episode_0070

With Nasir joining in, the battle was quickly coming to an end.

In the midst of the chaotic attacks from the men in robes, Nasir stealthily inserted a dagger into the knights’ vital spots, starting with the armored female knight, and the knights of Bearngar who had been holding their ground fell one by one.

Of course, there were far more bodies of allies strewn on the ground than enemies. Nasir, Louis Edmund, even the men in robes didn’t seem to pay much attention to the casualties.

After the battle came to a close,

Nasir was busy discussing with a man who seemed to be the leader of the robed figures about the prepared location and how to reach it.

“Hahaha. If they had given up earlier, we wouldn’t have seen this sight!”

Louis Edmund, with his red hair, strolled proudly among the corpses as if he had single-handedly defeated all the knights. Occasionally kicking the sides of fallen knights, Louis Edmund half-dazedly approached Eleanor, who was still holding Violet’s cooling body in her arms. Only then did Eleanor lift her head above the hole in her neck and glare fiercely at the repulsive man.

“Why are you staring so arrogantly!”

Thud!

The sound of impact echoed through the quiet forest.

Eleanor’s head, her frail body, swayed to the side.

Even the robed men who were tidying up and their leader, along with Nasir, turned their heads to look at the source of the sound that didn’t quite fit the usual tranquility of the suburban forest.

“Hah, glaring like that. Looks like she’s just a western village girl who hasn’t received proper education. Well, teaching her one by one might be fun.”

However, Louis Edmund paid no heed to that gaze.

He coldly grabbed Eleanor’s blood-soaked hair, stained red from her blood, and yanked her head up.

Despite Eleanor biting her lips tightly due to the strong grip on her scalp, her body was not accustomed to pain.

“Aaargh!”

The sharp scream reverberated as Ogeny writhed and rose from the ground.

“Miss! What are you doing!”

“What audacity to come at me!”

“Argh!”

As Ogeny rushed towards him, Louis Edmund forcefully kicked her with his booted foot.

Although her body was tainted by drugs, she was still undeniably a woman.

Under the forceful kick from Louis Edmund, Ogeny stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.

“O-Ogeny!”

The sight of a dear friend being kicked by a man made the pain almost forgettable.

Eleanor pushed away Edmund’s weakened hand and approached Ogeny, embracing her.

“Hah! Look at these guys!”

Tears welled up in Eleanor’s sky-blue eyes as she glared at Louis Edmund approaching her. Despite her enduring pain, Louis Edmund smirked once again at her unyielding demeanor.

“Yeah. It wouldn’t be fun if you listened obediently. I’ve lost so much because of you.”

Louis Edmund’s right hand rose into the air, reminiscent of that day in the Hwanghu Garden in spring.

But the outcome was the same.

Nasir quickly approached Louis Edmund and grabbed his raised wrist.

Louis Edmund was acting strangely in many ways.

While he may have been a drug-addicted ruffian, he hadn’t been this violent before.

Often encountering Louis Edmund when handing him living expenses, he appeared as a defeated and listless man wasting away day by day.

And in that moment…

In Nasir’s mind, devoid of any emotion, Ernst’s voice, which now sent chills down his spine, replayed.

“It’s fine to touch Yeong-ae, even forcibly take her, but her life must be preserved. Absolutely.”

Could it be that Ernst had done something behind his back? Was the man’s current state simply due to drugs?

Given his masterful skills in plotting conspiracies.

Sorting through his bewildered thoughts, Nasir lowered Louis Edmund’s wrist.

Louis Edmund, with a flushed face and a defiant look, stared back at him.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Edmund, if we delay any longer, we might encounter the reinforcements from House Baern. It’s best to stop here.”

“You keep giving orders—”

Before he could finish speaking, the atmosphere suddenly tensed.

“So, are you really going to try this?”

Nasir gestured towards his robe. The brown-robed figures, who were tidying up a comrade’s body, stopped their work abruptly to gaze at Nasir and Louis Edmund.

Even if drugged, Louis Edmund seemed to have enough awareness to comprehend the situation, as he softly coiled his tail upon seeing Nasir’s pumpkin-colored eyes.

“Ahem. Then, everyone, prepare to withdraw.”

