Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Chapter 4. Uruun, the Land of Entertainment and Culture
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#House Neyubae's Grand Mansion
An unprecedented event had occurred in Uruun's history. Not only had a thief brazenly broken into a grand noble's mansion, but he had stolen three elf slaves to boot. The mansion's magic barriers had failed utterly, and even the guards—not to mention the mages—had been slain.
Thieves were common enough in Uruun. But none of them had ever dared infiltrate a grand noble's mansion and make off with their possessions. No thief had the guts to tangle with the ruling class, backed by overwhelming power. Who in their right mind would risk pursuit by mages? Someone capable of effortlessly scaling a nearly three-meter wall, dismantling magic barriers, and overpowering the guards wouldn't stoop to petty theft.
Yet here was a fearless, skilled thief who targeted a grand noble. It might have been understandable if he'd stolen gold, jewels, or trinkets. Instead, he'd vanished like a ghost with three elves in tow. Despite no traces of magic use, the mages stationed in the mansion had lost the trail while pursuing him.
For the sake of the grand noble's reputation, they couldn't question passersby on the streets. If word got out, House Neyubae would become a laughingstock among the nobility for years to come. The count, who had been spending a passionate night with an elf on the mansion's third floor, hurriedly dressed upon receiving the belated report and rushed downstairs. The faint scent of blood lingered like perfume.
The smell grew stronger as he approached the room with stairs leading underground. Waddling along, the Count of Neyubae spotted a dead soldier slumped against the corridor wall and scowled. He could guess what had happened without going further. Grinding his teeth, he whirled on the mages and soldiers trailing behind him.
"You idiots! This is what I pay you exorbitant sums for? What the hell were you doing?"
"……."
"You brainless trash! Useless bastards! Ha! What are you waiting for? Chase him down and drag him back! Save your spells for boiling soup?"
The count's bellow echoed deafeningly through the corridor, laced with such fury and murderous intent that the mages and soldiers flinched.
One mage from House Neyubae's magic corps, clad in a robe emblazoned with their insignia N, spoke up cautiously.
"Forgive us, my lord. We've already sent out trackers, but... they lost the trail just nearby. Moreover, our magic can't even retrieve memories from this location..."
"Get to the point!"
"We can't identify the culprit. Pursuit is impossible at present."
"You morons."
Scowling in disgust, the count summoned his mana. Though obese, he was one of the finest mages. Mana shaped itself to his will, manifesting a spell in an instant. The memory recall magic revealed what had transpired here.
The surroundings tinted gray as the rear guards startled and parted to the sides. The mages, knowing what was coming, impassively watched the guards pass through them. The guard slumped dead against the wall suddenly charged silently from behind, heading into the room. But in that moment, something whooshed from within, sending him crashing back-first into the wall. He twitched briefly before going limp—dead on impact. Something seemed embedded in his heart, but the space warped hazily, obscuring the weapon's form.
The distortion intensified when the presumed thief emerged from the room.
"……."
The count's brow furrowed deeply. Now he understood why the magic corps mages couldn't perform memory recall themselves. This was no ordinary thief. Undoubtedly highly skilled, he possessed powerful anti-magic resistance—or an equivalent artifact.
"Damn it all."
Issuing a wanted poster would make him the talk of the nobility, fodder for mockery. But sitting idle filled him with rage over the loss of those priceless elves, robbing him of sleep.
"Ah, wait. What about the tracking spell on the restraints?"
As if remembering, the count spoke up. A silent mage behind him handed over a leather strap found in a second-floor room. It bore powerful sealing magic, but all traces were gone.
"What kind of bastard...!"
Ugh—
His head throbbed. In the end, he chose the latter. Let the nobles mock him. He vowed to hunt down the one who humiliated him and tear him apart. Clenching his fist, he glared at the dumbfounded soldiers and mages.
"What are you standing around for? Get out there and find him! He's got three elves—he'll stand out! Alert the gate guards too—clean this mess up! You've got work to do! Move!"
"Yes, sir!"
Mages and soldiers sprang into action from the grand mansion. It was the dead of night, so few remained on site. But come daylight, more would mobilize, and by tomorrow, Uruun's guards would join the hunt. The culprit wouldn't last long.
