The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 195

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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18. The Circle of Circulation

The atmosphere in the Imperial Palace was strangely subdued.

“….”

It was an unprecedented situation in many ways.

The eerie sight of people silently staring down at a headless body.

And the fact that someone was leisurely drinking tea in front of that corpse.

“How about it, Duke.”

Coincidentally, Crodil, who sat at the head seat, tilted his teacup to his lips and spoke.

“Is this the ‘Eivor’ fellow that the Duke knows?”

“….”

“Oh my. Seeing no answer, have you already forgotten his face?”

Tesagh, who had been staring intently at Eivor’s severed head, raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot.

His gaze was sharp enough to make anyone flinch, but Crodil smoothly concealed his expression with an exaggerated smile and teacup as if he had prepared for this.

“I understand, I understand. You chased him for so long, but the Empire caught him so easily – it must be hard to accept. This makes it seem like the Duchy is falling behind the Empire.”

Crodil, who had been speaking in a rather leisurely tone, snapped his fingers with a click.

A screen appeared on the empty wall behind him.

It was a video magical device.

“Rather than lengthy explanations, it’s better to see directly. There’s no better way to show that a criminal is indeed a criminal.”

Behind Crodil, who glanced at Elisha, a panoramic view unfolded.

From the perspective of someone in knight’s attire, the abandoned slum on the outskirts of the capital was visible.

It was when they were searching one of the houses.

「Here, there’s a door under this bookshelf? It looks like a bunker.」

「Then as expected… Everyone prepare for entry.」

Confusing hand signals and the faces of knights drawing their swords flashed by, and the bunker door opened.

There was.

「Wh-what! Where is this…!」

Eivor was there, looking as if he had just awakened to the presence of people.

As he retreated, throwing furniture and fixtures wildly at the endlessly rushing knights, a terrifying murderous intent flashed across Eivor’s face for a moment.

「That bastard, in the end, he…」

With a completely distorted face, he conjured flames at his fingertips.

But that was only for a moment.

「He’s a mage! Attack!」

「Don’t let him live!」

Before he could even unleash the flames, a chaotic battle erupted with shouts, and someone’s sword flashed as it thrust forward.

And.

「Urgh…!」

Thunk—

Roll roll.

With a groan that couldn’t even become a scream, Eivor’s head rolled.

It was an utterly futile death.

「Uh, huh?」

Even the knight who had swung the sword hesitated for a moment, seemingly confused.

After exchanging glances silently with each other, the owner of the perspective cleared his throat and turned his head.

Discovering a large ruby fragment sitting alone next to an old console with a flower pot, he reached out…

Crackle—

The video stopped with static and soon went dark.

“Hmm?”

Crodil, who had been tapping the now-dead video stone with his fingernail, seemed to think he had shown everything he needed to show anyway.

He declared.

“As you just saw, Eivor is dead, and the Empire’s sacred relic has returned to where it belongs—. Well, that’s what matters.”

Crodil’s posture became even more relaxed.

“Save your thanks, Duke. Even though a few of our Presrife knights fulfilled the Duchy’s long-cherished wish.”

Crodil, who had even dropped the courtesy he had maintained for appearances, was openly scratching at and provoking Tesagh.

Half of it seemed to be revenge for being thoroughly ignored before, and the other half.

“It’s true that the Duke worked hard to retrieve the ruby tablet, so we could share the credit… Hmm, but for that to happen, this video shouldn’t spread to the public.”

He seemed to expect Tesagh, blinded by rage, to overturn all negotiations.

Tesagh still hadn’t found Rugenote.

In other words, even if Eivor was dead, the agreement between the Princess and the Duke hadn’t ended, and he could still remain in the Empire.

This would naturally feel threatening to Crodil. So he intended to pick a fight to break that agreement entirely and use the disturbance as an excuse for expulsion.

Incidentally, he would take advantage of Tesagh’s absence to find and acquire the Duchy’s treasured sword that Eivor had hidden somewhere.

Perhaps he was even considering war.

The Regent King, whose position had become unstable due to the successive imprisonments of Tea Time members, wanted to create external enemies to suppress internal strife.

Of course, the people who would suffer in the process were none of his concern.

This was why Crodil kept his eyes on Tesagh while occasionally glancing at Ailren, who was present.

If Tesagh lost his reason and charged forward.

“What are you looking at like that? As if you want to kill again someone who’s already had his head cut off and died. If that’s what you want, I’d be happy to give you the corpse…”

Ailren’s sword tip would have no choice but to point at Tesagh, not Crodil.

Crodil, who had been grinning as if dreaming of the mutual destruction of the two constantly irritating people, paused at the words that followed.

“Hand him over.”

“…What?”

