The Family's Crisis (2)
"How... how could this happen..."
Abros and Alex offered no resistance.
They quietly surrendered to the royal decree backed by Walter's arrest warrant and left the duke's mansion without a fight. A chilling silence hung over the mansion's interior.
With her daughter kidnapped and her husband and son arrested and taken away, Lunes—left alone in the mansion—couldn't hide her bewilderment at the sudden turn of events. She could only mutter denials, staring blankly into space.
"Duchess."
"Y-yes...?"
"You need to remember what Abros and Alex told you. You know what they said before they were taken away."
"They said... to take good care of the mansion..."
"That's right. In this chaotic mess, you're the only one who can protect the duke's mansion. So steel yourself. As for Lady Elenoa... I'll bring her back, no matter what it takes."
"Please... I beg you. My daughter..."
"Yes."
Eunhyeon nodded at Lunes's near-pleading request and left the mansion.
He stopped by home first to pick up Emilia, then headed straight to Artia headquarters.
"Knew you'd come."
"Heard the news? About the duke's family."
"......"
Riod didn't reply, but a small nod served as his answer.
The arrest of Duke Armitas and his son was the hottest topic buzzing through the capital right now.
"Thanks to that, the investigation into Lady Elenoa's kidnapping has been pushed aside. What do you think? Coincidence?"
"No way in hell. Someone sparked a bigger scandal to divert attention—pinning corruption on the duke, no less. Pretty vicious."
With the entire Armitas family in disarray over Elenoa Armitas's kidnapping, this was tantamount to launching a full assault on the house. The charge of 'conspiracy in Lenion Hersha's embezzlement' stemmed from Ashton's solo actions, but even confined to a annex in the duchy after losing his heir position, he was still Abros's son.
Eunhyeon had expected some accountability, but dragging Abros and Alex into it—who was pulling the strings?
"Whoever did it landed a solid hit."
Eunhyeon's fist clenched instinctively.
The duke's house might not fall completely, but the second-most powerful family in the kingdom was on a path to decline, stripped of its influence.
"Can't Artia handle the search for the lady?"
"Artia's currently under royal orders to investigate the nobles who colluded with Lenion Hersha in the embezzlement—alongside the duke's house. They've got explicit pressure to devote all manpower here. Sorry, but helping with this case could be seen as defying the crown."
"Haa... what a shitshow. For real."
Eunhyeon had no intention of pushing Riod that far.
He grimaced at the frustrating situation, a curse slipping out naturally.
"But it's too blatant. Could someone from the royal faction have kidnapped Elenoa...?"
"Not impossible, but I don't see the motive. If it was the queen's faction—Dianne's side—they'd hit Abros to pressure Consort Helena and Prince Evan through their backer. If that's the goal, they could've just hammered Ashton on the embezzlement from the start. Why go to all this trouble attacking the whole family? What's the gain?"
Adding Abros and Alex as co-conspirators to Ashton's embezzlement, jailing them, and kidnapping Elenoa—Eunhyeon couldn't connect the dots.
"...What if they're collaborators?"
"Collaborators?"
"Parties with aligned interests teaming up for their own goals, creating this mess. Riod, I want to see the bodies of those two murdered guards. They were brought here, right?"
"Got it."
Eunhyeon nodded and summoned one of the knights, ordering him to guide them to the bodies.
"This is the place."
The room they entered reeked of decay from the corpses.
"Hey, this isn't somewhere a kid should—"
"This unit is not a child," Emilia stated flatly.
"It's fine. Let us in."
"No, seriously..."
The knight tried to stop the petite, cute girl following Eunhyeon, but Emilia silently took her place beside him. Eunhyeon and Emilia wordlessly examined the two bodies laid out inside.
"You said you'd challenge me someday..."
The face of the knight who'd vowed endless training after a humiliating defeat, promising a rematch one day, was gone.
Staring at Reno's decapitated corpse, Eunhyeon confronted yet another small connection from his life severed, sinking into hollow emptiness. He shook it off, lifted the cloth over the bodies, and began a close inspection.
The armor was scarred and dented everywhere. Bruises and various wounds showed the guards had fought fiercely.
Eunhyeon reached out, lifted a body, and flipped it to expose the back.
"H-hey! What the hell are you—"
The knight startled at the handling of the corpse, but Eunhyeon ignored him, methodically checking the wounds.
"Lia, your analysis?"
"Multiple assailants. The neck wound's piercing matches a stiletto dagger—best fit from the database by depth and width. Skill suggests a master assassin."
"Same here."
'What the...? That kid...?'
Ignoring the knight's shocked stare at the girl who looked barely thirteen, Eunhyeon and Emilia calmly exchanged views.
"Thanks for the look. Tell Captain Riod we're heading out—he seems busy."
"Uh... sure."
The bewildered knight nodded dazedly, as if entranced. Eunhyeon promptly headed for the darkening alleys.
