The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 209

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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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The Princess’s gaze changed.

At the same time, the sharp objects on the table rose into the air.

The knives and candlesticks that had been swimming leisurely like a school of fish suddenly opened their jaws wide like sharks and approached as if to devour Tesagh.

“So the method you chose after all that effort was.”

Clang―

Vibrations rang out from the sword that clashed with the objects.

Since there were people collapsed around them, he couldn’t use destructive swordsmanship. Tesagh gripped his sword properly and spoke through gritted teeth.

“To hide inside the Princess’s head and use other people as shields?”

The silver objects thrown to the floor writhed in place.

Clatter. Clatter.

The overlapping metallic sounds were like the chattering laughter of a child. It was eerie.

An even more eerie real laugh flowed from the Princess’s mouth.

“Haha, after all that effort? This is the most efficient method.”

Tesagh lowered his body and kept a close watch on the objects preparing to fly again.

It was a scene that reminded him of Eivor’s puppets that wouldn’t die no matter how much he cut them down, only to attack him again.

The risen objects swept past him, then suddenly plunged toward another noble beyond the table.

Bang!

A silver candlestick whooshed past Tesagh’s ear as he leaped onto the table and cut through the space with his sword.

“You’re so busy running around trying to save a few opportunists who are eating away at the Empire that you can’t even lay a hand on this body. The ultimate defensive strategy. Hmm, shall I prove it?”

Warm blood trickled down from his ear.

Without time to wipe away the flowing blood, Tesagh gritted his teeth and blocked one group of the objects split in half.

However, he could only watch as the other group charged straight at the Princess.

The cold silver metals rushed forward with the momentum to pierce through the Princess’s body. They were just about to reach her.

“Look at this.”

“Ugh…”

It was Ailen who blocked them.

Thanks to Ailen covering the Princess with his shield and his own body, the Princess wasn’t hurt even by a hair’s breadth.

The ‘thing’ borrowing the Princess’s body glanced at the tattered Ailen and chuckled.

“I told you it was efficient.”

While frantically countering the relentless assault of the objects, Tesagh thought.

The intent of the ‘thing’ leisurely picking up Rugenote and the Ruby Tablet with Ailen behind it was clear.

It wanted to mock them. It wanted to drive defeat deep into their minds to make them give up.

It was no different from telling them to kneel and watch as it leisurely stole the divine relic and departed.

However.

“If you don’t keep Princess safe and sound, think carefully with that ‘efficient’ mindset about what will happen.”

None of the people here were the type to give up easily.

With eyes carved with clear pain and even clearer will, Ailen raised his sword.

“Let me make this clear. The one bound by hostages is not me.”

Crack.

An object shattered under his foot imbued with holy power.

“It’s you.”

The Princess’s lips twisted.

*

A few hours before the title conferment ceremony was held.

Tesagh pulled open a door hidden in the forest behind the Imperial Palace.

It was a secret passage. After passing through maze-like paths, Tesagh spotted a figure standing in the distance and approached directly.

He could tell just from the posture. There was only one person in the Empire who could stand so upright and rigid.

“Captain.”

Ailen, with his hands clasped behind his back, lowered his eyes.

“Was there any inconvenience in coming here?”

“Yes. Thanks to someone who had previously passed through this secret passage explaining it in great detail.”

The person who explained it was of course Elisha. It was the path she had used when she had a private audience with the Princess.

Tesagh raised one eyebrow and spoke in a low voice.

“We both don’t have time, so let’s skip the formalities. You sent me a telegram. The content was that the Princess had acquired Rugenote through unknown circumstances and that the holy sword would be revealed at today’s ceremony…”

Ailen showed no particular reaction even to the mention that the Imperial Palace’s external passage had been leaked.

Because it was none other than Ailen himself who had designated this place as the meeting point.

However, when the Princess’s story came up, Ailen’s face quickly darkened.

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“For all the voices saying the Duchy orchestrated the Ruby Tablet theft incident, the real thief was quite close by. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

“What price will you pay for trying to pin the Empire’s false flag operation on the Duchy?”

Tesagh’s words were scathing.

He was holding only the Empire responsible while completely excluding Eivor’s existence.

Ordinary people would have mentioned the mage and Regent King’s involvement to make even a small excuse, but Ailen silently bowed his head.

“…I’m sorry.”

Because that was the proper attitude to show to a victim.

“When did the Captain learn of this fact?”

“I witnessed Rugenote yesterday afternoon, and I learned it would be revealed at the ceremony just before sending the telegram, at dawn today.”

