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“Kieeeeeh! What do you mean? Our raccoon was kidnapped? Why would they kidnap her? Isn’t she useless? Right?” Mirian fussed.
“...”
However, Eugene didn’t show much of a reaction. No, rather, he couldn’t. He had just realized what it meant to be stunned speechless.
Romari was kidnapped?
She was a wizard, wasn’t she? A pretty decent wizard, to boot. Moreover, she had been with experienced, strong knights, including Galfredik. So, how did she get kidnapped?
“Tell me again what happened. From the start, and don’t leave out any details,” Eugene said while emitting killing intent.
“Y-yes…” Markus responded while trembling. He then continued, “After Your Majesty left the land of Brantia, Miss Romari returned to Mungard.”
“Mungard? Why?” Eugene asked.
“As you know, Miss Romari has a lab in my mansion. Since it’s not feasible to move the lab, she chose to come to Mungard instead,” Markus answered.
“I see…”
It was understandable. Romari had spent a large sum, though Eugene had never asked exactly where it went toward. However, what she had spent could be called a small fortune.
Romari hadn’t stuck by Eugene’s side while grumbling just because he was an Origin. Rather, it was because a huge amount of money was required for the research and production of a chimera, and Eugene was providing her with the necessary funds. Naturally, it would be near impossible to rebuild or relocate a research facility made with so much money. As such, it made sense that she had returned to her lab located in Lord Markus’ residence as soon as Brantia was stabilized.
“So, she got kidnapped in your mansion?” Eugene asked.
“T-to put it simply, yes. However, there were extenuating circumstances. It’s not an excuse,” Markus answered.
“I will judge whether it is an excuse or not after I hear everything, so tell me,” Eugene said.
“Y-yes. First of all, Miss Romari…” Markus hurriedly explained.
“So, Romari asked for no one to come to her annex?” Eugene asked.
Markus answered, “Yes. She only called for people whenever she wanted, saying that it would interfere with her research otherwise. I was quite worried, since she often skipped meals, but since she’s a wizard of great status—”
He hesitated while glancing at Eugene. He was implying that he couldn’t force her to do anything, as she could be considered Eugene’s left arm if Galfredik was his right.
“Hmm.”
That much was understandable. Romari appeared obedient and tame in front of him, but she was still a hot-tempered wizard who always quarreled with Galfredik. Markus couldn’t even breathe properly in front of Galfredik, so it was no wonder he had been unable to control Romari.
“So, you couldn’t stop the kidnapping because there was no one else in the lab?” Eugene asked.
“T-that’s right,” Markus answered.
“But in the end, the lab is in your mansion. No one noticed the kidnappers infiltrating your mansion?” Eugene said.
“Please kill me!” Markus exclaimed.
“If you say that one more time, I’m really going to kill you,” Eugene coldly spat.
“Hmm!” Markus drew a sharp breath and kowtowed.
Eugene continued in a soft voice, “In conclusion, not only those under your command, but even you weren’t able to detect the presence of the kidnappers. Are such figures common?”
Although Markus was shaking like a leaf in front of Eugene, he was still a vampire lord who had dominated Mungard in the past. It made no sense that anyone could just infiltrate a mansion belonging to a vampire lord.
“It is just as you say, oh great one. This has never happened since I settled down in Mungard,” Markus said.
"But it happened… Anyway, so?” Eugene asked.
“I dare say that the kidnapper is a wizard stronger than Miss Romari, or a member of the Clan stronger than my humble self,” Markus answered.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Eugene narrowed his eyes while tapping on the table with his finger. Markus’ reasoning was plausible. No, rather, it was likely.
‘But why?’
This was important. Romari was a rare, skilled wizard, but as far as Eugene knew, there were other wizards stronger than her. Even the black wizard Eugene had killed was a level or two above Romari.
‘Is it because of Romari’s school? Or…’
Usually, there would be two types of motives behind a kidnapping. One was for a ransom, and the other was when the target was absolutely necessary to achieve an objective. The former was unlikely. If the kidnappers were good enough to sneak into a vampire lord’s mansion and kidnap a wizard, they wouldn’t be desperate for money.
As such, the latter had to be true.
‘The magic of the Blood Shadow School isn’t so great to warrant a kidnapping…’
However, the Blood Shadow School possessed an original technique no other schools had.
‘Chimera creation.’
