episode_0042

Elin, who decided to become bait as planned.

Although I pretended to be calm, I couldn’t hide my trembling legs.

That makes sense.

Five thugs who got up normally without making a sound even after getting beaten by Anne.

Those people are surrounding Elin, saying they will take her away.

It’s a situation that would make even a healthy adult male burst into tears.

Elin was holding on in a rather dignified manner.

Boo-wook-

The top-level scroll is torn.

The view changes.

To be called a top-tier scroll, it would have to cost at least 10 gold coins.

So, the highest level teleportation scroll was famous for having no side effects.

“Ugh… .”

But as soon as Elin touched the ground, she retched.

Luke’s spatial magic is also called teleportation for convenience, but portal and scroll teleportation are completely different magic.

If portals are about twisting space to travel to other dimensions.

Teleportation is moving an entire body or object by specifying coordinates.

The reason Elin felt motion sickness was because she was not used to regular teleportation.

“Bring me some water.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the man called the captain gave the order, a man who appeared to be a subordinate quickly brought water.

chuck.

Get on one knee.

He extends both hands politely and offers water to Elin.

Elin is taken aback by the extreme treatment that is so shocking.

I looked around while receiving water.

It’s so wide that you can’t hear each other when you’re at the ends.

It is full of expensive decorations that are dazzling.

A scenery so spectacular that it’s hard to imagine that it’s just the inside of a room.

Perhaps if Elin had been a little more discerning, she would have realized that the only place more splendid than Bertain was the imperial palace.

“… … Thank you.”

A subordinate who quickly clears the cup after emptying it.

“Please sit comfortably.”

I was guided to a chair by another subordinate.

Fluffy-

A soft and fluffy material that you feel for the first time.

It was so comfortable that I felt like I would fall asleep at any moment if I just sat down.

Why didn’t I fall asleep in this comfortable chair?

“Come back after processing it thoroughly.”

It was the kidnappers’ fault for having a meeting while Elin sat there in a daze.

“I’ll be back.”

Something else happened.

The two tore up the top-level scroll and left the room.

There are three remaining kidnappers.

The two who appeared to be subordinates approached Elin.

And then he just stood there without saying anything.

It looks like he’s guarding Elin.

“Do you like sweets?”

“!”

I was surprised when he suddenly spoke to me.

“… … Yes?”

“If you’re bored, eat this.”

Then he pours some snacks and drinks in front of Elin.

Are these really the kidnappers?

I have doubts.

Let’s just stare blankly.

“No poison was added.”

The man who had interpreted Elin’s gaze in his own way answered.

Instead of answering, he asked for a cookie.

Crispy-

“… !”

The hairs on my head stood on end.

Elin’s tongue has been leveled upward recently after eating Chef Bertain’s food.

But who would have thought that a whole new level of flavor could come from a single piece of candy like this?

Gulp.

The drinks were also great.

Refreshing and just the right amount of sweetness.

The drink was so dangerous that it could tempt anyone to kidnap every child in the empire.

“Your shoulders seem quite stiff. I’ll give you a massage.”

“Okay― huh… .”

Elin, who was about to say it was okay, covered her mouth.

It was so cool I thought I would make a strange sound.

The kidnapper’s hands, which I thought would be rough and hard, were soft and cool.

“Ugh.”

When I came to my senses, I was sitting on a soft chair, munching on snacks and drinks, and receiving a refreshing massage.

How did it end up like this?

It must have been just bait.

It’s so loose.

Let’s become aware of our situation again and freeze.

“Does it not suit your taste?”

The captain, who had sat down in front of me, asked.

Elin, who was opening her mouth.

I put down everything I was eating.

It wasn’t that I had no appetite.

These were snacks that I could eat all day long… .

It was strange.

The only man here who speaks informally to Elin.

The face is clearly blurred.

The voice also sounds distorted.

But I feel a sense of uneasiness.

You could call it the atmosphere of a person.

I felt a familiarity that was hard to explain.

Why?

There’s no way Elin, who has very limited interpersonal relationships, would know anyone.

I took a quick look.

The kidnappers didn’t seem to have any intention of harming Elin.

No, rather, I felt like I was being treated with respect.

I mustered up my courage and opened my mouth.

“… Have we seen you somewhere?”

* * * * *

Luke and Anne carefully tracked the kidnappers.

“That’s blatant.”

There was no need to use spatial magic.

Traces of mana that remain excessively artificial.

It was obvious to anyone that he was telling them to follow him.

“If the other person is calling you on purpose, is it really necessary to go through all this frustration?”

Anne, who was following behind, growled.

Soon he will lose his temper and start biting and tearing at anything.

Luke quickly answered, not wanting to be bitten by the sharp shark teeth.

“It seems that he is in a position where he must keep a secret position even within the royal family.”

What is certain is that it was not the Emperor who called.

If that were the case, they would have issued a formal invitation instead of staging such a shallow hostage situation.

