Noble Chain Assault Incident (1)
"They're insane...."
"Ha...."
Abros and Alex, having heard all of Eunhyeon's plans, wore expressions of disbelief and absurdity on their faces.
Even Riod, who usually showed blind trust in whatever Eunhyeon did, reacted skeptically this time.
"Personally, I have no intention of complaining about your plan, but this time it's a bit much. Is there really any need to go that far?"
"Of course. By me stepping up like this, they'll owe me an even bigger debt."
"Illyana won't agree to it."
"Naturally, she'll agree in secret. I'll tell her starting from the middle."
Riod let out a sigh.
If Illyana heard this plan, she would have lost her mind, grabbed Eunhyeon by the collar first, and exploded in fury.
"Your plan is absurdly reckless and yet utterly terrifying.... But did you think I wouldn't change my mind and join in after hearing it?"
"I figured at least the duke wouldn't do that... and even if you don't join the plan, that's fine. Just please don't interfere. It's truly necessary. But I think it's not a bad proposal for the duke who was just worrying about this kingdom's future."
"Hmm...."
Eunhyeon's plan could indeed provide an opportunity to overcome his concerns and fears.
But in the process, he would have to overlook the continued harm to this kingdom's nobles.
Even if that harm came from his own ducal family, he would have to endure it.
Closing his eyes quietly, Abros sank into thought.
"Father."
"Alex, what do you think?"
"I... think it's worth trying. Besides... when I heard about the crimes the victims committed, I got angry too. If they receive punishment like this, it might even feel refreshing."
"If the situation you foresaw truly happens, I won't interfere or pretend not to know. As a noble of this kingdom, I'll faithfully fulfill my role."
That was Abros's tacit sign of approval.
"Good."
Eunhyeon nodded in satisfaction, and the four men gathered in the shabby tavern room spent the time drinking.
"I'm home."
"Welcome back."
As soon as he entered the house, Illyana, who had been quietly reading a magic book under the light of the magic lamp, greeted Eunhyeon at the entrance.
He headed straight to the kitchen looking for the piled-up dishes, but his eyes widened at the sight of clean plates.
Looking at Illyana with a hopeful expression, she quietly opened her mouth.
"Erin did it. She said it would be too awkward not to, since she's already feeding them and putting them to bed."
He felt proud of Erin's actions but disappointed that it wasn't Illyana's doing.
"What's with that face?"
"Huh? No, just...."
Feeling as if she could see right through him, Eunhyeon forced a smile to hide his expression.
After quenching his thirst with water, he sat down next to Illyana on the sofa.
"Are the two asleep?"
She nodded affirmatively, and Eunhyeon nodded back.
It's late, after all.
"What did you talk about?"
"Whether I wanted to become a noble of this kingdom."
"What's with the random nonsense?"
Illyana frowned and asked back.
"The duke seemed worried about a lot of things."
"Hmmm, and?"
"Of course I refused. How could I deal with something so annoying?"
"Looking at what you do, you're the busiest person in this kingdom."
"What nonsense is that? And I've decided to help with one of the recent big incidents."
"The assault case?"
"Yeah."
"Hmmm...."
Illyana stared piercingly at Eunhyeon, her eyes sharpening as if sensing something.
"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
"Tell me right now."
Like a sudden acceleration, Illyana pressed her body against Eunhyeon's, closing in tightly.
"What are you talking about?"
Proud of his own acting skills, Eunhyeon feigned ignorance, but Illyana's gaze, fixed intently on him, grew sharper.
Usually, due to her laziness, she wouldn't interfere much, but something like a 'woman's intuition' truly existed—Illyana's sharp senses easily picked up on the secret Eunhyeon was hiding.
But she could only sense that his actions were meaningful; she didn't know exactly what he was concealing.
And she knew well that Eunhyeon, pretending not to know like this, wouldn't reveal it to her openly.
"Sigh...."
Illyana let out a small sigh, the sharpness in her eyes vanishing in an instant, replaced by anxiety.
"If you don't want to say it, you don't have to. Just... don't get hurt."
Eunhyeon gave a wry smile and nodded.
"Don't worry."
Even as he said it, he couldn't shake the guilt inside.
Sorry, but I don't think that'll be possible this time.
Serial crimes by the same perpetrator generally follow certain common patterns.
In investigating grudges between the culprit and victims, common names or items might emerge, or similar traces from the culprit's specific actions or habits appear. The more similar cases pile up, the more clues surface, making it easier to pinpoint the culprit.
However, not everything increases positively with more victims of the same type.
A prime example was the nobles at the court council ridiculing Artia—still holding investigation authority without solving the case—as incompetent.
"Fuck, this is driving me crazy...."
Cain, compiling reports from last night's knight investigations, victim conditions, and doctors' analyses to submit to Captain Riod, unwittingly cursed as he moved his pen.
