Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 122

Chapter 122

‘Right, magic. There shouldn’t be any mages in the Imperial Guard…’

The Emperor’s Imperial Guard traditionally consists only of knights. Nevertheless, Caribdis didn’t dismiss the notion at the time because he thought they might have a hidden card up their sleeve. Indeed, the protection of the spiritist Peris was such a card. Although not part of the Imperial Guard, he was helping them as the Emperor’s closest aide. Caribdis had heard countless times that they had almost caught their target, only to miss it because of Peris. As the Emperor’s actions were veering in unexpected directions, there was every possibility that a new collaborator had appeared in the meantime. However, the unfolding situation suggested a different deduction.

That day, were the opponents the Knights fought really the Emperor’s Imperial Guard? The annihilated division also possessed the spoils from that time. Perhaps they had encountered a completely different enemy than the Imperial Guard. The timing roughly coincided with when the full-fledged serial killings began. Why hadn’t he realized it until now? Caribdis clicked his tongue softly.

Traces of attack magic were found on all the victims of the serial killings. Even with attack magic, attributes are usually determined by the school and faction, but so many different spells were used that it was impossible to distinguish them. The culprit was either very skilled in magic or, at the very least, a group of two or more people. If they were capable of annihilating an entire division, the enemy might be larger than expected.

“What happened to the task I ordered?”

“Are you referring to the weapon retrieval? As you instructed, we have collected all the remaining spoils from the orcs at that time.”

“The number?”

“A total of fifteen swords and spears.”

“Put them in a box, lock it, and throw it into the sea.”

“All of them…?”

“Yes, all of them.”

At Caribdis’s words, the knight tilted his head, bewildered, but nodded. No matter how precious the magic weapons were, a superior’s order was absolute.

‘Now, only one thing remains.’

Swish—

After the knight left, Caribdis drew a greatsword from his waist. It was the only thing he had taken from the numerous spoils at the time.

The greatsword had a seemingly ordinary shape with no patterns engraved on it. Nevertheless, the reason he chose it over other ornate magic tools was the strange feeling emanating from the sword. A chilling energy similar to the cold of a harsh winter. It was calm as if embracing everything, yet at the same time, it felt like a raging storm.

There was something special about this sword. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

‘I’ll find out someday.’

Caribdis scanned the sword with cold eyes. Now, he was the only survivor among those who possessed the spoils from that time. Whether it was one person or a group, if his assumption was correct, the culprit would surely come for him. When that time came, the identity of the veiled enemy would surely be revealed.

* * *

As Caribdis had predicted, the serial killings stopped as if by magic once the weapons disappeared. For a while, a peaceful daily life continued, and the knights, who had initially been trembling with anxiety, gradually began to feel relieved. However, Caribdis alone remained vigilant, watching the situation without letting go of his tension. There was no reaction from the invisible enemy, but he was convinced that this was not the end. It was like the calm before the storm.

“Is Duke Clamore still the same?”

“Yes, he still hasn’t stepped outside his mansion.”

“What about the movements of his retainers?”

“We have been watching them as well, but there hasn’t been any particularly noticeable activity.”

Caribdis walked along with his subordinates, lost in thought. It had already been about three months since the Emperor had left the capital. By now, it was time for him to have arrived at Clamore. However, Duke Clamore still showed no movement, and he was standing by while the Grand Duke’s soldiers rummaged through his territory. There was no military training other than the regular basic training done every morning and evening, there were no gatherings of retainers, and no traces of large-scale movement of supplies could be found. To anyone, it didn’t look like a city preparing for war.

‘Have they not yet made contact with the Duke, or have they moved in a completely different direction?’

The Emperor’s trail had been completely cut off, with the last sighting being two months ago in the mountains on the outskirts of the capital. It was only a circumstantial guess that he would head to Clamore; it wasn’t actually determined that the Emperor would come here. He might have gotten scared and hidden himself altogether, as rumors were already widespread. The Emperor Isana he knew was capable of that, but Caribdis somehow thought that wasn’t the case.

Even if he hid in the backwoods, as a person, he would inevitably leave traces necessary for survival. Even the Emperor’s Imperial Guard, armed with veteran knights, had already been discovered several times and engaged in fierce battles. But was it possible for a powerless young boy to erase his tracks so perfectly? No matter how he thought about it, it was strange. The Emperor definitely had something.

“What about the investigation into the boys who were said to have sneaked into the territory?”

“Ah, that’s… I’m sorry, but no one has seen their faces, so we haven’t made much progress in the investigation.”

“There were two of them, you said. And someone else attacked from another location?”

“Yes, their skills were so ghostly that they didn’t realize they were being attacked until they fainted. Similarly, no one saw his face either.”

“That means at least three people.”

Could it be the Emperor?

Caribdis nodded, muttering the thought he now had almost habitually in his mind.

“Come to think of it, I think I heard that there were people recently going around asking about the Duke’s family.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. It was a group of four people, including a priest. The priest’s name is Kaitain, and he is a priest of Elüen, the god of punishment.”

“A priest of Elüen…”

“It seems he was on a pilgrimage and recently stopped by Clamore for a regular report. We kept an eye on him from the checkpoint, but there were no particular abnormalities, and he was alone until he went to the Order. He seems to have met the other three at the Order, and they visited the Duke’s family together as an envoy, but they were rejected and simply turned back. It seems they were asking about the Duke’s family out of that resentment.”

“Did you identify the appearances of the other three?”

“Yes, they all had flamboyant appearances that suggested they were nobles. According to the employee who served them when they stayed at an inn together before joining the priest, they were a young couple and a younger brother. There were no parts of their appearances that matched what we were looking for.”

“I see.”

Three people who secretly infiltrated, and three people who joined the priest. Moreover, the priest is a priest of the god of punishment, who is known to help the Emperor. Could all of these things simply be coincidences?

