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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Dredging the Ditch, Catching the Crayfish
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1.
The moment the hostage was swapped, a chilling silence fell over the reception room.
Karron swallowed hard as he looked at Mason, the escort knight of this mad prince.
He was a man Karron had encountered a few times in his past life.
He remembered him as a young knight of considerable talent.
*'One wrong move, and this life could end right here.'*
From the 7-Star level, the gap between knights and their 6-Star counterparts was immense.
7-Star was a realm a 6-Star knight could only reach by shattering a wall and transcending it. Though only one level of achievement separated them, they possessed overwhelming martial power compared to the 6-Stars.
And the beings who could unilaterally crush even a 7-Star knight were the 8-Star knights.
-Who told you to act so thoughtlessly, my damn master? Ha! It's been so long since I was free. It'd be a real shame to get sealed away again like this. Please, I hope the next master is someone who knows how to use their head.
Even as Guillotine spoke, it emanated a menacing killing intent.
It knew that now that the prince's life was being held hostage, this was the only way to break the stalemate.
"Hello, Karron Leston. My introduction is a bit late, isn't it? My name is Rebellio. Feel free to call me Rebel, or maybe Rio."
The prince, held hostage, greeted him with a wide grin, as if nothing in the world could bother him.
His voice was so cheerful, you would never guess he had a sword at his throat.
"Let me ask you one thing, Your Highness."
"Hey, just call me by my name. I'm not that stuffy, you know? We're outside the palace, so let's just be friends. I might be eighteen, but... honestly, isn't age just a number?"
"Uh, okay then, friend. Could you maybe ask your escort knight if he can let us live?"
At this point, it was do or die.
But the one who answered the question was Mason, who had been standing silently until now.
"To think my elder's youngest grandson would be such a reckless fool. A man who truly lives without a plan."
"Will you let us live, Sir Mason?"
"I have no reason to kill you here."
"Even though I'm threatening the prince's life... Ah, so you know my grandfather."
"His Highness seems to be enjoying this situation. Why would I have any reason to kill you?"
Sir Mason muttered in a half-resigned tone.
It seemed the prince was a habitual offender.
"I swear on my honor as a knight that I will not lay a hand on you. Lower your sword."
At that, Rebellio, still in Karron's grasp, whispered to him in an earnest voice.
"Don't listen to Sir Mason, Karron. Drag me back to Azurecastle. And then, use my life as collateral to negotiate with my father..."
"Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"Usually, the things you use for collateral have some value."
"...That's a bit harsh. You're too much."
The 6th Prince.
Known as the Emperor's abandoned son, the royal family's black sheep.
Unlike the other princes who had powerful noble families on their mothers' side, he was an illegitimate son, born to a maid who did chores in the palace.
Karron had heard about this madman a few times back in Azurecastle.
The one who tarnished the royal family's honor, was it?
Seeing him in person, he felt that most of the rumors were likely true.
However, there was one fact the rumors hadn't mentioned.
The 6th Prince's body radiated a mana different from that of a knight.
There was only one type of person who used this kind of mana.
-This one's a mage.
Those who perform miracles through mana.
Mages.
He had never heard any rumors about the royal family's black sheep being a mage.
"Where in the world did you learn magic?"
"My sister taught me."
"Your sister?"
He'd been calling the head of Kalligo "sister" earlier. What kind of connection could there be between a prince and the leader of a violent organization?
"Speak of the devil. Sister!"
Rebellio looked toward the hallway to the side, and Karron followed his gaze.
There, a woman with red hair was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed.
"Anyone care to explain what's going on here?"
It was the owner of the voice from before.
She sighed deeply as she looked at Karron holding Rebellio hostage.
"Looks like the hostage changed while I was off getting tea?"
"I acquired a new one. What do you think? Do you like him?"
"Doesn't look very expensive. By the way, why the sudden formal speech? It doesn't suit you."
"I suddenly felt like speaking formally."
Karron said nonchalantly, letting out a small breath.
