Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Evidence (2)
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A cafe interior in one of the capital's districts favored by numerous nobles.
The cafe buzzed with the murmurs of the nobles.
Murmur murmur—
"Isn't that Marquis Banus and His Excellency the Northern Grand Duke? Why are those two..."
"Kyaa! Is it a lovers' quarrel?!"
"Then the target is... the Marilsian Lady?"
Yujin could feel Sena staring at him with a look that said, Is it really that?
'...It's not.'
...His head throbbed.
To make matters worse, the Northern Grand Duke bellowed.
"Marquis! Are you truly going to stand against me?!"
...His head really hurt now.
How had things come to this? Yujin slowly retraced his memories.
Today was the day he had plans with Irene.
"Have you finished your training?"
"Yes. Hehe."
He gave Irene a once-over. Of course, not in a lecherous way scanning her figure—he was just gauging her level.
'Though to say I didn't notice her figure at all would be a lie.'
Hmm...
She had eyes on her, so her curves naturally caught his gaze. It was an instinct any man would have.
...Honestly, Irene had practically thrust herself forward as if inviting him to look.
Anyway...
"Ho? You've grown stronger than I expected in that time."
Irene's aura had changed completely. She had already been strong as a high mage of the 6th circle... but now, she felt like she had no equal even among her peers.
Could Lucia even match her at this point?
Irene flashed Yujin a coy smile.
"Hehe, as expected of you, Yujin. I knew you'd notice."
"How could I not?"
Ever since returning to the capital after the war, he had been with Irene almost constantly.
The victory banquet, the hunting festival, even the martial tournament.
On top of that, they had gone on separate dates outside now and then. In fact, it might be harder to count the days they hadn't met.
He had naturally come to know her well, so of course he would notice the changes.
"Still 6th circle for now... but it feels like you're about to break through the wall."
He wasn't a mage himself. But whether magic or sword, there was a certain "realm" one could sense from the user.
The pressure born from differences in attainment.
Hers had advanced far beyond before.
"Hehe, you're right, Yujin. I think I'll reach the 7th circle soon."
—Which would leave me just one step from true Archmage territory.
She murmured softly.
"I'll be able to help you a lot more from now on, right?"
"...You're already plenty helpful."
Irene might not realize it, but her mere presence was a great help to Yujin.
Irene had burst into his life unannounced and had long since become a significant part of it.
The affection and goodwill she showered on him were gradually healing the scars from his lonely childhood and the comrades he had lost on the battlefield.
...Lucia was the same in that regard.
"Hehe, but a woman's heart wants to be even more helpful to the man she loves."
"......"
She meant it.
If she grew stronger, she wouldn't have to be separated from Yujin like last time. She could become a real pillar of strength for him.
...Even if a day came when she was gravely injured, she would stay by Yujin's side.
That was love.
That was her way of repaying the man who had bled for her—a stranger at the time.
"...Thank you."
Feeling her sincerity, Yujin gently stroked her hair. Irene leaned into his touch like a cat and looked up at him.
"That's why, Yujin."
"Hm?"
"Won't you give me a reward?"
"A reward?"
She stepped back from him with a playful smile.
"Go on a date with me today."
...
A date...
Pfft—
"Sure."
Yujin and Irene went out on the street for an impromptu date.
But the atmosphere in the streets was still quite tense due to the recent Pandemonium raid, making it less than ideal for dating.
"Hmmm..."
Irene crossed her arms, looking dissatisfied.
"...The vibe in the streets is pretty bad."
"This is actually a lot better than before."
It wasn't empty flattery—this really was improved.
There had been talk just recently of dispatching armies across the entire continent to punish the Pandemonium that dared attack the Empire—as if it were a given.
Of course, that died down once people realized it would mean the Empire fighting the whole world just to catch them.
"Hng... I suppose it's not incomprehensible."
"Yeah."
Honestly, deep down, he wanted to scour the continent like rats in a hole.
But wishes and reality were different, so there was no helping it.
"Still, this makes it hard for us to date... Hmm..."
At Irene's murmur, Yujin looked around.
Then a certain cafe caught his eye.
"Irene."
"Yes?"
"Want to grab a drink at a cafe?"
She looked at the cafe Yujin pointed to.
It seemed fairly quiet inside.
With only a few patrons who looked like nobles, it was probably an exclusive spot for them.
"Sounds good."
And so Yujin and Irene entered the cafe. They sat at a secluded corner table and ordered.