“I said I’ll take him. This bastard’s corpse.”

Tesagh’s tone in response was unexpectedly dry.

Cracks appeared in Crodil’s smooth expression.

“You really want to take Eivor’s corpse? Do you want to burn it in the square? Do you desire such petty revenge, Duke of Moro?”

Crodil had mentioned the corpse merely to pick a fight with Tesagh.

It was intended to upset him by giggling and asking if he planned to vent his anger on a dead man.

But when Tesagh readily agreed, Crodil’s calculations became complicated.

Why would he do something with nothing to gain?

Could it be.

‘Is there a way to… extract information from the corpse?’

Crodil, whose thoughts turned to the fact that the Duchy’s magical engineering was far more advanced than the Empire’s, bolted upright.

“Petty revenge?”

Now it was Tesagh’s turn to smirk.

“That’s a word to pin on someone who has something to hide, someone who ordered only killing without any intention of capture.”

Tesagh, who had been staring at Crodil as if he found him pathetic, crossed his arms.

“I’m going to do what ‘that bastard’ couldn’t do. A proper investigation.”

“What…!”

“The Duchy of Moro demands the immediate handover of Mage Eivor’s corpse. Bring someone who can negotiate on behalf of the Presripe Empire, Crodil ‘Etewirn’.”

Tesagh added coldly.

“If you wish to sit directly across from me and have a conversation just between the two of us, I won’t stop you.”

Just as Tesagh’s words ended, a coughing sound echoed.

It was Elisha.

She had been quietly watching the situation the entire time, but suddenly began dry heaving and called for Ailren. She looked as if she might collapse at any moment.

“Cough. Count Ailren, I… I’d like to get some fresh air…”

Ailren left together with Elisha.

So only two people remained. Crodil’s complexion turned pale.

*

“Count Ailren, this way.”

I had been walking unsteadily, but as soon as I came out to the courtyard, I straightened my body.

Of course, seeing someone’s corpse was a horrific experience I never wanted to repeat. But solving the mystery came first.

So I acted according to what I had agreed upon with Tesagh.

That was also why he, who would normally have moved the moment he detected something strange about me, didn’t look back at me as I left while dry heaving.

Having arrived at a deserted place, I opened my mouth.

“That is definitely ‘Eivor’.”

There was no room for doubt.

Though there were more than one or two strange things about it, the ‘Eivor’ I had faced 30 minutes ago had indeed been beheaded.

And only by acknowledging that fact could we discuss what comes next.

“But this isn’t the end.”

It wasn’t simply because Eivor’s end was too anticlimactic, or because it was too obvious that Crodil had killed him when he was no longer useful and was trying to pin all the blame on him.

“He used even his death as a tool. It was all arranged in advance.”

It was because of what I had seen directly.

Judging from his gaze that occasionally stared into empty space and his strangely anxious attitude saying there was only time now.

‘Eivor knew when and where he would die. He died on purpose.’

If that’s the case, a question arises.

Why did Eivor have to die at this particular time today?

Of course, that’s unknowable.

But if I twist my thinking a little.

‘Why did Eivor have to die at the hands of Crodil’s subordinates and have his corpse sent to the Imperial Palace…’

As I pondered deeply, chills suddenly ran down my spine.

Could it be.

‘Because he can control even corpses.’

It felt like lightning struck in my head.

‘Even that ‘Eivor’ might have been nothing but a puppet!’

The someone who spoke with me had merely discarded the body called ‘Eivor’ with green eyes and green hair.

In other words.

“The real Eivor is somewhere else, Count Ailren!”

‘If that’s the case, everything makes sense!’

I urgently raised my head and looked at Ailren.

His face wasn’t clearly visible as he stood with his back to the light, so I took a step closer.

“Count Ailren?”

Ailren’s expression was strangely stiff.

Was he confused?

Come to think of it, I had only briefly explained to Ailren in the carriage about how I came to meet Eivor.

I suppose my thoughts got ahead of me. I was about to add somewhat awkwardly.

“So the reason I came to think this way is…”

“Yes. Please rest now.”

My words were cut off.

“Pardon?”

“I believe you must be exhausted in many ways today. It would be best if you went inside now.”

“…”

“A carriage to the pawnshop is prepared. Then…”

“Count Ailren.”

I ran and blocked Ailren’s path.

There was no way Ailren could have understood my entire thought process from just a few inadequate words.

“Do you think I’m talking nonsense because I was too shocked from seeing Eivor’s corpse?”

“No. That’s not it.”

Then.

“Then… do you want to completely exclude me from this matter?”

Ailren fell silent.

But I know that Ailren’s silence means affirmation.

Our eyes met. Long shadows fell over the pale eye sockets of the knight standing under the light.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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