CH 64

The Knights of the Capital and the Knights of the nearby Territories patrolled near the post with the teleportation magic circle, so it was not a good place for monsters to go.

‘Did the body end up somewhere unsupervised? That can’t be….’

She wasn’t the only one who was bothered by the stench.  The knights escorting the carriage all frowned as if they had noticed a similar stench.

The officials that dealt with them and the wizard were especially worried because they hadn’t seen them since their previous trip.

‘Are you sure they’re going to attack this carriage?’

It couldn’t have been anyone else, but the carriage Leonis Cardian was known to be riding in. The Duke of Cardian had a reputation for being impenetrable to attack.

Giel, who dared to attack Leonis three years ago, was shot in the leg and lost his weapon in a single shot.

In retaliation, Michael led to a confrontation with the five Imperial Knights Commanders and Leonis, but he defeated them all.

It wasn’t only about winning but also about annihilating all five Knight Commanders.

Those who dared to insult the duke of Cardian by tickling their tongue with filth had their heads severed, and the others were forced to kneel before Leonis.

The emperor applauded Leonis in this manner, pretending to be awestruck while actually being terrified. It was intended to show the emperor’s benevolence, but Leonis refused to kneel to such an emperor and laughed scornfully.

“……Will you send down the man who made this play?”

Leonis would have killed Michael if the Emperor had sent him down that day. Instead of giving Michael his head, the emperor chose to lose his face.

As a result, the number of people who openly targeted Leonis’ neck has significantly decreased.….

‘Something isn’t adding up!’

The wizard who had gone up to the tower to summon the person in charge was still inside. The moment the impatient knight leader knocked on the tower’s entrance, he felt a flood of mana.

“What is this?”

Kuoaaaaaang!

All of the parked carriages collapsed to the side after a loud bang. It seemed as if someone had used magic to blow up the carriage’s floor. The carriage itself was magically shielded, so it was safe, but the passengers within would be in danger if it were to overturn.

Criit……

The sight of the seamless approaching through the grass gave her a creepy shiver. A queen spider the size of a house arrived with thousands of soldier spiders the size of a human at the time, but things have changed since then.

Dozens of queen spiders were crawling up the gateless wall of the post.

“Pro……Protect Madam!”

Celia may have been seriously injured or killed in the latest explosion, but the monster took precedence for the time being.

✦ ✦ ✦

What Count Larsson wanted was simple. He wanted Giel to call off their engagement and marry his daughter instead.

Giel was the only one of the three princes who had not yet married and was still engaged.

In the eyes of Count Larsson, the closest person to the throne was Prince Giel.

Although Michael was clever, he did not inherit the power of the imperial family, and Phil had a strong background, but he was chastised for his bad behavior.

He, of course, also had shortcomings in Giel, but he saw them as small flaws that could be fixed. Above all, he did not push a woman into his bedroom or resort to violence against him because he was inebriated.

‘After putting Prince Giel to the throne… … I can take on difficult tasks such as taking care of the country…….’

“Bwahahaha!”

One of the generals laughed as he told his caustic story. Giel didn’t think twice about ordering a drink because he enjoyed the ambiance.

The glass emptied instantly as soon as he took the drink, even though it was cold.

Count Larsson also wanted Giel to get drunk, so he was happy to have his attendant fill the cup. The only ones who were concerned were Giel’s party.

“Your Highness, I think you’re too drunk. Please stop drinking.”

“I drink to get drunk. Why are you here if you don’t empty your glass if you have wine and want to mingle with people?”

He only got along with someone who was only talking about drinking, but he didn’t say anything about it.  Judging by how the prince was still speaking properly, his mind seemed intact.

But his face was already puffy, and his eyes were drooping.

Count Larsson pondered whether it was the perfect moment. He wanted the prince to get drunk, but he had difficulty getting drunk enough to start his plan.

“Your Majesty, our master said that he would want to provide a special drink to welcome a special guest…… Would you like to join us?”

“Why don’t you bring that drink?”

When Giel asked, the servant lowered his voice.

“Because it’s too precious to give out to everyone…….”

“Okay, by chance……”

Judging from the appearance, Count Larsson seemed up to something, but it was a special drink, so it was tempting. If Giel was bothered by him, he got up with the idea of drinking and refusing.

✦ ✦ ✦

The servant escorted the prince to an unfamiliarly furnished drawing room.

There was a giant sofa with cushions that could be used as a bed in the center of the room, and dancers dressed in fancy costumes entered the room with expensive drinks.

The prince was pleased to be placed on the sofa and offered alcohol. The dancers served alcohol to the prince and his close acquaintances, who quickly became drunk.

‘The plan is ridiculous, but the Count’s skill is not bad.”

