The Unfilial Heir Who Tries to Kill Me Tempts Me - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 6.

“From the moment Charlotte Schmidt left the Capital, the Crown Prince’s brainwashing has been slowly unraveling, or so they say. It doesn’t appear to be an outright fabrication.”
“…Is that so?”
Kaius tilted his head.
“It’s true.”
Long, pale fingers drummed sporadically against the wooden armrest.
“How unfortunate.”
Had it been a lie, he could have used that as grounds for an execution—the perfect pretext, slipped away.
“Unexpected, isn’t it.”
Basel watched Kaius carefully.
He hesitated before speaking.
“Are you truly resolved to wait and observe, my lord?”
“Basel, where are we?”
“…In Lucipenia, my lord.”
“How many of our forces have faced the Black Mages?”
“Well over three thousand.”
“And among them, the elite?”
“…One hundred.”
“Does that answer your question?”
Basel fell silent.
Eight years of warfare against the Black Mages meant they could dispatch a single witch from the Capital whenever they pleased, without difficulty.
Kaius’s eyes were everywhere, and his limbs extended across every corner. The moment she set foot in Lucipenia, she could never escape his surveillance.
“She knows something about Divine Artifacts.”
Kaius added the observation coldly, almost taunting.
Eight years ago, the Sword of Dominion—vanished alongside fragments of the murdered royal’s remains.
It was the only one of the three Divine Artifacts known to exist in this world whose location was confirmed, yet the existence itself was shrouded in such secrecy that even those outside the direct line and inner circle had no knowledge of it.
In all the years Kaius had slain hundreds of Black Mages, he had never encountered anyone who knew of the sword.
“Then the possibilities are two: either the witch can truly uncover information about the culprit, or she is implicated in the incident itself.”
Either way worked to Kaius’s advantage.
Charlotte Schmidt was already within his grasp.
He merely had to keep her near and dispose of her when convenient.
“For now, leave her free to move about as she wishes. I’m curious what she intends to do.”
“…Very well, my lord.”
“What of the Black Mage we were tracking?”
“We’ve traced his approximate route of flight. He seems to have fled toward the mountain range at the Northern Border. He shouldn’t have gotten far from the Grand Duchy.”
“He must have been in quite a hurry—fleeing north where only snow mountains lie.”
“He’s already a dangerous criminal with multiple deaths to his name. At least he didn’t head toward the cities.”
“Now he’s a rat in a trap. Should I go personally?”
“We’ll handle it, my lord.”
“Yes, after eight years you ought to be capable of managing this much without me.”
Kaius pressed his eyelids shut with effort—a habit that emerged whenever migraines threatened.
“…And the others? How are they faring?”
“We pursue Black Mages wherever we find their traces, but thus far no one has revealed knowledge of that incident.”
“Don’t trust their tongues. Torture whatever answers you need out of them.”
“Yes.”
Basel lifted his gaze to study Kaius’s pallid complexion, then slowly let his eyes trace downward to the fine scars that covered his neck and the backs of his hands.
“Though, my lord, the Royal Physician advises that it would be wise to avoid contact with them for some time. Since we can manage the pursuit of the Black Mages, it would be best if you remained at the Grand Duke’s Castle for now.”
“Nonsense.”
“However—”
The Black Mages excelled in magic that harmed their enemies. Ever since Kaius had seized the lands that once lay within their sphere of influence, he had waged a prolonged, grinding campaign against them, constantly exposed to their Black Magic.
Basel sometimes thought that had Kaius not been a Sword Master capable of wielding Sword Qi with perfect control, his body might have crumbled long ago.
“You must preserve your strength, my lord.”
“Did I perhaps hire a nursemaid?”
“I speak only from concern.”
“There is much to be concerned about.”
Kaius slowly opened his eyes and smiled coldly.
Eight years ago, on that day, Kaius’s life had shattered completely.
His father, his mother, even the brother he loved—he lost them all in a single moment. Among the corpses of his family, only Kaius remained alive.
Kaius didn’t know why he had survived in their place. All that remained vivid was the crimson blood that had savagely invaded his vision the moment his eyes opened.
So he swore vengeance.
Rejecting the throne and accepting the hollow title of Grand Duke, planting his flag in Lucipenia—it was all for that reason alone.
If they wouldn’t appear before his eyes, he would erase the very existence of the Black Mages. After all, they were people skilled in harming others. Fundamentally no different from the enemy who had shattered his life.
Kill, and kill, and kill.
That was how he had slaughtered hundreds.
Yet even now, eight years later, he hadn’t so much as grazed that man’s shadow. Sometimes he genuinely wondered if such a thing even existed.

