Ch.23So What Exactly Is That Clue? (1)

The deal with the Night Ravens was successful. The fact that no investigation team, or even anything resembling one, had come after all this time was proof of that.

Olivia had sold information on several witches in exchange. She deliberately selected ones that the Night Ravens could handle on their own.

Honestly, it wasn’t a bad deal. But she couldn’t count on such luck next time.

‘I got lucky this time.’

The deal with Calliophe was possible because she was a ruler. As a rule, rulers don’t reject sweet offers. Even if the one proposing the deal is a hated enemy.

The position of a kingdom’s Knight Commander isn’t something one can secure with skill alone. Someone who doesn’t know how to play politics wouldn’t have risen to that position in the first place.

Calliophe must have gained quite a bit from this deal as well.

Having eliminated four witches hiding in the border region, the Holy Kingdom must have sent various tokens of gratitude. She would have gained not only public support but also the Emperor’s trust.

If Calliophe had been from the Central Knights who operate in the open, this achievement would have warranted a triumph ceremony.

Some might say a triumph ceremony is excessive, but considering that each witch sacrifices people in the thousands on average, it’s not that strange.

A simple calculation: four thousand people.

Moreover, the ones Olivia had selected were particularly vicious even among witches, so it could have been twice that number.

‘Wow, I didn’t expect them to catch all four so quickly.’

Anyway, this deal must have been sweet enough for Calliophe to send Seth up here not long after. Fortunately, this time he used a teleport scroll instead of a wyvern.

“…That’s how it turned out. There won’t be any investigation teams sent to the north, at least.”

“Because they’re preoccupied with the other witches?”

“Exactly. The kidnapping of three wizards turned out to be nothing. Those bastards really…”

Seth trailed off as if he didn’t want to think about it.

Olivia, who had a rough idea of the cause, nodded in agreement.

“Did you burn them properly?”

“Burned them until their bodies crumbled. Only then did they die.”

“Witches are naturally tenacious. Since they might still be alive, soak them in holy water just to be sure.”

“Is that so?”

Seth discreetly looked around.

‘Let’s see.’

In truth, if it was just to deliver news about the investigation team, there was no need to come all the way to the north. The reason he came here was simple: to check on the wizards Olivia had kidnapped.

But there was no need to check secretly. They were right there in plain sight.

“Huuuuuuuuuaaaargh!”

“Kuh, kuh-huh, kuh-huh-huh!”

A different kind of living hell was unfolding there.

The wizards who had been “kidnapped” from the White Tower were screaming in agony.

“I’m, I’m, I’m dying. I’m dying!”

“Jayna. Fix your posture.”

“No, I’m really going to die!”

“Tsk!”

“Gurrrk.”

“Ro fainted again. Wake him up.”

“Yes!”

Surprisingly, it was a scene of brutal training.

Last time, he had only seen them collapsed in sleep, but seeing them today, he thought perhaps they hadn’t been sleeping but unconscious.

‘At least she’s not harming them.’

No, wait, isn’t this harm?

He had never seen such a brutal training method in his life. Seth himself was known for being rough, but what he was witnessing was on another level.

This was truly brutal.

“Won’t that damage their bodies? I heard wizards suffer physical strain when their mana is depleted.”

“They’ll be fine if they recover right away.”

“Recovery? But there’s no priest…”

Seth’s gaze stopped somewhere.

Familiar-looking bottles were scattered on the ground.

Seth bent down and sniffed one of them.

Sniff, sniff.

‘Th-this!’

The moment he smelled the familiar strawberry scent, a primal fear encoded in his genes rose up.

“There’s nothing else special—”

“Ugh… ugh… BLEEEEGH.”

Olivia glared at Seth, who was dry heaving violently.

“I’m sorry. I, ugh, BLEEEEGH!”

“…”

“J-just don’t hit me. I, I can’t eat strawberries since that day.”

Isn’t this deserving of a beating?

“I, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. It’s, it’s, it’s all my fault…”

Seth crouched down, trembling all over.

“…Fine. Just go quickly.”

Seeing his pitiful state, Olivia couldn’t bring herself to scold him.

“I’ll go! I’ll go right now! Hiiiiiiieek!”

Seth ran outside in a hurry.

