Chapter 30
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 30: Revelation (3)
Karl Heimlich’s actions were incredibly swift.
He immediately took the soldiers with him and arrested all the attendants of Chelsea Goldpixie.
Her bedroom, as well as the businesses she managed and the shops she frequented, were thoroughly investigated.
As a result, they were able to apprehend many individuals who knew about the relationship between Chelsea Goldpixie and the dark mages.
The Duke summoned inquisitors to interrogate them.
“Yes, that’s right! Lady Chelsea conspired with the dark mages!”
“How did they meet? Well, I don’t know! Lady Chelsea suddenly brought them one day!”
“The dark mages aided Lady Chelsea in everything! They carried out all the tasks assigned to Chelsea Goldpixie by His Excellency!”
The truth revealed through them was shocking.
Firstly, all the abilities and achievements Chelsea Goldpixie had displayed so far were fake, achieved with the help of dark mages.
Chelsea Goldpixie had expanded her influence within the family with the assistance of the dark mages.
“There’s, there’s more! Lady…Lady Chelsea received loyalty from her vassals with the help of the dark mages!”
“We…we don’t know what kind of dark mages they are! They use some sort of artifact to spread some kind of fragrance. If you inhale that special fragrance, you’ll get captivated by Lady Chelsea!”
Even worse, Chelsea Goldpixie used dark magic to sway the people to her side.
Thanks to dark magic, numerous people had fallen under Chelsea Goldpixie’s influence.
Fortunately, there were no highly influential people among them.
The Duke sent soldiers to capture all the people and knights enchanted by Chelsea Goldpixie.
Upon closer examination, it became apparent that they were mere victims. Yet, considering their susceptibility to dark magic’s influence, they couldn’t be ignored or left unchecked.
As the interrogation was happening, The news that Chelsea Goldpixie had committed suicide spread everywhere.
Even on the day Chelsea Goldpixie died, Damien was dedicated to his training.
Although he had received the elixir, his current physical condition made it difficult to absorb it completely.
He was returning from training when he saw the Duke standing in the doorway of his bedroom.
“Your Excellency?”
Damien asked with a puzzled expression. Only then did the Duke notice Damien’s arrival.
“Oh, you’ve come. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Why didn’t you send a servant to summon me?”
“I suppose I can’t disturb your training, can I?”
The Duke said with a smile.
“But what brings you here?”
“Oh, nothing special.”
The Duke raised his arm, holding a wine bottle in his hand.
“Do you enjoy a drink?”
***
The Duke led Damien to a room in the alcove.
“I have a room set up just for this taste.”
The room was filled with liquor.
There were many different types. Wine, vodka, whiskey, and more. It was hard to find anything that wasn’t there.
“Have a seat and wait. I’ll bring you something to eat.”
With that, the Duke took a block of cheese from the cupboard.
With deft hands, he sliced the cheese and placed it in a bowl.
“This wine goes well with angelic cheese from the Blanco region.”
The Duke poured the wine into the glass in front of Damien. The red liquid trickled down.
“Try it.”
Damien raised the glass to his mouth, the rich aroma filling his mouth.
“It’s a good drink.”
“Hahahaha, I’m glad you noticed. It’s not a very expensive drink, but it’s my favorite.”
The Duke tipped his glass, and after a few sips, it was empty.
“Great, great, great.”
Then he popped the cheese he’d sliced into his mouth.
“I see you’ve decided to enlist the help of the Order after all.”
The Duke said suddenly.
Damien looked puzzled.
Calling in the Order was bound to lead to interference.
For a proud man like the Duke, that was not something he wanted.
“Don’t you think you made your decision too quickly?
Damien asked as he popped a piece of cheese into his mouth.
He couldn’t believe the usually prideful Duke was so quick to call out the Church.
“Actually, we lost track of the black mages.”
The Duke clicked his tongue briefly.
“The associates of Chelsea have all been captured. Among them, there wasn’t a single dark mage.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, hard to believe, but it’s true. We couldn’t even find out the names of the dark mages.”
The duke frowned. Missing the dark mages was quite embarrassing.
“I’m not afraid of the likes of dark mages. My knights are strong enough to follow me. But who knows what cunning schemes they might devise?”
The most frightening aspect of dark mages was not their power but the sinister plots they could weave using dark magic.
If they were to unleash a curse of pestilence from the shadows, the inhabitants of the duke’s domain would undoubtedly suffer significant harm.
“To face dark mages, calling in the paladin is best. That’s why I plan to entrust it to the paladin.”
“Didn’t Chelsea reveal the identity of the dark mages?”
“No chance for that. The girl died on the first day.”
Damien paused in his chewing and looked at the duke.
“It’s been over 5 days since Chelsea was captured. And the news of her death just arrived today. But on the first day?”
“She bit her tongue and ended her life on the first day she was arrested.”
