The Meeting Continues
The meeting dragged on. “We’ve been monitoring the subject continuously, but it doesn’t appear to possess any regenerative ability. Its breathing is growing weaker by the hour, so I doubt it will last much longer.”
“Even with treatment?”
“Yes. Likely due to the magic-nullifying effect, it rejects healing magic entirely. Forcing a higher output does close some wounds, but it triggers immediate rejection responses in the body. The researchers estimate it won’t survive past tomorrow at the latest.”
So the nullification even rejects healing magic. A troublesome trait, but it also meant their forces were disposable. “What about the output of the nullification?”
“There’s some variance depending on the measured data, but overall the results show no significant change.”
“Meaning the nullifying power itself doesn’t weaken even when the subject is on the brink of death.”
This part would require more research with what we’d already obtained. Or perhaps the next time we encountered one. “The most important question is how far the nullification actually reaches.”
At the very least, it hadn’t worked against titled nobles—I’d confirmed that myself. At my words, Zeke opened his report and began explaining.
“It seems to nullify the magic of elite soldiers and ordinary adventurers almost completely.”
“That’s……”
That was dangerous. Of course, it meant the knights were safe, but if the number of those monsters increased, covering for everyone would become difficult. Armies from territories with magic users were powerful, but they had a fatal flaw: their numbers were limited. If those monsters moved in large groups and used diversionary tactics, stopping them would be problematic. There was also a limit to how often I could personally intervene.
“On the other hand, physical enhancement methods have been confirmed to work to some degree.”
“You mean channeling magic into weapons?”
“Yes.”
In simple terms, it was like aura or sword energy. Chloe and other knight-type fighters preferred mid-range attacks, so that style was relatively rare. It wasn’t an especially difficult technique—if you could do it, you could do it—but what mattered most when using it was close-combat skill. Chloe and Isabel would manage fine in that regard.
“I would prefer increasing output instead.”
“As expected.”
Just as Triana said, with her level of magic power, raising output would be far more efficient. The difficulty of close combat lay in the unpredictable nature of magic—its versatility made it impossible to know how an opponent would attack. Especially if what Sasha had said was true.
“Yes. Based on the recovered Sasha’s condition, it appears to be a temporary phenomenon that only occurs when wounds are inflicted. We haven’t conducted tests yet, but if injuries cause magic power to dissipate, the situation becomes considerably more complicated.”
“So close combat is difficult.”
Sasha’s treatment had worked because I handled it personally. If I’d left it to others, it would have taken time—and even then, the results wouldn’t have been particularly impressive. When dealing with dozens or hundreds rather than one or two, everything changed.
“For now, extract as much data as possible. Similar creatures might appear again. Once you have the data…… send it to Father and Count Franz first, then tell them I’d like to meet and discuss it.”
“Understood.”
I nodded at Zeke and let out a sigh. Meeting would be ideal, but time was short. “Next?”
“Yes. We investigated the luggage.”
Isabel began her report immediately. Unfortunately, there were no results. “We found no significant traces.”
“This is getting complicated.”
If they’d hidden something, that itself was a problem. We couldn’t search every person passing through the gates until we found traces. And if it was encrypted or disguised in an unrecognizable form, it would be even harder.
“The basement yielded no results either. We found traces of research, but what we can determine from that is……”
“Can’t be helped.”
For now, there was nothing more to learn. The rest would depend on the interrogation results. “What do you all think?”
“……”
At my question, everyone fell silent. It couldn’t be helped—my people, and most of Müller’s residents, were young. Even those from the previous generation were at the very end of it, with no direct connection to Red Blood. In the quiet, Triana hesitated before speaking.
“I contacted my grandfather, the previous Lord Müller. He said that during the last war, if Red Blood lost an executive-level member rather than a mere pawn, they would immediately destroy most of their hideouts.”
“……An organization like that shouldn’t even be able to function. Is it only possible because it’s Red Blood?”
