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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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What was my reason for coming to Batian?
It was to save Sen, who seemed to be in danger due to her connection with the Chokugen Faction.
Although there was a possibility that I was already too late, what could be done if one thought about all that?
I just went headfirst.
Anyway.
So I was going to ask the nun about the recent atmosphere in Batian and if any suspicious people were walking around, but it turned out she was the suspicious one.
Even if I felt it was fine to leave her alone to become a saint, that was a problem to think about later, and the urgent matter right now was Sen.
“Pardon?”
In the end, I was also planning to head to the accommodation I had arranged from the academy, but before that, I was able to meet our homeroom teacher, Amanda.
“Yeah, it’s not just Sen right now. Elise’s parents contacted us, but Rin, Ares, and May. They all disappeared.”
What in the world was this about?
I thought it was only Sen, but Rin, Ares, and May had also disappeared?
Moreover, Elise’s parents contacted the academy?
I glanced at Professor Amanda’s expression, but she didn’t seem to know that Elise was a princess.
The servants must have pretended to be fake parents.
“……”
“You must be very tired too, so for now, go and rest. In the first place, the dean told a student to go and find other students……”
Professor Amanda set out on a search again.
It wasn’t simply at the level of a hammer.
It felt like I was getting hit on the back of my head precisely by the front paw of a magical beast living in the Demon Realm Forest and smashing my face into the ground.
“Phew.”
Professor Amanda told me to return to the hotel and rest with my sister Diana, but my feet naturally headed in the opposite direction.
The fact that Rin was in danger meant that the world was in danger.
Even if Sen was taken by the Chokugen Faction, for what reason were the other three?
‘For now, I’ll skip Elise. If the professors were contacted separately, it means she’s safe for now.’
And that meant there was a high possibility that the royal family was involved.
It wasn’t strange for the royal family to handle the Chokugen Faction.
They were in a position that they should always wear a pure white dress without any impurities.
But of course, if you were in the highest position, you would naturally be the first to get hit by the falling rain.
They needed an umbrella that wouldn’t dirty their royal clothes, and numerous entities, starting with the Chokugen Faction, would be serving as umbrellas for the royal family.
‘Wait a minute, could the incident with the nun of Helios also be related to this?’
It was ambiguous.
The current situation where Ares, who had the mark of Helios, had disappeared, and the incident where the nun of Helios had committed murder and ran away.
If one tried to connect them, they could be connected, but it also felt like it was going too far.
“For now, I need to find them.”
I checked my surroundings very carefully and slowly, as if looking for herbs or approaching magical beasts in the Demon Realm Forest.
If the Chokugen Faction was still in Batian, it wouldn’t be too difficult to follow their trail.
Or so I thought.
Quite unexpectedly, the woman who would give me a clue boldly came to find me.
When I first saw her clothes, I thought she was Elise’s maid, Bertia.
She was wearing the same maid outfit as her.
The woman exuded propriety and modesty in her every gesture, and especially when she bowed her head to me, it felt like I was a powerful figure or a wealthy person who had hired her.
“Greetings, Mr. Daniel McLean.”
“……”
Honestly, I wasn’t in a good mood right now, so I didn’t even properly return the maid’s greeting.
Wearing the same maid outfit as Bertia meant she belonged to the royal family, and she could be the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Elise and the other students.
‘She doesn’t seem to be at Bertia’s level.’
“My name is Priscilla. I am the exclusive maid of Prince Oliver de Frisia.”
‘The 1st Prince?’
Was she referring to the one who was evaluated to be the closest to the throne except for the current king and confirmed to ascend to the next kingship?
In fact, in my previous life, Prince Oliver ascended to the throne without any anomaly.
“His Highness wishes to see you.”
“The 1st Prince wants to see me?”
I wondered why the 1st Prince was here in the first place, but Priscilla warned me with a faint smile.
“Mr. Daniel, it’s ‘His Highness’ the Prince. Please use the honorific.”
“…… I understand.”
Since I had nothing in my hands right now and was only left with regret, I bowed my head and went in for now.
‘Phew.’
Of course, I had to forcibly suppress my anger that was gradually rising while taking a deep breath.
‘You’ve tangled up the situation like this and come to find me?’