The dancer escorted the prince’s entourage, who had begun to drink, to the next chamber. Prince Giel was left alone, but he didn’t mind because he had a bottle of wine around.

“Your Highness.”

The last person to enter was the daughter of Count Larsson. If she had listened carefully to her father, the young lady would have actively tried to seduce the prince.

Giel, who was annoyed by running out of alcohol, grabbed her hair and kicked her out of the room.

“You silly, foolish girl! If you were a woman, would I look like a maniac Phil?”

As Giel attempted to shake his fist and throw the young lady out of the room, the Baron and Nicole came forward. There was alcohol mixed with Penina Flower powder in Nicole’s arms.

“Your Highness, you’ve been here.”

“You are…”

Giel’s eyes were unfocused as if he was inebriated and distracted when he looked at Nicole. Meanwhile, the Baron took off his coat and put it over the shoulders of Young Lady Larsson.

And the maid, who happened to be passing by, was called to take the lady.

“I was wondering what I should do with this drink once Your Highness had left. I’m not going to drink it with my friend because it’s not very strong…… I understand Your Highness is a heavy drinker.”

“Ah…… indeed! Yes, I’m a boozehound. Are you going to drink together with me?”

“If your Highness is not busy, I would like to, but……?”

“What do you mean busy! Come on.… Come on in.”

Giel staggered into the chamber where Young Lady Larsson had been thrown out.

Nicole followed him into the room and gave him a cold stare. The baron also walked in and shut the door.

‘I mean, Count Larsson is as clumsy as if he is clever.’

That shallow trick came from Zeppel, but Count Larsson also used his head cleverly. He thought that overcoming Giel’s entourage by offering a drug-laced drink was a particularly effective strategy.

The prince sat down first, and Nicole quickly opened the bottle. Giel’s eyes widened as he smelled the scent that escaped when he opened the lid.

“Oh……, you’ve brought something tasty!”

“All I ask is that it fills Your Highness’ heart.”

Nicole poured the glass with a quiver, and Giel swiftly took it to his mouth. When he drank a sip, he looked like an addict.

Nicole brought the glass to Giel’s mouth, but he had already drunk. The baron then poured wine from a bottle into Giel’s cup.

“I will fill the two cups.”

“Yeah, you’re better than that girl…….”

Giel smirked and continued to sip his drink. The excitement of dealing with Count Larsson’s daughter had revived.

He smacked his lips and emptied his glass. No matter how much he drank, he never had stomach pain, but he did feel strange.

‘… … Did you drink more than normal?’

Giel always drank to get drunk, and he had no limit on how much he could consume. He had no idea how much he drank because he drank all the time, except when he had to use the restroom.

The attendants who had been speaking with him had now left.

“Ugh……”

Giel bent down as he felt something coming up. The Baron and Nicole shifted their gaze to Giel, and then they exchanged glances.

“Uggg, Uweeekk……”

The room was dark since it was supposed to be the room where Giel was sleeping with Count Larsson’s young lady. Giel spits on the carpet on the sofa floor and empties his stomach inside.

The baron stayed at Giel’s side and slapped him on the back as if he were his entourage.

Suddenly, a small piece of stone slipped from his mouth and dropped on the carpet like vomit, but the drunk Giel didn’t seem to notice it.

Even if he had noticed, he would have thought he was drunk and would have seen nothing.

The emperor has not yet taught the princes where the mysterious power of the imperial family came from. The emperor himself would not have known that the heart fragment of the divine beast had turned into such a stone.

“Ugh……Damn……”

Giel lifted his head, wiping the corners of his mouth with his sleeve. Nicole said to Giel, who remained calm.

“Would you like to go on, Your Highness?”

“Sure,……”

When Giel replied, he brought out the glass from which the baron had already poured. The drink he served him this time was laced with sleeping pills.

Giel took the glass and immediately emptied it. Because his mouth felt bitter and sour from stomach acid, he didn’t realize he was high.

After that, Baron and Nicole continued to fill Giel’s glasses.  Unlike his slender appearance, Nicole was a heavy drinker who could keep up with Leonis.

When Giel came, he had been drinking for quite some time.

“Huh……”

Nicole casually placed the glass that had dropped from Giel’s grasp on the sofa. Count Larsson would do the cleanup right now. He wasn’t sure how well he’d treat his daughter in that way, but Giel was still a prince.

Meanwhile, the baron used alcohol to wash a stone from Giel’s vomit. It was a black stone with a small hole in it.

When the stone was immaculate from the smell of alcohol, he wrapped it in a cloth and took it to the ring. It was a magic tool with the same storage space as Celia’s.

The fragment of the heart of the divine beast vanished into thin air, and the two men got to their feet. The only thing left is to join the Duke and return to the Cardian Duchy.