Chapter 41: The Summons

“Before Grosvenor-san arrives, there’s something I want to ask. Those two were supposed to be tailing you—what did you do to them?”

“If you mean the guys following me around, they’re probably lost in the southern forest past the west gate.”

“You killed them?”

“Of course not. I don’t have that kind of skill. I just led them deeper into the forest. They’ll realize it eventually, but they won’t be getting back tonight.”

“Then what about the five from Korche?! There’s no way those guys would lose to a runt like you!”

A sudden kick to my back sent me flying.
With everyone around radiating pure killing intent, I couldn’t tell who had attacked me.
I’d let my guard down since they didn’t seem intent on killing me right away—but if that’s how they want to play it, I’ll do as I please too.

[Whirlwind! Spin!]

I enveloped the three who brought me here, along with what seemed to be five house guards, in a whirlwind and spun them at full force.
Only the man who had asked “Who’s that?” when I arrived—I let the magic disperse once he was dizzy.

He staggered around like a drunk with no sense of balance, and I kicked him over.
Then I pulled out some rope from my magic pouch, tied his hands and feet, and stuffed a rag in his mouth.
Once three minutes passed and the whirlwind disappeared, I finished off the collapsed men and slit open a herb pouch to use as a mask.

The tied man, now recovering his senses, was desperately trying to free himself.
His arms were tied behind his back, the rope connected to the rope binding his legs, so he wasn’t getting loose anytime soon.
I floated a tiny flame right near his nose, and he froze instantly.

“No need for introductions. Since I was invited here, I’d like to greet the branch manager.
You can tell me where his room is, right? That flame won’t be going out for a while.”

After warning him, I kicked him in the side and whispered.

“You know this building better than I do. If you’re ready to talk about where the branch manager’s room is, nod. Until then, you’ll be getting a bit toasty.”

If each branch has a torture room like this, their darkness runs deep.
Since he was lying face-down, I placed a flame on his butt. He immediately felt something was wrong, even though rolling around wouldn’t help him.
He turned sideways trying to escape, which was perfect.

I grabbed the front of his pants and dropped a flame inside.
He rolled desperately, but since he was tied in a shrimp-like arch, he could only flop sideways.
The crotch fabric burned, the flame fell out, but I could make as many flames as I wanted.
I lined them around his body—slow roasting him.

Once he frantically started nodding, I extinguished the flames and doused the scorched floorboards with water.

“Where’s the branch manager’s room? Tell me the route after leaving this room. Lie if you want—but I’ll ask someone else too, so think carefully.”

Sweat poured off him like a waterfall as he nodded.
I yanked the rag from his mouth—

“Someone! Intruder—!”

The sudden shout startled me, and I kicked him in the mouth, scattering teeth and silencing him.

“You forget what kind of room this is? If you don’t want to talk, you die.”

I used presence detection to check the hallway… no presence—
Wait, someone’s coming.

Just one.
They stopped in front of the door and knocked.

The tied man’s face gleamed with misplaced triumph, but there was only one person outside.
I kicked him again and opened the door casually.

The man outside froze in shock when he saw me, but before he could speak, I wrapped him in a whirlwind, pulled him in, let it dissipate before he vomited, and then tied him up.
The bruised man stared in disbelief.

I positioned the newly tied man where the bloodied one could see him clearly.

“Shout all you want, but you know how this room works. He didn’t answer my questions, so he’s going to die now.”

I lined flames around the bloodied man’s body.
He writhed desperately, unable to escape the heat no matter how he rolled.

“Watch closely. You’re next. If you don’t answer, that’s your fate.”

The trembling in the captured man’s body told me he wasn’t used to this kind of work.
Dragging this out would be disadvantageous, so I tossed a flame into the bloodied man’s mouth, ending him.

“Where is the branch manager’s room? Give me the route!”

“P-please don’t kill me!”

“If you don’t want to die, then tell the truth.”

“I-I’ll talk! When you leave this room, go right! Go right and there’s a staircase—go up, turn left, and the second door is the branch manager’s office!”

“Second door on the left or right?”

“On the right—the one facing the street!”

“Where are the guards? You know, don’t you?”

At the question, he twitched violently.

“There are two in the branch manager’s office! And… maybe four in the room opposite.”

“Maybe?”

“It’s late, so they might’ve already returned to their rooms!”

It had taken a while to get this far, so the servants were probably resting.

“Why did you come here?”

