Chapter 21
The duchess had vanished.
I had no idea who was behind it, but kidnapping her right in the heart of the empire meant they weren't your run-of-the-mill lunatics. Judging by how her escorts had all dropped without so much as a whimper, either they were pros who took them out in one shot, or there was a traitor in their midst.
Either way, it wasn't good for her safety, so I decided to track down the kidnappers' trail as fast as possible.
First, I bolted to the women's restroom where she'd last been seen, hunting for clues. The festival was in full swing, so it was packed with women using the facilities. No matter how skilled the kidnappers were, hauling her out past all those eyes would've been impossible. That meant they'd pulled some trick to clear the place or make her invisible...
Infusing my eyes with aura to sharpen my senses, I scanned the building. Sure enough, traces of mana lingered, unwashed. The faint gray hue screamed stealth magic. They'd probably planned to erase the restroom from everyone's perception during the snatch.
And there was another trace—one I'd felt before. It matched the spatial transfer magic that had nabbed me earlier.
"Kyaa! What the—?!"
"Pervert!"
Ignoring the screams, I charged inside. Near the sinks, a fading wisp of residue flickered like it was on its last legs. Even with my aura-boosted superhuman senses, it was barely visible; no one else could've spotted it. The power was so fragile it might wink out any second, but now that I'd latched on, it wasn't escaping.
I approached the trace, seized it, and shoved my aura inside. The connection hadn't fully severed yet, so my aura would flow to the exit point of that spatial spell. All I had to do was follow it.
………
Ping!
Southwest, underground 20 meters. About 10km away.
Not too far. Sensing my aura there, I didn't look back—I burst out of the restroom and sprinted toward the exit.
The streets were jammed, so I leaped onto rooftops, bounding like a flea. No time for gate checks; I tore through the academy city's barrier, vaulted the walls, and raced nonstop to the target.
Aura-reinforced legs launched me meters per step, my speed rivaling a bullet. Blurring scenery flew by as I pushed on without pause, hunting the duchess.
About five minutes later, I hit the spot: a quiet rural village nestled between mountains.
It looked perfectly normal at a glance. But my aura pulsed from underground there.
The biggest house in the village. Two burly guys were patrolling suspiciously. My aura came from inside what looked like the village head's place—probably a secret underground passage.
Who posts guards at a village head's house unless there's treasure below? Made sense.
I dropped from the tree I'd been watching from, no hesitation.
"Wh-what?! A guy from the tree—?!"
"Who the hell are you? Never seen you before!"
They freaked at my sudden drop, going on guard, but I ignored them and strode toward the house.
"Hey, asshole?! Didn't you hear us?!"
One grabbed my shoulder. His grip was way stronger than a normal human's—surprising, but that's it. I clamped his hand and flipped him into the dirt.
"Gahk!!"
"How with one hand?! Hey! Everyone, over here! Intruder!"
Now the rest poured out. They looked like average villagers at first glance, but the aura under their clothes felt off. Normal folk would've fled or cowered from a powerhouse like me, but these guys eyed me like they wanted to rip me apart.
Nothing normal about it. I sighed, reaching for my waist—only cool mountain air met my hand.
Right. Forgot my weapon.
Who brings a sword to a date-coaching gig? I snatched a nearby branch instead.
"This'll handle the pests."
Then I unleashed the aura I'd been holding back at the charging mob.
Tak-tak-tak!
After mowing down the disguised fighters posing as villagers, I entered the house. One faker played dead and bolted inside, so I finished the rest quick and followed. They hadn't sealed the secret passage—a hidden stair yawned behind a bookshelf, wide open.
Descending revealed a whole different scene. A long corridor lined with cells on both sides, each echoing with eerie wails and nails-on-stone scratches.
"Hiiik!!"
The guy who'd fled from me yanked open a door at the end and dove in. Aura flickered from that room too, so I figured the boss was there. Full sprint—I kicked the door off its hinges.
Kwaaaang!!
A crunch and a thunk—the iron door embedded in the wall, probably crushing the fleeing rat.
"Found you."
In the creepy basement, there she was: our kidnapped duchess.
Not much time had passed, but her condition was worse than I'd feared. One leg shattered, twisted unnaturally; she clutched her gut, vomit crusted at her mouth—she'd taken a brutal gut punch. Tears streamed from terror-wide eyes, snot dripping, yet her beauty shone through the mess, which was honestly impressive.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Me?"
The middle-aged man stood tall, like he owned the chaos. His question gave me pause. Hero? Next-gen Aura Lord? Just some academy kid?
Then her bunny-eyed stare hit me—cute as hell—and I chuckled.
"Your lady's love manager."
Yeah. That's me. Dropped into this world as an extra, helping our noble duchess's love life for a peaceful existence. Nothing more, nothing less.
Why save her this hard? If something happens to my client, my business tanks. Gotta rescue her, duh.
"What nonsense."
He eyed me pityingly.
"You busted in here, so you've got skills... but arrogance ends now. You won't leave alive."
"Hey, old man. You're gonna get your ass kicked soon anyway—might lose your teeth—so spill now: why kidnap her?"
"Insolent brat..."
My question was pure curiosity, no bait, but he took it as punk attitude—veins popped on his forehead.
"Fine. You made it this far; you deserve to know. We took the duchess... to create the perfect being with my own hands."
"Perfect... being?"
"I've always wondered: why no perfect existence in this world? Humans are smart but weak. Aura and magic are for the chosen, trained post-birth. Monsters are born strong, but lack intelligence."
He sighed like it was the world's greatest tragedy.
"Isn't it sad? No perfect creature in every way. Why'd the gods make the world so unfair?"
"So you're making a 'fair' one?"
"Exactly. Human intellect plus monster power. Become a god birthing innate perfection—that's my goal. Sentient chimeras were impossible before, but recently, using mana-awakened hosts transfers human smarts. Works best with high magical talent."
"......"
"Heard about the duchess. She survived our Behemoth trap at the academy—her potential saved her while we fed it students for chaos. Knew she was gifted, but this confirmed it. She's perfect as a base."
"Ah."
I'd credited her publicly to hide my chimera kill, and this psycho latched onto that.
Sigh... damn it.
Not planned, but now I felt responsible.
"Dunno. Seems like your 'perfect being' already exists."
"What?"
He glared, curious—hoping I had his research key.
"Right there."
"?"
"Look at you—human body, but your mind's fully monster. What else is that but evolved?"
"...You little shit..."
He got the jab; his face darkened.
"Suicidal. Thought your talent made you good test fodder at your age, but nah—straight to death."
"Why assume you win?"
Snap! An iron door groaned open behind me, familiar growls echoing.
-Grrrrrr...
"My masterpieces: the Numbers, elite chimeras. That's Jackal, Third. It'll shred you with supersonic speed and steel-biting fangs before you feel a thing. Kekeke!"
-Kraaaang!!
Tat! Slash!
"Dead before pain... huh?"
"What the fuck is this mutt?"
Releasing rabid dogs willy-nilly? Rabies risk much?
"Wh-what? Jackal down in one swing...?"
"Hey."
"Wha—Gahaaak!!!"
"Don't care about your sob story."
Step-step.
"You fucked around, so I fuck around. Fair?"