The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go Chapter 69

 

“So, he almost got caught but somehow narrowly escaped, is that your story?”

 

“Yep. That’s what we found out.”

 

“Oh well…”

 

The redheaded man tapped his fingers on the table, his golden eyes twinkling.

 

“So you’re saying Tekarke was lying, then? I seem to recall him saying that he got out of that incident unscathed?”

 

“Yes, he lied. He escaped unharmed during his first escape, but he left a trail of the magic behind him, and it appears he was tracked by the search party.”

 

The man in the white cloak stood beside the captured man and reported in a low, steady voice.

 

“There’s no way Deamant’s search party could have seen that and stayed put.”

 

“So he thought he’d gotten away with it, rested easy, and then was ambushed and caught.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The white-cloaked man replied, flipping through a stack of papers.

 

“For now, there’s little damage on our end.”

 

“For now?”

 

The man of the arrest glared at the man in the white cloak, his eyes sharp.

 

His eyes were frighteningly murderous, akin to a snake flicking its tongue at its prey.

 

“Yes. As far as damage is concerned, the Imperial Search Party has lost two dead and several seriously wounded.”

 

“Did they use some sort of curse magic?”

 

“Unfortunately, yes.”

 

The man in the white cloak sighed and replied.

 

“I’ve been told that Tekarke must have panicked while fleeing the attack and cast a wide area curse spell on them.”

 

“That fool.”

 

The man who had been caught cursed through gritted teeth.

 

“I told him not to use it, but apparently he didn’t listen.”

 

The man in the white cloak didn’t bother to answer.

 

Much better to play nice than to offend the man in front of him.

 

It was the latter who did not end well.

 

“After what happened to the search party, there’s no way the Empire is going to stand idly by.”

 

The man in the white cloak looked at the red-haired man muttering to himself, then spoke up.

 

“Let’s move forward with the plan.”

 

“…”

 

“Since we’ve already been spotted, we should move faster than you.”

 

The white cloaked man spoke in a low voice.

 

“Before they strike, we must strike first.”

 

The red-haired man, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them and twisted up one corner of his lips.

 

“We can’t screw this up again.”

 

The man caught said something he didn’t know to whom he was addressing.

 

“I’ll do as you say. Get everyone together now.”

 

“As you wish.”

 

The man in the white cloak replied, bowing his head.

 

Looking down at him, the red-haired man muttered to himself.

 

‘Just this once.’

 

The time has come to end this tiresome battle. He had long since sold his soul and conscience.

 

He didn’t care how many people died, as long as he got what he wanted.

 

‘Cedric Deamant.’

 

A maniacal grin spread across his tightly closed lips.

 

‘This time, I’m going to kill you.’

 

🗡️

 

An emergency call has been issued for the search party that raided Brian Tekarke.

 

Among the search party organized to track down Tekarke were two Imperial Knights Swordsmen.

 

So when Cedric and I heard the news, my heart sank.

 

Fortunately, my junior knights were not injured badly enough to be life-threatening.

 

One suffered only minor abrasions, and the other injured his arm, but the infirmary said he would recover quickly.

 

But the situation was different for the rest of the group.

 

“So, the curse was the problem, and just as the search party was about to catch Tekarke hiding in the room, he threw a vial of black liquid at them.”

 

At Rukia’s words, the Marquis of Lauren read down from the papers with a grim expression.

 

“As soon as the vial shattered, it exploded in a cloud of black smoke, injuring everyone in the vicinity. Is this what you mean?”

 

“Yes, my lord.”

 

The imperial palace magician who had been struck by the vial, and the imperial soldier next to him, were killed.

 

Not only that, but the people near the vial were injured beyond repair.

 

“It is said that Tekarke disappeared after the vial was thrown, and the surroundings became tumultuous. It’s presumed that he used some sort of teleportation magic, but…”

 

Rukia trailed off as she posted the report. 

 

The mage who had died this time was someone who had a good relationship with not only the imperial mages, but also with the Department of Magical Research.

 

Rukia was also close to him.

 

“Hah…”

 

After hearing Rukia’s report, Cedric let out a deep sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead.

 

Staring at us with dark eyes, he spoke in a slightly hushed voice.

 

“It was a mistake on my part to call for a search party, and I apologize to you all.”

