Inside, the man who had kidnapped Blair was chained in shackles.
Apparently, he had not allowed himself to be caught docilely, as he had wounds of various magnitudes all over his body.
As soon as the man saw Herdin, he was scared and the chains that held him creaked.
It was no wonder, since the man in front of him emanated such an overwhelming presence that he seemed capable of killing with just a glance.
"Hello." The voice that escaped from between his teeth, cold and sharp, was velvety.
In a chilling way.
Herdin brushed back his bangs that were stinging his eyes and took a cigarette out of his pocket to light it.
He exhaled the smoke and continued talking.
“I'm in a bad mood right now.”… “So I'd appreciate it if you answered right away.” The man swallowed.
Instinctively he knew that his words were not a bluff.
“Who?” Although he suddenly asked “who,” it was clear what he meant.
But the man, instead of responding immediately, hesitated.
Herdin, who was watching him with cold eyes as he exhaled the smoke, carelessly threw the cigar on the floor, stubbed it out, and opened his mouth.
"I guess pulling out a few nails will tickle you, right?" He called to the captain of the guard who was waiting behind.
The man, sensing what he was going to do, screamed in terror.
"No, I don't know!" I really don't know!—It seems that you are still not willing to respond properly.—I really don't know!
We only do what we are told for money.
Herdin, who was evaluating the man's sincerity by looking into his eyes, gestured for the captain to leave again.
Then, he took a step towards the man and asked, "What did they tell you to do?" I knew it wasn't just killing Blair.
If the order had been to kill her, those idiots wouldn't have been looking for her all over the forest, saying that she had escaped.
Seeing that the man didn't respond quickly and was watching cautiously, Herdin's gaze shifted to the captain of the guard behind him.
Seeing him, the man immediately responded.
"Re-memories." They said to erase the memories.—What memories?—To erase childhood memories...—And how did you plan to erase them?—We were going to erase them with black magic...
The man, who was responding hastily, suddenly stopped when he realized his mistake, but it was too late, he had already talked about black magic.
Herdin's eyes narrowed as he deduced information that the man had not yet revealed.—You don't seem to be the black magician, so there is more people involved.—Well- well, it's not exactly people involved.
Let's say they are like collaborating partners.
Herdin gave a brief laugh at the word "collaborators." Collaboration between riffraff who were dedicated to dirty work.
A ridiculous word.
The man, interpreting that laughter as a sign of danger, rushed to confess on his own initiative.
"But we don't know the identity of those guys either." They only told us to monitor the duchess's movements, kidnap her and then contact them...—Where is "there"?
The man gave the address of the place where they should contact.
Upon hearing it, the captain of the guard immediately left the dungeon.
"Although they probably won't find anything when they go." According to the man's words, they were such meticulous guys that not even among "collaborating partners" they knew their respective identities.
It was very likely that they had already smelled danger near the village and fled.
And, of course, without leaving a trace.
Herdin moved on to the last topic.
—The lady had a document with her.
Did you see it?
The man, who thought for a moment about which document Herdin was referring to, shook his head.
"I don't remember well...
But we brought the duchess's belongings when we kidnapped her and probably left them in that villa..." Herdin frowned at his answer.
The villa had been almost completely destroyed by the fire.
That meant that the document inside had been burned.
Herdin concluded the interrogation and left the underground dungeon.
Although he would have liked to eliminate those kidnappers who, by mistake or whatever, almost caused Blair's death in the fire, they were still useful to him.
He ordered Ruth, who had followed him outside: "Release them tomorrow morning." Put someone following them.
Maybe they'll contact the masterminds or the black magician again.—Okay.—And make sure everyone, inside and outside, keeps their mouths shut about today.—Understood.
Actually, I already suspected who could be behind it.
No, more than a suspicion, she was the first person who had come to mind since this happened.
"...The Dowager Empress." He had noticed that Blair was trying to recover her memories of the accident ten years ago, and had even told him to stop hypnosis.
But he only had hunches, not evidence.
If it were a simple kidnapping, he would publicly proclaim the culprit and inflict the corresponding punishment to show what would happen if they messed with Delmark.
But this incident was not that simple.
If this kidnapping was related to the case from ten years ago, it could not be made public lightly without material evidence.
A ruthless mother who abandons her daughter out of ambition, and an unfortunate daughter used by her.
Or a daughter who, manipulated by her husband, betrays her mother.
It would be like throwing bait for the gossipers to chew as they please in one way or another.
If that happened, the most harmed would be, a On a large scale, Delmark and the imperial family, and on a small scale, the protagonists of the rumor: Katrina and Blair.