Was it possible only because they were built on nothing but hatred, disgust, and inferiority? Most of their underlings were disposable bullets. “Even so, there must be some information left. That one didn’t come here prepared to die. Judging by the magic reaction in its body and the bracelet made of magic stones, it was trying to escape as is. If I hadn’t gone immediately, it likely would have gotten away.”
In other words, it probably knew a lot, and even if it realized it had been captured, moving their location right away would be difficult. “And we’re going to use that immediately. Isabel. Triana.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
There were currently no signs of anyone leaving the castle. Knights and soldiers were patrolling all critical areas. “Dispatch people in secret. Use only those we can trust. Speak with Ninya and Sasha to gather personnel. At the very least, any hideouts within Müller territory will either go into hiding or flee because of this incident.”
“I see. Understood.”
We would track every suspicious movement. Even if we couldn’t eliminate them all perfectly, catching most of them would be enough. Most of the people dispatched to each village after the last war had been replaced, so the number of those colluding with them in the villages should have decreased significantly as well. “And…… we need to start preparing from now on.”
Considering the forces currently available to move…… “Make sure everyone in the castle keeps their mouths shut. Sebastian.”
“Yes, my lord.”
First, I’d have Sebastian handle keeping the castle staff quiet. “All knights and nobles, including myself, will conduct irregular patrols of the territory.”
“The territory?”
“You mean you personally, my lord?”
At the murmuring around me, I nodded. “Of course, my movements will be kept secret. Only those present here will know, and I’ll have my personal maids make it look as though I’m staying in my room.”
“Is there a reason you must go to such lengths?”
Normally Chloe would have simply agreed, so the fact that she asked meant she was speaking for the others. I nodded at her. “They must have had a reason for moving now.”
Why now, of all times? The result of human experimentation. If they’d only taken the drug that created those monsters with magic-nullifying abilities, they probably could have done so without us noticing. “If their goal was simply to gather data and silence witnesses, they would have disappeared quietly.”
“So they deliberately needed to cause a commotion?”
“Exactly.”
And it just so happened that Irina’s coming-of-age ceremony was approaching soon. We still had no solid evidence. “We’ll need more information from interrogating that one, but……”
Thinking about what lay ahead, if a commotion broke out now and something happened to the people invited to this land…… I pressed a hand to my throbbing head. “If they’re planning something in Müller, they’ll try again. Especially with the coming-of-age ceremony approaching, the Boreng family and other prominent noble houses from each region will be attending in force. The opportunity to cause trouble will be more than enough.”
“I see.”
And at the same time…… “Spread a rumor as well.”
“A rumor?”
I didn’t have to deal with Red Blood alone. Of course, some would take it seriously, but given how people originally viewed Red Blood, many would dismiss it. “That they’ve developed a weapon capable of nullifying magic power.”
“……Isn’t that dangerous?”
At my words, everyone’s expressions grew serious. It was dangerous. “But it’s not my problem. This rumor might make the Red Blood organization grow larger, but the increased awareness of the situation’s severity will bring more nobles into the fold. That alone is enough.”
I didn’t need to handle everything myself. Whatever their intentions, it wasn’t my concern. If they wanted to get dragged in, let them all get dragged in. My subordinates’ faces took on strange expressions. Why? “Are you sure about this?”
“It’s fine. Some nobles will develop ill intentions, and others will try to seize the weapon for themselves to operate independently.”
But that was how weapon development worked. When one side developed a high-performance weapon, the other side would develop something of equal capability. It was said that the speed of scientific advancement was fastest during wartime. “Besides, perhaps…… though the possibility is still low.”
They hadn’t seemed particularly concerned about hiding this drug. Whether their goal was to cause chaos or something else, the fact that they’d released magic-nullifying monsters and were observing them made it clear. “It’s also quite possible that Red Blood itself is colluding with nobles.”
In that case, it would be better to drag every noble in the country into the mess. Since they’d laid hands on my territory, the war with them had already begun. If that was the case, I would ruin every one of their plans and schemes. Unfortunately, I had no confidence in psychological warfare. So I would settle this with brute force instead. I would involve every noble. Even if the end of that chaos was war.