"Hehe, this is a pretty nice spot."
"Yeah. The view from the window is certainly—"
"No, not that."
...Not that?
Aside from the nice view out the window, what else was good about this seat?
...He couldn't think of anything.
Yujin gave Irene a puzzled look.
Irene smiled mysteriously and let actions speak louder than words.
Smooth—
Tap—
"......?"
Tap tap—
He felt something nudging him under the table and glanced down.
And then
"...Irene?"
"Yes, Yujin?"
She beamed innocently, as if asking what the problem was. Yujin stared at her smile, entranced, then looked down again.
Irene's sleek, stocking-clad foot was rubbing up and down his leg.
And gradually inching toward more intimate areas.
"......"
...Now he got why she liked this spot.
...From anywhere else, no one could see what they were doing.
"Any problem, Yujin?"
He returned her alluring smile with one of his own.
Pfft—
"No, none at all."
Her foot play continued for a good while.
...Until their ordered drinks and dessert arrived, for quite a long time.
Once the drinks and dessert came, Irene's teasing foot antics finally ended.
"Hehe. Looks delicious."
Why did those words sound like they meant something entirely different?
"Sure does. Definitely looks appetizing."
"Right?"
Irene's cheeks flushed slightly at Yujin's words.
...She had definitely meant something else. But that mood didn't last.
Soon, it shifted to a wholesome date vibe. They shared sips of each other's drinks and fed each other bites of the cake dessert.
As they enjoyed their date—
Ding-a-ling—
A certain man and woman entered the cafe.
A silver-haired man and a golden blonde woman.
'...Northern Grand Duke and Sena?'
The two sat near Yujin and Irene's table, keeping a somewhat ambiguous distance.
Yujin immediately suppressed his and Irene's presences and stared at them.
"...?"
Irene gave him a curious look at his sudden action—
'...Ah.'
She realized he was watching Sena and the Northern Grand Duke.
...More precisely, glaring piercingly at the Northern Grand Duke.
Calderon Grand Duke gazed at Sena sitting across from him.
'...As beautiful as ever.'
Her golden hair shone brilliantly, and her blue eyes sparkled like jewels.
In terms of looks alone, she could rival Lucia and Irene for the title of the Empire's top beauty.
'But that's not what matters.'
There was an inexplicable pull toward her. It felt like fate itself proclaiming that this woman was his lifelong partner.
That was why Calderon Grand Duke had been convinced from the moment he first saw Sena that she was his destined one.
But...
Grind—
'That Crown Prince worm.'
For some reason, the Crown Prince had started meddling with his woman.
He even used his status as Crown Prince to summon her constantly, leaving him unable to intervene.
If not for the Crown Prince, Sena would long since have been living happily with him, as fate decreed...!
...
'But that's over now.'
He fondly touched the vial in his pocket.
With this... she would fully become his woman.
'Lust, was it?'
Moreover, for a drug made by cultists, its effects were reliably proven. He had already tested it on a maid from his household.
By now, that maid was probably desperately searching for him at the estate.
...Of course, relying on such a drug pricked his conscience a bit... but Calderon Grand Duke decided not to worry about such trifles.
'She's fated to be with me anyway, so it doesn't matter.'
Using the drug would just hasten their inevitable union slightly—nothing problematic about it.
...He truly believed that.
Thus, he quietly waited for an opportunity.
And it came soon enough.
"...Your Excellency. May I step away briefly to fix my makeup?"
"Of course."
Using the excuse of fixing her makeup, Sena headed to the restroom.
'How cute.'
They would be husband and wife soon anyway, so she could have just boldly said she was going to the bathroom. Once living under one roof, sharing bodies and daily lives, such things would become trivial.
...The problem was that they weren't lovers, husband and wife, or anything of the sort—but like the deranged Northern Grand Duke from a romance novel, he completely ignored that fact.
'She'll be mine soon anyway, so what does it matter?' That was his mindset.
In the end, he pulled the drug from his pocket.
'I'll take her back to the estate tonight.'
All he needed to do was slip it into her coffee before anyone noticed.
As he moved to do so surreptitiously—
Grab—
"......!?"
Someone seized his arm.
Whish—
Calderon Grand Duke hurriedly looked at the one who grabbed him.
And
"Marquis Banus...!"
"......"
Yujin glared down at the Northern Grand Duke with eyes cold enough to send chills down his spine.