#

The streets of Lutess were abuzz with noise after last night’s commotion.

Amidst the founding celebrations, rumors of a noble lady being kidnapped had spread like wildfire among the people traversing the streets since morning.

The kidnapped individual was none other than Eleanor Arène de Baern, the youngest daughter of House Baern, a fact that only fueled the rumors further.

Thanks to this, encounters on the streets led to various discussions about these rumors, including chilling jokes about enraged barons leading armies to the capital.

And now, apart from the members of House Baern, the one showing the most intense reaction to these rumors was none other than Viscount Edmund.

“Louie! What is that scoundrel up to now?”

Upon returning to the mansion, Viscount Edmund shouted loudly as soon as he entered.

The rumor of the youngest daughter of House Baern being kidnapped had even seeped into the halls of the Imperial Council.

Subsequently, when her brother Albrice Raoul de Baern burst into the council chamber with a grim expression and rushed towards Edmund, everyone inside learned that the circulating rumors were indeed true.

“Viscount Edmund. Where is the scoundrel we should be dealing with?”

His blue eyes blazed with anger. Albrice, possibly mistaken for Overt Baron’s son, had a sturdy frame that rivaled most knights.

Despite this, Edmund trembled and flinched, disregarding his dignity, before Albrice.

“Well, Albrice. You know as well as I do. Since that incident, Louie has been ostracized from the family, so we don’t really know where he is.”

Even after Edmund’s response, Albrice, gripping his green cravat tightly, glared at Edmund for a while before releasing his hand and addressing him with a stern voice.

“If, by any chance, he is involved in this incident, even if your family has disowned him, House Baern will not let it slide easily.”

Pointing fingers amidst the crowd in the capital might seem unfair to Edmund, but Eleanor, who hadn’t shown her face in society since her mother Etienne left for the west, was now the center of attention.

In the capital of Lutess, there was no one but Louis Edmund who harbored resentment towards her, having lost everything because of her.

Upon entering the mansion, the steward hesitated before approaching the master and asking about the whereabouts of the abrupt departure of the young master.

“Where is… the young master?”

“Don’t give me that ‘young master’ nonsense. Where is that brat right now!”

Following this, Lord Edmund’s roar filled the entrance hall of the mansion.

“Well, it’s been a while since we lost contact with him…”

“What! Release the people immediately and bring that brat here! Faster than anyone else! Even faster than the Beaurens!”

Lord Edmund stormed out of the mansion, turning his back once again and heading outside.

“Master, where are you going again?”

“To the Queen’s Palace, I must personally meet Her Majesty the Queen.”

#.

Last night, upon hearing news of Eleanor’s carriage being attacked, Albrice set aside other matters and headed there immediately.

However, by the time Albrice and his knights arrived at the scene, everything had been neatly cleaned up.

Bodies strewn on the ground.

Knights of the house and men in robes.

There was no trace of his beloved younger brother anywhere. Not even the bodies left behind provided any useful information.

Throughout the night, they searched the area meticulously, but found nothing.

“Our Beauren Viscount doesn’t have the power to do this. Although the Maengseok Mine has been discovered, they have already announced the transfer of ownership to the Berbritz Grand Duchy. In that case…”

Despite staying up all night, exhaustion was nowhere to be found in his eyes. As he stroked his stubbled chin, a cold anger emanated from him, much like when he had encountered Lord Edmund earlier at the doctor’s office.

It didn’t seem like something Lord Edmund himself had orchestrated. Especially at such a crucial time for them, there would be no reason for him to provoke us, the Beaurens.

The bewildered expression on Lord Edmund’s face when they met also supported this.

Then…

“Louis Edmund…”

Seated on the sofa in the Knights’ Headquarters, Albrice pondered over the red man, trying to recall more about him.

The man hadn’t left a lasting impression with his abilities.

As the heir to Edmund Hujak, the ancestral home of the Queen, he was certainly one of Albrice’s subjects of interest. However, in Albrice’s memory, the stronger recollection was of him being a reckless troublemaker who dared to lay hands on our Ellie.

“My lord, Duke Dmitri has arrived.”

Interrupting his long train of thought, the knight’s secretary cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.