Chapter 17: Magician Hunt

[When the moon rises, come to my room.]

The moment I glanced back, I saw the middle-aged man with the warm impression smiling strangely.

‘Toine Randel…….’

I wanted to run over and smash the magician’s jaw in for interrupting a heartwarming moment with my family.

But Muno, while gritting his teeth inwardly, maintained his expression and gave a slight nod with a vacant look in his eyes.

The demonic energy of the spell the man had cast had long been devoured.

– If it’s enchantment-type magic, I’ve heard that in most cases, one’s reason becomes clouded the moment the magic is implanted or the moment it manifests.

He acted, recalling the words he had heard from the princess.

Only after confirming that the man, seeing this, smiled and turned away.

Muno turned his head back with a cold smile.

And he met his father’s hardened expression and his mother’s worried one.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden, son?

Were you offended by our words?

If you don’t really want to come back here……”

“Ah, no! Absolutely not! Of course, of course I have to come back. Drasen is my home……!”

While he was frantically waving his hands to soothe his upset mother, his father, who had stealthily tilted his head, secretly asked in a small voice.

“Is it him?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“……He told me to come find him when the moon rises.”

The moment he repeated the words he had heard from the man, a cold look flickered across the father and son’s expressions simultaneously.

“Trian has agreed to provide manpower support.”

“That’s good. I have also prepared a suitable ‘witness’ and combatant.”

“Then right away……”

“Let’s do that. The moon will rise soon.”

And so, the father and son, having concluded the party, began to prepare for the ‘magician hunt’.

And a short while later.

As the moon that rose in the east of the Drasen territory began to sprinkle a halo of light in the dark sky.

The two, father and son, each with their own accomplice, met again near the guest quarters.

“I greet you, Baron Drasen. Of Trian……”

“Ah. I know, Sir Karina.

I may be a bit old, but my memory isn’t so bad as to forget that quickly.”

Ryan Drasen replied to Karina’s greeting with a smile and a joke.

On top of that.

“That kind of outfit suits you well. As does my son.”

He even added a needless remark.

Karina, dressed in a gown she hadn’t even worn at the party, was bewildered and asked back.

“Pardon?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I was just saying it seems my son has chosen well.”

Her face flushed at the meaningful expression.

But she couldn’t snap at him as she had with Princess Roanna.

Furthermore.

“Ah, I meant he chose you for this operation. Don’t misunderstand.”

The smooth-talking middle-aged man had immediately and perfectly cleaned up the words he had just uttered.

The only one who frowned at Ryan was Muno.

“Didn’t I say not to make a big show of it, Father.”

“That’s why I came with a small party.”

Hah…….

‘Isn’t that too heavily armed for that.’

They were supposed to carefully catch Quasi-Baron Toine in the act of using his magic, but here was the lord, waiting in the middle of the night in full armor.

And next to him was a knight similarly clad in heavy armor, even holding a spear.

“That person is……?”

“The Head Knight of the Esnam Barony, Gremon.

He was once my comrade-in-arms. A trustworthy friend.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve hunted a magician. It’s an honor that you called for me, Prince.”

……I wasn’t the one who called you.

While Muno was sulking, Gremon turned to Karina and continued.

“And……. That appearance is the very picture of a lady, Sir Karina. I am surprised you have such a side to you.”

At those words, Karina slightly creased her brow and adjusted the ill-fitting dress she had borrowed from Roanna.

“Please forget about it after today, Sir Gremon.”

Seeing the middle-aged knight, who seemed to be acquainted with Karina, politely greeting her while raising his helmet’s visor, Muno barely managed to hold back a sigh.

He couldn’t send the two heavily armed middle-aged knights back now.

“……We must not be seen by a single servant.”

“Hm? It’s fine.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve already told them we’re doing late-night training in preparation for tomorrow.”

“……”

The lord is doing late-night training on the night of the party, and near the guest quarters at that?

‘Oh, Father…….’

His head ached, but the water was already spilled.

‘Well. The lord is literally the master of this land, so he can train anywhere he wants.’

