Chapter 193
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: We Must Stop It.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After that 'tour'.
The behavior of the two upon returning to the count's estate couldn't help but change from before.
Rose didn't assign any surveillance to Rimon in particular, but instead avoided all contact and kept a strict distance.
Meanwhile, Rimon continued steady practice sessions with Julia while openly conducting his investigation.
Meeting with Weylin and hearing several reports was part of that effort.
"Still no word from Ainsha?"
"According to the White Dragon Clan, the Muse Temple has been incredibly stubborn, so the White Dragon Princess went in person to negotiate."
"...Was the Muse Order that influential in the Sacred Federation?"
"Since Tiamat is their headquarters, religions tied to culture and the arts do tend to thrive there relatively well."
"Doesn't that basically mean the White Dragon Clan is the Muse Order's top patron? So what gives them the guts to act so brazenly?"
"If even the White Dragon Clan doesn't know, how would I?"
"You're no help compared to them."
Rimon clicked his tongue.
The White Dragon Clan would have just shrugged it off without batting an eye if they lacked any specific prophecy.
'Hmm, there must be something going on.'
Rimon pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
No matter how much the Muse Temple resisted, if Ainsha stepped in personally, they'd have no choice but to spill everything in the end.
With that, Rimon shifted his attention.
"What about the tail?"
"Same as always."
"Still no movement? No suspicious contacts or anything?"
"Yes. She's still just sightseeing in London or occasionally heading to the practice room to sing or rehearse."
"...She hasn't noticed the surveillance, has she?"
"According to the intel team's report, she hasn't shown any signs of noticing at all."
"I see."
'If she'd caught on that we were tailing her, she'd have been dealt with already. Is she just being extra cautious to avoid any risks? What a paranoid one.'
He'd gone to the trouble of setting her out as bait.
Rimon clicked his tongue again at Claire's unusually quiet movements.
If it had been Ryu Gangcheol, Bellos, or Eugene, they would've made contact the moment Claire arrived in London—or within a few days at most.
If not for the string of incidents in London, he might have even doubted whether the Liberation Brigade's remnants were really here, given how thorough she was being.
"Looks like it'll take some time to reel in the body from this tail."
"We could always grab her and torture her for info."
"No, save that as a last resort. It doesn't work well on Liberation Brigade executives anyway."
Liberation Brigade executives never cracked.
Plea bargains, torture, even threats of death—none of it worked.
Because of that, governments worldwide had come to accept as fact that some kind of binding restriction was placed on them.
That was why Rimon was holding off on capturing Claire as long as possible.
If they couldn't extract any info anyway, it'd just put the remnants on high alert for nothing.
"Fine, let's set the tail aside for now. What about the other investigations? Anything turn up?"
"Fortunately, we have a few leads there."
Perhaps because she'd only brought bad news until now.
Weylin continued with a somewhat confident tone this time.
"First, our survey of London's current situation confirmed a sharp rise in missing persons cases over the past few months."
"For a spike like that, London seems awfully quiet."
"The Azure Dragon Clan's info control plays a part, but the biggest reason seems to be that the disappearances all happen around twilight hour."
"Hmm, I see."
Rimon furrowed his brow.
London during twilight hour became a ghost city with no witnesses and no functioning cameras.
And all the citizens accepted disappearances during twilight as a matter of course.
It was the perfect setup for covert murders.
"Still, after a few months, you'd think people would start getting suspicious."
"Yes, and lately, some suspicious rumors have started circulating."
Along with her response, Weylin pulled out several magazines and newspapers.
[Shocking! London Ghost Sighting!], [7 Minutes of Voice Recording Left by a Missing Person.], [Mr. R from the Magic Hall Saw It.] and so on.
Mostly cheap tabloids and third-rate papers.
But among them, Rimon narrowed his eyes at a few articles—especially one blurry photo of a monster's shadow through the fog.
"The Azure Dragon Clan's info control is hitting its limit, huh."
"That's part of it, but it seems the Magers Guild digging into what the Azure Dragon Clan is hiding has had a bigger impact."
"The Magers Guild again?"
"Yes. They're clashing with the Azure Dragon Clan in several areas."
"...Are they pressuring them to cooperate on eliminating twilight hour?"
"If the Azure Dragon Clan is opposing that, as you suggested, then that's probably the goal."
"That part bothers me. Does the Magic Lord have any reason to be so obsessed with ending twilight hour?"
Rimon wore a dubious expression.
No matter how dominant the top ten guilds were in this era, the real power in the British Empire lay with the Azure Dragon Clan.
A full-scale war between them would mean catastrophic losses no matter who won.
Karl, already at the absolute pinnacle with nothing left to gain, taking on that risk—what was his motive? Rimon couldn't fathom it.
Was there some circumstance?
Or a hidden agenda?
Maybe that reason tied directly to the heart of this incident.
"I might have a guess about that."
"You know why he's doing this?"
"It's not confirmed yet. But from my investigation, the Magic Lord..."