He had no intention of throwing as prey to gossipers a woman who was already overwhelmed by the truth that her mother had used her life.
Surely many people would have witnessed the great movement of the Delmark knights that day, so the rumor of the kidnapping could not be prevented from spreading.
"But if Delmark does not make it public first, it will be nothing more than simple speculation without foundation."This incident had to happen like this, in silence.
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
Herdin took out a book related to black magic from the shelf where the grimoires were kept.
For a long time, the only sound in the silent room was the rustle of the pages turning.
Herdin, after letting out a sigh, closed the book and picked up a new one.
But in the new book he did not find the information he was looking for either.
«In that document that Her Majesty the Empress possessed had drawn a magic circle.
And underneath, it said that there was a black magic that reestablished the second condition of the pact with the Divine Beast..."
What Blair had told him about the document didn't seem to have much to do with the burning of the Empress's Palace, but he decided to investigate it anyway.
"Why would Her Majesty the Empress be investigating that?" He was curious to know what was so important that Esmeralda had hidden it even from him.
However, in none of the black magic books he owned he could find anything related to the Divine Beast pact.
"Black magic books are banned throughout the continent and are difficult to obtain." Still, using the name Delmark, even if the process was complicated and took some time, it would not be impossible.
Herdin stopped searching for information at that point and left his private study.
Just then, through the window behind the desk, he saw Inés and Blair walking through the garden.
After the kidnapping, Blair had continued with her normal life, without any apparent changes.
Except he wasn't allowed to leave.
Contrary to what Herdin expected, that she, upon suddenly regaining her memories, would be confused and unstable.
But why?
That appearance was even more disturbing to him.
That was why he had called Inés, to evaluate Blair's condition one last time.
Finally, the two women disappeared from his sight, hidden by the mansion.
Just as Herdin turned to sit down, there was a knock on the door.
"Your Excellency, I'm going in." It was Ruth, who had gone out to explore the outside environment.
"How was the atmosphere?" "As I expected, the rumor has spread like wildfire." They say that if the lady was not on the verge of being kidnapped.
That day, in addition to the fact that the entire order of knights of Delmark was mobilized, the fire in the villa where Blair was held aggravated the situation, making it difficult for the matter to be resolved in silence.
In these cases, instead of going out to give explanations, the best thing was to remain silent until the rumors calmed down.
And, above all, he was interested in keeping Katrina in suspense, who would be observing her reaction to the failure of the plan.
An impatient rival usually leaves loopholes.—If we don't bait them, they will calm down on their own.
Is there news about the kidnappers?—No, not yet.—They may have realized this and cut off contact.
Still, keep watching for now.
It could be a trick to make us believe that they have cut off contact.—Understood.—And this is something apart from the kidnapping, I would like you to investigate it.
Ruth took out a notebook from her inside pocket.—Tell me.—Investigate everything related to the power of the clan, the forbidden pacts or the black magic associated with them.
It doesn't matter how insignificant it is.
Ruth was startled when she heard it.
Black magic was prohibited throughout the continent because of its danger.
It was punished with such severity that, if someone was discovered to be a black magician, their immediate execution was authorized.
Merely inquiring about it carried the risk of severe punishment.
“May I ask the reason?” “It is something that Her Majesty the Empress investigated secretly, even from me.
I don't know the details because the document was burned.—Mmm, it seems like it will take some time...
but I'll find out as soon as possible.
Just as I was finishing the conversation with Ruth, a soft knock was heard on the door.—Herdin, it's me.
Can I talk for a moment?
It was Blair's voice.
Apparently, he had returned after saying goodbye to Inés.
Herdin nodded his head and Ruth opened the office door for him.
“Good afternoon, ma'am.” How are you feeling?—Much better, thanks to you.
Thank you for worrying, Lord Ruth.
When Blair smiled at Ruth, Herdin's gaze, who was observing the scene, cooled.
"Then, talk calmly." Ruth, without noticing Herdin's gaze, said goodbye at the right moment and left the office.
Only then, Herdin's eyes caught the letter that Blair, who was hurriedly approaching him, was carrying in her hand.
Herdin, recognizing that it was an invitation to another family's party, read it.
He looked strangely.
"Why do you bring that?" "I took it a moment ago when Mason was going to pick it up." I heard that he had ordered that all invitations to parties be rejected.
After the rumor of Blair's kidnapping spread, invitations to parties arrived from several families.
Even before the incident, there were many who wanted to invite Blair and Herdin, but after the event, the intention had changed a little.
Of course, some would invite them with the sincere intention of making friends, but there would also be those who wanted to verify if the rumor was true.
That is why he had told Mason to reject all invitations for the moment.
invitations to parties.
…To be continued