Navigating the winding paths deeper in, the slums emerged—wretched figures with bones visible through taut skin.
"M-milord... just a coin, please..."
Eunhyeon's plain commoner clothes were spotless, his striking looks suggesting a well-off household. Beggars gathered, pleading.
"Buy yourself a meal."
"O-oh! Th-thank you!"
He handed a beggar a pouch bulging with silver coins. The man whooped and bowed frantically.
"Hand it over!"
"Share it, yeah?!"
Spotting the pouch's contents, beggars clamored to claim even one coin, turning the slums rowdy in seconds.
"G-give us the money!"
Ignoring the fighting beggars, Eunhyeon pressed on. A man blocked him, brandishing a rusted kitchen knife missing teeth.
"That's all I got."
"L-lies! You got more!"
Convinced Eunhyeon hid more, the man didn't join the mob, eyeing the pouch.
Eunhyeon said nothing, walking past.
"You deaf?! Give me the money!"
Even as the man thrust the knife at his throat in threat, Eunhyeon ignored him.
"You little shit—! Gaaak!"
Furious at being dismissed, the man lunged—but Emilia slammed her fist into his gut.
"Hostile action against Master detected. Engaging auto-defense."
"Don't kill him."
"Command accepted."
The beggar, struck dead-center, dropped the knife, clutching his stomach and writhing on the ground, howling. Strangely, no pity stirred in Eunhyeon.
"......"
Perplexed by his own numbness, he shook his head, focusing solely on clues to rescue Elenoa. Reaching the slums' heart, he eyed a ramshackle shack pieced from planks.
"Hey, you. This ain't a place for a clean-cut prick dragging a fancy kid. Scram."
"......"
Silence from Eunhyeon as he stared at the shack irked the thug, who approached scowling.
"You ignore me—?! Gaaaaah!"
Offended, the thug reached for Eunhyeon's shoulder—but Emilia intercepted, crushing his hand bone-deep. He screamed, flailing.
Eunhyeon ignored him, shoving open the plank door and striding inside.
"What the?"
"Who's this pretty boy?"
"A kid?"
"Huh?"
"Stop! Let go—now!"
The door thug, meant to block Eunhyeon, was dragged in by the girl, arm in her grip—hilariously pathetic.
The tavern inside erupted in laughter at the drinkers' low-grade booze.
"Puhahaha! Lond, that idiot's losing an arm-wrestle to a kid?!"
"A girl kid!"
"Moron!"
"Cut your dick off!"
"Hey, girlie! That grip's no joke—let go!"
"I'm here for the Black Wolf Gang leader. Top floor, fourth level, right?"
The rowdy tavern fell deathly quiet at Eunhyeon's calm query.
"What'd you say? Meet the boss?"
"Yeah?"
A burly man slammed his mug down, rising to loom over Eunhyeon.
"Boss ain't meeting punks like you. What's the business? Looking for your runaway baby mama or something?"
"Puhahaha!"
"Tsk tsk tsk."
"......"
Mistaking Emilia's grip on Eunhyeon for father-daughter, the thug mocked them openly—Eunhyeon's youthful face notwithstanding.
"Black Wolf Gang and their dark wolves. Got business with them."
"Tch, told you nice—now fuck off, straight talk."
"I've been straight from the start. You lot aren't listening."
"This punk..."
The burly thug raised his massive arm toward Eunhyeon.
"Lia."
"Command accepted."
At Eunhyeon's word, Emilia stepped forward and kicked the man's leg with full force.
Height disadvantage limited targets, but legs were optimal against his double-sized frame.
"Guhk?!"
One leg buckled grotesquely. As balance crumbled, Emilia slipped behind, heel-smashing the remaining knee's back—dropping him to his knees.
"Wha...?"
No time to process, her arms wrapped his sides.
Short arms couldn't fully encircle his thick gut, but monstrous strength locked it tight. From behind, she hoisted the giant twice her size.
"Huh?"
"Wh-what?"
Onlookers' faces shifted from blank to horrified.
"What the fuck?! Put me down!"
The airborne thug flailed wildly, but Emilia didn't budge—tilting her waist back even.
Knees bent, the doll girl bore the massive weight effortlessly. Thugs gaped in shock.
Emilia shuffled to a rectangular plank table's corner.
"S-stop! No—!"
Thud!
She slammed his crotch onto the edge with all her might.
"Gaaaaah!"
Unspeakable agony blanched the thugs' faces.
Emilia didn't release, hoisting him again.
"No way..."
"Stop..."
"Don't...!"
Thugs shook heads in terror, begging—but
Thud!
"Gaaaaaaaah!"
Thud!
"Gaaaaaaaah! Stop! Please stooooop!"
She pounded relentlessly until the corner splintered.
"Enough! His balls are already... smashed!"
A thug, pained just watching, pleaded desperately.
"Arkys... what the hell did you teach your doll?"
Eunhyeon shuddered, recalling his own jewels burst by Illyana long ago.