Although the Goal is Kidnapping (2)
Although the Goal is Kidnapping (2)
Paula slowly stepped back.
"Since you seem to have some strange misunderstanding, I'll simply take my leave."
Paula backed away quite a distance and leaned against the wall.
But Ivana did not budge.
"Now that things have turned out like this, I suddenly find myself doubting whether Sir Ohen has even arrived."
Even if he wasn't her biological father, she was still calling her adoptive father by his name.
The thought that it was strange flashed through Paula's mind, but now was not the time to worry about such things.
"Let's go back."
Ivana had turned around.
And then the senior intelligence agent who had been hiding revealed himself.
He spoke in a low voice.
"Subdue her! You may kill the mercenary!"
People sprang out from all directions.
They were all imperial officials and intelligence agents who had entered the Kingdom alongside her.
They all wore robes instead of armor, and they were neither knights nor physical awakeners.
Yet they were incredibly fast.
They moved just like assassins.
The reason they could move so quickly despite not being physical awakeners was the man who had given the order.
Though others might not have realized it, the leader of these intelligence agents was transferring power to everyone.
He wasn't enhancing their entire bodies; he was only increasing their speed. Still, that alone was more than enough.
The charging operatives spread their hands.
Fireballs gathered over their open palms, and weapons surged out from beneath their unbuttoned robes.
One operative pressed his hand against the floor, while another, by contrast, dissolved into the shadows.
Whoosh, swish, swish!
The attacks poured down on Ivana—or rather, on the mercenary guarding her.
The ground rippled, and a torrent of flames engulfed the mercenary.
As if that weren't enough, sharp weapons flew in as if they were alive.
Had they been slower, the attacks might have been avoided, but the onslaught was difficult even for a knight to counter.
And Ivana was standing behind the mercenary. The operatives had attacked him with her as their very target.
The launched weapons pierced through the flames enveloping the mercenary.
The ground rippled, the flames engulfed him, and weapons flew in as well.
If it had been just one attack, things might have been different, but even a skilled knight would have struggled to block such a diverse array of attacks.
Clang, clang, clang.
But instead of the sound they wanted, a different one rang out.
Then the heated weapons were deflected out of the flames.
Whoosh.
Next came the sound of a sword swinging.
The flames died down. The mercenary emerged from the extinguished fire.
His leather armor was scorched black, and his hair was singed and curled by the fire, but he was perfectly fine.
Apart from his flushed, heat-reddened skin, there wasn't a single wound on him.
After sweeping away the flames with a single stroke of his sword, he stomped his foot.
Thud.
The sound of his mana-infused footfall rippled outward, and—
"Ugh."
A groan escaped the mouth of the operative who had been manipulating the ground.
In an instant, all their attacks had been blocked, and they had even suffered a casualty.
The attacking operatives hastily retreated.
"Was he not a mercenary?"
Paula could no longer play dumb, either.
Seeing her like that, Ivana smirked.
"Did you really think I would travel with an ordinary mercenary? Judging by your words, you must have intended to kidnap me."
There was no way she would travel with a common mercenary.
Since she had to conceal her identity, she couldn't travel with a large escort.
But her hidden identity wasn't something an ordinary mercenary could protect. Even if their numbers were small, she had to travel with someone truly skilled.
And such a skilled individual was someone she, Ivana, could create.
Although she had severed the connection for a while to nurture the Marquis's son, now that she had reestablished it, her escort knight was stronger than most Royal Knights.
"Clean them all up. Though their reason for trying to kidnap me seems to be different, there's no need to keep anyone alive who attempts to kidnap me."
It was possible they were trying to kidnap her because they knew her true identity. She couldn't leave even a shred of possibility.
"Since their goal seems to be kidnapping, you don't have to worry about me."
Before anyone knew it, Ivana was holding a sword, too. Though she wasn't a physical ability user, her posture as she held the blade was no novice's.
At Ivana's words, the mercenary began to move.
The situation was reversed.
The one who had been blocking attacks began to strike, and those who had been attacking were now forced to defend.
"Ugh."
The first person the mercenary—no, the escort knight—attacked was the operative who had been injured while manipulating the ground.
Before he could take a single step, his throat was slashed.
Next was the operative who had been shooting fire.
The flames were sliced apart by the sword, and before long, both of the operative's arms had been severed. He was consumed by his own backdrafting flames.
The escort knight was moving, but even with him occupied, kidnapping the target seemed difficult.
Ivana's skill seemed better than expected, and the knight kept his eyes on her even in the midst of battle.
Paula was utterly dazed by the drastic change in the situation.
Just moments ago, she had heard that the operatives were stronger than knights.
Yet now, before her eyes, she could only watch as the operatives were slaughtered one by one by a knight disguised as a mercenary.
As she stared blankly at the scene, a voice spoke beside her.
"Run. It seems things have become more complicated than expected."
Complicated? Wasn't it just a complete disaster?
Such thoughts swirled in her mind, but before she could speak, the man continued.
"To be honest, the chances of a successful kidnapping were never high. Even if we kidnapped her here, taking her all the way to the Empire wouldn't have been easy."
"Then..."