“But that’s strange. You must know what efforts the Duchy made to reclaim Rugenote. And that I’m someone who would do anything to get that holy sword back. Yet you still informed me of this fact.”

There wasn’t a trace of warmth in Tesagh’s rigid voice.

“Are you saying that even if I charge in right now and turn the Imperial Palace upside down, you would tolerate it as Captain of the Royal Knights?”

“No.”

“If not that, do you want to avoid responsibility alone?”

“That’s also not it.”

“Then.”

Tesagh drew his sword and pointed it, asking coldly.

“Are you acknowledging the Empire’s mistake and asking for help?”

For a moment, a pained expression crossed Ailen’s face.

It was the Empire’s mistake, but it was also his own mistake. Ailen thought his responsibility was the greatest among them.

“It’s my mistake. My neutrality was nothing but indifference, my silence became a plaything for the wicked, and my devotion… ultimately became blind obedience.”

Even if he had dealt with Crodil, the Princess remained.

The Princess showing strange behavior was definitely not the person he knew. As Elisha said, the undead mage was manipulating the Princess in his grasp.

But he felt helpless. He could cut down an enemy, but he couldn’t do that to the Princess.

Yet he couldn’t turn a blind eye either. Because Ailen had clearly seen what results his silence had brought about.

“It’s true that Princess acquired Rugenote. But I also know that this was not Princess’s will.”

He knew it was quite a selfish thing to say.

But he had to do it.

“I will take all responsibility in the name of Ailen Hugo Radeian. Please handle the subsequent punishment as the Duke sees fit. However, please… I humbly request that until the truth is revealed and the mastermind is discovered, I alone stand at the tip of this sword.”

It was when Ailen closed his eyes.

Swoosh―

The sword was withdrawn. Opening his eyes, Ailen saw Tesagh sheathing his sword and shaking his head with a chuckle.

“You are indeed the Captain.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Because in the Empire, only the Captain would seriously make such a clumsy apology.”

“It sounds like you were doubting whether I was really the Captain of the Royal Knights.”

“Yeah. You heard correctly.”

Tesagh answered indifferently as he burned the telegram he had received with a match flame.

“When I only saw it in writing, it was difficult to grasp the intention. Since the Captain isn’t someone who would rashly leak Presrife’s secrets to the outside, I thought it might be Eivor’s trap.”

“Then….”

How much does the Duke know?

Ailren, who had been wondering if he believed his words without any evidence, raised his head at the following words.

“Do you think I only heard about the secret passage?”

Ah.

‘Lady Elisha….’

Ailren, who immediately gained understanding, bit his lips.

Tesagh handed him a heavy bag.

“I’ll keep it short. Eivor, or more precisely Eivor’s main body, controls people using the extract of ‘Root of Blindness,’ which is a magical power concentrate.”

The bag was full of various medicines.

Tesagh’s voice reached Ailren’s ears as he examined the unidentified drugs.

“Until now, he injected magical power using large amounts of magic stones like he did to the Captain, but after being exposed by Elisha, he changed his method while acquiring the cultivation method for Root of Blindness.”

“…You mean he uses magical power?”

“It’s the opposite. The power that bastard uses is divine power. Originally, he could only incite desires and plant suggestions to some degree, but now he’s advanced a step further. When divine power and magical power clash and magical power is depleted, temporary memory loss occurs, and it’s presumed he uses that phenomenon to manipulate consciousness at will during that time. Like possession.”

Whether such a thing was possible was a secondary concern.

“How did you figure that out?”

After a moment of silence, Tesagh opened his mouth.

“Former Duke Michele gave me a hint.”

“…You mean Lady Elisha’s grandfather?”

“That’s right. Ask Elisha directly for the details.”

Tesagh immediately continued in a businesslike manner.

“Since he injected magical power into the Princess, there’s a high possibility he’s done similar work on other people. So you need to use the fast-acting sleeping pills in that bag to put everyone to sleep so he can’t manipulate people’s consciousness.”

When they had interrogated the involved parties before, interrogation magic didn’t work on people who were already under suggestion and dreaming.

It was Elisha’s idea to use that in reverse and put them to sleep beforehand.

After explaining, Tesagh, who was about to turn around, looked at Ailren intently.

“Can you do it?”

He wasn’t just referring to putting sleeping pills in champagne.

In the worst case, there might come a situation where he’d have to point a sword at the Princess, even if it was to provoke Eivor’s main body.

However, Ailren nodded.

“Yes.”

[I hope that moment of choice never comes to such a brother.]

The moment of choice had come.

Ailren made his choice.

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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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