I Accidentally Saved The Male Lead’s Brother Chapter 148

 

Viscount Lister immediately recognized the silver-haired man before him.

“Morris Federo.”

“Oh? You know me?”

Of course, he knew him. Lister’s teeth ground together as Morris blinked in feigned surprise.

Morris Federo. One of Carcel Heinst’s loyal dogs.

According to his research, Morris was a disciple of Randru, the Heinst family mage. His skill was said to rival that of Ein, the head mage in the capital.

Though Lister was a fairly talented mage himself, even lauded as a prodigy in his youth, he was far from being a genius.

Could he possibly escape from Morris and the knights pursuing him? The answer was clear—he couldn’t.

It was time to make a choice: attempt escape, or surrender.

Lister had been grateful to the Lister family for adopting him and teaching him magic. He had also felt indebted to Lionel Wisner for his support.

But gratitude only went so far.

He hadn’t risked his life for Lionel out of loyalty. He had agreed to this scheme because Lionel had assured him it would work, that Carcel would be dealt with definitively.

If he’d known it would turn out like this, he never would have agreed.

But would surrendering make a difference? Would Carcel spare him?

Unlikely. The fact that Carcel had sent Morris after him made it clear—Carcel wanted him dead.

There was only one option left.

Lister’s lips twisted into a bitter smile as he grabbed the necklace hanging around his neck and yanked it off.

The leather cord burned against his skin, leaving a stinging sensation on his neck, but he didn’t care. He hurled the necklace at Morris with all his strength.

“Take this!”

Boom!

The necklace exploded at Morris’s feet, unleashing a plume of thick, white smoke that quickly enveloped Morris and the knights around him.

“Tch!”

The knights hurriedly covered their noses and mouths with their sleeves, but it was a futile effort. The smoke was laced with a potent toxin.

Even with their faces covered, they would inhale the poison and soon be writhing on the ground, coughing up blood.

Lister himself wasn’t immune to the risk, which was why he had avoided using it until now. But in this situation, nothing else mattered.

As the smoke spread, he retreated and began chanting a spell under his breath.

If he could cast a teleportation spell, he’d evade the Heinst knights for a while.

Then he could contact Lionel and seek his help.

He was just finishing the incantation when a sudden gust of wind swept through the street. The white smoke that had begun to fill the area was blown upwards, dissipating into the sky.

Through the now-clear air, Morris and the knights could be seen coughing but still standing.

“Damn it.”

Lister gritted his teeth and started chanting again.

But before he could finish, he was suddenly lifted into the air. The world spun, and he realized he was suspended upside down, hovering in midair.

The blood rushed to his head, and he struggled to keep chanting—but his lips wouldn’t move.

His mouth was sealed shut as though stitched together with invisible threads.

Teleportation was an advanced spell that required vocalized incantation. Without it, he couldn’t escape.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

Lister desperately tried to move his lips, but his attempts only resulted in a sharp, tearing pain.

Worse yet, his arms were yanked behind his back, immobilized as though bound by an unseen force.

He was like an insect ensnared in a spider’s web.

“See? If you’re going to get caught anyway, why waste everyone’s energy?”

Morris approached casually, brushing his disheveled hair back as he grinned.

“Now, let’s go quietly, shall we? Got it?”

Lister screamed internally but couldn’t utter a sound.

****

Carcel descended the stone steps with a grim expression. The dimly lit corridor was illuminated only by occasional torches.

At the end of the hall, Morris stood speaking to a guard.

Upon spotting Carcel, Morris placed his right fist over his heart and bowed deeply.

“My lord.”

Carcel gave a brief nod and asked, “Where is Viscount Lister?”

“He’s secured in the inner cell.”

Carcel turned to head inside but paused to look back at Morris.

“Are you unharmed? I heard he used a toxic smoke bomb.”

Before coming here, Carcel had received a report from Chase about the incident. According to the physician, Morris had acted swiftly, mitigating the worst of the effects and ensuring everyone’s safety.

Morris scratched the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Well, I acted quickly enough to keep things under control, so we’re fine.”

“You did well. You’ll be rewarded appropriately.”

Carcel gave Morris a firm pat on the shoulder before heading into the cell.

His composed demeanor shifted the moment he saw Viscount Lister shackled inside.

The man was bound hand and foot with heavy chains, a blindfold over his eyes and a gag in his mouth.

At Carcel’s signal, a guard stepped forward to remove the blindfold.

Lister’s eyes darted around wildly before settling on Carcel. His gaze trembled with a mixture of fear and faint hope.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

He tried to speak, but the gag muffled his words.

The guard glanced at Carcel and asked, “We’ve confirmed he isn’t carrying poison. Shall I remove the gag?”

Carcel studied Lister’s expression for a moment. The man’s face was filled with fear, tinged with the desperate hope of bargaining for his life.

Nodding, Carcel gave the order. The gag was removed.

“Duke Heinst!”

Lister’s voice was frantic as he called out, trying to move closer to Carcel. But the chains pulled taut, stopping him.

“I’ll tell you everything! Everything!”

Carcel watched him with a cold, detached expression before gesturing to the guard.

The guard hesitated. “But, my lord—”

“Go.”

The icy finality in Carcel’s tone silenced the guard, who quickly bowed and left the cell.

Carcel strode inside, his predatory presence causing Lister to shrink back instinctively.

When Carcel was close enough to tower over him, Lister blurted out in desperation, “I’ll talk! I’ll cooperate! I’ll tell you everything!”

“I know,” Carcel replied coolly.

“W-what?”

“I already know why you did this and what you’ve done.”

“That’s…”

The faint glimmer of hope in Lister’s eyes extinguished. He realized there would be no bargaining for his life.

Carcel knelt to meet Lister’s eye, his voice low and razor-sharp.

“The ambush on Theo’s escort. The sabotage at the martial tournament. The fire in Theo’s room. All of it was your doing, wasn’t it?”

Lister’s lips quivered, but he remained silent.

“I also know Lionel Wisner is behind you.”

Lister flinched, his eyes wide with shock.

“You didn’t know he’s the illegitimate son of the Petrion family, did you?”

Carcel’s words hit Lister like a thunderclap.

“What?!”

“You didn’t know? How convenient.”

Lister’s mind raced, struggling to reconcile this revelation.

The Petrion family had been wiped out years ago for conspiring against the Heinst family. But Lionel, a secret scion of that house?

“I didn’t know…”

Carcel’s eyes narrowed. “But you still targeted Theo, didn’t you?”

Lister’s silence spoke volumes.

“Normally, your life would already be forfeit. But cooperate, and I’ll let you live.”

Lister hesitated, searching Carcel’s face for any hint of sincerity. Seeing none, he finally bowed his head.

“I… I’ll comply.”

“Good. Now, where is Lionel Wisner?”

“I don’t know. He contacts me first.”

“Then we’ll wait for him to reach out.”

Carcel grabbed Lister’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“One last question. What kind of spell did you cast on the Emperor?”