Romari had boasted that she would complete her chimera within a year. Chimeras were a completely different type of monster compared to the undead. Creating chimera fell into the realm of ‘creation,’ and it maximized the strengths of several different monsters to the extent that even Romari had said she couldn’t imagine the final result of her work.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Eugene contemplated for a while, then suddenly stopped his tapping. Only the sound of Markus gulping could be heard in the silence as Eugene muttered in a cold voice, “Perhaps… I could be their target.”
Paaaa…
Eugene’s entire figure began to burn with Fear.
“Uagh…” Markus could only lie flat on the floor and wheeze as an irresistible fear filled him. Eugene’s quiet voice once again dug into his ear. “It doesn’t matter what the reason is. How dare you touch what’s mine? Haha… Hohoho…”
Markus felt his mind being pervaded with fear. However, he was still struck with a sense of conviction. He had no inkling of the kidnapper’s identity, but he knew they were done for.
***
Eugene sent Markus away after asking him to keep Romari’s kidnapping a secret for the time being. Of course, Markus wasn’t completely without fault, but if his guess was correct and a wizard stronger than Romari or a high-ranking vampire had been involved in the matter, Markus could have done nothing, anyway. Moreover, Markus had fulfilled his duties even though he had been forced to cross the sea in a coffin due to the emergency. He had instructed his subordinates to find all suspicious figures among the outsiders who had entered Mungard during the five days before Romari’s kidnapping.
Moreover, he had made the same request to the mayor of Mungard, though he hadn’t revealed that Romari had been kidnapped. It wouldn’t lead to any immediate results, but Eugene could not punish Markus for fulfilling all of his responsibilities.
“Sir, what are you going to do? Shouldn’t you go search for the raccoon?” Mirian said.
“No, it’s no use going now. We can only hope that Markus’ subordinates will complete their task faithfully,” Eugene answered.
“Kieh?” Mirian squealed.
“You, do you think there are any vampires or wizards capable of touching Romari?” Eugene asked.
“Ah! That’s true. Anyone who lays a finger on the raccoon would be picking a fight with you, right?” Mirian responded. All Brantian nobles knew that Romari was Eugene’s wizard.
Kidnapping the wizard of Brantia’s most feared, terrifying being? Especially when Eugene was the guardian of the nation’s king?
Eugene came to the conclusion that no one was crazy enough to attempt such a thing. As such, the kidnapper had to be a foreigner.
“I don’t know who they are, but I’m going to rip them to shreds. How dare they touch our raccoon!” The lacking, but kind-hearted Mirian huffed with fury.
However, she suddenly came to a standstill.
“S-sir, you don’t think that the raccoon could already be—” Mirian muttered.
Craaack!
Eugene shattered the glass cup in his hand.
“If they did that, not only would I kill that bastard, but their siblings and family will die as well. No, I will kill anyone related to them,” he declared. Eugene was serious. Although he had made it sound as if Romari was merely one of his possessions in front of Markus, she was one of the few people he truly trusted, along with Galfredik and Mirian. If she had been harmed, he intended to find and punish everyone involved.
Knock, knock.
“Your Majesty. I apologize, but may I come in?”
The voice belonged to the governor.
Eugene was rather puzzled. He had asked to be left alone for about a day because of Romari’s kidnapping. However, the visit seemed to be urgent.
“Come in,” Eugene said.
“Yes...”
As usual, the governor entered alone and sat down.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. You must be tired after the long journey, but I had no choice but to come to you like this. It wasn’t a matter I could take care of on my own,” the governor said.
The governor had been all smiles when Eugene initially returned.
After all, Eugene had killed most of the monsters in the dukedom and had even made an example out of one of the lords. The other lords would obviously become even more loyal and devoted to the dukedom once his feats became widespread. Eugene had practically rid the dukedom of any troubles before it was even properly established.
However, judging by the fact that the governor’s expression had hardened within only a few hours, it appeared something urgent had come up.
“What’s going on?” Eugene asked.
“Yes. Actually, a delegation from the Roman Empire has arrived just now,” the governor answered.
“A delegation from the Roman Empire? Didn’t they notify us in advance that an imperial prince was coming? It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, right?” Eugene asked.
“That’s right. But someone belonging to the delegation wants to see you first. They’re… saying that they belong to the same tribe as Your Majesty,” the governor responded.
“…” Eugene’s eyes glimmered coldly. He had a hunch.
