Ch.177Trap (1)
by fnovelpia
The illustrations are up! Please check them!
*****
The elves who had been stealthily tracking since the publishing house president sent the letter. They set out on their pursuit without any knowledge of what was happening inside the mansion.
They almost lost track when a certain man deliberately complicated his route, but they were elves – masters of “Magic.”
Using magic, they could easily track where mana flowed, including footprints. Even if that failed, they could use high-level magic, so there were no difficulties.
“The path leads here.”
The elf man with dull blonde hair reaching his shoulders muttered while looking at the entrance of the mansion. Currently, his eyes were fixed on the firmly locked gate standing proudly.
Guards stood vigilant at the checkpoint, showing no signs of drowsiness despite the brilliant starry night.
Though it was pitch dark, the elves could see as clearly as daylight. Naturally, this too was thanks to magic.
“By the way, isn’t this estate where the exhibition was held?”
“That’s right. The exhibition for Xenon was held here a few months ago. How ridiculous to hold an exhibition just for one author.”
When another male elf asked the group, a female elf with brown hair answered with a snort. With her arrogant expression and condescending tone, she was the perfect stereotype of an elf.
‘I’m a bit uneasy…’
The elf man, Mael, thought to himself while staring at the mansion gate. The process of tracking and reaching the mansion had been smooth.
The problem was that it had been too easy. Despite deliberately complicating the route to waste time, it meant nothing against magic. To completely erase traces, one would need magic of equal caliber.
This made him even more anxious. Currently, Xenon was suspected to be either a prophet or someone from the future, so he wouldn’t fall for mere “tracking.”
Unlike the others, Mael actually held Xenon in high regard, which was why he couldn’t help feeling uneasy. Of course, that didn’t mean he liked him.
“What should we do now? Enter when daylight comes?”
“No. He might use some trick if we wait, so let’s go in now. Is there any security magic installed?”
“There is, but it’s quite weak.”
The female elf, Rena, answered the leader’s question. By human standards, the security magic was quite high-level, but it was hardly effective against them. They weren’t ordinary elves but personnel directly dispatched from the Council of Elders.
Even the most skilled elves would have to yield before noble families, such was their formidable strength. While not as absurdly powerful as the Warchief, they were certainly forces to be reckoned with.
The elf leader, Karlas Shadowsinger, wore a sinister smile at the prospect of an easy job. Of course, even with security magic in place, they could easily bypass anything installed by mere humans.
“This makes things easier. Everyone follow me. We’ll check the first floor first.”
“Do you think Xenon is really here?”
“It doesn’t matter if he isn’t. The trail ends here, so there must be something.”
Rena laughed confidently as she waved her hand. Her body temporarily became transparent before completely disappearing.
Though not like Dark Elves who hide in darkness, a faint residual image remained. Of course, even this would be difficult to detect without keen eyesight.
Afterward, Karlas and Mael also concealed themselves using magic. They made sure not to be detected by the security magic.
“Still, be careful. Minimize footsteps. From now on, we’ll communicate through telepathy.”
“Understood.”
Thus, the three elves entered the mansion with their invisibility magic activated. To prepare for any contingency, they didn’t use teleportation, which would create large mana waves, and instead easily jumped over the wall using their superior physical abilities.
The notion that elves don’t engage in dirty deeds is ancient history. Though their habits remained, things were different when it came to “the greater good.”
That greater good being that Xenon possessed knowledge too dangerous. Until now, they could dismiss it as just fiction, but now they had a clear justification.
Though the god had directly warned against interfering, they had come merely for confirmation and “persuasion,” with no intention of touching as warned.
[The first floor seems to be where the employees stay.]
[Nothing particularly noteworthy here.]
[Same for this room.]
The elves communicated through telepathy.
The first floor housed employees, the dining hall, and the lounge. Occasionally, an employee would patrol with a lamp, but they couldn’t detect the elves.
After a brief time, having found nothing on the first floor, the elf tracking team ascended to the second floor. The second floor contained rooms for the family, including the lord.