“I was told to check on the wind mage named Leon…”

Then you’d better hurry back—
I’ll report in your place.

After checking my mask, I scanned the hallway.
Right—clear. Left—clear.
I shut the door tightly behind me and set off.

I quietly moved through the empty corridor, went up the stairs, checked both sides, and proceeded left.

Second door.

Presence detection: no one in the left room, three in the right.

I knocked.

“Enter!”

As expected, I immediately neutralized the two guards at the door with Whirlwind.

“Who are you?”

“Does it matter? I came to ask where this Warrens fellow is. Where is he?”

“You idiot—do you even know where you are?”

“Sure. The Warrens Trading Company, Zandra Branch. And the guards are—”

The guards collapsed as the magic wore off.
I glanced at them, pulled a short spear from my magic pouch, and walked toward the man.

“D-don’t come any closer!”

“Tell me where this Warrens fellow is. If you don’t talk, you die.”

“Warrens-sama is at his mansion in the royal capital!”

“The street name and address?”

“North District, Bürrland Street, No. 15 on the right. Someone like you has no business getting anywhere near it!”

“I see. But you don’t need to worry about that.”

I couldn’t let him live—he’d learn my objective—so I forced a Water Ball deep into his throat.
He panicked, shoved his fingers into his mouth to try to scrape it out, then rolled his eyes back and collapsed.
I sent the fallen guards after him, offering a silent apology to the people I’d be meeting next, and retraced my steps through the corridor.

The last sacrifices were the two men guarding the rear gate.
After quietly closing the door behind me, I stepped into the dimly lit street.

* * * * * * * *

I avoided the patrol guards and headed for the east gate.
At a slightly distant open area, I wrapped myself in a large [Balloon!] with several holes in it, then silently created a thick [Tornado!] beneath me and launched myself outside the city.

I soared over the defensive walls and landed on the plains.
Once clear of the city, I canceled the magic of both the tornado and the balloon and moved further away.

* * * * * * * *

“Master, a letter has arrived from Chancellor Brighton.”

“From the Chancellor… What about a reply from Marquis Fleming?”

“We have sent several letters, but no answer has come.”

“And the situation with the Kreis branch offices?”

“We received reports that they have been completely sealed off by Duke Berlant’s guards. We cannot even get close.”

Warrens toyed with the letter he received from Lowell, thinking.

A summons had been issued, but until now neither the royal castle nor Duke Berlant had shown any movement.
Yet the four branch offices in the Berlant territory remained locked down, and there had been no word at all from Marquis Fleming.

Given that he had been summoned, making any move now would be dangerous.
He regretted not fleeing sooner—but if he were punished, Marquis Fleming would share the blame.
He hadn’t heard any report that the Marquis had been summoned to the castle, and the men he had sent to the Marquis’s mansion in the capital said that nothing seemed unusual there.

Even if the branches were seized, he hadn’t handed over any instructions or evidence—everything was carried by his subordinates and burned after reading.
Replies were written on small scraps of paper, which he burned after receiving them.
If confronted, he planned to insist that it was all done independently by the branch staff.

The letter contained only one line: “Report to the royal castle tomorrow afternoon.”

“Lowell, prepare. We’ll be going to the castle tomorrow afternoon.”

* * * * * * * *

Chairman Warrens did not know that Marquis Fleming had already arrived in the capital five days earlier—and had been summoned at the same time as Warrens.
Duke Berlant had arrived long before that and had been coordinating with Chancellor Brighton.

After Marquis Fleming passed through Berlant territory toward the capital, the Duke’s knights gathered at the magistrate’s residence in Heliant, waiting for the signal to begin their operation.
Three days ago, the execution date was delivered, and preparations were completed.

* * * * * * * *

Chairman Warrens, tense and uneasy, reported to the royal castle.
In the waiting room for those of viscount rank, he straightened his clothing and waited for his summons.

Time ticked by endlessly with no call.
Just as he had grown weary and was sipping tea, the Deputy Assistant to the Chancellor arrived to escort him.

He had met the Chancellor several times before, and it was always this Deputy Assistant who came for him—so he felt a slight sense of relief.

But instead of the usual conference room, he was led deeper than even the Chancellor’s office.
The room he was ushered into was luxurious, yet sparsely furnished.
On a raised platform stood an ornate chair, and along the walls stood rows of Royal Guard Knights.

He was instructed to stand at a certain spot.
The Deputy Assistant said, “Please wait a moment,” and disappeared from sight.