Sigh.

Muno shook his head, brainwashing himself like that.

No matter what anyone said, the strongest knight currently in Drasen Castle was his father, Ryan Drasen.

In preparation for the worst-case scenario, he was certainly the most reliable reinforcement.

“……Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”

What was needed was physical evidence that Quasi-Baron Toine was a magician.

Or at least leave a witness who saw him in the act.

The Head Knights of Trian and Esnam would be more than sufficient as witnesses.

Muno, having organized the plan in his head, deliberately walked towards the guest quarters with a staggering gait.

And.

“Young. Mas. Ter. Why are you suddenly, going to the, guest quarters?”

Karina, acting with a very awkward tone, linked arms with him and followed along.

‘Ha…….’

It was frustrating, but the feeling of her arm linked with his was so good that Muno couldn’t bring himself to argue.

After all, the role she had to play was clearly defined.

And so, the two whispered into each other’s ears like lovers, exchanging a secret conversation.

“The escort troops, for sure……”

“Leave it to me.”

The content of which was not at all lover-like.

In front of the room assigned to Quasi-Baron Toine in the guest quarters, two knights were standing.

Not the knights of Drasen, but the knights of the Connel Viscounty.

‘Not soldiers, but two knights on night watch……?

A Quasi-Baron being guarded all night by two other Quasi-Barons? Hmph.’

It was clearly a strange situation, but even after scanning them, the Demon Devourer did not react.

Meaning, at the very least, the knights were not under a spell.

The knights on guard, upon seeing the approaching Muno and Karina, shifted their positions slightly.

“What can we do for you, Young Master? Lady?”

The knights’ expressions, which were indifferent when looking at Muno, soured slightly when they looked at Karina.

Muno answered first.

“I have, some business, with Quasi-Baron Toine.”

He deliberately spoke with a slight stutter and a vacant look in his eyes.

From beside him, Karina tilted her head and chimed in.

“Aii, Young Master……. hic.

I told you, why are we suddenly coming here?”

……Oh.

Contrary to his worries, when it came to the real thing, her drunken-like speech came out very naturally.

Her face was a little red as if she was embarrassed, but even that seemed to contribute to making her look like a truly drunk person.

‘Ho?’

As Muno was inwardly impressed.

The two knights, who had exchanged glances, nodded their heads and spoke to him.

“Lord Toine is waiting for you, Young Master. The lady will be escorted by us separately.”

At those words, Muno’s eyes gleamed slightly.

‘As expected…….’

These guys may not be under a spell, but they are clearly in league with Toine.

“Let’s do that…….”

“Young Master? hic, why?”

The moment Muno nodded, one of the knights smiled and extended his hand to Karina.

“We will escort you, Lady.”

“Aww……. This isn’t it…….”

As Karina made a bewildered yet disappointed face, the knight grabbed her arm, and the other knight knocked on the door of the room he was guarding.

“Lord Toine, Young Master Muno has arrived.”

Knock knock.

– Tell him to come in.

As the reply came from inside the room.

“Ugh……. Let, go of me. Young Master?”

Karina suddenly stumbled and threw a tantrum, shaking off the knight’s arm.

“What are you doing?”

“No, this woman’s strength is…….”

As the other knight was looking at his colleague as if he were pathetic.

A voice came from inside the room once again.

– What is it?

“It’s nothing. Young Master Muno brought a companion with him……”

– A companion?

“A woman.”

– Pfft……. He sure does it all for a brat. Send her away quietly. Don’t make a scene.

I will speak with him alone, quietly.

“Yes, Lord Toine.”

Even though a blatant sneer could be heard, neither the knight nor Muno showed any reaction.

Soon, the two knights began to walk towards the other end of the corridor, supporting Karina on either side.

In the process.

“Of all the luck, we can’t even have some fun, and with such a skinny woman…….”

“That guy’s taste is really…….”

The knights, by adding their needless remarks, made even the neck of Karina, who was pretending to be drunk, turn red.

They hadn’t known each other for long, but I could roughly guess her temper.

