Chapter 77: Baron Ashro’s Estate 8
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77: Baron Ashro’s Estate 8
"Your Majesty, why are you still here instead of retiring to the bedchamber?"
The Emperor checked the time as the Empress entered his office.
"Has it already been that long?"
Normally, he would have been in bed by now, but the weight of the current situation had caused him to lose track of time.
"You knew I was waiting, yet something was important enough to make you forget the hour?"
"Nothing is more important than you, my Empress. It’s just that the situation has turned... grave."
He walked up behind her as she feigned a pout, wrapping his arms around her waist. He savored her warmth, wishing he could stay like this forever. However, to protect this peace, he had to deal with the vermin infesting his Empire.
"So, what is this 'grave situation'?"
The Empress squeezed the hands wrapped around her, clearly wanting to linger in the embrace as well.
"It seems the drugs in Baron Ashro’s possession were supplied by a Necromancer."
"Lucas is there. Won't he be in danger?"
The Empress gripped his hands tightly, her voice laced with anxiety. Although the Knight Commander who trained Lucas praised his immense talent, and Lucas was more than capable of defending himself, to her, he was still just a child.
"Lady Ruska is there as well, so he will be fine. Do not worry too much."
The Emperor tightened his hug to soothe her.
"Ah, that is a relief."
Hearing that name seemed to ease her worries significantly.
"It appears he is currently using the name Elicia."
Both the Emperor and Empress knew that Elicia’s true identity was a Dragon. If it hadn't been for Elicia back then, he would never have ascended to the throne, nor would he have met the Empress. That was why, when Lucas was born, they had named him after Ruska.
"Did Baron Ashro know he was dealing with a Necromancer?"
"I’m not sure. But one thing is certain: by tomorrow, Baron Ashro will no longer be a Baron."
"Then, do you intend to ask Rus—no, Elicia—to handle it?"
"I was originally planning to, but..."
The Empress turned her head to look at him as his voice trailed off. She reached up, brushing her fingers against the corner of his mouth.
"Is something pleasant happening that I don't know about?"
The corners of the Emperor’s mouth were turned up, as if he were anticipating something delightful.
"Loki is using the identity of Cardinal again."
"Cardinal?"
The Emperor smiled at her surprised expression and pulled her closer. He caught the faint, clean scent of her recent bath. Naturally, the Empress knew that the original identity of Cardinal was the Emperor himself. After all, the man she first met wasn't 'Casten Leonhart,' but 'Cardinal the Phantom Thief.'
The Emperor reminisced for a moment before stroking the hair of the Empress, who was looking at him with concerned eyes.
"Will the boy be able to pull it off without getting caught?"
When Loki had previously disguised himself as Cardinal to steal drugs from the Baron’s estate, he only had the Baron's guards to contend with. But now, the students of the Special Class were on-site.
"Unlike last time, two of my Shadows and Elicia have decided to help him."
The moment Elicia stepped in to assist, no one present would be able to catch Loki. Finally feeling at ease, the Empress relaxed and leaned her head against the Emperor’s chest.
"When Yerika finds out that Cardinal has appeared again, she’s going to pester Lucas with questions."
"Most likely."
"Actually, no... she’ll probably ask Loki instead. It seems they still spend every night talking on their communication devices until they fall asleep."
The Emperor’s brow furrowed at the mention of Loki and Yerika. Seeing this, the Empress smirked and smoothed out the wrinkle between his eyes.
"Hehe, do you really dislike Loki that much?"
It wasn't that he particularly disliked Loki. In fact, he rather liked the boy. Loki possessed sufficient talent and skill, and he never neglected his training. His looks were... well, he wasn't sure, but his personality wasn't bad. That was likely why Yerika enjoyed talking to him every night.
‘He certainly seemed to enjoy receiving the elixirs and gold, though.’
But it didn't seem like money was his ultimate goal. To Loki, wealth was likely just a means to an end. However, when considering him as a partner for his daughter...
"Honestly, no man would ever be good enough for her in your eyes, would they?"
At the Empress’s words, the Emperor thought of the other men who had set their sights on Yerika. Princes, Dukes, the son of the Holy Kingdom’s Cardinal. Compared to them, Loki was...
"Tsk."
The Emperor clicked his tongue and changed the subject.