“…”

Olivia let out a hollow laugh as she watched him.

‘He wasn’t originally this type of character.’

He used to be more forceful, stronger, a real man’s man.

It feels like she’s ruined someone.

Anyway, according to what Seth told her, she could focus on training her disciples without interference for the next few months.

Olivia checked the date.

‘Is it time to thaw him out?’

She had somewhere to go today.

*****

“Why do I have to keep doing this when it’s not even a quest?”

Olivia grumbled as she flew toward where Kiel was.

It was about time for Kiel to regain consciousness.

Of course, she had no intention whatsoever of letting him go.

Why did she let the Night Ravens go? Because they were sent by Aria.

If she had sent them to find someone named Olivia and they never reported back, who would be the first suspect?

Obviously, they would think Olivia had killed them, or at the very least was involved somehow.

It was more beneficial to let them go than to kill them.

But Kiel was different.

‘This bastard can stay captured.’

Due to his habit of wandering alone across the continent, disguised in thick robes and hiding his identity, neither the Rothschild family nor the continent’s top information brokers knew Kiel’s whereabouts.

In other words, even if she kept Kiel captive here for years, no one would know.

Missing? Kidnapped?

Would the Rothschild family, who knew what kind of person Kiel was better than anyone, really think that?

Of course not. They’d just assume he was wandering around somewhere.

Of course, there were people on the continent strong enough to harm the Sword Master Kiel.

But most of them were public figures, and they weren’t foolish enough to oppose a Duke backed by the Emperor.

The conclusion was that no one on the continent could harm Kiel without consequences.

Except for Olivia.

‘He’s completely useless, totally useless.’

Of course, that doesn’t mean keeping him captive was easy.

“I need to find a better method. Three days is ridiculous. Three days.”

No matter how superhuman Kiel was, he would die if kept frozen for years, so she had to repeatedly thaw and refreeze him every few days.

Once every three days means roughly one hundred and twenty times a year. Considering the recovery periods in between, it would be even more.

That means repeating this for 13 years.

She’d only visited her best friend once, but she was looking at visiting her enemy a thousand times.

‘…Maybe I should try to advance the Demon God’s arrival?’

It’s not like she didn’t know how to summon the Demon God. She knew the locations of all the Demon God worshippers. But…

Olivia shook her head.

She could handle Kiel alone, but she couldn’t handle the Demon God alone.

That would be ruining her life for a moment of convenience.

‘Damn. If I could just get rid of him quickly, it would be so much easier.’

It was her eternal regret that she couldn’t. If she had her way, she would eliminate not just Kiel, but Aria, Melina, and anyone else who might get in her way…

“Hm?”

Olivia narrowed her eyes as she landed on the ground.

Kiel was still frozen. The difference from her expectation was that, unlike last time, he had regained consciousness.

And he was glaring at her with clear eyes.

[Kiel Rothschild]

Level: 83

Affinity: -100

His status window remained unchanged.

‘He’s awake already?’

The electric current from before was by no means weak. She had hit him with several times the normal power, taking into account Kiel’s excellent magic resistance.

‘Could it be that the returnee special benefit or whatever includes permanent stat increases? No, that’s impossible.’

Hissss.

Now that she looked, the ice surrounding Kiel was melting much faster than expected.

It seemed her bad premonition was coming true.

‘…These crazy game developers. Did they make this to be broken?’

Olivia approached Kiel with a deep sigh.

“Why did you keep me alive?”

“…”

There was no need to answer such a question. Engaging in conversation would only reveal information from her side.

Kiel’s eyes grew sharper.

“You, what are you plotting?”

What plotting? I came to freeze you again, that’s all.

“…Even so, I will never forgive you.”

Yeah, yeah. Don’t forgive me.

As electricity crackled at Olivia’s fingertips, Kiel quickly turned his head.

“I…”

But Kiel couldn’t finish his sentence.

Zzzzzap!

Electrocuted, Kiel collapsed on the spot.

At that moment.

Ding!

[Clue #1]

[Memory of Imperial Year 992]

– You can view Kiel’s memory once.

…I can see this again?

‘Could I see this every time I subdue him?’

Olivia looked at Kiel with a subtle smile.

“You’re screwed, repeat after me.”

Hehehe.