"Is this definitely where the trail ends?"
"Yes, senior."
Two mages from House Neyubae's magic corps. The senior smacked his lips at his junior's confirmation and sighed deeply. He'd hoped the break was farther out, but it was only about fifteen meters from the mansion wall.
A witness had reported seeing someone enter the alley, raising hopes. But vanishing right after?
"Driving me crazy."
The dim alley resembled a secret passage, but it was straight as an arrow, leading to another street. No passersby had seen anything, so either he vanished here or...
'Magic, maybe.'
Someone who could dismantle mansion barriers and swiftly remove elves' sealing collars could easily cast invisibility on three elves.
"Hmm..."
"What now? The count's furious. We probably can't return till tomorrow night."
The senior nodded at his junior's words. No way the enraged count would tolerate them slacking while he tossed and turned. Plus, a comrade from the magic corps had died—not that they were close, but they couldn't shirk.
"Let's check inside first. Hoping for any lingering traces."
"Yes."
They entered the barely visible alley quietly, conjuring light orbs. The glowing spheres pierced the darkness. The pristine alley—litter-free, as it was near nobles' residences like House Neyubae—held nothing unusual. No surprise there.
Clack-clack—
Staring at the brick floor, they froze at the sound. A mishearing? No, it persisted rhythmically. Someone approaching from ahead—a woman, by the heeled clack echoing softly in the night.
"Hm."
The men exchanged glances. He nodded toward the wall; his junior fell in behind as they hugged the right side. Wide enough for two abreast, narrow for three. Yielding space politely, they strode with tensed shoulders, pulses quickening in the dark.
"Ahem."
The woman approached steadily without light, her steps even. Their orb's glow revealed her legs. Instinctively, they nearly whistled in awe.
'Whoa!'
They stifled it. As her silhouette emerged faintly in the light, they realized she was stunningly beautiful. And her outfit!
She glided with noble grace in high heels accentuating long, shapely legs clad in form-fitting pants, a top hugging her curves, draped in a cardigan of some exotic beast's fur.
'Amazing!'
Awestruck, they halted, staring. Her wavy purple hair swayed with each clacking step as she glanced sidelong. Golden eyes gleamed seductively.
"Why are you staring like that?"
"Pardon?"
"In a dark alley like this... if two men leer at me, it scares me half to death."
She smiled, folding her arms. Pouting primly, the gesture thrust out her ample bosom. They swallowed hard.
"S-sorry! No ill intent, I assure you!"
"Yeah, you're just so beautiful we couldn't help it. Don't take it the wrong way."
She parted her lips in mock surprise, covering her mouth with one hand.
"Oh my, really? Thank you. But... I saw other mages rushing about earlier. Is something wrong?"
"Ah, that..."
"Yes! Some gutsy thief stole the count's elf slaves and bolted!"
"Hey, you?"
The senior whipped around, flustered by his junior's candor. The news would spread to other houses soon enough, but blabbing like this was forbidden. As magic corps members, they served the count's honor and authority.
They were bound by contract. His junior knew better.
Turning to berate him, the senior froze. His junior's eyes burned with lust.
'Enchantment?'
Reacting instantly, he surged mana. Lethargy fled his body as whatever influence gripped him dissipated. But the woman before them moved faster. Her folded arms unfolded; a hand shot out, seizing his throat and slamming him against the wall.
"Gah!"
The crash echoed. Despite the attack, his junior grinned idiotically at her. Hey, do something— But her grip was inhumanly strong for a woman; no words escaped.
"Urk! Grrgh!"
Damn it, cast a spell...!
But his magic faltered, disrupted. It didn't take long to realize she was the culprit.
"Oh dear, this is troubling. Stay still. I need to conserve energy... if you struggle, it'll get a bit brutal."
Heh heh heh. She—Asmodeus—pressed a finger to her lips with a soft "Shh."
"Got it?"
The man, clutching Asmodeus's wrist, could only nod.
========== Author's Note ==========
Argh, I'm late.
That's not a woman. It's a burly man!
Men get sick too, you know—with colds and fevers.
I never got why authors complained about being ill back then.
But now that I'm writing myself, I totally get it. Heh heh.