Chapter 93: Chapter 93

Daedire clenched her teeth as if she had sensed the approaching presence.

Still keeping Julian in check, she quickly spoke.

"Can I assume the negotiation went well?"

"Taking him and running will cost extra."

"Money, information, manpower. Whatever you want, I will cooperate."

"Then, just for you, I’ll make an exception and only take money, information, and manpower."

What’s the point of offering choices when there’s no time to choose?

Might as well just take everything.

Daedire let out a scoff, as if she found it ridiculous, but quickly nodded.

"Take Julian with you."

She shoved her sword aside, creating distance between herself and Julian.

Then, she reached into her coat and threw something toward him—it looked like a magical artifact.

In an instant, the object swallowed the young man's form whole.

That was the first second.

Cruello, reacting immediately, pulled me into his arms while reaching toward Julian.

His mana forcibly expanded the teleportation spell, binding us to its destination.

That was the second second.

The sound of Daedire’s door bursting open echoed as my vision flipped upside down.

"What is this commoti—"

The halved voice of Duke Crimson sent us off.

Daedire would handle the cleanup.

Something else was more important.

I really was about to throw up.

I desperately clamped my hand over my mouth.

Since this was a lower-dimensional spell compared to a proper gate, the nausea hit me harder.

But this wasn’t the time to waste worrying about nausea. I pressed against my lips and quickly took in my surroundings.

A wide-open space, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, spilled through towering glass windows.

The neatly arranged, diverse array of plants suggested that this was a greenhouse.

And about three steps in front of me stood a figure.

Short platinum hair. The deep shadows beneath their eyes seemed to grow darker every time I saw them.

To my shock, it was the Crown Prince.

What the hell? Was this a dream?

Where had Daedire just sent us?

Could it be that the place she sent Julian last time was here as well?

Is this entire country just full of lunatics?

As I blinked blankly, the Crown Prince spoke.

For a brief moment, I felt a strange sense of camaraderie.

But she quickly regained her composure and asked,

"What is the meaning of this? Why are you here?"

"Surely, you didn’t come to my palace’s greenhouse garden for a date."

I had no idea what to say, so my eyes just darted around.

Conveniently, Julian came to his senses right then.

Violet vines lashed out fiercely.

But, perhaps still dazed from the teleportation spell, they ended up striking the floor and writhing uselessly.

The Crown Prince murmured in confusion.

"Cruello D. White Desert, Siora Bonetti, and Julian Minerva?"

I had to admit—it was quite an unlikely combination.

As I nodded, a real attack came flying.

A thorned vine shot straight for the Crown Prince’s head.

But it didn’t even graze a single strand of her hair.

Both the vine and Julian were instantly encased in ice.

So, she had been holding back at Duke Crimson’s manor, just observing the situation.

Cruello, utterly shameless, turned to the Crown Prince with a smirk.

"Once again, I’ve saved Your Highness’s life."

"...Do you take me for a fool?"

It would’ve been nice if she was.

"How did you get in here? The coordinates for this place are only known to the Secret Investigators. Don’t tell me you’ve planted a spy in my ranks?"

"No, that would be pointless. We arrived here because—"

"By pure coincidence! Just coincidence!"

What the hell was he doing?!

If we reported that Daedire was responsible, we’d only be making things worse for ourselves.

We had just gained a legally owned slave—what good would it do to throw him into prison?

"My darling says so, so it must be true."

The Crown Prince rubbed her temples and sighed.

I was still scrambling for a way to redirect the conversation when, once again, Julian helped me out.

A strange energy ripple emanated from him.

The pale violet hue that had stained his skin was rapidly being sucked into a black magic circle.

His skin returned to its natural color, but his aura grew even more ominous.

The ice encasing him cracked, then shattered into fragments. Julian’s eyes looked even more unhinged.

And just then, I suddenly realized—this was a greenhouse.

The explosive surge of black mana pouring from Julian’s body was being absorbed by the plants.

As if preparing for a massive attack, the vines writhed and grew at an alarming rate.

Faced with this menacing spectacle, the Crown Prince muttered under her breath.

"Could it be... you lured Viscount Minerva here by manipulating his mind just to assassinate me?"

"We didn’t come here willingly—"

I stopped mid-sentence.

Julian’s lips were moving.

There was no sound, but he was definitely mouthing something.

"I suppose if it were your magic, a gate could have opened. So then, you must have stolen a Secret Investigator’s artifact. Whose—"

"Wait! Just—wait a second!"

"...Wait? Are you telling me to wait?"

