.
Etias and Caron would too—Etias had once collapsed from a similar attack in the palace. Without urgent medicine, he would have died.
I had vowed to find and take revenge on whoever had tried to harm Etias.
“I’ll have Elma Pharmaceutical send an antidote,” I said coldly.
Fadelmon’s eyes lit with hope.
“Katrin, you’d even give medicine to your uncle… Forget the past and help me—”
“When you recover, make sure to interrogate this vermin thoroughly, down to the last detail,” I told Camel.
The word vermin made Fadelmon’s brow twitch.
“Katrin!”
“Of course,” Camel replied, signaling the soldiers to take him away.
“Katrin!! Save me!! I was wrong!!”
I ignored his screams until they faded into the distance.
Camel then spoke to me as I let out a small sigh.
