Chapter 297: The Second Step (Patreon)

Lügner discreetly stopped Solitär, who was on the verge of going on a rampage, and accepted Fräse's demand. Before leaving, he had the Empire's Magic Special Operations Unit send a letter to Gaderia.

Levi spoke privately with Fräse about something, then was the first to leave the banquet.

Fräse followed soon after, taking the two "suspects" to the Empire's intelligence agency.

Lügner offered no resistance. This now involved the Empire as a whole, not one of the usual territorial disputes.

What he needed was patience and waiting. Waiting for the letter to reach Gaderia, and waiting for the return of that person.

Earl Wolf the Second, drunk by now, stumbled out of the hall muttering things like "The culprits are definitely those Demon Race from Gaderia" and "That bullshit Free City is up to no good."

The old noble who had been the first to object apologized to Earl Skon and slunk away. As he left, he kept mumbling, "Am I really getting old? Going deaf?"

The nobles were sinking into suspicion and a measure of panic. Traitorous terrorists and criminals were right there among them, and the thought was terrifying.

The banquet broke up on a sour note.

Once the last guest had gone, Earl Skon Langwish, sitting alone in the seat of honor with his wine, let a triumphant smile spread across his face.

That's right. He hadn't committed any crime. The Demon Race had.

He had deliberately stirred up the Empire's Magic Special Operations Unit and blown the affair out of proportion, steering the spearhead toward his chosen target. Let them hold each other in check while he put the Empire's power to perfect use.

It was a little disappointing that the Demon Race lord of Gaderia hadn't resisted. If he had, the conflict would have escalated, and there would have been a fine show of titans clashing to watch.

The female Demon in particular radiated terrifying Mana from head to toe, yet he had never heard of anyone like her among the Demon Race.

"Your magic really is convenient."

Earl Skon said this to the maid standing behind him. Beyond the magic that warped people's thoughts and memories, there was something else: as a fairly veteran Mage, he hadn't sensed the slightest trace of Mana leaking from her when she stood across the room.

She had blended perfectly into the crowd, like an ordinary person. He guessed it was another of this "maid's" Demon Race magics.

Someone who could wield several kinds of magic, all of them powerful. This partner of his was truly fearsome.

"My magic doesn't work so well on people with firm wills. At most, it muddles their judgment. But as you said, most of them are fools. With a bit of time, brainwashing them isn't much trouble."

"You haven't used your magic on me too, have you?"

"You know the answer to that better than anyone."

The maid kept refilling Earl Skon's glass. "The first step is done. Now for the second."

"Speaking of which, where did you hide all those stolen goods?"

"Why don't you guess, Earl? Where I'll drop that bomb."

A wicked, all-too-human smirk crossed the maid's face.

"I hear the Magic Special Operations Unit has ways of tracing Mana. Plenty of Mages who harmed the Empire, even Demon Race, were hunted down and killed once they picked up the trail. Won't the Mana you left at the scene give you away?"

Matters of this magnitude made Earl Skon cautious and careful. He loved this kind of thrill, which kept his mind razor sharp.

"Don't worry. They won't find anything. I set a trap long ago."

Unable to read this Demon's mind, Earl Skon studied that delicate, beautiful face and suddenly asked:

"Since we're partners now, you should tell me your name. It's a little unfair that only you know mine."

"You can keep guessing at my name."

"What a nasty piece of work."

*

The former Lawless City, the former City of Death, now the Mercenary City of Kinton.

"Lady Aura, the treasures you left scattered outside have nearly all been recovered."

Alice, still dressed in her maid uniform, knelt on one knee and reported respectfully.

"Rise. Well done."

Aura smiled in satisfaction.

She now held complete control of the Kinton territory, and everything had finally settled down.

Driven by the Magic of Obedience, the humans in the city were brimming with energy for their lives and for the city's development. The magic stirred their potential from the subconscious and propelled them in the direction Lady Aura wanted.

Under the suggestion of the Magic of Obedience, even the mercenaries here were braver than those anywhere else.

The assets she had once hidden away in every corner, like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, could now all return to her side. Euphemistically, it was called "recovering lost treasure."

"I wish that short-lived wretch Hermet could see the city now. As expected, I, Lady Aura, am a genius, coming up with a use for the Magic of Obedience like this! Work hard, all of you! Humans! Ha, ha, ha!"

Lady Aura was getting carried away again, her expression a little distorted.

With Nanoda gone, she was the sky itself.

Lady Aura would absolutely never go back now. She wouldn't step half a pace outside her current comfort zone.

Alice had long since grown used to her Demon Race superior's meltdowns and took it all in stride.

"However, among the recovered goods there seem to be a few extra things."

"?"

Aura, not yet in the know, instantly returned to a blank expression.

"In one of the caves, we found several corpses and a cartload of jewels of unknown origin. Because they were deliberately mutilated, the bodies are badly damaged. For now we can't determine when they died or where the jewels came from."

Worry colored Alice's voice. The whole affair was more than a little strange.

It wasn't a petty thief who had sneaked in to steal. Instead, people carrying a cartload of jewels had died at the hiding place.

It made no sense. Who would have nothing better to do than hijack a convoy, then dump every last treasure into a newly discovered hoard, without taking a single piece?

"What's the big deal? If we don't know where it came from, then whoever finds it keeps it. It's ours."

Aura said this with the confidence of someone stating the natural order of things.

"Are you sure that's no problem?"

"Don't worry. It's not as if anyone's going to come looking for it right away."

Aura loved nothing more than picking up a windfall.

*

Inside the court Mages' headquarters:

"What? Suspected threat to the Empire? Missing tribute? The lord of Gaderia arrested and detained?"

Denken had just finished sorting out the court Mages' expense accounts when he heard the terrible news.

The ones who made the arrest were the Empire's Magic Special Operations Unit, and he had no authority to stop them.

He had scrambled and fought his way through the court for so many years that he had now reached the position of chief. His experience and instinct, honed with age, told him that this affair reached far and wide, and he had a bad feeling about it.

He hurriedly grabbed a pen and paper.

He had to tell his wife, who had stayed behind in Weise, and Macht about this.

Something big was about to happen again.

An invisible hand behind the scenes was stirring the tide.