This place was insane.
He had thought the story about them razing an entire underground ruin to build this place was unrealistic, but the moment he saw that woman, the absurd tale gained a bit of credibility.
*'Guillotine. What circle is that woman?'*
-Those magic-slingers aren't my specialty. The only thing I remember is ancient magic.
*'You're completely useless.'*
He could feel the mana in this space circulating around her.
At least 7th Circle.
And above all else.
"She's an elf, so she's definitely my elder. I have to use formal speech, don't I?"
Her ears were pointed.
The forest race, elves.
Beings blessed by mana.
The head of Kalligo was an elf.
"Perhaps because you're the ducal family's youngest grandson, you at least know what manners are."
"I'd say I was raised quite well."
"First, why don't you put that sword away and sit down? He may be a lunatic, but he's still a dear younger brother to me."
Karron quickly sized up the Chairwoman and Mason.
If he ended the hostage situation, would his life truly be guaranteed?
The deliberation wasn't long.
"Ah, why are you letting me go, Karron! If you're a man, you should see it through to the end! Don't you want to be emperor?"
"If you want to be framed as a traitor and die, please do it alone, Your Highness."
"A wise choice, Karron Leston."
The decision hadn't actually been difficult.
That woman, the Chairwoman, had enough skill to kill his entire party by herself.
The fact that she was willing to talk meant the danger wasn't that high.
Then there was Sir Mason's presence.
He had heard about Mason from Halo and Jeras before.
At the very least, he was someone friendly to the ducal family.
"My little brother is a bit mischievous, isn't he? Please understand. He's a bit rough around the edges, but he's good at heart."
"I've never seen an elf who has a prince for a younger brother."
"Isn't that just how fate works? Ah, my introduction is a bit late. I'm Poina, the Chairwoman of Kalligo."
Elves have long lifespans.
If he had met her in his past life, he should have known her name, but the name Poina was not in Karron's memory.
Why she was in a city of humans.
Why she was running an organization like Kalligo, and what her relationship with the prince was.
He had more than just a few questions.
"Now, the rest of you, please have a seat."
Poina smiled and offered chairs to Karron's party.
"It's an honor to meet the two young wolves of the Leston ducal family. Julio, it's been a long time for you too, hasn't it? I was just thinking I missed you."
"Poina. Nothing ever goes smoothly when I get involved with you."
"Hmph. As if you're any different."
"You two know each other?"
Poina nodded at Karron's question.
"I made him a few recruitment offers, you know? I coveted him for being a capable broker, but I didn't realize he already had a master."
"I see."
Just as Karron's party sat down side by side.
"Karron, scoot over a bit."
The prince, Rebellio, nudged Karron's body, eyeing the seat next to him.
But Karron absolutely refused to make room.
"Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"Get lost. Are you into men or something?"
"I love, love, love women. But we're friends, aren't we? Still, isn't that a bit too rude to say to a prince?"
"You said we were friends. This is how I always talk to my friends. Right, Brother Leo?"
"That's right. That's Karron for you."
He wasn't sure why, but this prince was somehow... unpleasant.
"Anyway, please get lost, Your Highness."
"How disappointing."
Poina watched the two of them and smiled faintly.
"It seems you don't like my little brother, Sir Karron."
"There aren't many people I've found this disagreeable upon first meeting."
"I think I know why."
"And what's that?"
Poina's smile deepened at Karron's direct question as she replied.
"Aversion to one's own kind. People are prone to disliking those who are similar to themselves."
Hearing her words, Karron recalled an old proverb.
The words of his ancestors were never wrong.
As expected, elves were wise.
2.
As soon as the situation was settled, Poina got straight to the point.
"Let me say this upfront: we at Kalligo have no connection to the recent train attack. It's true that we handle explosives, but that was solely to procure them for Rebellio's personal experiments. We haven't even brought in any explosives recently."
She asserted their innocence.