Karlas had checked the first floor just in case, but he already knew the likelihood of finding clues on the second floor was higher. Therefore, he planned to examine the second floor more thoroughly.
[I’ll check the lord’s office and bedroom first. You two check the other places.]
[Understood.]
[Yes.]
After giving instructions to his team, Karlas moved to what he presumed was the lord’s bedroom. Typically, rooms related to the lord have not one but two doors attached.
Soon, Karlas arrived at a place with two doors side by side and used magic to determine if anyone was inside. Seeing no one, he presumed it was the office.
‘But I feel like I’ve heard the name Mayshall somewhere before…’
Before entering, Karlas pondered deeply about the Mayshall family. He was certain he had heard it somewhere, but couldn’t recall the details.
Long-lived species are characterized by their excellent memory. They can even remember what they ate on New Year’s Day ten years ago, let alone names.
Names once heard are rarely forgotten, but he couldn’t recall where he had heard Mayshall. In such cases, it’s usually from rumors heard in passing.
‘I should check first.’
Using a short teleport, Karlas entered the office and looked around. As expected, it was an office for the lord to conduct business.
The office was generally ordinary. The distinctive smell of paper permeated the air, and a desk was prominently placed in the center.
For some reason, he felt confident that clues would be found here. With an excited smile, Karlas strode toward the desk.
Upon seeing the drawer firmly locked with a padlock, his confidence grew. Surely, there would be clues related to Xenon here.
He easily unlocked the padlock using mana and carefully opened the drawer to avoid making noise. It opened without even the characteristic sliding sound.
‘…Nothing but a waste of time.’
Inside the drawer were only stacks of documents, nothing related to Xenon. Well, it’s understandable to lock important documents, so it wasn’t completely unreasonable.
Karlas inwardly clicked his tongue and began searching other drawers. Soon, he found a piece of paper in another drawer.
‘A photo?’
It was a photo. One might wonder how a photo exists in an era where cameras haven’t been invented. This too is possible because of “magic.”
Through magic, videos or photos can be stored and printed on paper. However, this isn’t widely available to the public and is primarily used for military purposes.
In Alfheim, most elves can use magic, so seeing a photo isn’t new, but what caught Karlas’s attention were the people in the photo.
In the vividly colored photo, not black and white, stood Hawk from his knight commander days alongside his comrades.
Despite usually looking down on humans as an inferior species, Karlas couldn’t help but focus on the figure in the photo. Because the hair of Hawk, standing proudly in the center, was “red.”
Additionally, his golden eyes, shining like those of a beast, made Karlas fall into deep thought.
‘Red hair and golden eyes…’
This unique combination is rare even among all species, not just elves. It’s beyond rare; it’s almost non-existent.
‘Wait. Mayshall is…’
When one memory surfaces, a chain reaction often follows. In Karlas’s mind, “Mayshall” and “red hair” merged.
Though not affiliated with the military, he had heard in passing about a red-haired human who was incredibly strong. He had heard frequent reports of elf reconnaissance teams returning from the border with broken limbs.
Though not life-threatening and quick to recover, it was someone capable of “subduing” elf reconnaissance teams. Despite being human, he was not to be underestimated and was even someone Alfheim should be wary of.
The man who improved the empire’s security by eliminating all the savage beasts causing trouble at the border.
The Red Lion, Hawk Ducar Mayshall.
‘…Damn it.’
Karlas hastily discarded the photo and straightened his bent back. He never dreamed this would be the Red Lion’s mansion.
Until now, he had only heard the title, rarely the name, so he hadn’t even guessed. But he had heard of the Red Lion’s reputation.
Even Karlas, who typically looked down on humans, couldn’t underestimate the Red Lion.
‘I need to leave immediately…’
At that moment.
THUD!
“Gah!”
While Karlas was momentarily distracted, someone grabbed his nape and slammed him onto the desk. It was such a sudden attack that he couldn’t even resist, and the pressure on his neck was terrifying.