"By the way, what did you say to Yerika that has her constantly searching for Cardinal?"
One day, after a private conversation with the Empress, Yerika had begun investigating Cardinal. He had asked her several times, but she refused to tell him.
"Hehe."
The Empress laughed at the Emperor’s blatant deflection.
"What I said back then will remain a secret from Your Majesty forever."
* * *
"Cardinal has appeared!"
It was unclear who shouted it first, but it didn't take long for the cry to echo through the estate. Students who were already asleep, those about to turn in, and those occupied with other tasks all rushed out into the hallway.
Loki and Elicia were nowhere to be found.
"Where's Loki?"
"I don't know! I checked his room, but it's empty!"
"He told me earlier that he was going out with Professor Elicia to check on something related to Cardinal."
"Why now, of all times...?"
Thump. Thump.
Measured footsteps echoed through the mansion. At the sound, the students fell silent and drew their weapons.
Thump. Thump.
In a manner entirely unbefitting a thief, Cardinal slowly ascended the stairs to the second floor. Shrouded in shifting shadows, neither his face nor his body was visible. It was impossible to tell his height, or even if the figure was a man or a woman.
Finally, Cardinal reached the second-floor landing where the Special Class students and Baron Ashro were waiting. The students held their weapons ready, eyes fixed on the intruder.
This was the Phantom Thief whom no one in the Empire had ever caught. Everyone watched his every move, wondering what he would do and why he had come.
"Baron Ashro."
"""!!!"""
He spoke only two words, but everyone nearby trembled. It was an alien, distorted voice, like iron scraping against iron. It seemed impossible for a human to produce such a sound.
‘Now!’
While Cardinal’s attention was fixed on the Baron, Lucas kicked off the ground and lunged forward.
‘This will hit!’
Just as his spear was about to pierce Cardinal, the figure vanished. It was as if he had never been there in the first place.
Tap.
Lucas felt a hand touch his abdomen.
"The Crown Prince, is it?"
Cardinal had reappeared instantly, his hand resting lightly against Lucas’s stomach.
"Your father pushed me harder than this when he was your age."
BOOM!
Before Lucas could even process the words, a massive impact and the roar of an explosion slammed into his gut.
"You are far lacking compared to your father."
In the split second following the sound, Lucas lost consciousness. When he came to, Cardinal was already moving further away.
‘No.’
He realized he was the one flying backward. By the time he understood, he was about to slam into the wall.
CRASH!
Lucas’s body smashed through several walls before finally slumping to the floor in a heap.
Thud.
Clara had been quietly gathering mana from the moment Lucas charged. Just as she was about to manifest her magic, the alien voice thundered like a lightning strike.
"Insufficient."
‘My mana... it's disappearing!’
It was an experience she’d never had before. The mana she had gathered to cast her spell simply vanished. She tried again, but the mana refused to pool, dissipating instantly.
"Everyone, come out!"
Though she couldn't tell exactly what was happening, Sepia realized Clara’s magic had failed and summoned all her spirits at once.
"Inexperienced."
Cardinal spoke calmly, even in the face of the spirits.
Whoooooosh...
A grey aura enveloped Cardinal. The spirits began to tremble violently, just as they had when they first faced Elicia. As the other Special Class students stood frozen in fear at the sight of the grey aura—
"My Lord, are you alright?!"
Over a dozen knights burst into the mansion. All were clad in heavy armor and brandishing swords.
"Quite a few left, I see."
Just as Baron Ashro began to feel a glimmer of hope at the sight of his knights, Cardinal spoke dismissively.
"I have zero interest in the likes of you."
Cardinal’s shadow-shrouded finger pointed toward the knights. Two streaks of black light shot from his fingertip. The black lights moved as if they had a will of their own, and every time they touched a knight, the man collapsed instantly.
Within ten seconds, every single knight lay unconscious on the floor.
"Did you truly think this would be enough to stop me?"
* * *
Elicia sat perched on the roof of the estate, interfering with Clara’s mana to ensure she couldn't cast a single spell. Her ash-colored hair fluttered gently in the night breeze. In the air before her, a magical projection showed everything happening inside the mansion.
"He certainly talks a big game," she muttered, "acting like my power is his own."
If being that shameless was a talent, then the boy was certainly gifted.