"I can show you our ledgers if you wish. We may operate in the shadows, but we keep meticulous accounts. And more importantly."
*Fwoosh.*
A blue flame flickered to life around Poina's body.
"If I had been the one to orchestrate this, would I have left a trace?"
"That's a rather credible assertion."
"Isn't it?"
A 7th Circle mage was, for all intents and purposes, a walking weapon of war.
He never expected such a being to be here.
Judging by the fact that even Jeras hadn't mentioned it, this was clearly information that even Azurecastle hadn't grasped.
"I have no intention of endangering my people with a foolish choice. Who in their right mind would attack the Leston ducal family? The moment you do, the continent's greatest hero would chase you to the ends of hell."
After saying so, she took a sip of the tea poured in her cup.
The fragrant scent of herbal tea spread through the reception room.
"Grand Duke Halo's reputation has spread even among us elves. I'd rather die than make an enemy of the Leston ducal family."
"I'll believe you for now."
"Your tone suggests you still have doubts."
"If there's even a slight possibility, you have to be suspicious. Otherwise, you're just asking to get stabbed in the back."
Poina nodded at Karron's reply as if she had expected it.
"'Trust no one.' That's the law of this world. As I said before, are you sure you don't want to join us? I'll treat you well."
"You're persistent."
"I can be as persistent as it takes to acquire talent. From what I can see, Sir Karron, you seem better suited for the shadows than a noble house."
Poina gave Karron a light wink.
"Let's put the recruitment talk aside for a moment. As the Chairwoman of Kalligo, I'd like to propose a deal to the Leston ducal family."
"A deal sounds good. What's the item for sale?"
"We know who supplied the explosives used in the attack. Ah, and of course, we've secured proof."
"That's a very expensive item."
It was also the information the Leston ducal family needed most right now.
Karron's eyes gleamed as he looked at Poina.
"The Kerua Merchant Guild?"
The other guild known to handle explosives on the black market.
Poina shook her head at Karron's question.
"If it were the work of those cowards, would I be proposing a deal like this?"
"Alright. If you have a price in mind, please state it first."
"All you have to do is grant me one favor later on."
"Payment on credit? Personally, I'm not a fan of that."
"It's not a big favor. Just something along the lines of 'please look after my little brother'."
She said, glancing at Rebellio, who was sitting beside her.
What in the world was the relationship between those two?
Not much was known about the 6th Prince's past. Other than the fact that he spent his childhood outside the palace, everything about him was shrouded in a veil of mystery.
He had no political background and no faction to support him.
And she wanted him to help such a person?
Karron slowly shook his head.
"That's beyond my authority. I don't want to get involved with the royal family."
"Ah, I have no intention of burdening the Leston ducal family. I just want you to be Rio's friend."
Poina casually used the 6th Prince's nickname.
They seemed to be very close.
"Our Rio hasn't had any friends since he was young."
"Will other people see a member of a ducal family associating with a prince as mere friendship?"
"So clever of you."
It could easily give the impression that the Leston ducal family was backing the 6th Prince.
This was far beyond the scope of what Karron could handle.
Just as Karron was showing his reluctance, Rebellio spoke up.
"Who cares what other people think? Kids can be friends. Besides, it's advantageous for the Leston family, not a disadvantage, right?"
"In what way?"
"Because the Leston ducal family is probably planning to make a move soon."
Karron had thought he was just a madman, but it seemed his mind worked quickly.
Karron listened quietly to Rebellio.
"Wouldn't it be perfect for putting the royal family and the central nobles on alert? As a bonus, we can send a warning to my father, too. It'll be fun in many ways."
Rebellio's golden eyes sparkled.
Karron asked him in a low voice.
"What is your reason for doing this, Prince Rebellio?"
To that question, Rebellio answered, sweeping back his dark black hair.
"I want to do anything that can mess with my father. My dream is to be a disgrace of a son. In that sense, I think the two of us could become very good friends... Don't you agree?"
The palace's disgrace of a son was smiling brightly.