"I know it’s disrespectful, but seriously, just a second!"

The Crown Prince looked scandalized.

But after I had already shamelessly lied to the Emperor’s face, what did I care about offending the second-in-command?

At least now I had the chance to focus.

I carefully deciphered the movement of Julian’s lips.

"The Master is calling...?"

"Unless Julian has that kind of... tendency, this must be about the hidden Elder, right?"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Since it said ‘the Master is calling,’ if we leave him alone, will he lead us there?"

"He’ll be dead before that happens."

That black mana was starting to drain Julian’s very life force.

The Crown Prince, who had been watching passively, suddenly sharpened her gaze.

"So, what you're saying is—if he doesn’t die, Viscount Minerva will be drawn to a certain Elder of White Desert?"

"Oh, so you were listening?"

"Wouldn’t anyone? The presence of dark magic is practically oozing off him."

"I see. So evidence linking the Black Serpent to the Elder Council has walked right into my hands. If they’re bold enough to manipulate the heir of a marquess house, there’s no way they can simply deny involvement."

Great. Now she was getting that crazed look in her eyes, too.

"I’ll overlook the fact that you trespassed in my garden. For now, let’s subdue Julian Minerva and talk afterward."

Ah. Not that I ever expected forgiveness in the first place!

At least things were unfolding conveniently.

The greenhouse’s plants, which had been writhing like seaweed, started merging together.

It reminded me of the bizarre, spherical creature that had chased me through the church’s secret passage.

Except this was nowhere near as cute.

It was about half the size of the Wind Giant I had seen in Tempestas.

"Darling, what are you doing?"

"I just felt like roaring."

Honestly, it did look exactly like the type to let out a dramatic bellow.

A towering monster made of intertwined plants—definitely a spectacle.

Though Julian standing at its center like some kind of parasite was not a great sight.

Cruello, already casting an ice spell, casually asked,

"Your Highness, surely you can afford to replace one greenhouse?"

"It was a gift from Her Majesty the Empress."

"Then how about redecorating it with a winter theme?"

"That’s the same thing."

"The plants are already uprooted—what’s the point in holding back?"

"At the very least, keep it discreet. His Majesty does not approve of my involvement in hunting down the Serpent."

So she wanted to keep the attention off this place.

That meant I was the best option here. But was it fine to show them this?

Julian raised his hand.

Dozens of vines lashed toward us.

I quickly turned to Cruello.

"Can we trust the Crown Prince?"

"Only when it comes to church matters."

"...Do you two always talk while I’m standing right here?"

Well, there went Daedire’s effort to keep things under wraps.

Not that it mattered anymore. By now, the Elder Council had surely caught on.

Since the nausea had passed, I had been preparing for this.

I unleashed the spell.

—Sixth Order. Brilliance.

A light burst forth, targeting only the black mana.

The approaching vines lost their strength and went limp.

The plant giant flailed as its structure began to unravel.

Its limbs and torso collapsed, no longer tightly bound together.

Julian, still clinging to it, was also affected by the light.

Or more accurately, the curse on him was.

The black mana inscribed on his skin washed away, dissolving like ink in water.

It was almost disappointing how frail it was, considering its dramatic buildup.

But of course, it would be.

A mere pawn’s pawn. A lackey’s lackey.

A bit of magic wasn’t going to double or triple its power.

Reality just ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ doesn’t work that way!

Still, I had other concerns.

The spell’s activation speed was way too slow.

There were still two more keys left. If this kept up, it would be a problem.

Would I have to get my hands on more Beatitudo?

Julian, now purged, collapsed to his knees.

Shredded vines lay scattered around him.

As a former maid, I couldn’t help but pity whoever would have to clean that up.

"Wait a second. Just now—did you use divine power? But that spell..."

The Crown Prince muttered in confusion.

But I didn’t have time to explain.

Julian, doubled over, started gagging.

Chunks of residual black mana spilled from his mouth.

And at the very end of it, something round emerged.

It was about the size of a child’s fist.

As I watched, a thin slit formed at its center.

Then, like an eyelid slowly opening, the gap twitched wider.

A bad feeling hit me.

"Step on it, Cruello."

A faint, squeaky death cry echoed—something like a dying rat.

And with that, whatever it was ceased to exist.

"What the hell was that?"

"Probably something planted by whoever created the magic circle. Looked like it was about to open an eye—maybe a familiar for remote surveillance?"

"I protected our information."

"So dashing, sweetheart. Not that it’s hard to guess who sent it."

Julian, having expelled all the black mana, groaned as he clutched his head and turned away.