“And the delegation of the Caylor Kingdom has arrived as well… Well… I’m not sure if I should describe it as the Caylor Kingdom,” the governor continued.
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?” Eugene asked.
“The royal castle, Count Winslon, and Count Hatres. The three sent separate delegations,” the governor answered.
“Hmm? Don’t tell me—” Eugene muttered, dumbfounded.
The governor responded with a mysterious smile, “Yes. It seems that the Caylor Kingdom was torn into three.”
It seemed the poison Eugene had planted in the royal castle worked without a hitch.
“Hmm. So, I have to meet with the delegations personally, is that it?” Eugene asked.
“That’s correct. You can choose who to meet first, but the parliament and I have agreed that it would be better for you to meet with Prince Voltaire first,” the governor responded.
That was just how it was. The name of the Roman Empire’s next ruler was worth its value.
However, Eugene wasn’t someone to care about such things. He didn’t want to meet anyone right now, regardless of whether they were a prince. Romari was more important to Eugene than the crown prince of the Roman Empire.
“Everyone…” Eugene started to speak.
“Would you like to read this first?” The governor offered something. It was a letter sealed with a familiar stamp.
The governor continued, “This is a personal letter from Prince Voltaire to Your Majesty. He has asked me to ask you to read it.”
Eugene tore off the seal and read the letter.
“…”
He finished reading the letter nonchalantly, then slowly raised his head. He then turned toward the governor, who had a worried, hopeful expression, and spoke with a cold smile, “Where is the prince right now?”
***
Maren was in a festive mood, as there were only five days before the declaration of its founding and the coronation ceremony. It wasn’t just the residents of Maren. There were three or four times as many foreigners and visitors compared to past years, and everyone was immersed in the atmosphere.
The founding of the dukedom was a gathering and homogenizing of several territories with Maren at its center, and it provided a great opportunity for other nations. However, not everyone was happy.
“What? He’s delaying the meeting?”
“Yes, yes. H-he said something urgent has come up…”
Bang!
Count Hatres slammed down on the table with anger.
“How dare he! I even came personally, all the way here… Did he say that even though you told him that I wanted to see him?”
“That’s right, my lord.”
“Keugh!”
Count Hatres’ face turned red. He was a proud man.
Jan Eugene—Count Hatres had never met him in person, but had heard many stories about him. Moreover, he had suffered numerous hardships in the royal castle because of the man. Of course, at first, he cursed the nobles and the holy knights, who were incompetent yet greedy. Despite the death of the king and many other members of the king’s immediate family, they were only focused on retaining their power or faith. They were maniacs!
However, as time went by, Count Hatres came to realize that the trouble stemmed from one person. He belatedly attempted to mend the situation, but it was impossible to reconcile with the nobles of the royal castle, the holy knights, and Count Winslon.
In the meantime, the nobles of the royal family had formed a delegation on their own with even a letter stamped with the royal seal. The problem was that the nobles’ action was akin to having the Caylor Kingdom recognize Maren, even though a new king had yet to be established.
‘Unacceptable, no matter how much you want the upper hand. Those crazy bastards!’
Of course, even that wasn’t enough to cause Count Hatres to come in person. However, Count Winslon immediately responded by sending a delegation of his own with his successor at its center. Apparently, he only wanted to express gratitude to Eugene for saving the capital from a crisis, but who would believe such a lie? As such, Count Hatres had been forced to head to Maren personally with his knights. He had been convinced that Eugene would meet him first among the three, considering his status and reputation. However, Jan Eugene had actually refused to meet him.
“This is driving me crazy. Huh! He couldn’t be meeting with those royal nobles or Count Winslon, right?” Count Hatres muttered.
“That’s not it. I confirmed that Jan Eugene had gone to see the crown prince of the Roman Empire.”
“What?!” The eyes of the count filled with shock. Soon, he smiled bitterly. “There’s no helping it if it’s the crown prince of the Roman Empire. The crown prince… Tsk! You even need to be qualified to make connections now…” Count Hatres muttered.
The noble, who had returned from the dukedom’s castle, spoke cautiously, “But my lord, the atmosphere was quite strange.”
“Hmm? The atmosphere was strange?” Count Hatres asked.
“Yes. The people there were saying that Jan Eugene looked to be in a murderous mood when he headed toward the crown prince. That… he called the crown prince a little mutt.”
“…?!”
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