“I can uncover the culprit behind the incident from eight years ago.”
“I’m certain you’ll find me useful.”

Charlotte Schmidt.
He’d heard her reputation well enough—a woman with a peculiar constitution who wielded both White Magic and Black Magic with equal mastery, despite both being notoriously difficult for anyone to fully command. Violent by nature, she left chaos wherever she went.
“…Freedom.”
Of course, he’d never intended to grant her such a thing.
From the moment her foot crossed into this territory, he had written her death warrant.
Even if she was some half-fledged dual practitioner of Black and White Magic, it changed nothing. Kaius did not trust the Black Mages.
Charlotte Schmidt had used Black Magic to threaten the Crown Prince’s life. That alone was reason enough to kill her.
But if that woman truly knew something about what happened that day.
“How intriguing.”
Kaius’s gaze drifted to the sword resting beside the chair—the blade stained with Charlotte’s blood. He traced the steel slowly with his eyes.
A faint smile curved across his face.
“…I wonder how much utility remains before the end.”

***

“You’ll be staying here.”
After following the butler down a lengthy corridor, I arrived at a weathered wooden door. It was tucked into the most remote corner of the Grand Duke’s Castle’s main building.
I opened the door and fell silent for a moment.
“Wow….”
“You have permission to move freely within the territory until further orders arrive. Your meals will be provided the same as those of the castle staff.”
“Ah, yes….”
Freely, my foot.
I know perfectly well that I’m surrounded by watchers on all sides.
The moment I step out of line, they’ll drag me off to the dungeon without hesitation.
At least I’m not locked in the tower.
…Is that actually a relief?
The room I’d been shown was slightly larger than the studio apartment I’d lived in before, and slightly smaller than the bathroom at Schmidt Count’s Residence.
Iron bars were wedged into the window as though it had once been used as a storage room, and there was an oddly stale smell.
A dungeon, exile, now a storage room.
Is this really happening?
While I stood there in shock, the butler quietly closed the door and bolted.
I should have seen that coming.
He was sweating bullets the whole time guiding me, following Kaius’s orders. I must be quite the frightening sight.
“…But this really is pushing it.”
I planted my hands on my hips and surveyed the half-ruined room around me.
I turned my head to verify the firmly shut door.
The butler was gone, and there wasn’t a soul within earshot.
“This is a perfectly justified use of my authority.”
Whoosh—
A Magic Circle blazed beneath my feet.
Wind swirled violently as the room’s structure began to twist and transform. Wallpaper covered the moldy walls, wooden window frames replaced the iron bars, and soft rugs spread across what had been nothing but dusty stone. Gradually, fine furniture materialized piece by piece.
“This should do nicely.”
Magic is absolutely amazing.
I can’t believe this actually worked.
I really do have to hand it to my own competence.
I was admiring the cozy transformation when suddenly the room tilted, and my legs went soft beneath me.
“Ugh.”
Growl.
My stomach announced its protest loudly.
“…Oh, right. Food.”
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t eaten anything in four days. I’d been so caught up in the wonder of surviving that I’d forgotten entirely.
All Mages are ravenous eaters. Casting spells consumes far more calories than one might expect. But four days without food, and I’d just performed large-scale magic—no wonder my mind was swimming.
“Ugh, I’m starving.”
Growl, growl-growl.
My stomach thundered again.
I clutched my cramping belly and staggered to my feet.
Once I acknowledged it, ravenous hunger came flooding in. In all honesty, I could barely move a finger.
“There’s no servant bell here, I see.”
I had no choice—I’d have to drag myself to the Kitchen if I wanted to scrounge up anything to eat.
Surely they wouldn’t deny me food.
Not when I looked like this—skin and bones.
The vertigo was so severe I thought I might pass out, so I shambled toward the Kitchen like the undead.
And that’s when I encountered something I couldn’t quite believe.
“…What did you just say?”

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