He was transcribing many reports, but the key content was 'No additional information found in the investigation.'
Captain Riod wouldn't berate him and the subordinates over this, but no progress meant proving Artia's incompetence, forcing their leader to endure humiliation again at the next council.
"Sigh, what can you do against a real demon...."
Muttering Riod's mentioned possibility, Cain stared blankly at the ceiling.
As a young member who hadn't fought in the war 20 years ago, Cain couldn't fully grasp demons.
If the culprit were human, it would be hard to catch but not worrying.
He had no experience, not even imagination, dealing with unknown demons—just a vague dread.
"Sigh, I should report it first."
Finishing the report, Cain headed to the captain's office.
After two knocks, he entered, saluted Riod, and noticed someone else besides the captain.
"Uh?"
Spotting the silver-haired, red-eyed man, he let out a dumbfounded voice unwittingly.
"Ah, hello."
"Ah, yes...."
Returning the smiling man's greeting with a nod.
Why is this guy here again?
Cain had seen Eunhyeon once and knew he was Riod's friend.
He looked like a man in his early twenties, but their casual demeanor, his swordsmanship, and an oddly mature poise marked him as extraordinary.
"I ended up coming to help a friend."
"Ah, I see."
Mid-greeting, a knight burst in, slamming the door open.
"C-Captain! Uh?"
The agitated knight, entering, wore the same stunned look Cain had, staring at Eunhyeon.
"Why is that person here?"
"Hey, why is my face so famous? I've never even talked to you guys."
"Hmph, how would I know? You should know best."
Not liking Riod's snorting reply, Eunhyeon narrowed his eyes and glared.
"Ah, big trouble, Captain! A fourth victim has appeared!"
The three in the office scowled at the bombshell from the panting knight.
It was expected, but sad premonitions never failed—Eunhyeon muttered softly.
"So diligent."
"Like the previous victims, there's not a shred of mana left in the body."
Eunhyeon, accompanying Riod, said nothing upon seeing the noble victim lying in the bedroom for recovery.
"Um, but who is this...?"
The doctor explaining the victim's state subtly inquired about Eunhyeon's identity, accompanying Riod and Cain.
Wearing plain clothes close to commoner attire, no sword or armor, he didn't look like a knight.
"He's with us. We'll vouch for his identity."
"Yes. Well, then...."
With the Artia captain—who held investigation rights—politely vouching, what problem could there be? Still, the doctor couldn't hide his unease, nodding reluctantly.
He hadn't expected the captain to inspect personally, let alone with a mysterious man.
"No external wounds or attack traces?"
"Yes. Completely clean. Not even a bump."
Gaunt with withered skin and visible bones, sunken cheeks, irregular labored breathing—the victim resembled a plant drained of all nutrients.
Suddenly, Eunhyeon approached, bringing his face close to the victim's.
"H-Hey? What are you...?"
Unsure what he intended with the patient, the doctor moved to stop him, but Riod restrained him, leaving the doctor confused.
Eunhyeon pried open the victim's closed eyes with his hand, detected magic power in the dilated pupil, and released.
"Right. Hypnosis magic."
"Hyp, hypnosis...?"
The doctor stammered in confusion.
Eunhyeon glanced at him, nodded slightly, then resumed explaining to Riod.
"All mana that should be in the body is gone, but traces of mana and magic remain in the pupil. This isn't self-cast—someone else cast it on the victim."
"Why wasn't it discovered before?"
"Hypnosis magic is utterly foreign to humans to begin with. Human magic has no mind-manipulation spells. They've never researched it."
During the Great War, such patients were just chalked up to succubus attacks, with no proper research.
Amid war, saving lives left no room for studying symptoms.
"I-Is it really... a demon's doing...?"
The doctor, pale-faced, asked Eunhyeon.
Now, the silver-haired man's identity mattered less.
As a doctor, preparing countermeasures for this patient and future ones was key.
"Can the condition improve?"
"Exactly as it sounds—all mana was drained from the body. The emaciation is a side effect of losing too many nutrients alongside it. With proper meals and rest, he'll recover. Oh, avoid heavy meats or oily foods for now; start with small portions of soup and gradually increase."
"Ah, got it! I'll visit the other victims' mansions right away and spread this!"
Strength returned to the slumped doctor's shoulders as he hurried out.
The elderly court physician, known for skill in the capital, had been doubting his career amid ongoing victims with no improvement.
Even if not his discovery, hope for recovery invigorated him.
"Advanced in years, yet full of energy."
Chuckling at the doctor's back, Eunhyeon turned to Riod.
"Now we've gathered all clues, predicted the culprit's goal and patterns...."
"Right. Time for us to prepare."
Eunhyeon nodded.