Chapter 160: The Capture Commotion

When I landed before the service gate of Count Arkwright’s mansion, it opened immediately. I was guided to the inner entrance, where Eugen came hurrying over.

“Lord Leon, we’ve been waiting for you. You must be tired.”

“Where’s the Count?”

“He awaits you in his study.”

“Count, I’ve brought a letter from Chancellor Brighton.”

I bowed and presented the royal-crested letter. Eugen received it reverently with both hands and passed it to the Count. Relief spread across the Count’s face as he hurriedly broke the seal and read, so Klein’s actions would apparently not be pursued further by the kingdom.

“Lord Leon, we have permission to seal Lynas for one month under the pretext of an epidemic. I would appreciate your assistance during the raid on the brothel.”

“I’ll watch from above the brothel and help capture those who try to escape, but the rest is your work, Count.”

“I’m grateful. Even if any escape our capture, we’ll hunt them down thoroughly.”

“I’ve been saddled with acting as liaison to the royal castle, so give the reports to me and I’ll deliver them. Please don’t send express riders.”

“Understood. The instructions also state that until the kingdom issues further notice, we must disclose nothing to neighboring lords and continue using the epidemic as our pretext.”

Sealing Lynas for an entire month—Chancellor Brighton was certainly serious.

I had begun to worry about the fifteen men confined in the dome, so I flew out and gave them water. Three had already died. The survivors looked gaunt—or rather, because I had left their injuries untreated, more than half were close to death.

I hurriedly gave them potions, but I didn’t have enough and their conditions showed little improvement. After blindfolding everyone, I summoned the Healing Magic spirits and asked, [Please heal their injuries].

The request didn’t seem to be getting through, and they were just wandering around me. I approached an injured man and asked [Can you heal this injured person?]

This time they understood. Pale light enveloped the man I indicated, and his pained groans stopped. Yes! Since my request had reached them, I asked them to heal the other injured men one after another. Even badly swollen broken limbs returned to normal. Healing Magic was astonishing.

I moved the three corpses farther away with [Whirlwind!], hurled them into the distance with [Tornado!], and decided I had seen nothing.

“We’re preparing to capture your companions, so guards will come for you soon—wait quietly.”

“Heal our injuries.” “We’ll die like this.”

“What are you talking about? I poured top-grade potions over you. The pain should already be gone.”

“Eh… the pain is indeed gone, and my fingers move.” “Oh, it’s true, but when did you use the potion?” “I didn’t feel anything…”

“Your body was probably paralyzed from pain. They’ll come for you in a few days, so wait.”

“So it’s off to the dungeon even if we’re healed?” “Not sure if I should be grateful or not.”

I heard grumbling, but filled the dome with plenty of magic again before returning to the city.

I was afraid to return home, so I accepted the Count’s offer to stay overnight, though declining his invitation to dinner took considerable effort. However useless Klein might have been, I was still the reason the Count had disowned and expelled his second son. I had no desire to endure the strain of dining at a noble’s table. In any case, everyone seemed too busy preparing for the next day to enjoy a leisurely meal.

The next morning, I waited in the study over tea for things to begin.

A report arrived that Rainz, captain of the West Gate security unit, and all his subordinates had been assembled under the pretext of training and thrown into the dungeon. At the same time, plainclothes knights and guards left the mansion in small groups. Romand, who would command at the scene, had changed into inconspicuous clothing and wore a borrowed knight’s sword.

“Lord Leon, I count on you.”

“Yes, I’ll wait above the brothel shortly, but please begin before it gets dark.”

“Understood.”

Romand saluted sharply and departed with his plainclothes guards. I rose from the mansion garden and waited in the sky above the Adventurers’ Guild. Watching the mansion’s carriage crawl through the streets while I floated alone was painfully dull.

By the time the carriage finally neared the brothel, a large crowd had gathered about two streets away. I watched nervously, certain the suspects would notice and flee. Then a rapid series of bursting Fireballs—bang, bang—signaled the start of the raid.

Ignoring the people surging toward the brothel at the signal, I watched the surrounding houses and back alleys. Men roared and women screamed inside the establishment, while adventurers guarding the perimeter wore strips of identifying cloth around their arms. They seemed efficient enough. When a man burst from a house behind the brothel and ran, I caught him in [Whirlwind!] and spun him around. As expected, the brothel had escape passages, though apparently none extended very far.