 

“No.”

 

A dismissive answer came out of my mouth.

 

“Tekarke was not only insulting His Majesty in the banquet hall, but until recently, he was a rogue who distributed illegal drugs throughout the Empire.”

 

The Chancellor spoke like a rapid-fire cannon. 

 

“How could you not act quickly, when everyone knows that if left unchecked, he will make the whole empire suffer?”

 

“Exactly, and I know the search party knew that, which is why they were so determined to carry out their mission. Wasn’t the idea of a second raid not far behind them?”

 

“Yes. How can we blame His Majesty for this…”

 

“And who would have thought that a former magical swordsman would cast a curse spell?”

 

The Minister of Defense had a point.

 

A magical swordsman could usually only use magic while holding his sword, and the magic he could use was limited to offensive magic.

 

If they have a lot of mana, like me, they may even be able to release it without holding the sword, but that’s not the same as a curse.

 

Of course, some mages, like Cedric, are able to use other, smaller forms of magic besides offensive magic.

 

But as far as I know, Tekarke does not.

 

“You’re right, Minister of Defense.”

 

I raised my hand to speak.

 

“I have not spent much time with Tekarke in the Knights, but it is my understanding that he is unable to use any magic other than offensive magic.”

 

He was the kind of man who would wield a sword first if his life was in danger.

 

As long as he had his hands, he would have swung his sword. 

 

“But if he used a medium other than a sword, and if he used curse magic on a large scale, we have to assume that other forces are involved behind Tekarke.”

 

A magic swordsman who could never use normal magic could still use small-scale magic if the wizard used a medium that contained the magic.

 

But nothing as specialized and lethal as a curse had ever been put into a medium.

 

“Captain Minerva is right, and there is a striking similarity between the magic left over from Tekarke’s curse and the magic extracted during the last Lion of Nemesis incident.”

 

Cedric nodded at the Marquis of Lauren’s words.

 

The last time the lion attacked Cedric, he had sampled the magic left in its carcass, but its source was unknown.

 

The discovery of similar magic means that whoever organized the Lion of Nemesis attack had Tekarke’s back.

 

‘Who the hell is he working with?’

 

I thought he was after me, but I didn’t realize he was connected to the forces that were after Cedric.

 

‘He’s only twenty years old, and he’ll only last so long if you let him get away with it.’

 

Gritting my teeth in anger, I gripped the scabbard at my waist with my right hand.

 

I vowed that if I caught them, I would never let them go.

 

🗡️

 

The dead were buried, and the wounded were treated.

 

The night after the funerals, I went to the appointed place and waited for Cedric to return from his work.

 

He looked fine on the outside, but I could tell that in truth, he was not.

 

That in reality, it was otherwise.

 

He was struggling to maintain his composure because he knew that if the Emperor showed signs of wavering, so would those below him.

 

He was actually feeling guilty and in pain, but he was holding it together.

 

‘Still, it’s hardly Cedric’s fault…’

 

The magic Tekarke had left behind was of a kind the Empire had never seen before.

 

Even the Department of Magical Research was having trouble deciphering it.

 

The search party’s preparations were almost complete.

 

Had someone else not intervened in Tekarke’s escape, the search party would have accomplished their mission perfectly.

 

The searchers were well-prepared.

 

It was just an unexpected accident that threw things off.

 

So it’s hard to blame Cedric for organizing the search party.

 

[Still, it’s hard for me to think that way, since you’re often blamed for everything that goes wrong in the Knights.]

 

Caliberne spoke up.

 

‘Yes, I understand that, though it’s only natural for a superior to feel that way.’

 

Still, I felt bad.

 

Cedric has probably organized a search party because he knows I’ve had a hard time with Tekarke’s shenanigans.

 

I’m sure I was the one who set him in motion, even if it was for drug distribution, and it’s a shame that what started with such good intentions ended up like this.

 

At that moment, I heard the door creak open.

 

With it, a familiar voice called out to me.

 

“Ciel.”

 

“Your Majesty, you’re here—”

 

Before I could finish my sentence, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my shoulders.

 

Leaning against me like he was about to collapse, holding me tightly as if I’d disappear if he let go, Cedric whispered in my ear.

 

“I’m sorry, can you just let me be like this for a second?”