"Fine painting."
"Save that frank praise for my nephew. If he gets commended for his meager talents, he might gain some confidence."
"Aren't you being too harsh on Crown Prince Edward?"
"Hmph, it's not that my judgment is harsh—it's the boy who's the problem."
Duke Robert, a massive middle-aged man, snorted as he watched Karl chuckle heartily while admiring a painting on the wall.
Then he spoke coldly.
"He needs to hit at least level 60. A level 40 player's work is just amateurish."
"Heh heh, in the public eye, that's enough to count as a solid mid-tier player."
"That's just talk among the masses. For someone born royal to be compared to mere commoners is shameful in itself."
Arrogant words, through and through.
But Karl didn't bother pointing out Robert's arrogance.
The man had earned the right as a grand duke-level player sustaining the royalist faction his whole life as a royal.
Of course, the main reason was that there was no need to call it out.
"More importantly, Duke Karl, how go the preparations?"
"All done."
"You sure?"
"Of course."
Karl nodded without a hint of hesitation.
Then, with eyes blazing fiercely beyond his years, he met Robert's gaze squarely and continued.
"No matter what anyone says, this has been the obsession of my lifetime."
"The obsession of your lifetime...? Just eliminating the twilight fog?"
As if hearing something utterly unexpected, Robert mulled over the words with a strange look on his face. Karl smiled faintly.
"What, does this old fool who can't let go of his obsession at my age look strange to you?"
"Not ridiculous, per se. I'm just curious why you made it your obsession."
"No grand trigger, really. I just happened to realize the truth."
"What truth?"
"The truth of the London Great Barrier."
Karl spoke softly.
To the puzzled Robert, he explained in a voice heating up like the glow from a furnace.
"London's citizens fear twilight hour, yet they take pride in the London Great Barrier—the very source of it."
"Natural enough. It held back the Demon God, after all."
"True, I acknowledge that feat."
Karl nodded readily for once.
Then, as if sharing a secretive conspiracy, he lowered his voice to a whisper.
"But doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"What part?"
"No matter how ancient the magic passed down from the Silver Age, blocking a Demon God that ravaged Europe with just one barrier."
"...You don't think it was fabricated, do you?"
"No, even I wouldn't indulge in that delusion."
So quit looking at him like some senile old man.
Karl adjusted Robert's gaze with a smile laced with pressure, then continued in an even graver tone.
"But there are three certainties."
"Which are?"
"First, magic always demands a price."
"Common knowledge."
"Exactly. So what price did the witches of the 27 magic houses pay to erect the London Great Barrier?"
"..."
"That's the second. A price that should have been public knowledge was concealed."
Magic always demands a price.
That was the primary reason magic from the Silver Age, which once dominated, ended up treated as mere traditional craft.
Compared to psionics or skills usable based on training or levels, its efficiency was abysmal.
Especially to shield all of London from a Demon God with such magic?
It would have required an enormous price.
One so big it was harder to hide than reveal.
"That's how I learned the third truth."
Why was the price of the London Great Barrier—the one exception—kept so tightly hidden?
After exhausting every possibility, Karl revealed his conclusion with a chilling smile.
"The witches of the 27 magic houses, hailed as London's heroes, were in truth vile, shameless frauds."
"You're saying Duke Karl met with Duke Robert again?"
"Yes."
"...So Duke Robert has indeed joined hands with Duke Karl."
"No concrete proof yet, but his movements make it almost certain."
After a moment of grave contemplation.
Rose suddenly asked Lucas, as if struck by a thought.
"Did you hear back from His Highness Edward?"
"He hesitated a lot, but he ultimately agreed to support us."
"I see."
Rose let out a sigh.
Edward's weak-willed nature kept his popularity low, but he was still the crown prince in the direct line.
If he sided with the Azure Dragon Clan, at least the royalists wouldn't fully defect to Karl.
"Don't worry too much. Even if Duke Karl pulls in the entire royalist faction, he can't touch the barrier without the princess's approval."
In the British Empire, the power balance was roughly 5:4:1—noble faction led by the Azure Dragon Clan, commoner faction by the Magers Guild, and royalists under Duke Robert.
In the worst case of Karl allying with the royalists, it would still end in a stalemate.
Especially considering the many in the commoner faction quietly backing the Serpent Count family for their good deeds.
"Still, we can't let our guard down. Not against Duke Karl."
But Rose couldn't relax.
The Magic Lord she knew wasn't the type to chuckle and back off just because his forces were outnumbered.
"So prepare the event meticulously. This Walpurgis Night will surely be where we settle things with Duke Karl."
Perhaps from days of sleeplessness.
Even maintaining her condition with psionics as best she could, she pushed down the surging fatigue and continued with a serious expression.
"We must stop the truth about the London Great Barrier from coming to light."
Some harbored suspicions.
Some aspirations.
Some worries.
Thus, as each carried their own emotions and spent their time busily, the British Empire's grandest festival—Walpurgis Night—was drawing near.