“Then why reveal it now after keeping it a secret for so long?”
To Damien’s question, the duke nodded.
“If the news of Chelsea Goldpixie’s suicide had spread, those involved might have fled. So, we kept it a secret.”
Damien bit his tongue inwardly.
Even so, when your child dies. He never expected the duke to think so coldly about it.
“Chelsea is dead, we didn’t catch the black mage, and we haven’t even figured out who they are… It’s not just about pride.”
The duke sighed, leaning back in his chair.
Damien stared at the duke and said
“You seem quite tired.”
“Does it look that way? Well, that’s embarrassing.”
The duke quietly chuckled but couldn’t hide the fatigue that appeared beneath his eyes.
“Chelsea’s mother was a commoner.”
Suddenly, the duke spoke up.
“During my youth, I ventured on hunts alongside knights, eventually finding myself bound to a rural village. It was in that quaint settlement that I encountered the mother of the girl.”
Nobles seeking commoners for a night is not uncommon.
The outcome was predictable.
“That woman became pregnant with Chelsea right away. But in my youth, the idea of a commoner carrying my blood was unpleasant. So, I rejected that woman when she came to me.”
The duke’s expression was thoroughly emotionless as he spoke of the past.
He couldn’t feel any remorse, regret, or any other emotion.
“As time passed… I suddenly became curious about the whereabouts of the child I had abandoned. After investigating, I found out that the mother had died of a plague, and the child was living alone.”
The duke brought Chelsea, who had been living alone, back with him.
No one knew the reason why. Perhaps the duke himself didn’t know.
“Chelsea was not a particularly bright child. Even considering she had lived as a commoner for a long time, she wasn’t that clever. She had leadership qualities, but her abilities were lacking.”
There is no more dangerous presence than an incompetent leader.
That’s why the duke didn’t use Chelsea prominently.
“I wished for her to live a normal life as a noble lady and then die. But one day, she began to show signs of potential.”
Just as the duke enjoyed testing his subordinates, he took pleasure in testing his children.
And Chelsea Goldpixie completed all the tests the duke set for her.
“At first, I found it strange. No matter how I thought about it, the tests were impossible for her abilities. It was suspicious, but I couldn’t find any evidence.”
So, the duke bestowed upon Chelsea the position of Grand Duchess .
He acknowledged her as his successor.
“It seemed strange, but… I never thought she would have received help from dark mages.”
The duke sighed deeply.
“It would have been better if she had just lived moderately within her bounds.”
The duke silently emptied his glass. Damien had been sitting by the duke’s side for a long time.
The duke emptied three bottles of wine and slumped down.
Damien called the attendants to move the duke and then returned to his bedroom.
“I still haven’t caught anyone, after all.”
Back in his bedroom, Damien sat in a chair, lost in thought.
Although the duke hid it, Damien knew the identity of the dark mages.
Yulan.
That was the identity of the dark mages who collaborated with Chelsea Goldpixie.
“As rumored, they are extremely thorough. They left no trace of themselves.”
While the duke believed Chelsea had committed suicide, Damien’s thoughts were different.
“She fell victim to a curse that claimed her life.”
There was no way Yulan would spare Chelsea.
To prepare for such a situation, they must have placed a curse in advance. Indeed, Chelsea was nothing more than a pawn in Yulan’s long-term scheme.”
The duke stated that Chelsea had joined forces with the dark mages.
But Damien had a different perspective.
Dangerous dark mages like Yulan wouldn’t join hands with Chelsea.
There must have been someone else involved.
“Perhaps the plan was to engulf the duke’s family. Introduce Chelsea Goldpixie as the next duchess and later control the entire family. Whatever the plan, Damien had completely thwarted Yulan’s scheme.
“Probably didn’t run too far.”
If it were an ordinary dark mage, they would have fled to a distant area as soon as their identity was exposed.
But Damien was convinced that Yulan was still lurking near the duke.
“Definitely waiting for an opportunity to kill me.”
Damien killed Yulan’s subordinate, Akitora, and handed his head to the clergy.
Not only that, he dismantled Yulan’s schemes unfolding in the duke’s residence.
Certainly, Yulan would attempt to kill Damien.
This wasn’t speculation but a near certainty.
“Loyalty does not find a place among individuals who delve into the shadows with thorough precision, like dark mages.”
Damien had spent a long time with Archlich Dorgo and knew a lot about the seedlings called dark mages.
In their allegiance, dark mages remained steadfastly in the shroud of secrecy.
There could have been a better reason for it. Dark mages had enemies all around. To survive, they had no choice but to stick together.
The best way to elevate camaraderie and belonging was to be thorough in loyalty.
If they received a favor, they would surely repay it.
If resentment arose, they would undoubtedly seek revenge.
That was the fundamental mindset of dark mages.