With the thought of seeing what kind of matter he was looking for me for, I followed Priscilla, and she guided me to one of the finest hotels in Batian.
The inside of the hotel was pleasantly cool, unlike the outside where the heat was gradually approaching.
A clean green herb scent tickled my nostrils, and although less than Priscilla, the hotel staff, who were nonetheless professional, greeted me with formality.
One peculiar thing was that their body balance, posture, muscles, etc. were very different from ordinary hotel staff.
“There are no other guests.”
Priscilla spoke to me with her back as I glanced around to see if there was anyone else.
Well, if the 1st Prince came, he would have to use this hotel alone.
Sarcastically thinking to myself, I entered the room that was left alone on the top floor.
A well-built man was there in a half-naked state.
Like Elise, he had blond hair and golden eyes, with a nobility that seemed like he had been born with gold.
Perhaps because he knew his own worth too well.
From the moment he saw me, he seemed to be already assessing the value of the person named Daniel McLean, but those weren’t the eyes of a merchant traversing the sea.
They were the eyes of an appraiser judging authenticity in a jewelry store.
He had already begun evaluating me from the moment I entered through the door.
“So, Daniel McLean. I’ve heard about you from Elise.”
“Was it you who took Elise away?”
Perhaps because of my tone, Priscilla immediately tried to take out the hidden weapon on her thigh, but my eyes were already directed at her thigh first.
“……!”
“Ho?”
Priscilla’s body stiffened as she realized her movements had been read before she could act, but her master, Prince Oliver, crossed his legs and rested his chin, looking at me with interest.
“I heard he was a commoner. It would be beyond his ability to order him to show courtesy. Just leave him be.”
“…… I understand.”
Even though I was openly insulted in front of him, since they acknowledged it, there was no need for me to forcibly show courtesy.
“There is only one reason I summoned you. I heard you were the one who single-handedly annihilated the Tudogs, and now that I see you in person, it seems you possess the skills to match that.”
“……”
Did he hear this from Elise too?
I was confident that Elise wasn’t the type of woman to lightly talk about me to someone.
He must have used some manipulations behind the scenes.
“So I intend to use you, Daniel McLean. The boy who became a lion in the field despite being a commoner.”
“You mean me?”
An unexpected proposal.
But it felt somewhat sloppy, so I asked again.
“What did you see in me that made you want to use me? Just because I annihilated the Tudogs?”
Then Prince Oliver stopped resting his chin and tapped the armrest with his fingers.
“Our informants discovered information about the group called the Tudogs two years ago. Not only the Chokugen Faction but we also tried to clean them up, but they cleverly escaped using the Demon Realm Forest.”
Indeed, if they hid in the Demon Realm Forest, their pursuers would inevitably become dogs chasing chickens.
In fact, in my previous life, I occasionally encountered people entering the forest to escape from pursuers.
Of course, most of them ended up becoming today’s special meal for the monsters.
“And you were the one who directly entered the Demon Realm Forest and wiped them out. Yes, I know nothing about you as a person.”
Grinning like a snake, Prince Oliver continued.
“But what does that matter? When you wield a sword, do you care about what steel was used in that sword, what craftsman’s hands it was born from, what method was used to process it? I don’t think so. A sword is meant for cutting. As long as it cuts well, that’s enough.”
It meant that he didn’t consider my background, inclination, or personality at all.
He simply judged that I was a useful chess piece he could effectively use.
‘What nonsense.’
Of course, I was going to refuse.
Where did he get the nerve to show such petty greed and try to tie me down?
“I’m sorry, but……”
“Rin.”
I tried to refuse as politely as possible, worried that I might offend him if I refused recklessly, but the smile on Prince Oliver’s lips was telling me.
I couldn’t escape.
“Ares, May, Sen. They’re your precious friends, right? I heard you cherish them dearly.”
“……”
This emotion was a first in my life.
Literally, something that started growing from my heart quickly circulated throughout my body in an instant.
My head gradually became hot, and I unknowingly put strength into my body.
Priscilla was flustered and stepped in front of the prince, but he waved her away with a satisfied smile.
“Lion of the field, did you think I would let you in without a leash?”
The words pouring out of his mouth were creeping up to strangle my neck.
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Huh. All of this to catch the MC? At least the Prince wasn’t so moronic as to think he could easily roll the MC.