It was a frustrating feeling, like something was just out of reach. It felt like I could know for sure if I took just one more step, but the distance was not easily narrowed.

At that moment, a scene suddenly caught his eye. There was a building that looked like a warehouse in a secluded place, and soldiers from the Grand Duke’s side were guarding it.

“What is that?”

At Caribdis’s question, the knight, who had been answering smoothly until now, hesitated for the first time. Caribdis’s voice lowered even further as he read a sense of dismay in his eyes.

“Speak.”

“Ah, well, that is… they are guarding the tributes to be presented to the Grand Duke.”

“Tributes? Why are they keeping them in a place like that?”

“Ah, well, that is…”

Again, the knight hesitated to answer. Caribdis immediately walked towards the warehouse. He felt the flustered knights following him as if trying to dissuade him, but he didn’t care much. When he reached the door, the soldiers guarding it recognized him and began to panic.

“D, Duke Caribdis!”

“Open the door.”

“Yes? Ah, h, but…”

“I don’t like to say things twice. Open it.”

The soldiers, hardened by his fierce gaze, exchanged glances. Like the knight who had hesitated to answer, dismay was revealed on their faces as well. Of course, Caribdis ignored their distress this time as well, and the soldiers soon had no choice but to step aside and open the door. Creak, the joints woven from old planks screamed with a bizarre sound. As the pouring light illuminated the dark warehouse, the scene inside gradually began to come into view.

“…….”

“…….”

Inside the warehouse were children who appeared to be in their early teens. As if to prove that they had been trapped for quite some time, they all had pale complexions and were clearly exhausted. Caribdis stared blankly for a moment as the small heads huddled in the corner looked up with frightened eyes. Then, the restless soldiers hurriedly began to make excuses.

“D, Duke Caribdis, what happened was…”

“Let them go.”

“Yes, yes?”

“If you make me repeat the same words one more time, I will cut you down on the spot.”

“…….”

Frightened, the soldiers hurriedly pulled the children inside. Most of them were children with local connections, so it was not difficult to send them back. The freed children repeatedly expressed their gratitude to Caribdis before running away into the distance.

After that, Caribdis did not say a single word until he returned to his temporary residence. The knights who followed him watched him with a feeling of walking on thorns.

“Umm, Duke Caribdis…”

“You may leave now.”

At the finally dropped order, the knights bowed silently with stiff faces. It was when they were turning around with gloomy expressions.

Thud!

At that moment, Caribdis frowned slightly at the rough sound of the door. With senses superior to others, his hearing was also very sensitive. He glanced back and stared at the impolite visitor. It was Count Setnio, striding in, panting.

“Duke! What on earth is going on?”

He had been away from here for a while for an investigation into the previous mission failure. Despite it being their first meeting in a long time, Caribdis narrowed his eyes at the attitude of shouting without even a formal greeting.

“Isn’t it customary to clearly state the subject when asking a question, Count?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know! I heard that you collected weapons from my knights while I was away! No matter how much of a commander you are, this is a clear overreach of authority!”

“Didn’t you hear about the reason for the collection?”

“I did! I heard you suspected that the reason the knights were killed was because of those weapons! So you gathered them all and threw them into the sea!”

“You heard correctly. That was the situation.”

“How could you do such a thing! Are you out of your mind, Duke? Those were all magic tools! They were high-level magic tools, considered the finest among ancient artifacts!”

“What does that matter? Are you saying I should just stand by and watch the knights die?”

“That’s not what I mean! If you looked carefully, there would have been other ways to preserve the weapons and apprehend the killer! At the very least, you should have looked for traces of tracking magic on the weapons! If you had, you might have been able to track down the killer!”

“I heard that even if a high-level mage tried reverse tracking, the chances of success are low, and it takes a long time. Another knight could have been sacrificed in the meantime. Are those weapons more important than the lives of my subordinates?”

“That’s not just any weapon, that’s why I’m doing this!”

At the shout that was like an outburst, Caribdis stared silently at Count Setnio for a moment. Facing his cold gaze, the Count shrank his shoulders without realizing it.

“It seems I was mistaken.”

“……Yes?”

“I thought the Count would be saddened by the loss of his subordinates.”

“O, of course I am saddened! I lost people who were like my assets, how could I not be sad?”

“……I see. The Count thinks of his subordinates as part of his assets. So, when comparing the value with the magic tools, the loss on that side was more regrettable?”

“Y, you are being rude!”

“You are the one being rude.”

At the resolute voice, the Count closed his gaping mouth. Caribdis’s expression was colder than before.

“I thought the Count came to pick a fight. But it would have been better if that were the case. Yes, for example, saying that it’s suspicious that you only cleaned up the mess after the number of victims exceeded twenty. If I were the direct commander, I would have been more angry about that.”

“W, what! Are you suggesting that I was deliberately neglecting the serial killings!”

“……The Count not only doesn’t know how to prioritize, but he’s also stupid.”

The knights were also giving him pitiful looks. Sensing the unfavorable atmosphere from their expressions, the Count’s face turned bright red. He trembled with humiliation, yet glared fiercely at Caribdis.

“Duke, aren’t you being too optimistic about your own situation?”

“Is there any reason to be pessimistic?”

“It’s not that there is a particular reason. However, I get the impression that the Grand Duke’s attitude towards you has become distant lately. Come to think of it, it’s already been over two months since you came here, Duke. In the past, he would have called you back to the capital long ago, don’t you wonder why he’s still leaving you here?”

“It’s because the Grand Duke is not someone who doesn’t know how to prioritize like the Count.”

At the answer that followed as if it were nothing, the Count flushed again. He was furious at the sight of the other party, who remained so relaxed until the end, even though he had read his intentions.