He wanted to use mana to escape, but he couldn’t. The mana flowing from his neck had already taken complete control of his body.
Karlas twisted his neck as much as possible to look back while struggling. Golden eyes, ominously glowing in the darkness, were looking down at him.
It was a gaze no different from that of a “beast,” making his knees weak. He had easily subdued Karlas, who was considered skilled even among elves.
“You, you…”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Just as Karlas was about to speak, Hawk, who had grabbed his neck with a hand as large as a pot lid, put his index finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet.
Simultaneously, Karlas felt the amount of mana being transmitted through his neck increasing. That mana moved towards his heart and, even without directly touching it, circled around it.
Karlas understood what this meant. If he made any unnecessary resistance, his heart would be burst immediately.
This level of mana control would be impossible for an ordinary human, but his opponent was the famous Red Lion, a man rumored to have skills on par with the Warchief.
Meanwhile, Hawk looked down at the trembling Karlas and smirked.
“It’s not nice to break into other people’s homes.”
****
While Karlas was being subdued, Rena and Mael were investigating as a pair. They had decided that searching in pairs, though time-consuming, was more efficient than each person covering one room.
They first meticulously searched an empty room. It was originally Dave’s room, but as we know, he had already enlisted. The room’s owner was absent.
They then checked Nicole’s room, but she too had vacated it for the entrance test. Naturally, finding evidence related to Xenon was impossible.
In the end, only one room remained: Issac’s bedroom.
[But why hasn’t Karlas contacted us?]
[I don’t know. Let’s just focus on our task. He’s probably concentrating.]
The two quietly infiltrated Issac’s bedroom. They didn’t forget to check for any employees roaming around before opening the door.
Upon entering the bedroom, a distinctive smell stimulated their nostrils. It was the musty smell characteristic of old books.
As if indicating the source of the smell, Issac’s room contained multiple bookshelves. They were filled to the brim with books.
[I have a feeling it’s here.]
[Let’s search quickly.]
Smelling the books, the two felt a subtle confidence as they entered. They checked the bed just in case, and found the room’s owner sound asleep.
If they quietly investigated, it would be over soon. Mael and Rena first walked towards the desk next to the bed.
They discovered a stack of papers and a letter on the desk. The two elves were momentarily excited but calmed themselves and checked them separately.
[This is… Oh my goodness. It’s the draft of Biography of Xenon Volume 1!]
[This is a letter. From the publishing house president.]
It didn’t take long to realize that the stack of papers was the draft of Biography of Xenon Volume 1, and the letter was from the publishing house president.
This proved the fact. The owner of this bedroom was Xenon. Rena looked at the letter and draft alternately with emotional eyes, then shifted her gaze towards the bed.
Seemingly unaware of what was happening, the room’s owner was still sleeping with his eyes closed.
[What should we do? Take him?]
[Of course we should. It’s necessary for proper confirmation.]
[Right. We can return him by the next morning anyway.]
The two elves immediately planned a kidnapping after confirming the room’s owner was Xenon. A momentary greed settled in their eyes.
Finding Xenon alone was a tremendous achievement, but “persuading” him too? This would strengthen their position within the Council of Elders.
Even if persuasion failed, it didn’t matter. They could simply threaten him to stop writing books. With proof that he possessed dangerous knowledge, the reason was sufficient.
With this, Mael and Rena put down the draft and letter on the desk and shifted their gaze towards the bed. And then…
“That won’t do~”
Tap-
A seductive female voice flowed from behind them. Additionally, hands gently covered the mouths of the two.
Truly, she covered their mouths “gently,” but as soon as their mouths were covered, the once-intelligent eyes of the elves instantly became hazy. They clearly looked like their consciousness had completely flown away.
However, despite losing consciousness, they remained standing upright. The woman who covered the elves’ mouths, Cecilly Drat Isillia Vin, said quietly with a charming smile.
“Kidnapping is bad, pointy-ears.”
She had been eavesdropping on the elves’ telepathy as well.
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