"I only said that to cheer you up because you were worrying too much."
He grinned at Paula.
"Remember this well. In our line of work, there is always a backup plan."
At the man's words, Paula thought of a single possibility.
"The order was to kill her if the kidnapping failed."
Her guess was correct.
But she did not know that the higher-ups wanted her dead just as much as they wanted to kidnap her.
Nor would she ever find out.
The man placed his hand over his chest.
The necklace was still hanging securely around his neck.
"I don't know if this will work. They said the testing was barely finished, so I hope nothing goes wrong."
Come to think of it, the necklace test had also taken place in this kingdom.
Because that test had gone awry, they had only just begun distributing them to the operatives.
He was the very first recipient.
"Go, quickly!"
The fire ability user was dead, and so was the telekinetic ability user. The stealth ability user was running around, but it seemed he would be caught soon.
Still looking bewildered, Paula turned around and began to run.
The knight pursuing the stealth ability user quickened his pace.
It seemed he intended to capture the fleeing Paula as well.
He couldn't let that happen.
As an imperial official and the Organization's intelligence team leader, he decided to carry out the Organization's final order right here.
"For the Empire. And for my family."
Thinking of the family he had left behind in the Empire, he charged forward.
The necklace around his neck slipped out from beneath his robe.
The necklace began to glow.
Ivana's eyes widened.
Boom!
A massive explosion shattered the quiet night in the capital.
The massive explosion that had occurred overnight threw the entire capital into an uproar.
Guards and knights scrambled in all directions, and even the administration and the Academy moved frantically to confirm the casualties.
Perhaps because everyone had been working with such urgency for the first time in a while, the First Prince—or rather, the Crown Prince—was briefed on the night's disaster before dawn broke.
"No, I don't understand what you're saying..."
The First Prince's office.
Having rushed out of bed, the First Prince wasn't even properly dressed.
Yet his expression was far more striking than his attire.
The sneer that always seemed to linger on his face had vanished.
Instead, his face was filled with utter shock and horror.
"Say that again. Who died?"
"It appears Lady Ivana has passed away."
"Not Lady—Princess. No, no, what does the title even matter in this situation?"
"You said it wasn't the Academy that exploded. Why would a girl who was at the Academy die?"
"We received word that she was on her way to an inn after hearing that Sir Ohen had arrived in the capital."
"Don't tell me she was just caught up in it while walking down the street?"
"But it seems Sir Ohen did not actually arrive in the capital."
"What do you mean? Tell me everything. Every single detail!"
The young noble who served as the First Prince's advisor relayed the information they had gathered.
The explanation went on for quite some time.
A moment later, having grasped the situation, the Prince clutched his head.
"So, they lured Ivana out under the pretense that Sir Ohen was calling for her, then tried to kidnap her in an alleyway? But when they failed, they blew themselves up? Are you telling me they have some kind of self-detonation ability?"
The young noble calmly answered the Prince's barrage of questions.
"They are operatives dispatched from the Empire. It may be a newly discovered ability of the Empire."
"What about the guard?"
The middle-aged knight answered.
"He is barely clinging to life. He will likely not survive the day. It was thanks to his testimony that we were able to grasp the situation."
Thanks to his words, they were able to learn that the attackers had been dispatched from the Empire and how the events had unfolded.
Yet the First Prince seemed displeased that the guard had survived.
"If he was capable of surviving, he should have been able to protect my little sister!"
Although he had kept his distance at his sister's command, it was also true that he had failed to protect Ivana, so it was only natural for the First Prince to be furious.
"A bastard who couldn't even protect my sister gets to live another day? Kill him immediately."
Ordering his execution simply out of anger, though, was a harsh order.
"Understood."
The Prince's two confidants present here could not talk back to him.
They knew just how much the First Prince cherished his little sister.
The fact that the Prince had a half-sister by a different father was a secret known only to the two confidants present.
The reason the First Prince was holding this discussion in his private office was also that his sister's existence was a secret.
"Did those imperial bastards all die there?"
"No, Your Highness. There are witnesses who saw a girl who was an exchange student at the Academy running in the opposite direction. Seeing as she has not returned to the Academy, she seems to be on the run."
"Is that bitch the only one?"
"There is one more exchange student. Since they were far apart, we will need to verify if there is any connection."
"Verify? What is there to verify? You said everyone except that bastard was involved. There's no way that bastard is the only innocent one!"
That was a sentiment shared by both the young noble and the middle-aged knight.
"I don't care why those imperial bastards did such a thing. Round them all up. Kill anyone who stands in your way!"
For now, the Prince decided not to think about the complicated international relations or political issues that would follow.
Right now, he had to appease his deceased sister's soul first.
With the blood of those complicit in his sister's death.
But his confidants had no choice but to seriously consider the political ramifications.
And this might just be an opportunity.
The Princess and the Grand Archduchess were at the location of the other imperial exchange student.
Just moments ago, the Prince had ordered them to kill anyone who stood in their way.
Since they were capturing imperial spies, an accident could easily occur in the process.
The middle-aged knight and the young noble's eyes met.
They immediately realized they were thinking exactly the same thing.