‘……You guys are dead.’

Muno imagined the pitiful future of the knights, then took a slow, deep breath and opened the door.

Creeak.

“You’ve come.”

The middle-aged man with a portly build, wearing a suit even in the middle of the night, greeted him with a strange smile.

“Come in.”

“……Yes.”

Upon entering the room, I saw that despite being called the guest quarters, the space was barely 10 pyeong, and there were no particular luxuries or decorations, only practical furniture.

At least there was another noble’s room at the opposite end of the same floor, so the idea of giving each guest in the territory their own separate building was a story from another world in Drasen.

“Because of you, I had to go through all this trouble to come to this backwater. Well, not that you would know.”

Thump.

Woooong.

The moment Toine tapped the floor with the gentleman’s cane he was holding with one hand, a black energy rose from it and seeped into Muno’s entire body.

– Grrrrrr.

Kwaduduk.

Of course, the Demon Devourer swallowed that energy whole.

Toine, who had confirmed that the energy had seeped into him, had that strange smile on his lips again.

“Good. Yes, seeing you like this, it’s definitely him. Though your appearance has changed a bit.”

What?

A question arose as I watched Toine’s gaze scan me up and down, but I couldn’t show it.

“Let’s have a serious talk again, starting now. First, what I’m most curious about is this.”

A desolate aura swirled around the man’s grinning smile.

‘Right, spill it. What the hell are you guys.’

As Muno also sneered inwardly.

“Experiment #13, you who were offered as a sacrifice, why are you still alive?”

What?!

The moment he heard the words that followed, Muno’s eyes widened without him realizing it.

And as soon as he did, he realized his mistake upon seeing Toine’s face, whose brows had narrowed.

“U, uum. My, my head…….”

He hastily acted as if a headache had started.

And indeed, his head was starting to throb with a dull pain.

As if Toine’s words had stimulated something in his forgotten memories.

And at that moment.

“Hmm……. Right, the magic didn’t take well?”

Thump.

Toine, his narrowed eyes gleaming differently from before, tapped the floor with his cane again and began to pour out black energy.

And.

Kwadududuk.

In an instant, black thorns grew from the wooden floor and wrapped around Muno’s entire body.

“Ugh!?”

The moment Muno, who had become covered in blood in an instant, screamed.

Toine gritted his teeth as if he was certain.

“As expected, a mental barrier! Damn it! How dare you, a mere experiment, try to deceive me!?”

Clatter clatter.

Chwareureuk.

Contrary to his confident words, Toine hastily ran to the window, threw open the curtains, and checked the situation outside the building.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he muttered something for a moment, then tapped the floor with his cane again with a ‘thump’ and spread the black energy in all directions.

Toine, closing his eyes and concentrating on that energy.

But because of that, he did not see.

That all the energy he had spread was being sucked straight into Muno.

And that created a great miscalculation for the magician who believed he had fully deployed his magic.

“……Hoo? You came alone? How dare you?”

Toine, who had been extremely tense, finally returned his gaze to Muno with a chilling smile after confirming that no reaction was detected.

“Hehehehe. Trusting in a mere mental barrier? How absurd. There’s a limit to looking down on me for a mere experiment. Ah, could it be because of this face I’m wearing now?”

Pfft.

Toine, who had let out a laugh, his face distorted like a hologram with a crackle, and then changed into a white-haired old man full of wrinkles.

And.

“You recognize this face, don’t you, #13? Or should I help you remember again?”

Fwoosh.

The old man, who smiled sinisterly with a slack jaw with only a few teeth left, created a fireball the size of a human head with both hands and floated it in the air.

A fireball that had suddenly appeared in the air without any discernible cause.

The power of the devil that distorts the laws of the world, magic (魔法).

As it gradually approached Muno’s face according to the old man’s gesture.

“……Yes, I remember.”

“Oho?”

The moment the old man’s eyes gleamed at the answer Muno spat out with a contorted face.

Pajik.

Muno ‘absorbed’ the black thorns and extended his hand toward the old man.

Chwareureuk.

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