Another man emerged from a house one door away and strolled off without even glancing at the uproar—far too unnatural. I spun him with [Whirlwind!] as well. A third man dashed into an alley, but I caught him at its exit, lifted him, and dropped him beside one of the adventurers guarding the perimeter.

The adventurer stared in shock at the man who had fallen out of the wind, so I shouted that another suspicious man was spinning elsewhere and pointed out the location.

The man I had left turning until his imaginary color timer began flashing could no longer move and was vomiting before the watching crowd. The adventurer sent to seize him splashed Water over him. A cupful would hardly help, I thought. Then I noticed a man among the spectators moving away while glancing sideways at the scene. He radiated the same dangerous pressure as Olga of Strongarm.

Olga rarely leaks killing intent, but people were fearfully making way for this man.

Thinking it would be bad to let this guy escape, I immediately wrapped him in [Whirlwind!], but the moment the wind began to blow, he sprinted at full speed and leaped into an alley.

Impressive—but I was faster in the air than he was on foot. When he emerged onto the main street and ran toward another side road, I struck him from behind with [Strong Wind!]. As he tried to rise, I enclosed him in [Whirlwind!].

Spinning him enough not to kill him, I lifted him up and carried him to the guard watching the brothel, where Romand came running.

“Lord Leon, who’s this man?”

“One of those who escaped, but he had the most dangerous presence, so please be careful.”

I told Romand which houses the captured men had emerged from and had him search for hidden passages. Unfortunately, the spectators clearly saw me floating overhead and giving instructions. Their pointing and excited discussion made it obvious that they had identified me as the rumored Leon the Breeze.

Once the situation settled, I landed before the brothel. A guard approached me and said, “Lord Romand is asking for you.”

The guard led me inside. The place was in even worse condition than after one of my own whirlwinds: prostitutes and customers sat lined against the walls under guard. Some had torn clothes or swollen faces, suggesting that the raiders had handled them roughly.

“Lord Leon, we’ve rescued abducted boys, girls, and women from the dungeon and secured evidence. However, we don’t know the identity of that man well.”

“That man?”

“The one you said was dangerous. We had prostitutes and customers look at his face, but no one knows him…”

“They’re probably afraid.”

“Yes. Manager Moritz also denies knowing him, but he’s trembling. The man carried no weapon or suspicious item and has no identification. He readily supplied a name and address, however, so we had them checked.”

“And he actually lives there?”

“Yes. So may we release him?”

How naive. I tugged Romand’s ear close and whispered, “Take him to the mansion and have Klein identify him from concealment.” If Klein publicly testified to this man’s identity, he would be a corpse by the next morning.

Romand immediately shouted, “Bring a carriage!” I told him to transport the rescued victims and every captive to the mansion together under escort by guards and adventurers. If we released such a dangerous man, we might never catch him again—and my own neck would be at risk. I didn’t know Heinz’s face, but his presence proved he was no ordinary man.

In this world, I’ve never heard soft words like “human rights,” so it’s convenient at times like this.

The brothel’s bouncers, servants, and other suspicious men were taken to Count Arkwright’s mansion, where the interrogations began. The dangerous older man was bound as tightly as possible and watched by six experienced knights.

From here on it’s not my job, so I waited in the Count’s study over tea for reports to arrive.

People came and went constantly with status reports from the interrogation, making it noisy, and I could hear all the contents.

“Lord Romand, have you learned that man’s true identity?”

“Yes. When we had Klein confirm, he testified it was Heinz.”

“Then begin with Moritz, the brothel’s head clerk, and Heinz’s subordinates. Find out where they sent the kidnapped people, who received them, and every organization or patron connected to them. We must inform Chancellor Brighton and arrange simultaneous arrests while the city remains sealed under the epidemic pretext. If we move slowly and word of the city’s disturbance leaks, everyone involved will flee…”

He shook his head without saying more.

“Once their identities are confirmed, determine where the kidnapped people were sent and who received them! Give potions freely to anyone weakened by the interrogation!”

Perhaps the threat had worked. Unlimited potions during interrogation was certainly generous.

After a while, an interrogator came with a bitter face and reported: “That man called Heinz is stubborn and won’t say a single word.”

“You may hurt him as much as necessary provided you don’t kill him. Tell me whenever you need more potions.”

“The thing is, we’ve already made him drink five, and if we do more, even with a healing magic user…”

“Doesn’t he recover even after drinking potions?”

“The injuries heal, but the blood he’s lost doesn’t return. He’s become too physically weak for even a Healing Magic user to help.”

I see.