“I don’t think I should be caught by others. So let’s hang out together for now.”

“Wow… It sucks that I feel like I’m being dragged around by those guys.”

It wasn’t something a maid would say anywhere.

“Somehow our hearts connect.”

This time, Luke agreed.

It was confirmed that someone from the royal family had called.

However, playing detective, which was not in my fortune, was not a pleasant experience.

Bam.

“The traces are cut off here.”

I stopped in front of a secluded hallway.

“Here? Did I misspell it?”

Anne tilted her head.

This is because this is a dead end street with absolutely nothing.

but.

“No, this is the correct place.”

I knocked on the wall with confidence.

Knock knock knock.

Okay then.

Swish.

A door that had been hidden in the wall was revealed.

It’s so amazing that they have such a secret space hidden within the palace.

As time goes by, more and more questions arise.

Squeak.

What you see when you open the door is.

“… … ”

The interior is spacious enough to practice sparring.

The table feels small in comparison.

Various snacks and drinks placed on top.

“… Have we seen you somewhere?”

Elin was sitting on a high chair, with cookie crumbs on her lips, receiving a massage, and glaring at the kidnapper.

* * * * *

What the hell is going on here?

I expected that they wouldn’t hack it though.

Isn’t this being too extreme?

Sai was so dumbfounded that he was speechless.

“You’re here.”

The person who appeared to be the leader stood up from his seat.

At the same time.

Squeak.

The door closed automatically.

Clank, clank.

“Hey. This won’t open.”

Anne whispered after checking immediately.

“I don’t mean to harm you.”

“I don’t think that’s something to be said while locked in a closed space.”

“I wish you had given me time to explain.”

“… … ”

Well, first of all, I need to know why you called me here.

“Let’s sit down, Anne.”

“… Tsk.”

I wonder if the idea made sense.

Anne, who clicked her tongue, sat down next to Ellen.

Let’s dust off the cookie crumbs.

The kidnappers flinched and kept their distance.

“First of all, let me apologize. I’m sorry for calling you this without any explanation.”

The captain bowed his head to Luke.

It was a rather gentle apology considering they had just attacked a carriage.

“You expected me to figure out what you were trying to say.”

“Yes.”

“If I was even a little bit stupid, what would I have done?”

Luke might not move as they intended.

If the ability was lacking.

If you lose your composure.

The point is that all their intentions would have been in vain.

To be honest, it wasn’t a big deal to kill the five people I encountered there and get Elin back.

“Because I know that he’s not a guy who would do that.”

The answer did not come from the captain.

I turned my head slightly.

It was the subordinate who was massaging Elin’s shoulder who said this.

“Do you know me?”

“… … ”

A subordinate who belatedly noticed the captain’s notice and became silent.

It was already a reaction that was almost positive.

Luke’s head spun around.

How do you know me?

Then there’s a high chance that he’s from the Academy.

A person worthy of entering the royal family… .

Who is it?

There are so many people I know that I can’t immediately think of them.

While many characters pass through my mind.

The captain opened his mouth.

“I know it’s unpleasant, but I’d like to talk a little bit.”

“Yes, it is very unpleasant.”

The answer was immediate.

Telling the story wasn’t the problem.

That’s why I followed you here to have a conversation in the first place.

however.

“I don’t really want to talk to someone whose face I don’t know or whose voice I don’t know.”

This should be enough.

I had no intention of being dragged along by the information gap any longer.

“… Sorry. I apologize again.”

The captain, who understood the meaning of revealing his identity, manipulated something.

Click.

With that sound, something falls from the face.

It’s probably an artifact that has impaired perception.

“Captain.”

The subordinate who had been silent looked at the captain as if to ask if everything was okay.

“As long as I can have a conversation, it doesn’t really matter.”

Voice modulation is also released along with the hissing and sound.

“I didn’t expect that. You seem more willing to show your face than I thought.”

“If this continues, we won’t be able to have a normal conversation.”

“That’s right.”

The voice that was released was much lower than expected.

Swish.

The face of the revealed captain.

“… … ?!”

Luke was horrified.

Long lavender hair that reaches down to the waist.

A clear wall that looks like a pond floating on water.

The outline of a angular face full of masculinity.

In general, her appearance is too similar to Elin’s.

“… Bertine.”

I muttered reflexively.

Once again Luke’s head spins rapidly.

The second son, Gerald, is in the Duke of Bertain.

The eldest daughter, Clavel, is at the Academy.

Elin’s two older sisters also appear frequently in the game.

Because it was always the role of harassing Elin.

But the eldest son, Elin’s eldest brother, has never appeared.

As briefly mentioned, he became a monk because he did not want to inherit the position of head of the household.

This is a character whose face has never been revealed even during the 9 rounds.

So where is Berthain’s eldest son who left home?

“His name is Leo. He was Berthain’s eldest son. Until recently.”

The answer came pouring out from a hidden room in the palace.