“I apologize for keeping it a secret from the duke, but… there’s no choice but to lure them out.”
The reason Damien hid Yulan’s existence was to draw them out.
The less the duke knew, the more vulnerabilities there were. It meant more bait scattered before Yulan.
Above all, there was one crucial reason.
“Disgusting bastards. I’ll personally kill them all.”
Damien despised dark mages.
At the mere mention of Yulan’s name, his anger surged uncontrollably.
It seemed like his conscience wouldn’t be at peace until he personally dealt with them.
“Come anytime.”
Walking through the dark corridor, Damien’s eyes glowed.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all!”
A voice echoed in a dark corridor.
A man holding a bottle was cursing loudly.
The man’s name was Ernest Horowitz.
He was a middle-class knight in the Goldpixie Duchy.
In the recent investigation that swept through the entire duchy, Ernest Horowitz underwent a brief interrogation.
He didn’t even know the fact that Chelsea had allied with dark mages.
However, Ernest Horowitz couldn’t find any comfort in that fact.
“You idiot! You son of a bitch! You should have died right there! You should have protected her!”
This afternoon, Ernest Horowitz heard the news of Chelsea Goldpixie’s death.
At that moment, something collapsed within Ernest Horowitz’s inner self.
“Argh! Uwaaaah!”
Ernest Horowitz pounded his chest with his fist, but the sense of guilt wouldn’t dissipate.
“Lady Chelsea…”
Ernest Horowitz sat down on the pavement, gazing up at the night sky.
Suddenly, the day he first met her flashed before his eyes.
A spirited and confident girl.
That was the first impression Ernest Horowitz had received.
Her bright demeanor left a lasting impression, and he often found himself watching over her.
At some point, Ernest Horowitz began harboring overwhelming emotions for Chelsea.
He fell in love with her.
“Ah… Ahaaa…”
It was when Ernest Horowitz let out a pained groan.
“Sir Ernest Horowitz, you’re here.”
A voice echoed in the darkness. Ernest Horowitz lifted his head.
“Re…Rebecca?”
The woman in front of him was Rebecca, the aide who had been serving Chelsea right beside her.
“Yes…sir!”
Ernest Horowitz’s gaze became sharp. He conjured up mana to dissipate the alcohol fumes.
Rebecca had concealed her appearance as soon as Chelsea was captured.
It meant she was one of the dark mages who collaborated with Chelsea.
“All because of you… all because of the likes of a dark mage associating with Lady Chelsea…”
Ernest Horowitz attempted to grab her throat.
Just before that, Rebecca spoke.
“Sir Ernest, we seek revenge against the duke.”
At those words, Ernest Horowitz’s hand stopped.
“What… what are you talking about?”
“You must have heard the news. Lady Chelsea has passed away. Although the duke did not disclose specific details, the cause is evident.”
After Rebecca took a breath, she continued.
“She died during the interrogation.”
Ernest Horowitz’s mouth slightly opened and then closed again.
If it was the duke he knew, the story was entirely plausible. He was the kind of person who would willingly sacrifice his kin for the family’s security.
“But we alone cannot avenge Lady Chelsea. Sir Ernest, we need your help.”
After a moment of contemplation, Ernest Horowitz said,
“What do you want me to do?”
A smile appeared on Rebecca’s lips.
After Rebecca finished her explanation, Ernest Horowitz disappeared somewhere.
Rebecca remained alone, looking in the direction Ernest Horowitz had left.
“Fortunately, it seems like we persuaded him well.”
A man emerged from an alley.
He was the man Chelsea used to call Mustang Fury.
When dealing with Chelsea Goldpixie, he stuttered and seemed timid.
However, the Mustang Fury now had a chilling gaze, like an icy wind.
“I never anticipated that her name would carry such a profound impact.”
“Love makes a man strong, doesn’t it?”
Rebecca chuckled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.
“You’re being quite foolish. To get worked up like that without even knowing who truly killed Chelsea.”
Chelsea Goldpixie didn’t die during the interrogation. It was because of the curse laid by Yulan that she took her own life.
“Still, Captain, I’m not entirely comfortable with this. Do we really have to kill Damien Haksen?”
“Are you suggesting we just sit back and do nothing? That scoundrel not only killed Akitora but also posed a significant hindrance to our plans.
Mustang Fury spoke with a furrowed brow.
“After dominating the duke’s estate, orchestrating chaos in the Apple Kingdom was a mission bestowed upon us by ‘that person.’ Yet, we faced hindrances. How can we endure such setbacks?”
Mustang Fury sharpened his gaze.
“Damien Haksen and the duke are unaware of our true identities. We can use that to create an opportunity to kill him.”
Mustang Fury’s pupils darkened.
“I want Damien Haksen to beg for his life before we grant him mercy.”
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader -Kawaii]
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