Chapter 16: The True Identity of Baron Nacht Revealed
On a night when the full moon hung high and the distant howls of demonic wolves echoed through the darkness.
Al and Estella lay concealed within a thicket on the grounds of House Nacht, holding their breath as they waited. Their purpose was clear: to search for followers of the Dragon God Cult. Though illusion magic already cloaked their forms from sight, they spared no caution, layering vigilance atop vigilance.
When Estella pressed her palm to the earth and invoked grass-attribute magic, the ground responded instantly. A vine-like plant burst forth, its leaves shaped like flared trumpets. The plant looked unusual, almost exotic—but at the same time, it was the sort of thing one might expect to find growing wild in a jungle, unremarkable if you didn’t know what to look for.
“What’s that?” Al whispered. “A carnivorous plant or something?”
“Don’t be a fool,” Estella muttered. “Look toward the mansion.”
Al carefully lifted his head just enough to peer out from the brush, fixing his gaze on the baron’s residence.
From the soil near the mansion, a single vine emerged, wriggling upward. It stretched unnaturally fast, climbing all the way to a third-floor window. Slipping through a narrow gap in the frame, it vanished inside and then went still.
A few seconds later, voices drifted faintly from the leaves beside them.
‘Hey, head butler. Bring me wine—and a female slave.’
‘At once, my lord. Which numbered slave shall I prepare tonight?’
‘Number seventeen. She’s young. That one’s good.’
‘I will make the arrangements immediately. Please wait a moment.’
The inside of the vine was hollow, carrying sound across the distance straight to their ears.
“…I see,” Al murmured. “Eavesdropping magic.”
“Indeed,” Estella replied with quiet pride. “It’s a spell I often use during investigations.”
“Grass-attribute magic is seriously unfair,” Al said. “Even among court mages, you’re top-tier, aren’t you?”
“Idiot. There’s always someone stronger,” she scoffed. “And for investigation work, you’re the best. We slipped onto the estate this easily solely because of your illusion magic.”
“Stop praising my dream-attribute magic,” Al sighed. “You’ll just give me more work.”
“…Lazy fool.”
As Estella said, when it came to investigative missions, dream-attribute magic was almost absurdly powerful.
(It’s hard to believe such a useful school of magic ever fell into obscurity. …Well, with dream-attribute spells, it’s less about practicality and more that they’re simply too difficult. Even if they were revived, it’s unlikely anyone other than this one would ever be able to wield them.)
If they waited until after the female slave entered the room, the difficulty of infiltration would double. Deciding not to risk it, the two moved in before that could happen.
“Hold still now~”
The vines wrapped gently yet firmly around their bodies, lifting them soundlessly toward the third floor.
Through a window already unlocked in advance, they slipped into the lord’s bedchamber without a sound.
But midway through, Estella misjudged her footing and struck the window frame with her foot.
Thud.
The dull noise echoed through the room.
The baron, lounging on a sofa, spun around in alarm.
“Huh!? Wh—what is—”
Before he could finish speaking, Al’s hypnosis took hold. Just like the maid earlier, the light vanished from the man’s eyes, his gaze turning vacant as he stared into empty space.
“To think I’d make such a mistake…” Estella muttered. “My apologies.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Al replied calmly. “Close the door. Let’s begin the interrogation.”
◇◇◇
The head butler walked the corridors carrying a bottle of fine vintage wine, a female slave trailing behind him.
She looked like a frightened kitten, trembling with every step. Casting a sideways glance at her, the butler sighed inwardly.
(Haah… I’m making her suffer again. Forgive me.)
He was the longest-serving retainer of House Nacht, having served even before the current lord, Grimm Nacht, was born.
It had been twenty years since Grimm inherited the barony. Looking back, the first ten years had been stable, even peaceful.
But on the tenth year came the worst possible turning point. A descent into darkness that began with—
(To think Grimm-sama would convert to the Dragon God Cult…)
Yes. The lord had become a follower of the Dragon God Cult.
The Empire officially permitted freedom of religion.
But the Dragon God Cult was different.
It was classified less as a religion and more as a terrorist organization.
Following its doctrine—that “humans (excluding Dragon God cultists) are inferior lifeforms”—the lord quickly began dealings with the cult and purchased slaves.
As a result, he rose steadily through the cult’s ranks, now standing as a candidate for executive leadership.
The only saving grace was that he did not inflict torture under the guise of “discipline” upon the servants and slaves of the mansion.
(What will become of this household, I wonder…)
The head butler knocked on the door to the bedchamber.
“My lord. I have brought the wine and the slave.”
“My mood has changed,” came the curt reply. “I don’t want either. Leave at once.”
The slave’s face lit up instantly, her expression blooming with relief.
“Understood,” the butler said with a bow.
(How rare. Let us leave before his mood changes again.)
“Shall we return to the underground quarters?” he asked gently.
“…………” She nodded repeatedly, unable to speak.
Turning on his heel, the head butler led the slave away.
◇◇◇
“They’ve gone. Good,” Al said quietly. “Let’s continue.”
“To think this man is a candidate for executive leadership…” Estella muttered. “Among the Dragon God cultists in the Empire, he’s one of the top three most dangerous criminals.”
—Over the course of several minutes of interrogation, they learned the truth: the baron was indeed a candidate for high-ranking leadership within the cult. It was entirely unexpected, but fortunate—or unfortunate—timing made it extremely convenient.
There was no longer any need to search for cultists.
They could simply extract the location of the branch housing the ancient dragon’s egg directly from Baron Nacht himself.
“How many branches does the cult have within the Empire?” Al asked.
“…Three,” the baron replied dully.
“Describe each branch and tell us where they are.”
“…First, a branch devoted to proselytizing activities, located in a forest near the kingdom’s border. Second, a slave-trading hub branch within the territory of Marquis Noir.”
So far, this matched their intelligence.
The real question was the location of the third branch. The two leaned in, straining to catch every word.
“…And the branch that houses the ancient dragon’s egg—and the senior leaders—is located within the territory of Duke Levian.”
Al and Estella’s eyes widened.
“Levian…” Al breathed.
“A duke’s territory… you say…!?” Estella gasped.
The third branch was in the Levian Ducal Territory—Selestaria’s homeland.
(This may require borrowing Seles’s strength.)
After extracting further details, the two climbed back onto the window ledge.
As he was leaving, Al tossed out one last remark.
“And don’t ever make slaves provide sexual services again, you damn lecherous baron.”
“…Yes. Understood.”
Moments after the two escaped, light returned to the baron’s eyes.
“Hm… what was I doing?” he muttered. “Ah, never mind. I’ll sleep for today. —Tomorrow as well, for the sake of the Dragon God.”
◇◇◇
Around the time Al and Estella were returning to the Imperial Capital—
Deep beneath a city in the Levian Ducal Territory, within a Dragon God Cult branch.
A masked man stood gazing at the ancient dragon’s egg enshrined at the center of the room.
The chamber was adorned with unsettling paintings, cursed artifacts, and stuffed monster hides. A malignant aura clung to the air, heavy and oppressive.
“Crow-sama. Two new sacrifices have been captured.”
“…Oh?” The masked man tilted his head. “Their mana capacity?”
“We measured them. Astonishingly, they rank among the highest-class sacrifices we’ve ever had.”
“Well done. Promote the captors by two ranks.”
“Yes, sir!”
After delivering the report, the subordinate withdrew.
The masked man known as Crow reached out, gently stroking the surface of the ancient dragon’s egg.
“At last… at long last. I can finally hatch you. And when that day comes—
—we will destroy this hateful Luxion Empire together.”